South Liverpool Homes awarded highest scores from the Regulator of Social Housing

Published: 28 February 2024

The Regulator of Social Housing has today published a regulatory judgement, upgrading South Liverpool Homes’ (SLH) governance rating to the highest standard, G1. We have also retained our V1 viability rating which affirms that we are a financially robust organisation. 

In June 2021, our governance rating was downgraded to G2. Whilst this rating has always been compliant, the regulator identified where we needed to improve in some aspects of our governance arrangements, particularly in our approach to property development, value for money, and probity arrangements. 

We are pleased that following a recent assessment, the regulator is assured that we have implemented the necessary measures from their findings in 2021 and are now operating at a G1 level. 

The regulator is satisfied that we have strengthened our governance arrangements and have addressed weaknesses found in our internal control framework by enhancing procedures for managing conflicts of interest. 

It was also noted that we have improved the quality and accessibility of information in our assets and liabilities register and under new leadership, undertaken a comprehensive review of our operations.  

Since our judgement in June 2021, we have put in place comprehensive action plans and undertook a fundamental review of our governance arrangements to ensure they are of the highest standard. Some of these measures include: 

• Strengthening the board’s strategic oversight by enhancing skillsets and introducing a new tenant-led committee that has detailed oversight of operational performance and standards 
• A new five-year corporate plan and value for money strategy with measurable targets 
• The implementation of a new development delivery model 
• A culture change programme to encourage an empowering and inclusive workplace, including launching new values and behaviours that form part of our performance management framework 
• Develop new probity rules and controls, including the recruitment of three new board members 

David Jepson, Chair of the Board of South Liverpool Homes, said: “We aim to achieve the highest standards in everything we do, so this latest judgement is welcome news for everyone. It is pleasing that the regulator recognises the substantial progress we have made to improve our governance arrangements, which has been a huge team effort from the executive team, board, and colleagues from across the organisation. Our vision is to deliver great homes, strong communities and bright futures and it’s reassuring to know that we are on the right path to deliver this ambition with a robust board, a committed workforce and strong financial foundations.” 

Anna Bishop, Chief Executive of South Liverpool Homes said: “This is a significant achievement which is testament to everyone who has played their part in this transformation journey so far. We have put in place lasting processes and controls that underpin everything we do, and it’s important that we continue to build on this positive progress by working together in an inclusive environment that fosters openness and accountability. 

“We are committed to putting our customers at the centre of everything we do, and this judgement demonstrates that we are in a strong position to continue investing in and improving our services to them.”  

The Regulator of Social Housing carries out assessments of housing associations every few years and publishes how well they are meeting its standards. They issue ratings on a scale of 1 to 4 for all social associations owning 1,000 or more homes.  

Our G1/V1 rating means: 

• G1 – we meet the Regulator’s governance requirements as set out in their governance and financial viability standard. 
• V1 - we meet the Regulator’s viability requirements as set out in their governance and financial viability standard and we have the capacity to mitigate our exposures effectively. 

This latest judgement comes on the back of our recent Investors in People investment where we achieved Gold status earlier this year - a coveted standard which demonstrates that our colleagues feel valued and proud to work for us. 

South Liverpool Homes' regulatory judgement on the Regulator of Social Housing website