Phil Morgan's Annual Report 2013/2014

Phil Morgan

Annual report 2013-14

My fourth annual report – an opportunity to practice the accountability for my work that work I preach to others.

I continue to work closely with tenants and landlords on tenant scrutiny, empowerment and the cultural change necessary to ensure tenants are placed at the heart of what landlords do.

I am continually impressed by tenants’ achievements within their roles as volunteers. My initial idea, a few years ago, was to see tenants holding landlords to account. I now see firsthand how tenant scrutiny is driving improvements for landlords and their tenants throughout England.

The rise of regulation led me to write a major report, Learning from Regulatory Downgrades. This report has been well received and I look forward to working with Janet Hale and Chartered Institute of Housing on a new Working Together project.

I am also pleased to continue my wider roles as a speaker, commentator, awards judge and volunteer.

Consulting

C&C Resident Scrutiny Panel

I continue to support C&C’s Resident Scrutiny Panel with recruitment, while mentoring the Panel’s chair and vice-chair. I conducted a third annual effectiveness review and facilitated the Panel’s away day. Having supported the Panel’s second service review of communications, I look forward to its groundbreaking review into care services.

Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council Housing Board

I have worked with tenants, residents, staff, councillors, and tenants’ and residents’ associations to develop Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council’s Housing Board. The board was initiated and led by tenants. It brings together scrutiny, monitoring and granting awards, while helping inform council decisions about housing. Together we developed its terms of reference, recruited and trained an interim Housing Board, and prepared for its first meeting.

CBHA

Having trained CBHA’s Resident Scrutiny Panel on tenant scrutiny, I helped review its terms of reference and prepared for the next service review. I will meet CBHA and the Panel to discuss training outcomes and new terms of reference. I also spoke at the CBHA’s Board Awayday on Regulation and Governance.

Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames

Together with my colleague, Jane Eyles, I continue to support Kingston Resident improvement and Scrutiny Panel (KRiSP). Members of the Panel are now trained and have carried out a well-received service review into garages. The Panel is now completing its second review into the council’s contact centre.

Shropshire Housing Group

I trained and supported Shropshire Housing Group’s Tenant and Resident improvement Panel (TRiP) to complete its first service review into right first time repairs. The Panel is prospering and onto its second review.

I have also helped the Group begin to establish its innovative Community Panels. These will bring together Shropshire Housing Group’s pilot neighbourhood plans with its community development fund awards, supporting the group in maintaining an active link with local communities. Recruitment to the Panel is ongoing.

Others

I have worked with Ashfield Homes to develop terms of reference and an application form for its Resident Scrutiny Panel. And I have supported forward planning for Peabody’s Resident Consultative Panel.

Regulatory compliance

Earlier this year I started thinking about co-regulation and how boards can seek assurance about complying with regulations. The regulator had become more active, issuing a range of governance rulings. By identifying the common threads running through the regulatory judgements I am able to help boards, executives and others trying to ensure compliance and effectiveness. I published a major report into regulatory downgrades and what housing associations can learn from them - along with a number of related articles.

This report was well received and I look forward to progressing this with Janet Hale and Chartered Institute of Housing on a new Working Together project.

Speaking

This year I have spoken at:

·      ARCH - Tenants rights and responsibilities

·      Board Development Association Governance and Leadership Conference – Tenants and board membership

·      The Board Room - Learning from regulatory downgrades

·      Chartered Institute of Housing – Fee charging for regulation

·      Chartered Institute of Housing Midlands Conference – Revelations

·      Dudley Tenants Conference – Putting tenants and residents at the heart of Dudley

·      Leeds Tenants Federation Annual Conference – Revelations

·      London Tenant Scrutiny Network – various events

·      Midland Network for Resident Involvement – The culture club

·      Northern Ireland Housing Conference - Regulation working better for customers

Judging

I have been invited to judge various housing awards in 2014. I welcome the opportunity to celebrate great work and be inspired achievements within housing. Judging included:

·      CIH Midlands Awards

·      Customer Scrutiny Inspection Awards

·      Housing Excellence Awards

·      Housing Innovation Awards

Commentating

I write regular articles and blog posts through my Twitter feed @philmorganblog

Articles during the past year include:

•   Safe as houses?

•   Risk is the new black

•   Learning the lessons from Cosmopolitan

•   Time for the sector to sober up on co-regulation

•   Hubris and the threat to good governance

•   Four tests for a fee-charging regulator 

•   The power of scrutiny

•   The regulator and fee charging

•   Tenant scrutiny, decision making and teeth

•   The bedroom tax - chaos and misery

•   Money, money, money - the real impact of welfare reform

•   Extending help to buy - have we learned nothing?

•   Why tenant participation supports value for money

•   Tenant scrutiny and the culture club

•   Why the regulator is right to consider charging landlords

•   The three houses of tenant involvement and the so what wolf

Volunteering

I was pleased to support the International Union of Tenants by chairing its International Tenants Day event in Brussels. Here it launched its European Responsible Housing Initiative code of conduct for landlords on corporate social responsibility alongside the European Responsible Housing Initiative awards.

I have just finished three years volunteering as school governor and chair of the personnel and safeguarding committee at St Hilda’s Church of England Primary School in Old Trafford. During this time the school went from ‘requires improvement’ to ‘good with some outstanding’.

I look forward to continuing my volunteering as a HealthWatch Salford reporter.

And I ran the Greater Manchester 10km run (in a very creditable time of 56 minutes) for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Jane Eyles for her continued support and encouragement, Janet Hale and Diane Jones for their contributions to the report, Learning from Regulatory Downgrades.

Thanks also to:

Sue, Michelle, David, Jim, Carol, Freda, Roger, Bob, Rose, Sarah, Lesley, Glynis, Jolene, Helen, Karen, Maddie, David, Kieran, Lord John, Kaz, Phil, Stanley, John, Lee, Ann, Chris, Adrian, Alison, Caroline, Sarah, Michelle, Laura, Caroline, Chris, Chris, Guy, Yaw, Sheila, Eamon, Sheryl, Gary, Helena, Di, Steve, Vanessa, Tim, Sheila, Fred, Melody, Jo, Joannie, Judith, Yvonne, Ngaire, Theresa, Sue, Debbie, Jo, Reniera, David, David, Raewyn, Andrea, Jonathan, Geof, Rita, Jackie, Herbie, Mohammed, Cathy, Nirmal, Jackie, Sarah, Ann, Jen, David, Tom, Sarah, John, Annette, Barry, Marion, Linda, Phil, Jill, Jackie, Diane, Gaye, Martin, Christine, Eileen, Tim, Richard, Rex, George, Jim, Angela, Cyril, Matthew, Lisa, Kerry, Shazia, Peter, Anita, Marcia, Chris, Helen, Rev Ross, Jan, Kathryn, Denise, Patrick, Helen, Joanne, Anna, Magnus, Barbara, Davide, Sue, Graham, Bob, Laura, Steve, Nicole, Kevin, Sasha, Jackie, Lynda, Sara, Chris, Gill, Paul, Chris, Mike, Aydin, Rachel, Mylo, Julie, Jackie, Lydia, Karen, Raya, Wendy and Alison.

With a dedication to Steve Smith RIP.