The Salix Homes Board [STAIRS]

The Board’s work

In addition to maintaining oversight of risk, operational and financial performance, landlord and employer health & safety, building and fire safety compliance, and complaints, during 2025/26 the Board also:

• Approved the Corporate Plan – The Salix Way
• Approved the budget and business plan
• Reviewed assurance on compliance with regulatory requirements and legislation – including Phase 1 of Awaabs Law
• Discussed plans for future growth and building new homes
• Reviewed and approved key policies impacting on the business and customers (including treasury management, charitable investment and rent / service charge increases
• Maintained oversight of the work of the New Barracks TMO and other organisations within the Salix Homes Group
• Reviewed and discussed the implications of regulatory and legislative changes on the organisation and customers (e.g. Renters Rights and STAIRS)
• Discussed Salix Homes position regarding mergers – agreeing that we remain well placed to achieve the objectives of the Corporate Plan as an independent organisation.

Looking forward to 2026-27, the Board will also oversee:

• Compliance with the Regulatory Standards – including the introduction of updated Transparency, Influence & Accountability Standards, prepare for an updated Tenancy Standard and respond to consultations on the proposed changes to the Economic Standards;
• Implementation of Awaabs Law Phase 2
• Implementation of rent convergence
• Operational and financial performance – to ensure that we are continuing to provide effective services to customers
• Implementation of the actions identified in the Corporate Plan.

Our Committees

The Board is supported by four committees: Audit & Risk, Assets & Sustainability, our Customer Committee, and the Remuneration & Governance Committee.

These committees support the decision-making process, make recommendations to the Board and gain additional assurance on behalf of the Board. The Customer Committee is made up entirely of customers of Salix Homes.

Other responsibilities

The Board also identifies individual members who will be responsible for key areas of our work:

Ahmed Abdulmalek acts as the Member responsible for complaints

Assurance

A key task for the Board and committees is to get assurance.

Assurance about performance, assurance about customer feedback, assurance about responses to complaints, assurance that we are following our policies and procedures and assurance that we are complying with regulations and legislation. Salix Homes commissions independent organisations to review our processes and systems – to give this assurance to Board and committee.

This includes:

Internal Audit – Salix Homes has an agreed 3 year Internal Audit Plan. Each year the Internal Auditors provide the Board with an opinion. This is included in our annual Internal Control Statement. The findings of all Internal Audit reports are reported to the Audit & Risk Committee.

External Audit – our appointed External Auditors provide interim and annual audits. The output of the annual audit is included in the annual Financial Statements

Compliance audits – various organisation are appointed to undertake ongoing checks of compliance. This process is then also reviewed by Internal Audit and reported to committee.

External Governance Reviews are completed every three years, independent reviews of how we manage risk management are commissioned every other year and ad hoc reviews of services are commissioned e.g. reviews of the complaints process, review of the Anti-Social Behaviour process.

The Customer Committee also agrees which service areas will be scrutinised every year. The findings of these reviews are published on the website, and the committee monitor the implementation of any recommendations arising out of these reviews.