Our Corporate Strategy

Our aim is to deliver excellent customer services that exceed customers’ expectations. In particular we will:

• Aim to further develop the new customer services team within Aragon in conjunction with the established team within SNH.

• Continue with, and further develop, the current support we provide to our tenants around issues such as fuel poverty, welfare reform, cost of living increases, life skills etc.

We aim to provide value for money services through effective procurement partnership working and continuous review. In particular we will:

• Build on our existing value for money strategy to develop new ideas in conjunction with staff, tenants and other stakeholders to further improve value for money across the Group;

• Review our procurement process and undertake a review of all our major contracts currently in place;

• Deliver our IT strategy in order to deliver the most efficient and effective systems possible;

• Undertake a comprehensive pay and benefits review in consultation with staff;

• Develop and improve our benchmarking process;

• Analyse areas of high cost and/or low performance to see where improvements can be made as well as reviewing efficiency savings to ensure no adverse impact on service delivery;

• Reduce waste through the implementation of our sustainability strategy;

• Convert Aragon to a charitable RP;

• Consider the possibility of sharing central services with other organisations as appropriate.

We want to involve all our customers, partners and staff in shaping the services we provide and will work to find a way to ensure everyone is given an opportunity to do so. In particular we will:

• Continue to work with and empower tenants to scrutinise services and performance to help achieve our business objectives and value for money;

• Involve as far as possible tenants and other stakeholders in our Value for Money and sustainability projects;

• Utilise the localism agenda to engage with local communities to help shape the work we do;

• Develop partnerships with a range of other organisations as appropriate;

• Work to provide as wide a range of choices for our customers as possible.

We aim to maximise the use of all our assets to meet the needs of our customers, both current and future. In particular we will:

• Implement our asset disposal programme in line with our asset management strategy;

• Work with our LA partners to bring as many empty homes as possible back into use;

• Unite the SNH VAT shelter as efficiently and effectively as possible;

• Make the most efficient use of our office locations;

• Implement our bungalow and garage stock review.

Our people are the main resource of the Group. We aim to make best use of the diverse range of skills we possess and support staff across the Group to develop and work together for the benefit of our customers. In particular we will:

• Provide the necessary training, coaching and support to ensure staff can achieve their full potential;

• Provide leadership development opportunities and change management support for all levels of management across the Group;

• Continue to use secondments and internal promotions wherever possible to encourage and widen staff knowledge across the Group;

• Continue with the successful apprenticeship scheme introduced at SNH and other trainee initiatives implemented throughout the Group.

We will address quality of life issues and aim to improve the places and neighbourhoods where our residents live, as well as their immediate home. In particular we will: 

• Continue to invest in estate improvements and other environmental works;

• Deliver the Group Sustainability Strategy;

• Work with Health and Social Care to support and improve the wellbeing of our residents;

• Support our tenants to remain in their homes by the use of aids and adaptations, community alarms and telecare services. We aim to extend our Community Alarm Support Service (CASS) to the private sector as well as our own properties.

• Continue to provide and extend where possible our money and welfare advice service, life skills training and general tenancy support.

We will be innovative and be prepared to take risks as appropriate, but these will be measured and carefully assessed. In particular we will:

• Further develop our comprehensive risk register;

• Prepare risk reports for all major new initiatives and new build schemes;

• Regularly review our control systems to ensure they are as up to date and comprehensive as possible.

We aim to grow the organisation by utilising the resources and skills we have for the benefit of current and future customers. In particular we will:

• Build on our status as a HCS partner and continue to develop new homes in line with our development strategy, subject to funding availability;
• Seek to grow our internal repairs team to carry out more work across the Group and for other organisations;
• Consider providing a range of services for organisations in both public and private sectors. Services could include:

Housing management
Development services
Repairs
Supported Housing
Central Services (HR, Finance, IT)

• Aim to utilise our experience, for example of; stock transfer, rural housing, sustainability issues, project management and asset management to support other organisations