On Thursday 7th November, MJ Gleeson plc’s CEO Graham Prothero, CFO Stefan Allanson and Group HR Director Sam Knight welcomed members of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to its Petersmiths Park development in Ollerton.
This marks the Ministry’s second visit to a Gleeson Homes development, with the first visit taking place in March 2022 at Springfield Meadows.
MHCLG is a ministerial department supported by 16 agencies and public bodies. Following the 2024 General Election, Angela Rayner was appointed as the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government. The MHCLG is central to the mission-driven Government, from delivering the biggest increase to affordable housebuilding in a generation to handing power back to communities and fixing the foundations of local government.
During the day, the Gleeson team shared an overview of MJ Gleeson, its business model and mission of providing high-quality affordable housing, before taking the Ministry on a tour of the show homes and the wider development.
Over lunch, there were discussions around key topics that are affecting the industry currently including the need for reforms in the planning system, the anticipated skilled trades shortages as housebuilding increases, the potential supply chain issues as construction volumes recover and support for first-time buyers.
The Ministry also met a Petersmiths Park homeowner, Annie Lindo, who lives in a 4-bedroom, detached Longford on Phase 1 of the development.
Graham Prothero, CEO of MJ Gleeson plc, commented:
“This was a great opportunity to engage with policy advisers to discuss our views on the sector and the prospects for potential reform around the planning system and addressing the industry’s skills shortage.”
MJ Gleeson plc, the low-cost housebuilder and land promoter, is pleased to announce that it has been awarded the Investors in People (IIP) Gold accreditation.
IIP is an internationally recognised framework for workplace culture that allows companies to benchmark themselves against other organisations within their industry and the sector more broadly. Achieving the Gold accreditation places MJ Gleeson in the top quartile of businesses and demonstrates the company’s commitment to investing in its people over recent years, having progressed from an initial standard Investors in People accreditation in 2019 to now achieving Gold.
The award highlights how the company has continued to drive improvements in its people practices, ways of working, and development programmes, and most importantly, demonstrates how the company continues to listen to employees’ feedback.
Samantha Knight, Group HR Director, commented:
“A culture of empowerment and ownership, a values-led approach, participation and collaboration, a strong work ethic, employee pride, transparency and trust, and a company that gets things done, are just some of the phrases mentioned in our IIP assessment.
“While this is an amazing accreditation and a testament to the organisation, we will not rest on our laurels and will continue to strive from good to great. A great company is all about consistency, learning from mistakes, and constantly refining our practices to ensure we are always improving. We will now be working towards the Platinum IIP accreditation, which would place us in the top 7% of businesses.
“I want to thank all our Gleeson employees for taking the time to speak about their roles, teams, and the business that helped contribute to this accreditation. Receiving feedback and then making the subsequent changes are what has driven our company transformation and made Gleeson the business it is today.”
Gleeson is thrilled to announce that two site managers have been honoured with the prestigious NHBC Pride in the Job Quality Award 2024, demonstrating their commitment to excellence and high standards of build quality.
Winners of the 2024 award include Paul Jackson, Senior Site Manager at Gleeson’s Rhodes Point in South & West Yorkshire and Richard Carr, Site Manager at Hardwicke Place, Tees Valley Tyne & Wear.
Pride in the Job is the most highly regarded competition in the construction industry, providing a benchmark for site managers who set out to achieve the highest standards in construction across the country. The awards are designed to inspire site managers in making their mark and leaving a legacy of homes built to the highest quality standards.
Mark Knight, Chief Executive at Gleeson Homes, commented:
“Winning this award is an accolade to the commitment, excellence, and high standards we set out to achieve in every project. Our efforts not only enhance the quality of our homes but also positively impact our customers' lives, creating thriving communities where families can flourish. This is a well-deserved achievement and testament to Paul and Richard’s consistent hard work, and we are exceptionally proud of them and the teams working across both winning sites.”
MJ Gleeson plc, the low-cost housebuilder and land promoter, is pleased to announce the appointment of Samantha Knight as its new Human Resources Director.
Samantha has worked in Human Resources for over 20 years and brings a wealth of sector specific experience, having previously worked as HR Director at both Robertson Facilities Management and Morgan Sindall Property Services. In these roles, she built the companies’ HR functions from the ground up, growing the team, investing in its skills and capabilities, and introducing new governance processes and best-practice. She has earned industry recognition for her outstanding work, including latterly winning the Best Team award at the HR Network National Awards in 2023.
In her new role, Samantha will build upon the work of predecessor Alan McGillivray, with a focus on advancing Gleeson's employee value proposition and implementation of meaningful benefits for colleagues. Samantha has a strong track record of helping to cultivate a thriving workplace culture and supporting high performing teams, which will be instrumental as the Group delivers its purpose of providing high-quality affordable homes to those who need it most.
Samantha Knight, incoming Human Resources Director, commented:
"I’m delighted to join the Gleeson team. Gleeson is a strong business with a positive corporate heartbeat and solid foundations are already in place. Already, I have seen evidence of a fantastically supportive team of people who are highly passionate and focused on delivering a high-quality product that makes a huge impact on people’s lives. I am committed to further developing our employee value proposition, maintaining Gleeson’s standing as an employer of choice in the housing sector.
In particular, as we close out National Apprenticeship Week, I look forward to enhancing Gleeson’s apprenticeship offer in 2024 and beyond, in addition to further enhancing our workforce diversity. This will involve working with our supply chain to create meaningful development opportunities by working with partners who support under-represented groups to foster talent within our local communities."
25 January 2024
Gleeson was proud to be the first housebuilder to be accredited by the Fair Tax Foundation for our commitment to responsible tax conduct and transparency and can once again proudly announce that we have been awarded the Fair Tax Mark for a fourth consecutive year.
Stefan Allanson, MJ Gleeson plc Chief Financial Officer said:
"I’m both proud and delighted that Gleeson has been recognised by the Fair Tax Foundation for the third year running. We pay our fair share of taxes and are committed to fairness and transparency – helping us to be one of the most sustainable housebuilders in the country.
We build quality, affordable homes, making homeownership accessible for those on low to mid incomes, and meeting the Fair Tax Foundation’s tough criteria demonstrates our commitment to responsible tax conduct and transparency for our customers.”
To view the certificate, click here.
MJ Gleeson plc, the low-cost housebuilder and land promoter, is pleased to announce two further significant developments in its sustainability journey: its commitment to setting science based carbon emission reduction targets, as well as the launch of its Biodiversity Strategy.
Setting Science Based Carbon Reduction Targets
The Company has committed to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), meaning it will set targets for validation by the SBTi within two years. The SBTi is a partnership between the Carbon Disclosure Project, United Nations Global Compact, World Wildlife Fund and World Resources Initiative and is currently the most widely recognised pathway to decarbonisation. It is aligned to the Paris Agreement’s objective to work together worldwide to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5°C from pre-industrial levels.
Following an extensive internal review of its Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, Gleeson has identified, and is in the process of finalising, a number of core workstreams to reduce its carbon emissions under the SBTi, as well as agreeing the key reporting milestones within this process. This demonstrates the Group’s ongoing commitment to direct climate action, through decarbonisation across its operations, supply chain and in-use emissions alike.
New Biodiversity Strategy
In addition to this, Gleeson has launched its biodiversity strategy, with the help of the employment of a Senior Ecologist. Through this, the Company is committing to going beyond its regulatory obligations, such as biodiversity net gain requirements, not only to preserve the ecology where it operates but also to help it thrive.
Initiatives include planting beneficial wildlife, with a focus on invertebrates and pollinators, and providing food and protection for local animals, as well as the inclusion of bird and bat boxes and hedgehog highways on developments across the UK. All welcome packs for new homeowners also include a bug hotel, wildflower seeds and an electronic guide to attracting wildlife into their new garden.
Matt Gibb, Group Sustainability Manager at MJ Gleeson, commented:
“We are very excited about today’s announcement. Gleeson has been working hard on understanding and eliminating both emitted and embedded greenhouse gases in its construction activities for a number of years, and expects to confirm the targets agreed with the SBTi well within the two year timetable. Meanwhile, the benefits of our Biodiversity Strategy will be felt across all of our developments moving forward, as we continue to create high-quality, affordable homes and communities where our customers love to live.”
Stefan Allanson, Chief Financial Officer at MJ Gleeson, commented:
“We are delighted to be making significant progress in our sustainability journey, led by our Group Sustainability Manager, Matt Gibb, who we welcomed into the business last year, and supported fully by our leadership team and Board. Committing to the SBTi represents a significant milestone, and we look forward to sharing more on this over coming months. Our new Biodiversity Strategy is industry leading, and will help us to provide greater protection and support for local wildlife on and around our developments.
We have a strong understanding of where we are as a business in terms of our ESG credentials, with our core mission remaining fully aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goal 11. We are proud that a couple on the UK National Living Wage can still afford to buy a home on any Gleeson Homes site, and we look forward to providing more detail on our progress in the months and years ahead.”
05 May 2023
With the consultation on Future Homes Standard due to conclude in June, Mark Knight, CEO of Gleeson Homes, tells Housebuilder about the importance of getting ahead of regulatory changes, with Mark believing that Gleeson’s specification is futureproofed until at least 2025.
Gleeson Homes has commenced a trial and testing programme on air source heat pumps and other more innovation insulation solutions, both of which are already yielding positive results.
Read the full article here.
20 February 2023
The HBF (House Builders Federation), has today published research that confirms the benefits of buying a new home compared to a similar older property. It finds that the average savings on energy bills are going to be over £3100 when the Government’s Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) cap increases on 1 April 2023.
Just one of many reasons, why buying new is a sensible decision.
For the full article, follow this link.
02 February 2023
MJ Gleeson is delighted to become the UK’s second housebuilder to participate in the UN Global Compact and become a member of the UN Global Compact Network UK, the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiatives focused on the development, implementation and disclosure of responsible business practices.
Gleeson will now formally integrate the ten principles of UN Global Compact across its business operations, in areas including human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption.
Matt Gibb, Group Sustainability Manager, commented:
“As a provider of high-quality affordable homes in areas where they are most needed, MJ Gleeson’s ethos is built on the foundations of its values of sustainability and responsibility. We are excited to join this group of leading organisations in its aim of delivering a healthier and more prosperous planet for future generations.”
12 October 2022
Please click here to view statement.
21 July 2022
Gleeson Homes is pleased to become a Registered Signatory of the Building a Safer Future Charter.
Today, Gleeson Homes signed to become a Registered Signatory of the Building a Safer Future (BSF) Charter, which was established to create a positive culture and behaviour change in the safety of the built environment.
We recognise that becoming a Registered Signatory is an important first step towards achieving the culture and behavioural change required in relation to the Charter's objectives around building safety. In confirming our support as a Registered Signatory, we will now be working to ensure that we embed the principles of the Charter into our organisation’s activities
9 May 2022
Please click here to view statement.
27 April 2022
Please click here to view statement.
13 April 2022
Please click here to read our pledge regarding the government's approach to building safety.