An Introduction to The Guinness Partnership
I welcome this opportunity to introduce The Guinness Partnership and our track record of positive and successful partnerships. We have come together because we have similar ambitions and recognise those benefits of scale that come from working collectively – financial strength, service quality, and policy influence. We are a national Partnership of regional organisations delivering local services. Our specialist companies (Guinness Developments and Guinness Care and Support) operate nationally and our local Boards and customer engagement programmes keep our feet on the ground. Our ambition is that The Guinness Partnership will be recognised nationally as the provider of choice - in affordable housing and care and support services. For that reason the strategic plan has as our first priority „Achieving excellence in customer service’ and a key success measure for the delivery of the plan will be evidence of increasing customer satisfaction.
Simon Dow
Group Chief Executive The Guinness Partnership Who We Are – The Guinness Partnership
The Guinness Partnership is the parent organisation of our group. Guinness Northern Counties, Guinness Midsummer, Guinness Hermitage and Guinness Housing are the geographically focused companies within the Partnership. Guinness Care and Support and Guinness Developments are the companies that have a national remit for the whole Partnership. The Guinness Partnership is one of the largest Housing Association Groups in the country. We provide homes and services to around 100,000 customers in over 51,000 homes in more than 180 local authorities in England. During 2007 we welcomed both Northern Counties Housing Association and Devon Community Housing Society into The Partnership. Guinness Trust homes and staff based in the north of England are now managed by Guinness-Northern Counties and the integration agenda there supports ever improving customer service. Devon Communities Housing Society has brought a wealth of knowledge and experience of care and support to The Partnership and the amalgamation of Hermitage Care and Devon Communities Housing society with Guinness Care and Support has formed a truly national organisation delivering care and support services to a wide range of customers.
Governance of The Guinness Partnership
The Guinness Partnership comprises a range of legal and operating entities bound together by a governance structure that reflects agreed controls and relationships. The Partnership Board at “Level 1” retains the responsibilities required of a parent body in such a structure. The Partnership Board currently has two Group Committees to support it with this role – the Group Audit and Risk Committee and the Group Governance Committee. Below The Partnership Board there are five “Level 2” Boards, a generic term applied to boards that report directly to The Partnership Board whatever their legal status. Level 2 Boards are also able to set up committees to support their work and all are expected to have their own Audit and Risk Committees unless the Group Audit and Risk Committee agrees otherwise.