L&Q

{{Infobox organization

| name = L&Q

| logo = L Q Master Logo Digital Square Yellow RGB.jpg

| logo_size = 220px

| type = Housing association

| founded_date = 1963

| founder = Rev Nicolas Stacey

| location = London

| origins =

| key_people = Aubrey Adams OBE (Chairman)
Fiona Fletcher-Smith (CEO)
Waqar Ahmed (Finance)

| area_served = London, South East England, East Anglia, North West England

| product = Homes to buy, affordable and social-rented homes, supported and sheltered housing

| focus =

| method =

| revenue =

| endowment =

| num_volunteers =

| num_employees = 2800+ (2021)

| num_members =

| subsid = Quadrant Construction Services Ltd, L&Q Living and Trafford Housing Trust

| owner =

| mission =

| homepage = https://www.lqgroup.org.uk/

| dissolved =

| footnotes =

}}

L&Q (London & Quadrant Housing Trust) is a housing association operating in Greater London, the South East, East Anglia, and parts of the North West (under its subsidiary company Trafford Housing Trust). L&Q's registered office is based in Stratford.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2012-06-08 |title=London & Quadrant (L&Q) |url=http://www.theguardian.com/housing-network/2012/jun/08/london-and-quadrant |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=the Guardian |language=en}} Quadrant Housing Association, one of its original forebears, was established in 1963. L&Q is one of the largest housing associations in England. As of 2021, the company owns/manages in excess of 120,000 homes, housing c250,000 residents.

History

The Quadrant Housing Association was formed in the London Borough of Greenwich in 1963 when 32 people invested £2 each to create a housing association. Its founder, Rev Nicolas Stacey, was a Church of England priest who later became head of Social Services for Kent County Council.{{cite news|title=Obituary Rev Nicolas Stacey|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/article/rev-nicolas-stacey-8dcrgm9w8|access-date=3 July 2017|agency=The Times|date=16 May 2017}}{{cite news|title=The Reverend Nicolas Stacey, reform-minded Anglican – obituary|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2017/05/09/reverend-nicolas-stacey-reform-minded-anglican-obituary/|accessdate=3 July 2017|agency=The Telegraph|date=9 May 2017}}

In 1973 Quadrant joined forces with another association, London Housing Trust, which had been set up in 1967. The merged organisation was named London & Quadrant Housing Trust.

In 2011, London and Quadrant was criticised by Conservative Party politicians alleging that L&Q had misled the public and MPs over its plans for development on the site of the Walthamstow Stadium.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/davehillblog/2012/nov/11/walthamstow-stadium-iain-duncan-smith|title=Walthamstow stadium: "This is not over," pledges Duncan Smith as campaign turns fire on Boris|last=Hill|first=Dave|date=2012-11-11|work=The Guardian|access-date=2019-05-02|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}

In December 2016, London and Quadrant merged with the East Thames Housing Group.{{cite web|title=East Thames and L&Q announce successful merger completion and refinancing|url=http://www.east-thames.co.uk/news/dec2016/east-thames-and-lq-announce-successful-merger-completion-and-refinancing/|publisher=East Thames|accessdate=25 April 2017|date=6 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170427193653/http://www.east-thames.co.uk/news/dec2016/east-thames-and-lq-announce-successful-merger-completion-and-refinancing|archive-date=27 April 2017|url-status=dead}}

In February 2017, L&Q completed a deal to buy the private land company Gallagher Estates for £505 million from Tony Gallagher.{{cite news|author=Isabelle Fraser |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2017/02/02/lq-snaps-land-investor-gallagher-estates-505m-deal/ |title=L&Q snaps up land investor Gallagher Estates in £505m deal |newspaper=The Telegraph |publisher=Telegraph.co.uk |date=2 February 2017 |accessdate=13 May 2017}}

An independent review conducted by Campbell Tickell in 2018 revealed maintenance of some of the company's properties had fallen below standards.{{Cite web|url=https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/weaknesses-found-after-investigation-into-lq-repairs-service-59831|title='Weaknesses' found after investigation into L&Q repairs service|website=Inside Housing|language=En|access-date=2019-05-02}}

The Times reported in 2019 the company owned 95,000 homes across London and the south-east.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/853e78b8-5525-11e9-91f9-b6515a54c5b1|title=L&Q to spend £4bn building homes in north-west England|last1=Bounds|first1=Andy|last2=Evans|first2=Judith|website=Financial Times|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-05-02}}

In 2019, L&Q acquired Trafford Housing Trust.{{Cite web |date=2019-10-03 |title=L&Q completes Trafford Housing Trust takeover |url=https://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/lq-completes-trafford-housing-trust-takeover/ |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=Place North West |language=en-GB}}

In 2021, Fiona Fletcher-Smith was appointed Group CEO, replacing David Montague CBE.{{Cite web|url=https://www.socialhousing.co.uk/news/news/fiona-fletcher-smith-becomes-new-chief-executive-of-lq-69145/|title=Fiona Fletcher-Smith becomes new chief executive of L&Q}}

=Quadrant Construction=

In 2010, L&Q created an in-house construction practice, Quadrant Construction, which grew by 2016 to a £200m turnover business, making a £4m profit that was given back to the housing association. However, on 23 May 2017, L&Q announced a restructuring which would see Quadrant rebranded, with consultations starting about possible redundancies among the 200-strong workforce.{{cite news|last1=Morby|first1=Aaron|title=200 Quadrant Construction staff face restructure|url=http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2017/05/23/400-quadrant-construction-staff-face-restructure/|accessdate=23 May 2017|work=Construction Enquirer|date=23 May 2017}}

References

Category:Housing associations based in England

Category:Charities based in London

Category:Housing organisations based in London

Category:Organisations based in the London Borough of Lewisham