Transparency data

RSH Board minutes - 20 May 2025 (accessible version)

Updated 20 June 2025

Applies to England

Present

Bernadette Conroy (BC)	Chair
Fiona MacGregor (FM)	Chief Executive
Jo Boaden (JBo)
Kalpesh Brahmbhatt (KB)
Deborah Gregory (DG)
Richard Hughes (RH)
Sukhvinder Kaur-Stubbs (SK-S)
Robert Light (RL)
John Liver (JL)
Geoff Smyth (GS) (via Teams)

In attendance

Jim Bennett (JBen)	Assistant Director, Policy and Communications (for Will Perry)
Kate Dodsworth (KD)	Chief of Regulatory Engagement
Karen Doran (KED)	Director of Regulatory Engagement (PRPs)
Angela Holden (AH)	Director of Regulatory Engagement (LARPs)
Robert Holroyd (RHo)	Assistant Director, Investigation and Enforcement (for Harold Brown)
Angela Maher (AM)	Assistant Director, Chief Executive’s Office
John O’Mahony (JOM)	Assistant Director, Corporate Services
Richard Peden (RP)	Director of Finance and Corporate Services
Will Perry (WP)	Director of Strategy
Emma Tarran (ERT)	Senior Assistant Director, Head of Legal & Company Secretary
Jonathan Walters (JW)	Deputy Chief Executive

Minutes

Simon Turner (ST)

Senior Solicitor

1 Welcome and apologies

01/05/25 There were apologies from Harold Brown (HB).

2 Declarations of interest

02/05/25 There were no new declarations of interest.

3 Minutes of meeting 18 March 2025

03/05/25 The confidential and public minutes from 15 April 2025 were considered and AGREED.

4 Matters arising

04/05/25 The updates against the actions were noted.

5 Board forward planner

05/05/25 Members considered and noted the forward planner.

There were suggestions for workshop items for the forward planner:

• Post digital-transfer – possibly Autumn 2025 – a workshop session on how the new digital platform can assist the organisation in its regulatory work; (CK)

• Workshop on regulatory judgements.

6 Chair’s update

06/05/25 NED recruitment: BC provided an update. Members will be advised as more information is received.

07/05/25 Best wishes to Richard Hughes: BC conveyed her thanks for RH’s valuable contributions during his time as a board member, noting that he was always a source of useful insight and unfailing good humour. BC and the Board thanked RH for his contributions.

08/05/25 Spending review: No more updates from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (the Department) at present.

09/05/25 Board appraisals: Have been completed. Common themes were as follows:

• Board would like more guest speakers to hear from tenants, providers, the Department, and others;

• Board is keen to see the impact of consumer regulation and improved tenant experiences;

• Board keen to continue to focus on outcomes not outputs and hold RSH to account in that way;

• The Board would like to consider having an item on how to be a confident regulator;

The Board induction process was extremely useful for all board members, and noted that it would be repeated for new members once confirmed.

10/05/25 BC welcomed the items in the Chief Executive’s update and item 9 regarding stakeholder engagement, and commended executive officers for their work on engaging and speaking with stakeholders. BC asked that, once or twice a year, Board be given a list of emerging themes from this engagement, so that Board can see the key areas of interest for tenants and providers.

7 N&RC 7 N&RC Chair update

11/05/25 DG gave members an overview of the N&RC meeting that had taken place the day before.

12/05/25 Recruitment and resourcing: There is almost a full complement in terms of planned recruitment, save in RE, where there remain notional vacancies. This is intentional, however, recognising the scale of expansion for that directorate and the need to test and embed new operating procedures for the expanded consumer remit approach. The focus will continue driving efficiencies and ensuring that the staffing structure and capabilities are fit for purpose.

13/05/25 People Plan: The revised People Plan Strategy was relaunched at the May RSH brief. N&RC members were updated on next steps.

• EDI considerations remain embedded in the People Plan, and in addition the EDI strategy and action points will be contained in a standalone document which is undergoing various iterations and feedback before Exec approval is sought in June.

• While the cyclical EDI business plan target remains amber, additional resource has been secured and it is anticipated that it will be no longer be amber when next reviewed.

• The People Plan itself reads extremely well. The September N&RC agenda will consider organisational effectiveness and EDI.

• The performance measures for the People Plan are currently being formulated and these will come back to the N&RC for consideration and assurance.

14/05/25 N&RC Self-assessment: N&RC is still evolving, as terms of reference only changed a year ago. Most responses were ‘strongly agree’ or ‘agree’. Common themes from the self-assessment were as follows:

• N&RC would like more written reports with emphasis on areas of concern.

• Biannual meetings between N&RC chair and ARAC chair, with RBP, to avoid potential duplication. DG recommended that confidential minutes for each of the committees’ meetings are sent to the Board as well, after they have been approved by the relevant committee.

• Timing of meetings to be changed next calendar year.

• Continued focus to ensure appropriate level of strategic discussion and that the Committee seeks assurance and inputs on all aspects covered in the ToRs.

15/05/25 Staff pay award: N&RC to hold extra meeting in June/July to consider staff pay award, and to adjust meeting dates for next year to better align with the likely timing of the publication of the Civil Service Pay Remit.

8 CEO 8 CEO update

Key issues for discussion:

16/05/25 Spending Review: The Spending Review is due to conclude by 11 June.

17/05/25 Upcoming policy targeting social housing quality: The Government is expected to undertake consultations on a revised Decent Homes Standard and new energy efficiency requirements for the social housing sector.

18/05/25 Ministerial roundtables on building safety: chaired by the Minister for Building Safety, Alex Norris MP on 19 May to discuss the proposed remediation action plan for social housing which Government will publish in due course.

19/05/25 ALBs review: We continue to engage with MHCLG following the government’s public messaging on ALBs, regulators and the growth agenda.

20/05/25 Rent Standard 2026 Consultation: Government will be due to make an announcement in June on rent policy following its recent consultation.

General update

21/05/25 Local and mayoral elections: There were significant changes to the political make up of many local authorities, and it is uncertain at present what these changes of control will mean for the housing sector in the affected areas.

22/05/25 Parliamentary debate on cold and damp homes - 8th May: The debate focused on the negative impact of cold and damp homes on residents. Matthew Pennycook, Minister for Housing and Planning restated the government’s commitment to:

• Consult on a revised and expanded DHS (later in the year) and introduce new legislation on electrical safety standards in social housing.

• Ensure that social landlords possessed the necessary skills and qualifications to deliver housing services effectively.

• Introduce new standards (later in the year) to ensure new homes and buildings moved away from dependence on fossil fuels.

• Work with the housing ombudsman to ensure tenants had access to redress mechanisms.

• Build 1.5 million homes, including affordable homes.

Performance update - April

23/05/25 Performance update: covered in more detail in later at item 13.

Policy update

24/05/25 Renters Rights Bill: The Renters Rights Bill is continuing its passage through the House of Lords.

25/05/25 Ofgem consultation on fair pricing protections for heat network users: On 30 April, Ofgem, the new regulator of heat networks in the UK, published a consultation on their approach to regulating fair pricing for heat network customers.

26/05/25 GLA publish consultation on the next London Plan: On 9 May, the Greater London Authority (GLA) launched a consultation document that sets out a path towards the next London Plan. The London Plan is the strategic spatial plan for Greater London, setting out the strategy, requirements, and policies for different areas, including housing.

Stakeholders and media

27/05/25 The Board NOTED the publications for April and May 2025, media coverage for various matters and the list of stakeholder engagement.

9 Stakeholder Engagement and Survey

28/05/25 AM introduced the paper. The full results of the survey will be published on the intranet and the staff newsletter at the same time that the results are published externally.

29/05/25 KB asked if the feedback on skills/experience reflects that not all providers have had an inspection on consumer issues. AM agreed that next year more providers will have experience these inspections.

30/05/25 KB asked how we could focus resources to drive improvements in some of the areas of the survey. JW answered that the stakeholder engagement and the survey have a broad remit. It has paid off to invest in this engagement, as such engagement often helps to reduce negative reactions. While we have anecdotal feedback, we need more specific outcomes that can be described. AM further responded to say that we are looking at ways to turn feedback into a systemic picture.

31/05/25 DG asked if we could do anything to increase the level of response to the survey. AM replied that the response levels are typical for an email survey, being around 20 per cent. The survey is asking about the experience of being regulated, so is less relevant to individual tenants. FM confirmed that the survey is sent to all providers and to tenant representative bodies and individual tenants who register for information from us.

32/05/25 RL asked how we assess what providers actually do – how do we get to outcomes that make improvements for tenants. KD answered that while it was positive to note that 82 per cent of respondents agreed that the regulator has set conditions for positive change, we would need to consider changes over around a four-year period to evaluate the level of improvements. BC agreed that we are in the early stages of consumer standards, and it will be over the next four years that we obtain more results. BC asked that for the next survey we consider if there is more we can do to get more responses from stakeholders who reflect smaller groups of organisations.

33/05/25 The Board NOTED the results of the 2024/25 stakeholder survey, in the context of the regulator’s overall work with stakeholders.

10 Regulatory Engagement update

34/05/25 AH and KED introduced this paper on the work of the Regulatory Engagement directorate. Key themes for providers who are judged not to be meeting the outcome of our standards include:

• a lack of up-to-date stock condition data.

• an incomplete understanding of hazards within tenants’ homes.

• poor repairs service delivery.

• weak tenant engagement.

• poor complaints handling.

• insufficient tenant data.

35/05/25 AH and KED highlighted the numbers for referrals, responsive engagement, financial viability regulation and regulatory inspections.

36/05/25 SK-S asked about the information providers hold and whether it correlates between hazards within homes and people at risk of vulnerability or people with disabilities. KED replied that the highest risk hazards are generally resolved quickly, but longer-term issues like damp and mould can take more time to resolve. AH commented that some providers have done stock condition surveys that do not include hazards, and this is a gap that must be addressed. We firstly focus on the high-risk aspects in the improvement work we expect from providers.

37/05/25 The Board NOTED the report on the work of the Regulatory Engagement directorate, and that Board would receive a further update in July.

11 Registrations update

38/05/25 AH introduced this paper. The paper covered the following:

• registration decisions made about new entrant applicants

• registration decisions for existing registered providers that have restructured in a way that triggers a registration decision.

• de-registration decisions

• the registration and removal of local authorities.

• an update on registrations and notifications activity.

9/05/25 Four new entrant applicants have been registered since the last report to Board in February 2025. Three were designated non-profit and one for profit.

40/05/25 The Board NOTED:

a)the summary of recent decisions; b)details of the decisions taken; and c)the caseload activity information

12 Finance & Corporate Services update

41/05/25 RP introduced this paper.

The fee underspend from 2024/25, is due to be rebated as part of the 2026/27 invoicing cycle.

42/05/25 The Board NOTED the report and finance update.

13 Performance & Risk update

43/05/25 RP introduced the report. The report brings together information from performance discussions with directorate SMTs, risk discussions with risk and control owners, narrative updates on business plan targets and performance indicator data.

44/05/25 Key highlights of the report were:

• Q4 Performance and risk report: summarising our risk position and performance against each of our four strategic priorities.

• Strategic risk register, as approved by Board at their November meeting.

• Digital transition.

• Board will receive the Q1 performance and risk report at their September meeting.

46/05/25 The Board NOTED the Q4 performance and risk report and the strategic risk register.

(John Liver left the meeting at the end of this item so as to recuse himself from the following two items)

14 Investigation & Enforcement update

47/05/25 RH introduced the report and gave an update on casework and engagement with providers.

48/05/25 Members noted the casework updates.

• Tower Hamlets Community Housing - Following intensive engagement, THCH merged with Hyde Group on the 1 April 2025 and has been rebranded as THCH Powered by Hyde.

• Rochdale Boroughwide Housing Limited – we have now issued RBH aG2 grading for governance and removed their regulatory notice.

• ForHousing Limited - we have now issued a G2 grading for governance.

• Pivotal Housing Association – enforcement notice issued.

49/05/25 The Board NOTED the update paper from the I&E team.

(Jo Boaden left the meeting at the end of this item to recuse herself from the following item)

15 Private finance

50/05/25 WP introduced the report. BC asked about the impact of new EWS1 forms being needed in relation to buildings with shared ownership, and whether owners would have difficulty selling. WP responded that on individual cases it is possible that some may have difficulty selling because of EWS1, but noted that providers are pursuing new forms and their interests are aligned with individual shared owners in resolving this promptly following the issues with one assessor.

51/05/25 The Board NOTED the report and information in the annexes.

16 Any Other Business

52/05/25 There were no other matters of business to discuss.

3/05/25 The Chair thanked all the officers for their papers and members for their contributions to the discussions during the meeting.

Date of next meeting: 17 June 2025 (Strategic)