We’re one of the country’s biggest developers of affordable homes. We’re also a long-term business, building homes for this and future generations. During that time a lot can change, so our organisation needs to adapt as the world changes.
Our 12 ESG objectives underpin this long-term outlook. They make sure we’re building and adapting homes fit for the future, reducing our impact on the environment, and increasing the diversity and inclusiveness of our organisation.
Our objectives:
Social
1. Offer rented homes
2. Target development activity in areas where the market isn’t providing homes people need
3. Reduce levels of rough sleeping in our communities
4. Help customers thrive in their homes and communities
Environmental
1. Make our homes more energy efficient
2. Become a zero-carbon business
3. Be a sustainable business partner
4. Share our work and learn from others
Governance
1. Be completely transparent and open about how we work
2. Involve our customers so that we can deliver great homes and services for them
3. Foster a company culture that is inclusive and supportive for all
4. Build a high-performing organisation
Since we set these objectives, life has become more difficult for many of our customers and for the social housing sector. Increasing costs, more regulation, skills shortage and the country’s planning process are all posing threats to our ambitions. But we are a robust business that can address short-term challenges without diverting from our long-term goals. We remain highly committed to making a meaningful contribution to solving the housing crisis. This means developing more new homes, investing in our existing homes to make them more energy efficient as well making our communities attractive with green spaces where people want to live. We’ll achieve this whilst being the well-run, transparent organisation that customers and other stakeholders expect.
To meet our long-term goals, it’s going to take significant effort, commitment, and investment. We’re honest about this but with the strength of our leadership and governance, we’re confident that we’re well placed to make good progress in the coming years. For now, our work over the last financial year demonstrates that our customers and society, the environment and how we’re run as an organisation are firmly at the forefront of our thinking.