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Chief executive and chair of Homes England accept more than £2,000 worth of hospitality in a year
The chief executive and chair of the government’s housing agency have accepted more than £2,000 worth of hospitality in just over a year, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request has revealed.
The gifts accepted by Peter Denton, Homes England’s chief executive, and Peter Freeman, its chair, between May 2021 and September 2022 were revealed through an FOI request that was shared with Inside Housing.
Homes England has a strict gifts and hospitality policy which is mandatory for all employees below Mr Denton and Mr Freeman’s level.
They are instead bound by the Cabinet Office’s code of conduct for board members of public bodies, which permits accepting gifts and hospitality, providing they “stand up to public scrutiny and do not bring your public office and the public body into disrepute”.
A Homes England spokesperson said that “acting as ambassadors for the agency is an important part of the chair and chief executive’s role” and that the gifts accepted by Mr Denton and Mr Freeman were declared in line with policies.
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There is no suggestion that either Mr Denton or Mr Freeman have done anything wrong.
The Homes England policy is to decline any offer, although it acknowledges that “it is not always possible to decline gifts at the time of offer”.
This also applies to “all offers to attend sporting events or entertainment” and “lavish hospitality, unless in very exceptional circumstances”.
But it goes on to state: “There may be rare occasions where there are compelling business reasons to accept hospitality. Refusals to accept all offers may strain goodwill or could be misinterpreted due to cultural differences.”
The additional guiding principles of the policy warn employees that only gifts with a value of less than £20 should be accepted.
Homes England’s gifts and hospitality policy, which does not apply to Mr Denton and Mr Freeman, also states: “It is important to note that the perception or appearance of impropriety can be just as damaging as actual impropriety. Employees must, therefore, follow this policy at all times.
“All clear and substantiated failures to fully comply with this policy will constitute a potential disciplinary matter to be investigated and dealt with under the relevant disciplinary procedure; and, potentially, a criminal matter.”
Inside Housing understands there is no set limit for board members on the value of hospitality that they can accept, but they are expected to exercise judgement.
Mr Denton declared a number of gifts worth £100, including dinner during an awards evening at an Art Deco theatre in Brussels, Belgium.
Mr Freeman declared a £100 dinner with the chief executive of developer Berkeley at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Cannes, France, during MIPIM, a real estate conference, in March 2022.
Also at MIPIM, Mr Freeman met Stoke-on-Trent City Council to discuss working with Homes England. The council paid £70 for dinner with the chair at Paradiso in the Hotel Barrière.
Mr Denton attended Radio One’s Big Weekend music festival in May 2022, thanks to three tickets from Coventry City Council.
Both men declined two tickets worth £260 to attend the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in August 2022, alongside four other gifts worth £50 or less.
The most expensive gift accepted by both men was the £200 cost of borrowing a car from Urban and Civic, the developer, after a train was cancelled because of a trackside fire, following a meeting with the leader of Stoke Council on 17 June 2022.
A Homes England spokesperson said: “Acting as ambassadors for the agency is an important part of the chair and chief executive’s roles, building connections and strengthening relationships across the public and private sector.
“All gifts and hospitality received by the chair and chief executive have been declared in accordance with our policies.”
The Cabinet Office code, which applies to all holders of public office, states: “You are responsible for your decisions on the acceptance of gifts or hospitality and for ensuring that any gifts or hospitality accepted can stand up to public scrutiny and do not bring your public office and the public body into disrepute.”
A government spokesperson said: “We expect Homes England to have clear policies and processes in place, and the agency has now reviewed and strengthened guidance to its board members around the acceptance of gifts and hospitality.”
Homes England confirmed that training on the code of conduct was administered in November last year, around two months after the date of the FOI request.
A spokesperson added: “It is standard Homes England procedure to regularly review and update our policies in line with existing regulation and best practice. Last year, our board commissioned a review of our gifts and hospitality guidance.
“As part of this, training on the code of conduct was delivered at our November 2022 board meeting. Following this, written guidance was issued to board members. Members of staff and board members receive regular training on Homes England protocols, particularly as new staff and board members start with the organisation.”
