Vacancy -- Appointment of Board Member - Regulatory Board for Wales (Welsh Essential)

Vacancy details

Regulatory Board for Wales
RBW business is conducted in various venues across Wales, frequently the offices of Housing Associations.

The appointed Member will be paid at £198 per day.


The RBW is expected to meet as a minimum on a quarterly basis with possibly two meetings a year with the Minister. In addition, Independent Members should be available for RBW interim teleconferences. The Independent Members will be expected to spend at least 5 days per quarter (a total of 20 days a years) on Board business. 

20
year

Function of body

Legal Status

The Regulatory Board for Wales (RBW) has been established through housing regulation powers conferred on the Welsh Government under the Housing Act 1996 as an Advisory Board to offer advice to Welsh Ministers.


Section 71 of the Government of Wales Act 2006 gives Welsh Ministers power to do anything… which is calculated to facilitate, or is conducive or incidental to, the exercise of any of their other functions i.e. the regulation functions under the Housing Act 1996.


Board Background
 

The main purpose of the Regulatory Board for Wales is to hold the Welsh Government’s Housing Regulation Team to account for its work by overseeing the implementation of the Regulatory Framework.  It also advises Ministers on the performance of the housing association sector.

 
The current Regulatory Board has been in place since April 2016.  It is a wholly independent Board, appointed through the public appointments process, replacing the previous Regulatory Board whose membership comprised a range of housing stakeholders with one independent member and an independent Chair.


The Board considers reports, including an annual report, and guidance from the    Regulator as well as other publications on the performance of the sector.  This information is used to o advise Ministers on the performance of the Regulator, the sector and any related policy implications.
 

The Board also brings a strategic focus to issues across the sector, by commissioning research into key themes. These themes emerge from the day to day work of the Regulation Team, such as the Value for Money (VFM) thematic review, which was prompted after a significant number of associations struggled to sufficiently evidence value for money in their self assessments.  During the current year, the Board has been undertaking a review/progress report on housing association governance.

 

The Board is supported by a Regulatory Advisory Group (RAG).

 

The following Terms of Reference, subject to review, have been set for the RBW:

 

(1)  to examine the regulatory performance and activity of the Welsh Government, and the sector, by way of considering an annual report, and other reports and guidance from the Regulator, and other publications on the performance of the sector;

 

(2)  to seek additional advice/perspective on the performance of the sector from a broad range of organisations, as considered necessary; and

 

(3)  to use that information to:

  • advise the Minister on the performance of the regulator and the sector;
  • advise the Minister on related policy implications;
  • advise the Minister on changes to the regulatory framework; and
  • advise the Minister on the need for additional research, as considered necessary.

 

The RBW does not form part of the Welsh Government.  The RBW does not have any executive powers or functions.  The Minister for Housing & Regeneration (the Minister) may request such advice from the RBW as the Minister feels is needed to achieve the purpose of the Board.  It is at the discretion of the Minister to accept or reject any recommendations made by the RBW.

 

The RBW exercises its role on behalf of the Welsh Government. This does not detract from the fact that the RBW is acting in an advisory capacity, within the remit agreed for it, by the Minister and that its advice and recommendations will therefore be independent.

 

Subject to the normal requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, it is at the Minister’s discretion to publish any reports/papers of the RBW.  Ownership of any data, reports and other material produced by the RBW rests with the Welsh Government.

Role description

The Regulatory Board for Wales was established in 2016.  The Board comprises six independent members plus the Chair. The Board provides advice to Welsh Ministers and is responsible for overseeing Welsh Government regulation of Housing Associations in Wales and providing related advice to the Minister.
 

The Independent Board Members will:

 

  • contribute to the work of the Board through regular attendance, proper preparation and informed contributions;
  • assist the Chair in securing consensus in the Board’s deliberations;
  • meet high standards of probity and governance;
  • attend other relevant meetings as requested; and
  • actively contribute to the work of the RBW, including involvement in any thematic reviews.

 

The Independent Members will be appointed for a period of up to three years. All members will be able to offer an authoritative view of the regulatory regime underpinned by their personal expertise, and will be expected to support the operation of the RBW through the provision of relevant sector information and intelligence, and:

 

(a)  offer their view on issues relating to the role of the RBW falling within their remit; and

(b)  contribute to discussions on issues requested by the Minister, or are agreed with the Minister, in relation to the Terms of Reference set out below.

 

Board Members will be entitled to remuneration based on agreed levels approved by the Welsh Government. In addition, appropriate expenses will be paid. 

Welsh language skills

The Welsh Government acknowledges the importance of developing and growing bilingual capabilities in public appointments in Wales, and welcomes applications from candidates who demonstrate their capability to work in both English and Welsh.  The following list of language requirements represents an objective assessment by the recruiting body of the Welsh language skills required to undertake the duties of this particular post.
Essential

Person specification

To be considered, you must be able to demonstrate that you have the following qualities, skills and experience to meet all the essential criteria for appointment.

 

Essential Criteria

Analysis and interpretation

  • the ability to analyse and interpret data to monitor performance against agreed objectives.


Communication and influencing skills           

  • an ability to offer constructive challenge

  • a collaborative and energetic approach to the work of the Board

 

High standards of corporate and personal conduct  

  • a clear understanding and commitment to equality issues and challenging

    discriminatory practices;

  • a clear understanding of and commitment to Nolan’s ‘Seven Principles of Public Life’ and public service values

 

Desirable

 

A background in one or more of the following areas would be advantageous but is not essential: 

  • recent senior executive experience in the social housing sector

  • funding/lending

  • housing law and/or compliance and regulation

  • being/having been a social housing tenant and/or landlord.

  • knowledge of housing provision, housing policy or housing finance and an understanding of regulation and the non-profit Housing Association sector

  • ability to monitor, report and advise on the performance of a regulated sector  in Wales and how  regulatory functions can be improved. 

  • an understanding of the Welsh political and policy framework.

 

 

Welsh Language

-        an ability to speak Welsh is  desirable for this post.

 

Interview dates

2 December 2019
2 December 2019

Closing date

25/10/2019, 16:00

Additional information

Contacts:

For further information regarding the selection process, please contact:

 

Public Appointments

Public Bodies Unit

Welsh Government

Email: publicappointments@gov.wales

 

For further information regarding the role of the Regulatory Body for Wales the role of Independent Chair, please contact:
 

Huw Maguire

Tel: 0300 0256073

Email: Huw.Maguire@gov.wales

How to apply

To apply for this role, click on the ‘Apply’ button below. The first time you apply for a post, you will need to complete a registration form for the Welsh Government’s online application system.  You will only need to register once, and you will be able to keep yourself updated on the progress of your application, and any other applications you make, via your registered account.

Once you’ve registered, you’ll be able to access the application form.  To apply you will need to submit two supporting documents. The first, a document outlining how your knowledge, skills and experiences meet the criteria for the role as outlined in the information for candidates.  This document should be no more than 2 sides of A4.  Your application may be rejected if you exceed this limit.  The second document is a full, up to date CV.  The two documents should be uploaded to the ‘Reasons for applying’ section of the online application form.

In your application, you will also be asked to provide details of any activities which have helped you to develop skills that would be useful in a public appointment role, and list the organisations for which you undertook these activities.  We also need to know about any political activity that you’ve undertaken over the last 5 years. 

It is recommended that you register for an account and access the application form as soon as possible so that you see how the application form is structured, before starting to prepare your evidence.  You don’t have to complete the application form all in one go.  You can save your responses, and log in and out as required, until you’re ready to submit – just follow the guidance in the application form.

If you’d like to apply for this opportunity in Welsh, please use the ‘Newid Iaith / Change Language’ link at the top of this page, to take you to the Welsh version of this advert, from which you can apply in Welsh.

If you need any further assistance in applying for this role, please contact the Welsh Government’s Public Appointments Team on  PublicAppointments@gov.wales.

For further information about Public Appointments in Wales, please visit www.gov.wales/publicappointments

Commissioner for Public Appointments logo

This vacancy is closed to applications.