Table of Attendance

^* Due to unforeseen circumstances, Karen Jones was unable to attend one meeting of the Committee, however she was fully appraised of the matters discussed therein.

The Committee met three times during the year ended 30 June 2019. For all meetings, papers were circulated sufficiently in advance to allow proper consideration of all matters for discussion. The Company Secretary acts as Secretary to the Committee.

Responsibilities and Terms of Reference

The key responsibilities of the Committee are:

• to develop and monitor the Company’s approach to sustainability and to review and approve the sustainability targets proposed by management;
• to assess the impact of the Company’s operations on the environment and communities affected by its activities, including the consideration of policies to enhance the benefits of those activities and mitigate any negative impact of those activities;
• to have regard to environmental corporate social responsibility and community issues, including environmental management systems, waste and recycling management systems and energy and carbon management;
• to ensure that the Company is continuing to create great places to live and making social, economic and environmental contributions to local areas by setting well-designed homes and amenities within attractive shared spaces;
• to review, in advance of each meeting, a sustainability performance scorecard provided by the Sustainability Team, which assists the Committee to more clearly evaluate the relationship between the sustainability initiatives in place, or being considered, and the related performance levels being achieved;
• to ensure that the Company supports its people on a learning and development pathway to deliver high quality products and services;
• to ensure that there is sufficient encouragement and support given to Company employees so that they can realise their capability to contribute to the social, environment and economic health of our communities and having regard to promoting and maintaining the highest degree of physical, mental and social wellbeing in the workplace;
• to ensure that the Company continues to be an employer of choice in the industry, valuing and respecting its diversity; providing both advantage, and equality of opportunity in recruitment, development, recognition and reward;
• to review the Company’s policies and reporting with regard to personnel recruitment, development and succession planning to ensure a sustainable and engaged workforce;
• to have regard to the Company’s involvement in the community, and the Company’s policy on charitable donations and activities;
• to have regard to the Company’s developments in customer engagement and service to ensure its values are upheld; and
• to adhere to the Company’s three key principles of sustainability: Developing Thriving Communities, Building Responsibly and Valuing People.

The Committee regularly reviews its Terms of Reference; these were last reviewed in June 2019 and are published on the Group’s website (redrowplc.co.uk).

Main Activities During the Year

During the year ended 30 June 2019 the principal activities of the Committee were as follows:

• considered and approved action plans for the three sustainability themes (Developing Thriving Communities, Building Responsibly and Valuing People) and measured progress against each;
• discussed and approved the "Redrow 8" placemaking principles and its associated guide;
• regularly reviewed the placemaking and sustainability scorecard which measures progress against the sustainability targets of the Company;
• discussed the utilisation of the Company’s membership of the NHS Healthy Towns Network in delivering healthier places to live through careful planning and design;
• analysed the publication showcasing the learning from the NHS England Healthy New Towns programme and the application of this learning within the Group;
• reviewed the social impact assessment and discussed utilising the research results to inform the development of a forecasting calculator in projecting the social value that a development by the Company could bring to the area;
• discussion of the work of the Biodiversity Working Group and its progress on the development of the draft of the new biodiversity strategy for the Company;
• reviewed and discussed the progress on resource efficiency projects, including the Company’s approach to action on climate change and supporting a new waste minimisation campaign;
• reviewed the initiatives being undertaken in recruitment, retention and development of the employees of the Company;
• supported the Company in signing the Building Mental Health pledge whereby the Company would train mental health first aiders across the Group and implement an awareness campaign on the importance of mental health;
• supported the flexible working pilot following valuable feedback from the employee engagement mechanisms;
• monitored and reviewed the Group’s health, safety and environmental performance;
• reviewed progress on the increased communication across the Group following the implementation of the new intranet, Engage;
• regularly reviewed the prospective developments in the legislative and regulatory environments;
• monitored and reviewed the Company’s response to environmental legislation and regulation, ensuring the appropriate risk mitigation controls were being implemented, monitored and evaluated;
• monitored the suitability of internal and external communication of sustainability and placemaking related activities;
• supported the formulation of a health and wellbeing strategy which is being developed to improve the wellbeing of the Group’s people and create a more inclusive workplace; and
• continued to review and evaluate the Group’s collaboration with education partners, which is aiming to positively impact people and communities.

Performance Evaluation

As part of the external Board evaluation, Independent Audit also carried out an evaluation of the Committee in the form of a bespoke questionnaire. The Members of the Committee were invited to participate in the evaluation.

A report was presented to the Members of the Committee at the Board meeting in June 2019. The findings of the evaluation were discussed and the Committee was found to be effective, concluding that it had fulfilled its remit and had in place appropriate Terms of Reference.

The evaluation highlighted that the Committee benefits from a good Chairman and has engaging and focused discussions. It also found that the Committee was particularly strong in assessing the quality of external reporting on environmental goals and performance and supports the Board well in thinking through how environmental change impacts strategy. The review offered a number of suggestions for the future shape of the work of the Committee which will be considered further by the Committee. Ensuring adherence with the placemaking framework and assessing the risks and responsibilities around the communities in which the Company operates will remain priorities for the coming year. 

SIR MICHAEL LYONS

Chairman of the Placemaking and Sustainability Committee

4 September 2019