Two South Wales housing associations have merged with a commitment to retaining heritage and community focus.
Baneswell Housing Association (BHA), established in 1973, owns and rents 70 homes in the Baneswell area of Newport. In October 2018, the tenants of BHA, indicated their preference to find a merger partner. After five housing associations expressed their interest, Linc Cymru was awarded preferred partner status.
Scott Sanders, chief executive of Linc, says:
‘At a time when housing associations are growing and evolving their services and business structures, we feel it is particularly important to retain the unique impact that BHA had as a community led housing association. On this basis, we have retained the BHA brand in the Baneswell community and are continuing to build on the principles of person centred, community-based service delivery. Linc is proud to work in Newport and the established partnerships with Newport City Council and local businesses will only enhance the outcomes for tenants in Baneswell.’
The case for change put forward by Linc focused upon preserving the BHA brand and its unique qualities, keeping it at the forefront of the community, whilst putting in place a governance structure that meets the expectations of Welsh Government and supports the ambition of BHA to continue to invest in its homes.
Linda Williams of Baneswell Housing Association added:
‘It was apparent from the outset that the organisational cultures of Linc and BHA were extremely compatible, focussing on delivering great services to communities, safeguarding future investment and delivering robust governance in a fast-changing world. We are confident that combining forces creates an enhanced outcome for tenants, through a shared desire to provide top class services through local service delivery and great partnerships, this will be extremely powerful.’
Linc currently works across 10 local authority areas, providing 4,500 homes and services to over 9,000 people. Within Newport, Linc owns and manages 582 homes that meet a range of needs such as general housing, sheltered, extra care and nursing.