BSc (hons) MSc MPhil MBA FCIH
Graham’s areas of expertise include financial modelling and analysis, housing research, regeneration, analysis of stock transfer proposals and LA “Option Studies” on behalf of tenants’ organisations, business planning, intermediate (key worker) market renting, and affordable home ownership.
Qualifications include a Master of Business Administration (MBA), and an MPhil on “The Impact of Government Policy on the Private Rented Sector”. He is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Housing.
Graham has worked as an Independent Housing Researcher and Consultant since July 1999. Working for a number of different Independent Tenants’ Advisors he has been involved in scrutiny and analysis of stock options, transfer or ALMO business plans (or similar) in over 40 Local Authority areas, working with and reporting to tenant/resident steering groups.
His most recent “tenant facing” research project was carried out on behalf of Consumer Focus to explore ways in which private sector tenants and applicants can achieve a more equitable relationship with their (future) landlord through “reputational regulation”, where by existing tenants can provide (anonymised but accurate) feedback to prospective tenants on their landlord.
He has also provided training to a large number of tenants groups and Housing Association Boards on such topics as “Understanding Business Plans”, “Housing Finance”, “Rent Restructuring and Service Charges”, “The Private Finance Initiative”, and wrote the current edition of “An introduction to Housing Finance for Council and Housing Association Tenants” ODPM/TPAS July 2004.
Graham also works extensively on affordable homeownership and regeneration issues. He project managed the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s “Enquiry into the future for Low Cost Home Ownership” and presented the findings to the then Minister of Housing and Planning, Lord Falconer. He was also a member of the subsequent ODPM Steering Group on their “Evaluation of the Low Cost Home Ownership Programme”, and twice presented to the Government’s Low Cost Home Ownership Task Force, also being a member of their Provider Subgroup.
He has worked with the regeneration company ABRA Regeneration (now arc4) to assist providing affordable home ownership solutions to owners and leaseholders facing relocation as a consequence of clearance or regeneration, and to explore ways of helping economically active tenants move into affordable home ownership within regeneration areas.
Current and recent projects include:
- Assisting Knowsley Housing Trust with their bid for funds from the Homes and Communities Agency in this years bidding round. Included building an appraisal model which allows impact of a large number of individual potential projects to be included/excluded “at click of a mouse”.
- “Empowering Private Rented Tenants” Research into the potential benefits and practicalities of introducing “Reputational Regulation” into the Private Rented Sector. For “Consumer Focus” (formerly the National Consumer Council)
- Work for the National Housing Federation to develop a global capacity model (which the NHF use in their negotiations with Central Government for grant funding)
- Work for Oscailte (Eire) to develop a “mixed funded” model for delivering social rented housing in Eire, utilising private sector finance
- Work for Plus Dane Group (Housing Association) to scrutinise developer led joint ventures, and to develop parallel appraisal tools to develop intermediate and market rent stand-alone and joint venture projects.
- Working with a specialist consultancy (arc4) and housing associations to implement and develop “Rent to Purchase” and “Mortgage Rescue” products.
- Scoping and developing a Community Land Trust for Kensington Regeneration (Liverpool).
- Research into Homelessness Prevention carried out for Brent Private Tenants’ Rights Group (funded by Friends Provident Foundation)
- Providing professional support for several Independent Community and Tenant’s advisors in their work with residents’ organisations and Boards involved in Option Studies and regeneration initiatives.
- Rebalancing Communities – Dissemination of research for Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Until June 2011Graham was chair of a small housing charity “Liverpool South East Housing Society”, and until relatively recently on the Main Board of Great Places Housing Group and Manchester Methodist Housing Association (Four green lights from the Housing Corporation, and “Regeneration Housing Association of the Year 2004 and 2006”).
Previously Graham has worked as an Area Director for North British Housing Association (now “Places for People”), prior to which he was Head of NBHA’s “Housing Market Unit”, responsible for a £25m mortgage rescue programme, and for a pioneering £50m programme of Intermediate Market Renting funded without benefit of Social Housing Grant. [These include raising £20m in Business Expansion Scheme – BES – funding and other less conventional sources of finance]. His first “housing” job (in 1977) was as a support worker for low income home owners in Moss Side, Manchester, helping with accessing improvement grants and managing builders.
Qualifications
| Qualification | Institution | From | To |
| MBA (Master of Business Administration) | Open University Business School (Distance Learning) | 1989 | 1993 |
| MPhil Thesis on ‘The effects of Government Policy on the Housing Stock’ | Dept. Town and Regional Planning, Sheffield University | 1981 | 1984 |
| MSc in ‘The Structure and Organisation of Science and Technology’ | Manchester University | 1975 | 1976 |
| Qualifications of Chartered Institute of Housing (I am now a Fellow) | Salford Technical College (Day Release) | 1977 | 1978 |
| BSc 2(i) (hons) – Chemistry | Birmingham University | 1969 | 1972 |