The West Yorkshire Housing Partnership has appointed Andy Wallhead as our new Chair

Mr Wallhead, who is Chief Executive of WDH, will act as a key figurehead for our partnership which is working together to deliver more and better social housing for communities across the region.

He has taken over as chair from Helen Lennon, Chief Executive of Connect Housing, while Nick Atkin, Chief Executive of Yorkshire Housing, remains as Vice-Chair.

“I’m delighted to be appointed Chair of the West Yorkshire Housing Partnership and look forward to continuing to work closely with colleagues from across the region to keep pushing housing as a key priority.”

“Working in partnership, we can ensure we use our collective influence to benefit the communities we serve.”

Andrew Wallhead, Our chair

Mr Wallhead has worked in housing, regeneration and development for over 30 years and is a chartered surveyor.

He has enjoyed spending his working career within his home region of Yorkshire, working mainly within the Wakefield district for many years, with 12 years spent as a Corporate Director and then Interim Chief Executive at Wakefield Council.

He recently chaired a meeting with West Yorkshire Mayor, Tracy Brabin, to set out our partnership priorities for 2024 as part of our new prospectus . This key document details how our members will work with the mayor and West Yorkshire Combined Authority to unlock the region’s true potential by maximising the benefits offered by devolution.

Since the West Yorkshire devolution deal in 2020, we have taken up this unprecedented opportunity to deliver over 2,000 affordable homes – and plans are underway for 3,592 more.

This is in direct response to the shortage of affordable homes, with around 90,000 households across West Yorkshire currently on council waiting lists for housing.

Our prospectus acts as a starting point around how we can deliver more change, and it is based around five key priorities. These include building affordable homes; improving existing homes; tackling the climate emergency; connecting health, housing and homelessness; and investing in inclusive communities.

These five ambitions will work together to contribute to the region’s vision for providing a sustainable future that benefits all West Yorkshire’s diverse communities.