Former housing ombudsman Richard Blakeway has joined Aster

Housing association Aster Group has appointed Richard Blakeway, who served as housing ombudsman until this summer, as a non-executive director.

Mr Blakeway, who starts his new role today, was in his previous post for more than six years up to July, during a period when housing providers faced increased scrutiny and regulation.

During his time at the Housing Ombudsman, the service expanded its work on housing conditions and learning from complaints. It introduced the Complaint Handling Code, which became statutory in 2024, and increased transparency through the publication of decisions and landlord performance data.

Aster, which owns and manages more than 38,000 homes across London and the South of England, said Mr Blakeway will bring “deep insight”, with his knowledge of policy, regulation, governance and accountability.

In May, Aster Group reported a 10% rise in spending on damp, mould and condensation over the last financial year, part of an overall £117.3m investment in its existing stock.

Besides his new role at the landlord, Mr Blakeway is a non-executive director at the Infected Blood Compensation Authority, the chair of the Legal Ombudsman’s Office for Legal Complaints, and a fellow at the Royal Society of Arts.

Before leading the Housing Ombudsman, he was the deputy mayor of London for housing between 2008 and 2016, also serving as chair of the Homes for London Board.

He was a non-executive director of Homes England for almost three years between 2017 and 2019.

Mr Blakeway will “contribute to the collective oversight of Aster’s board, providing independent judgement, constructive challenge and support”, the landlord said.

He will serve as a non-executive director across Aster Group’s relevant registered provider and subsidiary boards for a three-year term from October.

Stephen Trusler, chair of Aster Group, said: “From the various roles Richard has held over the years, he brings deep insight into the breadth of housing and, importantly, what customers should expect from a housing association.

“He understands the challenges in planning, in delivering new homes and bringing affordable housing up to good quality. As housing ombudsman, he challenged the sector to raise standards, improve services and learn from feedback,” Mr Trusler added.

Mr Blakeway said his previous job had “reinforced how much the quality of a home and the way a landlord responds can affect people’s lives”.

“Responding to concerns and learning when things go wrong are fundamental to good housing services,” he added.

“I look forward to bringing that experience to Aster’s boards and working with fellow board members to support the executive team to deliver good governance, constructive challenge and decisions that deliver better outcomes for customers.”

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Former housing ombudsman joins Aster as non-executive director