Stephen Ellis

Experience

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  Tottenham Hotspur Football Club

  Jan 1991 - Jan 1994

  Press Office Assistant

  I worked in the Press Office at Tottenham Hotspur FC for three years. In 1993 my team and I won both of the national Football Programme of the Year awards – the first time that this had been achieved. Responsibilities included:- Researching and writing features, conducting interviews and developing historical pieces for match programme, monthly newspaper and other club publications- Managing media enquiries, writing press releases and giving media interviews as a club representative- Providing public relations support to players and the club- Handling enquiries from supporters and working closely with international fan clubs Show less

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  Enfield Council

  Sept 1994 - Jun 2002

  Housing Mobility Officer (and others)

  I held a number of positions as I worked my way through the ranks at Enfield Council. Most of these were in the Planning and Transportation Department and I was twice seconded to more senior positions. From 2000 I worked in the Housing Department and from September 2000 I was promoted to Housing Initiatives Manager. My responsibilities included:• Developing innovative ideas to increase the housing options available to Enfield housing applicants• Managing the Out of London Scheme and create working partnerships with external housing providers• Supporting staff to develop and maintain an understanding of housing tenancy, supply and legislation. Show less

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  London Councils

  Jun 2002 - Jun 2004

  LAWN Project Manager

  I project managed LAWN, a national housing mobility pilot on behalf of all 33 London boroughs, on secondment from LB Enfield to the Association of London Government (now known as London Councils). I established scheme procedures; enabled partnering arrangements between participating landlords; delivered workshops and conference events on housing mobility; ensured scheme was successfully transferred onto more formal footing at the end of the pilot.LAWN was an inter-regional Government funded housing mobility project, primarily aimed at encouraging moves from areas of high demand to where there was more social housing available. In two years more than 1000 families improved their housing situation as a result of a LAWN move. My responsibilities included:• Developing, launching, promoting and maintaining this successful national housing mobility scheme• Managing support staff and carrying out appraisals and interviews• Managing relationships with social landlords to develop and promote Lawn services• Researching and publicising good practice and to develop innovative housing solutions• Promoting areas to tenants where properties were available using a monthly Lawnmoves newsletter • Developing a website and prepare promotional material and user guidance• Working closely with agencies such as Empty Homes and Shelter to promote the scheme• Presenting and reporting to multi-agency steering groups and liaising with Government departments• Attending, participating and leading conferences and regional meetings to promote the project. Show less

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  MoveUK

  Jun 2004 - Apr 2007

  Regional Manager

  I continued to manage the LAWN housing mobility scheme (see below) and undertook additional reponsibilities for other mobility schemes after LAWN transferred from the Association of London Government to Scout Solutions (who had won a competitive tender to deliver the government's housing mobility services). I lead on the testing of new housing mobility pilot and managed partnerships between the new service and landlords in London, south east England and Northern Ireland.MoveUK was a Government funded mobility service which sought to offer housing and employment opportunities from one website. The Lawn scheme was my project so when this was transferred to Scout Solutions Limited as part of the MoveUK contract I was transferred to them. My responsibilities and achievements included:• Leading and managing change control team for new service development• Developing and delivering training courses for internal staff• Producing publicity material, case studies and external communication media• Organising and conducting consultation on new services through meetings and other mediums• Researching and Identifying areas for moveUK expansion and development • Aligning strategic plans with the DCLG Choice Based Lettings agenda• Maintaining the Lawn Project services in period of intense market change and internal development and to continue all responsibilities highlighted below• Negotiating areas of possible service expansion involving private sector landlords and other agencies• Managing relationships with landlords and other stakeholders to trouble-shoot and expand moveUK contacts and opportunities. Show less

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  Department for Communities and Local Government

  Apr 2007 - Mar 2011

  Housing Mobility Manager (housingmoves)

  I managed the Government's housing mobility services on behalf of DCLG. When I was appointed the DCLG had a statutory responsibility to maintain services, including the Seaside & Country Homes (SCH) scheme. I was responsible for rebuilding the infrastructure, managing relationships with landlords and generating new demand for the schemes as they had been run down before DCLG had cancelled the contract. I successfully led SCH through a period of substantial change whilst increasing demand for the scheme by more than 100% and initiated and delivered additional options for housing mobility, including the Choice Based Mobility scheme. I managed a team of 13 staff, ensured external contracts were managed successfully and was responsible for a budget of £1.2million. Following the 2010 general election and the (then new) coalition's commitment to reducing Government expenditure I fought to ensure that sufficient DCLG funding for the SCH scheme remained in place to enable the successful transfer of the housing mobility services to the GLA in April 2011 and secured the future of the schemes until 2013.I also oversaw a politically sensitive project that enabled British nationals in Zimbabwe to be rehoused in the UK at a time when they were considered to be at great risk. This was a multi-agency project which was carried out with the greatest urgency. Key Achievements• Commended by Permanent Secretary for Service Delivery• Invited by the Prime Minister to attend 10 Downing Street in recognition of role as ‘key player in helping Government to deliver their housing ambitions’• Doubled the demand for the Seaside & Country Homes scheme within 12 months of appointment and maintained previously unattained levels of demand throughout my tenure• Recorded year-on-year increases in demand for the SCH scheme• Proposed, developed and secured Government funding for Choice Based Mobility scheme• Successfully delivered the housing mobility service within budget each year Show less

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  Greater London Authority

  Apr 2011 - Apr 2013

  Housing Mobility Manager

  After four years managing the mobility services for DCLG I secured a further two years of funding to enable the scheme to transfer (post-2010 funding cuts) to the GLA in April 2011. I managed the team that delivered the Mayor of London's housing mobility objectives, including the Seaside & Country Homes scheme for over 60s and also oversaw the development and implementation of the Mayor's flagship Housing Moves pan-London mobility scheme - the largest sub-regional choice based mobility service in the UK - and was also tasked with ensuring the successful pan-London allocation of the social lets in the Olympic Village. I managed a team of five staff and chaired the Mayor's Housing Mobility Working Group.Building on my work at DCLG I helped the GLA to capitalise on the unprecedented demand for SCH moves and to assist households who did not qualify for the scheme but who wished to move to a new area. I continued to be responsible for all mobility service operations: day-to-day delivery of each scheme; reporting and monitoring; staff management (including performance monitoring in accordance with the GLA's competency framework); contract management; and marketing and publicity.When the DCLG transferred the housing mobility services to the GLA I managed the transition of the team as we moved under TUPE. My achievements at the GLA included:• Leading the housing mobility team through several periods of uncertainty and change• Maintaining the demand for the Seaside & Country Homes scheme• Managing the delivery and launch of the Mayor’s Housing Moves pan-London mobility scheme.• Continuing to deliver the housing mobility services within budget each year• Overseeing the successful implementation of the lettings framework for social housing in the Olympic Village• Overseeing the implementation of revised funding mechanism for SCH when the government funding period ended at the end of 2012/13. Show less

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  Stephen Ellis Consultants Ltd

  Apr 2013 - Sept 2016

  Director

  Following almost 20 years working in local authorities and government departments I set up my own consultancy in spring 2013. My last contract was Project Lead for the Homefinder UK scheme, a partnership between Home Connections and House Exchange (see panel below). I have been able to use the time since leaving Home Connections to pursue some personal interests. I have authored the book 'The Secret List: Brighton', worked on a pro bono basis on some projects, including helping the community radio station I station manage apply for an FM licence, and I tour-managed a band for their trip around Europe. Show less

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  Homefinder UK

  Jun 2013 - Oct 2015

  Project Lead

  My last contract was Project Lead on the Homefinder UK scheme, a project delivered in partnership by Home Connections and Circle Housing's House Exchange service on behalf of a group of London boroughs and G15 members. I ensured the project went live, on time and within budget in September 2013 and then led the project through to it's second anniversary by which time it had become a fixture in the housing options delivered by many London boroughs and G15 members. I was responsible for all aspects of the scheme, including but not limited to: the day to day delivery of the service; ensuring it was fully integrated with House Exchange (Circle's mutual exchange service); delivering the service in accordance with all operational plans and on budget; meeting the demands of its Steering Group and the Home Connections Board of Directors; recruitment and staff management. The scheme is run on a not-for-profit basis and wholly dependent on financial support from the landlords who offer it to their tenants. One of my chief responsibilities was to ensure that funding partners were fully engaged and retained and I ensured everyone of the partners renewed their participation each time.Homefinder was set up to assist social housing tenants and households in temporary accommodation who needed housing that was better suited to their family size, finances and closer to employment or education opportunities. By the time my contract expired the scheme had attracted more than 5,000 registrations (more than comparable to similar sized housing mobility schemes) and was working with more than 100 social landlords. Show less

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  1BTN

  Mar 2015 - Mar 2022

  Station Manager

  I also volunteer as Station Manager for 1BTN, a community radio station, broadcasting online and on FM. I have responsibility for ensuring the station complies with community radio guidelines and is financially sustainable. I am responsible for the marketing plan, maintaining a communications schedule and delivering and monitoring social media and web content. I also assist with maintaining the studio and ensuring that the station broadcasts continuously.I led on the bid for an OFCOM community FM licence, which was awarded to us in 2016.The station is currently broadcasting worldide via the internet (www.1BTN.fm) on 101.4FM, on DAB+ across Sussex and is also accessible via the TuneIn app. Show less

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  CityWest Homes

  Nov 2016 - Mar 2019

  Special Projects Manager

  This role transferred from CityWest Homes to Westminster City Council on April 1, 2019.

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  Westminster City Council

  Apr 2019 - now

  This post transferred from CityWest Homes on April 1, 2019 when the City Council took the ALMO back in-house. My employment in this role began in November 2016.My main responsibilities are:To deliver corporate and housing service related projects to ensure the effective development and delivery of an efficient, consistent and responsive customer driven housing service.To continually develop and implement new initiatives to improve the overall effectiveness of service delivery.To Ensure the strategic development of housing and housing related services through research into legislation, trends and best practice, maximising partnering opportunities with other professionals and benchmarking all areas of policy and practice with sector leaders. Ensure the proper analysis of the implications of new legislation and its correct implementation.To contribute to the development of key corporate and departmental initiatives and contribute to the strategic planning of its work.To analyse and interpret proposed and new legislation and respond to Central Government consultation on this. To advise the City Council, Cabinet members and CityWest Homes Board of its implications and arranging implementation.To issue operational instructions to staff following legislative, policy and procedural changes and responding to policy enquiries from members, residents, the media and outside bodies on complex issues. To initiate and develop policy and projects and explore new initiatives in all areas of housing services including proposals which require external funding and schemes arising outside mainstream housing management areas, by project managing service development from initial concept, through policy development to implementation and operation. Show less

  • Senior Housing Projects Manager

    Aug 2021 - now

  • Special Projects Manager

    Apr 2019 - Mar 2022