Unlocking the future of UK infrastructure: a new approach to funding

WHITE PAPER SERIES

Unlocking the future of UK infrastructure: a new approach to funding

We are calling for a fresh approach to public-private partnerships to help unlock the investment needed to deliver the next generation of schools, hospitals, housing and defence infrastructure.

In our new white paper, we set out the case for the Alliance Investment Model, a reimagined form of private finance that offers improved value, stronger governance and shared ownership.

With over 128 years’ experience delivering public infrastructure, we believe this model provides a practical and fiscally responsible solution. It balances risk and reward, attracts long-term institutional investment, including pension funds, and could play a key role in supporting the UK’s economic growth.

Download the white paper to explore the full detail and find out how a new model for investment could help deliver the infrastructure the UK urgently needs.

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Download the report

To finance infrastructure delivery, the government must access private capital to move at the speed required and drive economic prosperity.

“Our Alliance Investment Model is a fresh approach, improving on PFI, and is the only viable route to unlocking the housing, schools and hospitals the country urgently needs.”

Eoghan O’Lionaird

Chief Executive, Wates Group

Latest insights

World FM Day 2025: Resilience in action – thriving through change

ASSETS: Assisting Social Enterprises to Succeed 2025

Helping people thrive in social homes in North London

Talking is key to reimagining Croydon’s future

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World FM Day 2025: Resilience in action – thriving through change

14 May 2025

Insight Facilities management

Jack Prady Managing Director, Facilities Management

World FM Day invites us to reflect on the vital role facilities management plays in the health, safety, and productivity of the buildings we work and learn in.

To mark the day, we’re sharing the perspectives of Jack Prady, Managing Director for Facilities Management, on what this year’s theme, ‘Resilience in action: thriving in a world of change,’ means for our Property Services business.

What does the World FM Day theme mean to you?

For us, resilience means more than maintaining buildings, it’s about staying curious, improving how we work, and staying agile in a fast-moving world. Whether it’s using data smarter, embracing new tech, or reimagining service delivery, we’re constantly evolving to support the people and organisations who rely on us.

Resilience in action isn’t just a theme, it’s a daily reality for FM professionals. Whether adapting to change, supporting customers, or driving innovation, they’re the steady force behind thriving workplaces.

What is your background, and how did you get into FM?

I started in building services engineering through a four-year apprenticeship at a Manchester-based M&E company. I quickly became interested in the financial and customer sides of the work, which led me into project management and a two-year HNC in Building Services Engineering.

During the 2008 recession, I was introduced to FM through a friend and joined Hochtief, managing a PFI contract for 47 UK schools. It was a steep learning curve, from technical support to stakeholder management. I later built an in-house engineering team to boost efficiency and control. That hands-on experience and the mentors I met really shaped my FM journey.

Describe your career in three words.

Scary, progressive, and rewarding. Saying yes, even when it felt uncomfortable, helped me grow and find what really drives me. I’ve learned the most during times of change, and I’m most fulfilled when leading teams through it. Resilience is about learning and adapting, not avoiding difficulty.

What’s your leadership style?

It’s evolved! These days, I lead with a ‘we’re only here once’ mindset, so let’s make it count.
I believe in collaboration and empowering people to challenge and improve. Healthy debate is welcome, and I see my role as keeping us focused and moving forward. To me, resilience in leadership is about balancing clarity of purpose with adaptability.

Why Wates Property Services?

Wates has the scale, values, and agility to stand out in a fragmented market. What drew me in was the chance to help shape the future of the FM business and build on its strengths. We deliver high-quality services and make customers feel genuinely valued, something that’s rare and worth investing in.

What do you do in your spare time?

I’ve got two amazing kids and a wife who keep me busy!

Outside of work, I’m passionate about fundraising. I designed and completed a 24-hour run for The Christie Charity, and in 2023, I ran from Wembley Stadium to Old Trafford – seven marathons in four days. I’m currently training for the Edinburgh Marathon and chasing a sub-three-hour time. I also coach my son’s under-9 football team, which keeps me on my toes!

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ASSETS: Assisting Social Enterprises to Succeed 2025

29 Apr 2025

Insight

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Ready to take your business to the next level? Apply by 11 May 

Recruitment for the ASSETS programme kicks off 

For the fifth consecutive year, we’re thrilled to invite social enterprises to be part of this transformative programme.

We are working with Impact Hub London, Travis Perkins and Resonance on a business mentoring programme to supports social enterprises to take advantage of the growth in the low-carbon heating sector.   If your social enterprise is developing new ways to train for low-carbon tech, managing district heating skills, or providing training apply today.

This programme aligns with ‘the long term strategic commitment outlined in our social value strategy, ‘Creating Opportunities’, to ‘support five social enterprises to achieve national scale by 2025’.

Apply now

.

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ASSETS: Assisting Social Enterprises to Succeed 2024

The post ASSETS: Assisting Social Enterprises to Succeed 2025 appeared first on Wates.

Helping people thrive in social homes in North London

15 Apr 2025

Insight Housing maintenance Residential

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When we have a place to grow, we can all thrive and that’s what we want for our clients’ tenants.

When we create quality, we can deliver safer, happier homes – and that’s what we thrive for.

Our 3,000-strong team of property services experts look after more than half a million homes in the UK – maintaining and improving a range of different building types.

From helping you plan large-scale decarbonisation to complex projects in high-risk buildings, our delivery experts work to understand your property challenges and partner to find the immediate, as well as long term solutions.

View our projects

Lasting partnerships

We work closely with our customers to find the right solutions, tailored to specific needs. This means not just delivering repairs and upgrades but acting as a strategic partner to offer guidance on how best to manage housing stock in the longer term.

It’s not just about what we do though, for us, working in peoples’ homes is personal. That’s why we focus on resident engagement and how we can support surrounding communities, be it through creating employment opportunities and ensuring local suppliers are involved in our projects or volunteering with local organisations and groups.

We have a particularly strong legacy in North London – home to our property services hub – where we’re proud to have nurtured long-term relationships with our customers to support thousands of their residents over the years.

Find out more about what we’ve delivered in North London by looking at our case studies below:

Project

Integrated Maintenance Service For Brent Council

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Project

Maintenance For Peabody Housing Association

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Project

Delivering repairs And maintenance For Notting Hill Genesis

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Project

Retrofit Work For London Borough Of Enfield

Read more

Get in touch

Melissa Woodall

Housing Maintenance (South of England)

VIEW PROFILE

Richard Mardle

Housing Maintenance (South of England)

VIEW PROFILE

The post Helping people thrive in social homes in North London appeared first on Wates.

Talking is key to reimagining Croydon’s future

31 Mar 2025

Insight

At Wates, we’ve long been committed to supporting Croydon. We were founded here more than 125 years ago, and we continue to maintain a presence in the borough and actively support community projects.

Against a backdrop of real challenges, community groups, volunteers, and businesses are rolling up their sleeves to make a difference. From local youth initiatives tackling crime to grassroots projects supporting those in need, the borough is full of people working together to create positive change.

Our Chairman, Tim Wates believes that even a small shift in engagement with each other can make a big difference to the borough’s future. Explore his insights now.

VIEW THE ARTICLE

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British Land and AustralianSuper celebrated the topping out of Plot A1, a sustainable mixed-use building in the heart of the 53-acre Canada Water masterplan.

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The post Talking is key to reimagining Croydon’s future appeared first on Wates.

Managing bipolar within the construction industry

30 Mar 2025

Insight Construction

By Patrick Shah-Regan

Having worked as a Site Manager for 20 years, I can say a lot has changed over this time in relation to mental health awareness within the construction industry.

My story, I hope, is a beacon of light to show others that having a mental health issue is no longer an obstacle that cannot be overcome.

I was first diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2009 while working on a new-build supermarket in Manchester. I had been working almost seven days a week with little or no sleep (for about 7-10 days) when one Sunday morning, while driving to the company house, I sought help from a passing police van and was taken to a mental hospital and sectioned that day.

I was in the psychiatric hospital for a month and was on a platter of medication. It was at this point that I was diagnosed as having bipolar disorder. I had to take six months off, and when I returned to work, I was given light duties initially, but eventually was able to return to full duties and back to where I was prior to me being hospitalised.

When I came out of the hospital, I was embarrassed and in shock at what had occurred to me. No one in the business, friends or family, could have seen this coming — not even me. I felt that I had let my work colleagues down and could not understand why this had happened to me. I was ashamed of what had occurred.

My girlfriend, now wife, Panchali, has been an amazing woman and has stood by me and shown me endless love and compassion, even to this day. I am so blessed. I have since realised that having this condition is part of my personality.

Fast forward to the present day, and I am currently working with Wates Smartspace as a Senior Site Manager on a variety of multi-million-pound projects across the UK. I started with Wates Smartspace in 2021, and prior to the interview, I had informed the business that I had this condition, and there were no questions or hesitations about my prospects within the business.

I have not only sustained myself but emulated and advanced my career under the right conditions with help from Wates Smartspace. I have written a book, blog and AI text-to-speech on YouTube (all for free) and have given numerous toolbox talks about my experiences on Wates projects. I just want to show others that there is hope and that you can live a relatively normal life, but you just need to be mindful and raise your hand if you start to be troubled.

For me, just being honest when dealing with other colleagues, the business and supply chains. I often start when I meet somebody new, and I just tell them my story. The construction industry is, as we know, high pressure and always battling against project deadlines and tight budgets. I am delighted that I have been able to continue my role in the construction industry, and in this job, I am both enthusiastic and love doing every day.

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The post Managing bipolar within the construction industry appeared first on Wates.

Navigating PAS 2035 for healthier homes: expert guidance on the challenges and opportunities

14 Mar 2025

Insight Housing maintenance

Ben Williams Head of Zero Carbon Retrofit, Wates Property Services

With the Government announcement of legislation that will see deadlines to address damp and mould, plus disrepair issues in social homes come into force later this year, pressure is increasing for social landlords.

The announcement follows a string of recent media stories about areas where poor insulation has caused unlivable conditions for residents and the suspension of 39 insulation installation firms after findings from Trustmark highlighted poor-quality work.

Ensuring healthy, energy efficient homes is an increasingly complicated landscape, but there’s a real opportunity to take a holistic view and understand how PAS 2035 best practice can ensure the best outcomes for tenants and deliver homes where people can thrive.”

Ben Williams

Head of Zero Carbon Retrofit for Wates Property Services

Ben has shared expert guidance on the role of PAS 2035, some of the challenges, and best practices that can help ensure quality outcomes are delivered for both the buildings and residents.

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The post Navigating PAS 2035: expert guidance appeared first on Wates.

What would you have done differently in your career? Our female leaders share their career advice

10 Mar 2025

Insight

Following on from International Women’s Day, we’re shining a light on the women driving change here at Wates.

Meet the women on our executive committee – leaders of our residential business along with experts in sustainability, communications, law, supply chain and quality. Their leadership helps to drive our business forward and inspire the next generation of women to thrive in the built environment.

With the benefit of hindsight, they’ve shared with us what they would have done differently in their early careers.

“The lesson I’ve learned is the importance of being absolutely, authentically myself. It took me a while to realise this – that being your whole self at work, and being prepared to show vulnerability (though without ‘oversharing!’), actually makes the role more fun, more fulfilling, and deepens the connections that you can make. It’s a lesson that I would definitely want to pass on to anyone at whatever stage in their career.”

Chelsea Walters

Group Legal Director

I would have spent more time considering what sort of job would have enabled me to do what I am really passionate about, and then focused on that career path.

“Instead, I worked really hard and took opportunities as they came along. It worked out in the end, but it has been by chance rather than design!”

Anna Mann

Group Communications and Marketing Director

I would prioritise networking. At the time, I thought doing a good job was enough, but I’ve since realised that having a strong network – both internal and external – plays a crucial role in career growth.

“Building connections, especially as a woman in the workplace, opens doors and creates opportunities. It’s a powerful tool for support, mentorship, and personal growth. Never underestimate the value of relationships, both professional and personal.”

Phillippa Prongué

Executive Managing Director, Residential

I would have concentrated on building my network of female professionals. Over the last decade or so my personal women’s network has expanded to include many female colleagues who’ve had similar challenges and achievements.

“Frankly, I’ve found it comforting and energising to be able to share things good and bad with this network, it’s often given me the strength and determination at times to go again when things are tough, and I hope the same for them.

“I’m happy to say many of us are friends outside work now and have enjoyed spending some downtime together doing the things we love.”

Rosie Toogood

Chief Supply Chain and Quality Officer

I would have got creative sooner, rather than waiting to be invited: making the headspace to join the dots yourself and define the change/project/strategy that you believe will add real value is hugely rewarding.

“For success, you need great co-creators who can test and improve alongside you, so being collaborative and sharing the credit pays dividends. And I’d have sought out feedback I could learn from. It’s an antidote to the sting of failure and builds you a playbook for future success.”

Cressida Curtis

Group Sustainability Director

Join our supportive workplace, where you can flourish and prosper.

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International Women’s Day: Our exclusive interview with rugby star Georgie Perris-Redding

10 Mar 2025

Insight

In honour of International Women’s Day and in recognition of our official partnership with Premiership Women’s Rugby, Kerry Barkworth, a Senior Safety, Health and Environment Advisor with Wates Smartspace, was invited to the Sale Sharks training ground in Manchester to meet one of the club’s most successful players, flanker Georgie Perris-Redding.

Levelling the playing field to help women thrive

Kerry Barkworth has recently discovered a love for women’s rugby, taking up the game at amateur level, aged 47, and now playing regularly for Ripon Ladies, her local club, in Yorkshire.

She admits that being on the pitch with an all-female team is ‘completely empowering’. As a Safety, Health and Environment Advisor for Wates Smartspace, she’s frustrated that women are still under-represented in built environment roles, but can see positive signs that things are changing.

Kerry was thrilled to be invited to one of PWR’s nine clubs, Sale Sharks in Manchester, to meet Georgie Perris-Redding, who started playing at the age of seven and now plays for the club and at international level for the USA, where she was born. They had plenty to talk about, comparing career experiences and talking about their shared passion not only for the game, but also for encouraging more women into their respective fields.

Empowering women on and off the pitch

Georgie admits her journey into professional women’s rugby was a smooth one, largely thanks to her parents. “My mum started a career in a historically male-dominated field – the motor industry – aged 18. She worked her way up to director level and was the only female on the board. Dad fully supported her and empowered my twin sister and I to follow our passion to play rugby.”

Kerry says: “Wates has done so much in the diversity and inclusion space already and is challenging the view that construction is a man’s world. When I started in the industry I felt like the odd one out, and I had to work hard to earn the respect of my male peers,” she says. “Great progress has been made, but we need to do more.”

Georgie describes the challenges women have faced in playing professional rugby. “There were no female role models to look up to when I was younger,” she says. “I really wanted to play the game at a high level, but I had no idea if it was even possible. I was training and playing with boys and used to wear my hair up in a scrum hat. There were lots of stereotypes to break down too; that you had to be a certain shape or size to be able to play.

“Thankfully, we’ve seen the profile of women’s rugby grow – the number of girls in the game has skyrocketed,” says Georgie. “The success of women’s football has really helped. Women’s rugby is in the mainstream media now, and PWR and the World Cup competition are increasing exposure, with matches televised. At Sale Sharks, the men and the women all train under the same roof, and together. Everyone is treated the same, and I feel we should never underestimate the importance of male allies. It has a powerful impact when high-profile players endorse the women’s game and is an important catapult that’s often missed.”

Shaping the present and the future

Having the right supporting policies and practices in place can make a huge difference, both on and off the pitch. “Wates’ maternity and flexible working policies are outstanding and help attract more women into the business,” says Kerry.

It’s happening in the rugby world too, fuelled by the number of women in influential roles in clubs and the work of PWR. “Our club co-owner, Michelle Orange, sits on the PWR board and it’s superb to see women who run clubs leading the way at a high level – it makes a massive difference,” says Georgie.

Encouraging the next generation is something both Georgie and Kerry feel strongly about. Georgie regularly tours local schools and youth clubs with her teammates as members of the Sale Sharks Foundation, encouraging young girls to take up the sport and advising the potential players of the future. “We’re fully aware that we are in a position to inspire upcoming talent.”

Kerry agrees. “Our trainee scheme is fantastic and is moving us in a really positive direction. We’re seeing more women at Wates, and what’s great is that they are choosing a much wider variety of roles now – design, project management, quantity surveying – the number of different disciplines and opportunities is phenomenal. Just like in rugby, you can find the position to match your talent.”

Georgie Perris-Redding, flanker for Sale Sharks and the USA

My career highlight: captaining Sale Sharks Women; our USA team beating Australia and qualifying for the World Cup.

I’m inspired by: my teammates. Together we’re trying to pave the way for more women to play rugby. The sport deserves it.

Advice you’d give to other women looking to play rugby: enjoy it, and be prepared to work hard.

A myth you’d like to bust: ‘You’re never gonna be as good as the guys!’

Kerry Barkworth, Senior Safety Health and Environment Advisor, Wates Smartspace

My career highlight: my work as a mental health first aider is really rewarding.

I’m inspired by: my manager – he’s mentored, challenged and supported me and women in our business who see opportunities for themselves and grab them.

Advice you’d give to other women looking to pursue a career in the industry: just try it – you might love it, like I do.

A myth you’d like to bust: ‘Construction is a man’s job’; yes, some people actually still think that.

Explore more about our collaboration and level up your career

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We're dedicated to providing opportunities for professionals like you to thrive and grow. Join our talent community today!

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Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) and Wates Group announce official partnership

Wates and PWR are redefining what inclusion and equal opportunity looks like in both rugby and the built environment industry.

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Careers at Wates

We're a great place to work. Brilliant benefits, clear career progression, flexible working and competitive salaries.

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We are looking forward to seeing you at UKREiiF!

20 — 22 May 2025 in Leeds, United Kingdom

Join our Chief Executive Eoghan O’Lionaird, Chairman Tim Wates and members of our Executive Board and senior leadership teams in Leeds for this year’s UKREiiF.

The Wates House pavilion is returning with a jam-packed agenda of insightful panel discussions, interactive sessions, keynote speakers and drinks events across the three-day event.

Our 2025 agenda overview

These will cover important industry topics and trends, including:

• Sustainability and circular economies
• Building future skills
• Innovative collaboration
• Residential trends
• Placemaking

Check out our full programme of activity below, including an exciting session with social enterprise PLACED, where we’ll be turning Wates House into a giant PLACEDopoly board.

We’re located in the Pavilion Zone, in the Tiltyard Pavilion – map below. Sign up using the form to receive news from us about the event. We can’t wait to see you there!

DOWNLOAD OUR AGENDA

Our delegates

Attendees from our Executive Board

Timothy Wates

Chairman

VIEW PROFILE

Eoghan O’Lionaird

Chief Executive Officer

VIEW PROFILE

Steffan Battle

Executive Managing Director, Wates Construction

VIEW PROFILE

Steve Beechey

Group Public Sector Director

VIEW PROFILE

Cressida Curtis

Group Sustainability Director

VIEW PROFILE

Nick Jones

Group Strategy Director

VIEW PROFILE

Anna Mann

Group Communications and Marketing Director

VIEW PROFILE

Pip Prongué

Executive Managing Director, Wates Residential

VIEW PROFILE

Reach out to our delegates to find out more:

Emily Knight

Government Affairs Manager, Wates Group
Emily.Knight@Wates.co.uk

Rebecca Garcia

Framework Director,
Wates Group
Rebecca.Garcia@Wates.co.uk

Robert Stone

Head of Public Sector & National Frameworks,
Wates Group robert.stone@wates.co.uk

Phil Woods

Framework Manager, Pagabo,
Wates Group
Philip.Woods@wates.co.uk

Reach out to our delegates to find out more:

David Wingfield

Managing Director,
Construction East
David.Wingfield@Wates.co.uk

Freddie Whitehead

Business Development Director,
Construction East
Freddie.Whitehead@Wates.co.uk

Patrick Norville

Preconstruction Director,
Construction East
Patrick.Norville@wates.co.uk

Wayne Flannery

Managing Director,
Construction West
Wayne.Flannery@wates.co.uk

Zoe Brooke

Freelance BD Consultant,
Construction West
Zoe.Brooke@wates.co.uk

Mark Craig

Managing Director,
Construction South
Mark.Craig@wates.co.uk

Nicola George

Business Development Manager, Construction South
Nicola.George@Wates.co.uk

David Seaman

Commercial Director,
Construction South
Dave.Seaman@wates.co.uk

Shiv Parmar

Programme Management Officer, Construction
Shiv.Parmar@wates.co.uk

Darren Eccleston

Work Winning Director,
Smartspace
Darren.Eccleston@wates.co.uk

Ekaterina Sidyakova

Business Development Director, Smartspace
Ekaterina.Sidyakova@wates.co.uk

Stephen Crowther

Key Account Director,
Smartspace
Stephen.Crowther@wates.co.uk

Reach out to our delegates to find out more:

Charlotte Wills

Head of Communications & Marketing,
Residential
Charlotte.Wills@wates.co.uk

Steve Rees

Finance Director,
Residential
Stephen.Rees@wates.co.uk

Stuart Jones

Regional Development Director – Wales,
Residential
Stuart.Jones@wates.co.uk

Paul Nicholls

Regional Managing Director – London,
Residential
Paul.Nicholls@wates.co.uk

Leigh Johnson

Regional Development Director – London,
Residential
Leigh.Johnson@wates.co.uk

Mike Dempsey

Business Development Director,
Residential
Mike.Dempsey@wates.co.uk

Rebecca Armstrong

Business Development Manager,
Residential
rebecca.armstrong@wates.co.uk

Michela Ravaglia

Head of Sustainability,
Residential
Michela.Ravaglia@wates.co.uk

Eeva Paasiaro

Regional Development Director – London,
Residential
Eeva.Paasiaro@wates.co.uk

Lee Bushell

Regional Managing Director – South,
Residential
Lee.Bushell@wates.co.uk

Katie Harrison

Regional Pre-Construction Manager,
Residential
Katie.Harrison@wates.co.uk

Reach out to our delegates to find out more:

Paul Maghie

Business Growth Director,
Wates Property Services
Paul.Maghie@wates.co.uk

Reach out to our delegates to find out more:

Olivia Dear

Sustainability and Engagement Director,
Developments
olivia.dear@wates.co.uk

Simon Kennedy

Associate Director,
Developments
simon.kennedy@wates.co.uk

Lizzie Sparrow

Head of Media and External Affairs,
Wates Group
lizzie.sparrow@wates.co.uk

Lizzy Bramley

Media & External Affairs Manager,
Wates Group
lizzy.bramley@wates.co.uk

Hannah Dow

Creative Services Coordinator,
Wates Group
hannah.dow@wates.co.uk

Anna Watkins

Marketing Business Partner,
Construction South & London
anna.watkins@wates.co.uk

Georgia Carew

Communications Executive,
Residential
georgia.carew@wates.co.uk

Where to find us

Come find us at Wates House located in the Tiltyard pavilion in the Royal Armouries in the heart of Leeds.

Royal Armouries and Leeds Dock, The Boulevard, Leeds, LS10 1PZ

DOWNLOAD ZONE MAP

The post Join us at UKREiiF 2025 appeared first on Wates.

It’s time to reimagine temporary homes with our Modular Housing Playbook

Across the UK, thousands of families are stuck in unsuitable temporary accommodation, with councils facing mounting costs and limited solutions. It’s time to rethink how we provide safe, high-quality housing — quickly and effectively.

“A way back home: Rapid response housing for communities in need” is our new digital playbook, setting out a bold approach to temporary housing that delivers faster, more cost-effective, and community-focused solutions.

Discover how we can make a lasting impact with our Modular Housing Playbook.

VIEW OUR PLAYBOOK

A massive thank you to our partners

We’re proud to have collaborated with these companies to create the digital playbook.

Discover the latest news in the residential sector

Planning application submitted for Farnham and Hilldene

16 Apr 2025

Milestone moment with 139 new homes topped out in Camden

14 Mar 2025

Modular installation moves to Romford Market, Havering

12 Mar 2025

Breaking ground on 54 affordable homes at Zephaniah House

07 Mar 2025

The post Reimagine temporary homes with our Modular Housing Playbook appeared first on Wates.

We’re working together to scale up sustainable innovation at pace

14 Feb 2025

Insight Sustainable solutions

Dr Zainab Dangana Sustainable Technology Solutions

As we launch our latest venture to speed up the built environment’s journey to Net Zero Carbon, we explore how our support for sustainability innovations is stepping up, through the 2025 sustainable innovations call out, in partnership with Rutland Forums.

When we launched the Wates Innovation Network (WIN) Portal in 2021, we did so with three goals in mind:

• First, we wanted to support our customers in sourcing innovative solutions that bring down their carbon usage
• Secondly, we wanted to identify and nurture new green tech innovations and solutions
• Thirdly, we wanted to bring both of these together, to connect our customers with green technologies to help achieve the ultimate goal of decarbonising the UK’s built environment.

Sustainable solutions designed by innovators

Since the launch, we have worked proactively with many of our customers to introduce them to solutions that have made tangible savings in both cost and carbon. Along the way, we have signed up more than 100 carefully selected innovation partners to our WIN Portal marketplace, streamlining the process of identifying and adopting sustainable innovations and making it easier for our customers to reach their sustainability targets.

The biggest success stories have come through collaboration. We’ve teamed up with customers to hold panel-style pitch events for start-ups and sustainability innovators, with the winners selected for pilot projects in our customers’ buildings.

We are now scaling this up with a new sustainability innovations call out for 2025 to bring like-minded organisations together in partnership with Rutland Forums.

For our next venture, we will be working with five leading high-street banks and building societies — Coventry Building Society, Leeds Building Society, Lloyds Banking Group, NatWest Group and Skipton Building Society — to seek out emerging sustainability products or services to potentially install across their UK-wide estates. This level of coming together is what we need; the response to the climate crisis will be slow if we work in silos.

What we are looking for this time around

Building on our previous work, we need to continuously improve and reimagine what we have done in the past. By this, we need to make our competition relevant to the sustainability challenges our customers are facing right now.

Sustainability is evolving and it’s becoming much more granular. We need to phase out fluorinated gases (which contribute to global warming), tackle carbon emissions in business travel and enhance biodiversity, but those are big targets that require lots of small and measurable actions to make a meaningful difference.

In this year’s call out, we are welcoming a whole spectrum of innovations. It could be a technology that creates efficiency or a tool that supports behavioural and cultural change. The beauty of the WIN Portal, and our work with other organisations, is that we go in with an open mind.

We welcome the chance to be introduced to a product or service that is completely new to us, and we’re equally keen to see established tech done in new and innovative ways.

We want to be sure entrants can prove the credibility of their products or services; we need to see evidence of tangible results and data that show a product’s potential. An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), which quantifies the environmental impacts of a product, will be advantageous in this evaluation.

If you are a developer of innovative sustainability solutions and want to bring them to a wider audience, we urge you to get involved. You can register your interest. Shortlisted businesses will be chosen to present their products to a panel of representatives from Wates and the Rutland Forums Operational Sustainability in Finance forum.

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Warm homes: Top 10 insights to help you prepare for Social Housing Fund

14 Feb 2025

Insight Housing maintenance Residential

Ben Williams Head of Zero Carbon Retrofit, Wates Property Services

The SHF applications are in, and the allocations are awaited.

Now is a critical time to consider how best to prepare for social housing funding to hit the ground running on decarbonisation projects and recreating sustainable places for 2025.

Based on our experience working on more than 40 retrofit schemes, we are sharing valuable insights on the important things to focus on now to prepare for wave three allocations.

These include good practices that are helpful to consider, even if you’re not allocated funding at this time.

Here are our top ten recommendations:

1. Develop a procurement strategy

• A robust procurement strategy will ensure projects are delivered on time, efficiently and cost-effectively.
• Ensure contracts are fit for purpose for SHF, including allowances for pre-commencement surveys.

DOWNLOAD OUR 10-STEP GUIDE

2. Establish supply chain partnerships

• Engage and establish partnerships with organisations that can support the delivery of the project, such as main contractors and PAS 2035 retrofit consultants.
  
• With limited supply chain capacity, you must engage with partners early to ensure the supply chain is in place to meet your requirements and collaborate effectively.

3. Integrated decarbonisation and asset management strategy

• Consider how your projects could benefit from integrating with existing asset management programmes to gain efficiencies and minimise resident disruption. Residents must be able to thrive in their environment even during ongoing work, so establish solutions that will enable this.
  
• From integrating Solar PV into your roofing programmes to selecting stock at risk from Damp and Mould, consider a more holistic approach to the programme.

4. Validate your data and stock analysis

• Are you confident in the data you hold? Inaccurate data leads to project delays and increased costs. Continue to validate the data used in the bid by progressing with surveys to archetypes.

5. Explore co-funding and other funding opportunities

• With budgets strained in the sector, ensure the funds are still in place for the required co-funding.
  
• It’s worth finding out if any additional or blended funding opportunities e.g. ECO4 / local grant are available.

6. Build capacity and PAS 2035 expertise

• Ensure you have the necessary expertise in energy efficiency and PAS 2035 to manage these programmes, whether that’s in-house or through connections with external partners.
  
• Consider training customer-facing staff to become informed and carbon literate to support resident engagement, especially with low-carbon heating technologies. Knowledge is power!

7. Prepare project management plans

• Develop clear plans outlining the scope of work, timelines, milestones, risk management strategies, and the process for monitoring progress.
  
• Revisit your bid and ensure your project management and programme align with DESNZ milestones in terms of spending, programme, and phasing targets.

8. Develop a resident engagement plan

• Build trust through early engagement with your residents ensuring that their needs and concerns are addressed. By engaging with your residents from the start, you can make them feel connected during the process and maintain a sense of community, and this builds trust.
  
• Develop clear communication and engagement strategies, building on lessons learnt from previous programmes.

9. Prepare for monitoring, evaluation, and reporting

• Ensure you have a strategy in place to track and report the progress of your decarbonisation projects. This includes monitoring energy savings, carbon emissions reductions, and tenant satisfaction and impact.
  
• Set up a mechanism for ongoing reporting to funders and stakeholders to ensure transparency and accountability.

10. Collaboration and partnerships

• Successful projects are ones with true collaboration across all stakeholders.
  
• The projects are multi-faceted and require partnership across all stages from stock selection, design, and pricing to resident engagement – so establishing early workshops with key stakeholders is key to forming special connections.

Get in touch

Ben Williams

Head of Zero Carbon Retrofit, Wates Property Services

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Melissa Woodall

Housing Maintenance (South of England)

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Tom Sowerby

Housing Maintenance (Central and North of England)

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Social Housing Decarbonisation

Helping landlords cut fuel poverty and improve the energy efficiency of homes.

We guide our customers through every step of their retrofit journey, from initial planning, through to final install and monitoring.

Our ethos is to work collaboratively, supporting customers with applications for funding, helping them to understand and adhere to compliance, selecting the most suitable energy efficiency measures and supporting residents through essential works.

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Collaboration; the key to unlocking project efficiencies

22 Nov 2024

Insight Housing maintenance Residential

Ben Williams Head of Zero Carbon Retrofit, Wates Property Services

Winning business strategies in many sectors today look quite different from the ones common in earlier years, when the accepted view was to compete and prevail, with ‘self’ as the central theme.

New complexities, a greater diversity of challenges and a more sophisticated understanding of the value of corporate social responsibility is changing all that. There are many other influences, of course, as well as notable collaboration successes, so working together to achieve a common goal is common sense and here for the long term.  

“Our experience at Wates has shown the real-life virtue of collaboration in project delivery,”

says Ben Williams, Head of Head of Zero Carbon Retrofit at Wates Property Services. “The proof of it is in our decarbonisation retrofitting work in the social housing sector. Building owners have hard-edged carbon reduction targets and deadlines demanded of them by government for their housing stocks. It’s hard to achieve and expensive.”

Under the previous government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF), just over £2bn was made available for the period 2023 to 2028 for decarbonising social housing stock in England. During their first budget in  October 2024, the Labour government launched its replacement for the SHDF, the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (SHF). This means that funding will continue to help social housing landlords  meet their targets decarbonisation targets and deadlines. The funding whilst available, must still be bid for, won and also matched to at least 50% by each submitting social landlord.  There is also jeopardy embedded in the funded element if, for example, the retrofitting doesn’t reach standard. Added to this are wider budgetary issues for providers, the requirement for certified and competent contractors, along with multiple other delivery issues

The scene is complex, but as Wates and a consortium of Hertfordshire based housing associations have found, collaboration can show the way forward.

The consortium combined forces in 2022 in a collaboration with the stated aim of achieving a ‘net zero carbon footprint by 2050’ (in line with the UK target). The partnership was widened in late 2022, when it was joined by a further social landlord to better position themselves for securing funding from the SHDF.    

Partnering for efficient and effective delivery

“Retrofit challenges aren’t unique, and by comparison to the large-scale construction projects we deliver, don’t have the same implications, but this only serves to underscore the importance of the collaborative approach more widely,” Ben Williams points out. “They may not be unique, but they are big enough to encourage people to get round the table, unpack the intricacies and take joint responsibility for them.”

One of those intricacies, often lost among the financial, technical and operational matters that dominate people’s attention, is the invasion of privacy that retrofitting brings for residents. Access to people’s homes, their place of security and safety, is required, and inevitably leads to disruption. So, speed and efficiency coupled with the ability to cater for all elements of what is essentially a people-centred operation rather than a building project is imperative. A collaboration, with everyone working to the same agenda, is a proven delivery methodology. More widely, the partnership approach provides much greater long-term security and certainty for customers, helping to indemnify them against some potential future failure

In the case of our work with the Hertfordshire consortium, £14 million has been successfully secured so far. On top of this, a further £25 million has been pledged by the partner to improve homes across the county.

Investing in collaboration

For Wates, that initial no-obligation contribution, is treated as an investment rather than a cost to the business. “We’re perfectly straightforward with people about it,” says Ben Williams. “We’ll bring our knowledge and experience to help you achieve your goals. If we’re effective and you enjoy working with us, let’s continue the collaboration: we’ll help you deliver on the ground as your contractor.” It’s the retrofit industry equivalent of ‘try before you buy’. Attitudinally, it’s the right lens to view the matter through as well, not least because it focuses the mind on the success criteria.

Support with the funding application is a key element of the collaboration for Wates but it extends beyond this to ensure that, overall, the retrofit project is delivered as efficiently and effectively as possible. For the client it not only helps mitigate the funding risks referred to earlier, but it also ensures that efficiencies ripple out across the project as a whole to the advantage of other features such as the resident/tenant experience, supply chain engagement, and the effects on the wider local economy. Beyond this, where projects increase in complexity, the attraction of collaboration rises correspondingly. On a recent project in Hertfordshire, where retrofits needed to be carried out on heritage homes in multiple locations, delivery was dependent on different agencies; in this case a local heritage foundation and planning, as well as engagement with local resident groups.

Locking into local expertise

 “Our aim on these projects is to deliver using local businesses and social enterprises wherever possible.” Ben Williams comments. “By local we mean within a 30-mile radius of the project. We start by organising ‘Meet the buyer’ events. We invite people to join us and talk to them about the opportunities ahead. For us, it’s testing the market. It creates understanding and often surfaces gaps – skills or certification, for example. But these are matters we can deal with there and then. We work with other partners such as Trustmark and Simply Certification, who are there alongside us to guide people through qualification. They can start working with people immediately, providing the advice they need to achieve the right certificates – PAS2030/2035 and Microgeneration Certification Scheme are notable examples. If we can bring local people into the supply side, both social enterprises and others, we introduce new (SHDF/SHF) money into the local economy that circulates there rather than coming in and leaving, with very little ‘stickiness’. If those people were not sufficiently experienced or qualified before, we’ve left them with something new in their skill set that they can apply elsewhere. Exactly the same applies to the partners’ apprentices we take on.”

The size of the prize

Across many borough councils, the social housing stock is ageing – much of it produced in the aftermath of the Second World War using system-built designs, such as Cornish and Orlit. characterised by the use of concrete reinforced panels, blocks and structural elements, they are highly inefficient. Combined with other poor-performing buildings, many councils have established that housing accounts for somewhere just over 40% of their carbon emissions. This is a sizeable and worthwhile proportion of emissions to tackle, and there is much to be gained by making homes more efficient.

The agility, speed and effectiveness a creative and high-performing collaboration can bring is shown through examples like the Hertfordshire consortium to help turn the decarbonisation tanker around.

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Net zero, retrofit and deliverability

WHITE PAPER SERIES

Net zero, retrofit and deliverability

19 million homes in the UK are in need of significant upgrades to become low carbon and energy efficient, with more than 13 million in England alone needing to be upgraded to attain an EPC rating of C or higher by 2025.

We’re committed to making sure the places we build, develop and maintain contribute towards the UK meeting its net zero targets. We have improved the energy efficiency of more than 8,000 UK homes and delivered more than £200 million in retrofit work, so we are focused on what can help drive decarbonisation in the years to come. Our latest white paper explores how the country is taking on the challenge of retrofitting homes and buildings.

It takes a look at the potential solutions and offers our recommendations for clarifying building regulations and other areas which could be used to drive progress.

Download our retrofit white paper

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We’re proud to be a sponsor of the Premiership Women’s Rugby.

Women are heavily under-represented in construction and for more than a century that was the case in rugby union. But in recent years with the explosion in the number of women playing the game and the establishment of PWR that balance is changing.

Together, both Wates and PWR are driving a powerful change, with the shared goal of redefining what inclusion and equal opportunity looks like in both industries.

READ OUR ANNOUNCEMENT

Emily Robinson’s journey into the built environment

Discover Emily Robinson’s incredible journey into the industry, and how she’s breaking barriers in rugby and construction to inspire people to follow in her footsteps.

FIND OUT MORE

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WHY WAIT? JOIN WATES

Are you ready to take the next step in your career journey?

Our industry can help people achieve their potential, improve health and wellbeing, and shape a better future. It can change lives and strengthen communities in ways few other sectors can.

At Wates, we’re dedicated to providing opportunities for professionals like you to thrive and grow. Join our talent community today to receive the latest job openings, company news, and industry insights directly to your inbox.

Stay ahead of the curve and never miss out on exciting opportunities.

JOIN OUR TALENT COMMUNITY

Latest awards

Our gender equality work gains double recognition

We’ve been named one of The Times Top 50 Employers for Gender Equality in 2023 in recognition of our commitment to addressing gender inequalities in the workplace

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Wates Group achieves Investors in People Gold accreditation for third time in a row

The Wates Group has been re-accredited for the Investors in People (IiP) Gold standard for the third consecutive time in what assessors have called a remarkable achievement.

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Wates recognised at Working Family Awards

Wates has been recognised with two awards at the Working Families Best Practice Awards for its flexible working practices and support for parents and carers. The Group was named Best for Fathers and Best for All Families.  

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EXPLORE OUR JOB VACANCIES

We are a fair place to work.

To ensure everyone has the opportunity to thrive our culture is founded on the following principles:  

Fair treatment: We ensure that everyone is treated with fairness and respect. If an employee isn’t being treated fairly, they know that they can speak up, and be listened to, and appropriate action will be taken. At Wates, everyone is empowered and has a voice at all levels of the organisation.  

Fair opportunities: Whatever role you’re in, or part of the company you work for, you’ll be able to build a great career here at Wates. Everyone has fair access to development and progression opportunities.  

Fair hiring: We aim to hire the best person for the job from a diverse pool of candidates. We are actively challenging perceptions that might discourage people from joining this rewarding, challenging and interesting sector. 

Explore our job vacancies

Latest news

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Campaigns

Flexible working

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REVIEW STORIES FROM OUR EMPLOYEES

From project sites to support functions and everything in between, hear from some of our talented people

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Kelly Osborne

Head of Health and Wellbeing

"I joined Wates in 2003 with no industry experience and have since worked with supportive colleagues and managers who helped me reach my potential. The opportunities for growth, change, and promotion have been immense, allowing me to utilise my skills and build invaluable connections. Reflecting on my varied and dynamic career, I would choose Wates all over again without hesitation."

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Golden Iwuorie

Planning Management Trainee

"During my two years as a Planner Trainee at Wates, I've gained invaluable insights across departments like Production, Commercial, Design, SHE, M&E, and Bid Management. Learning directly from seasoned professionals on-site was crucial in transforming me from a novice to a proficient planner. This experience equipped me with technical skills and a deep appreciation for the collaborative effort in construction. Wates provided a solid foundation for my career, and I'm grateful for the opportunity."

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Riya Rathod

Strategy ＆ Integration Lead

"I joined Wates over 10 years ago, starting my transformative career journey. Collaborating with diverse talent, I've enhanced my skills and driven business performance. With a growth mindset, I advanced to Strategy & Integration Lead for SES. I'm also involved in initiatives like the Wates Women’s & Allies Network and mentoring SMEs, showcasing the Group's supportive environment."

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Benoit Firmin

Social Value Manager

"Since joining Wates as a Social Value Manager in June 2023, I've been part of an inspiring team of social value professionals. My role involves developing programs that enable individuals facing barriers to employment to join us and our supply chain network. This work is vital at Wates, reflecting our commitment to sustainable opportunities, talent development, and collaboration. I'm privileged and thrilled to work with such brilliant colleagues every day."

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Stuart Dixon

Principal Technical Manager

"2024 marks my 20-year milestone in the industry, with 10 of those years spent at Wates/SES. I'm proud of this journey, which reflects a great working environment, company loyalty, and job satisfaction. Wates/SES has entrusted me with opportunities and responsibilities, supported by formal accreditations and chartership, accelerating my growth and professional standing. A ‘typical day’ is never typical—there's always something challenging happening!"

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Ben Jowett

Head of Digital Construction ＆ Engineering

"Since joining Wates Group, I've worked with diverse and collaborative teams that consistently deliver high performance. Wates has supported my career progression through on-the-job development and learning opportunities, nurturing my leadership skills for a successful and meaningful career."

Why wait? Join Wates

Introducing our new purpose

Our new purpose, ‘Reimagining places for people to thrive’ represents the start of a new chapter in the great story of Wates.

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Inclusion and diversity

As a family-owned business, we know that it’s our people who make us successful. And just like a family, we strive to make everyone feel welcome, included and connected at Wates.

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Social value

Social value is all about making a positive change in our communities, something we've been committed to from the start.

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The post Convert your career appeared first on Wates.

WOLVERHAMPTON
HOMES

ENHANCING LIVING STANDARDS

Project Impact Report

We are delighted to present this Project Impact Report, highlighting our achievements over the course of the Strategic Construction Partnership (SCP) with Wolverhampton Homes. Working closely together, we have delivered a wide range of planned maintenance projects across the Wolverhampton area. Through these initiatives, our commitment to raising living standards remains our highest priority. This report reflects our dedication to quality and service, and we look forward with anticipation to what we can achieve in the next three years of our ongoing contract.

Download report

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Creating performance gains through communications excellence

25 Oct 2024

Insight Housing maintenance Residential

Ben Williams Head of Zero Carbon Retrofit, Wates Property Services

In a world centred on the customer experience, and accepting only of 10/10 customer satisfaction scores, getting the job done right-first time is simply not enough.

In this article, we look at how outstanding communications and engagement with residents in the social housing sector can enhance overall project and business performance.

The silence is frustrating. No-one knows what’s happening. There’s little or no communication and a complete lack of control. No-one responds well to that.

This situation is repeated countless times, in countless situations, and normally has very predictable outcomes: customers feel hard done by, and they let you know about it.

See the world from others’ perspectives’

As businesses with people – residents – at the core of what we do, we can rewrite this very simply: deprioritise what we want (or don’t want) to say, put ourselves in others’ shoes and think through what they want. It’s the foundation of great communications and engagement.

In normal, day-to-day interactions – checking a meter, investigating a water leak, servicing a boiler – it’s important stuff. The stakes become notably higher, though, when the scope of work broadens. In our world – helping to maintain the safety, security and efficiency of the nation’s housing stock – this could mean major refurbishment or retrofitting properties to support decarbonisation ambitions. At this scale and level of intervention, communications and engagement become critical success factors. The key is achieving equality of emphasis on both ‘communications’ and ‘engagement’

Bringing residents with you on the journey

Communications often gets a tick in the box because a letter has been sent or a door-drop delivered. We know, though, as customers ourselves, that what really works is human interaction; where people are actively listening to what we have to say, taking us into account, responding positively to our questions and thoughts, and settling our concerns.

Residents, whether in socialor private housing, will generally be keen to see improvements to the properties in which they live. But refurbishing a kitchen, or retrofitting new windows and external wall insulation will always be an intrusion. Part of our responsibility in the delivery of this work, it is important we  bring residents with us on the journey – both tenants and leaseholders

We’ve seen the effectiveness of this approach on a decarbonisation retrofit for a council in North London. A large number of homes – over 500 – are involved across multiple flat conversions in urban Victorian houses. Mixed-tenure residents along with varying levels of acceptance for the work being undertaken – from enthusiastic early adopters to cautious leaseholders – necessitate that consistent, empathetic, informed engagement are placed front and centre on the critical path.

In complex environments like this it’s crucial that sufficient time is built into the programme to allow meaningful consultation, particularly, as in North London,  leaseholders,  can have a substantial financial stake in the building. Added to that, they often have no means of mitigating the cost coming their way and have no control over materials, technology or contractors. They are effectively paying customers without a choice. No-one should underestimate the importance of this and the influence communications can have on the overall effectiveness of the programme.

To this end, Wates encourages Very Early Engagement (VEE). Typically, refurbishment/retrofitting is top-down in nature, with the programme and activity largely thought through before taking the plan to residents. This often throws up unforeseen issues, which VEE can help minimise. It introduces the principles of co-creation, so that the main stakeholders become part of the thinking process, and the loss of control over their lives that residents often feel is diminished. They have a voice, and the client and supply chain have early exposure to issues or ideas at a point when they can much more easily, and usually much more cost effectively, be catered for. It carries an element of risk in that not everyone’s concerns or thoughts can be accommodated, but this can be mitigated through skilled engagement. Prior knowledge is a precious commodity.

At the root of this is a desire to do right by residents; to respect them as individuals, and collectively as a community. We also need to consider the impact – financially, socially and environmentally – that access refusals can introduce. These are rare; the overwhelming majority of people want improvements – to the point that, often, there is greater demand than there is budget. However, refusals – for whatever reason – add up. Projects rarely stall in these circumstances, but at some point that backlog will need to be eliminated. We communicate effectively to bring people with us, to reduce refusals, and then where necessary, prepare to resume engagement when the time comes to address the outstanding work.

Still in London, but in this case, to the south-east of the capital, bringing residents into the conversation early has been critical for gaining buy-in.

The range of buildings in the project needed different solutions so working directly with individuals to clearly explain what would be intrusive and lengthy processes has proved its worth. In support of this, a pilot project was carried out under permitted development to ensure the scheme’s viability and to provide a blueprint to replicate going forward. Alongside this, Wates committed two full-time resident liaison officers permanently on site, as well as two site managers with engagement responsibilities. The result of the investment has been a much greater understanding of the benefits the work will bring, reduced hesitancy about having it done, and to date, zero cases of residents denying access to their homes.

To meet our obligations to residents, and to minimise risk, Wates has developed the ‘Getting to know you and your home’ programme. It maps the customer journey, giving clarity around the touchpoints, the collateral and the technology. It builds a targeted and personalised engagement plan. It provides residents with guide notes on what is going to happen and why, and ultimately how to manage their home going forward.  

This allows us to understand and adapt to individuals (are there any special considerations we need to allow for – are there night shift workers to take into account; are there school runs in the household; are there health-related matters we need to consider; and so on). It’s a state of mind as well as a process. The two work hand-in-hand: the process provides structure and rigour, but it has to be constructed in such a way that it can flex to accommodate individuals and their needs.

The result will be a reputation-building project that will feed into the business’s ability to work collaboratively and effectively with residents when new events and projects emerge. Partnering, in whatever form, but particularly with respect to business-to-resident communications, is by its nature a much more effective delivery model, reducing tensions, creating early adopters and helping to drive improved business/project performance.

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The post Creating performance gains through communications excellence appeared first on Wates.