Our
2030
plan
We are proud to be more than just a landlord, committed to the success of our people and places.
Since the development of our last Corporate Plan the landscape of social housing has changed.
The global pandemic, a climate emergency, increasing financial insecurity and political instability has had a profound effect on our customers and our business. Many more families in the UK find themselves in unsuitable housing while a lack of funding for statutory services is impacting already fragmented communities.
Our 2030 plan responds to these challenges - working with our customers and colleagues, we have identified six transformational projects that form an ambitious programme of change.
We believe that a good quality, affordable home is the cornerstone of a successful life. Our focus on providing more quality homes and extending the impact of our services reflects our dedication to our customers, communities and the planet. We aim to create an outstanding workplace that attracts and retains top talent, fostering excellent performance with our diverse and skilled workforce.
"By enhancing our core services, we are building a firm foundation for success."
We pride ourselves on being a responsible landlord which is well-connected with and reflective of our communities. We build sustainable places where people can thrive. Our customers are at the heart of everything we do; by working together we aim to build a resilient and prosperous future.
This plan outlines our purpose and areas of focus while giving us the agility to adapt to changing needs and external factors.
By enhancing our core services, we are building a firm foundation for success. We will communicate transparently with our customers, ensuring they know what to expect from us as their landlord. We will foster a sense of purpose amongst colleagues, empowering them to contribute meaningfully to our collective success. With a diligent approach to our investment decisions and the allocation of resources, we will create value for our communities, building a resilient and prosperous future together.
We are a proud champion of our places, working with our partners to secure future prosperity through regeneration, place shaping, community investment and improving wellbeing.
About us
We are a regional housing association with 22,000 homes owned and managed across the Midlands. We started life in Walsall, where most of our homes are, and it is still the place that anchors us to our communities. This approach is echoed in our work across the region.
More than just a landlord, we are a proud champion of our places, working with our partners to secure future prosperity through regeneration, place shaping, community investment and improving wellbeing. Over the last five years we’ve developed more than 2,000 new homes for social and affordable rent and shared ownership.
Environmental sustainability runs through everything that we do. We will ensure we are enhancing local areas, driving a commitment to green practices through our supply chain and positively contributing to long-term societal change.
None of what we do would be possible without the dedication of our 800 colleagues. We promote an inclusive and empowering culture; we are committed to being a great employer that supports our people to develop their professional skills and knowledge.
Our customers are at the heart of everything we do and have helped us shape this plan every step of the way.
Customers told us they want:
- An affordable, well-maintained and safe home
- To feel listened to and respected
- Effective customer services that meet their needs
- To feel safe and secure in their community
In working towards achieving customers’ expectations, through the life of this plan we will operate an efficient and focused business, building on our strong workforce, governance and financial stability.
Our mission
“Dedicated to the success of our people and places.”
Our ambition
“We will provide safe and secure homes and deliver high-quality services. Our communities will be empowered to thrive and we will always do the best for our customers.”
Our values
Our culture is built on our strong values, with diversity, inclusivity and support to our customers at the heart of our work.
Our values set out a clear expectation of ‘how we do things around here’. "They are our core beliefs which inform our decision-making and help shape our organisation."
Our mission
“Dedicated to the success of our people and places.”
Our ambition
“We will provide safe and secure homes and deliver high-quality services. Our communities will be empowered to thrive and we will always do the best for our customers.”
Our values
Our culture is built on our strong values, with diversity, inclusivity and support to our customers at the heart of our work.
Our values set out a clear expectation of ‘how we do things around here’. "They are our core beliefs which inform our decision-making and help shape our organisation."
Trustworthy
You can rely on us. We are honest in everything we do.
Respectful
Valuing people and treating everyone with empathy and fairness.
Accountable
Taking responsibility for our actions and owning the delivery of our promises.
Collaborative
Achieving great things by working together.
Excellent
Striving to be the best and delivering the best outcomes for customers and the organisation.
Our foundations
To deliver our ambitions we need to be a strong business. We have seven foundations which will underpin our work and support us to deliver on our 2030 plan.
Understanding our customers
Developing a better understanding of our customers and what they need from us will help to ensure we deliver services of real value. We will listen before acting and use customer insights to inform our offer, enhancing the customer journey and improving customer satisfaction.
Great customer service
We respect our customers and put them at the heart of everything we do, reshaping our services to meet their needs and preferences. We will invest in our people, providing the skills they need to achieve our ambition to be a truly customer-focused organisation.
Effective communication
We will be accountable and transparent about how we deliver our services and how we are performing. We will speak up if we get things wrong and explain how we will put them right. Delivering high-quality communication, reaching the right people, using the right channels, at the right time, will create opportunities for two-way conversation.
Strong governance
Our Board and Committees set the strategic direction for the business, provide challenge and scrutiny of our plans and monitor our performance. Our Board will ensure the very best outcomes for the business, customers and colleagues. Our governance structure will guarantee the customer voice is heard - influencing our decision-making.
Managing our risks
Effective risk management is crucial for good governance and ensuring the safety of customers and colleagues. Our Board has established clear parameters for risk appetite, focusing on areas like health and safety, cybersecurity and building safety. Regular reviews and a dynamic risk register empower informed decision-making and strategic planning.
Technology and digitalisation
We will continue to invest in technology so we can provide high-quality digital solutions, create operational efficiencies and deliver a first-class customer experience. We will work with our partners to address digital exclusion in our communities.
Strong and effective partnerships
Continued cuts to public services mean a clearly defined service offer is more important than ever. Working in collaboration on shared objectives with our partners means we all achieve more. We will remain within the boundaries of our offer to customers and continue to develop close and effective partnerships for handover where our services end. This will help direct customers so they can access the right service, through the right provider, at the right time, leading to higher standards of support, greater trust and a positive customer experience with whg.
An influential customer voice
We believe that our customers have the life experience, skills and talent to help us continually improve our services through consultation and co-creation. We offer a range of ways for customers to engage with purpose and influence. Our digital and community-based programmes make sure this is accessible, removing barriers to engagement and actively seeking out the quiet voices.
We will do this by:
Sharing the power of influence
All customer-facing policies and practices are open to consultation with our customers. Our customers will see how they are driving change and influencing our decisions on the services that impact them.
A flexible model of engagement
We recognise that customers want to engage in a way that works for them. Our model offers a range of options to engage with us online, in communities or by taking part in deeper service reviews. Increasing these opportunities for customers will lead to greater transparency and understanding of where their influence has led to change.
Inclusive and valued
We will develop and grow an agile engagement programme to ensure a diverse range of customer voices are heard, with a particular focus on hearing from groups who are currently under-represented. We use insight to identify where we need to do more and to remove barriers, ensuring customers feel valued, included and purposeful in their influence.
Customer pathways to Boards and Committees
Customers have the opportunity to progress within our governance structure through a programme of learning and development, shaping and influencing at the highest levels of our organisation.
Our services
As a housing association our priorities are to provide high-quality homes, management and maintenance services, sustain tenancies, and develop more desperately needed affordable housing. We also have a number of value-added services which we typically provide through collaborative partnerships to place shape and address specific needs in areas where we own more homes. We believe that through a broader approach and a long-term commitment to our value-added services we will have the greatest impact and support the development of strong sustainable communities.
Our complementary activities support our business to bring revenue in to support our essential services.
Responding to housing need
- Management and maintenance of social and affordable housing, and associated facilities
- Provision of a local community housing service
- Development of new homes for affordable and social rent, and shared ownership
- Wellbeing schemes for the over 55s
- Our internal and corporate services that support our customer-facing teams to deliver
Value-added services
- Targeted health and wellbeing support services, delivered through partnerships
- Employment and capacity-building support
Complementary activities
- Developing homes for sale, supporting diverse, sustainable communities, with those sales also contributing to broader business activities
- Homes let at market rents
Strong finances
We invest our surplus income back into the business to support our communities, improve our homes and build more affordable housing. Ensuring we remain in a strong financial position is vital to ensure all our customers have a safe and secure place to call home.
Our strong credit rating allows us to borrow at the best possible rates to support our future investment plans. Finding the right balance between keeping costs down and delivering high-quality services is essential. We will achieve this balance through robust financial management, ensuring we have the right resources in the right place for the future.
We aim to meet or exceed the average performance on our Regulator Value for Money measures so we can provide as many new homes as possible and sustain investment in our existing homes.
"We will use our performance against the Tenant Satisfaction Measures to decide where to focus our resources to deliver the greatest impact for customers."
Our Treasury Strategy outlines how we will manage debt to help fund our ambitions and we will continue to embed sustainability-linked funding as part of our wider aim to be more environmentally focused. New funding will continue to support building new homes and our retrofit work, while maintaining financial resilience.
We proactively manage our income to minimise risk through a successful arrears recovery approach, an efficient voids management process and sales of shared ownership homes. Making the most of grant funding opportunities will allow us to build more new homes, invest in existing homes and support our community initiatives.
Value for money
We aim to embed value for money (VFM) throughout the business, both at a strategic level and an operational level.
Every colleague will understand their role in achieving VFM so that it features in all key decisions we make about how we allocate and spend our resources. We make every pound count and achieve maximum value by accessing available funding including grants and subsidies.
We operate within the robust 5Es framework, shaped by economy, efficiency, effectiveness, ethics, and equity, which support our strong governance. This means we exhibit a rigorous approach to VFM, ensuring the Board has clear line of sight into potential VFM gains and their reinvestment.
We have a VFM strategy, with targets and monitoring in place for measuring performance and achieving value in delivering our strategic objectives. These will ensure we achieve full compliance with the Regulator’s VFM standard.
Transformational projects
The success of our plan will be driven by the delivery of six large-scale, transformational projects.
These have been identified as the key areas of focus for the business during the life of the plan. Our aim is to successfully deliver these projects in such a way that they will transform the way that we work and ensure we remain a "fit for the future business" in an ever-changing world.
Click a tile to jump to the project
So we can plan ahead using evidence-based decision-making and adapting to changing external factors and customer needs.
So we anticipate customer needs and respond with solutions to deliver a positive experience.
Because good quality, affordable housing provides a platform for better life chances.
Working in different ways to reduce our environmental impact, with a focus on the 22,000 homes that we own.
Because we believe an ambitious approach to development and regeneration is essential and we are committed to playing our part in tackling the national housing shortage.
Because a strong, stable and skilled workforce is essential for us to deliver high-quality services for customers.
We will define the scope of each project by identifying our core objectives and working backwards to understand how we can achieve the desired outcome in the most effective way. This will require us to take a new approach, where we “fail fast and learn quickly” to identify and resolve challenges early on, building customers’ trust and delivering these critical projects efficiently and transparently.
Transformational projects
The success of our plan will be driven by the delivery of six large-scale, transformational projects.
These have been identified as the key areas of focus for the business during the life of the plan. Our aim is to successfully deliver these projects in such a way that they will transform the way that we work and ensure we remain a "fit for the future business" in an ever-changing world.
Tap a tile to jump to the project.
So we can plan ahead using evidence-based decision-making and adapting to changing external factors and customer needs.
So we anticipate customer needs and respond with solutions to deliver a positive experience.
Because good quality, affordable housing provides a platform for better life chances.
Working in different ways to reduce our environmental impact, with a focus on the 22,000 homes that we own.
Because we believe an ambitious approach to development and regeneration is essential and we are committed to playing our part in tackling the national housing shortage.
Because a strong, stable and skilled workforce is essential for us to deliver high-quality services for customers.
We will define the scope of each project by identifying our core objectives and working backwards to understand how we can achieve the desired outcome in the most effective way. This will require us to take a new approach, where we “fail fast and learn quickly” to identify and resolve challenges early on, building customers’ trust and delivering these critical projects efficiently and transparently.
Data-driven decisions
So we can plan ahead using evidence-based decision-making and adapting to changing external factors and customer needs.
"We will ensure robust data quality standards and use the best of artificial intelligence to automate processes and drive predictive insights."
Why is this important?
We will be an agile business with the ability to plan ahead and base our decisions on hard evidence to make intelligent use of our resources. We understand the importance of knowing our customers to be able to provide proactive services and adapt to changing external factors and customer needs.
How will we do this?
- Investing in systems, colleagues and their development to support our data strategy
- Focusing on collecting and holding high-quality data
- High standards of data governance
- Developing a framework for reporting which gives clear line of sight for the Board, the Executive, managers and individuals. This will provide assurance on compliance, business efficiency, investment decisions, KPIs and decision-making.
What will this mean?
We will make well informed decisions, with up to the minute insight, supporting us to shape services to best meet customer needs and preferences. We will ensure robust data quality standards and use the best of artificial intelligence to automate processes and drive predictive insights.
Colleagues will be confident in their own ability to assess data and access it in the right way, with a high level of data literacy.
Overall, this will provide Board and colleagues, customers and stakeholders with full assurance that decisions are made on accurate and relevant data.
Forward-thinking services
So we anticipate customer needs and respond with solutions to deliver a positive experience.
"We will move to a model of proactive service delivery where we can anticipate customers' needs and respond with solutions."
Why is this important?
We will provide high-quality homes for our customers, delivering a positive experience through providing effective services. We will move to a model of proactive service delivery where we can anticipate customers' needs and respond with solutions. In response to customer feedback, we will launch this model for our repairs and maintenance service initially, rolling it out to other services in turn.
Customers want to live in a home that is in good repair, with swift and effective responses when things break or need replacing. We believe that with the right tools and resources we will be more proactive at managing our homes, delivering a better customer experience and allowing us to predict demand and plan ahead, becoming more efficient and effective.
How will we do this?
- Redesigning our service models
- Effectively using data and new technology
- Deploying digitalisation both in the service and to customers
- Reviewing our workforce practices
- Investing in asset IT infrastructure
- Implementing asset data modelling tools to plan for investment
What will this mean?
Our customers will experience services that meet their needs at each point of their journey with us. We will use our data to address issues quickly and proactively plan, assess and act. Customers will feel safe, warm and comfortable in their homes.
Social justice - transforming lives
Because good quality, affordable housing provides a platform for better life chances.
"By 2030 we will have cemented our reputation as a sector leader in initiatives that reduce inequality and build social capital in our communities."
Why is this important?
We believe that access to good-quality affordable housing makes a real difference to people’s lives, providing a platform for better life chances. We will take a broader social inclusion and community investment approach to support our customers.
As well as making available as many well-maintained homes as possible, we will make the case for joined-up policy interventions. Using our voice as a positive influence for change has never been more important.
How will we do this?
- Being a strong and influential voice, championing the need and value of social housing
- Developing strong partnerships with shared strategic priorities underpinned by collective action
- Addressing inequalities through our Stronger Communities initiatives
- Collaborating with experts to build resilient communities and reduce the impact of financial deprivation
What will this mean?
By 2030 we will have cemented our reputation as a sector leader in initiatives that reduce inequality and build social capital in our communities.
We will use our voice within key partnerships and boards to amplify the needs of our customers through shared strategic priorities. Our evidence will be used to enhance the sector’s reputation in driving solutions for the broader and more challenging issues that face our society.
We will use our investment in new homes to challenge negative perceptions of social housing.
Sustainable futures
Working in different ways to reduce our environmental impact, with a focus on the 22,000 homes that we own.
"The homes we own and our development activity provide us with the biggest opportunities to create positive changes and become a more sustainable business."
Why is this important?
Our customers have told us they expect us to do the right thing for the planet. Wherever possible, we will make changes and work in different ways to reduce our environmental impact, in addition to meeting our obligations as a social landlord.
Sustainability is a core guiding principle that impacts on how we operate. Flooding, extreme heat, food insecurity and poor health are a direct result of climate change, and these will often affect older people, those on a lower income and people in rented homes more acutely. The homes we own and our development activity provide us with the biggest opportunities to create positive changes and become a more sustainable business.
Our intention is to balance customer needs with carbon reduction and environmental impact whilst considering the environmental, social and governance elements we plan to invest in.
How will we do this?
- Transforming our places to be fit for the future
- Incorporating sustainability standards and strengthening regulatory compliance
- Developing our Green Open Spaces strategy and helping improve biodiversity
- Developing new homes that are Net Zero Carbon ready
- Managing our carbon footprint
- A fabric-first approach to our properties and trialling and adopting new technologies
What will this mean?
We will improve the energy efficiency of our homes, helping to address issues of fuel poverty and reducing energy consumption.
Our colleagues will feel confident in supporting customers in environmental conversations through the development of their carbon literacy skills.
Our external accreditation will help ensure our sustainability work in our communities also contributes to environmental improvements for the whole planet.
Making places
Because we believe an ambitious approach to development and regeneration is essential and we are committed to playing our part in tackling the national housing shortage.
"Good quality, affordable housing, in the locations people want to live, underpins the economic success of an area and is a key contributor to health and wellbeing."
Why is this important?
There is a national shortage of affordable homes in the UK with over 1m households on waiting lists for social housing. Good quality, affordable housing, in the locations people want to live, underpins the economic success of an area and is a key contributor to health and wellbeing.
We believe an ambitious approach to development and regeneration is essential if we – the social housing sector – are to build anything like the number of affordable homes that are needed. We are committed to playing our part in tackling the national housing shortage, while sustaining whg’s financial strength.
We will optimise carbon reduction measures to create homes fit for the future, creating high-quality places where customers can thrive, even as communities and aspirations change over time.
The development of additional homes for rent will help to alleviate housing need and shared ownership opportunities will support people to take their first step to owning a home.
How will we do this?
- Through building new high-quality affordable homes
- Working collaboratively with Homes England, West Midlands Combined Authority, local authorities and private sector developer/constructor partners
- Developing a pipeline of regeneration projects
- Maximising funding opportunities so that our resources go further
What will this mean?
Known as a leading place shaper by our communities and partners alike, we will develop much needed affordable housing across a range of tenures and geographical areas, with these homes targeted towards being Net Zero Carbon ready.
Our reputation will enable us to leverage funding through impactful partnerships, and where opportunities arise, we will breathe new life into existing areas through regeneration initiatives that seek to sustain and develop communities.
Work and workplace of the future
Because a strong, stable and skilled workforce is essential for us to deliver high-quality services for customers.
"We will be an employer of choice, providing a rewarding environment for our people to fulfil their ambitions."
Why is this important?
A strong, stable and skilled workforce is essential for us to deliver high-quality services for customers. We will build a workforce and workplace of the future by transforming our approach to strategic workforce planning and colleague development. Forward-thinking initiatives and employment practices will support our people to thrive.
We have a proud history as an inclusive employer. We are committed to embedding behaviours and processes that promote a culture of diversity, inclusivity and opportunity for all, where great performance by all is recognised and rewarded.
We want to be proactive and sustainable in our workforce planning and talent management, developing and recruiting colleagues to meet our current and future needs. Green skills and other emerging technologies will be an area of development for us.
Developing our offer to become an employer of choice in the Midlands, we will create career opportunities for our customers and communities.
How will we do this?
- Creating a diverse and inclusive environment where colleagues are well informed and feel they belong, removing barriers to opportunities
- Promoting the value of development and learning to create personal and professional opportunities
- Creating a supportive workplace with a focus on the health and wellbeing of our team
- Developing a best-in-class people services function, supporting the whole employee lifecycle
What will this mean?
We will be an employer of choice with a culture that sets high expectations whilst providing a stimulating, values-led and rewarding environment for our people to fulfil their ambitions.
Colleagues will feel engaged with our mission and purpose, in an inclusive environment where their contribution matters. Being a great place to work is key to our success and we will see colleagues building long-term careers with us and enjoying high levels of wellbeing. Exceptional talent will be keen to join us when we do recruit.
Measuring success
Being accountable
We have used customer feedback to shape our measures of success. By 2030, customers will feel that we understand their lives and use this knowledge to help shape great services that meet their needs.
They will feel safe and secure in well-maintained homes situated within thriving communities, with a network of support services delivered through whg and our partners.
Improved availability and use of technology will make it easy for customers to contact, engage and transact with us, knowing we are still here when they need us.
Our progress will be monitored and we will be held to account by our Board. We will report our performance against:
Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs)
Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs)
Financial metrics
Financial metrics
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Roadmap for portfolio of transformational projects: milestones and progress, VFM and financial management, outcomes and delivered value
Roadmap for portfolio of transformational projects: milestones and progress, VFM and financial management, outcomes and delivered value
We asked our customers what successful delivery of our 2030 plan would look and feel like to them.
We asked our customers what successful delivery of our 2030 plan would look and feel like to them.
We asked our customers what successful delivery of our 2030 plan would look and feel like to them.
We asked our customers what successful delivery of our 2030 plan would look and feel like to them.
We asked our customers what successful delivery of our 2030 plan would look and feel like to them.
We asked our customers what successful delivery of our 2030 plan would look and feel like to them.
We asked our customers what successful delivery of our 2030 plan would look and feel like to them.
We asked our customers what successful delivery of our 2030 plan would look and feel like to them.
We asked our customers what successful delivery of our 2030 plan would look and feel like to them.
We asked our customers what successful delivery of our 2030 plan would look and feel like to them.
Measuring success
Being accountable
We have used customer feedback to shape our measures of success. By 2030, customers will feel that we understand their lives and use this knowledge to help shape great services that meet their needs.
They will feel safe and secure in well-maintained homes situated within thriving communities, with a network of support services delivered through whg and our partners.
Improved availability and use of technology will make it easy for customers to contact, engage and transact with us, knowing we are still here when they need us.
Our progress will be monitored and we will be held to account by our Board. We will report our performance against:
Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs)
Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs)
Financial metrics
Financial metrics
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Roadmap for portfolio of transformational projects: milestones and progress, VFM and financial management, outcomes and delivered value
Roadmap for portfolio of transformational projects: milestones and progress, VFM and financial management, outcomes and delivered value
We asked our customers what successful delivery of our 2030 plan would look and feel like to them.
We asked our customers what successful delivery of our 2030 plan would look and feel like to them.
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