Governance Matters

Our Meeting dates for 2010 are:

22 January 2010

23 April 2010

2 July 2010

15 October 2010

Meetings are at the NHF offices at Lion Court at 12:00 for 12:30 start ending by 14:30. Please put these dates in your diary.

Welcome to the new and updated site for the Housing Associations’ Company Secretaries Forum.

From 1 March 2010 the address for the TSA Registry will be:

Registry Team
Tenant Services Authority
4th Floor
One Piccadilly Gardens
Manchester
M1 1RG

Housing associations have expanded their range of activities away from social landlords to include, for example, the provision of:

• equity mortgages;
• debt counselling and credit fixing;
• certain aspects of financial inclusion;
• offering discounts (but not the Right-To-Buy) which have to be later repaid, etc.

As they have engaged in these activities, they have assumed obligations under the Consumer Credit Act 2006, often unwittingly.

Associations providing these services will often have a requirement to apply to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) for a consumer credit licence (CCL). However, many associations perform these activities either without a licence or with the wrong type of licence. In either event, this is a criminal offence and penalties can include fines up to £50,000 and a prison sentence.

There has been a great deal of confusion both within the sector and at the OFT on the type of activities for which a CCL is required. In response, the National Housing Federation has commissioned Trowers & Hamlins LLP, to produce guidance for members to assist in interpreting the OFT’s more generic directions on the subject. The guidance has been reviewed by the OFT and is undergoing its final set of changes and should be available by spring 2010.

The Federation is also hosting a half-day seminar in Birmingham on 29 June 2010 on the subject.

The Federation’s contact is Joseph Carr, Finance Policy Leader, 020 7067 1094 or josephc@housing.org.uk

Aldwyck, based in Houghton Regis Bedfordshire, are seeking a Governance Manager / Company Secretary. See Link and quote reference 11339.

Closes 23 February 2010

WebFiling, WebCHeck and Companies House Direct from Companies House are now available 24/7. (The usual filing deadlines still apply!)

The NHF will be holding their third annual conference for Housing Association Company Secretaries on Wednesday 9 June 2010 at the Wellcome Collection Conference Centre, London. Details

Please note the date in your diary.

The brochure which sets out the resources and support available on good governance to members from the NHF is here (PDF).

Members may be interested to see the TSA Board report on Governance covering their proposed Code of Governance, Board Member appraisals and Board Member training.

The report on Governance is Agenda item 7 from their open Board meeting on 27 January 2010. Papers for the meeting are here (ZIP File).

Happy New Year to all Forum Members. Our January meeting is fast approaching.

Our speaker is John Linwood from Trowers & Hamlins who will be talking on Judicial Reviews and RSLs. This is particuarly topical given the recent outcomes of the Weaver case and recent cases on the Public status of RSLs.

We meet on Friday 22 January 2010 at Lion Court.

A London ALMO is seeing a Company Secretary to join them on an interim basis while they recruit permanently. More details.