Inside Housing Chief Executive Salary Survey 2023
Inside Housing’s annual survey reveals the pay of more than 150 housing association chief executives. Katharine Swindells reports. Illustration by Richard Wilkinson
Inside Housing has surveyed 150 of the biggest housing associations in the UK, to find out how much chief executives were paid.
Our survey covers the 2022-23 financial year, and in this article you can find a detailed breakdown of what we found.
In a year of rising cost of living, it is probably not a surprise that chief executive pay has also gone up.
Spring 2022 saw the beginning of the cost of living crisis, and the rising price of basic essentials means that many social housing tenants, and many staff, have been feeling the pinch.
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Meanwhile, the industry is affected by the same rising costs, impacting the price of labour and materials. The spotlight on damp and mould has seen associations redirect millions into addressing disrepair, while also allocating budget to meeting regulatory requirements around building safety, retrofit and tenant engagement.
Many associations speak of feeling caught between the competing priorities of upgrading their stock while also building more to try to fix the national housing crisis, but all with capped rents, restricted budgets and limited government support.
That said, most of the country’s largest housing associations still managed to find wiggle room to grant pay rises to their bosses – some to the tune of double-digit percentage increases. In fact, one in seven (14.5%) organisations saw CEO total pay rise by upwards of 10%.
The median basic salary of a housing association CEO in the 2022-23 financial year was £164,589, 5.1% higher than last year, while the average total salary (including bonuses, car allowances and payment in lieu of pension) rose by 6.4%. This is below inflation (the Consumer Price Index hit 10.1% in the 12 months to March 2023).
Six CEOs have a basic salary of more than £300,000 – between them they saw an average increase of £19,500 to their salary.
It is worth noting that these salaries pale in comparison to those of corporate bosses – median pay of FTSE 100 chief executives rose to £3.9m last year. Housing association CEO median basic pay is roughly in line with the median salary among CEOs of large UK charities, the chief executive of a small-to-medium NHS trust, or the UK prime minister.
Chief executives’ salaries, 2022-23
Housing association | Chief executive | Number of homes | Basic salary 2022-23 | Change in basic salary | Total pay 2022-23 | Change in total pay |
54North Homes 1 | Mark Pearson | 3,493 | £105,389 | -3.3% | £115,189 | 5.7% |
A2Dominion 2 | Darrell Mercer | 38,244 | £241,829 | 2.5% | £308,088 | 3.4% |
Abri 3 | Gary Orr | 36,425 | £266,700 | 5.0% | £336,804 | 27.6% |
Accent | Paul Dolan | 20,689 | £187,476 | 2.0% | £197,476 | 1.9% |
Acis | Greg Bacon | 7,000 | No response |
| No response |
|
Alliance Homes | Louise Swain | 6,619 | £150,140 | 2.0% | £150,140 | 2.0% |
Anchor 4 | Jane Ashcroft | 54,753 | £335,000 | 0% | £397,074 | -10.9% |
Apex * | Sheena McCallion | 6,725 | No response |
| £130,572 | 1.6% |
Argyll Community * 5 | Alastair MacGregor | 5,175 | No response |
| £121,000 | 18.6% |
Aspire 6 | Sinéad Butters | 9,330 | £156,873 | 3.0% | £180,619 | 11.3% |
Aster | Bjorn Howard | 36,414 | £272,994 | 3.8% | £325,983 | 2.9% |
B3Living | Steve Woodcock | 5,347 | £144,690 | 2.6% | £162,690 | 9.2% |
Believe 7 | William Fullen | 18,044 | £172,000 | 9.6% | £181,000 | 9.7% |
Bernicia | John Johnston | 13,715 | £175,073 | 3.1% | £193,251 | 8.4% |
Beyond Housing * | Rosemary Du Rose | 15,000 | No response |
| £171,000 | 3.0% |
Bield Housing & Care * | Lynne Douglas | 4,353 | No response |
| £120,000 | 4.3% |
Bolton at Home 8 | Jon Lord | 17,920 | £166,300 | 3.1% | £174,550 | 1.3% |
Bournville Village Trust 9 | Pete Richmond | 9,000 | £130,769 | 3.7% | £138,865 | 3.6% |
BPHA 10 | Kevin Bolt | 19,757 | £219,279 | 6.5% | £237,279 | 7.5% |
Broadacres | Gail Teasdale | 6,700 | £148,472 | 6.1% | £148,472 | 6.1% |
Broadland | Michael Newey | 5,732 | £146,486 | 3.5% | £161,135 | 3.5% |
Bromford | Robert Nettleton | 46,437 | £286,000 | 10.2% | £286,000 | 6.1% |
Bromsgrove District Housing Trust | Graeme Anderson | 4,334 | £124,800 | 4.0% | £132,288 | 4.0% |
Bron Afon Community | Alan Brunt | 8,134 | £133,283 | 3.5% | £133,283 | 3.5% |
Caledonia | Julie Cosgrove | 5,196 | No response |
| No response |
|
Calico Group | Anthony Duerden | 5,386 | £132,600 | 4.0% | £140,097 | 5.3% |
Castles & Coasts | Stephanie Murphy | 7,200 | £137,907 | 3.8% | £146,202 | 3.7% |
Choice Housing Ireland | Michael McDonnell | 11,714 | £133,425 | 10.3% | £139,925 | 9.7% |
CHP | Paul Edwards | 11,522 | £166,250 | 2.9% | £172,942 | 2.8% |
Citizen 11 | Kevin Rodgers | 31,742 | £233,522 | 10.6% | £263,004 | 15.8% |
Clanmil | Carol McTaggart | 5,851 | £129,375 | 6.4% | £139,375 | 14.6% |
Clarion | Clare Miller | 124,777 | £364,713 | 3.1% | £441,224 | 15.3% |
ClwydAlyn | Clare Budden | 6,390 | £137,561 | 3.0% | £137,561 | 3.0% |
Clyde Valley | Lynn Wassell | 4,730 | £121,010 | -3.1% | £127,010 | 3.0% |
Coastline | Allister Young | 5,185 | £128,900 | 3.5% | £144,213 | 1.2% |
Cobalt | Claire Griffiths | 5,806 | £149,938 | 4.1% | £149,938 | 4.1% |
Community Gateway | Rob Wakefield | 6,746 | £144,503 | 3.0% | £155,286 | 3.0% |
Community Housing Group | Matt Cooney | 6,036 | £143,417 | 3.1% | £157,759 | 3.1% |
Connexus Homes | Richard Woolley | 11,139 | £158,336 | 15.6% | £174,170 | 15.3% |
Cottsway 12 | Richard Reynolds | 5,386 | £151,807 | 2.4% | £161,807 | 2.3% |
Cross Keys Homes | Claire Higgins | 12,538 | £207,198 | 3.3% | £221,342 | 3.1% |
Curo | Victor da Cunha | 13,986 | £200,000 | 7.5% | £227,384 | 6.3% |
Eastlight Community Homes | Emma Palmer | 12,450 | £185,750 | 5.2% | £190,750 | 2.1% |
EMH | Chan Kataria | 21,795 | £206,224 | 4.5% | £206,224 | 4.5% |
Estuary | Ian Martin | 4,734 | £147,084 | 0% | £157,754 | 0% |
Fairhive Homes 13 | Matthew Applegate | 9,265 | £168,912 | 3.2% | £197,496 | 2.9% |
First Choice Homes Oldham 14 | Donna Cezair | 11,426 | £145,783 | 3.1% | £151,783 | 3.0% |
Flagship | David McQuade | 32,721 | £264,180 | 3.6% | £304,910 | 3.5% |
ForHousing 15 | Colette McKune | 23,764 | £210,000 | 13.5% | £252,000 | 4.7% |
Freebridge Community | Anita Jones | 6,832 | £143,402 | 4.5% | £157,743 | 4.5% |
Futures | Lindsey Williams | 10,420 | £179,666 | 5.5% | £214,658 | 5.3% |
Gateway* | Kate Franklin | 3,000 | No response |
| £133,000 | 8.1% |
Gentoo 16 | Nigel Wilson | 29,434 | £231,185 | 14.0% | £231,185 | 14% |
Grampian | Craig Stirrat | 3,936 | £93,600 | -6.4% | £100,120 | -6.0% |
Grand Union | Aileen Evans | 12,830 | £180,250 | 3.6% | £202,125 | 16.2% |
Great Places | Matt Harrison | 25,474 | £183,000 | 7.3% | £196,411 | 3.0% |
Greatwell Homes | Jo Savage | 5,185 | £142,722 | 5.8% | £167,281 | 5.4% |
GreenSquareAccord | Ruth Cooke | 26,643 | £254,000 | -4.2% | £254,000 | -7.6% |
Halton | Sam Scott | 7,340 | £148,000 | 2.7% | £160,000 | 3.7% |
Hanover (Scotland) * | Angela Currie | 4,494 | £112,968 | 3.2% | £119,702 | 3.2% |
Hastoe | Andrew Potter | 7,769 | £158,888 | 3.0% | £166,888 | 2.9% |
Hexagon 17 | Tom McCormack | 4,331 | £145,200 | -1.5% | £145,200 | -1.5% |
Hightown | David Bogle | 8,271 | £203,694 | 5.5% | £206,731 | 4.6% |
Hillcrest | Angela Linton | 7,308 | £146,282 | 6.0% | £146,582 | 6.2% |
Home Group | Mark Henderson | 56,200 | £227,114 | 4.0% | £271,434 | 1.7% |
Honeycomb * | Julie Guildford Smith | 3,391 | No response |
| No response |
|
Housing 21 | Bruce Moore | 22,885 | £252,526 | 3.1% | £272,124 | 2.9% |
Housing Plus | Sarah Boden | 19,698 | £208,045 | 3.0% | £228,850 | 3.0% |
Housing Solutions | Orla Gallagher | 8,000 | No response |
| No response |
|
Hyde * | Andy Hulme | 43,972 | No response |
| £308,000 | 3.7% |
Incommunities | Rachael Dennis | 22,672 | £193,332 | 0.5% | £193,332 | 0.5% |
Jigsaw Homes | Hilary Roberts | 36,542 | £206,793 | 3.1% | £206,793 | 3.1% |
Johnnie Johnson | Yvonne Castle | 5,000 | £140,893 | 0% | £148,893 | 0% |
Karbon Homes | Paul Fiddaman | 31,771 | £195,700 | 13.7% | £205,931 | 13.1% |
Kingdom | Bill Banks | 6,266 | £140,619 | 7.7% | £140,619 | 7.7% |
L&Q | Fiona Fletcher-Smith | 108,261 | £332,800 | 4.0% | £359,480 | 9.4% |
LHP | Murray Macdonald | 12,196 | £151,116 | 4.0% | £151,116 | 4.0% |
Link | Jon Turner | 15,671 | £158,240 | 16.1% | £168,329 | 13.0% |
LiveWest | Paul Crawford | 39,463 | £283,475 | 7.2% | £314,752 | 9.1% |
Livin | Alan Boddy | 8,727 | £142,497 | 6.5% | £170,996 | 8.2% |
Livv 38 | Leann Hearne | 12,933 | £214,397 | 5.2% | £254,245 | 18.8% |
Longhurst | Julie Doyle | 24,738 | £227,568 | 4.4% | £240,537 | -1.9% |
Magenta Living | Debi Marriott-Lavery | 12,571 | £150,000 | 1.6% | £165,000 | 1.7% |
Magna | Selina White | 9,007 | £151,760 | 5.2% | £164,660 | 14.2% |
Maryhill | Bryony Willett | 3,091 | £93,965 | 4.6% | £93,965 | 4.6% |
MHS Homes | Ashley Hook | 9,612 | £172,321 | 4.0% | £184,252 | 6.2% |
Midland Heart | Glenn Harris | 34,906 | £299,000 | 3.1% | £335,880 | 3.0% |
Moat 18 | Elizabeth Austerberry | 21,865 | £231,969 | 4.0% | £263,999 | -0.4% |
Mount Green | Bill Flood | 1,666 | £115,897 | 2.0% | £128,578 | 2.9% |
MSV | Charlotte Norman | 9,000 | £155,660 | 7.0% | £163,443 | 6.8% |
MTVH | Geeta Nanda | 52,162 | £279,761 | 3.5% | £312,597 | 10.1% |
Muir * | Catherine Dixson | 5,750 | No response |
| £159,000 | 8.2% |
Network Homes | Helen Evans | 21,176 | £237,264 | 18.9% | £237,264 | 4.9% |
Newlon Housing Trust | Mike Hinch | 8,384 | £160,898 | -0.9% | £165,580 | -0.9% |
NG Homes * | John Devine | 5,447 | No response |
| £118,663 | 6.6% |
Notting Hill Genesis 19 | Kate Davies | 67,110 | £295,000 | 4.8% | £314,277 | 1.3% |
NCHA | Paul Moat | 10,157 | £165,807 | 7.1% | £174,005 | 7.1% |
Ocean | Mark Gardner | 4,882 | £150,380 | 3.0% | £175,638 | 7.3% |
Octavia | Sandra Skeete | 5,384 | £158,800 | 4.1% | £161,182 | 5.7% |
One Manchester | Nicole Kershaw | 12,248 | £163,313 | 6.4% | £179,644 | 17.0% |
One Vision | Roy Williams | 13,711 | £159,895 | 3.3% | £193,473 | 2.6% |
Ongo | Steve Hepworth | 10,310 | £159,805 | 3.1% | £170,105 | 3.1% |
Onward Homes | Bronwen Rapley | 35,328 | £207,513 | 4.2% | £216,013 | 4.0% |
Orbit 20 | Mark Hoyland | 47,429 | £296,788 | 3.1% | £369,361 | 3.4% |
Origin | Carol Carter | 7,736 | £167,203 | 4.0% | £167,203 | 4.0% |
PA Housing 21 | Dilip Kavi | 23,993 | £225,000 | 0 | £257,500 | 0% |
Paradigm | Matthew Bailes | 16,237 | £200,826 | 11.9% | £204,416 | 10.7% |
Peabody 22 | Ian McDermott | 107,000 | £330,000 | 15.5% | £385,784 | 23.9% |
Phoenix Community | Denise Fowler | 7,622 | £150,945 | 4.5% | £150,945 | 4.1% |
Places for People 37 | Greg Reed | 232,294 | £412,400 | 4.7% | £628,297 | 33.6% |
Platform | Elizabeth Froude | 48,082 | £278,100 | 3.0% | £328,766 | 2.7% |
Plus Dane | Ian Reed | 13,789 | £152,000 | 0 | £152,000 | 0% |
Plymouth Community Homes | John Clark | 16,180 | £180,255 | 1.6% | £191,458 | 1.7% |
Pobl | Amanda Davies | 18,334 | £199,837 | 4.2% | £199,837 | 4.2% |
Poplar HARCA | Steve Stride | 10,000 | £160,933 | 3.3% | £212,465 | 3.0% |
Progress | Jacqueline De-Rose | 11,011 | £177,360 | 3.1% | £195,563 | 3.6% |
Queens Cross * | Shona Stephen | 4,349 | No response |
| £122,594 | 5.2% |
Radius | John McLean | 33,000 | No response |
| No response |
|
Raven Housing Trust | Jonathan Higgs | 6,468 | £148,046 | 4.9% | £159,741 | -2.1% |
Red Kite Community 23 | Trevor Morrow | 6,475 | £159,714 | 14.0% | £159,714 | 7.2% |
Regenda Homes | Michael Birkett | 13,179 | £161,500 | 5.4% | £172,500 | 5.0% |
RHP * | David Done | 9,338 | No response |
| £175,000 | 3.4% |
River Clyde Homes | Richard Turnock | 6,140 | £125,505 | 2.0% | £147,000 | 6.5% |
Rochdale Boroughwide Housing 24 | Gareth Swarbrick | 12,392 | £155,000 | -1.3% | £155,000 | -1.3% |
Rooftop | Boris Worrall | 7,000 | £138,154 | 3.1% | £146,154 | 2.9% |
Saffron Housing Trust | James Francis | 6,626 | £142,520 | 5.6% | £156,772 | 0.8% |
Salix Homes | Sue Sutton | 8,095 | £144,246 | 0% | £144,246 | -0.7% |
Sanctuary | Craig Moule | 119,695 | £365,000 | 9.0% | £380,213 | 8.8% |
Saxon Weald | Steven Dennis | 6,866 | £149,327 | 3.6% | £164,260 | 3.6% |
Scottish Borders | Julia Mulloy | 5,618 | No response |
| No response |
|
Selwood 25 | Barry Hughes | 7,053 | £140,760 | 2.0% | £191,105 | 38.5% |
Settle | Gavin Cansfield | 10,141 | £178,186 | 3.1% | £178,186 | 2.8% |
Shepherds Bush 26 | Matt Campion | 5,169 | £148,875 | -2.8% | £148,875 | -2.8% |
Silva Homes 27 | Alan Ward | 8,038 | £182,461 | 5.0% | £200,707 | 5.0% |
Soha | Kate Wareing | 7,719 | £153,517 | 4.0% | £154,017 | 4.3% |
South Lakes | Cath Purdy | 3,500 | £117,687 | 3.5% | £117,687 | 3.5% |
South Liverpool Homes 28 | Anna Bishop | 3,830 | £135,000 | -15.1% | £135,000 | -15.1% |
South Yorkshire 29 | Tony Stacey | 5,695 | £149,856 | 3.0% | £149,856 | 3.0% |
Southern 30 | Paul Hackett | 78,760 | £287,742 | 10.3% | £287,742 | 10.3% |
Sovereign 31 | Mark Washer | 62,190 | £288,000 | 2.9% | £322,600 | 2.9% |
Stonewater | Nicholas Harris | 36,981 | £232,960 | 4.0% | £270,840 | -2.9% |
Tai Tarian | Linda Whittaker | 9,080 | £136,006 | 3.1% | £149,606 | 3.1% |
The Guinness Partnership | Catriona Simons | 64,709 | £285,000 | 0% | £299,820 | -0.1% |
The Riverside Group 32 | Carol Matthews | 76,648 | £288,000 | 11.6% | £331,440 | 12.8% |
Thirteen 33 | Ian Wardle | 35,673 | £215,000 | 0% | £215,000 | 0% |
Thrive Homes | Elspeth Mackenzie | 5,780 | £161,200 | 12.5% | £198,809 | 11.3% |
Together | Kevin Ruth | 37,207 | £239,780 | 13.1% | £275,747 | 30.1% |
Torus | Steve Coffey | 40,000 | £237,930 | 3.0% | £254,055 | 2.8% |
Trent & Dove 34 | Ursula Bennion | 6,828 | £150,217 | 3.1% | £158,717 | -2.7% |
Trivallis* | Duncan Forbes | 12,523 | No response |
| £149,000 | -0.2% |
United Welsh 35 | Richard Mann | 6,533 | £140,000 | 8.8% | £140,000 | -1.1% |
Vivid* | Mark Perry | 34,325 | £271,000 | 6.5% | £319,000 | 5.4% |
Wales & West | Anne Hinchey | 12,325 | £166,000 | 3.1% | £210,080 | 3.0% |
Wandle | Tracey Lees | 7,487 | £160,750 | 3.8% | £167,123 | 7.9% |
Watford Community | Tina Barnard | 5,804 | £154,100 | 3.0% | £167,100 | 6.0% |
WDH | Andrew Wallhead | 31,897 | £208,159 | -2.4% | £213,399 | -2.4% |
Weaver Vale Housing Trust | Wayne Gales | 6,480 | £139,301 | 3.5% | £150,445 | 3.5% |
Westward | Barbara Shaw | 7,840 | £163,370 | 4.5% | £163,370 | 4.5% |
Wheatley 36 | Martin Armstrong | 94,399 | £274,277 | -12.1% | £274,277 | -16.3% |
WHG | Gary Fulford | 21,975 | £232,963 | 3.5% | £242,963 | 3.3% |
Wrekin * | Wayne Gethings | 13,184 | No response |
| £193,632 | 3.9% |
Wythenshawe Community | Nick Horne | 13,694 | £170,000 | 9.7% | £180,000 | 9.1% |
Yorkshire | Nick Atkin | 18,338 | £200,912 | 3.0% | £205,912 | 2.9% |
Your Housing Group | Jacque Allen | 29,000 | £201,400 | 6.0% | £219,526 | -1.7% |
Source: Inside Housing survey
Notes: Scroll to the end of the article to see footnotes
Biggest bonuses
Almost a third of associations – 32.8% – paid their CEO a bonus. The median bonus was £10,000, although that covers the £240 paid to WDH chief Andrew Wallhead, up to Greg Reed’s £154,650 at Places for People (PfP).
A PfP spokesperson says it has a range of businesses in addition to social housing, and continues: “We are a large and diverse organisation, and our group CEO has extensive and significant responsibility that includes not only our affordable housing, development and regeneration divisions, but also the many other areas of the Places for People Group such as our leisure, property management, property investment and procurement businesses,” a PfP spokesperson said. “We are proud to be able to attract highly qualified, highly experienced leaders and we remunerate them with packages that are significantly less than they would attract in the private sector because they believe in what PfP is trying to do.”
Mr Reed was followed by Orbit’s Mark Hoyland, who received £57,573, in line with the amount received the
year before.
Orbit did not reply to requests for comment.
Top 10 biggest bonuses
| Housing association | Chief executive | Chief executive’s bonus |
Places for People 37 | Greg Reed | £154,650 |
Orbit 20 | Mark Hoyland | £57,573 |
Clarion | Clare Miller | £47,413 |
Abri 3 | Gary Orr | £38,100 |
Vivid * | Mark Perry | £32,000 |
Aster | Bjorn Howard | £29,000 |
Poplar HARCA | Steve Stride | £27,359 |
Stonewater | Nicholas Harris | £26,880 |
Moat 18 | Elizabeth Austerberry | £26,766 |
Peabody 22 | Ian McDermott | £26,084 |
Source: Inside Housing survey
Notes: Scroll to the end of the article to see footnotes
Salary rises
Selwood Housing Group’s Barry Hughes saw the largest annual increase in total pay in 2022-23. Although his basic salary only rose by 2%, his pension was moved to a payment in lieu, for which he received £50,345, driving the rise.
A Selwood spokesperson says: “The percentage increase figure appears higher because the 2022-23 total salary figure includes a payment in lieu of pension contributions, while the 2021-22 salary figure does not include pension contributions, so it is not a like-for-like comparison.”
PfP’s Mr Reed also saw his total pay rise far more than his basic salary, as his bonus was triple what David Cowans, his predecessor, received in 2021-22, when he retired in November. “The calculations by Inside Housing have annualised David Cowans’ salary but not the benefits and therefore are not reflective of a full year when compared against Greg Reed’s salary,” a PfP spokesperson said.
Together Housing’s Kevin Ruth’s basic salary rose by 13.1% due to a restructure in senior management, and the addition of his payment in lieu of pension meant his total salary rose by 30%.
Network Homes’ Helen Evans saw the biggest rise in her basic salary, as from April 2022, Network ceased its bonus/performance-related pay system and granted all staff an annual salary increase of 80% of their bonus entitlement, as well as consolidating car and travel allowance.
A Network spokesperson says: “The change to total basic salary was almost entirely due to the incorporation of travel allowance and the consolidation of 80% of bonus entitlement, both of which were applied to the majority of colleagues across Network. Since 1 April, no colleague, including the CEO, has been eligible for bonus or performance-related pay.”
Top 10 pay rises
| Housing association | Chief executive | Number of homes | Total pay 2022-23 | Change in total pay |
Selwood 25 | Barry Hughes | 7,053 | £191,105 | 38.5% |
Places for People 37 | Greg Reed | 232,294 | £628,297 | 33.6% |
Together | Kevin Ruth | 37,207 | £275,747 | 30.1% |
Abri 3 | Gary Orr | 36,425 | £336,804 | 27.6% |
Peabody 22 | Ian McDermott | 107,000 | £385,784 | 23.9% |
Livv 38 | Leann Hearne | 12,933 | £254,245 | 18.8% |
Argyll Community * 5 | Alastair MacGregor | 5,175 | £121,000 | 18.6% |
One Manchester | Nicole Kershaw | 12,248 | £179,644 | 17.0% |
Grand Union | Aileen Evans | 12,830 | £202,125 | 16.2% |
Citizen | Kevin Rodgers | 31,742 | £263,004 | 15.8% |
Source: Inside Housing survey
Notes: Pay rise figures rounded; scroll to the end of the article to see footnotes
Highest earners
PfP once again led the pack in pay, with CEO Greg Reed receiving a basic salary of £412,400. This rises to £628,297 once Mr Reed’s sector-leading bonus of £154,650 is added on, along with nearly £18,996 in car allowance and £42,251 payment in lieu of pension.
Mr Reed is far ahead of Clarion CEO Clare Miller, who is the second-highest paid with a total salary of £441,224. Ms Miller eschewed a bonus last year, which saw her drop to fourth on the list, but taking that additional £47,413 brings her back into second place, a rise of 15.3% year on year.
“Clare made a personal decision not to take her bonus in 2021-22, which made a significant impact on her total remuneration,” a Clarion spokesperson said. “When you look at her total remuneration over the last four financial years, you can see the rise is small in percentage terms.”
In third is outgoing Anchor chief executive Jane Ashcroft, who left the housing association in August 2022. Ms Ashcroft’s annualised total salary was £397,074, an 11% decline compared to last year. Her basic salary stayed the same year on year, so the change is due to the £18,000 bonus received for her four months worked, far below the £95,475 bonus awarded the previous year.
Her replacement, Sarah Jones, received £200,000 pro-rata for the eight months worked, plus an £11,845 bonus and another £10,000 in car allowance.
Top 10 highest earners
Housing association | Chief executive | Number of homes | Basic salary 2022-23 | Total pay 2022-23 |
Places for People 37 | Greg Reed | 232,294 | £412,400 | £628,297 |
Clarion | Clare Miller | 124,777 | £364,713 | £441,224 |
Anchor 4 | Jane Ashcroft | 54,753 | £335,000 | £397,074 |
Peabody 22 | Ian McDermott | 107,000 | £330,000 | £385,784 |
Sanctuary | Craig Moule | 119,695 | £365,000 | £380,213 |
Orbit 20 | Mark Hoyland | 47,429 | £296,788 | £369,361 |
L&Q | Fiona Fletcher-Smith | 108,261 | £332,800 | £359,480 |
Abri 3 | Gary Orr | 36,425 | £266,700 | £336,804 |
Midland Heart | Glenn Harris | 34,906 | £299,000 | £335,880 |
Riverside 32 | Carol Matthews | 76,648 | £288,000 | £331,440 |
Source: Inside Housing survey
Notes: Scroll to the end of the article to see footnotes
Equality and diversity
Among the housing association chief executives analysed, 42% were women and 58% were men. The median basic salary for female chief executives was £163,313, while the median salary for men was 1.8% higher at £166,300.
When total pay is taken into account – including bonuses, car allowance and payment in lieu of pension – the gender gap widens significantly, to 8.3%.
This is not due to the size of the housing associations – the average financial turnover presided over is almost exactly equal, and the number of homes managed is similar, too.
Housing association chief executives are overwhelmingly white – in fact, just 5.6% of those who chose to respond are from a Black, Asian or minority ethnic background. Meanwhile, 3.6% of those who responded identify as gay or lesbian, and 5.1% identify as disabled. As the numbers of those from marginalised backgrounds are so low, conclusions cannot be drawn about the impact on salaries.
“Historically women may have been less likely to negotiate their salaries or advocate for promotions, leading to a gap in initial salary offers and therefore subsequent bonuses”
“The wider gender pay gap when bonuses and financial benefits are taken into account is really interesting and it’s so important to be highlighted,” says Lucy Malarkey, managing director of Women in Social Housing (WISH). “Historically women may have been less likely to negotiate their salaries or advocate for promotions, leading to a gap in initial salary offers and therefore subsequent bonuses.
“Maybe some [men] are more confident to negotiate additional benefits as part of a salary package, or maybe more of the chief executives that are [men] are coming to social housing from industries where these bonuses and financial benefits are the norm.
“Without doubt organisations need to ensure bonus and compensation packages are standardised and based on objective criteria and awareness-raising, and transparency is critical.”
Gender comparison
| Median | Men | Women |
Basic salary | £166,300 | £163,313 |
Total pay | £181,000 | £167,203 |
Source: Inside Housing survey
Pay per home/percentage of turnover
Inside Housing’s survey covers a wide array of housing associations, from organisations managing more than 100,000 homes and billions in turnover, down to less than 5,000 properties.
Mark Pearson, chief executive of 3,493-property 54North Homes, has the highest pay in relation to turnover, with his total pay making up 1.22% of the organisation’s £9.43m turnover.
54North was formed in December 2022, as a result of a merger between Leeds and Yorkshire Housing Association – of which Mr Pearson had been chief executive – and York Housing Association, which was a subsidiary of Karbon Homes.
A spokesperson said that the annual turnover submitted for this survey for 54North Homes is made up of eight-and-a-half months of turnover for York Housing Association and three-and-a-half months for the new organisation, 54North Homes.
“As Inside Housing has noted previously around this salary comparator, ‘comparing rates of pay at organisations of varying sizes is difficult’”
“Mark’s salary submitted reflects a salary for an 8.5-month period as the chief executive of Leeds and Yorkshire Housing (which had a higher turnover than York Housing Association for the same period), and an increased salary for the final quarter of the financial year as managing director of 54North Homes,” they said.
“This means it is difficult to make a correlation between the organisation’s turnover, number of homes, and Mark’s average salary for 2022-23, as all three variables changed through the year.”
Bill Flood, chief executive of our smallest association measured, Mount Green, is paid £77.18 per the 1,666 homes managed. His total pay equates to 0.93% of the organisation’s £13.76m turnover.
A spokesperson from Mount Green says: “As Inside Housing has noted previously around this salary comparator, ‘comparing rates of pay at organisations of varying sizes is difficult’.
“Mount Green, as a primarily Surrey-based organisation, works in a geography where the lack of affordable housing is acute and [the] gap between the ‘haves and have-nots’ is wide.
“Despite our relatively small size within those featured in Inside Housing’s salary survey, the challenges facing Mount Green to support residents and maintain our homes, while delivering much-needed additional affordable housing, is no less than for other providers.”
Pay per home
| Housing association | Number of homes | Chief executive | Total pay per home |
Mount Green | 1,666 | Bill Flood | £77.18 |
Gateway | 3,000 | Kate Franklin | £44.33 |
Ocean | 4,882 | Mark Gardner | £35.98 |
South Liverpool Homes 28 | 3,830 | Anna Bishop | £35.25 |
Thrive Homes | 5,780 | Elspeth Mackenzie | £34.40 |
Source: Inside Housing survey
Notes: Scroll to the end of the article to see footnotes
Pay as a percentage of turnover
| Housing association | Chief executive | Total pay % turnover |
54North Homes 1 | Mark Pearson | 1.22% |
Mount Green | Bill Flood | 0.93% |
Maryhill | Bryony Willett | 0.64% |
South Liverpool Homes 28 | Anna Bishop | 0.64% |
Greatwell Homes | Jo Savage | 0.59% |
Source: Inside Housing survey
Notes: Scroll to the end of the article to see footnotes
Methodology
Data was collected between July and October 2023 by surveying the 165 largest housing associations (by number of homes) across the UK. When a landlord did not respond, or refused to respond, data from the annual accounts has been used in the ‘total pay’ column. In some cases, annual accounts were not yet available.
For survey respondents, total pay has been calculated by adding basic salary, bonus, car allowance and any payment in lieu of pension.
Where relevant, the basic salary has been annualised for comparative purposes. Bonus, car allowance and payment in lieu of pension have not been annualised.
Update: at 12.15pm, 23.10.23
This article was updated to add context around Places for People CEO Greg Reed’s salary. Also, the first iteration of this article cited the total salary for Honeycomb’s CEO using the highest-paid director in Honeycomb’s annual accounts. This figure did not refer to the CEO and the organisation declined to provide it.
Update: at 5.34pm, 8.11.23
This article was corrected as it previously incorrectly stated the total pay of Paul Hackett, chief executive of Southern Housing, and incorrectly listed him as receiving one of the top 10 pay rises.
Notes
- Salaries rounded to nearest pound
- Percentage changes rounded to one decimal place
- Total salary includes car allowance, bonus and cash paid in lieu of pension
- Where a chief executive has left during an accounting period, an annualised figure is used to allow comparison
* Data has been taken from annual accounts
1. In December 2022, LYHA merged with York HA to create 54North Homes. Mark Pearson’s 2021-22 figure is taken from his role as CEO of LYHA and his 2022-23 salary is calculated based on the two CEO roles. The number of homes managed reflects the merged company
2. Darrell Mercer left his post as CEO in August 2022 and Ian Wardle took over in September 2022. Mr Wardle received an annualised salary of £240,000 and a car allowance of £12,601
3. Of the 12% pension, £10,000 was paid into a defined contribution scheme and £22,004 paid directly
4. Sarah Jones took over as chief executive of Anchor from Jane Ashcroft on 1 August 2022. She received an annualised basic salary of £266,667, £11,845 bonus and £10,000 car allowance
5. Alastair MacGregor left his position on 1 July 2022. Michelle Mundie began on 16 June 2022
6. The structure of the pension arrangement has changed to a pension cash alternative and therefore the ‘total salary’ has increased
7. William Fullen retired as chief executive in March 2023. Incoming chief executive Alan Smith started the role in April 2023
8. Jon Lord retired in December 2022. His pro-rata salary was £124,724.97. Noel Sharpe began as group chief executive on 1 January 2023
9. Bournville Village Trust’s financial year runs from January to December, therefore the information regarding financial turnover relates to the period January to December 2022
10. Kevin Bolt left the organisation at the end of April 2023, when he was replaced by Richard Hill
11. Kevin Rodgers moved from a defined benefit pension scheme to a payment in lieu of pension in December 2022. The increase in total pay reflects a full year’s worth of payment in lieu of pension, which in 2022-23 totalled £19,482
12. Mr Reynolds became CEO on 1 August 2022, after Vivian Rosser sadly passed away. Salary given is the full-time equivalent
13. Formerly named Vale of Aylesbury Housing Trust
14. Donna Cezair left First Choice Homes Oldham on 2 January 2023
15. Colette McKune retired on 30 September 2022 and was replaced on an interim, then permanent, basis by Mike Parkin, on a salary of £210,000
16. After the departure of Nigel Wilson, Louise Bassett acted as interim chief executive from January to 26 May 2023 and was then appointed permanent chief executive
17. Sheron Carter replaced Tom McCormack as chief executive on 6 June 2022
18. Moat’s outgoing chief executive, Elizabeth Austerberry, retired on 31 July 2022. Her basic salary has been annualised, but car payments and payments in lieu of pension are pro-rata. Mary Gibbons joined Moat as CEO on 25 April 2022. Ms Gibbons’ annualised basic salary is £228,800
19. Kate Davies’ salary has been annualised; pro-rata she received £221,250 in the year. Patrick Franco took over on 3 January 2023, receiving a pro-rata salary of £73,750 and £7,375 payment in lieu of pension
20. Mark Hoyland left Orbit on 5 March 2023
21. There was an overlap of chief executives in the year to facilitate a managed handover: Michael McDonagh took the role on an interim basis on 13 December 2022 and permanently on 20 February 2023, on a pro-rata basic salary of £70,663
22. Catalyst became a subsidiary of Peabody in April 2022, and the merger finalised in April 2023. The compared 2021-22 data is for Brendan Sarsfield in his role as CEO of Peabody pre-merger
23. In 2022-23, Red Kite consolidated car allowances into pay across the business. This accounts for £9,000 of the increase. A 3.25% cost of living increase was also made across the business
24. Gareth Swarbrick left RBH in November 2022. RBH paid £95,000 to an agency in respect of interim chief executive Yvonne Arrowsmith. New permanent chief executive Amanda Newton started in September 2023
25. Barry Hughes’ total pay is due to being switched from a defined benefit pension scheme to a payment in lieu of pension, which in 2022-23 was £50,345. Mr Hughes did not receive a bonus or car allowance in 2022-23
26. Matt Campion left in November 2022 and Andrew Warner joined as interim CEO
27. Silva became a subsidiary of Abri in October 2023
28. Anna Bishop took the post in November 2022; her predecessor left in February 2022
29. This figure has been adjusted to its full-time equivalent, as Tony Stacey cut down his working hours. His pro-rata pay was £129,606
30. Southern Housing was formed as a result of a merger between Optivo and Southern Housing Group on 16 December 2022. Paul Hackett was the former CEO at Optivo and Alan Townshend (who left employment at merger) was the former CEO at Southern Housing Group
31. Mark Washer received a £300 payment in recognition of the cost of living crisis and a £450 flexible benefit allowance, both of which were paid to all employees
32. One Housing Group legally became part of The Riverside Group on 31 March 2023 and so at year-end no longer existed as a legal entity. Former CEO Richard Hill has left the organisation, and there is no longer an equivalent role at One Housing
33. Matthew Forrest became chief executive in December 2022, on a salary of £210,000. Christine Smith held the role in interim from August to November 2022, on a salary of £180,000
34. Trent & Dove’s executive bonus scheme ceased. CEO and executives are now in colleague PRB scheme
35. Richard Mann’s car allowance was consolidated into his salary
36. Martin Armstrong left the organisation on 31 January 2023, and was replaced by Steven Henderson
37. David Cowans retired on 30 November 2021. The 2021-22 basic salary has been annualised for comparison, but car allowance and bonus is on a pro rata basis
38. Ms Hearne received the same annual increase to basic pay as all other Livv Housing Group employees. Her bonus was performance-related, linked to Livv’s regulatory upgrade from G3 to G1. Car allowance was benchmarked to industry average after remaining the same for 15 years
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