Certain themes have remained consistent over the years, such as the importance of supporting tenants and providing new homes, as well as addressing some of the key challenges in doing so. Similarly, Red Kite have remained dedicated throughout to the core values that serve as the foundations of our organisation, respecting our roots, and above all being truly tenant-led.
We must now tackle new challenges with this strategy, including supporting our tenants to recover from the long-term effects of the pandemic including health and financial impacts; increased regulatory requirements including the new Consumer Standards, Tenant Satisfaction Measures and Awaab’s Law; and the bedding-in of a new government and their policies.
With the shift in circumstances, we also find new opportunities, now and in the coming five years, and we will be poised to take advantage of these. From new openings to provide homes, to improved abilities to work with new partners, through to the possibilities of AI in improving service delivery, there will be exciting options both anticipated and as yet unforeseen.
Most importantly however, we must continue to listen to our tenants, leaseholders and communities, focusing on their priorities and prosperity, shaping our offer accordingly.
We hope that this document inspires you to follow us on the journey this strategy will drive, as we aim to realise our vision for 2030.
- Red Kite Corporate Strategy 2025-2030 (pdf format)
Red Kite Community Housing came into being in 2011 when we transferred approximately 6,700 rental and leasehold homes from Wycombe District Council. We promised to invest in improving these homes and improving the services provided. We delivered on those promises.
Our roots are fixed firmly in our communities and our tenants and leaseholders within them. It was our tenants and leaseholders who had the vision and energy to establish Red Kite as a business in which they shape our services and are at the heart of decision-making.
It is this core principle that will continue to be the foundation of our business as we go forward. We will remain a communitybased local provider of homes and services; a business that seeks to know and understand its tenants, communities and local stakeholders. To enable this, we provide the means for tenants and leaseholders to influence our direction and determine what type of organisation we are and will be. We have over 600 tenants and leaseholders as members; tenants sit on our Board; and it is with tenants that we make the key procurement decisions and monitor performance.
The steps required to meet our aims have evolved over time, including forming a group structure to include Edenmead and Twenty11. This enables flexibility, including allowing us to better deliver new homes, and has allowed Twenty11 to take an innovative, sector-first approach to supporting tenants. Our previous efforts position us well to move forward into the next five years, charting our course in new ways to enable us to meet the aims we have always held true, led by those who live in our homes.
We have built a business with a distinctive culture, based on the strong shared values of partnership, respect and pride.
This Corporate Strategy sets out how we will grow and thrive over the next five years in an ever-changing environment, starting with our new vision and mission.
Our Vision for 2025-2030
“Creating homes as foundations, that enable individuals and communities to thrive”
Our Mission for 2025-2030:
We will build a strong foundation for tenants and communities
centred around safe, warm and affordable homes. This will be
delivered through responsive, transparent, and cost-effective
services, influenced and shaped by our diverse tenant voices.
We will embrace innovative ways of working, recognising our
responsibility to meet our wider challenges and ambitions to
create sustainable communities and homes.
With refreshed descriptions to reflect our progress and take us forward to 2030, our core values remain the same as those set out by our tenants at our inception in 2011: Partnership, Respect, Pride.
Our values guide how we work together to achieve our vision. Our strategy outlines the steps we will take to realise it.
Partnership
We will work with our tenants volunteers and other stakeholders to achieve successful outcomes, recognising the value and opportunities enabled by working together.
Respect
We will hear and value the diverse voices of our tenants and communities, and use this to shape and improve our services.
Pride
We will take pride in all that we do, and want everyone to be able to be proud of their homes and neighbourhoods.
Our strategy was developed considering our operating environment and the external factors that dictate our approach.
Government
The government aims to build 1.5 million new homes in England within the next five years, including a significant increase in social and affordable housing.
Changes to housing targets, planning rules and the National Planning Policy Framework will aim to support this.
The 2025 Spring Statement further outlined the Affordable Homes Programme would receive £39 billion pounds over the next 10 years, the largest plan in five decades.
Following consultation, the government confirmed a new 10-year social housing rent settlement, increasing rents in line with the consumer price index measure of inflation plus 1%.
An additional £10 billion for Homes England, was announced, unlocking investment for housing associations and councils.
Expanded investment in energy efficiency is also in place, as well as infrastructure and local regeneration projects to benefit young and older residents.
Changes to employer National Insurance rates announced in the Autumn 2024 budget will lead to a 1.8% increase in employment costs.
Social Housing Act
The housing sector has been subject to much-needed change following the Social Housing (Regulation) Act becoming law in July 2023 and its changes and requirements gradually coming into force since then, including the Tenant Satisfaction Measures and Consumer Standards.
The Act brings about a new era of proactive regulation and aims to ensure standards are met and landlords are held accountable. Red Kite are committed to achieving and surpassing the standards.
The Housing Ombudsman
The Housing Ombudsman’s powers and links with the regulator have been strengthened significantly. The ombudsman can now instruct policy changes and highlight failing organisations to the regulator for consideration.
Referrals to the ombudsman have risen sharply across the sector in recent years, with increases in maladministration found and compensation awarded, and this trend is anticipated to continue.
The Economy
The UK economy is gradually turning a corner, with economic growth being named as a key priority for the new government. GDP growth is slow and inflation is still higher than targeted however, and the cost-of-living crisis continues to be felt.
Interest rates are falling slowly from the high level which was instituted to reduce inflation from its double-figure level, and these relatively high levels are anticipated to continue.
Society
Despite the slight economic upturn, households continue to be impacted by the cost-of-living crisis and the lasting effect of high inflation. The impact of this goes beyond finances, being intrinsically linked with wider health and wellbeing challenges
Our strategy has been developed through extensive consultation with tenants, staff and our Board, including on our vision, mission and values, the fundamentals which guide our aims for the future.
It has also been informed by our current operating environment, namely significant change in the social housing sector and the continued cost-of-living crisis across the UK.
Consultation
Our stakeholders told us they wanted us to aspire to:
- Continue to be tenant led and increase diversity of voice
- Provide safe, warm homes
- Deliver excellent services
- Communicate when problems do arise
- Develop and retain an excellent workforce
- Continue to build homes to support the housing crisis.
Strategic themes
Based upon this research, consultation and consideration of our vision, our strategic themes for the next five years are as follows:
- Great core services
- Homes and neighbourhoods to be proud of
- Homes for the future
- Strong foundations
- Valuing tenant voices
- Staff, skills and capacity.
Tenants and leaseholders deserve and expect high levels of service, making the experience of living in their home as satisfying and simple as possible. We will deliver services which are flexible to the needs of individuals, whilst being fair, consistent and reliable.
Tenants acknowledge that problems can arise, however where they do, clear, prompt communication is expected, respecting tenants’ time while working together to find the best resolution.
We will ensure equitable access to services, unlocking barriers for tenants and leaseholders, or supporting them to overcome those we can’t remove, enabling opportunities for all.
| Objectives | Year Five Outcome | Success Measures | Target for Year 5 |
| Provide excellent services that are seamless and easy to use, shaped by our tenants. | Tenants consistently experience seamless, accessible, and responsive services, tailored through direct tenant feedback. Our cross-team operational model ensures more tenant issues are resolved at first contact, clear accountability is demonstrated through transparent service standards, and tenant satisfaction with our communication exceeds sector benchmarks. This will address: Tenants and staff wanting the basic services delivered correctly |
A minimum of 80% tenant satisfaction with Red Kite recorded annually through tenant surveys. | 80% |
| Achieve and maintain a minimum of 85% of tenant queries resolved at first contact, tracked through customer service records. | 85% | ||
| Help unlock barriers to ensure fairness. | All tenants and leaseholders consistently receive a service tailored to their diverse needs, demonstrated by measurable improvements in accessibility, increased participation and representation in tenant feedback channels, and more equity in satisfaction rates across demographic groups. This will address: Discrimination continuing to be a societal issue, particularly impacting vulnerable and disadvantaged individuals in housing |
Target to reduce any deviations in tenant satisfaction by demographic group to be determined in Year 1 | To be developed in Year 1 |
| Be proactive in understanding and supporting the diverse individual needs of all our tenants and leaseholders | Tenants and leaseholders receive proactive, tailored support through effective partnerships and funding, significantly reducing fuel poverty, furniture poverty, and debt, and enhancing community wellbeing. This will address: Unheard tenants not receiving the support they need |
Proactively contact 100% of tenants that are identified through our insight programme that may need support. | 100% |
Our tenants and leaseholders should be able to feel proud of their home and the neighbourhood they live in. This requires homes which are safe, warm and in good condition, that can serve as a strong foundation for tenants’ lives. This in turn promotes the investment of tenants’ care, time and pride in homes, creating a sense of place and benefiting both those who live in the home and those in the community around them.
We will provide these homes at an affordable level, maintaining and improving homes through planned works, safety checks and an excellent responsive repairs service. We will work to prevent damp, mould and condensation issues in homes, and rectify them promptly should they occur, reviewing and implementing new technologies with a proactive approach to meet the Decent Homes Standard, including thermal performance and energy management to minimise the risk of damp, mould and condensation.
Internal and external shared areas will be well maintained and welcoming, encouraging communities to develop as neighbours meet and form relationships. Neighbourhood events and activities will provide focal points to support this. We aim to create an environment where tenants can truly enjoy their communities, free of issues such as antisocial behaviour.
| Objectives | Year Five Outcome | Success Measures | Target for Year 5 |
| Provide quality homes that are safe and warm | All our homes are consistently maintained to the Decent Homes Standard, achieving high thermal performance and energy efficiency, ensuring residents feel safe, comfortable, and proud, demonstrated through improved customer satisfaction scores and a measurable reduction in Damp, Mould, and Condensation (DMC) cases. This will address: Tenants feeling that their homes are not safe and well maintained. |
0 DMC cases due to structural issues. | 0 |
| Achieve a minimum of EPC C for all our homes by 2028. | 100% | ||
| Support environments which encourage communities to flourish. |
Our estates are vibrant, well-maintained, and welcoming, fostering a strong sense of community pride and connection. We aim to increase resident satisfaction to over 90% and encourage more active participation in community events and initiatives This will address: Tenants not feeling proud of their neighbourhoods, or shared spaces, and having limited connections in the community. |
Making a difference in the way we contribute to our neighbourhoods exceeds 75%. | 75% |
| Reduce reports of antisocial behaviour by 10% over five years. | 216 |
We will increase the number of affordable homes available to the local community through our development plans, developing 500 new homes by 2030, equivalent to 100 per year.
We will develop a framework for assessing future opportunities to increase the number of homes we can provide outside of our development plans.
| Objectives | Year Five Outcome | Success Measures | Target for Year 5 |
| Use our resources to develop 500 new homes our communities need in the future | We have successfully delivered a programme of 500 new affordable and sustainable homes, aligned specifically with identified community housing needs, within the agreed financial plan. This will address: A national housing crisis, which locally includes a long waiting list for homes in Buckinghamshire. |
Deliver 500 new affordable homes in the community. | 500 |
| Develop a strategic framework that allows consideration of future homes | A strategic framework has been established and embedded, guiding decisions on all future housing opportunities in line with agreed sustainability, affordability, and community impact criteria. This will address: Not having an agreed approach to opportunities which sit within our strategies and governance framework. |
Evidence from internal audits confirms that 100% of decisions about housing opportunities adhere to the new strategic framework criteria. | 100% |
Being tenant-led is the very essence of Red Kite.
As we have in the formation of this strategy, we will listen to, value and act upon the feedback from our tenants to deliver their priorities in the way that works best for them.
We aim to hear from more, and a wider range of, tenants by enabling new and inclusive opportunities for engagement.
We will further emphasise the importance of hearing and acting on what our tenants tell us, strengthening the links to improvement and service delivery, measuring the impact and reporting this back to tenants.
| Objectives | Year Five Outcome | Success Measures | Target for Year 5 |
| Remain tenant-led, understanding tenants and leaseholders and acting on feedback | We will consistently demonstrate tenant-led decision-making through structured feedback channels, resulting in measurable improvements in tenant satisfaction scores and engagement metrics, better reflecting our position as being tenant-led. This will address: Tenants’ voices being unheard and tenants feeling that we are not always acting on their feedback. |
Decisions, policies, or service changes directly influenced by tenant feedback or involvement, with at least 90% of key operational or strategic decisions reflecting tenant input (through RRT/Tenant Groups or Consultation). | 90% |
| Increase and widen opportunities for tenants to help shape the organisation. |
Tenants will have multiple accessible channels to influence decision-making, resulting in an increase in tenant participation compared to 2024, measured through regular engagement surveys and participation metrics. This will address: Access for tenants who want to influence and shape the organisation. |
Achieve a 10% increase in tenant participation (measured through attendance records and participation data), against the 2024 baseline. | 702 |
| Annual publication of a report demonstrating how tenant engagement has influenced organisational decisions and service improvements. |
Complete | ||
| Seek input from the diverse voice of our tenants | Consistent levels of engagement with tenants from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds, evidenced by increased participation rates, ensuring these perspectives meaningfully influence decision-making and service delivery. This will address: Not being able to hear from a representative tenant voice |
Annual publication of a report demonstrating how tenant engagement has influenced organisational decisions and service improvements. | Complete |
To deliver great services and homes it is crucial that we have strong foundations, in particular with respect to our governance, finances and underlying systems.
We will deliver on the requirements of the new Consumer Standards, whilst maintaining our strong performance against the Governance and Viability Standards.
We will manage our finances to ensure stability and resilience whilst making best use of our financial strength and achieving the best value for our tenants for every pound we spend.
Our Digital Transformation will replace our underlying systems for service delivery and more, providing a flexible, modern basis which is ready to take advantage of new technologies including AI. This will enable holistic, seamless, easy-to-use services, for both tenants receiving the service and staff delivering it.
We will continuously improve our services, learning from internal analysis, understanding and considering new options for service delivery such as regulatory changes or new technologies and, most importantly, from listening to feedback received from our tenants.
| Objectives | Year Five Outcome | Success Measures | Target for Year 5 |
| Be a learning organisation, prioritising continuous improvement. |
We will be able to demonstrate measurable improvements through continuous learning, increasing tenant satisfaction, reducing risks, enhancing community engagement, and a clear improvement in value-for-money metrics compared to current benchmarks. This will address: Listening, learning and improving, in accordance with the requirements of the Housing Ombudsman and Regulator. |
Achieve over 90% satisfaction rating for repairs, neighbourhoods and planned maintenance. | 90% |
| Reduce the number of maladministration findings issued by the ombudsman by 25% year-on-year from baseline 2024. | 4 | ||
| Develop excellent digital services fit for the future, including the potential use of AI | A fully integrated digital service platform that enhances tenant experience through seamless, AI-supported interactions and automation, enabling real-time access to services and efficient internal operations. This will address: Not having the tools needed to deliver the quality of service that staff and tenants expect. |
Tenant satisfaction with digital services reaches 80% after five years (measured via annual surveys). |
80% |
| Be well-governed and well-managed. |
Demonstrating good governance, consistently achieving high standards in regulatory compliance, tenant satisfaction, and strategic goal delivery. Governance performance will be benchmarked against sector best practices, with a clear framework ensuring transparency, accountability, and proactive oversight in decision-making. This will address: Regulatory intervention for being an inefficient or badly governed organisation. |
Board performance assessment – Conduct regular independent board effectiveness reviews, with 100% of governance actions completed. | 100% |
| Ensuring regulatory compliance by maintaining G1 rating from the Regulator of Social Housing. | G1 | ||
| Maintain robust financial strength and financial control through responsible borrowing and achieving value for money | Achieving long-term financial sustainability through responsible investment, optimised borrowing, and cost-efficient operations, ensuring resilience and value for money in service delivery. This will address: Not being able to meet the challenges facing the sector and our tenants, whilst remaining financially robust and well governed. |
All lender covenant requirements (financial and non-financial) adhered to. | Comply |
Our culture and people enable everything we do.
To ensure success in the delivery of our strategy and offer we must have the right people for the job, equipped with the right skills and passionate about working according to our values. The recruitment, retention and development of staff are all key elements necessary to achieving this, and we will further improve our approach to all of these. This valuing of staff will further promote the positive culture which is crucial to the organisation as a whole and to the experience of our tenants.
We will ensure we have the right resources, in the right places, to deliver the priorities of our tenants and leaseholders.
We will move into our new base of operations and evolve our ‘forever home’ at our new offices, taking advantage of the opportunity to further strengthen our hybrid working environment.
| Objectives | Year Five Outcome | Success Measures | Target for Year 5 |
| Recruit, retain and develop high-quality, passionate staff | We will be an employer of choice, attracting and retaining skilled and passionate staff, with a turnover rate consistently below the sector average. We will have a well-supported, flexible, and engaging hybrid working environment where staff have access to high-quality digital tools and a collaborative culture that ensures seamless working and productivity, whether in the office or in a remote location. This will address: Not having a stable workforce, with the right skills to deliver services to tenants. |
Staff turnover rate is below the sector average of 13% per year. | 13% |
| Develop an accountable culture in which we live our values, staff thrive, and service delivery is excellent | Red Kite has a thriving, values-driven workforce where staff are supported, skilled, and motivated to deliver excellent service. Board, staff, and tenants recognise and trust our commitment to accountability. This will address: Not delivering services in line with our values or culture. |
Staff perception that we live by our values is at least 80% measured through pulse survey. | 80% |
| Ensure we have the right resources in the right places | We will have a workforce model that ensures optimal resourcing across all departments, balancing efficiency with employee well-being. Our operations will be sustainable, with clearly defined staffing structures and capacity planning that reduce turnover, increase engagement, and ensure service continuity. This will address: A lack of capacity within the business to deliver services that affect our tenants. |
95% of roles filled each year | 95% |
Great core services
- Provide excellent services that are seamless and easy to use, shaped by our tenants
- Be proactive in understanding and supporting the diverse individual needs of all our tenants and leaseholders
- Help unlock barriers to ensure fairness.
Homes and neighbourhoods to be proud of
- Provide quality homes that are safe and warm
- Support environments which encourage communities to flourish.
Homes for the future
- Use our resources to develop 500 new homes our communities need in the future
- Develop a strategic framework that allows consideration of future homes.
Valuing tenant voices
- Remain tenant-led, understanding tenants and leaseholders and acting on feedback
- Seek input from the diverse voice of our tenants
- Increase and widen opportunities for tenants to help shape the organisation.
Strong foundations
- Be a learning organisation, prioritising continuous improvement
- Develop excellent digital services fit for the future, including the potential use of AI
- Be well-governed and well-managed
- Maintain robust financial strength and financial control through responsible borrowing and achieving value for money.
Staff, skills and capacity
- Recruit, retain and develop high-quality, passionate staff
- Develop an accountable culture in which we live our values, staff thrive, and service delivery is excellent
- Ensure we have the right resources in the right places.