The Vale Housing Association
The Old Maltings, Vineyard, Abingdon
Oxfordshire
OX14 3UG
Release Date: 02/04/07
Contact: Communications & Research Team
Telephone (01235) 536001, Fax (01235) 536116
The Vale Housing Association has today taken an important step forward towards its aim of providing more quality affordable housing in Oxfordshire. It has formally joined the Sovereign Housing Group, one of the leading groups providing and managing social housing in the country.
The Sovereign Housing Group is comprised of Sovereign Housing Association, Twynham Housing Association and now the Vale Housing Association. All the individual associations provide services to their tenants directly but benefit from being part of a larger group with an important national presence able to access more funding for development.
The immediate change for The Vale Housing Association is that the number of properties it owns will increase. The Vale Housing Association now owns over 150 properties which belonged to L&Q Beacon Homes. Originally these and their tenants were to transfer to Sovereign HA. In addition there are plans to consult over 700 Sovereign Housing Association tenants living in Oxfordshire about moving over to The Vale in 2008. The Vale will be able to provide a more local, efficient service for these tenants, many of whom can benefit from nearby housing offices and an Oxfordshire-based repair service.
It’s also all change for the management of The Vale Housing Association. This week Steve Russell, who has been with the Association since it was formed, takes over as Managing Director, while Richard Farrell becomes the new Chair of the Board of Management. Steve Russell commented, “It’s an exciting time for The Vale Housing Association and we look forward to accomplishing a lot in the years ahead. I would like to take this opportunity of welcoming the new tenants who join us this week and hoping that they find us to be efficient and accessible as a landlord”.