Lewis Kinch
Housing Engagement Lead, HQN
1 What do you do for fun?
Are you implying that working in housing isn’t fun in itself?
I love cycling, and have done since I was 11. I used to do a lot of mountain biking until I broke my collarbone and shoulder blade in 2024, at which point I thought it might be best to calm down a bit. Now I’m really enjoying bikepacking where I’ll take a tent and stay away for a couple of days.
2 You have the power to change one thing about the social housing sector: what would it be?
Building new homes should not be the responsibility of housing associations and local authorities – it’s a distraction both strategically and financially. However, if they don’t build then it seems like no one else will.
My change would be the formation of a national housebuilder that’s centrally funded and properly resourced, allowing councils and housing associations to focus solely on housing management.
3 What advice would you give to someone starting out in housing?
Housing is a big web of different sectors, and with that comes different skills, cultures and viewpoints, but we often end up working in silos. Try to understand how these all interact, and you’ll have a much better understanding of housing. I’d recommend reading up on systems thinking and how you can apply this.
4 Who’s your favourite author, and why?
In the past 20 years, I’ve only read one novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. So, by default, my favourite fiction author is Mark Haddon. My new year’s resolution is to start reading fiction, and I’ve picked up Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, and so far I’m really enjoying it.
Before that I read mostly articles or the occasional non-fiction book, and always liked Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner of the Freakonomics series.
5 What is the strangest thing you’ve ever experienced?
A gravity hill in Tehachapi, California. You put your car in neutral and then it rolls up the hill, supposedly pushed by ghosts from the local Indian burial ground. The logical part of me knows it’s just an optical illusion, but it’s nice to think a bunch of disgruntled ghosts are spending their eternity pushing cars about.
A close second would be blue ketchup. My eyes and my tastebuds were in complete disagreement.
6 What are your three favourite albums?
Because the year is 2026, I, like most other people, tend to listen to playlists on Spotify these days. But if I had to pick three albums for the rest of my life they would be:
Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd
Station – Russian Circles
Bicep – Bicep.
7 Proudest achievement?
My children – both very different, but never fail to both impress and infuriate me. I did also once play the trombone at the Royal Albert Hall which was quite a fancy experience.
8 A world without music or a world without literature – and why?
I can’t imagine having no music so it has to be literature, but does that mean every song now has no lyrics?!
9 Favourite place in the world?
Either my house, or somewhere mountainous. I spent a couple of winters in the French alps, so if I had to choose then it would be the Galibier region in France.
10 You can resurrect anyone from history and talk to them for an hour: who, and why?
My grandad – went to war aged 16 in 1939 followed by peacekeeping in India and Japan in the following years. Staunchly trade unionist, Labour, atheist, and anti-war. Passed away before I was politically engaged enough to make the most of his experiences.
11 Favourite film or TV series?
Slow Horses.
12 Favourite food?
I would quite happily eat a good quality pizza for three meals a day.
13 Most embarrassing moment?
Accidentally hitting ‘reply all’ to an email that should definitely not have been sent to all. I will not go into any further detail.
14 If you didn’t work in housing, what would you do?
I originally trained as a Youth Worker, and if the austerity drive in 2010 hadn’t decimated the youth service then I would almost certainly still be doing that.
15 What makes for a good life?
Coffee, cat and a log burner.
