Press release: Julian Ashby stands down as Chair of Regulation Committee

Julian Ashby has announced today that he is standing down as Chair of the Regulation Committee with immediate effect.

Julian’s tenure at the Regulator of Social Housing was due to end in March this year and he will be taking up a new appointment as Chair of Paradigm Housing Group Limited from April 2018. Mr Ashby has chosen to stand down at this point to ensure that there is an appropriate and transparent separation between chairing the regulator and taking up his new role.

The Deputy Chair, Simon Dow, will chair the Regulation Committee whilst a longer-term appointment is completed in the next few weeks.

Mr Ashby has been Chair of the Regulation Committee since 2012 when the regulator became part of the Homes and Communities Agency. He successfully led the committee through extensive changes, including a complete revision of the regulatory framework in 2015 and the changes made following the ONS reclassification of housing associations to the public sector. He also oversaw the regulator’s successful response to the failure at Cosmopolitan, and the introduction of the system of In Depth Assessments.

Julian Ashby said

I have thoroughly enjoyed and been privileged to have had the opportunity of chairing the Regulator of Social Housing. We have ensured that the regulator has kept pace with developments in the sector, and through the introduction of requirements such as stress testing have helped the sector withstand its various challenges while continuing to build and manage the homes that the country so badly needs.

I would like to pay tribute to the hard work and dedication of my fellow committee members and all staff at the Regulator of Social Housing. It is through all their efforts that I feel I leave the regulator in a strong position as I move onto new challenges. I wish them all the best in the future.

Simon Dow said

Julian has provided excellent leadership of the regulator over the last six years. His experience of the social housing sector and his balance of support and challenge have proved invaluable in maintaining the effectiveness of regulation through a period of significant change.