There are many changes taking place within the world in which Innisfree operates. Innisfree believes that one of the keys to success is through partnership and co-operation. Innisfree works closely and shares good practice with its partners to the mutual benefit of everyone, particularly our customers. This approach enables us to take advantage of new opportunities which open up on a regular basis. It also assists us to respond to challenges.

Legislation

Changes in legislation and new approaches by government continue to provide opportunities for Innisfree as well as presenting challenges. Examples of these include:

opportunities for extending the range of housing provided by Innisfree through key worker accommodation, accommodation at market rents and shared ownership;
The challenge to review and restructure rents in line with the Rent Restructuring.
The drive to create sustainable communities where people can live in good housing and in safety and harmony with their neighbours.

Supporting People

The new regime for supported services came into force in 2003. Supporting People Grant is now the principle source of funding for support services. One of the key aims of Supporting People is to develop flexible and innovative services, which are people centred rather than property based. Innisfree is currently reviewing the implications of Supporting People on existing and any future schemes. We continue to take a cautious approach and are not looking to expand this area of work until the full implications have been assessed. We expect our first service review in late summer 2004.

Funding

Public funding of social housing has decreased dramatically over the past few years. This decline is likely to continue. Innisfree has a strong relationship with private funders and an excellent record of raising money from the private sector at competitive rates. The Business Plan identifies the need to continue developing robust relationships with funders in order to secure loans at the most competitive rates. It also highlights the need to explore new and alternative sources of funding. Key objectives include raising funds through fund-raising, new initiatives and grants. This will help to ensure that rents are kept at affordable levels.

The Irish Sector

There have been many new developments taking place within the Irish sector:

The All Party Irish Parliamentary Group has raised awareness about Irish issues at the highest levels. This is likely to increase the level of support for Irish led social housing providers;
regular meetings of the London based Irish Councillors' network;
Innisfree's positive relationship with the Irish Embassy in London;
the work of the Irish Equalities Working Group and the Commission for Racial Equality;
a greater willingness to work together and co-operate within the Irish sector in Britain;
The more inclusive and forward looking approach being adopted by the Federation of Irish Societies.

These are likely to lead to a number of new opportunities. In addition, Innisfree holds regular meetings with An Teach, CARA and Irish Centre Housing to pursue areas of common interest. A number of joint initiatives have been launched as a result.

Innisfree's relationship with the Housing Corporation

Innisfree has always prided itself on its positive relationship with the Housing Corporation, the regulator for housing associations. The Housing Corporation has undergone many changes in recent years, with the introduction of the new Regulatory Code and the "Lead Regulator" system., with the annual publication of the "HCA" (Housing Corporation Assessment) Inspections are now undertaken by the Audit Commission rather than the HC. (At the time of writing, it seems likely that Innisfree, as a small association with under 500 units, will be subject to desk-top risk assessments rather than full-blown inspections.)

Innisfree is striving to retain its "all green lights" status and to maintain its high reputation for a well run organisation.

The Housing Corporation's new approach to partnering with a limited number of key developers currently poses no threats to Innisfree which hopes to remain a BME partner of choice for many leading associations.

Best Value

Innisfree is committed to continuously challenging and reviewing its services to ensure that they are truly responsive to tenants' needs and are delivered in the most efficient way possible. Staff currently meet on a regular basis with other colleagues to share ideas and information on Best Practice. Priorities for service reviews are substantially guided by the outcomes from our Tenant Surveys.

In Business for Neighbourhoods

Innisfree was one of the "early adopters" of the iN Business commitment to a successful neighbourhood agenda. Building on our strong track record, our business is to make a difference to local neighbourhoods. As we are a relatively small provider of housing, this means working in close co-operation with others to meet the challenges of building stronger communities. We are fully signed up to the three commitments set out below:

Commitment to neighbourhoods

We will put neighbourhoods at the heart of everything we do;
We will promote neighbourhoods where there is a place for everyone with positive support for diversity of people and places;
We will work in partnership with local people, councils and other agencies, and will champion local needs;

Commitment to customers

Customers are the driving force behind our business;
We will listen to them, respond to their views and engage them in our work at all levels;
We will offer them respect, choice and support;
We will do everything we can to prevent neighbourhood problems, and will deal firmly with people who are bad neighbours.

Commitment to excellence

We will pursue excellence and improvement;
We will make the changes needed, so we can rise to the challenge of being iN;
We will work with regulators and inspectors to build a culture of challenge and change;
We aim to be landlords, employers and partners of choice.

The Solomon Project

Innisfree is a founder member of the Solomon Project. Set up in 1998, it comprises seven associations who created the forum for benchmarking and the sharing of good practice. From the outset, members have been eager to compare performance and explore competitiveness, thus laying the ground work for subsequent joint Best Value Reviews. Other initiatives include:

an activity based costing exercise;
joint board events;
a joint meeting with tenants representatives;
a shared policy data base
an annual staff conference for all the staff of the 7 associations

Members are currently investigating the joint purchasing of supplies and services.

Further background on the Solomon Project is provided in Appendix 5.

Stakeholders and partners

Innisfree prides itself on the strong and positive relationships that it has developed with stakeholders and partners. This was validated by a Stakeholder Survey (2003) which will be repeated periodically. For a relatively small organisation Innisfree has a very high external profile. This brings opportunities coupled with high expectations.

New technology

Innisfree recognises the importance of investing in new technology. The organisation invests heavily in both its hardware and software. Staff are provided with appropriate training and support. New technology has been fully integrated into all day to day activities. In 2004, the association will be employing a dedicated IT Support Officer. Further investment has been programmed into this Business Plan to ensure that the organisation maximises its investment and use of new technology.