Posted 15.03.18
National Housing Federation (NHF): Article link
Following a successful pilot in 2017, this year the Sector Scorecard is being introduced for all housing associations.
The Sector Scorecard is an initiative to benchmark housing associations' performance and check they are providing value for money.
It demonstrates accountability to tenants and stakeholders, and includes measurements ranging from the number of new homes built to customer satisfaction.
The initiative has broad support, with backing from the National Housing Federation and Chartered Institute of Housing.
In her blog for the NHF, Catriona Simons, Chief Executive of Guinness Partnership, explains why she is committed to the work of the Sector Scorecard Advisory Group.
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Posted 10.03.18
Community Housing Cymru: Article link
A new Code of Governance for Welsh housing associations will be revealed after an eight week consultation period with the sector, Community Housing Cymru has said.
The new code will take a different approach to traditional governance practices, focusing on organisational culture rather than processes.
It will comprise seven foundation principles for good governance, including organisational purpose; leadership; integrity; decision making; risk and control; board effectiveness; diversity; and openness and transparency.
The work to develop the code has coincided with the Regulatory Board for Wales' review of governance of the housing association sector.
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Posted 02.03.18
Sanctuary Group: Article link
Sanctuary Group has raised £200 million in a private placement deal from a North American-based investors.
The Group, which manages over 100,000 homes across England and Scotland, will use the money to support its plans to build more than 30,000 new homes over the next 10 years, as well as to refinance existing maturing debt.
Sanctuary has the highest governance and viability ratings of G1 and V1, and is rated A+ / A2 by Standard & Poor's and Moody's.
SMBC Nikko acted as the sole placement agent for the unsecured bonds, which comprise a number of maturities from 10 to 30 years.
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Posted 02.03.18
Clarion Housing Group: Article link
Clarion Housing Group has completed the consolidation of its asset owning subsidiary landlords, just 15 months after the merger of Affinity Sutton and Circle Housing Group.
Old Ford, the Group's subsidiary in Tower Hamlets, transferred its homes on 1st March following extensive consultation with residents and local stakeholders.
Clarion Housing Association, which is responsible for services to all of the Group's residents, is now the sole landlord in the Group, replacing the ten housing associations that previously existed.
The imperative for simplifying the structures has been to provide a consistently good service for residents.
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Updated 13.03.18
