Latest Housing CEO WhatsApp Highlights, September – October 2024
A note to readers
These notes summarise recent discussions on Campbell Tickell’s WhatsApp group for Chief Executives of housing associations and ALMOs across all four UK jurisdictions and the Republic of Ireland. A full summary of discussions from the inception of the group is available on request.
This is a closed group, open only to CEOs in housing associations and ALMOs. It currently has around 250 members.
While discussions are confidential and unattributable, members of the group are keen for the content themes and issues to be shared widely to assist with broader understanding.
Please note:
The following digest highlights matters that have been discussed in the group. None of the content should be treated as representing the collective views of the group as such, or be attributed to any of its members. The group is an information-sharing forum and not a policy-making body.
Download the full summary (pdf)
Key themes
Retrofit assessors and net-zero
- Members shared experiences of making retrofit assessments cost-effective. Experiences ranged from in-house appointments to external consultants, with costs per property fluctuating between £450 and £1,500. Some members mentioned training staff to conduct surveys internally to manage expenses.
- There was considerable debate about including net-zero costs in 30-year business plans. Some members are incorporating these costs, whilst others are not. Many acknowledged the challenge of accurately forecasting future technological advancements and regulatory expectations.
Gas safety
- Members discussed approaches to using interrupters when managing gas safety. Some members utilise capping or interrupters in limited circumstances, while others have stopped these practices due to legal concerns and potential risks. Members who employ capping discussed its use under strict controls, including senior approval, risk assessments, and comprehensive follow-up procedures. However, there were mixed opinions on its effectiveness, particularly for vulnerable residents. Members noted that interdepartmental working is key to gaining access to properties and understanding the reasons for no access. Some members are exploring the introduction of devices to lower hot water temperature with the idea that this will prompt a service.
Community presence
- Members discussed extending branded workwear beyond direct labour to other frontline members of staff to raise the profile of their community presence and physical visibility in their neighbourhoods. Many members have adopted branded workwear for various staff roles, including trades teams, housing management teams, and some CEOs themselves. Items range from polo shirts and fleeces to high-visibility vests, with some organisations extending this to prayer mats and flat caps. Members shared how this fostered a sense of pride and raised their organisations’ profile in the community.
- Members also discussed potential tax implications of providing branded workwear. To avoid issues with HMRC, it was suggested that wearing the branded apparel should be a requirement stipulated in the employment contract, rather than offered as a gift. Some members noted that clearly branded uniforms may be tax-free, and employees might be eligible for a small tax relief allowance.
Resident Voices
- Members conversed on balancing meaningful customer engagement with efficient board governance by incorporating customer stories and feedback into Board meetings without derailing them or creating excessive administrative burdens.
- Examples of methods used to bring resident voices and experiences to the Board included: video testimonials, staff spotlights, and inviting customer-facing colleagues to board events. We have tabulated the results and added as an appendix below.
Board skills
- Members discussed the importance of Board skills assessment and governance reviews, highlighting the value of tools like Convene for monitoring Board engagement and improving governance processes.
- A balanced approach to Board composition was suggested, combining skills and experience with diversity of thought and lived experience. One member shared a programme aimed at developing a pool of talented Board candidates through a 12-month initiative involving multiple Registered Providers (RPs).
Directors’ salaries
- Members sought advice on reporting directors’ salaries as part of the (English) consumer standards, particularly for smaller providers. There was some debate about whether publishing these metrics in annual reports is a standard requirement.
- Finding meaningful comparators and how to make this information accessible to tenants was also discussed. Various suggestions were shared, including using benchmarking data, referencing industry reports (e.g. from CHC in Wales), publishing salary multipliers, and considering services for salary comparisons.
Community Benefit Societies (CBS)
- Members expressed concern over potential changes to CBS regulation, with a Law Commission review on behalf of HM Treasury (Co-operatives and community benefit societies – Law Commission), including the possibility of placing them under direct Charity Commission oversight. There were worries about restrictions on borrowing and investment powers, as well as requirements for wider membership. Whilst some members highlighted the need for effective regulation, others questioned its efficacy and cost-effectiveness.
ISG administration
- Members discussed indirect effects from ISG’s collapse into administration, with concerns about the impact on SME contractors and the general instability in the contractor market for recent development schemes.
National insurance increases
- Following the October Budget announcement, members expressed concern about the impact of National Insurance (NI) increases, which are likely to see substantial rises in costs and increases to salary bills between 2-5%. The reduction in the NI threshold was noted as having a particularly large impact, especially for social care and supported housing sectors.
- Some members also highlighted concerns about the potential knock-on effects on supply chain costs and the viability of certain projects.
Sharing policies, processes and recommendations
- The group continues to be a place for members to share policies and processes. Policy and process examples requested related to: whistleblowing policies; asbestos policies, staff VPN use and compressed hours processes.
- Members requested recommendation on expert and independent reports on reasonable expectations on tenants and RPs in relation to fire evacuation plans for CAT1 and CAT2 sheltered housing schemes.
- Requests were also made for case studies to see how others are approaching building safety, advice on selling shared ownership portfolios and ways to empower customer service advisors to issue compensation vouchers at the point of contact if an organisation has failed to meet any element of their Customer Service Standard.
Join the Housing CEO WhatsApp group
The group is open to all housing CEOs who are not yet members.
To join, please contact james.tickell@campbelltickell.com or greg.campbell@campbelltickell.com
For any media enquiries, please email: zina.smith@campbelltickell.com
