Over a week ago, our colleagues came together to celebrate Birmingham Pride! Bringing energy, warmth and real pride, teams from across Midland Heart were out in force, showing what inclusion looks like in action. Taking part in Pride is just one of the ways we support our LGBT+ colleagues, tenants and communities, and continue to build a workplace where everyone can be themselves. Thank you to everyone who joined us or cheered us on! #BirminghamPride #Inclusion #Belonging
We’re really proud to share that we’ve been named in the 2026 Sunday Times Best Places to Work list, building on our inclusion in 2024. This national recognition is based on feedback from our colleagues, reflecting our strong engagement and positive workplace culture. This year, we’ve also received a Highly Commended ‘Spotlight Award’ for our work supporting disabled colleagues, Our Chief Executive, Glenn Harris, put it best: “This recognition is incredibly meaningful because it reflects the environment we’re creating for our colleagues. They are the ones making a difference every day, and we’re committed to investing in them, supporting them and making Midland Heart a place where everyone feels they belong and can thrive.”
A fantastic few days at UKREiiF, with Midland Heart proud to be representing the West Midlands Housing Association Partnership (WMHAP) We kicked off the week with a focus on what partnership working can achieve in practice. It was great to take part in the Housing Delivery Showcase alongside Keon Homes Limited, highlighting schemes already making a real difference to communities, a first look at Tower Ballroom, a future net-zero neighbourhood of scale in Birmingham. Today, we shared more on the launch of the new Social Housing Surveying HNC. Developed with University College Birmingham, Tpas England and West Midlands Combined Authority, this tenant co-created qualification will help equip the next generation of housing professionals
As our sector faces increasing regulatory change, rising tenant expectations and real skills shortages, investing in people has never been more important. That’s why we’ve partnered with University College Birmingham, Tpas England and the West Midlands Combined Authority to launch a new Social Housing Surveying HNC, co-created with tenants and designed to raise standards across the sector. Combining technical expertise with real lived experience, the course is designed to develop housing professionals who understand both the buildings they manage and the people who live in them. This is an employer-supported development opportunity, allowing colleagues to study alongside their roles. To find out more visit the UCB course page.
Achieving G1/V1/C1 and a 97% Tpas accreditation score matters. But what matters more is what we do next. Our Chief Executive Glenn, and Chair of our My Impact tenant group Trevor, talk to Inside Housing, and Jenny Osbourne MBE Chief Executive of Tpas England, about the importance of tenant scrutiny, and why being open to challenge (even when it’s uncomfortable) is essential if we want to keep improving services and building trust with tenants.
We’ve now reached 200 shared ownership sales this year and are on course to set a new annual record! Shared ownership helps households put down roots and build long‑term stability, and remains an important part of our approach to creating sustainable, thriving communities. Every sale supports someone in need of an affordable home, and this achievement reflects the continued commitment of our teams to meeting housing need across the communities we serve. Well done all!
We’re proud to be working with Birmingham City Council and Keon Homes Limited to bring forward plans for this landmark site at the former Tower Ballroom. As an iconic part of Birmingham’s landscape, transforming this location into much‑needed affordable homes marks an important step for the city. Building on the learnings from our pioneering Project 80 developments, this scheme will help us refine our approach as we deliver our next generation of sustainable homes. Watch this space!
We're pleased to share that we’ve achieved Silver Accreditation in the Inclusive Employers Standard! This recognition reflects the progress we’ve made since achieving Bronze in 2023 and the everyday commitment of colleagues across our organisation. We were especially commended for our inclusive leadership, recruitment, colleague voice and continuous learning. We’re proud of how far we’ve come and we’re focused on the work ahead to keep inclusion at the heart of everything we do.
We’re investing £295m to bring 1,200 new affordable homes to Birmingham, helping to tackle the city’s 25,000‑strong housing waiting list. It’s a big step toward our goal of delivering 2,250 new affordable homes across the Midlands by 2030, helping more people access a safe, secure place to call home Click on the link below to read more!
We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Councillor Waseem Zaffar. Over many years, we have had the privilege of working closely with Cllr Zaffar on a range of initiatives that strengthened our communities across Birmingham. His passion for improving the lives of local people and his commitment to social justice was clear in every conversation and every project we collaborated on. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with his family, friends, colleagues, and the many communities he helped shape for the better.
