• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Housing Technology Main Logo

Housing Technology

Housing | IT | Telecoms | Business | Ecology

  • Free Subscription
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Research
  • Magazine
  • Events
  • Awards
  • Recruitment
  • On Demand
Home / Magazine Articles / Mergers and mobility

Mergers and mobility

We expect mergers and mobility to be the dominant drivers within the social housing sector over the next year and beyond.

With much of the UK housing stock transferred into the not-for-profit sector and the increasing number of mergers within this market, the next 12 months will see housing associations continue to come together in search of economies of scale while being required to address a broader range of social needs for their tenants through delivery of bespoke services.

Housing associations in England own almost 2.3 million homes and represent an £8 billion annual turnover, alongside the Government’s target of building three million new homes by 2020. Technology and telecommunications is vital to both maintaining the existing infrastructure of housing associations and enabling successful future transformation.

As these organisations merge their ICT solutions, they should be considering common communication standards across the newly-formed business, while enhancing the support and services provided to tenants in line with the Government initiative to reduce the digital divide and focus on customer service. Furthermore, factored into this changing environment are external interests from the health sector, police, local authorities and educational bodies on how people in social housing can benefit from a better communications infrastructure.

In parallel with these mergers, flexible working and mobile working have been buzz terms in social housing for a few years now. The idea that workers in the social housing sector operate from a single office is long gone. They often need to be responsive and agile even when on site visits or in meetings. Put simply, it’s doing business on the move. This is only likely to increase, as technology advances, and working practices become ever more flexible and mobile.

For example, BT has been working with Westminster City Council to mobilise their city-wide wireless network for use by the council workforce, meaning housing officers can upload queries or update housing data via specially-designed PDAs while out on site visits. The council is already seeing greater efficiency as the handheld technology reduces administration, return trips to the office to update files, and other associated unnecessary travel costs.

A YouGov survey for BT Business saw 65 per cent of directors of the UK’s smaller businesses citing staff motivation and 50 per cent increased productivity, as key reasons to adopt flexible, mobile working practices.

From a business perspective, we recognise that consolidation and rationalisation can make the housing sector more effective, alongside mobile technology solutions that improve customer relationship management, diversity and corporate social responsibility.

Charlotte Andersen, mobility general manager, and Andy Jones, head of partner management, BT Business

See More On:

  • Vendor: BT
  • Topic: General News
  • Publication Date: 001 - January 2008
  • Type: Contributed Articles

Primary Sidebar

Most Recent Articles

  • Artificial intelligence in housing
  • Mobysoft – Data problems affecting complaints’ handling
  • Data, AI and private-sector strategies
  • Smart repairs & smarter homes
  • From firewalls to fortresses
  • Achieving three quick wins in AI
  • Rebuilding Selwood Housing’s IT infrastructure
  • Are you ready for organisational AI?
  • PIMSS releases AI Document Reader for compliance
  • Calico Homes cuts arrears with RentSense
  • FourNet launches digital transformation index
  • New income recovery software from Voicescape
  • Asprey Assets at YMCA
  • I love spreadsheets…
  • All watched over by machines of loving grace – AI assistants and adult social care
  • The rent revolution – The case for AI-powered payments
  • Unlocking safer living through data
  • Aareon acquires MIS ActiveH
  • Vericon launches MouldSense
  • Back to the future at Housing Technology 2025
  • FireAngel wins Which? Award
  • Maximising income and preventing homelessness
  • Anchoring digital innovation with Plentific
  • Cynon Taf Community Housing gets Housing Insight’s Arrears Manager
  • Tenants, AI & your biggest compliance risk
  • EDITOR’S NOTES – Data, standards & straight-through processing
  • AI as a social housing expert
  • South Yorkshire Housing halves arrears with Mobysoft
  • Bromford Flagship wins Aico’s smart-home competition
  • Putting VIVID’s customers in control of their tenancies

Footer

Housing Technology Main Logo
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Contact
  • Free Subscription
  • Book an event
  • Research
  • Update Your Subscription
  • Privacy Policy

Welcome to the housing Technology – Trusted Information For Business Professionals in HOusing

Housing Technology is the leading technology information service for the UK housing sector and local governments. We have always believed in the fundamental importance of how the UK’s social housing providers use technology to improve their tenants’ lives.

Subscribe to Housing Technology to gain market-leading research, unsurpassed peer networking opportunities and a greater understanding of your role to transform your business.

Copyright © The Intelligent Business Company 2025 | Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy
Housing Technology is published by the The Intelligent Business Company. A company with limited liability. Registered in England No. 4958057 | Vat Registion No. 833 0069 55.

Registered Business Address: Hoppingwood Farm, Robin Hood Way, London, SW20 0AB | Telephone: +44 (0) 20 8336 2293