As 2025 draws to a close, I want to take a moment to reflect on what has been a year of progress and partnership for Trent & Dove.
One of the most significant milestones was securing a £50 million growth loan through the Government’s Affordable Homes Guarantee Scheme. This funding will accelerate our ability to deliver much-needed housing and invest in our existing homes, enabling us to build 200 additional affordable homes, including over 140 for social rent. You can read more about this below.
November also saw our annual Stakeholder Summit, where we welcomed more than 50 partners to share updates on our Strategic Plan, future ambitions and the challenges we face. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and I’m grateful to everyone who contributed to such an engaging and insightful event.
We marked White Ribbon Day in November, reaffirming our commitment to ending domestic abuse and supporting safer communities. And I’m delighted to share our Customer Annual Report 2024/25, which highlights the work we’ve done to transform Homes, Lives and Communities.
Our latest Tenant Satisfaction results show strong performance across most measures, with overall satisfaction at 84%, well above sector benchmarks. This reflects the dedication of our teams and the value of collaboration with our partners.
Thank you for your continued support. Together, we can achieve even more in 2026 and beyond. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
I hope you find this update useful and look forward to connecting with many of you in the months ahead.
Ursula Bennion
CEO
Tyldesley Court: A landmark development for Burton
We’re delighted to announce the successful handover of Tyldesley Court, our flagship £21.3 million housing development in the heart of Burton town centre. This milestone marks a significant step forward in delivering high-quality homes that meet the needs of our communities.
Tyldesley Court offers 72 stylish independent living apartments designed for older people, combining comfort, security and modern amenities to support a vibrant lifestyle. Alongside these, the development includes ten spacious three-bedroom family homes for social rent, helping local families access affordable housing. In addition, nine apartments will be let as social rented homes via East Staffordshire Borough Council, ensuring more homes for those who need it most.
Built by developer Morro, Tyldesley Court has been supported by Homes England grant funding through our strategic partnership with Orbit Group.
This development is more than bricks and mortar; it’s about creating a community where people feel proud to live. With its central location and thoughtful design, Tyldesley Court reflects our commitment to delivering homes that make a real difference.
We look forward to welcoming residents soon and seeing Tyldesley Court become a thriving part of Burton’s future.
Celebrating Community Impact: nominations open and big news revealed!
The countdown to the Community Impact Awards 2026 is well underway, and excitement is building! We’ve already received 38 fantastic nominations, showcasing the incredible work happening across our communities – but we need even more. There’s still time to shine a spotlight on those making a real difference. Stakeholders can nominate until 31 December, so don’t miss your chance!
We’re thrilled to announce our A-list celebrity host for the evening – bringing extra sparkle to what promises to be an unforgettable celebration.
A huge thank you to our amazing sponsors who generously make this event possible:
Your support ensures we can celebrate the people and projects that truly transform lives.
Thank you!
Strong satisfaction scores position Trent & Dove as a top performer
We’re pleased to share that Trent & Dove continues to perform strongly across most Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) as we head into the final quarter of 2025–26. Our overall satisfaction score stands at 84%, a 3.7-point increase on the same period last year and well above the sector median of 75.4%. This places us firmly in the upper quartile nationally and reflects steady progress over the past 12 months.
Seven of the twelve regulatory measures now sit above 80%, with standout results in treating our customers fairly and with respect (90.6%), safe condition of their homes, (88.6%), and keeping them informed (81.7%), all exceeding sector benchmarks. These scores highlight the strength of our commitment to fairness, safety, and clear communication — areas that matter most to our customers.
While some measures remain lower, we see these as opportunities to build on progress already made. For example, satisfaction with keeping communal areas clean and well maintained and handling of anti-social behaviour, continue to be shaped by perceptions of neighbourhood safety and visibility, and we’re working closely with partners to address these concerns. Similarly, complaint handling is a key focus, and we’re investing in improvements to ensure customers feel heard and supported.
Overall, these results reflect a strong and stable position for Trent & Dove, with performance consistently above sector medians and nine measures already meeting or exceeding upper-quartile benchmarks. We remain committed to listening, learning, and collaborating with stakeholders to deliver services that make a real difference in our communities.
Development update: progress and partnerships driving growth
Despite a challenging environment, we continue to make strong progress across our development programme, underpinned by robust partnerships and a clear focus on delivering for our communities.
For 2025/26, our targets remain ambitious with 150 completions and 236 starts. Key schemes such as Tyldesley Court (72 homes), the adjoining Bargates scheme in Burton (19 homes), and Ashby Road, (six homes) are likely to see us finish the year with 109 completions. And major starts at Pennycroft Lane (44 homes) and The Dales (28 homes) are planned for January.
Our strategic goal of 700 homes by March 2027 remains firmly in sight, supported by a pipeline of 128 committed homes, 390 secured, and a further 439 in feasibility. Funding streams through our strategic partnership with Orbit continue to play a vital role, with an additional 168 homes secured and additional opportunities emerging via the Government’s Affordable Homes Programme top-ups.
We’re also preparing for the next decade, with the Government’s £39bn Affordable Homes Programme (2026–2036), set to unlock further growth. Regeneration remains a priority, with projects at Vancouver Drive in Winshill, Main Street in Stretton, and Highwood Court in Uttoxeter progressing, alongside innovative approaches such as modern methods of construction for garage site redevelopments.
While planning delays and cost pressures persist, our commitment to delivering high-quality, affordable homes – and working collaboratively with partners – remains unwavering.
Stakeholder Summit: Insight, collaboration and positive feedback
Last month, we welcomed partners and stakeholders to our annual Stakeholder Summit, held in Burton. The event provided a valuable opportunity to share updates on our strategic plan, showcase key projects, and discuss the challenges and opportunities shaping the housing sector.
The agenda featured highlights including our customer annual video, progress on the Strategic Plan 2022–27, and an early look at priorities for 2027–32. Attendees also heard about collaborative projects with partners and took part in an open executive Q&A, ensuring transparency and dialogue remain at the heart of our approach.
Feedback from the event has been overwhelmingly positive. Stakeholders described the summit as “extremely valuable” and praised the chance to hear directly from the executive team, network with peers, and gain a practical overview of financing and funding. Many commented on the relevance of topics, with one attendee noting: “It was great to see the balance between business priorities and community work.”
Suggestions for improvement were minimal, but we’ll take on board comments about venue comfort and acoustics to make next year’s event even better.
Thank you to everyone who joined us and contributed to the discussions. Your insights help shape our future direction and strengthen the partnerships that make a real difference in our communities.
£50 Million growth loan secured to boost affordable housing
Trent & Dove has successfully secured a £50 million growth loan, a major step forward in our mission to provide more affordable homes and invest in the quality of our existing properties.
Funded through the Government’s Affordable Homes Guarantee Scheme, this loan will accelerate our development plans across both rural and urban areas. It means we can deliver 200 additional affordable homes, including over 140 homes for social rent, ensuring that more families and individuals have access to safe, secure and high-quality housing.
Resources Director, Jan Griffiths, said: “We’re proud to be driving forward a bold and ambitious vision for growth that puts homes, lives, and communities at the heart of everything we do.
“We would like to extend our sincere thanks to all the external parties who supported us throughout this process – including our funding advisors, legal teams, and colleagues at Venn. Their expertise, collaboration, and commitment were instrumental in helping us secure this investment.
“This achievement reflects the strength of our partnerships and our shared dedication to delivering lasting impact for the communities we serve.”
Refer a colleague to receive this update
We hope these quarterly updates keep you informed and summarise the projects we continue to deliver to our customers and communities in line with our commitment to transforming homes, lives and communities.
If you’d like to recommend a colleague, supplier or partner who you believe would benefit from receiving this, please ask them to email: communications@trentanddove.org and we’ll add them to our distribution list.
