Who we Are
About Westward
Westward Housing Group is one of the largest affordable housing providers in the South West, owning and managing around 7,800 homes and supporting over 18,000 people across Devon and Cornwall.
Headquartered in Newton Abbot, Westward operates across a diverse and geographically complex region—ranging from urban coastal communities to rural areas—where housing affordability, seasonal employment and the impact of second homes continue to present significant challenges.
With a history dating back to 1965, Westward is both an established and evolving organisation, combining strong local roots with a clear ambition to grow its impact across the region.
What we do
Westward provides affordable homes for rent and shared ownership alongside a range of support services for residents, including provision for older people and those with additional needs.
Alongside its core housing offer, the organisation operates a range of complementary commercial and social activities, including:
- Development of new homes for rent, shared ownership and sale
- A commercial sales arm delivering open market housing
- Participation in the Help to Buy South West partnership
- Social enterprises focused on horticulture and furniture reuse
This combination of social purpose activity and commercial delivery supports a diversified income base and enables reinvestment into new homes and community services.
Our purpose and priorities
Westward’s purpose is simple: providing homes and supporting communities.
This purpose is underpinned by a clear corporate strategy for 2025–2030, shaped by customers, colleagues and stakeholders. The strategy focuses on four core objectives:
- Delivering services that customers trust
- Providing affordable, high-quality homes
- Maintaining financial robustness and strong value for money
- Supporting and developing a skilled and engaged workforce
Financial strength and resilience are therefore central to Westward’s overall direction, supporting both day-to-day service delivery and longer-term investment in growth.
Financial strength and governance
Westward operates as a financially strong and well-governed organisation within the social housing sector. It holds top regulatory ratings for both governance and financial viability, reflecting a stable platform for future development and investment.
The organisation maintains a clear focus on value for money and publishes annual financial statements, demonstrating transparency and accountability in how it uses its resources.
For a senior finance leader, this provides a solid foundation from which to support continued growth, manage risk and ensure long-term sustainability.
Annual Report and Financial Statements 31 March 2025
Place and community
Westward’s work is shaped by the unique characteristics of the South West. While the region is often associated with strong lifestyle appeal, many communities face structural housing challenges, including affordability pressures and constrained supply.
In response, Westward takes a place-based approach—investing not only in homes, but also in neighbourhoods, services and partnerships. The organisation actively engages with residents through mechanisms such as customer scrutiny groups, ensuring that customer voice informs decision-making and service improvement.
Culture and values
Westward’s culture is grounded in three core values:
- Be proactive – taking responsibility and using initiative
- Always engage – listening, collaborating and delivering on commitments
- Show integrity – acting fairly, inclusively and transparently
These values shape how the organisation works internally and with partners, and support a culture of accountability, openness and continuous improvement.
Our Objectives
Looking ahead
Westward is entering a period of continued opportunity and challenge, balancing the need to invest in new homes and services with the requirement to remain financially resilient in a complex operating environment.
For the incoming Chief Financial Officer, this provides the opportunity to play a central role in:
- Supporting delivery of the corporate strategy
- Maintaining strong financial performance and value for money
- Enabling sustainable growth and investment in new homes
- Strengthening financial insight and decision-making across the organisation
Annual Report 2025 to customers