Set against the backdrop of the UK’s housing crisis, the Affordable Housing Commission (AHC) was established with 15 leaders from the housing sector to examine the causes and effects of the affordability crisis and what is needed to tackle it. We were brought on board by the Smith Institute think tank to handle media relations, case study sourcing and event management, and to help build support and a consensus for change.

We launched the Commission with research showing two thirds of the UK public believe there to be a national affordable housing crisis. The research found that 70% of renters would need to win the lottery to buy their own home. We secured coverage for the Commission and its Chair Lord Richard Best in national media including Metro Online and the Mirror.  

To build further awareness of the Commission’s work we built a media campaign around a new definition of ‘housing affordability’ and a report revealing that one in five households face housing stress. We achieved wide-reaching coverage in national media including The Guardian, Independent, Mirror, Metro, LBC and The Sun. 

We also supported the AHC on new polling, developed in partnership with the BBC, showing how unaffordable housing affects family life, potentially stopping nearly two million people from having children. We sourced case studies and the story ran across BBC TV, radio and online, with Lord Best interviewed live on the News Channel. We subsequently secured further coverage in titles including The Mirror, Metro, Mail and Independent.

We helped engage Commissioners and brief stakeholders and their media teams, and the Commission gained widespread support for its work.

As the AHC released its ‘Making Housing Affordable After Covid-19’ report, which called on the government to put social housing at the centre of its recovery plan, we managed the media launch and achieved coverage in The Guardian, i, Inside Housing and secured an interview with Lord Best on LBC.