The National Federation of ALMOs (NFA) has appointed Paul Stephenson as its new Chair of the Board, who takes over the reins from Mike Ainsley.
NFA Managing Director Eamon McGoldrick said: “NFA members feel very fortunate that Paul has accepted the board chairmanship.
“He has an exceptional record in social housing across four decades that ranges from housing associations to council housing, and from the front line of housing management through to the leadership of an outstanding former NFA member.
“His many colleagues in the NFA sector are delighted to welcome him back in this new role. He is a committed champion of all that the ALMO model brings to our members’ council housing management on behalf of their parent local authorities, and our board and team could not be in safer hands as we move into this next phase of NFA work.”
Paul has been working in social housing for 40 years, joining Cheltenham Borough Homes, one of the newly formed ALMOs, in 2005, and staying there until his retirement in 2020.
He said: “It was already clear that the ALMO model’s focus on customers, community and local partnerships would be able to deliver the kind of services customers needed, and I wanted to be part of that.”
On his retirement, Paul was appointed Chair of Homes in Somerset – its new name since April this year, formerly Homes in Sedgemoor. He added: “That change of name is directly linked to the well-earned evolution of this ALMO which first opened in 2007 and now has a pan-county role in providing development and regeneration services for Somerset Council. This is a great reflection of the trust and partnership shared by ALMO and parent council.”
Peter Hatch, Chief Executive at Homes in Somerset, added: “As a member of the NFA since our inception and having received their support and encouragement over many years, we are delighted that our chair, Paul Stephenson, has been elected chair of the NFA Board. Paul has been a huge advocate for ALMOs and we welcome him continuing to support ALMOs at a national level.”
With challenges ahead, including the results of the Government’s June Spending Review, Paul will have to navigate potential operational changes in both finances, new supply and service delivery.
He said: “Our sector will keep its drive and focus on supporting our customers and communities while providing great services, as the first year TSM results have clearly demonstrated. We also continue to provide excellent governance functions and, as a collection of 15 ALMOs, we continue to punch above our weight in many aspects of our delivery and impact.
“We also see future opportunities for NFA work and the expertise built up over the last 20 years by its members in best-practice sharing and continuous improvement initiatives as the policy landscape changes – and we will carefully consider how best to respond and react. Our principles, however, will remain customer-focused as always.
“Going forward, I am very much looking forward to working with NFA members in a rather different capacity to my past role as Cheltenham’s representative. I have great confidence that we will continue to be the small federation in council housing management that nevertheless packs a big punch.”