Press releases

Sovereign Housing has today published its third Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report, covering the 2022/2023 year.

Sovereign Housing plans to upgrade more of its customers’ boilers, faster, after achieving record savings of more than a quarter of a million pounds from simpler to use boilers for customers.

As a landlord with a lasting stake in the communities we build, Sovereign is supporting events across our localities as part of World Cleanup Day this Saturday and inviting the community to take part.

Yesterday (7 September) the boards of Network Homes and Sovereign Housing Association (Sovereign) formally agreed to merge to form Sovereign Network Group (SNG).

Sovereign Housing has partnered with Citizens Advice to deliver free energy advice to customers.

Sovereign Housing has secured reserved matters approval for 68 affordable homes on land at Monkerton to the east of Cumberland Way, on the edge of Exeter.

Sovereign Housing, in conjunction with Living Space and Terra, has planning approval for an entirely affordable-tenure development of new homes on the outskirts of Melksham.

Sovereign Housing today published its annual report for 2022/23, which shows a strong financial performance, increased delivery of new homes and steady progress in improving the customer experience.

Ground was broken by Cllr Olly Davey, Portfolio Holder for Strategic Planning at EDDC, alongside the Chair of Broadclyst Parish Council, Henry Massey.

Sovereign Housing Association has appointed Joe Marshall as regional managing director for development in the South East.

Dozens of affordable homes in Bourne End are now one step closer following a deal between leading landlord Sovereign and developer Croudace.

Sovereign and Network Homes have announced the prospective new Executive and Group Boards ahead of their planned merger, which is due to complete in October 2023.

The Regulator of Social Housing has today published a regulatory judgement upgrading Sovereign Housing’s governance rating from G2 to G1.

We're teaming up with social enterprise Your Own Place (YOP) to run a free programme to help people who weren’t successful in securing a Sovereign home overcome barriers and secure a place to live. 

Leading housing association Sovereign is celebrating the completion of phase one of its £7.4m Eastergate Park development in West Sussex, as it seeks new land for affordable homes.

Young people on the Isle of Wight are being offered new support, thanks to a £240k fund created by Sovereign and The Blagrave Trust.

Sovereign customers are being invited to share their views over proposals to merge with Network Homes and create a single organisation – Sovereign Network Group.

Hundreds of people continued to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III in South Ham during the half term week, with residents enjoying fun free activities.

Sovereign has teamed up with Clarion Futures, the charitable foundation of Clarion Housing Group, and Places for People to launch a new two-year programme to provide opportunities for young residents.

Ten more youth-focused organisations working in Sovereign Housing communities are celebrating thanks to support from Sovereign and The National Lottery Community Fund’s (TNLCF) #iwill Fund.

With most internet users in the UK now using a smartphone, Sovereign is introducing a new tool which provides customers with even more choice about how they communicate repairs.

Residents in Basingstoke are better off thanks to a series of partnerships Sovereign is forging as part of its response to the cost-of-living crisis.

Sovereign announces the six successful companies appointed as part of its £11 million employer’s agent framework that will support the delivery of more than 8,000 new homes.

Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has affirmed in a release today that Sovereign Housing continues to hold its investment grade A+ credit rating, outlook negative.

Sovereign Housing Association is delighted to announce that we have been awarded over £9m by the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) towards our £22.5m improvement strategy helping 1,000 homes.

Sovereign has secured reserved matters planning approval for 69 affordable homes at Taverners Field on the edge of Exeter, Devon.

The delivery of dozens of affordable homes at Berwick Green is a step closer, thanks to a deal between Sovereign Housing Association and Bellway.

Sovereign’s funding was matched by another charitable organisation, helping DCF reach its £100k target. The money from the Surviving Winter appeal is distributed by Citizens Advice through £200 grants.

Our grounds maintenance service has now come in-house in Oxfordshire and Basingstoke, following a successful roll-out in Berkshire.

Residents in Basingstoke are better off thanks to a recent cost of living event organised by Sovereign Housing Association.

Sovereign Housing Association has partnered with Complete Technology Group (CTG), as part of its plan to install fibre-optic broadband in some of its communal properties.

Sovereign Housing Association is seeking contractors and developers for approximately £800 million of construction work to deliver more than 3,000 new homes.

Credit rating agency Moody's releases statement downgrading credit ratings of several housing associations, including Sovereign.

Sovereign offers Hampshire residents who are not in paid work a chance to get Level 2 Award for Working as a Door supervisor for free.

Leading shared ownership provider, Sovereign, has launched its first 50 affordable apartments at Horlicks Quarter in Slough.

Sovereign plans to build more sustainable homes at the Giernalls Road site in Hailey, west Oxfordshire.

Groups and organisations celebrating the fabulous achievements of individuals with African and Caribbean heritage are being invited to apply for funding from the Black History Month 365 Fund.

Families in Blandford enjoyed a completely free Christmas show, thanks to a partnership between Sovereign Housing Association and Blandford Forum Town Council.

The chief executive of Sovereign, Mark Washer has written to local MPs and local authority chief executives setting out the robust action the housing association is taking on damp and mould.

Leading housing association Sovereign is celebrating following its successful application to join Homes England’s Delivery Partner Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) for large sites.

Community-focused and not-for-profit group Mamas Bristol has received a £10k funding boost from Sovereign Housing Association

Ruth Picknett-Powell has been appointed as the new chair of Sovereign’s Resident and Board Partnership (RBP).

Sovereign Housing Association has published its latest quarterly update, showing that unit completions are up.

The Regulator of Social Housing has today downgraded the viability ratings of several large housing associations, including Sovereign.

Sovereign Housing Association launches new Eastergate Park development in West Sussex village Eastergate, along with local businesses.

Sovereign has pledged an additional £3million to support its customers most impacted by the cost-of-living crisis. Eligible residents will benefit from a range of financial support services.

Local people are invited to have their say on plans for the redevelopment of Sovereign Housing Association’s former office on land at Sarum Hill, Basingstoke.

As Black History Month draws to a close, eleven community organisations are celebrating thanks to funding from the Black History Month 365 Fund.

Sovereign Housing Association is today announcing a new tender for responsive repairs to support its in-house property services team. Applicants can impress with their pledges to social value.

Sovereign has teamed up with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) to provide special free child safety packs to families in Berkshire, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Sovereign Housing Association has welcomed residents to its first phase of affordable homes at Horlicks Quarter, part of Slough’s first new major residential town centre scheme.

The Board of Sovereign Housing have appointed Ken Youngman as Sovereign’s interim Chief Financial Officer from 19 November 2022.

Sovereign Housing Association has bought the Princes Mead Shopping Centre and two retail assets in Farnborough for £17.6 million as part of its plan to provide more affordable housing in the town.

Charities and community projects in West Berkshire, North Hampshire and Oxfordshire have been awarded a share of £30k project funding.

Sovereign publishes its second Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report which sets out the steps it's taking to address some of society’s greatest challenges.

Leading housing association Sovereign is working with crowdfunding platform Crowdfunder to invest over a quarter of a million pounds in community projects.

Sovereign Housing Association continues to demonstrate strong progress for the first quarter of the 2022/23 financial year, with a turnover of £113.8m.

Sovereign Housing Association is ramping up its support for a community group in Berkshire to help improve child literacy following years of home-schooling fuelled by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Thirteen youth-focused organisations working in Sovereign Housing Association communities are celebrating thanks to funding from the Sovereign #iwill Fund.

Sovereign Housing Association has joined the Black History Month 365 Fund which provides grants of up to £500 for events, activities and projects which celebrate Black History.

Sovereign is working with key partners to provide one-to-one employment coaching to help Hampshire and IOW residents find meaningful training and work opportunities.

Sovereign Housing Association is publishing its 2021/22 Annual Report which sets out the company’s strong financial performance over the last year.

The HQN Safeguarding and Housing Best Practice Group is extending its support to other housing associations dealing with those at risk of abuse and neglect.

Sovereign Housing Association has worked alongside Abingdon residents to transform the outdoor spaces where they live.

Members of Oxfordshire’s DAMASCUS Youth Project have hosted a community event in Sutton Courtenay, as part of the group’s efforts to bring different generations together and improve wellbeing.

Sovereign Housing Association has part-funded Creative Communities art classes in West Berkshire, with the group hosting its first exhibition evening earlier this month in Thatcham.

Locals invited to have their say on emerging redevelopment plans of the Castle Court site in Brislington.

Sovereign Housing Association has put over £19,000 towards funding hundreds of free places for children at summer holiday programmes in Basingstoke, Bristol, Newbury, Newport and Southampton.

Youth-focused organisations working in communities within three miles of Sovereign Housing Association homes are being invited to get involved with the Sovereign #iwill Fund

Sovereign Housing Association, working with two commercial partners, has just installed smart home sensors and thermostats in 400 of its less energy-efficient homes.

The Regulator of Social Housing has today downgraded Sovereign Housing’s governance rating from G1 to G2. The Regulator has confirmed its existing V1 grade for viability.

Charities and community groups are invited to apply for a share of £30k funding.

Sovereign Housing’s chief executive Mark Washer has today responded to the Prime Minister’s announcements on housing.

Sovereign Housing Association hold community fun day to celebrate the Queens Platinum Jubilee.

Sovereign Housing Association will invest £450k over the next two years in giving young people a voice in their housing and community future.

During this busy and challenging year, we delivered increases in total Turnover and overall surplus. We also achieved an increase in new homes, across 69 sites and 36 developers.

Sovereign Housing has published new research showing that social housing tenants do not realise the impact that their homes have on climate change.

Sovereign Housing Association have joined 18 organisations in West Berkshire to trial a new App to connect people and communities.

Local residents are invited to join a series of monthly guided buggy walks across the Isle of Wight.

Sovereign residents on the Isle of Wight have taken a trip down memory lane during a Reminiscence Festival jointly funded by Sovereign and the Arts Council England.

More than 45 businesses, charities, housing associations, councils and government-representatives took part in Bristol-based Women’s Work Lab’s first ever Women’s Conference.

Residents interested in History are invited to Cheswick Village, Stoke Gifford this weekend (Sunday 17th), where Steve England will reveal the Gloucester village’s Roman past.

22 charities and community projects in the South and South West of England have been awarded a share of nearly £46.5k project funding.

Isle of Wight residents are invited to a free, drop in open day on 26th April from 10am to 2pm, to learn about job and training opportunities on the Island, through the Skills 4 Work programme.

Novus Property Solutions has donated a bench made out of recycled paint cans to Sovereign’s residents living in Barrington Road, Watchfield.

Leading housing association Sovereign is working with crowdfunding platform Crowdfunder to invest in employment and training projects

Sovereign Housing Association worked with residents to plant 18 fruit trees this week, replacing just a few of the estimated eight million lost this winter to storms and other severe weather.

Businesses across England are being invited to attend an online event on 1 March 2022 that will teach them the best ways to welcome women into their organisations.

17 charities, community groups and a college in the South and South West are celebrating, after receiving a share of £75,000 funding.

Helix group works in partnership with Sovereign Housing Association on new homes in Reading.

Simpson Associates are delighted to announce that following a tender process they have been selected by Sovereign Housing Association (SHA)

Basingstoke-based Sovereign Housing Association could offer life-changing roles to as many as 40 young people in a unique extension to the government’s Kickstart scheme.

Our first ESG report commits us to creating sustainable homes, maintaining strong governance and offering support for our diverse employees and customers.

Sovereign releases Q3 performance update reports good progress for the first nine months of the 2021/22 financial year based on unaudited management accounts.

A notice from the Regulator of Social Housing that Sovereign’s management of statutory health and safety compliance has breached Home Standard requirements.

Sovereign Housing Association has joined Business in the Community (BITC), the largest and longest established business-led network dedicated to responsible business

Steve Brine, MP for Winchester and Chandlers Ford, met with Mark Washer, Sovereign CEO, and Harry Lewis, Berkeley Southern Managing Director, at their Knights Quarter development in Winchester city

Sovereign Housing Association launched a survey on Monday 17 January 2022 to gain feedback from those who’ve used its domestic abuse support services.

Graffiti artist Hazard is painting murals chosen by our customers in Bristol to cover persistent tagging. The three large paintings feature much loved local people and flags of those in the community.

Social value was a new priority for Sovereign Housing Association recently as it selected the 17 solicitors’ firms that it will work with over the next five years.

Sovereign Housing Association donated £500 to Tisbury Children's Community Garden to set the group on its way to a green-fingered future.

Joyce Ward, a former English teacher from just outside Wantage, Oxfordshire has been awarded an MBE in the New Year's Honours list.

Sovereign launched their shared ownership homes at the Knights Quarter development in the centre of Winchester.

Sovereign is the first housing association in the UK to launch a partnership with Kaleida, a B2B marketplace that allows procurement teams to advertise tenders and connect with diverse suppliers.

Countryside and Sovereign joint-venture partnership to acquire 365-acre Lotmead Farm, Swindon, to deliver up to 2,500 homes

Sovereign Housing Association, working with The Good Exchange, has grants available for community projects that focus on supporting people to upskill, access training, find work or self-employment.

Ten projects, submitted by locals in East Cowes, Newport and Ryde, will receive a share of over £37.7k from Sovereign’s Your Community Your Choice (YCYC) programme

We've given further funding of £5,000 to Young Bristol mini cap project with Clarion Futures, the charitable foundation of the Clarion Housing Group providing match funding.

Sovereign releases Q2 performance update reports good progress for the first half of the new 2021/22 financial year based on unaudited management accounts.

Sovereign Housing Association has launched a £150,000 fund to help its customers buy all kinds of items and services from white goods to work clothes.

Sovereign CEO, Mark Washer, and Rob Perrins, CEO, Berkeley, celebrate affordable homes being created at the iconic Horlicks Quarter, Slough’s first new major residential town centre scheme.

Sovereign Housing Association is working alongside Bristol residents to transform the outdoor spaces around where they live.

Six people in North Dorset currently experiencing homelessness will have a new place to call their own thanks to a partnership between Sovereign Housing Association and Dorset County Council.

Young people from Sovereign's Youth Panel will have an opportunity to pick the brains of internet sensation Jackie Weaver during an online one-on-one session on 26 September.

Community projects and charities based within three miles of Sovereign homes in the South and South West can apply for a share of £80,500 to boost the fundraising they’ve already done.

As many as 60 families could benefit from free food kits and an online cookery course being run by Bristol’s cookery school, Square Food Foundation and Sovereign.

Sovereign is investing more than £25k over the next year to offer free training and grant funding to support entrepreneurs running their own business or moving to self employment.

Sovereign is running a free webinar to support those across the south of England considering their work options as furlough draws to an end.

Six people who have experienced long-term homelessness will have a place to call their own thanks to a new venture between Sovereign and Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.

Sovereign Housing Association is making £150k in grants available to residents across its geography as part of its Thriving Communities strategy.

Sovereign has formed a new strategic partnership with Homes England to deliver 3,338 affordable homes, with a new allocation of grant funding worth £166.9m.

Sovereign, working with not-for-profit digital fundraising platform The Good Exchange, gave grants between £1,000 and £5,520 to community projects that focused on health and wellbeing.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council is working with local housing providers and other partners to offer homes for families who have had to leave Afghanistan.

Sovereign Housing Association continues to demonstrate strong progress for the first quarter of the new 2021/22 financial year.

Steele Raymond have advised Pennyfarthing Homes on the sale of 66 residential units to Sovereign, located on the new Potters Wood site in Verwood, Dorset.

Emerson’s Green residents will enjoy the sound of music from the Ham Farm Festival this weekend, 25 to 28 July, thanks to a funding boost by Sovereign.

Empire Fighting Chance partners with Sovereign and Clarion Housing to deliver a school holidays boxing programme for vulnerable young people.

A new festival in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, is celebrating the unusual skills and talents of its young residents aged 18 to 25.

Sovereign launches new £10k partnership with switching service ‘Pocket Power’ to support those of its customers struggling with fuel poverty.

The Foyer on the Isle of Wight has gained national accreditation for ‘its impressive commitment to investment in young people’.

The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) has today confirmed that Sovereign has maintained the highest rating of G1/V1.

Sovereign has teamed up with the south west-based The Women’s Work Lab to offer a free employment and training course for mums.

A group of 13 young people from Bristol aged 5-10 years old are coming out of lockdown raring to go on community projects, thanks to funding of £2,000.

Sovereign residents living in Abingdon are invited to submit project ideas for creating great outdoor spaces for their whole community.

On Friday 7 May the topping out ceremony was held to celebrate progress at the former Magistrates’ Court in Kennedy Way, Yate.

Two community larders will launch over the next few months in West Berkshire offering local residents the chance to save both pounds and the planet.

Newbury Town Council is pleased to announce the unveiling of a blue plaque for the first person in the world to be treated with Penicillin.

Sovereign's gender pay gap is low at 1.7% - but the housing association says it will continue to strive for parity for women.

Leadership 2025 has announced the appointment of six new board members, including Sovereign’s CEO Mark Washer.

Sovereign wants to lend even more support to those in their communities seeking employment or training offers.

Leading housing association Sovereign is continuing its work with not-for-profit digital fundraising platform The Good Exchange for a further two years.