Manningham Housing Association (MHA) marked 40 years of delivering affordable homes to individuals and families across Bradford district with a special celebration held at the city centre venue Bradford Live.
The event featured performances by Dixons Manningham Academy Choir, a traditional Baul music ensemble, and the cultural group Punjab Roots, alongside an awards ceremony and the cutting of an anniversary cake.
MHA Chair Rupert Pometsey welcomed guests, including Deputy Lieutenant of West Yorkshire Kersten England CBE, and recounted the association’s origins. Established in 1986 following a six-month research project by Bradford’s Bangladeshi Youth Organisation, MHA was created to address the severe overcrowding affecting many local families, particularly within Bradford’s South Asian communities.
“At that time, reports showed up to 18 people sharing a single house,” Mr Pometsey explained. “Bradford Council needed evidence before investing in new housing, so it awarded a £3,000 grant to the Bangladeshi Youth Organisation to conduct research. Their findings highlighted the unmet housing needs of Black and Minority Ethnic communities, especially the demand for larger homes suitable for South Asian families.”
Today, MHA manages over 1,400 homes in Bradford and Keighley, with 75 per cent designated as large family properties.
Mr Pometsey noted that in the early 1990s, the United Nations recognised MHA’s community-focused social housing and regeneration efforts as “hugely successful.” Over the years, the association expanded its social responsibilities, including establishing a dedicated refuge for women and children affected by domestic violence and supporting the rehousing of international refugees.
The association faced challenges a decade ago when its governance rating was temporarily lowered by the Regulator of Social Housing. However, leadership changes in 2017 and 2018, with Barrington Billings as Chair and Lee Bloomfield as Chief Executive, led to a comprehensive operational overhaul. MHA regained the highest regulatory ratings and earned the Customer Service Excellence quality mark. It also became the first housing association worldwide to achieve the international Standard for Diversity and Inclusion in HR Management, winning multiple regional and national awards.
Chief Executive Lee Bloomfield told attendees that the association’s new Corporate Strategy, approved earlier this year, reaffirms its vision to provide quality homes, empower BME and other communities, and create opportunities for people to thrive.
A key part of this vision is the Growth Strategy, which plans to deliver up to 150 new affordable homes in the coming years, each expected to positively impact the lives of future residents.
Mr Bloomfield also highlighted additional strategies focusing on tenant engagement, people and culture, and equality, diversity, and inclusion, which together form the roadmap for MHA’s next 40 years.
He concluded by thanking past and present Board members and paying tribute to the dedication and professionalism of MHA’s staff, whose efforts have made the association a valued part of Bradford district.
