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About Steve Smedley

Steve is an Acuity associate and independent consultant. He is author of "Social Hearts and Business Heads" and his experience in Social Housing and enthusiasm for improving services has led him to become a leading thinker and practitioner in the sector.

Author Archive | Steve Smedley

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Rough Guide to the TSMs Part One: the Finalised Metrics and Associated Requirements

Hot on the heels of the Regulator of Social Housing’s (RSH) decision statement on the Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs), we alerted members to its publication and produced a set of slides featuring the key requirements and what it means for our existing suite of benchmarking metrics. This Rough Guide summarises the regulator’s requirements and should …..Read the full article »

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Implementing the Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs): Acuity Benchmarking

Understandably, the sector is preoccupied with the prospect of collecting a comprehensive suite of mandatory consumer metrics. As many of you will be wrestling with how you are going to collect the data and whether you should trial run them ahead of formal implementation, this blog sets out Acuity’s plans and seeks feedback about what …..Read the full article »

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Tenant Satisfaction Measures: Acuity’s initial thoughts on the RSH’s proposals (Part 2)

This is Part 2 of Acuity’s initial thoughts on the Regulator of Social Housing’s (RSH) consultation on the Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs). In Part 1 we covered overarching principles. In Part 2, we get stuck into the individual measures. Acuity will of course be responding formally to the RSH. We’re keen to hear your thoughts …..Read the full article »

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Tenant Satisfaction Measures: Acuity’s initial thoughts on the RSH’s proposals (Part 1)

The Ghost of Christmas Future left us with a compendium of festive reading. Weighing roughly the same as Scrooge’s prize turkey, the Regulator of Social Housing’s (RSH) consultation on the Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) has more than a few bones to chew over. Acuity will respond formally to the RSH. Meanwhile we’ve set out initial …..Read the full article »

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White Paper: Rebalancing regulation, consumer regulation is back

As a set of principles, aims and ideas, the Social Housing White Paper: The Charter for Social Housing Residents is, potentially, a game-changer. If it all goes ahead, the required changes will take years of effort, rather than months, by the Regulator for Social Housing (RSH), social landlords and residents. It’s a call to action …..Read the full article »

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Acuity Coronavirus Signpost

This page brings together key sources of information for housing providers responding to the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. The page is updated regularly as we continue to pick up new information.  If you are aware of any useful resources which we have omitted please let us know (click here). Acuity benchmarking network Use your …..Read the full article »

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Annual Reports

VFM: getting it right

It’s been a while since I wrote anything about value for money (VFM). As it’s come up at a number of benchmarking club meetings recently, I thought I’d recap where we are. Global accounts 2019: tidings of regulatory joy? Or mild frustration? The ‘new’ VFM standard has been operative since April 2018. As always, the …..Read the full article »

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Annual Reports

VFM just got personal – setting corporate targets

It’s easy to lose sight of the challenge embedded in the new approach to VFM. No self-assessment to sweat over and a set of regulatory metrics that the sector finds uncontentious because housing associations pretty much dreamt them up as part of the Sector Scorecard. So where’s the catch? It’s all to do with the …..Read the full article »

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How does it fit together? Benchmarking, VFM and Sector Scorecard.

This briefing seeks to explain the connection between VFM measurement, Benchmarking and the Sector Scorecard so that Acuity SPBM members can better understand their position and respond. It considers: how we got here the Regulator of Social Housing’s (RSH) new regulatory metrics the Sector Scorecard timetable for collecting and reporting the Scorecard data including the …..Read the full article »

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Regulator publishes new approach to VFM

The new approach to Value For Money (VFM) commences in less than three weeks – but the good news is that little has changed from the consultation document so there are no major surprises. The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH, previously HCA) has just published its finalised approach to VFM, which will be operative from …..Read the full article »

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