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:

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:

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