Thursday 26 February 2015

Our ambition: to be recognised as the best governed organisations in Wales

We want to be the best governed sector in Wales and are calling on you to strive for the highest standards of governance in your organisation.

Good governance is more than a set of rules and processes - good governance is good business too. Good governance is now seen as a pre-condition for meeting the challenges of poverty, sustainable development and social cohesion.

Good governance means having balanced and diverse boards which can lead your organisation and simultaneously control risk. However, effective governance is about more than the board. It is fundamentally about culture and a way of working that, if managed well, constantly evaluated, regulated and then used as a platform for innovation, equates with service excellence.

To support you to become the best governed organisations in Wales, CHC is strengthening our governance offer to you.

To support our members, CHC is:
  • Launching a sector Code of Governance. CHC’s Code is designed to assist members to develop governance structures which facilitate behaviour change aimed at service improvement for tenants. It sets out the standards and practices that boards and their members must adhere to.
  • Unveiling our new Come on Board site which is aimed at attracting exceptional candidates to board member vacancies in the housing sector in Wales. We know that some of our members have struggled to recruit board members with the skills and experience they need to provide strategic direction and manage risk effectively. Subsequently, some members have not achieved the board renewal requirements that are considered to be good practice and others have had vacancies for longer than desired. There is also a Stay on Board section for existing board members whose term is coming to an end or has ended to ensure that this experience is kept within the sector. 
Come on Board and the Code of Governance are crucial elements in helping to achieve our ambition of being recognised as the best governed organisations in Wales.

The link to the Come on board site is www.comeonboardwales.co.uk

The Code of Governance can be found on CHC’s website: http://chcymru.org.uk/en/board-members/code-of-governance/


Amanda Oliver
Head of Policy and Research




Ein huchelgais: cael ein cydnabod fel y sefydliadau gyda'r llywodraethiant gorau yng Nghymru

Rydym eisiau bod y sector gyda'r llywodraethiant gorau yng Nghymru ac rydym yn galw arnoch i anelu am y safon uchaf o lywodraethiant yn eich sefydliad.

Mae llywodraethiant da yn fwy na set o reolau a phrosesau - mae llywodraethiant da yn fusnes da hefyd. Caiff llywodraethiant da yn awr ei weld fel rhag-amod ar gyfer ateb heriau tlodi, datblygu cynaliadwy a chydlyniaeth gymdeithasol.

Mae llywodraethiant da yn golygu cael byrddau cytbwys ac amrywiol a all arwain eich sefydliad a rheoli risg ar yr un pryd. Fodd bynnag, mae llywodraethiant effeithlon yn ymwneud â mwy na'r bwrdd yn unig. Mae'n sylfaenol am ddiwylliant a ffordd o weithio sydd, os caiff ei reoli'n dda, ei werthuso'n gyson, ei reoleiddio ac wedyn ei ddefnyddio fel llwyfan ar gyfer arloesedd, yn gyfwerth â rhagoriaeth gwasanaeth.

I'ch cefnogi i ddod y sefydliadau a lywodraethir orau yng Nghymru, mae CHC yn cryfhau ein cynnig llywodraethiant i chi.

I gefnogi ein haelodau, mae CHC yn:
  • Lansio Cod Llywodraethiant. Cynlluniwyd Cod CHC i gynorthwyo aelodau i ddatblygu strwythurau llywodraethiant sy'n hwyluso newid ymddygiad sydd â'r nod o wella gwasanaeth ar gyfer tenantiaid. Mae'n gosod y safonau ac arferion y mae'n rhaid i fyrddau a'u haelodau gydymffurfio â nhw. 
  • Dadlennu ein safle Dewch ar y Bwrdd sydd â'r nod o ddenu ymgeiswyr eithriadol i leoedd gwag ar gyfer aelodau bwrdd yn y sector tai yng Nghymru. Gwyddom fod rhai o'n haelodau wedi ei chael yn anodd recriwtio aelodau bwrdd gyda'r sgiliau a'r profiad sydd eu hangen i roi cyfeiriad strategol a rheoli risg yn effeithlon. Fel canlyniad nid yw rhai aelodau wedi sicrhau y gofynion adnewyddu bwrdd a ystyrir yn arfer da a bu gan eraill leoedd gwag am fwy o amser nag a ddymunid. Mae adran Aros ar y Bwrdd ar gyfer aelodau bwrdd presennol y mae eu tymor ar fin dod i ben neu sydd a ddaeth i ben eisoes i sicrhau y cedwir y profiad yma o fewn y sector. 
Mae Dewch ar y Bwrdd a'r Cod Llywodraethiant yn elfennau hollbwysig wrth helpu i gyflawni ein huchelgais o gael ein cydnabod fel y sefydliadau gyda'r llywodraethiant gorau yng Nghymru.

Y ddolen i wefan Dewch ar y Bwrdd yw www.comeonboardwales.co.uk

Mae'r Cod Llywodraethiant ar gael ar wefan CHC: http://chcymru.org.uk/cy/board-members/code-of-governance/


Amanda Oliver
Pennaeth Polisi ac Ymchwil

Tuesday 17 February 2015

Wales’ Collective Energy Switch – helping to reduce energy use

Wales is a small country. One that often punches above its weight, but also one that is able to bring partners together and set up national schemes that can make a real difference.

With awareness of energy costs at its highest, and set to become a key element of the forthcoming General Election campaigns, Wales is embarking on its third collective energy switch.

With the support of the Welsh Government and partners across Wales, the collective energy switch has been developed to ensure the best deal for Welsh householders.

The idea behind collective energy switching is similar to bulk-buying products to get a better price. In a collective energy switch, those interested in receiving a better deal group together as a ‘collective' before approaching the energy suppliers. The larger the number of households that get involved, the more attractive the group of customers are likely to be to the energy suppliers.

The Energy Saving Trust in Wales is working in partnership with Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan Councils to deliver Cyd Cymru / Wales Together.

Esther Tallent, Energy Saving Trust’s Advice Centre Manager, said: “Keeping an eye on energy costs and switching supplier when a better deal is available can potentially benefit everyone. Last year, Cyd Cymru / Wales Together helped over 1,500 households in Wales to switch to a cheaper energy tariff, saving £185 per household on average.

“What is also particularly interesting is that those people who are keen to monitor their energy costs are also keen to reduce the energy they use. We therefore take the opportunity, when supporting our registered households, to provide a range of energy saving tips and information about other schemes and grants that can support them.

“The Wales-wide scheme has really captured people’s imaginations and it’s proved to be a great vehicle to help people save energy.”

More information on Cyd Cymru / Wales Together can be found here.

Register online before Sunday 1st March or call 0800 093 5902 before Friday 27th February to ensure that you are part of the next collective. Phone lines are open Monday to Friday 9am-5pm.


Nick Beasley, Marketing and Communications Manager
Energy Saving Trust