Wales & West Housing
3 Alexandra Gate, Ffordd Pengam, Tremorfa, Cardiff CF24 2UD.
and
Unit 2, Acorn Business Park, Aber Road, Flint CH6 5YN.
Telephone on 0800 052 2526
Email: [email protected] Website: www.wwha.co.uk
@wwha
wwhahomesforwales
Published September 2014
The Business Plan 2015 to 2019
Our business plan has the same theme as the one we had in 1965.
We now have a few more themes, in fact six altogether. Six ways in
which we will continue to grow sustainably to make a difference to
people’s lives, homes and communities.
More – homes for people to rent and buy
Invest – making our housing warm and affordable to livein
Grow – generating real opportunities for work for residents
Technology – staff and residents making the most ofnew technology
Care – becoming an excellent care and support provider
Lives – supporting residents to make the best of theirtenancies
Wales & West Housing | The Business Plan 2015 to 2019 | 1
Just as acorns grow into mighty oak trees, when we
started in 1965 our plan was to provide housing that
local people could afford. From this ‘acorn’ of an idea,
we now own and manage over 9,500 homes across
Wales.
1 – The Mayor of Wrexham, Councillor David Bithell, visiting our new Hightown development on
Kingsmills Road
2 – Children in Barracksfield, Wrexham, tending their raised beds
3 – Residents at Nant y Môr take great pleasure in their open spaces
4 – Chris Ruane MP officially opens the new communal garden at Buxton Court in Rhyl, Denbighshire
5 - Carl Sargeant AM, former Minister for Housing and Regeneration, visiting Llys Jasmine, Flintshire’s
state-of-the-art extra care / dementia care development
6 - Tharniya Sivakumar, Mia Coates and Sujan Sivakumar at the Festival of Nations at Hightown
Community Resource Centre, Wrexham
Our vision is:
“to achieve strong
sustainable growth to make a
difference to people’s lives,
homes and communities.”
“From our small beginnings in Cardiff, like an acorn we havegrown. In my time on the Board of Wales & West Housing Ihave watched this organisation flourish and expand. Likethe mighty oak, its strength comes from being well rooted inlocal communities and an organisation on which people candepend. Our plan is about the many ways we will make adifference to the lives of our residents. At Wales & WestHousing we do what we say we will do. We care about whatwe do and that’s why we achieve the results we do.”
Kathy Smart, WWH Chair
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From our small beginnings…
L-R: Huw Lewis, Assembly Member for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, Kathy Smart, WWH Chair,
resident Pauline Protheroe in her new home at Vulcan Court in Merthyr Tydfil, and, Councillor
Brendan Toomey, leader of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council
Doing the right thing has become a mantra for us and this plan forthe next five years outlines what we will do to make sure we carry onmaking a difference to as many people as we can.
Our ambition is for everyone to have a home they can be proud of, ina place they want to live.
A home is so much more than just bricks and mortar – a home iswhere we feel safe, secure and part of a community. It is where webelong, a place from which we can grow and mature. Quite simply ahome is the foundation from which we all build our lives.
We are a social business that listens to our residents so we can deliver what matters to them. We are a responsible business thatdoes the right thing in how we treat our residents, our staff and ourpartners. Our strength comes from being a ‘social’ and ‘responsible’business.
We are confident about the future and want that to be shared byour residents. The actions in this plan will help achieve that.
Anne, Shayne, Steve and Tony
If you would like to discuss any aspect of this plan please give us aring on 02920 415335 or email us at [email protected]
Confident about the future…
L-R: Shayne Hembrow, Deputy Chief Executive/Commercial Director, Anne Hinchey, Chief Executive, Steve Porter, Operations Director,
and Tony Wilson, Finance Director.
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6Wales & West Housing | The Business Plan 2015 to 2019 | 7
More
Invest
Grow
Technology
Care
Lives
6 | The Business Plan 2015 to 2019 | Wales & West Housing
themes
Carl Sargeant AM, former Minister for Housing and Regeneration
officially opens our award winning new Extra Care/Dementia Care
development, Llys Jasmine, in Mold, Flintshire
Our
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Our plan over the next five years is to build more than 1,000 new
affordable homes. These include:
- 870 new high quality affordable family homes
- 38 state of the art specialist properties for vulnerable people
so they can live better, fuller and more independent lives
- 92 well designed apartments for older people to own or
to rent
- 100 homes for people who want to own their our home
We also plan to:
- Purchase the freehold of 400 units where we are the current
leaseholder
- Launch our pattern book of well designed, cost effective
energy efficient homes to buy and rent
MOREWe want to continue to build as many new homes as we
can afford. By making ourselves more efficient and
getting better value for money we have been able to
invest £54m in new housing in the past 3 years.
Symone Davies, her son, Ethan, and daughter, Ffion, looking forward to moving into their new home
in Town Mill Road in Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan
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- Design bespoke retrofit energy efficiency packages for all our
homes where we reasonably can
- Further develop our investment plans to:
- Create community gardens and vegetable plots
- Remodel older housing to better meet residents
needs
- Sustain the Welsh Housing Quality Standard for all our homes
INVESTWe feel strongly that no-one should be unable to afford
to heat their home and our plan is to do all we can to
eliminate fuel poverty. We want to make our housing
some of the warmest and most affordable to run in
Wales. We will:
Resident Daisy Jones with her beautiful floral displays at Buxton Court in Rhyl, Denbighshire
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- Make full use of Cambria Maintenance Services and Castell
Ventures to generate employment and training opportunities,
starting with Castell Catering
- Work with residents to help them get the training they need
either from WWH or partners
- Use our social enterprise and employment team to offer
tailored packages of support to help get people into work or
volunteering
G.R.O.W.‘Generating real opportunities for work’ for our
residents through our own resources as well as through
our network of partners is our fourth theme. We want
our residents to make the best use of the skills and
opportunities available to them. In the coming years
we will:
(Above) Cambria Maintenance Services fitting out the new premises of Cardiff Foodbank
Flynn (left) is looking foward to flexing his green fingers in Ton Pentre Infants School, Rhondda,
thanks to our donation of gardening equipment
Love it or hate it, technology is here to stay and will
continue to transform the way we work and live. We love
it and want everyone who works for us and lives in our
homes to get the most from what is available. We have
lots of plans and these include:
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- Continuing to roll-out free WiFi to residents
- Assessing the scope to expand telecare and other assistive
technology services offered by Connect 24
- Expanding the range of equipment and apps available for
staff so they can do more for residents when out and about
- Improving the skills of both staff and residents to make full use
of the internet
- Creating a network of digital champions to promote the
benefits of being online to residents
TECHNOLOGY
(Above) Student Jacob Durbin and resident Anne Halliday get to grips with Facebook and Twitter at
Oldwell Court retirement scheme, Cardiff
(Right) Student Luke Moore helps resident Fred Austin find his way around the internet
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- Improve the skills of all of our staff to better support a wider
range of vulnerable people
- Improve access, signage and the design of all our stock to
make them truly dementia, sight and disability friendly
- Increase the number and range of supported housing schemes
for people with complex needs
CAREWe are seeing an ever increasing demand from our
residents and others in the community for help with care
and support services. We want to expand both the range
and scale of our services and therefore we will:
(Above) Resident Norma Thomas enjoys a gentle exercise class, while Jaclyn Bolton enjoys
some pampering by hairdresser Denise at Nant y Môr Extra Care scheme in Prestatyn,
Denbighshire
(Left) Residents Idwal Roberts and Walter McCleod relaxing at Llys Jasmine Extra Care
Scheme, Mold, Flintshire
LIVESSupporting our residents to make the best of their
tenancy and enabling them to stay living in our properties
for as long as they wish is really important to us. We know
some of our residents need a little extra help to make
their house their home. In the next few years we will:
Wales & West Housing | The Business Plan 2015 to 2019 | 1918 | The Business Plan 2015 to 2019 | Wales & West Housing
- Continue to help residents earn more, budget better and stay
out of debt
- Explore other areas of support that people may need when
they start their tenancy, such as accessing the best fuel tariffs,
furniture and white goods for themselves.
(Above) Resident Viv Ellis enjoying lunch with Catering Manager Christine Wolstenholme at Llys
Jasmine Extra Care scheme, Mold, Flintshire
(right) Carl Sargeant AM, former Minister for Housing and Regeneration chats to residents Brian and
Joyce Bibb about their renewable heating system in Howey, Powys
How we run WWHHow we run the business has a big impact on our residents, our staff, the
environment and our partners. Being socially responsible is very important to
us and is, quite simply, the right thing to do.
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In delivering our six themes there are some principles which we hold dear
- We will live our values and be fair, open, responsible, supportive and efficient
- We will use our operating principles to ensure residents are at the heart of what we
do and our services deliver what matters to them
- We will invest wisely, ethically and run our business to achieve the best value possible
for residents
- We will try to minimise our impact on the environment
If you would like to find out more about how we run WWH, including details of our
Board, please go to www.wwha.co.uk
Conwy
233 Denbighshire
394
Flintshire
776
Wrexham
800
Powys
821
Swansea
96 Bridgend
1,301Vale of Glamorgan
423
Cardiff
3,168
Rhondda Cynon Taf
312
Caerphilly
461
Merthyr Tydfil
471
Total Stock
9,256Total Stock
9,623
Total on site now
576
General Needs
36
Re!rement
204
General Needs
249
Extra Care
58
Re!rement
58General Needs
606 Re!rement
137
General Needs
774
Re!rement
88
General Needs
632
Re!rement
158Supported
49
Supported
38
HomeOwnership
12
General Needs
65
General Needs
64
Re!rement
245
Re!rement
149
Supported
5 General Needs
92
Re!rement
106
General Needs
2,103
Supported
33
Re!rement
128
Supported
19
Home Ownership
34
General Needs
988
Re!rement
305
HomeOwnership
33Supported
26 General Needs
247HomeOwnership
166
Re!rement
682
HomeOwnership
627
General Needs
243
Conwy
Denbighshire
Flintshire
Wrexham
Powys
SwanseaBridgend
Vale of Glamorgan
Cardiff
Rhondda Cynon
TafCaerphilly
HomeOwnership
31
HomeOwnership
31
HomeOwnership
1
Merthyr Tydfil
HomeOwnership
2
Supported
12
Home Ownership
23
In development
47
In development
40
In development
57
In development
64
In development
71
In development
32In
development
137
In development
104
In development
24
Extra Care
63
HomeOwnership
1
Where we operate
North Wales Housing Officer Cath Marland out and about visiting her residents
Figures as at August 2014
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Financially strongOur financial strength enables us to do the right thing at the right
time for our residents and our properties and absorb the knocks
that Welfare Reform brings. We expect the continuation of healthy
surpluses which we will reinvest in our existing housing stock,
ensuring they meet the Welsh Housing Quality Standard at all
times. We are also able to borrow for long periods at low interest
rates and access grant funding, which we anticipate will enable us
to grow our housing stock by a further 12% by 2019. Our total
spend over the next five years of more than £300 million will also
provide a substantial economic stimulus in the communities in
which our residents live. Lesley Griffiths AM officially opens Hightown Community Resource Centre along with Wales & West Housing Chief Executive Anne
Hinchey, The Mayor Cllr David Bithell, Ian Lucas MP and pupils from Ysgol Bodhyfryd and St Giles Primary School
Wales & West Housing | The Business Plan 2015 to 2019 | 2524 | The Business Plan 2015 to 2019 | Wales & West Housing
(Below) Our new development at Hightown, Wrexham
(Right) Mark Drakeford, Minister for Health and Social Services at Llys Jasmine Extra Care scheme.
CASHFLOWS
for years ending 31 December 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2015 -
£m £m £m £m £m 2019 £m
Net cash flow from operations 17.6 18.4 19.8 21.3 23.0 100.1
Net interest payments (5.8) (6.5) (7.4) (8.3) (9.0) (37.0)
Replacement capital expenditure (3.5) (0.6) (0.6) (0.6) (0.7) (6.0)
Replacement components (8.3) (7.2) (6.0) (4.8) (6.8) (33.1)
Free cash inflow 0.0 4.1 5.8 7.6 6.5 24.0
Development expenditure (29.8) (12.7) (16.9) (25.9) (30.8) (116.1)
Grants 6.1 4.4 9.0 9.8 10.9 40.2
Net cash outflow
before financing (23.7) (4.2) (2.1) (8.5) (13.4) (51.9)
Loan principal drawdown -
known facility 5.0 5.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 10.5
- additional facility requirement 20.0 4.2 4.9 23.9 16.2 69.2
Loan principal repayments (2.0) (2.2) (2.8) (17.8) (2.8) (27.6)
Net increase/(decrease) in cash (0.7) 3.3 0.0 (2.4) 0.0 0.2
ASSUMPTIONS
for years ending 31 December 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Plan Plan Plan Plan Plan
Inflation
Rent 3.50% 3.50% 3.50% 3.50% 3.00%
Salaries 3.25% 3.25% 3.25% 3.25% 3.25%
Maintenance costs 3.50% 3.50% 3.50% 3.50% 3.50%
CPI 2.00% 2.00% 2.00% 2.00% 2.00%
Funding
New borrowings rate 4.82% 5.14% 5.54% 5.84% 6.04%
Grant rate 58% 58% 58% 58% 58%
Housing completions 278 183 130 160 240
INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT
for years ending 31 December 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2015 -
£m £m £m £m £m 2019 £m
Income 44.9 48.0 50.3 52.9 55.1 251.2
Operating costs (33.2) (36.2) (37.6) (39.1) (40.1) (186.2)
Operating surplus 11.7 11.8 12.7 13.8 15.0 65.0
Interest payable (6.0) (6.5) (7.4) (8.0) (8.9) (36.8)
Net surplus 5.7 5.3 5.3 5.8 6.1 28.2
BALANCE SHEET
as at 31 December 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
£m £m £m £m £m
Gross property cost 529.1 549.0 571.7 602.5 640.1
Housing grant (281.9) (285.8) (294.4) (303.8) (314.2)
Depreciation (48.6) (54.8) (61.1) (68.0) (75.2)
Net cost of property 198.6 208.4 216.2 230.7 250.7
Borrowings (162.6) (170.1) (172.2) (178.3) (191.7)
Other net assets 20.3 23.4 22.9 20.3 19.9
Net assets & reserves 56.3 61.7 66.9 72.7 78.9
Gearing Ratio (net worth) 48.1% 49.0% 47.6% 47.4% 48.8%
Gearing Ratio (gross property cost) 30.7% 31.0% 30.1% 29.6% 29.9%