A motion to remove five non-executive members from the board of Places for People Group, which owns more than 45,000 homes, has been put on the agenda of its 24 September annual general meeting. If the motion is carried, Places for People will lose almost half of its 11-member board – a move sure to alarm the corporation, which regulates the governance of housing associations.
Housing Corporation chief executive Norman Perry said he had been in touch with Places for People about the motion. "At the moment it's a problem for Places for People, but if they were to lose half their board in one go that could be an issue [for us]," he said.
The five board members concerned are restaurateur Prue Leith, journalist David Walker, civil engineer Alec Burford, finance consultant Judith Harris-Jones and chartered accountant Donald Main. The rift follows moves by the five to set a time limit to Sebert Cox's tenure as chairman.
Cox, who has been chairman since 1999, has served on the board since the mid-1980s.
Plans that would have provided for Cox to step down by next summer at the latest were put forward by the five board members at a meeting in July. The plans were defeated by six votes to five; those who voted against them included group chief executive David Cowans.
Walker said the removal of the five board members could force the sector to rethink its attitudes to governance.
"The non-executive members were brought onto the board to give it a broader perspective on strategic issues," he said. "They are people who will ask questions about how the group operates. Why ask us to join, if you are not prepared for questions to be asked?" He added that the present situation showed a "cosy style of governance confronted by new people trying to take difficult, important decisions".
Places for People declined to comment.
Source
Housing Today
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