Newington Housing Association (1975) Limited Strategic report of the Board of Management for the year ended 31 March 2024 The Board of Management presents its strategi¢ report and the audited fmancial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024 of Newington Housing Association (1975) Limited {the Association). Principal activities Newington Housing Association (1975) Limiled is a registered non-profit making housing association providing housing accommodation for those in ne¢d. Group Structure Newington Housing Association (1975) Limited is part of APEX Housing Association Limited group. Board of Management The Board of Management is a voluntary Committee who have responsibility for the strategic direction, general policy and management of the Association. Th¢ day-to-day management of operations is delegated to the Senior Managem¢nt Team of the Association. Governance The Board of Management of Newington Housing Association (1975) Limited ("NHA") consists of a minimum of 7 and a maximum of 18 board members (Current membership is detailed on page l). It is made up of the honorary officers, being the Cha]￿ersOn, Vic¢- Chairperson, Hon. Treasurer and up to 15 other Trustees. The good governance responsibilities of the Board are to set the organisation's strategic aims and ensure that the necessary fmancial and human resources are in place for the organisation to meet its objectives and review management perfornian¢e. tn particular.. overseeing the activities of the organisation, its strategic direction and planning processes, programme delivery. flnancial controls and perforniance m¢&sures; reviewing and guiding strategy. reviewing and approving strategic plan5, annual budgets, programme plans and perforniance objectives, and risk management strategies and plans, as developed by the manag¢ment team. monitoring implementation and perfo)Tnanc¢, and overseeing major capital expenditure" ensuring that the organisational structur¢ is appropriale for achieving the OToanisation's strat¢gi¢ goals, and that the n￿eSSary policies, procedures and controls are in place to ensure that authority may be delegal¢d by the Board without loss of accountability" and in general, approving and oveftseeing the maintenance of sound Co￿Orate governance and the accountability of the Board. The Board meets at least 4 times per year and to &SSiSt It in carrying out its duties has delegated authority to four standing committees: Audtt and Risk Committee. Finance and Corporate Services Committee. Assets Committee; and Communities Committee. From time to time th¢ Board may also forni time-limited committees to deal with specific issues as required. Newington Housing Association (1975) Limited Strategic report of the Board of Management for the year ended 31 March 2024 Gender analysis 8 members of the Board of Management are male and 4 are female. The Association has 24 employee5 of which 10 are male and 14 are female. Operational performance The Association aims to operate efficiently and effectively, and oulputs are monitored by the Board of Management who receive perforniance reports covering a variety of financial and non-fmancial perforniance inforn]ation. The Board has set a number of corporate strategy objectives in its 2023-26 Coryorate Plan. These are.. Our Homes - Provide high quality, sustainable and affordable homes by: Maintaining our existing properties to the highest possible standard. Identify and implement best practice in ternis of environmental standards and sustsinability. Review and renew our Asset Management Strategy. Continue to seek opportunities to meet the need for high quality social housing in North Belfast both through the acquisition and renovation of existing residential properties and through the development of new housing projects. Our Services- Provide high quality, sustainable and affordable homes by.. Review our existing services arjd ensure they continue to be fit for purpose. Innovate and develop new services in order to meet the challenges our tenants and the community are likely to face in the future. Provide both a quick response and valu¢ for money in all our services. As a communTty-based Housing Association, continue to develop our wraparoundlenabling services such as: access to welfare advice; signposting to other services. employability support. floating support. and family support hubs. Our Tenants & Communities- Newington will: Promote effective tenant participation so that the voice of the tenant and their fatnilies infonns all our work and our services. Continue to lead and engage effectively with our tenants, their families, the community in North Belfast and our statutory partners in order to create safe, diverse, vibrant and confident communities. Support tenants and their families to improve their quality of life. Inforni and influence public policy and debate around housing supply, housing quality, tenancy and other related issues. Provide a respected voice to advocate on behalf of our tenants and the North Belfast community and raise awareness of the many challeng¢s faced by our tenants and their families, with statutory agencie5 and political representatives Promote and celebrate our tenants and communities Our Team- Newington will: Continue to prioritise our financial sustaiThability and viability through good fmancial management practices. Deliver Value for Money while not compromising on outcomes. Ensure we provide the staff resource to meet the needs of the organisation. Continue to invest in the skills and professionalism of our staff. Prioritis¢ the wellbeing of our employees and board members. Improve communications both internally and externally and develop an effective communication strategy. Celebrate our successe5 as an organisation. Develop OUT Board by applying best practice in tenns of Board governance, compliance and rigk management, and ensuring our Board has the skills necessary to be effective. Maintain the strategic relationship with APEX Group. To deliver these strategic objectives annual business plans are developed and both Corporate & Business plan perfonnance is monitored by the Board. The management of fmancial resources is critical to the Association's ability to meet its objectives. Ivhilst the Association has a voluntary non-profit making status, the generation of an annual surplus is vital to ensure the on-going investment in new housing stock, to provid¢ for long¢r-t¢mi maint¢nance obligations, to meet commitments to lenders, and to generally ensure adequate protection against unforeseen circumstances. Newington Housing Association (1975) Limited Strategic report of the Board of Management for the year ended 31 March 2024 Status Newington Housing Association (1975) Limited is registered under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act (Northcrn Ireland) 1969 and is il Rcgist¢rcd Housing Association. Newington Housing Association (1975) Limited is a registered charity (Charity No. IPI 58). Newington Housing AssociatioT] (1975) Limited is registered with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland (Registration No. NICI 02477). Regulation The Association continues to meet its regulatory obligations with the Department for Communities R¢gulalion Team and received a Rating of l (Standards M¢t) in its most recent Regulatory Judg¢ment for the year 2022123 issued in March 2024. Review of Staffing Structure The Board r¢cognised that a full review of functions and stsffing was necessary to ensure the structures were fil for purpose and to ensui¢ value for money in service delivery. The review was completed in May 2023 and implementation of the recommendations was completed in Julv 2024. Employee information The Association's total staff costs increased from £998,108 in 2022123 to £1,061,994 in 2023124. Sickness absence levels decreased to 3.10/0 in 2023124 (5.90/0 in 2022123). There were 4 leavers and 8 new starts in the year. Staffing Structure A new strncture was approved in May 2023 with the amalgamation of the Housing & Communities and Property Services & Development Departments under one directorate lead by the Director of Communtties. This directorate's fimctions were split into two teams. This staffing structure was fully implemented in July 2024. The Communities T¢am, led by the Communities Manager. would focus on the services to the tenants and wider community and would be responsible for: Housing ManageTnent Response Maintenance Tenant EngagFement Community Inveslment The Asset Team will be led by an Assets Manager post. Thi5 department will be responsible for.. The long-term viability of the property assets Technical advice to S¢nior Managem¢nt Team Compliance Asset Management Strategy Plamied Maintenance Development support Procurement (including response maintenance) Sustainability and environmental impact Newington Housing Association (1975) Limited Strategic report of the Board of Management for the year ended 31 March 2024 The new organisational structure is; 4rtV4 Housing Management Services Alloeations- Durlng the year there were 41 relets of existing stock, 28 General Needs Allocations, 4 Sheltered Allocations, 7 direct exchanges and 2 tenancy successions. Rent Collection & Debt Recovery- During the year 7W/o of the Association's rentsl income w&8 received directly from Houstng Benefjt. Universal Credit and other sources of benefits. Th¢ Association continues to proactively implem¢nt strategi¢s and policies to, in the f]rst instance ty io pr¢vent akTears occurring and to also recover outstanding arrears. The Association renewed the match- fimded W¢lfare Advice posL which commenced in January 2020 for a fi￿her two-year period to March 2025. This post is important in providing advice and assistance on income and benefits lo our tenants and the wider community. However. non-technical rent Tears increased from 3.60/0 2 April 2023 to 4.00/0 at year end. Arrears KPI 01 A ril 2024 2 A ril 2023 Non_technieal arrears a5 f/lo of total income 4.0•/ 3.61/1 Void stock on 31 March 2024 was 2.50/0 (31 March 2023: 2.00/0). Newington Housing Association (1975) Limited Strategic report of the Board of Management for the year ended 31 March 2024 Value for Money IVFM) Newington Housing Association (1975) Limited has defmed VFM as a way to manage resources to provide quality service4 homes and help create safe, sustainable and vibrant communities for people to live and work. VFM is based not only on minimum cost of the services provided but also on the maximum effici¢ncy and effectiveness (outcomes) of the Tesources employed to deliver the service. VFM is about achieving the right balance between the three 'E's'_ Economy, E￿icIencY and Effectiveness. Economy is the price paid for what goes into providing a service. Efficiency is a measure of productivity or how much is gained from what is put in. Effectiveness is a measur¢ of th¢ impact achieved and can b¢ both qualitativ¢ and quantitative. VFM is high when there is an optimum balance between all three E's,, relatively low costs, high productivity and successful outcomes. Social value within Newington Housing AssociatlOD {1975) Limited is not limited to the outcomes that flow from housing assets or from the provision of bousing services but by also supporting th¢ local economy and community led organisations that deliver valuable service and support, which enhance communities and people's lives. Th¢ A&sociation wants to maintain VFM and be transparent about it. We have a clear aim of what we wanl to achieve, where our principles are and that our homes and s¢rvices.' Meet the needs of tenants and other service users at the right time and meet their expectations. Are of the right quality and are fit for purpose. Generate high levels of satisfaction and enhance our r¢putation and our track record; and Services are delivered from suppliers (internal or external) whose prices are competitive for the quality of service provided. These principles i]nprove our sustainability. viability and opportunities for the future. A comparison of some of the primary indicators for 2023124 is set out below along with the ￿gultS of the Housemark Sector Scorecard: Indicator Newington HA 2023124 Newington HA 2022123 UK Median Operdting rn￿￿1n 22.0 20.40/0 Gearing 22.10/0 22.30/0 45.40t/bo Return on Capital Employed Headline Social Cost Per Unit £3,937 £3.137 £4,475 Indicator Newillgton HA 2023124 Newington HA 2022123 Interest Cover 1550/0 2490/0 Occupancy 9V/o Some examples of activities in 2023124 where these Value for Money principles were applied are as follows: Newington have signed up io three pre-procured framework providers, Fusion 21, Procurement for Housing & M3NHF Frameworx. This enables Newington to draw down service and works contracts which will ensure value for money. Newington Housing Association (1975) Limited Strategic report of the Board of Management for the year ended 31 March 2024 Value for Money IVFM) (continued) During the year Newington has: Replaced 54 kitchens within our homes during the 2023124 year 23 Gas boilers were upgraded within our existing homes 100 % of all relevant prop¢rties within Newington ownership have undergone a regular fre risk assessment 4 additional homes were added to our stock profile Our average energy rating of our homes is 76. which exceeds the Nl average ene￿Y rating of 65 Repairs and Maintenance A Measured Tenn Contract (MTC) for reactive maintenance jointly procured with Apex Housing Association became operational on l June 2022 with NICOR being appointed. This framework, when coupled with a jointly procured Planned and Cyclical Maintenance Contractor Framework, ensures that contractors employed are the most eificient in ternis of the balance between competitive pricing and quality of service. Our approach to how we maintain our assets and tenants, homes is set out in our Asset Management Strategy (AMS). The AMS emphasises the need to achieve VFM by identifying planned maintenance programmes therefore improving the quality of homes, increasing t¢nant satisfaction and reducing the cost of reactive repairs. The annual KPI for Response Maintenance Perfomiance for the year ended 31 Ma￿h 2024 is included below: Overall Jobs completed on time 860/0 Type °/0 Jobs Complet on time Immediate Call Out 990/0 Emergency Urgent Routine 830/ During the year Newington has: Invested £296K through planned and cyclical maintenance improv¢rnents to our existing homes Invested £480K invested in maintaining our existing homes through response maintenance Social Value, Tenant Particiwation, Community Engagement & Investment At Newington, we are committed to ensuring that new and existing tenants are aware of the support available to assist them to sustain their tenancies. Mechanisms and procedures are in place to ensure that tenants are signposted or directly refe￿ed for financial, tenancy or personal support and these procedures are at the core of our day-to-day services. By providing this service, it helps to maximise the us¢ of the various essential services that are provided locally. We continually strive to invest locally and believe we are making a real contribution to people's lives. One of our main strategi¢ priorities for 2023104 was delivering on the commilments we have made within our new Tenant Participation & Community Involvement Strategy 2023 -2026 and new Community Investment Strategy 2023 - 2026. Our Community Engagement Officer's role, which is part funded from the Community tnvestment Fund, is extremely important to local community and voluntary groups within North Belfast and the postholder plays a pivotal role in ensuring we deliver on the commitments made. Newington Housing Association (1975) Limited Strategie report of the Board of Management for the year ended 31 March 2024 Partnership working with others at a local level We have continued to sustain all our existing partnerships. whilst continuing to forge new ones with various community. voluntary and statutory organisations. This is to ensure our l¢nants receive the support to help them to fully integrate well within their new or existing surroundings. Newington continued to attend various multi-agency partnership initiatives (i.e., Multi Agencylcommunity Saf¢ly Forums) to address any instances of Anti-social Behaviour an