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A Year in Review - 2024/25 - Annual Report
01 Welcome
It fills us with immense pride to share our annual report for 2024/25. This past year has seen us continue to focus our efforts on the core purpose that drives everything we do: providing safe, secure, and affordable homes that truly enhance lives and communities.
A key priority has been to increasing the provision of high-quality housing, offering a wide range of tenures - from social and affordable housing to homeownership options and commercial lettingsensuring we create equal opportunities for all.
During 2024/25 we welcomed approximately 100 families and individuals onto the property ladder through affordable and quality new homes, supporting our vision of a better future.
In the same period, we invested over £30m in making improvements to our homes, enhancing comfort and efficiency for our customers, and balancing our investment in building new homes.
Furthermore, customer voice remains at the heart of our operations and we are thrilled to have
welcomed new members to our involvement group this year, as well as registering over 400 customers to receive our monthly customer voice newsletter. The invaluable insights of all our engaged customers continue to shape and refine the services we offer. By offering opportunities for different levels of involvement we ensure that a diverse range of voices are heard and that our services truly reflect the needs and aspirations of all our customers.
This year saw the successful launch of our clear alleyways campaign, in partnership with Sefton Council. This vital initiative is designed to tackle the issue of fly-tipping and neglected alleyways, transforming them into clean, safe, and welcoming environments. Through a collaborative approach, including educating customers on responsible waste
disposal, enforcing regulations, and actively engaging with communities, we are working together to foster cleaner neighbourhoods which customers are proud to call home.
Our achievements would not be possible without the engagement of our customers, the hard work and dedication of our colleagues and the invaluable support of our partners. In 2024/25, we generated a significant £25.4m in social value, demonstrating the positive impact of our activities.
To further support our ongoing commitment to customers, we are investing in our people. We created 207 new career opportunities as part of The Sovini Group, with 94 colleagues undertaking traditional and non-traditional apprenticeships.
We also delivered valuable training to colleagues, designed to enhance the customer experience.
Thank you for your continued support, we remain fully committed to listening and acting upon our customer feedback, to help shape our services.
Lelir Yeung Chair of the Board
Ian Mitchell Managing Director (Housing)
02 A year in review
Our commitment to being a purpose-driven organisation has powered significant progress. We’re dedicated to delivering value in every area, from collaborative projects strengthening our neighbourhoods to enhancing the essential services our customers depend on.
Central to our success is active engagement with local authorities and strategic partners. Working collaboratively, we’ve delivered impactful initiatives that directly benefit our customers and the wider community. This includes our vital strategic partnership with Sefton Council, through which we’ve collectively driven significant community development.
This work is crucial to our mission of creating opportunities and changing lives, and it underpins our continued efforts in community development.
We believe in creating vibrant, inclusive communities where everyone has the chance to thrive.
We continue to listen, learn, and adapt our services based on feedback. We are constantly seeking new ways to empower customers to drive progress.
Between 1st April 2024 and 31st March 2025, we carried out 1,200 Tenant Satisfaction Measure (TSM) surveys, measuring customer perception of their experiences. This data is then used to identify areas for improvement to ensure our homes and the services we
deliver exceed their expectations. Repairs remain a key area of focus for our customers, and by adopting a continuous improvement approach, we are committed to ensuring we remain a top-performing service provider.
Overall satisfaction with the services we provide stands at 85.5%, and we are committed to continually improving the customer experience.
We are proud of the all-encompassing services we deliver, from providing diverse housing options to offering vital support and guidance. A key example
of this is the development of our Roots Project with Sefton Council, which has established a bespoke, person-centred protocol for rehousing young people leaving care, spearheaded by our dedicated Care Experienced Young Person Support Officer. Through initiatives like Roots, alongside comprehensive advice, health & wellbeing initiatives and continued engagement, we strive to make a tangible positive impact on the lives of our customers.
03 Our communities
As part of The Sovini Group, we share a powerful vision for a better future, and our role in fulfilling this is deeply rooted in our communities. We are dedicated to actively contributing to environmental, social, and economic development, playing a key part in building thriving and inclusive communities across the North West and beyond.
Alleyway Strategic Action Plan
This year saw significant progress in our commitment to enhancing the quality of life in our neighbourhoods with the launch of our Alleyway Strategic Action Plan. Developed in partnership with Sefton Council, this vital initiative directly tackles fly-tipping, aiming to transform and improve shared spaces for our customers and the wider community. This work is also fundamental to our commitment as a housing provider, as we are required to work with partners to ensure shared spaces are wellmanaged for the benefit of all.
The successful implementation of this plan is testament to the strength of our Group’s
unique social housing sector solution, which allows for seamless collaboration. This integrated approach allows us to efficiently address the challenges of fly-tipping, leveraging internal expertise and resources for effective waste removal and management.
The project launched with a successful community clean-up event in Bootle, Sefton, attended by colleagues, local councillors, MPs and Group partner Sovini Property Services, with skips generously donated by Sovini Waste Solutions.
During 2024/25 we also completed 15 Days of Action which tackles fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour, whilst also promoting fire safety.
“We are committed to taking action in collaboration with Sefton Council. Our strong partnerships are vital in keeping our communities clean and safe.
Ian Mitchell, Managing Director (Housing)
“It’s about fostering a sense of pride and safety in our communities. When we work together, we can truly make a lasting difference.”
Dean Morris, Property Clearance Operative at Sovini Property Services
Neighbourhood and Community
Anti-social behaviour, hate crime, and safeguarding
Safeguarding customers and creating secure communities where people feel safe is a cornerstone of our work. This year, we took action to proactively tackle anti-social behaviour and enhance safeguarding practices across our communities.
We are committed to identifying and supporting our most vulnerable customers, ensuring they feel safe and receive the help they need.
During Anti-Social Behaviour Week 2024:
• We commenced the week with a dedicated partnership action day, in Bootle.
• We promoted our Victim Support Directory to ensure those affected by anti-social behaviour receive crucial help and resources.
• Our ‘Lets Talk ASB’ day focused on transparency and engagement. We shared survey results, prepared Q&A content for social media, and published an article detailing “who we are, how to report,” and FAQs. A Wirral dropin surgery also provided direct support.
• ‘Community Heroes’ day highlighted positive contributions. We shared our Good Neighbour Agreement, invited our Neighbourhood Services Officers to nominate community heroes, and launched the Park Lane Community Garden, fostering positive community environments.
• The week concluded with a focus on young people, featuring the Everton in the Community ‘Open Water’ initiative to engage and educate the younger generation on anti-social behaviour prevention.
• We implemented specific initiatives and dedicated Days of Action to address localised issues.
Spotlight on partnership: The CELLS Project
During Anti-Social Behaviour Week, our dedicated partnership day highlighted our significant collaboration with Merseyside Police on the EVOLVE Netherton initiative. A key part of this was The Choices, Education, Lifelong Learning Skills (CELLS) Project, which saw 22 young people participate in impactful workshops addressing the consequences of serious crime.
Neil Kenwright, Head of Housing, said:
“By working closely with Merseyside Police and our wider stakeholders, we are committed to tackling anti-social behaviour and creating safer, stronger communities. This project aligns perfectly with our mission to create opportunities and change lives.”
Inspector Doug Chadwick of Merseyside Police added:
“Thanks to One Vision Housing, 22 young people participated in potentially life-changing workshops. These workshops equip young people with knowledge to make positive choices and contribute to a safer community.”
Tenancy Standard
We are committed to creating a better future for our communities. This is supported by the provision of quality, affordable homes and commercial spaces designed to meet a diverse range of needs. In 2024/25, we provided:
951 Independent Living homes
11,618
Social and Affordable Rent homes
308 Rent to Buy homes
388 Shared Ownership homes
88 Market Rent homes
626 Leasehold homes
43 Commercial units
Social and Affordable Rent homes
We understand the importance of providing affordable homes to meet demand and are committed to providing over 1,000 homes within the next five years. Our goal is to provide wider access to quality, affordable housing.
Social rents are carefully set using a Government formula that considers factors like location, property size, and local earnings to ensure they’re fair and accessible.
To ensure our homes are competitive, our affordable rents are typically set at no more than 80% of the usual market rate for the specific area and property size.
This approach allows us to provide high quality, affordable homes for a wide range of customers, creating inclusive and diverse communities.
Independent Living homes
Our Independent Living service supports customers to live independently in their own homes. This vital service assists over 1,000 customers across Sefton, Liverpool and the Wirral, and is accessible to anyone over 18 requiring assistance to maintain their tenancy.
We offer tailored support focused on five key areas:
• Housing related support and advice
• Being safe and secure
• Budgeting and benefits
• Health and wellbeing
• Repairs and adaptations
Our trained colleagues visit customers regularly to offer personalised support which could include, helping with referrals, overcoming obstacles, and empowering people to manage their tenancy, finances, and access relevant services and activities.
Rent to Buy and Shared Ownership homes
We believe in creating opportunities for local people to get a foot on the property ladder, and in 2024/25, we helped approximately 100 families and individuals take the first step towards home ownership.
Rent to Buy
Rent to Buy customers benefit from affordable rent at no more than 80% of the usual market rent, enabling them to save towards a deposit and buy the home they live in through Shared Ownership or outright purchase.
Shared Ownership
Shared Ownership makes owning a new home more achievable for many. Customers can buy a share in a new-build home, gradually increasing their ownership (referred to as staircasing) over time until they own their home outright, if they wish to do so.
We were proud to see a number of customers progress on their journey to homeownership. By utilising schemes like Rent to Buy and Shared Ownership, they were able to make that crucial leap, with some converting their homes to Shared Ownership and others celebrating the milestone of becoming full homeowners.
Market Rent and Leasehold homes
We recognise the importance of offering a variety of housing options to meet the diverse needs of our communities. In addition to our affordable homes, we provide properties for Market Rent, with the income from these homes being reinvested to benefit our residents. We also manage Leasehold properties for residents who have purchased their homes through the Right to Buy or Right to Acquire schemes.
Commercial units
We believe a strong community thrives on opportunity. We are proud to have leased a number of new commercial units across Sefton. These units create jobs, support the local economy, and contribute to the overall wellbeing of the communities.
“We feel very lucky to find a Rent to Buy property in a good location. It allows us to save for a deposit by paying a lesser rent compared to private renting. All the staff at One Vision Housing were so professional, helpful, and friendly.”
- Rent to Buy customer - Walton, Liverpool
04 Our people
We believe in creating meaningful employment opportunities for local talent and pride ourselves on creating an environment where our colleagues can thrive.
In 2024/25, we created 207 new job opportunities across The Sovini Group, significantly expanding our diverse and talented teams. Our unique Group model allows us to deliver comprehensive and seamless services to our customers.
Our unique social housing sector soultion provides a wealth of in-house experience and skills to deliver quality services to enhance our overall customer experience and compliance; from our dedicated HR and Procurement teams to our grounds maintenance and waste management solution.
Our award-winning apprenticeship programme continues to thrive, strengthening our talent pool. We offer roles in housing, customer experience and community safety, as well as trades including electrical and gas through Group partner Sovini Property Services. This dual approach combines onthe-job training with classroom learning, equipping apprentices for successful careers across the Group, and ensuring that our services are delivered by a team with the highest level of expertise and skills.
Investing in People
We are dedicated to supporting our colleagues’ professional development, ensuring they have every opportunity to thrive. By investing in our people, we are investing in the quality of the services customers receive.
In 2024/25, we invested in a number of new traditional apprenticeships and 36 professional qualifications for our colleagues, including nine learners who achieved their Chartered Institute of Housing Level 3 qualification through Liverpool City Region funding.
We’re proud to highlight Lauren Kelly, who recently completed her Housing & Property Management Assistant Apprenticeship. She enthusiastically shared:
“I have learnt so many different things and gained many skills. The team were always amazing with offering any help and support. I have now completed my apprenticeship and have continued my housing career with One Vision Housing as a Neighbourhood Services Officer.
Generating Social Value
Our commitment to social value truly drives our mission of creating opportunities and changing lives. By maximising value for money for our customers, we’re making a lasting, positive impact on communities.
We measure social value to understand the wider benefits our services bring to customers and communities.
We remain committed to fulfilling our mission of creating opportunities and changing lives. In 2025/26, we’ll continue to deliver positive impacts for our customers and communities, helping to foster financial
£23.4m
in social value:
This is the direct, measurable benefit created through our activities. For every £1 spent, we generated £27 in social value, providing a strong Social Return on Investment (SROI).
*in-line with the UKSVB evidence requirements.
stability and wellbeing. By partnering with local organisations and offering vital support, we’ll work to build a better future for everyone.
In 2024/25, we generated a significant £25.4m in overall social value, demonstrating the positive impact of our activities.
This includes:
£2m
in indicative social value:
This represents the additional, wider benefits that form part of our impact (e.g broader economic benefits of our work). For every £1 spent, we generated an indicative £270 in social value.
Social Value Contributions at a Glance
We’re proud to highlight the diverse ways we’ve supported our communities this year:
44
social value projects delivered
581 customers supported to maintain regular rent payments
890 customers received vital financial support from our Financial Inclusion Officers
470 previously homeless individuals were supported into their own homes
384 customers received home decoration packs
homes upgraded with energy-saving features, estimated to provide efficiency savings of £215 per year for customers
colleagues undertaking traditional and non-traditional apprenticeships across The Sovini Group 94
67 adaptations were made to properties, improving the quality of life for our customers 803
donated to customers experiencing fuel poverty, in collaboration with Group partner Sovini Construction £2k donated to support local projects through our Community Development Fund £15k
Investing in our Communities
We’re dedicated to creating thriving, inclusive communities. We aim to help as many local projects as possible, ranging from mental health support to community events.
Community Development Funded Projects
Our Community Development Fund provides £15k in grants for projects benefiting customers, focusing on five key themes - vulnerable persons, health, veterans, safety, and environmental initiatives.
• Netherton Park Neighbourhood Centre in Sefton, hosted a free family fun day, promoting health and wellbeing for local residents in this area. The event generated over £1.14m in social value through various activities, including a football shootout in collaboration with LGBTQ+ team Inclusion Plus FC, promoting inclusivity and celebrating diversity.
• Approximately 70 vulnerable families in Sefton received volunteer, childcare, and mental health assistance through HomeStart Southport & Formby to improve home environments and wellbeing, generating £413.4k in social value.
• A six-week mental health awareness programme in Sefton, aiding around 30 local residents and generating £37k in social value.
• Ten choir sessions at Orrell Lodge, Sefton, promoted health and wellbeing for all 49 residents and other Independent Living customers. This initiative generated £10.3k in social value, with plans for a new Social Committee to continue community engagement.
• A holiday camp for 16 Ukrainian children aged 6-12, offering sports, cultural activities, and Halloween celebrations, generating £76.1k in social value.
Wider Customer & Community Initiatives
In addition to projects supported through the Community Development Fund, we delivered a range of initiatives to support our customers and the wider community, including:
• We undertook a project to map the customer experience with our Aids & Adaptations service, through interviews and focus groups to identify improvements, streamline processes, and enhance customer satisfaction. An action plan is now in place to track agreed enhancements.
• Inspired by a National Housing Federation report, we improved customer data accuracy and service delivery by capturing and utilising insights from every customer interaction to better understand needs and refine services.
• Responded to a Housing Ombudsman report, through the implementation of colleagues training on mental health awareness and Dementia Friends to improve communication and support for vulnerable customers.
• Following repair inspections and customer feedback, we replaced flooring in ten low-rise blocks with easy-to-clean alternatives. This significantly improved the appearance of communal areas, enhancing customer satisfaction.
• In response to customer demand for face-to-face interaction, we introduced neighbourhood drop-in sessions across Merseyside, assisting customers with tenancy and housing queries, including translations.
• We established an open forum for high-rise customers to discuss building safety, legislative updates, and raise concerns, with an action plan in place to address issues including communal cleaning and noise complaints.
Financial Inclusion
We recognise that our customers’ ability to thrive is directly linked to their financial stability.
Our commitment to financial inclusion focuses on providing practical support to help customers navigate financial challenges, prevent debt, and successfully sustain their tenancies.
A key part of this commitment is our Customer Support Fund. This dedicated fund allows us to provide direct financial assistance to customers when they need it most.
Customer Support Fund
In 2024/2025, we allocated a significant £230k to our Customer Support Fund. This investment enabled us to support our customers in two key ways:
Preventing rent arrears and sustaining tenancies
How we helped
£192k directly supported customers struggling to pay their rent. This included customers facing financial hardship or those affected by under-occupation rules who couldn’t get help elsewhere.
Our impact
By applying this money directly to rent accounts, we successfully prevented 245 households from falling into rent arrears. This support provided an average of £783 per household, helping customers maintain their homes and financial stability.
Homestarter Initiative
How we helped
£36k was dedicated to our innovative, Homestarter initiative. This programme provides new, eligible customers with up to £450 to help with essential furnishings and decorations, such as flooring, blinds, and carpets.
Our impact
This initiative supported 139 families and individuals, with an average of £258 per household. The Homestarter initiative helps new customers create a comfortable home environment from day one, easing the financial burden of moving home.
Beyond our Customer Support Fund, we also have a variety of initiatives designed to help our customers thrive:
New customer paint packs
To help new customers settle in, we provide paint and decoration packs. Customers choose their preferred colours, with packs delivered directly to their new home. In 2024/25, packs valued at £47k benefited 365 households.
Dedicated financial inclusion support
Our Financial Inclusion Officer provides support to customers, ensuring they are maximising their benefit entitlements, reducing the risk of falling into debt and improving the stability of their tenancy. We also partner with RAISE, an independent charity, providing free, confidential, high-quality advice and training around welfare benefits, debt, and financial capability. In 2024/25, these efforts led to an assumed benefit gain of £750k through our Financial Inclusion service and £428.5k via RAISE for our customers, who told us:
“The welfare support service was very helpful and easy to access.”
“The Financial Inclusion team were outstanding and assisted with contacting the council and supporting me through a very difficult time. I am pleased to say both my rent and council tax payments have been agreed.”
Furniture poverty
We provide essential items of furniture to individuals and families who are not able to furnish a home themselves – this can be as a result of fleeing a domestic abuse situation, leaving an institution or if they have health issues which means that they are benefit dependant.
We also provided tailored support packages to care-experienced young people in Sefton. Last year, we supplied 56 packages filled with essential household items, which were highly valued by the young people who received them.
Fuel voucher support
In 2024/25, we partnered with Torus Foundation to provide vital fuel vouchers to customers experiencing financial hardship.
This initiative delivered over £19k worth of vouchers to 170 customers with prepayment meters, offering crucial support with energy costs during the colder months.
Our Commitment to Sustainability
We’re actively working towards achieving the 2030 Global Goals for Sustainable Development. Our initiatives contribute to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including:
• No Poverty - Through our cost-ofliving support campaign, we are providing customers with access to financial support services.
• Good Health and Wellbeing - We promote physical, mental and financial wellbeing for our customers, and support a number of initiatives designed to improve their health.
• Sustainable Cities and CommunitiesWe champion diversity and inclusivity across our communities, including our Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic residents, who account for 8.7% of our customer profile.
• Partnerships for the Goals - Our strategic partnerships enable us to create safer, cleaner, and thriving communities.
• Efficient energy - We are committed to achieving an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) band C or above for all of our homes by 2030, improving energy efficiency and reducing our customers’ energy costs.
Net-Zero Carbon Commitment
As part of The Sovini Group, we are continuing our journey towards achieving net-zero emissions. This pledge guides our operations and how we manage our homes, striving for a more sustainable environment for everyone.
We’re delighted to announce a significant reduction in our carbon footprint. The Sovini Group has made great progress with our environmental efforts, and our carbon emissions per full-time employee (FTE) now stand at just 3.97 eCO₂ tonnes in 2024/25. This represents a substantial decrease of 9.94 eCO₂ tonnes per FTE. We are currently validating our data so we can use it for benchmarking in the future. This significant reduction highlights our ongoing commitment to a more sustainable future.
This significant reduction highlights our collaborative effort to operate more sustainably. Our Net-Zero Carbon Commitment remains central to creating a sustainable future for our customers and communities.
Since 2021/22 we have worked hard to reduce our carbon footprint by
71.49%
Delivering ‘Decent Homes’
We prioritise providing safe, wellmanaged, and high-quality homes for our customers. This commitment aligns with the Government’s Decent Homes Standard.
This year, we’ve made significant investments to ensure our homes meet the highest standards:
£15.7m invested in major improvements and planned maintenance across 5,929 existing homes
£578k invested in new kitchens
£175k invested in new bathrooms
£14.9m repairs, maintenance and planned improvements
£34.4m invested into developing new homes
In addition to these key areas, our investment extended to a range of essential works, including:
• Fire safety improvements
ᴏ Addressing recommendations from Fire Risk Assessments
ᴏ Installing new fire-rated front doors and sprinkler systems in high-rise buildings - 149 homes
• Making homes more accessible
ᴏ Providing aids and adaptations - 185 homes
• Keeping homes structurally sound
ᴏ Carrying out structural repairs - 247 homes
ᴏ Installing window restrictors in high-rise buildings - 107 homes
• Refreshing and renewing
ᴏ Undertaking cosmetic decorative works to keep properties looking their best - 350 homes
ᴏ Replacing key components like roofing and heating systems - 1,021 replacements
Aids and adaptations
We’re dedicated to helping our customers live comfortably and independently in their homes.
• Caring for our environment
ᴏ Making environmental improvements to surrounding areas - 36 projects
ᴏ Investing in sustainability, including works towards net-zero carbon homes, CO2 alarms, and Lowton Cubitt remedial works - 3,078 homes
• Our continued commitment
ᴏ We continue to invest in the proactive and responsive maintenance of our homes, adhering to all government guidelines. In partnership with Group partners, Sovini Property Services and Amianto Services, we have a dedicated programme to effectively manage and address damp and mould.
ᴏ Our ongoing programme for assessing the condition of our homes provides crucial data. This valuable information directly informs and shapes our future plans and investment programmes, ensuring we deliver high-quality, wellmaintained homes for our customers.
Providing safe, well-managed, and high-quality living spaces is central to our commitment, ensuring equality, diversity, and inclusion for everyone.
£658k invested into 94 wet rooms £138k invested into minor adaptations
£60k invested into fitting ramps
£54k invested into fitting stair lifts
New Homes
During 2024/25, we invested £34.4m into the development of 170 new homes across the North West.
Our Customer Contact Centre
In 2024/25, our dedicated Customer Contact Centre team demonstrated an outstanding commitment to providing high-quality service, effectively managing a significant volume of customer interactions. We understand that getting in touch with us needs to be straightforward and efficient, and we’re proud of the work our team has done to support you.
Throughout the year, we handled a remarkable 211,532 enquiries. This figure represents every single request or query logged through our systems, whether it was via phone, email, or through ‘My Account’ our convenient online portal.
To give you a clearer picture of how these interactions are recorded, it’s helpful to understand that one single phone call or
email can often lead to multiple enquiries being logged. For example, if you called us about a leaking tap, and during that same conversation, you also discussed a need for damp and mould work, enquired about your rent arrears, and reported anti-social behaviour, this one call would be recorded as four separate enquiries in our system. This comprehensive logging ensures that we capture and address all your needs efficiently.
We are pleased to report that our First Point Resolution (FPR) rate stood at 94.1%. This means that for the vast majority of interactions, our team was able to resolve your query or issue during your very first contact with us, saving you time and ensuring a swift resolution.
“One Vision Housing made the whole process of buying a Shared Ownership home so easy, I couldn’t believe how quickly I was able to move in! I am so happy with my new home.”
- Shared Ownership Customer of Holly Grange, Cheshire
06 Our partnerships
We believe that creating opportunities and changing lives is a collective effort.
Our unique Group model provides an integrated supply chain solution for the housing sector.
We’ve built a collaborative culture across The Sovini Group, with all partners working toward a common goal. This unified, approach drives significant efficiencies and delivers enhanced value for money by fostering a collaborative environment. Ultimately, this directly benefits our customers through high-performing services that are both effective and cost-efficient.
In 2024/25, our collaborative efforts generated significant savings and secured vital funding. We achieved over £278k in value for money
efficiency savings. In addition, we secured more than £1m in decarbonisation grants for 74 properties and £9.2m in Homes England grants for affordable housing.
Further efficiencies were provided through strategic in-house legal work, and over £77k in funded training across the Group, including direct benefits to One Vision Housing colleagues. These efforts ensure our housing colleagues can devote their time to nurturing customer relationships and directly supporting communities, underpinned by robust financial management.
Strategic Partnerships
We are committed to supporting our customers by actively engaging with external partners and community initiatives.
This year, we have:
• Improved our service by providing councillor training through our Customer Experience team, which helps deliver a more joined-up service and create area-wide improvements. Additionally, we now publish a bi-monthly councillor newsletter to keep them updated on the latest news and events in their constituencies.
• Collaborated with Sefton Council on our Alleyway Strategic Action Plan to combat fly-tipping.
Nurturing Talent, Improving Services
Our people are at the heart of everything we do. As part of The Sovini Group, we provide 790 meaningful employment opportunities for local people. This year alone, we celebrated a remarkable 62 internal promotions across the Group, 14.5% within One Vision Housing. This is testament to our commitment to nurturing talent and providing clear pathways for career progression.
• Developed a shared customer directory with Sefton Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) for more dynamic support information.
• Signed up to the Housing Protocol with Sefton Council regarding the rehousing of young people leaving care through the Roots project.
In 2024/25 we were honoured to be awarded Patron Status by Elevate EBP, a recognition that underscores our significant role in raising aspirations, providing invaluable career guidance, and actively shaping the future workforce.
Working with our Communities
Empowering customers & improving support
Our new Customer Training and Skills Hub offers a wealth of resources and training designed to help individuals enhance existing skills or acquire new ones.
We’ve also successfully launched an online Customer Support Directory, a comprehensive resource that helps customers easily find assistance across a wide range of service areas within the local authorities we serve.
Repairs and maintenance service improvements
We have significantly improved our methodology for ensuring property condition data is up-to-date, establishing a closer correlation with customers’ personal circumstances, such as health needs or other conditions that can be alleviated or supported through targeted property investment measures.
To ensure a tailored and supportive service, customer vulnerability data is now shared with repairs and maintenance provider, Sovini Property Services, allowing them to adjust their service delivery, based on individual needs, such as providing additional time for a customer with mobility issues to answer the door.
Enhanced accessibility & communication
As a direct result of our Fair Access to Services project, which involved surveying 100 customers who faced potential barriers to accessing our services due to disabilities or language barriers, we’ve implemented several key improvements.
We’ve made it easier for customers to access information and communicate with us. This includes sending large print letters and exploring coloured paper options for those with visual impairments. Our website now features Recite Me, a versatile tool that significantly improves accessibility and provides language support. We’ve also diversified our Customer Voice newsletter, producing printed, electronic, and audio formats.
Customer journey mapping –aids & adaptations
To gain insight into experiences with our aids & adaptations service, we conducted a comprehensive customer journey mapping project. This exercise traced their experience from the initial enquiry through to completion, visually depicting the entirety of their interactions with our service. This process allowed us to identify both strengths and weaknesses in service delivery, pinpointing areas for improvement and understanding where customer expectations were not being met.
As a direct result of this exercise, a series of recommendations were made and implemented, including:
• Improved communication with customers, including a clear step-by-step guide of the Aids & Adaptations process
• Strengthened processes in partnership with local authorities
• Regular updates to customers via their preferred contact method
• Satisfaction results have been divided between major and minor adaptations to improve reporting
This customer journey mapping exercise has provided invaluable insights, highlighting opportunities to streamline processes, improve communication, and personalise interactions, ultimately leading to enhanced customer satisfaction.
Driving service excellence
To continually enhance our services, we’ve implemented key internal improvements. We’ve introduced client considerations, ensuring our colleagues better understand individual customer needs. Furthermore, our enhanced IT and reporting capabilities now provide detailed satisfaction data by customer profile, empowering us to make informed decisions and refine our service delivery.
Special interest engagement forums
We continued to develop special interest engagement forums to address specific customer needs. We launched an EDI Roadshow that visits independent living schemes, allowing us to meet with customers directly. These sessions are a great opportunity to hear customers’ views
Regional collaboration
Our commitment to regional customer engagement is demonstrated through our active membership in the Ring North West Customer Engagement group. Additionally, our Customer Voice and Neighbourhood Teams work in partnership with local
07 contribution counted
We are proud to showcase the tangible and lasting benefits we deliver to our communities, demonstrating how our dedicated efforts translate into meaningful improvements for our customers and communities.
This annual report details our commitment to value for money, highlights our robust financial viability, and presents our strong performance across Tenant Satisfaction Measures, improvement work groups, our Customer Care Charter performance indicators, and our approach to complaints.
Driving Continuous Improvement Through Dedicated Groups
Beyond our Customer Care Charter, our operational excellence is built on dedicated internal improvement groups focusing on key service areas like communal cleaning, grounds maintenance, complaints, and repairs.
These vital groups are where we review current performance, set new targets, and assess
service perception through customer feedback. They allow us to implement focused action plans to manage expectations and deliver tangible improvements. This collaborative approach ensures our services consistently evolve to exceed customer expectations and set new benchmarks in the housing sector.
Value for Money
Ensuring value for money is fundamental to all of our operations and we’ve developed a comprehensive strategy by bringing together the skills and insights of both our dedicated colleagues and our customers. This approach is designed to maximise the positive impact of every pound invested, ensuring significant social value is delivered alongside our financial objectives. Our commitment is underpinned by the following key objectives:
1. Maximising social value
2. Best use of assets and resources
3. Customer voice
4. Governance, risk and compliance
5. Maximising opportunities through procurement
6. Cooperation and collaboration through self delivery
7. Excellent performance and customer satisfaction
£159.8m saved through efficiencies since 2006
£4m saved through efficiencies in 2024/25
£846k saved in procurement efficiencies/mitigated costs in 2024/25 across The Sovini Group
£504.9k interest made as a result of investments made
How we report on value for money
Every year we produce a self-assessment and statutory accounts that detail our approach to value for money, achievements and future plans.
Find out more and view our financial statements here
Income
Our annual income for 2024/25 was £83.4m
Expenditure
Our annual expenditure for 2024/25 was £110.3m
*During the year we spent £1,065 per home (£2024: £893), delivering our housing management services (e.g. collecting our rent letting our homes and overseeing the delivery of our repair services). This spend included £81 (2024: £77) per home, for director remuneration.
We achieved £10.95m in operating efficiency savings during 2024/25. These significant savings were primarily driven by grant income and budget management.
Reported Operating Efficiencies
• £815k achieved through rent collection rates of 100.47% and effective void (empty homes) management at 0.71%
• £410k savings from effective recruitment
• £50k efficiencies generated through routine and planned maintenance works, including damp, mould, condensation works, and sustainability initiatives
• £335k generated from property sales, including Right to Buy and Shared Ownership
• £149k Value Added Tax (VAT) recovered above projections.
• £474k in savings acheived from lower interest rates (SONIA) and reduced loan drawdowns
Additional Gains
• £1k in Gift Aid received from The Sovini Group
• £8.72m in Homes England grant relating to completed and ongoing new-build housing development schemes
Our total annual efficiency savings for 2024/25 - £10.95m
Value for Money Culture and Funding Achievements
To ensure our value for money (VfM) culture is fully embedded, the Value for Money Officer regularly collaborates with One Vision Housing Social Value Champions and wider teams across the Group. This ensures consistent reporting and the capture of all efficiencies, including successful funding opportunities, negotiated savings, and staff upskilling.
Throughout 2024/25, we successfully secured the following funding:
• Wave 2.1 Social Housing Decarbonisation Grant
ᴏ We received over £1m from the Liverpool City Region. This funding enabled works on 74 properties.
• Funded training courses
ᴏ Investment in funded training courses across the Group resulted in £77.6k in savings and avoided costs. This initiative provided training for 92 colleagues across 10 courses, amounting to a total of 2,226 training hours.
Governance, Risk and Compliance
In December 2024, we maintained our ‘G1’ (Governance) and ‘V1’ (Viability) regulatory gradings, confirming full compliance with all regulatory standards, including the 2018 Value for Money standard. No regulatory issues were raised or identified during 2024/25. Our VfM selfassessments are routinely published on our website.
Maximising Procurement Opportunities
Our procurement activity in 2024/25 generated £355.8k in cost avoidance savings. These efficiencies were achieved through direct competitive tendering, securing favourable current market rates.
Financial Viability
We are dedicated to continuously enhancing our operations and driving innovation to become a top-performing organisation within the industry.
Customer Care Charter
Developed in partnership with our Customer Voice Group, our charter ensures we strive to:
1. Provide excellent customer care (as evidenced through satisfaction surveys)
2. Respond to reports of anti-social behaviour within one working day
3. Respond to enquiries within 48 hours
4. Complete emergency repairs within 24 hours
5. Aim to resolve queries at the first point of contact
Customer Care Charter Performance Target Trend
%
We regularly report on our performance in line with the charter, which is available to view on our website.
*Data from transactional surveys
**This performance indicator is also captured as part of the Tenant Satisfaction Measures.
Annual Performance
In addition to our charter, we also collate data on our performance across key service areas annually. We benchmark performance against the sector.
Key
increase in performance since 2023/24 maintained performance since 2023/24 decrease in performance since 2023/24
Tenant Satisfaction Measures
Complaints
While we always strive for excellence, we recognise that there may be times when our services don’t quite meet expectations.
Customer feedback is incredibly important to us as it provides valuable insights that directly inform our improvements and help us prioritise the areas that will have the greatest impact.
*2024/25 Housemark Benchmarking Information.
**The average amount of time taken to respond to a complaint is 9.4 days, which is within the 10day target. However, as of 2024/25 this is no longer benchmarked.
One Vision Housing Ombudsman Data
*A partially upheld complaint typically involves multiple issues, where the investigating Officer agrees with some aspects raised but not others.
Key
N/A = not applicable
Upheld = maladministration or redress
Partially upheld = service failure
Redress = errors made and correctly redressed during the complaint
Thanks to the feedback received via our complaints service during 2024/25, we were able to introduce the following improvements:
Enhancing Complaint Resolution And Transparency
We’re committed to resolving your concerns quickly and efficiently. To achieve this, we’ve introduced end-to-end reviews of customer feedback and escalated complaints. This allows us to identify areas for improvement, provide focused training to our Investigating Officers, and ensure a smoother complaints journey for our customers. Our Investigating Officers also benefit from weekly drop-ins with Repairs and Reactive Supervisors, making sure customer complaints are reviewed effectively. Following a complaint, if a customer is still not satisfied,our Quality and Assurance Coordinator can offer a call back to discuss their concerns further and take action where needed.
Improving Communication And Customer Experience
We understand that clear and timely communication is essential. To improve how we communicate about appointments, we’re exploring a no-reply email service for repair appointments, ensuring customers receive timely updates in their preferred way.
Our contractors, Sovini Property Services, have also recruited a dedicated Customer Experience Officer to focus on lessons learned from feedback and complaints, driving continuous improvements in their service
Strengthening Learning And Accountability
Customer feedback is vital, and we’re committed to acting on it. We’ve streamlined our internal processes to make it easier for our teams to discuss and resolve issues, ensuring we respond to customer concerns more quickly and consistently. We’ve also enhanced collaboration through a dedicated channel to monitor ongoing issues and lessons learned, assigning tasks directly for swift action. Monthly Complaint Working Groups analyse recurring issues to implement service improvements. Our Quality and Assurance Coordinator holds weekly meetings with our contractor to identify common trends and create improvement actions.
To improve complaint resolution, we’re trialling a new process where information is provided within three working days, Investigating Officers resolve complaints within eight working days, and the Quality & Assurance Coordinator reviews the outcome letter before it’s sent to customers. We’ve also implemented monthly mandatory training for all Investigating Officers on a new ‘hot topic’ each month, and regular ‘check-in’ meetings with our Investment Team ensure Housing Ombudsman recommendations are actioned.
Assuring Quality Of Work
We’re committed to ensuring high-quality work. For repairs that arise from complaints, our Surveyors now perform post-repair inspections to guarantee the quality of work and proactively address any potential follow-on work. A dedicated Scheduler now manages incomplete post-complaint work, with jobs collated for easy access and ongoing monitoring.
Looking Ahead: Our Commitment To Continuous Improvement
We are continually striving to improve our services and accountability. We’re currently undertaking an assurance exercise through HouseMark, a leading data and insight company in the UK housing sector. This audit will review our customer survey data collection processes to ensure we gather reliable results that inform our service improvements and regulatory compliance.
We’re committed to a proactive complaints approach. We’re using past complaint data to spot patterns and predict potential problem areas, aiming to fix fundamental issues before they escalate. By identifying emerging trends, we can take action early, leading to a better customer experience.
Finally, we have developed a complaint and communication improvement plan. This structured approach will enhance how we record, respond to, and report on complaints, not only resolving individual issues effectively but also identifying opportunities to improve our services across the board.
Housing Ombudsman
The Housing Ombudsman is an independent, impartial, and free service for social housing residents, set up to impartially resolve complaint disputes between Registered Providers and their customers.
We are compliant and work in line with the Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code, which helps us to resolve complaints fairly, quickly, and effectively in line with best practice, whilst providing data to set industry benchmarks. We are compliant with the 2024 refreshed complaint code by making the following key changes:
• The removal of the designated filter.
• If legal action has commenced, the complaints process will cease, however as a landlord we will continue to complete any work necessary.
• The reasonable adjustment section has been enhanced.
• The definition of a complaint has been updated.
• A stage 2 complaint now has 20 working days to be resolved, as opposed to the previous 10 working day target.
• Where a complaint is extended a letter will be sent to the customer, detailing the length of extension, their new due date, and the Ombudsman’s contact details.
We have also completed the refreshed selfassessment against the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code and are committed to reporting this annually to our Boardit is available to read on our website.
You can contact the Housing Ombudsman via:
Housing Ombudsman Service PO BOX 1484
Unit D Preston PR2 0ET 0300 111 3000 info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk
08 Governance
Governance criteria considers our internal practices and procedures, creates transparency and ensures we adhere to industry best practice with factors including:
• Leadership
• Board composition
• Executive compensation
• Internal controls
• Audit committee structure
• Shareholder rights
• Bribery and corruption
• Lobbying
• Political contributions
• Whistle-blower programmes
Our Approach to Risk Management
As a responsible landlord, we assess and monitor those threats (risks) which, if not managed effectively could have a negative impact upon the services that we provide to our customers and our resources.
Often, we cannot control these threats as we do not cause them. They include changes in government policy and legislation, such as building safety, planning permission and repair standards. Also, changes in the economy and/ or threats that are faced by all businesses e.g. higher interest costs and inflation etc and the potential of a cyber-attack.
This requires us to balance our priorities and resources and make choices in the short to medium-term, whilst planning for the future. These choices could include deciding how much we can afford to spend
building new homes, whilst ensuring that we continue to repair, improve and increase the energy efficiency of our existing homes.
Also, ensuring that we protect the health and safety of our customers, colleagues and contractors. Listening to their views and using this feedback to improve our services.
For us to continue to achieve our purpose, our Board regularly test how effectively we can recover should a threat or multiple threats occur at the same time. This is called stress testing. In most cases the impact of a threat, is that we have less money to spend on our priorities. Should this happen we always have a plan, and this plan is designed to protect, where we can, any adverse impact on customer services.
Transparency, Influence and Accountability
Tenant Satisfaction Measures
The Regulator of Social Housing has a set of Tenant Satisfaction Measures, to assess how well social housing landlords are doing at providing good quality homes and services.
The measures are aimed at helping improve standards for people living in social housing, by:
• Providing visibility, letting customers see how well their landlord is doing and enabling tenants to hold their landlords to account.
• Giving the Regulator insight into which landlords might need to improve things for their tenants.
To meet new regulatory requirements, we conducted a survey of 1,200 customers to gauge satisfaction across five key areas:
1. Keeping properties in a good state of repair.
2. Maintaining building safety.
3. Respectful and helpful engagement.
4. Effective handling of complaints.
5. Responsible neighbourhood management.
This data has been submitted to the Regulator of Social Housing and has been shared with customers on our website to ensure transparency and accountability.
Our Board
Our Board consists of six Non-Executive Directors, one of which is a co-optee and two executive members. Our members set the strategic direction of our business and monitor the achievements we make against our mission of creating opportunities and changing lives.
The Board scrutinises and evaluates our services to ensure we remain well governed and financially viable through effective leadership and the delivery of quality services to customers.
We are governed within the National Housing Federation’s 2020 Code of Governance and the Board has certified compliance for 2024/25.
Lelir Yeung Non-Executive Director (Chair)
Mike Parkin Non-Executive Director (Chair of Risk and Audit Committee)
Andrew Armstrong Non-Executive Director
Pam Holliday Non-Executive Director
Peter Crosby Non-Executive Director
Tracey Gore Non-Executive Director
Tracey Liggett Executive Director (Chief Finance Officer)
Roy Williams Executive Director (Group Chief Executive Officer)
“Our customers drive our purpose. Together, we’re creating opportunities and making a real difference as we strive to create a better future for customers within our welcoming and vibrant communities.”
Dr Roy Williams, Executive Board Director and Group Chief Executive Officer
09 Registration details
Registered Office
One Vision Housing Limited Unit 1, Heysham Road, Bootle, Merseyside L30 6UR
One Vision Housing Limited is a charitable registered society under the Co-operative Community Benefit Societies Act 2014: 7072
Regulated by Regulator of Social Housing Reg No: 4804
VAT Reg No: 997330871
Internal Auditors
Beever and Struthers
One Express, 1 George Leigh Street, Manchester, England M4 5DL
External Auditors
BDO LLP Eden Building, Irwell Street, Salford, Manchester M3 5EN
Bank
Royal Bank of Scotland
Merseyside Cheshire & North Wales, Corporate Banking, 1st Floor, 2-8 Church Street, Liverpool L1 3BG
Solicitors
Weightmans Solicitors, 100 Old Hall Street, Liverpool L3 9QJ
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