At our 2022 AGM in Norwich in September we launched the new Corporate Strategy 2022-2026, incorporating 12 key objectives.

Michael Newey, Chief Executive, addressed Broadland members and outlined the significant challenges that the social housing sector faces in the coming years.

With rising costs and a probable rent cap in prospect, Michael said that Broadland Housing would focus on the immediate priorities for tenants. Some longer-term ambitions may have to be scaled back in the short term – something he called “incredibly frustrating”.

However, Michael said that launching our new 5-year Corporate Strategy was a sign of our ability to maintain a long-term perspective and demonstrated our resilience.

Despite the challenges of the continuing Covid pandemic during 2021/2022, Broadland Housing delivered 136 new homes during the year, including 111 for affordable rent and a further 25 for shared ownership.  We allocated 482 homes during the year, including homes for 163 homeless households.

After the lockdown period, we focused on catching up with non-urgent repairs, carrying out 17,761 repairs during the year.

Nevertheless, Michael acknowledged at the meeting that the immediate future would present particular challenges for the social housing sector. 

After two years operating in a pandemic, we all hoped that the coming year would see a more benign operating environment, but the truth is that we are presented with some very tough economic conditions.  Costs continue to rise, affecting our budgets, and particularly the cost of maintenance materials.

At the same time, our tenants are also facing a really challenging economic period, with soaring energy prices and high inflation.

It seems likely that the government will implement a rent cap at a level below inflation for social housing.  That is a good idea, in that it recognises the financial challenges our tenants face.  However, we can only spend each pound once, so we will have to find a way to live within the cap and deal with our rising costs.

That means we must focus on the immediate priorities of supporting our tenants, and unfortunately that will entail scaling back some of our short-term ambitions, especially in terms of new development and planned improvement works. 

That is incredibly frustrating, but I am confident that we are a very resilient organisation which can maintain a longer-term perspective, and our new Corporate Strategy will help us to achieve that.

Michael Newey, Chief Executive

Broadland’s new Corporate Strategy outlines 12 key objectives for the period 2022-2026:

• Providing high-quality housing management services that meet the needs of existing and potential new tenants
• Providing high-quality repair services
• Supporting tenants at risk of losing their homes by working with them to minimise the number of failed tenancies
• Investing in tenants’ homes to improve quality and energy efficiency
• Involving tenants in shaping services, and being accountable to them on how services are delivered and money is spent
• Working to reduce homelessness locally, and lobbying for policy change nationally
• Maximising the number of new affordable homes built each year, without compromising services to existing tenants or threatening the organisation’s long-term stability
• Using financial resources responsibly and effectively to deliver strategic aims
• Managing financial resources sensibly
• Ensuring good governance at board, committee and leadership team levels
• Reducing the carbon footprint of Broadland’s homes and activities
• Ensuring Broadland is a good employer

Thanking staff, tenants, Board members and partners for their support during the year, Michael promised that we would remain focused on our core mission during the coming year.

We have the resilience and the determination to get through what will undoubtedly be a tough economic period, and we remain dedicated to supporting our tenants, helping to reduce homelessness, and making a positive contribution to communities in Norfolk and north Suffolk.