Housing Today has won a major publishing award, scooping the title of Media Brand of the Year at the Independent PPA Awards.

The award follows a year of rapid growth and new launches for the title.

Housing today staff, including editorial director Chloe McCulloch (second from right), on stage with comedian Suzi Ruffell (far left) at the Independent PPA awards on Friday

Housing Today has signed a deal with the Chartered Institute of Housing meaning more than 10,000 institute members now receive the publication as part of their annual membership.

In April the brand launched Every Person Counts, an initiative to share insights around workforce issues across the whole of the housing sector. Every Person Counts aims to provide a place where debates about skills, employment, regulatory compliance, equality diversity and inclusivity and workplace culture can play out and solutions can be shared.

The campaign has seen Housing Today publish several long-form pieces on regulatory compliance for housing professionals, and share insights from key workers our Frontline Stories series.

Report into the English Planning System

Housing Today’s A Fair Deal for Housing campaign - which looks at solutions to increase housebuilding - saw it publish a groundbreaking report into the English planning system. Several of the recommendations, including overhauling the planning system and introducing a new strategic tier and introducing a ‘super-squad’ of planning officials, are now government policy.

In April, Housing Today, in partnership with sister title Building, launched a podcast series of five episodes featuring influential housing sector figures, which reached 3,500 listens.

This year saw the title’s popular Housing Today Live event expanded into four quarterly webinars and an in-person event in Manchester. Housing Today also launched a new landmark Westminster conference supported by the G15 group of London’s largest Housing Associations, the Chartered Institute of Housing and the Housing Forum.

Housing Today Live event in Westminster

It has also launched new digital products including online learning sponsored CPD modules and a new supply chain content area for product manufacturers targeting housing.

Housing Today’s journalism this year has seen an exclusive interview with Amanda Newton, the chief executive of Rochdale Boroughwide Housing - the housing association in the headlines for the death of toddler Awaab Ishak – as she tries to move the organisation on from the tragedy. It also published in-depth analysis of the new government’s policies and an investigation into a new cladding crisis relating to plastic panels.

The IPPA judges said: “The winning brand’s focus and delivery of a multi-channelled, people-focussed service impressed the judges. The hard work in establishing partnerships to help shape the content and the increase the readership and renewals is applaudable.”