Applicant Information Pack Managing Director Wokingham Housing

Applicant Information Pack
Managing Director
Wokingham Housing Limited
Page | 1 Contents Contents Welcome About the Borough About the Council Housing Strategy – Key Facts and Figures
Job Description & Person Specification – Managing Director of Wokingham Housing Limited The Selection Process How to Respond Page | 2 2 3 4 8 12 41 44 44 Welcome Thank you for your interest in Wokingham Borough Council. We have a strong history of commitment to our communities, constantly seeking to improve the quality of life, improving educational opportunities, helping families and supporting the most vulnerable. We are proud of the considerable talent and expertise which exists within our senior team. We are now looking for individuals with the knowledge, experience and enthusiasm to join us and build on the excellent services being delivered to children, young people and families in Wokingham. You will already know that this is a challenging time for local government and we face an unprecedented challenge of doing more with less. You would be joining a council with a track record of delivering first class and accessible services despite reducing resources. We are not afraid to explore new and innovative ideas and methods of working. As Managing Director of Wokingham Housing Limited you will help drive forward this agenda ensuring Wokingham continues to lead and shape partnerships and collaborate widely. This is an exciting but demanding position for a talented and committed professional who will relish the challenge of the next phase in their career. Page | 3 About the borough Wokingham Borough offers the best quality of life in Britain according to a recent survey, with higher earnings, better schools and longer life expectancies. The area that we serve is diverse, made up of 17 parishes and towns, each with their own distinctive character. A unique blend of countryside and town, rich history and up‐to‐
date facilities, co‐exist harmoniously. Wide‐
ranging leisure activities are available. According to Thames Valley Enterprise, the Wokingham/Bracknell areas have had the highest rate of business growth in the UK over the past 15 years. This is reflected in the contrasting blend of local market trading and big business, with a concentration of multi‐
national companies including Microsoft and Oracle. Much of the University of Reading is also within the borough. Local Economy The borough has a strong regional economy dominated by the IT, communications and pharmaceutical sectors. Major international companies such as Oracle, Microsoft and BG Group, Johnson and Johnson, Jacobs, ING Direct, Foster Wheeler, and the University of Reading are located within the borough. Businesses are attracted by the excellent communication links to London, Heathrow and the motorway network. Labour supply and skill shortages, transportation difficulties and the high cost of housing typify the problems experienced. The economic base of the Borough has broadened through the growth of new business developments at Winnersh IQ, Suttons Industrial Park and The Thameside Business and Country Park at Thames Valley Business Park, on the Earley/Sonning borders. There have also been small‐scale office developments around the Borough.
Page | 4 Employment There is low level of unemployment and more than 57% of Wokingham’s working population are in higher managerial or professional occupations. Despite the economic downturn the number of Wokingham people claiming jobseeker’s allowance represents just 0.8 per cent of the working age population and is the lowest out of the south east unitary authorities Wokingham Borough Council serves a population of 151,000 people (2011 Census). We employ just over 3000 staff, more than half of whom work in our schools.
Demographics In Wokingham Borough 80% of the adult population are owner occupiers and there is a high proportion of detached housing when compared to other areas. In the borough 44.6% of household spaces are detached, compared to 26.5% in Berkshire, 28% in the South East, and 22.9% in England and Wales. The borough has an average proportion of semi‐detached housing but a lower proportion of terraced housing, purpose‐built flats and other household spaces.
Other key characteristics of households in the borough revealed by the 2011 census are that fewer than 4% of households include lone parents with dependent children; and the ethnic minority population has increased over the last decade with 11.9% of the population being non‐white Wealth and Deprivation A prosperous area with a good local economy, the borough has a low unemployment record. In fact, a study published by the School of Advanced Urban Studies at Bristol University, based on six indicators (unemployment, lone parenthood, youth unemployment, single pensioners, long‐term limiting illness and dependents per household) found Wokingham the least deprived borough in England. The 2011 census found the borough to be the one of the healthiest in the country with only 13 % of the population reporting 'not good health' as well as the 5th highest number of people in good health Ownership of cars/vans is the highest in the country with only 9% of households without a car or van. A survey by Halifax in October 2007 revealed that residents’ average weekly earnings are in the top 5% at £744 a week. Residents’ health, low crime rates and carbon emissions were Page | 5 also judged, concurring with research showing that we are one of the least deprived boroughs in England. Population and Growth . During the 1980s, Wokingham was the second fastest growth area in the country, behind Milton Keynes.
From 2006 to 2016, 27,000 new homes are proposed for Berkshire and 13,000 of these are planned to be built in Wokingham Borough
Housing The challenge facing the borough is to balance the need for housing development against the protection and enhancement of the pleasant semi‐rural environment The Wokingham borough is vulnerable because it lacks brownfield sites and protected areas compared with other parts of Berkshire There are 2,900 council houses, spread throughout the borough ‐ they are generally in a good state of repair and there are no concentrated areas of deprivation, measured against government indices Wokingham Borough Council has made a clear commitment to growth and aims to deliver 13,500 new homes by 2026, including 10,000 new homes on 4 strategic development locations (SDLs). The identification of four Strategic Development Locations (SDLs) within Wokingham Borough represents a major and unprecedented opportunity to plan for new development in a comprehensive manner, to ensure that the development of new homes goes hand in hand with the provision of essential physical and community infrastructure. The objective is not simply to meet housing targets, but to plan for the long‐term delivery of sustainable urban communities, and to avoid the need for piecemeal small‐scale housing development which may harm the character of well established communities. The four SDLs are 


South Wokingham SDL has the capacity to deliver 2,500 homes with development expected to start on site in 2013 North Wokingham SDL has the capacity to deliver 1,500 homes; with well‐connected extensions to the existing community, the sites are at various stages of development from pre‐application to developers actually on site South of the M4 SDL has the capacity to deliver 2,500 homes: the site is made up of a number of developments at various stages of progress, ranging from pre‐
application to work underway Page | 6 
Arborfield Garrison SDL has the capacity to deliver 3,500 homes with pre‐application discussions ongoing and master planning work at an advanced stage Town Centre Regeneration With the housing growth we are also regenerating Wokingham town centre to make sure it has the facilities needed to meet the needs of the increased population. We want to give Wokingham a town centre with a better range of national and local shops and facilities. We also want to help our businesses and leisure facilities grow. We're going to be:  Building new shops, a food store and a hotel  Creating a new underground car park  Building new town centre houses and apartments  Creating new public spaces including an improved park and public plaza We want to create a town centre that will thrive in the future
The Challenges In terms of the likely challenges that these demographic trends create, we believe the following to be key:  Investment in school places and infrastructure is needed. New primary and secondary school building will be necessary.  More elderly and frail people will require further investment in care services. Increasing costs mean that there is a need to re‐think our approach to the delivery of care for these groups, with an increasing emphasis on supporting people safely in their own homes for longer.  Increased housing pressures, not only for key workers, must be balanced against concern about the environment and the character of the area.  Our ethnic minority population is small but growing. One consequence of living in an affluent area is the increased marginalisation of socially excluded groups. We must develop the Council and its services to the benefit of everyone in the borough.  Our population is highly IT literate which presents opportunities for the increased electronic provision of services and greater numbers of transactions through the Council’s website. Page | 7 
We have the third highest level of car ownership per family in the country. The Council must find ways of easing traffic congestion and developing alternative travel solutions with our partners and neighbouring authorities. About the Council Budgetary pressures on local authorities are severe. Added to which Wokingham Borough Council is the worst funded local authority in England. There have also been changes to national legislation that directly impact the way we deliver our services. Therefore it is very important that we, as an organisation, are prepared for these challenges to ensure the ongoing success of our Borough. We decided the best way to do this was to ensure we had a clear vision with meaningful and realistic priorities, focusing on the needs of our residents. Our Vision, Values and Priorities Our vision, values and priorities were created jointly by the elected members and officers. They have determined and shaped our work since 2012. Our Borough is recognised as a desirable place to live. We want to maintain this whilst improving quality of life in the Borough. Our vision is therefore “A great place to live and an even better place to do business’. Our service plans and individual objectives align to the outcomes that we need to see in order to successfully achieve our vision. You can view a video about our Vision on the Council website. Page | 8 Corporate Plan
Service Plans
Accountabilities
Outcomes
The Golden Thread
Vision, Principles and
Priorities
Team Plans
Individual Performance Management
People
Values and Behaviour
Priorities Improve educational attainment and focus on every child achieving their potential We will work with partners to achieve our aim to be one of the best local authorities in the country for educational attainment. We will achieve this by maintaining high performance overall, and by focusing on narrowing the gap in the achievement of children from particular groups by delivering targeted support and early intervention. Invest in regenerating towns and villages, support social and economic prosperity, whilst encouraging business growth We will work with residents, businesses and partners to develop and deliver an affordable programme of regeneration in our towns and villages across the Borough, starting with Wokingham. We will assist our communities increase trade and provide amenities in the villages that people value. We will focus on supporting business growth. Ensure strong sustainable communities that are vibrant and supported by well designed development We will concentrate our efforts to plan and deliver services which will support appropriate design and development, creating thriving communities. Tackle traffic congestion in specific areas of the Borough We will explore different private and public transport options to reduce congestion and improve journey’s across the Borough. Improve the customer experience when accessing Council services Page | 9 We will provide a responsive, flexible and consistent customer service to give residents confidence that council tax is being spent wisely. We will continue to train and develop our staff and working practices to focus on the achievement of our priorities. We will build on the good practice of Wokingham Direct resolving your queries at first point of contact and providing residents with modern channels to access our services. Underpinning Principles Offer excellent value for your Council Tax We will continue to encourage our staff to ensure our services offer excellent value for money. Provide affordable homes We will provide a complete range of affordable and flexible homes across the Borough through the provision of general needs housing, shared ownership and other tenures. Look after the vulnerable We will help our residents who are dependent on our support to become self sufficient and self reliant. We will provide care to those residents who need our support. Improve health, wellbeing and quality of life We will work with our partners to promote health, well being and quality of life. We will ensure our partnerships are focused on health and well being outcomes and will drive the delivery of public health through the council’s new role. We will continue to ensure safe communities. Maintain and improve the waste collection, recycling and fuel efficiency We will maintain and improve the weekly waste collection and recycling service driven by the EU directives on landfill charges. We will implement changes to make our buildings more fuel efficient and improve their longer term sustainability.
Deliver quality in all that we do We will publish customer service commitments and ensure quality of service. We will clarify and simplify monitoring arrangements to assure improvements. Values When delivering on our vision, principles and priorities we are committed to behaving within a set of core values which are: One team Everyone in the organisation understands their role, their accountability and their contribution to the Borough’s success. Being Valued We all engage with each other and our community, we listen to what people tell us then act to resolve any issues as quickly and as effectively as possible, whilst celebrating success and incentivising good performance. Page | 10 Trust & Respect We can rely on our colleagues to act with honesty and integrity, and when working with: each other, our partners, residents and service users, we will treat each other as we would like to be treated, recognising and embracing differences. Pride We are proud to work for the Council to improve outcomes for the Borough and its residents, we are a learning organisation that develops our people and continuously strives to improve service delivery. Coaching Culture In order to deliver on our vision, values and priorities we want to create a coaching culture, where individuals are encouraged to continuously develop themselves, whilst providing support for those whose performance falls below the required standard. Feedback from employees clearly told us that it’s the quality of the actual conversations that they have with their manager that counts and adds value, not the paperwork. So we have looked to concentrate on the conversation itself, and simplify how these are recorded, to enable proper performance conversations to take place We worked with representatives across all services to create a new approach to the way we conduct appraisals and one to ones that will lead to continuous performance improvement. The approach is flexible and adaptable, and is based on outcomes achieved in line with our values and priorities, with a strengthened Golden Thread. There are 3 elements to the new Performance Improvement Framework: 


Page | 11 A visual representation of how an individual’s performance is progressing shown on ‘Dials’ All Managers as Performance Coaches A group of qualified Coaches to support Managers in their performance coaching HOUSING STRATEGY 2010 – 2013 ‘All residents can access well‐designed, affordable and sustainable homes and effective support services to enable them to experience a high quality of life in Wokingham’ Housing Facts and Figures Update April – June 2014 This document has been produced to provide stakeholders and colleagues with information about key housing issues in Wokingham Borough, and to underpin our Housing Strategy. 1. Housing Need 1.1 Housing Register As of 3rd September 2014 there were 2351 people on Wokingham Borough Council’s Housing Register. This compares to the 2417 recorded in April 2014, a decrease of 66 Housing Register Breakdown by Need April ‐
June 2014 59
12
374
1 Bed
1222
684
2 Bed
3 Bed
4 Bed
5 Bed
people. Page | 12 As the chart above shows, the majority of residents are in need of 1 bedroom properties (52%), followed by 2 bedroom properties (29%). 1.2 Allocations In Quarter 1 of 2014/15 (April‐June 2014), there were a total of 73 lettings, a decrease of 4 from the previous quarter. The majority of allocations were for one bedroom properties. Housing Allocations by Property Size April‐
June 2014 1
2
9
1 Bed
32
2 Bed
3 Bed
29
4 Bed
5 Bed
Shared Ownership Register Breakdown by Need (September 2014) 0% (2)
16% (56)
29% (102)
1 bed
2 bed
55% (193)
3 bed
4 bed
Page | 13 1.3 Shared Ownership Register
Applicants on the shared ownership register have a different level of need to the Council’s housing register, however applicants need to meet eligibility criteria including a cap on total household income of less than £60,000. Priority is given to existing social tenants and those with a local connection. As of September 2014, there are 353 households who have registered their interest in a shared ownership property within Wokingham Borough, of these 156 currently live in the local area. Of the 353 households currently on the register, 50 households have requested flatted accommodation. A breakdown of need by bedroom size is shown in the graph below. Housing Allocations Breakdown April ‐ June 2014
9
13
29
Transfers
Register
Sheltered
22
Homeless
1.4 Homelessness Presentations The Housing Needs Team has seen a significant increase in the level of homelessness presentations over the past year, with the first quarter of 2014 witnessing a total of 38 homelessness presentations, an increase of 12 on last quarter’s figure of 26. Homelessness presentations will continue to be monitored so that appropriate preventative measures can be instigated. The presentations made since January 2011 are illustrated overleaf. Page | 14 Homelessness Presentations from January 2011
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Jan ‐ Mar 11
Apr ‐ Jun 11
July ‐ Sept 11
Oct ‐ Dec 11
Jan ‐ Mar 12
Apr ‐ Jun 12
July ‐ Sept 12
Oct ‐ Dec 12
Jan ‐ Mar 13
Apr ‐ Jun 13
July ‐ Sept 13
Oct ‐ Dec 13
Jan ‐ Mar 14
April ‐ June 14
As can be seen from the graph above, the majority of homelessness presentations can be attributed to the end of AST payments, parental evictions and relationship breakdowns. 1.5 Homelessness Applications The graph overleaf shows the number of homelessness acceptances and preventions from 2009/10. There have been 26 preventions and 17 homeless acceptances in the first quarter of 2014. The Housing Needs Team continues to focus on prevention of homelessness. Homelessness Acceptance and Preventions 60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Preventions
Page | 15 Acceptances
As the graph below shows, the primary prevention work for homelessness prevention continues to be centred on the Rent in Advance scheme. The scheme accounted for 21 of 26 homelessness preventions in the first quarter of 2014. The second graph below removes the Rent in Advance figures to show the other prevention measures more clearly. When considering prevention work excluding Rent in Advance, ‘Part 6 offers’ and ‘Other Assistance’ categories were the next most significant forms of prevention for homelessness. Homelessness Preventions January 2010 ‐ March 2014
Mortgage Arrears
Intervention or
MRS
Homelessness
prevention fund
Resolved HB
Legal advocacy
Other assistance
Resolved rent
arrears
Debt advice
Conciliation
M'ment move of
LA tenant
Part 6 offer
PRS no incentive
Supported accom
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Prevention (enabled to stay at home)
Jan‐10
Mar‐10
Jun‐10
Sep‐10
Dec‐10
Mar‐11
Jun‐11
Sep‐11
Dec‐11
Jun‐12
Sep‐12
Dec‐12
Mar‐13
Jun‐13
Sep‐13
Dec‐13
Mar‐14
Jun‐14
Mar‐12
Homelessness Preventions January 2010 ‐ March 2014
Prevention via alternative
accommodation
Mortgage Arrears
Intervention or MRS
Prevention (enabled to stay at home)
Jan‐10
Mar‐10
Jun‐10
Sep‐10
Dec‐10
Mar‐11
Jun‐11
Sep‐11
Dec‐11
Jun‐12
Sep‐12
Dec‐12
Mar‐13
Jun‐13
Sep‐13
Dec‐13
Mar‐14
Jun‐14
Page | 16 Homelessness
prevention fund
Resolved HB
Legal advocacy
Other assistance
Resolved rent
arrears
Debt advice
Conciliation
M'ment move of LA
tenant
Part 6 offer
Supported accom
PRS with incentive
PRS no incentive
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Mar‐12
1.6 Discretionary Housing Payments Discretionary Housing Payments are payments given by local councils to help people who qualify for housing benefit (or similar help under Universal Credit) but are having trouble paying their rent or finding enough money to pay the start‐up costs of a tenancy. No one has a right to discretionary housing payments and awards are made out of a cash limited budget. When the money runs out, no more payments can be made. Nationally, this fund has made a significant and increasing contribution to the prevention of homelessness for low income households, especially those living in the private rented sector on marginal incomes. Local Authorities are seeing an increase in the level of Discretionary Housing Payment requests which are impacting on their administration costs. The government has increased the amount of money available to help people adjust to cuts in housing benefit and other welfare reforms in recent years. The graph below shows the total amount of money awarded by Wokingham Borough Council in the form of Discretionary Housing Payments since 2007/08. The most common applications for DHP in 2013/14 were due to the Removal of Spare Room Subsidies and restrictions to the Local Housing Allowance. Number of Discretionary Housing Payments Awarded 2007‐2014
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
2007/08
Page | 17 2008/09
2009/10
2010/11
2011/12
2012/13
2013/14
2. Affordable Housing Supply The graphs below show how many new affordable homes have been completed through our partnership with Registered Social Landlords. During the first quarter of 2014/15 there were 12 completions. A further 200+ completions are expected during the remainder of 2014/15. Affordable Housing Completions 2009/10 ‐
2014/15
160
140
120
100
80
146
60
91
40
20
53
70
108
70
12
0
2008/09
2009/10
2010/11
2011/12
2012/13
2013/14
2014/15
Of the 12 completions, 2 have been for shared ownership, 8 for social rent and 2 for affordable rent. Page | 18 Affordable Housing Completions by Tenure April 2014 ‐ March 2015
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Rent
Affordable Rent
Shared
Ownership
Shared Equity
Intermediate
Quarter 1 (Apr‐ Jun 14)
Quarter 2 (Jul‐Sept 14)
Quarter 3 (Oct ‐ Dec 14)
Quarter 4 (Jan ‐ Mar 15)
Total
The Wokingham Equity Loan Scheme was launched in October 2010; the scheme enabled applicants to purchase a property on the open market with additional financial assistance in the form of an equity loan, jointly funded by the Council and Catalyst Housing Group. A maximum loan of £50,000 was available to applicants. The scheme has now closed, but overall the scheme assisted 22 households into home ownership. Two of the loans have now been redeemed. Both have made a small profit, which is being recycled into funds for affordable housing. We would like to run the scheme again in the future subject to funding. 3. Buying a Home 3.1 House Prices The most recent Land Registry figures display that the average price of a home in Wokingham has witnessed a significant increase since the previous quarter and now stands at £307,756 (June, 2014). Page | 19 The average house price in Wokingham is now approximately 1% higher than maximum value of May 2014, when average house prices peaked at £302,748. Prior to May 2014, the previous maximum value was £292,599, experienced in March 2008. Average house prices for Wokingham remain substantially higher (approximately 79% higher) than the national average of £172,798 (Land Registry, June 2014). Average House Price in Wokingham 350000
300000
250000
£
200000
150000
100000
Jan‐14
Jun‐13
Nov‐12
Apr‐12
Sep‐11
Jul‐10
Feb‐11
Dec‐09
May‐…
Oct‐08
Aug‐07
Mar‐08
Jan‐07
Jun‐06
Nov‐05
Apr‐05
Sep‐04
Feb‐04
Jul‐03
Dec‐02
Oct‐01
Mar‐01
Aug‐00
Jan‐00
0
May‐…
50000
(Source: Land Registry, 2014)
The most recent data from the Land Registry displays that prices are around 62‐79% higher than the national average across most sizes of property, excluding flats and maisonettes, which are approximately 8% higher than the national average. Page | 20 (Source: Land Registry, 2014) March 2014
April 2014
May 2014
June 2014
Detached (£)
Semidetached (£)
Terraced (£)
Flat (£)
All (£)
423, 565
265, 305
222, 922
178, 599
296, 804
427, 069
267, 500
224, 766
180, 077
299, 259
432, 047
270, 618
227, 385
182, 176
302, 756
439, 195
275, 095
231, 147
185, 190
307, 756
As was common across most of the country, house prices in Wokingham fell during the peak of the economic downtown. House prices however are beginning to regain some of this fall and since May 2011 have remained fairly stable. This figure has risen further in recent months, with June 2014 witnessing the highest average housing peak (£307, 756) since the previous maximum value in March 2008. Figures from the Land Registry indicate that sales transactions have risen slightly from January 2013, however the most recent figures from June 2014 show a slight downturn from the previous quarter, which can perhaps be attributed to the rapid increase in house Sales Volume in Wokingham 2000‐2014 500
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
Month
Jan‐01
Jun‐01
Nov‐01
Apr‐02
Sep‐02
Feb‐03
Jul‐03
Dec‐03
May‐04
Oct‐04
Mar‐05
Aug‐05
Jan‐06
Jun‐06
Nov‐06
Apr‐07
Sep‐07
Feb‐08
Jul‐08
Dec‐08
May‐09
Oct‐09
Mar‐10
Aug‐10
Jan‐11
Jun‐11
Nov‐11
Apr‐12
Sep‐12
Feb‐13
Jul‐13
Jan‐14
0
prices (Source: Land Registry, 2014) 3.2 Help to Buy Page | 21 The Help to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme helps people buy a newly built home or an existing property with a deposit of only 5% of the purchase price. The scheme is open for loans to existing homeowners, as well as first time buyers. The loans are available on new and existing houses with a value of up to £600,000. The scheme is not available for those wishing to purchase a second home or buy‐to‐let property and only repayment mortgages are offered under the scheme. The guarantee protects the lender rather than the borrower against losses. Borrowers remain fully responsible got their mortgage payments and any shortfall in the normal way. The first phase of Help to Buy was launched in April 2013, but only provided help to first‐
time buyers buying new‐build homes. The extended scheme introduced in October 2013 applied to all buyers and all types of homes, up to a value of £600,000. During April – December 2013 a total of 39 properties were sold across the borough through the Help to Buy scheme. The table below shows there have been a further 112 properties sold through the Help to Buy scheme since January 2014 to September 2014. Scheme Montague Park, Wokingham Loddon Park, Off Mowhawk Way, Woodley Pavilions, Wellington Road, Wokingham Sibley Park, Earley, Reading The Chesnuts, Wokingham Mulberry Grove, Wokingham Mulberry Court, Wokingham Foundry Court, Wokingham Total Number of ‘Help to Buy’ properties sold 25 Purchase price £284,995 ‐ £459,995 33 £210,000 ‐ £565,000 11
£224,500 ‐ £304,000 21 11 6 £309,950 ‐ £584,950 £224,950 ‐ £449,950 £247,960 ‐ £359,960 4 £307,500 ‐ £434,950 1
£480,000
112 3.3 Affordability According to figures from Nationwide, in June 2014 UK house prices witnessed a 1% month‐
on‐month increase. This was the fourteenth successive month to show an increase in house prices and the average cost of a house in the UK is now ten times the average salary at £172,798. A recent report from Shelter suggests that fewer than two in ten homes in the UK are currently affordable for working families on average wages. However, according to the Office of National Statistics, whilst house prices increased by 10.2% in the year to June, in the year to May there was a 10.4% increase. Therefore whilst patterns of growth have continued to increase, there are claims that there has been a slight cooling of the housing market. This may be attributed to tougher rules introduced by the
Page | 22 Mortgage Market Review in April. This means that for lenders, 15% of mortgages must now be capped at 4.5 times an applicant’s salary, which is expected to tentatively begin to cool housing markets. The Bank of England has also told lenders to ‘stress test’ borrowers to see if they could cope with interest rates 3% higher than they are now. Despite the introduction of these measures, data from the Council of Mortgage Lenders from June 2014 showed that 60,500 house purchase loans were taken out, a 5% increase on the figures from May and up 15% from June 2013. It is apparent therefore that the implementation of these rules may not have an immediate effect on the housing market. A study by the National Association of Estate Agents has recorded a significant decrease in the number of under‐30’s buying homes, down to 3% from 12% a year ago. These tighter restrictions on mortgages combined with the threat of interest rates rising is likely to be contributing to the decisions of young people to wait for longer periods before trying to enter the property market. Potential interest rate rises are also prompting a surge in the number of mortgage borrowers opting for fixed‐rate mortgages, with 95% of first‐time buyers currently selecting fixed‐rate mortgages. This is in comparison to 2012, when just 81% of homebuyers fixed their mortgage rates. As of June 2014, the Help to Buy Equity Loan Scheme has been used by 13,000 home‐buyers in order to get onto the property ladder. In May 2014, first‐time buyers accounted for 48% of all purchases However, following the actions of the Bank of England in restricting mortgage lending in relation to salary, the Treasury stated that they would also stop loans above 4.5 times the applicant’s salary within its ‘Help to Buy’ 95% mortgage scheme, with immediate effect. Previously, around 5% of loans through the Help to Buy Scheme were made at 4.5 times salary or higher. The scheme has been criticised for creating demand without addressing supply, therefore it is anticipated that these measures will also help to slow the housing market. According to the annual English Housing Survey (2014) two‐thirds of under 35’s are currently trapped in the rental market, with rent accounting for up to 40% of income. The 2014 ‘Generation Rent’ report from Halifax predicts that 35% of 20‐45 year olds have no realistic prospect of owning their own home within the next five years. When caught in the ‘rent trap’, young people are unable to save for a mortgage deposit with property rents rising at twice the speed of average earnings. This figure of those aged 25‐34 renting privately has risen from 31%‐45% in the past four years. Correspondingly, the monthly cost of renting a home increased on average by £10 in June to £747, which is a year‐on‐year increase of 1.4%. Page | 23 Recent figures from the Land Registry show that in Wokingham, a family would require a deposit of over £61,000 and an annual income of over £70,000 assuming the purchaser was obtaining an 80% mortgage (putting down a 20% deposit) and that a lender was lending at 3.5 times annual income. A single person purchasing a one‐bedroomed property in Wokingham would require an income of over £43,000 alongside a deposit of over £37,000. Average Purchase Price in Wokingham (Land Registry, March 2014) £ Detached 439,195 Semi 275,095 Terraced 235,147 Flat/Maisonette 188,190 All 307,756 3.4 Mortgage repossessions Property type Deposit Required (assuming 80% mortgage) £ Minimum Annual Income (Assuming 3.5 times annual wage) £ Average Monthly Mortgage Payment (assuming 5% interest rate over 25 years) £ 87,839 55,019 47,029 37,368 61,551 100,387 62,879 53,748 43,092 70,344 2060 1292 1106 888 1445 The Ministry of Justice publishes quarterly statistics on mortgage possession actions in county courts; they do not indicate how many properties have actually been repossessed. Repossessions can occur without a court order being made whilst not all court orders will result in repossession. Claims issued are where a claimant (lender) begins an action or an order for possession, the court may grant an order for possession entitling the claimant to apply for a warrant of eviction, parties are still able to negotiate to prevent the eviction taking place. The orders made figures also include suspended orders where the court grant possession but suspends the order provided the defendant complies with the terms of suspension, which usually involves payment of the mortgage plus some towards the arrears. Around 47% of orders made are suspended. As the graph overleaf shows, 15 claims were issued in Q1 of 2014, with 24 claims leading to an order. Page | 24 Wokingham Mortgage Possession Quarter 1 2009 ‐
Quarter 1 2014
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Claims Issued
Claims leading to an order
Q1 2009
Q2 2009
Q3 2009
Q4 2009
Q1 2010
Q2 2010
Q3 2010
Q4 2010
Q1 2011
Q2 2011
Q3 2011
Q4 2011
Q1 2012
Q2 2012
Q3 2012
Q4 2012
Q1 2013
Q2 2013
Q3 2013
Q4 2013
Q1 2014
(Source: Ministry of Justice, 2014) 4. Renting a home privately The cost of renting a property in Wokingham has fluctuated slightly since October 2010. Costs for this quarter have remained similar to costs for the previous quarter, with the exception of larger 3 bed houses, for which rental prices have witnessed a decrease. Across all other property types there has been a very slight increase in costs since the previous quarter. Nationally, there is an increasing demand for rental properties with demand often exceeding supply. The National Landlords Association predicts that one in five households will rent privately before 2016. Page | 25 Rental Prices in Wokingham 1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
House Share
Studio
1 bed flat
(unfurnished)
2 bed
3 bed terrace/semi
flat/maisonette
(unfurnished)
(unfurnished)
Oct‐10
Jan‐11
Apr‐11
Jun‐11
Sep‐11
Dec‐11
Mar‐12
Jun‐12
Sep‐12
Dec‐12
Mar‐13
Jun‐13
Sep‐13
Dec‐13
Mar‐14
Jun‐14
(Source: Rightmove.com) The table below gives a breakdown of the private rented property prices as of June 2014 together with the applicable Local Housing Allowance figures. Property Type Average Monthly Rent Min Monthly Rent Max Monthly Rent Local Housing Allowance (June 2014)
Shared £475 £350 £600 £303.00 Studio £625 £600 £650 1 Bed Flat (Unfurnished) £750 £600 £900 1 Bed Flat (Furnished) £647 £600 £695 2 Bed Flat/Maisonette (Unfurnished) 2 Bed Flat/Maisonette (Furnished) 3 Bed Terrace/Semi (Unfurnished) 3 Bed Terrace/Semi (Furnished) £950 £912 £1325 £700 £1200 £825 £1150 £1000 £1500 £1350 £1100 £1600 Page | 26 £606.00 £745.88 £852.80 (Source: Rightmove.com) (Single people under 35 years of age will be entitled to the standard rate for a room in shared accommodation; this is known as the Shared Local Housing Allowance. There are exceptions to this rule, for example for those in receipt of Severe Disability Premium) 4.1 Rental Supply The availability of larger family homes for rent has remained high in recent years and this is represented in the local rental market, with the majority of homes currently available for rent 4 bedroom properties (34%). This is a significant increase on the 18% of properties with 4+ bedrooms available during the last quarter. There are also a high number of 2 bedroom properties available (28%), which was the most commonly available property type during the last quarter. Recent reports by the Association of Residential Letting Agent’s suggest that the private rented sector is now equal in size to the social rented sector in the UK. There is still a huge demand for rental property in some parts of the country despite increased rental prices, largely due the large sums required to buy property or access mortgages. Whilst schemes such as the ‘Help to Buy’ have released some pressures on the rental market, the key challenge of undersupply have not been solved and there is still a need to provide the right housing, in the right places, at the right price across the wider housing market Rental supply Wokingham June 2014 Shared
Studio
1 bed flat
2 bed flat
3 bed terrace/semi
2%
4%
10%
34%
28%
22%
(Source: Rightmove.com) Page | 27 4 + bed
The graph below displays the market mix of properties in Great Britain that are owner‐
occupied and those that are rented between 1991 and 2013. Considering the data from 1991, owner‐occupied properties make up the majority of the housing stock, continuously increasing to 69% of properties in 2005. From this point however, the number of owner‐
occupied properties begins to fall and an increase in rental properties is seen, reaching a total of 36% of properties in 2013. This data reflects housing trends more widely such as increasing house prices and the consequent growth of Generation Rent. Graph to Show National Change in Owner‐Occupied and Rental Tenure Market Mix 1991‐2013
Owner‐occupied
Rental
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
(Source: Land Registry and Rightmove.com) When considering the data available for Wokingham Borough more specifically which generally has a considerably higher percentage of property ownership, similar trends are reflected. The figures for 2001 show that 83% of properties were owner occupied, with 17% of properties rented, whilst by 2011, the owner occupied figure had fallen slightly to 80% with 20% of properties in the borough rented. As can be seen from the graph overleaf, trends in average rental market prices appear to be fluctuating in a way that is largely comparable to that of housing price trends, rising significantly since June 2013 and peaking in June 2014. Both rental prices and housing prices also witnessed the same decline between October 2010 and January 2011, beginning to stabilise from June 2011. Page | 28 Change in Average House Prices in Comparison to Average Rental Prices (October 2010 ‐ June 2014)
£1,000
£320,000
£900
£310,000
£800
£300,000
£700
£600
£290,000
£500
£280,000
£400
£270,000
£300
House
Rental
£260,000
£200
£100
£250,000
£0
£240,000
(Source: Land Registry and Rightmove.com) 4.2 Landlord Possession As with mortgage repossessions, the Ministry of Justice publishes quarterly statistics on landlord possession actions in county courts. Due to the current economic climate and the related impacts on employment in the area it is felt worthwhile in monitoring these figures as part of this report. Claims issued are where a claimant (landlord) begins an order for possession, the court may grant an order for possession entitling the claimant to apply for a warrant of eviction, the parties are still able to negotiate to prevent the eviction taking place. The orders made figures also include suspended orders where the court grants possession but suspends the order provided the defendant complies with the terms of suspension, which usually involves payment of the rent plus some towards the arrears. Around 44% of orders made are suspended. The graph overleaf displays the figures for landlord possession for Q1 of 2014. There has been a slight decrease in the number of claims issued from Q4 of 2013 (from 35 to 30) and an increase in the number of claims leading to an order (from 22 to 32). Page | 29 Wokingham Landlord Possession Q1 2009 ‐ Q1 2014 60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Claims Issued
Claims leading to an order
Q1 2009
Q2 2009
Q3 2009
Q4 2009
Q1 2010
Q2 2010
Q3 2010
Q4 2010
Q1 2011
Q2 2011
Q3 2011
Q4 2011
Q1 2012
Q2 2012
Q3 2012
Q4 2012
Q1 2013
Q2 2013
Q3 2013
Q4 2013
Q1 2014
(Source: Ministry of Justice, 2014) 5. Housing Management 5.1 Welfare Reform Since the last update on Welfare Reform (please see Facts & Figures 2013/14 Q4 report) Tenant Services is working on updating forecasts on the number of tenants affected by which type of reform (i.e. Benefit Cap) and these will be updated for the next Facts & Figures report. The number of households affected by the Social Size Criteria and Benefit Cap from the last financial year can be seen in the table below: Landlord Quarter 1 Quarter 2 Quarter 3 Quarter 4 HRA 134 127 124 124 Non‐HRA 103 110 104 108 It can be seen that the local authority tenants have reduced over the period, whereas for Non‐HRA tenant’s numbers have risen. We do not know the reasons for this, but the Page | 30 Amount Spent(£)
remedies for tenants recommended by the government were: a) take in a lodger, b) increase work hours or start work if not currently working, c) get other family members to pay more towards the rent, or d) downsize. Opportunities to downsize are limited but we have been able to assist 3 tenants to move to smaller homes in the first quarter of this financial year (30% of all Mutual Exchanges in the first quarter). There is some anecdotal evidence that a small number of people have begun work or increased hours to pay the extra costs. Hardship Relief The service recruited two Tenancy Sustainment Officers (TSOs) who have worked with 69 tenants and of these, 41 have made begun making self‐payments to clear rent arrears (although there is no little evidence to highlight how they have made these self‐payments). The TSOs have also enabled their referrals (tenants they are working with) to reclaim over £58,000 in backdated Housing Benefit payments meaning some have been able to clear some of their outstanding arrears. The service has also applied for Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) for those tenants in serious financial need. Available DHP funds and the amount spent can be seen in the graph below: Available funds and Actual Amount Spent for Discretionary Housing Payments from 2011
140000
120000
100000
80000
Available Fund
60000
Actual amt spent
40000
20000
0
Page | 31 2011/12
2012/13
2013/14
2014/15
It must be noted that the graph overleaf does not differentiate between Tenant Services tenants and other residents in the Borough (i.e. owner occupier). Using TSO data, we do know that £8,559.86 has been used from the DHP fund to assist our tenant financially. This figure is expected to rise as further DHP referrals have been made with decisions pending. The TSOs also provide holistic support in terms of managing money and also signpost tenants to other services such as Foodbanks and First days as well as a myriad of other support services. Local Welfare Provision replaced the former Crisis Loans previously administered by the Department for Work & Pensions. The Council introduced their Policy from 1st April 2013. A large amount of effort has been put in to developing contacts with other Council services and 3rd sector providers. When a customer presents with a claim, time is spent understanding exactly what the issue is and what the best form of support may be. This will not always be a payment from the Local Welfare Policy fund, which is funded through a grant provided by Government. From 1st April 2013 – 31st December 2013 207 applications have been received. Of these: No. of applications granted 121 No. of applications signposted on 59 Value of awards made £8,799.10 Separate figures for Council tenants are not available for this service as tenure type is not a pre‐requisite. The LWP Policy is also undergoing a review with Members expected to take a decision on any changes prior to 31st March 2014. The Government have announced that they will not fund LWP beyond 31st March 2015. However, it is intended that we would continue to have a locally funded LWP scheme from 1st April 2015 5.2 Decent Homes The Asset Management Team is forecasting that the stock will reach 100% Decency by April 2015. The success to meeting this deadline is dependent on successfully procuring new capital contracts over a wide spectrum of works. The table below highlights Decent Homes performance during the first quarter of 2014/15: Page | 32 Quarter Stock Size % of stock Decent 65%
No. of homes Decent 1743
No. of homes Non‐Decent 954
Commentary
Apr – Jun 2697 Jul – Sep Count as of 31st
July 2015 Oct – Dec Jan ‐ Mar The service met with the Regulator (Homes and Communities Agency ‐ HCA) in February 2013 to discuss our Decent Homes Backlog (DHB) Programme performance, after performance issues with the Decent Homes contractor. At this meeting we informed the HCA we have now prioritised the Decent Homes Backlog Programme and received assurances from our key contractors with regard to their ability to deliver the targets in our profile going forward. We also informed them that we have been working with Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) to provide a resource to support us with the DHB Programme Delivery. The CIH resource has been instrumental in procuring new contractors to complete the backlog works that occurred and to complete the current programme, which includes the kitchen and refurbishment programme. A decision has been made to let the kitchen and bathroom works in two year contracts, the first being a smaller contract for one year, comprising works to around 150 properties which are the ‘catch up’ works from the current year. The second is for 300 properties a year. TCL Ltd has been appointed to the one year ‘catch up’ contract and the service has begun making first appointments with tenants. Lovell Partnerships Ltd has been selected for the larger contract. This also includes the Decent Home Backlog properties, which will take priority. There are a small number of miscellaneous works required at properties to bring them up to the Decent Homes Standard. In view of the low value of these works they are being undertaken under quotations rather than through a tendering process. These works have commenced with several now completed, the works will continue into the second quarter and it is planned for them to be completed by the end of September. In terms of the Decent Homes backlog, progress has been positive. In the 13/14 financial year 291 properties were made Decent. In the current financial year continued funding will be received from the HCA to deliver 1000 properties up to Decency. 5.3 Voids The final average re‐let period for all properties in the first quarter of the 2014/15 financial year was 23 days, which is higher than the same period last year, when the average re‐let Page | 33 time for the first quarter in the 2013/14 financial year was 28 days, as shown in the graph overleaf: Average Re‐let Times for Void Properties (in days)
40
30
20
10
0
April
May
2013/14
June
2014/15
The best performing month for the quarter was April, where the Voids Team achieved a re‐
let time for all properties (General Needs and Sheltered) of 18 days. As expected, Sheltered Properties had re‐let times during the quarter which increases re‐let times. Sheltered properties generally face a higher number of refusals and Tenant Services always allows extra time to move into a Sheltered property (due to the tenant being elderly and perhaps vulnerable), which can increase the re‐let time. This occurred during May of this financial year, when the Sheltered re‐let time was 43 days, bringing down the average re‐let time overall. Throughout the first quarter, a total of 44 properties have been let, compared with 46 during the same period last year. Although it is beneficial that Tenant Services are providing housing for those in need, it is more beneficial to have fewer re‐let properties as this leads to less tenant churn and less void rent loss. The graph below highlights the number of re‐
lets in the first quarter compared to the same period last year: Page | 34 Number of Empty Properties Re‐let
20
15
10
5
0
April
May
2013/14
June
2014/15
It is worth noting that the number of re‐lets for each corresponding reporting period, the number of re‐lets was very similar. The much improved re‐let time between the two reporting periods highlights the efforts from the Voids Team to re‐evaluate the re‐let process and reduce the re‐let times across all property types. 5.4 Gas Servicing At the end of the first quarter in the 2014/15 financial year Tenant Services had achieved 99.50% gas compliance, with eleven Gas Safety Certificates outstanding. At the same time last year there were seven gas safety certificates outstanding. Number of Gas Safety Certificates Outstanding
15
10
5
0
April
May
2013/14
June
2014/15
The gas safety compliance percentage has dipped slightly from this time last year, where 99.80% of properties had their valid gas safety certificate. Page | 35 The service has had difficulties obtaining access to some tenants’ properties, which led to the slightly higher figure of properties without their gas safety certificate. This has seen the service take the legal route to gain access to any outstanding properties. Although the target for number of properties without a valid gas safety certificate is 0, there will always be a small number of properties each month that will refuse access, making the 99.50% compliance figure a good achievement. 5.5 Complaints & Compliments The total number of complaints received in the first quarter of the year was 26, whilst the number of compliments was almost more than double at 50, as highlighted in the graph overleaf: Number of Complaints & Compliments Q1 2014/15
25
20
15
10
5
0
April
May
Complaints
June
Compliments
As shown above, Tenant Services received fewer than 10 complaints each month, which is the target that has been set. The review of the complaints service and how we handle complaints that took place in the last financial year has seen the number of complaints the service receives drop considerably. The 50 compliments received in the first quarter is the record for any quarter in terms of compliments received. In May of this year, 25 compliments were logged by the Customer Care Officer, which again, is a record for any month in terms of compliments. The compliments received were spread evenly across the service, highlighting the good work of the officers in Tenant Services. 6. Private Sector Housing 6.1 Mandatory Disabled Facility Grants Tables 1, 2, 3 & 4 below give a breakdown of disabled facility grant work by tenure. Page | 36 Table 1 Owner Occupier 16 General enquiry (referral) by Tenure = 22 Local Authority Housing Association Tenant
Tenant
6 0
Private Tenant 0 Table 2 Applications by Tenure = 9 Owner Occupier Local Authority Housing Association Private Tenant
Tenant Tenant 5 3 0 1 Table 3 Approvals (Commitments) by Tenure = 10 Owner Occupier Local Authority Housing Association Private Tenant Tenant Tenant 5 4 0 1 Table 4 Completed in Period by Tenure = 1 Owner Occupier Local Authority Housing Association Private Tenant Tenant Tenant 1 0
0
0 During this quarter we approved work in connection with:  4 Level access showers  2 Combination of adaptations (door & ramp – Garage door. Ceiling hoist & fall bath)  1 Straight stair lift  1 Bath hoist  2 Curved stair lifts 6.2 Housing Related Service Requests A total of 221 housing related service requests were received last quarter. These are broken down by complaint type in the tables below: Drainage Accumulations Odour/Smoke Filthy & Immigration Verminous Inspections 2 12 27
0
1 Empty Domestic Noise
Asbestos
Info/Advice
Other Properties 4 84 3 40 2 Sub Total = 175 Page | 37 Complaints specifically related to Poor house conditions – 46 complaints were received and investigated alleging poor living conditions. These are broken down by tenure in the table below: Owner Private LA Housing House in Mobile Mobile Overcrowding
Occupied Rented Association
Multiple Home Home Occupation Private Council (HMO) Site 7 18 0 0 11 10 0 0 Sub Total = 46 6.3 Formal Action Taken Under the Housing Act 2004 & Associated Legislation Whilst the majority of housing related investigations were concluded informally, formal action was required in some instances. Notices Served Intention to grant HMO Environmental Protection Act 1990 licence 0 1 Prevention of Damage by Pests Act Notice Total = 1 6.4 House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) Mandatory Licensing  A total of 14 HMOs are licensed at the current time.  1 HMO licence renewal has been issued  2 HMOs requiring licenses have been identified and being pursued for licence applications  1 Application currently being processed Any enquiries relating to this project or survey may be directed to Emma Choules on 01635 519 282. 6.5 Housing General 6.5.1 Landlord Accreditation The scheme is currently suspended. i.
Empty Properties Page | 38 Details of 4 empty properties were received last quarter. Each investigation was concluded informally. The Empty Homes Strategy dated 2006 is currently under review. 6.5.2 Immigration Inspections 1 immigration inspection request was received during this quarter. For more information on immigration inspections please contact Shaun Underhill directly on 0119 974 6516. 6.6 Park Homes and Caravan Sites The land owner of a caravan site located at 23A Nine Mile Ride, Finchampstead appeared in the Magistrates Court on the 30th June 2014 charged with breaches of Caravan Site Licence conditions issued by Environmental Health and non‐compliance with the breach of condition notice served by Planning Enforcement. The land owner was fined: £600 for each of the three licensing offences (total: £1,800); and £400 for non‐compliance with the breach of condition notice. He was ordered to pay: £650 in costs for the licensing matter; £585 in costs for the planning matter; and £60 victim surcharge. Total: £3,495 For further information please contact Mary Glomé directly on 0118 974 6357. Details of licensed caravan sites can be found by following the link: http://www.wokingham.gov.uk/safety/environmental‐health/park‐homes/ 6.7 Flexible Home Improvement Loan Scheme The total amount approved since the scheme started in 2011 = £406,076 During the quarter 4 enquiries were received and 2 loans completed. Details of the scheme can been found on the Council’s website http://www.wokingham.gov.uk/council/news‐events/latest‐news/flexible‐home‐
improvement‐ loans/ alternatively call Ian Forster on 0118 974 6382/6364 to discuss further or contact by email on environmental.heath@wokingham.gov. Page | 39 Contributions provided by: Section 1 Housing Needs – Jadranka Tasic, Senior Housing Needs Officer Section 2 Affordable Housing Supply – Frances Haywood, Senior Strategy Officer Section 3 Buying a Home – April McCoig, Policy Officer, Economic Sustainability Section 4 Renting a Home Privately –April McCoig, Policy Officer, Economic Sustainability Section 5 Housing Management Information – Baljinder Reyatt, Policy and Performance Officer, Tenant Services Section 6 Private Sector Housing – Mary Glomé, Principal Environmental Officer Page | 40 Wokingham Housing Limited Managing Director – Role Description A wholly Council‐owned company, WHL was set up in 2011 with two simple objectives: 

to develop high quality affordable, social and market homes for local people to make a financial return for the Council The Company has a growing portfolio of properties and is developing new homes on regeneration sites and developing specialist housing for older people. A subsidiary has been set up and is in the process of becoming a registered provider. Robin Fielder, WHL’s first managing director is retiring in the spring and there is an opportunity for an experienced property professional to offer the leadership and strategic vision needed achieve the challenging business objectives set for the company. The post holder ideally should have commercial, entrepreneurial and management experience at an executive level ideally within the housing, development or regeneration sector. An understanding of affordable housing would be an advantage. In addition, they must have an understanding of the unique position of a local authority trading company and the political and public service framework in which the private company operates. Principal Accountabilities  To provide affordable housing and private where appropriate delivering profits to reinvest both in housing and other Council services  To ensure the delivery of the business objectives of the Company through the development & delivery of business plans and to engender efficient professional relationships with the Board and shareholders  Provide effective strategic and inspirational leadership to the Company, ensuring shareholder engagement and oversight  Oversee a programme of development projects and secure new business opportunities for the Company.  To ensure integrity and proper governance as expected in managing public funding – balancing commercial sensitivity with transparent accountability  To ensure the Company’s targets are delivered by monitoring progress and taking such action as is necessary.  To provide information of the performance of the company to the Board and keep them informed of the developments and changes within the Company.  Represent the Company in a credible manner to shareholders, partner organisations, developers, Wokingham Borough staff and citizens  Seek opportunities to develop the business outside of the existing WBC housing portfolio. Page | 41 Person Specification Part One: Essential Experience 1. Ability to effectively communicate with and keep fully informed the shareholders 2. Experience of high‐level (executive) business sector activity in leading an organisation (public/private/voluntary sector) delivering a complex range of activities with a significant budget and of comparable complexity. 3. Proven experience of commercial management success and selling strategic vision and experience of decision making, preferably in housing/development sector. 4. Track record of managing demanding financial budgets and generating significant profit for the Company. 5. Track record of business development. 6. Evidence of successfully engaging with partners to develop and maintain successful commercial relationships. 7. Evidence of excellent communication skills to influence partner opinion, comfortable talking to the media and being the public face of the Company. 8. Demonstrable willingness to develop an active interest in the social regeneration of Wokingham, with an appreciation of the wider business and community interests in the area. 9. Programme/Project Management experience. Part Two: Knowledge, Skills and Abilities 1. A self motivator who can identify opportunities within a wholly owned Local Authority Company 2. Committed to developing affordable homes and creating a profit stream to enable the local authorities continued ability to provide services. 3. Ability to work with complex statistical, financial and performance information, to include financial modelling, cost/benefit analysis, market analysis 4. Strong negotiating skills and ability to ‘close the deal’. 5. Ability to predict and respond to fast moving policy and other change, staying ‘ahead of the curve’ 6. Ability to lead, inspire and demonstrate commitment to achieve business development and improve quality (both in equal measure) 7. An understanding of and track record in risk management 8. Effective communication skills and the ability to act as an advocate and champion of the Company on the national stage 9. Knowledge of legislative framework relevant to managing a company Personal Style and Behaviour 1. A respected individual with a track record of delivery in a fast moving environment, sets challenging but achievable targets Page | 42 2. A credible, visible and persuasive leader for the Company 3. Creates and communicates a compelling, consistent vision that generates excitement and commitment. 4. High‐Level of drive and determination to succeed 5. Leads by example, inclusive rather than exclusive, and prepared to share expertise, know how and skills 6. Demands high performance of self and others, working positively and effectively to achieve outcomes 7. Takes calculated risks consistent with the Company’s values to achieve goals 8. Challenges and confronts conflict, brokering solutions in order to achieve the Company’s goals 9. Looks to the future, is able to see links and opportunities that others might miss 10. High Level of Resilience/Emotional Intelligence. This relates to being able to bounce back after setbacks, failures, disappointments. It means not giving up, and continuing to face the future with optimism and courage despite events. 11. Identifies, leads and manages change which furthers the long‐term goals and vision of the Company 12. Uses new approaches to develop innovative solutions to maximise opportunities for the Company 13. Applies concepts and learning from outside own field/environment, looking ahead over the long‐term to deliver improvements and avoid problems 14. Acts as a champion and role model, putting the company and shareholder’s needs first and upholding goals and decisions, even when it is difficult to do so 15. Identifies and develops cross‐functional working and long‐term partnerships to enable the Company to meet its goals 16. Supports others to work together to develop solutions, able to hold others accountable without blaming others when things go wrong Page | 43 The Selection Process For further information and an informal discussion about the role, please contact Robin Fielding on 0118 974 6417 The closing date for applications is Wednesday 26th November 2014 at 9.00am. The recruitment timetable (subject to change) is as follows: Application deadline 26th November 2014 at 9.00am Long‐listed candidate preliminary interviews
15th December 2014
Assessment day/final interviews Week commencing 5th January 2015 How to Respond To apply for any of these posts, please respond by submitting a CV and supporting statement by the closing date as set out above. Your supporting statement should be no more than 1500 words. Please note that it is absolutely essential that you include employment dates in your application and provide evidence or examples of your experience and achievements, addressing the appointment criteria listed in the Person Specification. For those candidates invited for interview, these responses will be further developed and discussed. Please also enclose a covering letter, explaining what has motivated you to apply for the role. Please include details of at least two referees in support of your overall application, one of whom should ideally be your current/most recent employer. No referees will be contacted without your prior approval. If you name any referees that you are prepared for us to contact at any stage in the process, please clearly state this in your application. In addition to this please confirm your salary details. Finally, please ensure that you have included your mobile, work and home telephone contact numbers, a personal email address, as well as any dates when you will not be available or where you might have difficulty with the indicative timetable. Applications can be emailed to Joelle.cooper@wokingham.gov.uk Page | 44