Housing Corporation announces statutory appointments to Novas Scarman board » Housing » 24dash.com

The Housing Corporation has announced that it has made three statutory appointments to the board of Novas Scarman Group, a registered social landlord which provides a variety of services in a number of locations, with two main bases in London and the North West.

The appointees are:

• Peter Molyneux, Chair, Kensington and Chelsea Primary Care Trust
• Tina Barnard, Chief Executive, Watford Community Housing Trust
• David Roberts-Jones, Chair, Hexagon Housing Association.

In October 2008 the Housing Corporation announced that it had instituted an independent statutory inquiry into the affairs of the Novas Scarman Group.

The inquiry will investigate aspects of the financial management of the Group.

The Corporation decided, at the same time, to make statutory appointments to enhance the skills and expertise available to the board. 

The Novas Scarman Group (formerly the Novas-Ouvertures Group Limited) was registered in 2000 and provides services in the North West, South West and in London. As at December 2007, it owned 190 units and managed a further 480 units. Its annual turnover is c.£21m, of which around £14m comes from revenue grants. In December 2007 it merged with the Scarman Trust and PATH to form the new Group.

Novas works with various client groups. It is currently undergoing a strategic change. Greater emphasis is being given to the provision of services through floating support arrangements, rather than the direct provision of accommodation involving both traditional housing management and support. The Group is continuing to extend its role in the delivery of training, employment and social enterprise activities.

The remodelling of the Group’s hostel provision and its associated facilities is the main component of its current investment strategy. The funds generated from disposals and transfers of other stock are being used to top up the substantial level of investment required to regenerate and remodel the Group’s largest remaining hostel, Arlington House in the London Borough of Camden. The aim is to convert this into a multi-purpose scheme.