Transparency data

RSH Board minutes - 16 June 2026 (accessible version)

Updated 11 August 2026

Applies to England

Public minutes of the of the Board meeting

on Tuesday 16 June 2026
2 Marsham Street and MS Teams

Members present

• Bernadette Conroy - Chair
• Jonathan Walters - Chief Executive
• Kalpesh Brahmbhatt
• Dave Cassidy
• Deborah Gregory
• Chan Kataria
• Sukhvinder Kaur-Stubbs
• Robert Light
• John Liver
• Geoff Smyth

Officers in attendance

• Angela Holden - Director of Regulatory Engagement (LARPs)
• Emma Tarran - Senior Assistant Director, Head of Legal & Company Secretary
• Kate Dodsworth - Deputy Chief Executive
• Karen Doran - Director of Regulatory Engagement (PRPs)
• John O’Mahony - Assistant Director Corporate Services
• Rob Holroyd - Senior Assistant Director, Investigation & Enforcement

• Will Perry - Director of Strategy

• Anna Moore - item 12 - Senior Solicitor
• Anna Furlong - item 9 - Assistant Director: Policy, Strategy & Impact
• Jenny Allen - item 9 - Head of Policy Strategy & Impact
• Jim Bennett - item 8 - Assistant Director: Policy, Strategy & Impact
• Justin Cooper - item 11 - Senior Investigation & Enforcement Advisor
• Roshnee Sidhu - item 12 - Assistant Director: Investigation & Enforcement
• Yetunde Komolafe - items 11 & 12 - Assistant Director: Deputy Head of Legal

Minutes

Amber Gaskell

1. Welcome and apologies

01/06/26 BC welcomed everyone to the meeting. There were apologies from officers Harold Brown and Richard Peden.

2. Declarations of Interest

02/06/26 It was noted that conflicts have been considered for JL in relation to agenda item 11 and it has been agreed that there is no need for him to absent himself for this item.

BC also declared that in the confidential session in which DG gave Board members an update on the appraisal of BC, she, BC, had absented herself.

3. Minutes of last meeting

03/06/26 Minor amendments to wording and grammar had been suggested for the confidential and public minutes from 19 May 2026.

JL also asked that it be reflected that he left the meeting before items 16 and 17 were discussed.

Finally, KB raised that minute 15/05/26 was inaccurate. It was agreed that the minute should record that the legal risk appetite statement would be further amended. BC requested that officers should agree with ARAC exactly how that statement should be reworded.

4. Matters arising

04/06/26 Members noted the Matters Arising.

• 20/05/26: Complete: paper included in the Board pack.
• 11/05/26 (workshop on digital): Carry forward: this will be added to the Forward Planner for September.
• An action from the previous Board meeting was omitted from the Matters Arising: JOM was to share papers on the People Plan. This will be circulated following the meeting.

5. Forward planner

05/06/26 Members considered and noted the forward planner. The meeting in September was confirmed for Birmingham.

6. Chair’s update

06/06/26 BC updated the Board as to:

• Framework 28: BC complimented the team for the work done on the Framework 28 discussion document which has now been published; the initial reception has been positive overall.
• Staff Conference: BC informed the Board that the staff conference in Birmingham was a successful event. JW had delivered his first speech to a staff conference as Chief Executive and shared his key plans and objectives for the organisation. There were two external speakers (Rachel Fletcher of Ofgem, but previously of two separate regulators, and Peter Baffoe, Vice Chair and resident Board member of Peabody), both of whom were received very well by staff. There was also good engagement with staff with an interactive session on the past, present and future of the organisation.
• Stakeholder Engagement: JW and BC have met with Matthew Pennycook and Baroness Taylor this week and have further meetings planned with the Chair of the Charities Commission and Homes England.
• BC shared that Fiona has been awarded a CBE.

7. N&RC Chair update

07/06/26 DG updated the Board on the Nominations and Renumeration committee that took place on 15th June 2026:

• Corporate centre transformation: There was an overview given on the corporate centre project from David Blackburn; it is currently in the discovery phase; the consultation will happen over the Summer with implementation taking place Winter 2026/27.
• People update: JOM took Members through the people update. There was an ask for JOM to share the People Plan to all Board Members. DG encouraged everyone to look at the new people portal.
• Staff pay award: JW gave a verbal update on the staff pay award.
• Board appraisals and further recruitment: BC updated members. DG had updated Board on the Chair appraisal in the confidential session today (and BC had recused herself).

8. Chief Executive’s update

08/06/26 Jim Bennett joined the meeting. JW took the Board through the CE update:

• Framework 28: there was an in-depth conversation about the Framework 28 discussion document that has now been published.
• RL queried how RSH plan to process the responses. BC asked for clarification on the timeframes, WP confirmed the discussion window would close around the end of September 2026. We would then need to run formal consultations on any revisions to standards, and these would need to run during 2027, in order to implement for April 2028.
• The Exec team have several roundtables over the Summer with stakeholders. Board asked to be involved in some of these sessions. JW will ask Angela Maher to email Board Members further details.

09/06/26

• Bids: there has been an overwhelming response to the Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP), with HE and GLA now oversubscribed. They are asking some RPs to reprofile and scale back their bids. FFRs are due by the end of June, and there is acknowledgement there will be uncertainty around capital spend due to this SAHP uncertainty.

10/06/26 * I&E casework: JW passed to RH to give an overview of a recent case study from I&E.

11/06/26 Jim Bennett left the meeting after this item.

9. Consumer standards consultation and outcomes

12/06/26 Jenny Allen and Anna Furlong joined the meeting. They were looking for Board approval on the proposed decisions in relation to the Consumer Standards consultation. There was a discussion about the proposals (which had also been discussed at previous meetings of the Board). DG asked about the FAQs and whether they are also published. AF explained that whilst FAQs are not part of the formal standards, they can be useful so it was agreed that they should be published alongside the decision statement.

13/06/26 The Board:

• a. Confirmed that it had reviewed the documentation submitted, including the annexes.
• b. Approved content of Annexes 1-8 (consultation decision statement, consultation decision instrument, revised TI&A Standard, new Competence and Conduct Standard, revised consumer standards code of practice, revised regulatory and equality impact considerations assessments, numerical analysis of individual consultation questions, and the list of organisational respondents to the consultation).
• c. Note that having conducted the consultation the regulator has met the requirement under section 196 of Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 that in setting standards, or issuing, revising or withdrawing a code of practice, the regulator must consult a number of listed bodies.
• d. Agreed to delegate authority to the Chief Executive and/or Deputy Chief Executive to make any final non-material amendments to the documentation listed above and approve the decision statement package for publication.

JA and AF left the meeting.

10. Major Financial Failures Project

14/06/26 RH gave the Board an overview of the Major Financial Failures project. This has included scenario planning and approach testing through mock exercises. Discussions have been had with RPs about their ability to respond. Safe harbour guidance and process have also been formally designed.

15/06/26 DC suggested engaging a broader set of advisors from the financial community, so they can familiarise themselves with the sector’s market conventions and language.

17/06/26 SKS asked how much analysis is done of risk factors. RH advised we do get a lot of sector analysis, including FFRs (financial position and risks) and Quarterly Surveys. Board requested further information at a future session on how we analyse risk.

18/06/26 RH clarified that there will be an ongoing oversight group and further exercises will be run in relation to large providers. A playbook will be developed over the Summer.

19/06/26 A question was asked about what would happen if an LA failed. JW clarified there is no formal remit for us in a LA financial failure.

20/06/26 Board would like further assurance in this space.

13. Any other business

29/06/26 There was no other business to discuss.

Date of next meeting: Tuesday 21 July 2026

Workshops Workshop session took place on:

• LA Representatives
• Use of AI in the sector