Our Governance

Our Governance

Our Board

Our Board provides strategic leadership and consists of ordinary members, a Newham Council appointee, and our CEO. The Board meets regularly, and we are proud of how well we are governed. We have adopted the 2020 NHF Code of Governance and review our compliance with the Code twice each year. Every year we review how effective our governance is, using questionnaires and external meeting observations. Equality, diversity, and inclusion is a key element of good governance, and we believe that transparency is important for this. 

It’s also important that we can demonstrate that our Board members always act on behalf of Local Space. For this reason, we ask our Board members to make a full declaration of any interests, and if there’s ever a conflict of interest they withdraw from the meeting and take no part in the decision making.  

Local Space has identified the key skills and competencies that it needs on the Board and it reviews these on an annual basis. Our last review confirmed that our Board members are skilled in areas such as strategy, finance, housing and asset management and customer service and that they are highly collaborative and communicative, empathetic and multiculturally diverse.

Our Committees

The Board is supported by two committees – the Audit and Risk Committee, and the Governance and Remuneration Committee. Board members also works closely with the Tenants’ Panel.

Audit and Risk Committee

The Audit and Risk Committee ensures that we protect our business and run it successfully. The Committee helps to protect what we own, so that it doesn’t lose its value. It also makes sure we think about how we can protect ourselves from business risks and threats and don’t break any rules or laws.

Governance and Remuneration Committee

The Governance and Remuneration Committee leads on the recruitment of Board members, reviews the composition of the Board and has oversight of Board members’ induction, training, skills analysis and appraisal. It is also responsible for ensuring that there is appropriate remuneration for Board members and the Chief Executive and that the Chief Executive is effectively appraised.

Victor da Cunha

Victor da Cunha

Victor has over 20 years’ experience in the housing sector. He is currently Group Chief Executive with Curo Group and has also worked with East Thames Housing Group and Estuary Housing Association. He chairs Homes for the South West and is a Non-Executive Director of T3 Registered Provider. In 2019 he was awarded Property Personality of the Year by Business Insider and Lifetime Achievement Award by Vistage. Victor believes that a home is one of the essential building blocks for a successful life and he is driven by a desire to ensure that everyone in society has a right to expect and have access to a safe, healthy, affordable and warm home. He feels lucky to be able to do something which he finds personally rewarding and makes a positive difference to so many people’s lives.

Josie Parsons

Josie Parsons

As CEO, Josie is responsible for the management and overall success of Local Space. She works with the Board to ensure that there is a link between our strategic direction and the operational delivery of our services. She manages relationships with local authority stakeholders and the Regulator of Social Housing. Josie joined Local Space in 2018 as Finance Director with previous director experience in broad portfolio roles in the private and non-profit sectors.

She became CEO in October 2019 and a member of the Board of Local Space in April 2020. Josie is particularly proud of the growth Local Space has achieved, including the number of homes we own and manage, and the expanding staff team to support this work. She believes in our ‘People First’ ethos which has changed how customers experience services and shaped their views of Local Space. Outside of Local Space, Josie sits on the Board and the Audit and Risk Committee of Waltham Forest Housing Association.

Jane Goodley

Jane Goodley

Jane is currently Resident Services Director at L&Q, one of the largest Housing Association’s in the country, and has a wealth of housing managing experience with 28 years spent in the social housing sector. Jane is motivated by delivering customer excellence and putting customers at the heart of organisational decision making. Originally from East London herself, Jane feels passionately about the difference Local Space can make to the lives of residents throughout East London

Nilesh Patel (Independent Member)

Nilesh Patel (Independent Member)

Nilesh started his career in the housing sector and has 11 years’ experience, which includes a role as Treasurer at Affinity Sutton (now known as Clarion Housing). He is currently a Treasurer in the Water sector and is a qualified accountant and Treasurer.

Sheron Carter

Sheron Carter

Sheron’s career in the social housing sector spans 36 years, including over 20 years as a Senior Executive. Sheron has successfully led three housing associations as Chief Executive and a charity as its Managing Director. Her leadership roles have given her a good grasp of social housing operations, customer service, resident engagement, diversity and inclusion, governance, regulation, corporate strategy, business planning, and strategic partnerships. Sheron currently works as a freelance consultant taking on a range of interim executive management and consultancy roles. She is an Associate of leading consultancy firm Housing Quality Network. Throughout her career Sheron has enjoyed helping organisations through challenging times and raising organisational confidence to achieve ambitious goals.

Richard Stevens

Richard Stevens

Richard is a chartered accountant and spent most of his career as a partner in a major regional firm of chartered accountants based in London and the Southeast. He is also an experienced Non-Executive Director serving on boards and committees in the social housing sector and other commercial enterprises. As well as serving on the Board, Richard also chairs the Audit and Risk Committee. Whilst Richard’s background is in the commercial field, he has extensive experience of working in consumer facing environments and he brings this experience and understanding to the Board.

Paul Edwards

Paul Edwards

Paul is the Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officer at CHP, a housing association operating throughout Essex. With expertise in treasury management and governance, Paul has 20 years’ experience in the sector and was previously at Swan and Havebury and has held several non-executive roles. He is driven by the difference Local Space can make, not only to our customers’ lives, but by being a fantastic place to work too. Whilst he comes from a financial background, his talents are far broader than this, and he is keen to utilise his passion for innovative thinking to work with others in taking Local Space forward.

Conor McAuley

Conor McAuley

Conor served on the London Docklands, London Thames Gateway Development Corporations Boards, and was a member of the Olympic Planning Committee.  He recently retired as Newham’s Executive Member for Regeneration and Strategic Development. Conor was Associate Director at Four Communications supporting development projects in East and South East London.

Alwyn Lewis (member responsible for complaints)

Alwyn Lewis (member responsible for complaints)

Alwyn is Chief Executive of Hornsey Housing Trust and is responsible to the Board for the leadership and strategic direction of the Trust. With a career spanning over 40 years in social housing, starting with the Greater London Council, Alwyn has worked for a number of registered providers and local authorities. He has held a variety of leadership roles within the Housing sector, including nine years as an Associate Director at Pinnacle, supporting organisations through strategic change, performance improvement and service transformation. Alwyn has also developed successful strategic partnerships and has delivered innovative community and resident engagement for hard-to-reach-groups.  He has a reputation for putting tenants first and for making things happen.

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