Welcome to my latest update as Chair of Community Gateway’s Board, following our recent Board meeting at the end of July.We began by hearing from our Chief Executive, Rob Wakefield, who shared the now-published results of our recent regulatory inspection. I am pleased to report that we have retained the highest possible gradings of G1 for Governance and V1 for Viability, along with a C2 grading for the new Consumer Standards – the second highest level possible.
The new Consumer Standards focus on how well we deliver our services, keep tenants safe and involve them in shaping the decisions that affect their homes and communities. A C2 grading means we are compliant, but there are areas where we can improve. We welcome the feedback from the Regulator of Social Housing and are committed to taking action to strengthen our approach even further. As a Gateway Model organisation, we put tenants at the heart of everything we do and we look forward to working with the Regulator, our tenant committee Gateway Central, and colleagues across the organisation to make these improvements.
Following on from this, we received our quarterly Business Assurance update, which gives the Board a clear picture of CGA’s performance and trends over the last two years. This helps us understand where we are doing well and where improvements are needed. Our tenant committee, Gateway Central also review these key performance indicators ahead of Board meetings, ensuring tenants’ voices are central to these discussions.
We received an update on our complaints handling and the latest developments from The Housing Ombudsman, alongside a progress report on digital and data improvements to improve our services as part of our Corporate Plan. Talking of digital, it has been great to see our new knowledge bot TESS is being used regularly by tenants on the website.
We also reviewed progress on the delivery of our Treasury Strategy, ensuring that CGA continues to manage its finances responsibly and deliver on its priorities. We also discussed our ongoing development programme, with updates on the new homes currently being built and future plans that keep us on track to meet our Corporate Plan commitments.
Updates were also shared on our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and our Community Empowerment Strategy, the latter of which will feature at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Saturday 13th September. We also signed off the Directors’ Report and Financial Statements for 2024/25, which will also be presented at the AGM.
It was a pleasure to welcome our new tenant Board Member, Stuart Flynn, to his first full Board meeting. Over the past year, we have made a number of changes to our Board structure and where relevant, members will be asked to approve these at the AGM. I am delighted that the event is fully booked but if you’re a member and can’t make it, you can still vote online by 11th September.
Finally, we said farewell and a heartfelt thanks to Julie Lynch, who stepped down at the end of July after six years on the Board and two sub-committees. Julie’s strong financial management background, insight and dedication have greatly strengthened our governance during her time with us, and we are incredibly grateful for her contribution.
Phil