The way we work

We publish details of all of the services we provide to customers and how they can be accessed. We have a range of policies which set out the principles and procedures we follow, agreed by our Executive team and board of directors. Key policies, including our policies on rents, repairs and allocations are published on our website.  

We have adopted the National Housing Federation’s (NHF) Code of Governance 2020. We undertake an annual review of our compliance with this code and publish a statement of compliance in our Financial Statements.

We publish annual Financial Statements which show how we are performing financially and what we are spending and saving. The Financial Statements show a year in review at Aspire Housing and outline a range of information including: 

-   Our strategic report 

-   Key risks and uncertainties 

-   Our strategic approach to Value for Money (VFM) 

-   Our income and expenditure  

-   Annual report to the board

-   Independent auditors report 

Access our current and previous financial infomation from previous years.

In line with our partnership with Homes England, we are happy to publish details of what we invest in development and with whom we have worked. The list contains all details of spend over £500 on development in the past quarter.

At Aspire, we manage any personal, financial or business interests of our Board and Committee members (Non-Executive Directors) and employees that are relevant to our business in the following ways:

1. All Non-Executive Directors and employees are required to complete our ‘Declarations of Interest’ form annually to ensure any interests which have arisen throughout the previous year are recorded on the Declarations of Interest Register. They must declare any interests that may have an impact on Aspire’s business. For example, any links with companies or organisations that Aspire does or may do business with in the future, if they are closely connected with an Aspire tenant, customer or employee, and other roles outside of their employment by Aspire. It is the responsibility of each individual to update their entry if their situation changes during that year. Declarations of Interest for all Board and Committee members are reported on annually to Board.

A copy of this form can be found here.

2. During Board and Committee meetings, Non-Executive Directors and employees must declare where they have an interest in any matter being discussed at the meeting and a declaration of interest must be made. It will be the Chair’s discretion whether the Board member will be permitted to stay in the meeting whilst the matter is being discussed or whether they must leave the meeting at this point. ‘Declarations of Interest’ is a standard agenda item at all of our Board and Committee meetings and any declarations made are recorded in the minutes of the meeting.

3. We have a suite of documents, such as the Conduct and Probity Policy, contracts for services and codes of conduct for Non-Executive Directors and employees which help to govern the management of conflict of interests. For example, the Code of Conduct for Board and Committee members contains a section on conflicts of interest and personal benefit that should be complied with at all times. In addition, Board member Service Contracts contain a section on outside interests and require Board and Committee members to declare any actual or potential conflicts of interest affecting them, members of their family and businesses with which they are associated.

4. The Declarations of Interest Register is maintained by the Governance Team and overseen by the Group Company Secretary.

The Declarations of Interest register for Non-Executive Directors is available for public scrutiny upon request. For access to the register, please email the Governance Team on governance@aspirehousing.co.uk

We are committed to providing our customers with key information around our performance and priorities in an open and accessible format.

Our Corporate Strategy outlines our key values, ambitions and priorities between 2024 and 2030. Our strategy is to maximise the social and economic impact of all parts of the group, to ensure our communities prosper. Find out more by reading our Corporate Strategy.

We report annually to customers on our performance against regulatory standards. View our current and previous Annual Reports.

We recently created Our Promise to our customers to clearly set out what they can expect from us. Our Promise was created with our customers; based on customer feedback and crafted with our involved customers to ensure it is clear and transparent. Under Our Promise are our ‘5 people first principles’, that guarantee the best service for our customers.

The Housing Ombudsman published a Complaints Handling Code in July 2020, setting out good practice to help landlords respond to complaints effectively and fairly. We are required to publish a self-assessment against the Code’s key complaint handling principles. We intend to publish our self-assessment annually. The self-assessment is completed by an internal complaints panel, led by the Executive Director of Customer Experience. It is reviewed with Aspire’s customer group OASIS and approved by the Aspire Housing Board.

Governance

The Aspire Housing Board is supported by two committees:

·   Audit and Risk Committee
·   Nominations and Remuneration Committee

We also have a customer group, OASIS, which provides customer scrutiny of our services and commitments.

Our Executive Team is led by Sinéad Butters MBE, Group Chief Executive, who is supported by three Executive Directors. Meet our Executive Team here.

Aspire Housing Board

Aspire Housing is governed by a Board who are responsible for setting our overall strategy, controlling risk and having oversight of the effective delivery of services.

Board members bring a wealth of experience and diverse skills to Aspire Housing and ensure effective governance.

Meet our Aspire Housing Board members here.

You can find out more about the Aspire Housing Board’s responsibilities here:-
Aspire Housing Board Terms of Reference

Audit and Risk Committee

This Committee provides Board with assurance that Aspire has an effective risk and internal control framework and also ensures that the legal, statutory and regulatory requirements of the group are properly audited and reviewed.

Meet our Audit and Risk Committee members here.

You can find out more about the Audit and Risk Committee’s responsibilities here:-
Audit and Risk Committee (ARC) Terms of Reference

Nominations and Remuneration Committee

This Committee has responsibility for reviewing the skills and membership of the Board and overseeing matters relating to the appointment and removal of Board members as well as the remuneration of both Executive and non-Executive Directors.

This Committee also supports the Board to achieve and maintain the highest standards of governance.

Meet our Nominations and Remuneration Committee members here.

You can find out more about the Nominations and Remuneration Committee’s responsibilities here:-
Nominations and Remunerations Terms of Reference

OASIS (Observing Aspire Services and Improving Standards)

A group of Aspire Housing customers whose role it is to make sure that we are delivering high-quality services, delivering on the commitments that we have made and ensuring that we are hearing and acting upon the customer voice.

To get involved in the OASIS group, visit this page