Welcome and thank you for your interest in learning more about City of York Council and our pivotal Assistant Director of Housing role.
As the Director of Housing and Communities, I am passionate about making sure that we provide the best quality of life for all our 204,000 plus residents, both now and in the future. There is a huge amount to be proud of in our beautiful and historic city, including the fact that the majority of our residents are generally healthy and are living well. However, this is not the case for everyone – and so our focus is on working alongside communities and partners, supporting those who need us most so that everyone in York enjoys the best possible health and wellbeing.
I am looking for a leader who shares these core values - who is just as ambitious for the people of York as they are for themselves; has a passion for driving improvements; can form collaborative partnerships with many different stakeholders; knows how to work efficiently within a defined budget; through prevention, early intervention and innovation manages demand and all the while can inspire and encourage their own team to flourish and prosper.
It is vital that we make the best of the resources we have and that we invest in the mental and physical health of our communities and ensure safe and affordable housing for all. You will be working alongside colleagues in across the Council, North Yorkshire Council, and York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, Housing and Communities Directorate as well as our partner organisations in the housing and health sectors to make this happen, leading the way in making the most of our partnerships with community organisations and volunteering across York.
Our approach is very much based on working in partnership with organisations, groups and individuals in our neighbourhoods, something for which York has always been renowned, and supporting our communities to become as inclusive as they can be. We had already committed to developing 600 new homes across York in council owned sites, now we are committed to expanding social housing, and delivering more affordable new homes including 250 one bed homes with partners for our Housing First priorities. These targets will grow however in light of local ambitions alongside those of the York & North Yorkshire Mayor and the Government to address the housing crisis. This is more than just numbers however we’ve committed to innovative design principles to ensure that we create great places to live, that are energy efficient meeting our climate change and affordability core principles.
Like every other community and council, York faces challenges around housing provision. Fierce labour market competition and growing demand for services is as challenging in York as it is elsewhere in the country. However, we are well-placed to tackle the challenges ahead and to be able to build on what works well with a devolution deal to underpin growth and prosperity.
You will find that the role will provide you with the kind of professional challenge and complexity you will naturally aspire to as an ambitious housing leader - our size means that we are large enough to provide the rich mix of complexities facing local government, but at the same time we are small enough to enable you to get things done. So, this high-profile role will provide you with the opportunity to make a significant difference as well as a platform to enhance your career.
If you are interested in joining our team and are inspired to help lead the next phase of our journey, we look forward to your application. In the meantime, following an initial conversation with our recruitment partners at The Resourcing Solution, I would be delighted to discuss this opportunity with those who might wish to learn a little more.
Pauline Stuchfield Director of Housing and Communities
We are proud of York’s status as one of the safest and best cities to live in the UK, engaging our 202,000 residents and 7 m visitors to live healthier, happier independent lives.
We are a vibrant, digital city at the heart of Yorkshire - the best of tradition and the modern. With excellent connectivity by road and rail, the neighbouring towns and cities of Leeds, Hull and Harrogate are in easy reach. National Parks and areas of areas outstanding natural beauty are on our doorstep, with their quaint villages and market towns, whilst the Yorkshire coast provides a retreat ideal for sunny days.
We are known for our considerable assets – we have our internationally important heritage, with strong creative industries and a significant cultural offering. We have strengths as a science city, and our digital infrastructure recognises us as the UK’s first Gigabit City. We have a young and highly skilled workforce, and lay claim to world-leading universities and some of the highest performing schools and colleges in the country.
We are ambitious and have set a vision for the Council that we will “establish the conditions that would make the city of York a healthier, fairer, more affordable, more sustainable and more accessible place, where everyone feels valued, creating more regional opportunities to help today’s residents and benefit future generations - where local businesses can thrive and residents have good quality jobs, housing, opportunities and access to quality public services. We celebrate and champion the diversity of our population and encourage everyone to play an active role in the city, so that our vibrant economy and rich communities can make York the acclaimed city it is. We are one of the safest cities in the country and offer some of best available education.
A city of Sanctuary and Human Rights, our community is truly multicultural and diverse. We are the first city in the North of England to set the aspiration to make our city an anti- racist and inclusive one. We are committed to tackling discrimination and improving customer experience in all aspects of services that the Council delivers, including public health, in order to have an impact and bring about positive change to our residents.
Our thriving retail and visitor economy welcomes millions of visitors every year. We have been recognised as the ‘foodie centre of the universe’ and our Christmas market is the best in the UK. Our many awards include Sunday Times best place to live, Conde Nast city of best architecture, recently 240m booking.com reviewers voted us the 6th most welcoming place on the planet (and the only place in UK in the top ten!) and in 2018 YouGov found that we are the nation’s favourite city. We are friendly, community-spirited, festive and summer-friendly – what’s not to like?
If you are relocating to the area to take up the post, subject to the business case being reviewed, we will provide relocation support, see further details below.
