A Calderdale Council Housing Officer has received national recognition at the Women in Housing Awards 2025.
Heidi Waters, Strategic Lead for Housing and Climate at Calderdale Council, won the ‘Housing association or local authority professional of the year’ category at the prestigious Inside Housing – Women in Housing awards. The awards recognise the successes of women and incredible work taking place in the housing sector, shining a light on the efforts of teams and individuals.
Heidi has worked for Calderdale Council for over 30 years, and has dedicated her career to delivering real, lasting impact. From frontline housing officer to Strategic Lead for Housing and Climate, her work covers healthy homes, housing delivery and homelessness – transforming lives across Calderdale’s diverse communities.
The judges were impressed with Heidi’s exceptional leadership skills and commitment to delivering for the borough, noting that she ‘continues to deliver schemes that set new standards, both for the region and the sector as a whole’.
The award application highlighted two schemes where Heidi’s contribution was instrumental:
- Beech Hill, on the edge of Halifax town centre, which won both Northern Housing and MJ awards for bringing new housing and retrofitting existing stock. This project, years in the making, required her to navigate complex partnerships, funding arrangements and regulatory challenges.
- Bolt Works, in Halifax, the first build-to-rent scheme in Calderdale. This project would not have been possible without Heidi’s strategic vision and ability to unlock funding, including crucial support from Homes England.
Heidi’s work to tackle homelessness was also recognised, particularly her groundbreaking work with the charity Crisis, ensuring that fewer people stay in temporary accommodation and that those who do spend less time there.
The award judges, said:
“Heidi’s involvement in housing is broader than her job title suggests, and her collaborations and work with partners are impactful. Her strategic and operational examples, and achievements amid financial adversity, are impressive.”
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Action and Housing, Cllr Scott Patient, said:
“Heidi is an inspirational leader, who works incredibly hard to deliver for Calderdale, driving innovative solutions and always putting people at the heart of everything she does.
“Her knowledge across all aspects of housing can’t be understated and has been demonstrated with achievements across the borough. This includes important contributions to deliver complex and innovative housing schemes, such as at Beech Hill, and also her inspiring work to tackle homelessness.
“Heidi goes above and beyond to support her team and continues to deliver transformational change, whilst also looking to the future to continue to improve outcomes for people in the borough. I’m delighted that Heidi’s many achievements have has been recognised at a national level – it really is well deserved.”