Housing SORP governance

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) is the prescribed body for issuing accounting standards in the UK. In addition to adhering to accounting standards, housing associations are obliged to produce financial statements which comply with the Housing Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP). 

SORPs may only be issued by SORP-making bodies. A SORP-making body is a body that has been recognised by the FRC for the purpose of producing the SORP for a particular industry or sector. SORP-making bodies have a responsibility to act in the public interest when developing and issuing a SORP.

The Housing SORP is drafted by the SORP-making body in accordance with the Policy and Code of Practice on SORPs set by the FRC.

SORP-making body

The SORP-making body (SMB) is responsible for developing and maintaining the Housing SORP. Membership of the SMB includes:

• The chief executives from the four national housing federations of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
• The Chair of the SORP Working Party (SWP).
• A professional advisor which is independent of the SWP.

There are also attendees in an observer capacity, including:

• SWP technical advisor (Crowe UK).
• SWP secretariat (National Housing Federation).
• The SMB has delegated drafting of the Housing SORP to the SWP – see below.

Terms of reference

SORP Working Party (SWP)

The SWP is responsible for advising the SMB on issues arising from the UK accounting framework relating to housing associations, and carrying out the detailed work of developing, drafting and maintaining the Housing SORP. 

Guy Flynn, Financial Reporting Director of Hyde Group, is chair of the SWP and Crowe UK are the technical advisor to the SWP.

Terms of reference

Vacancies for the SWP are filled in a fair and transparent way with the Chair of the SWP, the technical advisor to the SWP, an existing member of the SWP and NHF staff taking part in the selection process to ensure consistency.

Membership of the SWP includes (maximum of 20 members for voting):

Senior finance staff:

England

• Agnieszka Thakur
• Ed Farnsworth
• Faye Gordon
• Monika Liskiewicz
• Scott Martin
• Julian Pearce

Northern Ireland 

• Michael Rafferty

Republic of Ireland

• Anne O'Meara

Scotland

• Kathryn Miller
• Liam Donnachie

Wales

• Peter Lewis
• Gavin Morgan

Professional advisors (firms)

• KPMG (Harry Mears)
• Beevers and Struthers (Maria Hallows)
• RSM (John Guest)
• BDO (Phil Cliftlands)

UK Finance

• Vacant

Accountant and treasury advisor

• Jonathan Clarke

There are also attendees in an observer capacity, including:

• FRC observer
• National housing regulators (4)
• Mark Windridge, Homes England
• Allister Parkinson, Welsh Government
• Mark Campbell, Department for Communities (NI)
• Murray Smith, Scottish Housing Regulator
• SWP secretariat (National Housing Federation)