Governance
The ongoing success and future ambitions of the Group are based upon a foundation of strong governance. Comprising genuine diversity of talent and thought, our vastly experienced Group Board is complemented by robust processes and procedures, supported by Committees that provide a variety of specialised expertise. All of this means that the organisation is well resourced to navigate the significant challenges we face and has the right structure to enable continued growth and success.
Chair’s introduction
The ongoing challenges facing the sector have continued to be felt across the Group, with performance and improving the services we provide very much the focus of the Board. Our customers deserve excellent services and it’s imperative that we ensure they feel safe and secure in their homes and communities.
More than ever, we need to understand the needs of our customers, strengthening our foundations to ensure we get the basics right so that we overcome the challenges we face now and in the future. We continue to work through our robust recovery plan, ensuring a customer-first approach is at the forefront of everything we do.
In 2022, the Group received the results of our In-Depth Assessment from the Regulator of Social Housing and I’m delighted to say that we retained a G1 status. Of course, there’s always more that we can do and the Board is fully focused on ensuring we achieve the improvements we need to make during the coming financial year.
Jenny Brown
Group Board Chair
How we're governed
Board and Committee structure
The Group Board and its supporting Committees lead Longhurst Group in delivering its corporate ‘Improving Lives’ strategy. By acting as role models and leading on the Group’s values, the Board bring a broad wealth of skills, insight and experience, providing robust challenge and support to the Executive Team.
The Board and Executive Team work closely to ensure the highest standards of governance, with rigorous and robust control systems in place. However, good governance extends beyond the rules and systems we have in place, it’s also about ensuring the culture of the organisation and the behaviours of those involved is right.
To ensure that the Group is able to deliver its objectives in the most effective way, we review our structure annually to ensure it remains fit for purpose. Board Members are appointed to the governance structure based on skills and experience.
As of 31 March 2023, the Group Board has nine Board Members and two Co-optees. Board Members are Non-Executive Directors, with the exception of one, who is the Group Chief Executive.
Diversity
Having a good balance of diversity on the Board is critical to ensuring that decisions are made with the needs of customers and communities in mind.
The Group operates over a large geography and therefore the need for diversity is imperative so that a wide variety of customers and communities are represented.
Diversity both in terms of physical characteristics and diversity of thought is a key part of the Group’s Board and Committee recruitment process as well as ongoing annual Board composition reviews.
Group Board and Executive Leadership
Longhurst Group’s Board has ultimate responsibility for the governance and performance of the Group and its subsidiaries. Its role is to determine the strategic direction of the organisation and to oversee and control risks and opportunities, thus allowing the Group to meet its objectives.
Each Board and Committee is provided with terms of reference so that the decision making roles they have are clear and transparent. There are some decisions that only the Group Board will undertake. These are set out within the Group Board’s terms of reference.
Board Chair
The Group Board Chair leads the Board and is supported by the Senior Independent Director, who operates as a sounding board for the Chair as well as, if needed, acting as an intermediary for all other Board Directors. The Chair is responsible for ensuring that the Board performs well, overseeing a regular, robust appraisal and supporting good relationships as well as succession planning and development activities.
All Board and Committee members undergo an annual appraisal, and annual development plan which forms the basis of individual training sessions.
Board membership
Each Board and Committee member is selected for their role based on merit and the skills and experience they possess. An important part of the recruitment process is to ensure clear understanding of the communities which the Group serves. Roles and responsibilities are set out in a role and person specification document.
Members are provided with opportunities for training and development, in addition to opportunities identified during their annual appraisal. This means that each member is clear on their fiduciary duties as well as what’s happening in the wider sector in terms of risk and opportunities. Members are also encouraged to attend conferences and webinars for this reason.
Executive Team
Rob Griffiths Deputy Group Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officer
Louise Platt Executive Director of Housing, Care and Support
Lynn Stubbs Executive Director of People and Performance
Marcus Keys Executive Director of Assets, Growth and Development