The Guinness Partnership (Guinness) and Shepherds Bush Housing Group (SBHG) have confirmed the start of partnership talks, with the aim of formally coming together in autumn 2023.
The two boards have recently agreed an outline business case, which has allowed for more detailed conversations and due diligence to progress.
The proposal is that, initially, SBHG will operate as a subsidiary of The Guinness Partnership, which currently manages around 64,000 homes across the country.
Created in 1966 by members of St Stephen’s Church in Shepherds Bush, SBHG currently owns and manages around 5,000 homes across nine boroughs in west London.
Values ‘very much aligned’
Commenting on the proposals, Andrew Warner, SBHG’s interim CEO, said: “This exciting new partnership will strengthen our ability to improve our residents’ homes at a greater pace, whilst allowing us to also provide more affordable homes to west London, delivering a better service for our customers.
“Guinness has a strong social purpose and, like SBHG, is a values-driven organisation.”
He added: “Together, we share a commitment to investing in the local community.
“Our customers will benefit from our combined strength and increased resilience.
“Through this partnership we will be able to deliver more for residents, customers, and communities across west London.”
Martin Hurst, SBHG chair, said: “SBHG remains a viable independent business, and following our downgrade by the Regulator of Social Housing last year, we have made great progress with our governance recently.
“We want to build on our progress to do more for our residents by investing in their homes, communities, and building much-needed affordable housing, which will remain challenging if we stay independent.”
He continued: “Guinness is an organisation that has a strong record of growth, regeneration, and investing in the communities they operate in.
“This partnership will allow us to improve the communities our customers live in, ensures long-term investment in our homes, and provides more housing in west London.”
Catriona Simons, group chief executive of The Guinness Partnership, said: “We are delighted to have been selected as SBHG’s partner for the future.
“We have a complementary presence in west London – more importantly both organisations have a strong social purpose and a shared commitment to the communities in which we operate.
“Bringing SBHG into the Guinness family will increase the impact we both have in west London and deliver more for SBHG and Guinness residents.”
Chris Wilson, chair of The Guinness Partnership board, said: “The values of Guinness and SBHG are very much aligned, with a strong social purpose at the core of both organisations.
“We have a strong presence in London – this partnership will provide opportunities to deliver more homes in an area where demand far outstrips supply and further improve the efficiency of our customer service.”
Next steps
The Guinness Partnership and SGHG says both boards and executive teams are currently working closely together in a bid to ensure residents, employees, and stakeholders are kept informed.
Subject to due diligence, SBHG and Guinness hope to complete the partnership in autumn 2023.
Image credit: ESB Professional/Shutterstock
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