Proposals for Settle and Paradigm to form a new housing association
Proposals for Settle and Paradigm to form a new housing association
Take part in our survey online
We have announced that we are in discussions with another housing association, Paradigm Housing Group, to create a new organisation, which we believe will allow us to deliver better services to residents.
We want to hear your thoughts on the proposal. You can get involved by taking the survey in less than 10 minutes.
More details about the proposal
We’re exploring a possible partnership with another housing association called Paradigm Housing Group – this means we would join together to form a new merged Group.
Paradigm Housing Group is a housing association with almost 17,000 homes mainly in Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. Settle Group has over 10,000 homes across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and South Cambridgeshire.
At the time we announced our proposals to merge, Paradigm also announced their intention to buy almost 3,500 homes in South Buckinghamshire from the housing association L&Q.
This means that the new organisation formed through the merger between Settle and Paradigm, would own and manage over 30,000 homes and would be the largest housing association working in the region.
We believe that by joining together we could provide better services to residents and invest more in our communities.
Why we chose Paradigm
We have a lot in common, including where our homes are based. We wanted to partner with an organisation that shares our vision and values. Like Settle, Paradigm understands the importance of remaining rooted in local communities. We both believe in excellent services and working closely with residents to improve services. And we both want to build more homes to address the housing crisis. We are both committed to providing repairs and antisocial behaviour services that residents really value.
Benefits of the proposed merger
By joining together, we would:
- be able to provide better value for money by working more efficiently and cost-effectively.
- be big enough to cope with challenges such as improving the energy performance of our homes.
- be able to build more affordable homes to help address the housing crisis.
- be able to combine resources to have more impact in our communities and to make significant improvements to a number of our estates.
- develop better partnerships with organisations to support residents.
- combine the in-house repairs teams in both organisations to carry out more repairs and investment in homes ourselves.
Potential disadvantages of the proposed merger
We strongly believe that a single, bigger organisation would allow us to do more of the things that matter to you. This proposal is at an early stage, but we know there is a lot of work involved in joining two organisations together. It’s important that this doesn’t distract us from delivering excellent services and we will do everything we can to make sure this doesn’t happen. While work and resources will be required in the short-term to deliver the merger, we are confident that there will be a number of benefits for residents in the longer term.
How we would propose to join together
The final decision to go ahead would only be made following consultation with our residents and final Board approval from both organisations.
The next step would then be to form a legal partnership which we propose would complete by late Autumn 2025. At that point your landlord would not change, and you would continue to be a resident of Settle, within the new group structure.
We would then work on integrating our two businesses (Settle and Paradigm) which might take up to 18 months, at which point your landlord might change, if Settle and Paradigm Homes Charitable Housing Association (Paradigm) were to fully merge together as a result of a process called a ‘Transfer of Engagements.’
What this would mean for you
Until any full legal merger of Settle and Paradigm Homes, your landlord would remain as Settle. If the proposal goes ahead, and even if your landlord does change the following would remain:
- Your right to live in your home would stay the same.
- The rent and service charges you pay would stay the same, aside from the annual increase made in line with the guidance set by the Government (in line with inflation).
- If you are a shared owner or leaseholder, the terms of your lease and the services you receive would stay the same.
So, if the proposal goes ahead, nothing would change with your tenancy agreement, rent (which would still be increased in the same way it is now), or rights as a tenant. We will still be providing services as usual while we explore the partnership. You should still contact Settle with any issues including repairs, anti-social behaviour and for any support you need.
If the proposal goes ahead, the longer-term plan would be for Settle and Paradigm Homes to legally merge together, to form one charitable housing association. This would be in up to 18 months’ time and we would provide more details closer to that time.
We are looking carefully at the consequences of this proposal and through a process known as due diligence we will ensure that the merger would be of no material detriment to our residents.
More information about this consultation
We are today, 22nd April, starting a six-week consultation process with all residents. The aims of the consultation are to:
- Make sure that you have all the information you need to understand the merger proposal.
- Make sure that we have been clear on what the proposed changes may mean for you in the short term.
- Find out how you feel about the proposed merger and give you the opportunity to share any concerns or raise any questions.
- Understand what you feel are the priority areas for the new merged group to focus on.
Once the consultation closes, we will share a summary of your feedback on our website and send your responses to our Boards for them to consider prior to any final decision being made to approve the merger. We will keep you updated throughout the process, the next step will be for our Boards to decide later in the summer whether or not to go ahead.
There are several other ways you can share your views on the proposal…
Settle Resident Engagement Groups
Engagement has started with Settle resident groups, including the Voice of the Resident and Green Panel members. The proposal has been shared, and feedback has been collected. This process will continue throughout. There are several ways to give us your feedback and we include details of these below.
We will be holding a webinar and number of events in person where you can hear directly from senior leaders of both organisations and have the chance to ask questions. You may want to join these before giving us your feedback.
Webinar
Join us on Wednesday 21 May from 17:30pm to 18:30pm for a webinar where you’ll hear directly from senior leaders of both organisations and have the chance to ask questions. To attend, you’ll need to register in advance – you can sign up here.
Need help registering? Email us at [email protected] or call 0330 343 0016 (local rate), and we’ll make sure you’re signed up.
Face to Face events
You can attend any of the following events. You don’t need to register beforehand.
- 15th May 2025, 6pm to 7pm – The Grange Community Centre, Letchworth
- 20th May 2025, 1pm to 2pm – Westmill Community Centre, Hitchin
- 23rd May 2025, 10am to 11am – Jackmans Community Centre, Letchworth
Or by post
We are also posting a letter to all residents with a questionnaire enclosed. This will be sent out on Tuesday 22nd April and should be received within two to three days. You can complete it and return it using the prepaid envelope provided.
Didn’t receive a letter in the post? Please let us know by emailing [email protected] or call us on 0330 343 0016 (local rate).
Resident Q&A
There would be no immediate transfer of the ownership of your home and no change to the terms of your tenancy or lease. Settle would continue to be your landlord, but Settle would become part of the merged group structure, as a subsidiary of Paradigm until further integration of the new merged group is complete. You would continue to pay your rent and service charges to Settle following legal completion. Once integration is completed your landlord/freeholder may change but the terms and conditions of your lease would remain. We will consult with you further about any proposed change to your landlord/freeholder in due course.
Legal completion of the partnership is planned for late Autumn 2025. That is the point where we would legally become one group. There would then be a period of time to integrate services to function as one organisation. Typically, this takes 12 to 18 months post legal completion.
No. The way your rent and service charges are calculated will remain the same. We would continue to review charges every year, as we do at the moment, in line with your current tenancy agreement or lease.
You would be able to continue to pay your rent and service charges to Settle in the way that you do now. We would tell you nearer the time about any changes you need to make to the payee’s details.
If you already have the right to buy or acquire, you would not lose the right and you would continue to be able to exercise the right in the same way as before.
There would be no changes to how we manage your home at the moment. Settle colleagues will continue to provide services to you. Over time, as we introduce improvements, staffing arrangements may change but we will always make sure you know who any new contacts are.
No. You will continue to contact us in the same ways that you normally do.
Email addresses and telephone numbers may change in time but we will make sure any changes are communicated with you in advance of any changes.
Both Settle and Paradigm work closely with resident groups who actively help shape our services by sharing their feedback.
In our survey about these proposals, we have included a section under your priorities, where we are asking for your feedback on your priorities for investment in future service improvements. We also ask if you would be interested in getting involved in shaping what the new group, and its resident engagement mechanisms, look like.
The important things to note are:
• Your right to live in your home would stay the same
• The rent and any service charges you pay and the way future charges are calculated would also stay the same, with annual increases made in line with the guidance set by the Government (in line with inflation)
• If you are a shared owner or leaseholder, the terms of your lease would stay the same.
If the partnership goes ahead, the new organisation would have 30,000 homes, mainly in Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. Our aim is to be larger but to retain our local focus.
We have set out some reasons in the background to these proposals but also:
• We would be able to build more new homes to help address the housing crisis in the areas where we work, where the cost of housing is high
• We would develop better partnerships with organisations to support residents
• We would become a more significant local employer, giving us improved ability to recruit, retain and develop skilled staff at every level and lean on support from the wider group.
All services like repairs, support, anti-social behaviour, paying rent and service charges or raising issues with our customer services team or neighbourhood teams would continue to be delivered by existing colleagues from our existing offices in the short to medium term. We will remain focused on improving the services we provide. Longer-term, the partnership would allow us to invest more in looking after your homes and the communities you live in.
We strongly believe that a single, bigger organisation would allow us to do more of the things that matter to you.
We have looked carefully at the consequences of this proposal and through a process known as due diligence we will ensure that Settle joining together with Paradigm would bring positive benefits to Settle and its residents. One disadvantage is that the time and resources required to align the systems and people from both organisations may have a delaying effect on some shorter-term improvements, but this would result in efficiencies in the long term.
It would take some time and resources to bring the people, services and systems of both organisations together. Other than that, we have concluded, subject to residents’ views, that the proposal makes good business sense. In the longer term, we believe that the partnership would help us to improve services and result in an even better experience for residents.
No. We will make sure we have the appropriate staff in place to continue to deliver the services you currently get from us while we explore these other projects.
Paradigm Housing Group is a housing association with almost 17,000 homes in Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. They share similar values to Settle and are passionate about giving residents a firm foundation on which to build their lives.
We would only consider partnering with an organisation that shares our vision and values. Like us, Paradigm understands the importance of remaining rooted in local communities. We both believe in excellent services and working with residents to improve services. And we both want to build more homes to address the housing crisis. We are both committed to providing repairs and ASB services that residents really value.
No, these would only change if your own personal circumstances change.
No. We would ensure that we don’t lose our local focus, which is very much how we have always worked. We know it’s important to you and it’s essential to us too. Our teams would continue to deliver services as they do currently in the medium term. If we decide to go ahead with the partnership and review any of our services, we would consult you before making any changes.
You shouldn’t notice any change to the services you receive. It is business as usual. The top priority for both organisations is to deliver great services and homes – and to keep improving on this. The partnership project won’t distract us from focusing on this. Longer-term, the partnership would allow us to invest more in repairs, maintenance, services and the communities you live in.
At this stage, moving home options will be the same as they are now.
There will be no change for Settle colleagues in the short term. All the people you usually speak to will stay the same. We will let you know when we make any appointments to our Board or senior team.
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