Colchester Borough Homes is an Arm’s Length Management Organisation (ALMO) set up by Colchester City Council in 2003. We are an award-winning organisation and provide management and maintenance services to around 7,000 residential, commercial and public buildings in the local area on behalf of the Council.  This includes the Council’s housing stock, Colchester Castle, Leisure World and the Town Hall. 

Our mission is to deliver great value services that make a difference and our vision is to enable customers, colleagues and communities to thrive. 

We are committed to our key company values and we focus on these when planning the delivery of our services. 

• Building Trust - We will work with you to build trust in our service. 
• Delivering Customer Led Services - We will work with you to improve what we do and promote fair and equal services for all. 
• Commitment to Our Communities - We will offer you services you can rely on, which respect the needs of the community and individuals. 
• Delivering Professional Services - Our staff are highly trained to enable you to receive a knowledgeable response. 
• Providing Value for Money in everything we do.

Our Executive Team

Our Management Team are responsible for ensuring the company is governed well. 

Philip Sullivan, Chief Executive

Philip has overall responsibility for the leadership and management of Colchester Borough Homes, including:

• working with the Board to set the company strategy and policy
• implementing the decisions of the Board
• ensuring the company delivers its service performance commitments
• leading the company’s change management initiatives
• managing key external business relationships, in particular Colchester City Council

Karen Loweman, Director of Operations

Karen’s key areas of responsibility are:

• tenancy management and support, rent income and tenancy enforcement
• sheltered housing and support services
• housing advice and homelessness
• strategic lead on housing management, tenant and leaseholder involvement and welfare reform
• repairs and maintenance service
• managing our in-house direct labour organisation
• community safety and partnerships
• lead Director for Operations and Performance Committee

Matthew Armstrong, Director of Business Improvement

Matthew’s key areas of responsibility are:

• finance, audit and risk management
• ICT and Business Intelligence (including performance and complaints)
• asset management and major capital programmes
• corporate building maintenance programme and trading
• lead Director for the Finance and Audit Committee

Services We Provide

We offer a range of services to the private, public and non-profit sectors and include: 

• tenancy management 
• allocations and lettings 
• rent and service charge collection 
• financial inclusion and welfare management 

• estates and grounds maintenance 
• antisocial behaviour service 
• leasehold management 
• housing solutions 
• housing register management & assessment 

• private sector renting 
• temporary accommodation management 
• rough sleeper prevention and engagement 
• responsive repairs service  
• gas maintenance & service contract supervision 
• empty property management 
• disabled adaptations 
• sheltered housing 
• energy efficiency 
• garage rental 
• business services 
• facilities management  
• planned preventative maintenance 
• carbon management and energy saving projects and advice

Awards, Accreditations and Charters

Investors In People Gold

We have held an Investors in People (IiP) accreditation since 2003 which is reassessed every 3 years.  IiP is an internationally recognised people management accreditation which is held by 10,000 organisations across the world and defines what it takes to lead, support and manage people well for sustainable results.

The accreditation is the mark of high performance in people management.  

We have retained the gold level of the accreditation for staff management.

Disability Confident Employer

We are recognised as a Disability Confident Employer.  The Disability Confident employer scheme is a government scheme that aims to help employers make the most of the opportunities provided by employing disabled people. It is voluntary and has been developed by employers and disabled people’s representatives. 

Mindful Employer

We are recognised as a Mindful Employer which is a national initiative supporting employers to take a positive approach towards mental health at work. By signing the Mindful Employer Charter, we have made a public declaration of our ambition and commitment to support the mental health of our staff.

Essex Family Friendly Employer

We have signed up to the Essex Family Friendly Employer Charter which is a set of principles that employers in Essex should meet to be considered family-friendly.  It sets out how employers can help parents and carers manage their work and caring commitments and by signing the Charter we agree to adopt family-friendly policies.

Armed Forces Covenant

We have pledged our commitment to support the military community, by proudly signing the Armed Forces Covenant.  This is a voluntary pledge that organisations sign to demonstrate their support for the Armed Forces community by recognising the value serving personnel, veterans and their families contribute both to the organisation and the nation. 

Employer Recognition Scheme – Bronze Award

We hold the Bronze Defence Employer Recognition Scheme award which means we have signed the covenant and are open to employing members of the military reserve force, armed forces veterans, cadet instructors and military spouses and partners and agree to align our values with the Armed Forces Covenant.

TPAS Accreditation

Tpas is an organisation that specialises in tenant engagement. In April 2023 we submitted our application to gain the Tpas accreditation and are delighted that we have been accredited by Tpas for our work in tenant involvement. The accreditation process has supported us in placing tenants and residents at the heart of everything we do, and we take every opportunity to involve them in decision making. The aim is to renew this accreditation every three years and the purpose of the process is to refocus our minds to ensure our customer engagement is meaningful and forms part of our governance framework.

Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA) Accreditation

The Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance’s mission is to improve the housing sector’s response to domestic abuse through the introduction and adoption of an established set of standards and an accreditation process.  Further details can be found on the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance website. We are proud to be members of the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance which demonstrates our commitment to embedding good practice in response to domestic abuse and adopting the values and principles of the DAHA.   

Careers at Colchester Borough Homes

We are a company limited by guarantee registered in the United Kingdom. Our company registration number is 04843624 and our registered office is: 1st Floor, Rowan House, Sheepen Road, Colchester, Essex, CO3 3WG. 

Our company registration document can be found here: Memorandum and Articles of Association. 

You can view our Employer Liability Insurance here