An affordable housing provider based in Milton Keynes has appointed a new board chair.

Grand Union Housing Group, who provides around 12,500 homes, has appointed Steve Benson to replace acting chair Peter Fielder on April 1^st 2023. The latter will step down at the end of June to allow for a period of handover.

The incoming board chair has previous experience working with local authorities, housing associations and a homeless charity, Two Saints. He brings with him extensive governance experience, having served on the boards of a number of housing associations. He also held a variety of governance roles at the Chartered Institute of Housing and at Homeless Link, where he currently chairs their governance committee.

Steve Benson said: “I’m excited to be taking on this new role at Grand Union Housing Group and have been impressed by everything I’ve seen so far.”

He added: “Grand Union is well placed to make a positive impact on the communities we serve, but we’re facing challenging times with the difficult economic environment and cost of living crisis, so it’s never been more important for housing association boards to adopt the right strategies to ensure they achieve their visions and missions, while keeping their values.”

Aileen Evans, group chief executive, said: “We’re really looking forward to Steve joining us here at Grand Union. Steve shares our values and is a brilliant choice to lead us in the future. Both Steve and I have been president of the Chartered Institute of Housing and I know we are both committed to a future where everyone has a place to call home.”