Quality costs
Housing association chief executives have hit the headlines this week after being dragged into the row over public sector pay. Housing minister Grant Shapps may have gained some publicity by rehashing the results of our salary survey from September last year. However, the fact that housing associations are independent bodies seems to have been conveniently lost in translation.
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That issue aside, the more important question remains: are housing association chief executives worth the money they are paid? Clearly there are some pay packages (such as that given to the departed John Belcher at Anchor) which are unjustifiable. However, association bosses in the main do offer good value for money, with many taking pay freezes or cuts last year.
To safely navigate the next few years, associations must be able to recruit and retain the best talent in competition with the private sector. Is a dramatic pay cut for those charged with fighting the UK’s housing affordability crisis really the way to do this?