Challenges and risk
It is vital our ALMO, CBH, takes account of both local insight and the external operating environment to understand the actual and potential challenges to, and opportunities supporting, the delivery of this Business Plan. To that end it maintains current PESTLE and SWOT analyses, regularly collects and considers customer and colleague feedback and, carries out regular assessment of the annual sector risk profile produced by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH). These assessments are overseen and shaped by the CBH Executive Team and Board, and inform delivery plans, budgets and risks. All of this information is shared with CBC and has been used to develop this Business Plan.
It is necessary that CBH takes an informed and prudent approach to risk. It has responsibility for CBC and CBH-owned homes, tenants and their families, leaseholders, and colleagues. It is critical CBH ensures the HRA remains viable now and into the future to ensure peoples’ homes remain safe and maintained to a high standard, for tenancies to be well managed, and people supported to enable them to sustain their tenancies.
CBH maintains and updates an approved list of broad, high-level ‘Corporate Risks’ that enable oversight of important, ongoing areas which most affect this viability and broadly cover:
- Partnerships
- Property
- Commpliance
- Services
- Finances
- Customers
- Infrastructure
- Employees
Each has a suite of relevant controls in place, identified trigger KPIs and actions where necessary. They are regularly reviewed and assessed by risk managers and assessed by CBH Executive Team, with regular scrutiny at CBH’s Audit and Risk Committee and Board. Further challenge and scrutiny is provided by a dedicated Board Champion role who undertakes regular ‘deeper dives’ to seek assurance and provide insight based on relevant skills and experience. All Committee and Board reports are shared with CBC and risk identification and management is discussed at several points in the CBC/CBH Meetings Protocol.