Work on the proposed merger between Coastal and RHA Wales has taken another step forward with completion of recruitment to the new merger company’s board of management.
Following a selection process, we are pleased to announce the following appointments:
- Aaron Hill
- Bethan Evans
- Dawn Mitchell
- Ed White
- Gurmel Bhachu
- Jane Howells
- Jonathan Roberts
- Scott Allin
- Scott Caldwell
All appointees currently serve on either the Coastal or RHA boards of management and will thus bring significant skills and experience to the new merger company. They will form the new company’s board of management at point of merger, along with the previously-announced roles below:
- Chief Executive Designate, Debbie Green
- Deputy Chief Executive Designate, Luke Takeuchi
- Chair Designate, Peter Hughes
- Vice Chair Designate, Patrick Hoare
If you would like to find out more about our organisation’s merger then please visit our dedicated webpage:
As per our previous news article, RHA Wales is progressing a planned merger with Coastal Housing Group to create a new organisation.
This work is well advanced, and we are making good progress against our plan. We have now reached a significant milestone, with the first executive and non-executive appointments being made after a thorough assessment process.
Peter Hughes has been appointed as Chair Designate and Patrick Hoare as Vice Chair Designate of the new organisation. They are currently the Chairs of RHA and Coastal respectively, so will bring lots of relevant experience.
Coastal’s current CEO, Debbie Green, has been appointed as the Group CEO Designate of the new organisation and RHA’s current CEO, Luke Takeuchi, has been appointed as Deputy CEO Designate. This means that Debbie will head up the new merger organisation as Chief Executive from day one, working closely with Luke as Deputy Chief Executive. Debbie and Luke will also become members of the new organisation’s board of management.
Having these key leadership roles in place will ensure both a smooth transition at point of merger and strong succession planning.
For more information or to chat to a member of our team then get in touch:
Telephone: 01443 424200 Email: [email protected]
We are proud to have worked with Cwm Taf Local Health Board & Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council on our new hospital discharge facility provision which is providing essential and much needed hospital discharge accommodation.
Dan Yr Allt, in Rhydeflin was developed by P&P Building and Roofing Contractors utilising land owned by RHA Wales. Our collaborative approach enabled us to design and develop an adapted property alleviating hospital bed demand on the NHS and providing individuals with adaptions to ensure independent living can be achieved and quality of life improved.
A funding package of Integrated Care Funding, Housing with Care Funding and private finance from ourselves at RHA Wales, enabled delivery of this special project. This new home enables individuals to move from a hospital setting to an accessible and suitable property, whilst they complete their recovery journey and/or until they are ready to return to their own home full time or until permanent suitable accommodation is identified for them.
The two-bedroom bungalow is suitable for one person and an additional bedroom for a family member or a carer. It comprises of a fully adapted kitchen and bathroom, tracked hoist system, power assisted doors, external scooter store and level access all around the property to enable the occupants to easily access external areas and enjoy the peaceful and tranquil setting that surrounds the bungalow.
Designed and built to be non-fossil fuel, the property meets EPC A standard utilising air source heat pump and solar pv as opposed to traditional methods, WDQR – Beautiful Homes and Spaces Standards and Lifetime Homes Standard.
The long-term aim is that this home is a model for what can be delivered by working collaboratively with health, housing as in Local Authority and RSL. Often these sorts of initiatives are considered on large scale builds, what we have demonstrated together is small builds like our Dan Yr Allt project can have a big impact and play a part in elevating pressures on our NHS and move individuals to a more suitable setting to aid their recovery.
From a project delivery perspective, and a mixed funding model, smaller, often less financially viable projects can be delivered and improve lives. And that’s key. Without this approach the land at Dan Yr Allt would likely remain as vacant land. However, through collaboration, a shared aim we have delivered something special that is having a positive impact, and together we are providing a vital resource for a recently discharged hospital patient whose is integrating herself back into the community, regaining her independence whilst waiting for her permanent accommodation to be sourced.
Like all housing associations, RHA Wales is regulated by Welsh Government.
In October 2023, Welsh Government wrote to us to tell us how much we can increase our rents. In early 2024 we sent you ‘notice of rent change 2024-2025’ letter in the post which included confirmation of service charges (if you pay them). Plus we included support and advice information which is available to you and your families.
We’re pleased to share that we’ve started talking to our friends at Coastal Housing Group about merging to form a new organisation.
We want to create a 10,000 home organisation for the future; one which constantly raises the bar to deliver improved services and homes for our tenants. We’ll have increased capacity and resilience to deliver a greater number of new, high-quality homes each year.
We’re focused on growth and investment in existing homes and services, and we also want to create a more resilient organisation with a wider geographical reach.
There are strong, shared values across RHA and Coastal and we’re excited to explore creating a new, combined organisation which can have an even greater impact across the communities within which we operate and beyond.
The key drivers for the proposed merger have been jointly identified as:
- To be in the strongest position to meet the challenges and expectations for housing associations in the coming years
- To achieve increased capacity for growth and greater organisational resilience
- To maintain and improve the quality of homes and services to our residents by combining our resources and expertise
- To maintain and improve our community regeneration work
- To enable greater capacity and resilience to learn, explore and develop new and enhanced services for our tenants
- To be an employer of choice, able to recruit and retain talented skilled colleagues
For more information or to chat to a member of our team then get in touch:
Telephone: 01443 424200 Email: [email protected]
We are pleased to welcome thirty one new tenants and see them benefit from our local services and community presence.
Building on our Corporate Plan commitment to grow the organisation and increase our overall resilience, this purchase from Habinteg Housing Association will not only increase our stock numbers but will complement our existing portfolio as RHA already owns over 80 homes in Talbot Green and has an adjacent housing estate a few minutes from Maes Trisant.
Both our organisations have been working through the transfer process for around six months and in consultation with tenants and staff, today we see the completion of the acquisition and smooth transition to RHA as the new landlord.
We are pleased to announce the acquisition of 31 homes to our portfolio.
At RHA we are committed to listening to and hearing the views of each one of our tenants on all the services we provide.
Each year, we carry out a STAR survey, where we ask for your feedback which helps us to make improvements and ensure tour support, activities and services meet your needs.
We know we may not always get things right, so our tenant commitment is to listen and learn from your experience and feedback. We are working with an independent company called Acuity Research to carry out this survey on our behalf.
- You can complete the paper survey and return it using the enclosed freepost envelope
- Complete the survey online at starsurveys.co.uk/rha using your personal code sent to you
- Or take the survey by phone, please call: 01273 287114
All our tenants will soon receive a phone call, letter, text or email and there is a prize draw for a £100 shopping voucher and 4 runner up prizes of £50 shopping vouchers. And by simply completing the survey you will be included in our free prize draw to win Love 2 Shop vouchers – just in time for the (dare we say it!) festive season!
Below you can see what you fed back to us on our last all tenant survey, and how we made improvements:
