L&Q boss Fiona Fletcher-Smith appointed chair of G15

The G15 group of large London housing associations has announced the appointment of Fiona Fletcher-Smith as its next chair.

Fletcher-Smith, chief executive of 105,000-home L&Q and a regular Housing Today columnist, becomes vice-chair with immediate effect and will take over as chair on 3 June when Metropolitan Thames Valley boss Geeta Nanda steps down at the end of her term. Bosses of the associations in the G15 group take it in turns to chair for two years a time.

Richard Hill of One Housing had been vice-chair and had been expected to succeed Nanda, but he has now been appointed as chief executive of non-G15 housing association BPHA.

Fletcher-Smith said: “Our sector is no stranger to challenge, but the sheer number of complex issues currently facing housing associations and our residents mean that working together is more important than ever.

“G15 members bring a broad range of skills and expertise to the table, but we are all united by a common desire to support our residents and tackle the housing crisis.”

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The G15 has warned in recent months about the impact on its members of restricting social housing rent rises. It published figures in October showing a 7% cap to social housing rents next year would reduce G15 members re-investable income by £2.4bn.

It however later welcomed the certainty Jeremy Hunt’s subsequent announcement of a 7% cap has brought.

G15 is also a backer of Housing Today’s A Fair Deal for Housing campaign, which calls on the government to commit to 300,000 new homes a year and is exploring solutions of how to achieve it.