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Welsh housing association appoints new chair after regulatory issues
A Welsh housing association that has spent the past year working through regulatory issues has appointed a new permanent chair.
Mike Owen has been chosen to head the board at 2,850-home landlord Cardiff Community Housing Association (CCHA).
Mr Owen, who retired as chief executive of tenant and employee mutual Merthyr Valleys Homes (MVH) in April, will replace Duncan Forbes in September.
Mr Forbes had been in post on an interim basis since June 2018.
CCHA was upgraded by the Welsh government’s housing regulation team in February after a series of changes made to its management.
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In March last year, the regulator intervened in CCHA due to “significant” governance concerns sparked by its failure to record accurate data about repairs affecting tenants’ safety, with a large number of electrical safety inspections not done.
A report published by the regulator in December revealed that CCHA bosses in place at the time of the intervention had focused on denying there was a problem rather than resolving the issues.
CCHA now has a regulatory grading for governance and service delivery of ‘increased’, indicating that a “risk or combination of risks are presenting a significant challenge to the [association] and increased regulatory oversight is required”.
It appointed Hayley Selway as chief executive in December and a new corporate director of central services and corporate director of tenant services in January.
“I am honoured to be appointed as chair to support CCHA reach its full potential,” Mr Owen said.
“I am looking forward to supporting the executive team and board, and creating a culture of doing the right thing.”
Before joining MVH, Mr Owen was chief executive of Carrick Homes, an ALMO in Cornwall.
He helped establish the National Federation of ALMOs in 2002 and is also chair of Procurement for Housing.
Ms Selway said: “Mike is a perfect fit for CCHA and our plans going forward, however I would like to thank Duncan Forbes for his support as chair, during what has been a difficult time for CCHA.
“Under Duncan’s leadership the organisation has made huge strides forward, including receiving a revised regulatory judgement and with the support of the board, executive team and dedicated staff has ensured that tenants are our top priority.”
