East of England member groups
Find out how you can get involved with member groups in the East of England.
If you have any questions about our groups, contact our External Affairs Manager for the East of England:
- Sarah Finnegan, 07788 148590
East of England Executive Forum
Senior staff and board chairs of housing associations are invited to attend the executive forum which will be held 3-4 times a year. The forum is a place where housing associations can discuss strategic issues and influence the Federation’s work.
The programme for the forum meetings is shaped by a small sounding board who are volunteers drawn from a variety of associations across the region.
East of England Sounding Board
The sounding board directs the agenda for the executive forum meetings, influences stakeholder work and are a first point of contact for member engagement in the East of England. Sounding board membership is reviewed annually, with members generally serving for two years. If you are interested in joining the sounding board, please contact Sarah Finnegan.
Members of the sounding board:
- Elspeth Mackenzie, Thrive Homes (Chair)
- Alan Lewin, Axiom Housing Association (Vice Chair)
- Stephen Javes, Orwell Housing Association
- Ian Martin, Estuary Housing Association
- Aileen Evans, Grand Union Housing Group
- Scott Black, Aldwyck Housing Group
Practitioner groups
Care and Support
Meets three times a year to discuss the management of supported housing and issues relating to vulnerable tenants, including health and care integration, welfare reform and contracting and commissioning.
Chair: Beryl Gillespie, CHS Group
Chairs Networking Group
Chair: Sarah Finnegan, National Housing Federation
Federation contact: Admin team
Communications Network
Discussing relevant issues for the East of England, looking at campaigning on behalf of members. Speakers regularly invited, and best practice shared.
Chair: Melissa Elborn, bpha
Federation contact: Kerry Hill
Development
Group meets three times a year, looking particularly at development issues for the East of England. Speakers often attend from HCA and other relevant organisations.
Chair: Fiona Coulson, Circle Housing Group
East of England Finance
The East of England Region Finance Directors Meeting occurs three to four times a year. It provides an excellent opportunity for executives responsible for finance, resources and IT to engage with key stakeholders, such as the Social Housing Regulator and lenders to the sector. The meeting also includes a closed session for members only, allowing colleagues to share insights and seek advice in an informal and confidential way.
Chair: Paul Edwards, Havebury
Home Ownership Group
The group meets three times a year, and covers the sale and management of shared ownership and leasehold properties.
HR and Training
This group meets quarterly and is very active between meetings by email. The group organises its own annual benchmarking for HR issues such as salaries and sickness.
Chair: Katy Frith, Havebury Housing Partnership
Neighbourhood Management
Meets three times a year, including liaison with DWP representatives on welfare reform implementation, and also discusses various housing management issues.
Chair: Maureen McDonald-Cooke, Suffolk Housing