News & Blog

The latest welfare benefits news and updates from our Money Matters Team. Introducing Conversational Platform technology into Universal Credit (UC) telephone On 30 November the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) introduced a new technology called Conversational Platform onto the Department’s telephony channels, starting with Universal Credit. This will transform the customer journey by replacing […]

Great Places’ In Partnership (IPP) unit teamed up with home furnishing giant Dunelm to make Christmas a little brighter. IPP provides support and accommodation for women aged 16 – 55 who are homeless and who also need help with drug or alcohol issues in Blackburn and Olaiyah Yousaf, Housing and Wellbeing Manager, reached out to […]

Insight has completed their third scrutiny review of 2023, they looked to assess Great Places offer to support customers with the increasing costs of living. Members found customers who had received direct support from the Financial Resilience Team fed back positive comments saying the support had helped to manage finances and contact debtors. There were […]

In 2022 we asked customers what worked about the anti-social behaviour (ASB) service and what didn’t. Since then, we have been working really hard to put improvements in place to the ASB service to help improve the customer experience. We also have a new ASB Policy detailing our new commitments. You said, we listened – […]

Hive Homes, a Joint Venture of which Great Places is a member, launched its latest development, the 102-home Weavers Fold off Nixon Street in Castleton, Rochdale. The scheme turns the eight-acre former Carcraft car supermarket site, which had laid dormant for eight years, into a neighbourhood with 85 three-bedroom and 17 four-bedroom homes, a mix […]

Great Places Housing Group has cut the ribbon on 67 affordable homes at its £9.6million Heathfields development in Darwen. The homes, a mix of shared ownership and affordable rented properties, form part of a much larger, new neighbourhood being developed by East Lancashire-based McDermott Homes. The Miner’s Gate site, formerly the Ellison Fold Colliery, off […]

Great Places is proud to publish the impact report of our Raising Aspiration Project 22/23.

Work is now gaining pace with our plans for the first purpose-built LGBTQ+ majority Extra Care scheme in the UK at Russell Road. The initial pre-planning work has now been completed, and with Rowlinson Construction now in place, we’re looking to begin site investigations this week which will help to inform the design. There will […]

Great Places have linked up with Wyre Neighbourhood Policing Team and the Commando Intervention Scheme to help a group of young people from the Wyre area. The scheme is run by a former Royal Marine Commando and is registered with Lancashire County Council. The intention for the young people is to impart the values and […]