Claire Kober joins British Property Federation’s new Affordable Housing Committee
The British Property Federation (BPF) has launched a new Affordable Housing Committee to provide leadership for the UK’s real estate industry.
The committee, chaired by Rob Beiley, partner at Trowers & Hamlins, with vice-chair Simon Century, director – Build-to-rent & Affordable Homes, Legal & General, will champion investment in high-quality and sustainable affordable homes.
It will lead the industry’s representations to government and act as interlocutor between the industry and key stakeholders including Homes England, the GLA and Regulator of Social Housing.
Claire Kober, Managing Director, Homes, oversees Pinnacle Group’s housing and property management contracts and sits on Pinnacle’s Executive Committee. In addition to sitting on the BPF’s Affordable Housing Committee, Claire is also an Independent Director and Chair of House by Urban Splash.
Other committee members include:
- Rob Beiley, Trowers & Hamlins (Chair)
- Simon Century, Legal & General (Vice-Chair)
- Catherin Webster, Quintain
- Charles Cleal, JLL
- Charles Crowe, PGIM Real Estate
- Chris Jeffs, M&G Real Estate
- Debi Marriott-Lavery, Places for People
- Julia Bevan, Grainger
- Kush Rawal, Metropolitan Thames Valley
- Matthew Chillingworth, Federated Hermes
- Natalia Kolotneva, LaSalle Investment Management
- Olivia Harris, Dolphin Living
- Peter Quinn, Watkin Jones
- Shamez Alibhai, Man GPM
- Thomas Mudd, CBRE
- Tom Paul, Optivo
“I am delighted to join BPF’s Affordable Housing Committee and, working with colleagues from across the real estate industry, look forward to maximising opportunities for investment in affordable housing to support communities and social wellbeing.”
Claire Kober
Managing Director, Homes
Pinnacle Group invests in ESG and launches strategy
Pinnacle Group bolsters its investment in ESG. This forms part of our ambitious growth strategy and builds upon decades of the company delivering added value for clients, customers and communities.
We have appointed a Pinnacle ESG Lead, as the Group integrates ESG across its services portfolio, which includes housing and facilities management services, as well as businesses Pinnacle Power and Grain.
The ESG Lead at Pinnacle will drive the delivery of the ESG Framework launched today. This sets out our approach to Environment, Social and Governance. The ESG framework we have developed is structured around four pillars:
To bring rigour to the measurement and reporting of ESG we are aligning to the TOMS framework and progress will be reviewed regularly by a ESG steering group, as well as the Executive team conducting an in-depth business wide review each quarter.
“Our vision to be ESG leaders is an important part of our company strategy and we are incredibly proud to be launching our ESG Framework today. Our investment in an ESG team and developing our company-wide commitments naturally evolve what we have been delivering as a company for decades. It is the next logical step for us.
We value the impact we can have and setting out our approach within an ESG Framework gives our 3,000 strong team clear direction on how as a company we are working towards our purpose of transforming communities, changing lives. It helps us build a business for the future and crucially benefits society and we are honoured to be able to make a difference.”
Perry Lloyd
Group Chief Executive
For more information on our commitment to ESG visit here and read our Framework:
Pinnacle Kickstarts work experience placements
Pinnacle Group has launched its government-backed Kickstart work scheme, aimed at 16-to-24-year-olds who are receiving Universal Credit and are at risk of long-term unemployment.
Introduced by the government to create high-quality six-month work placements, Pinnacle is in the process of recruiting 30+ people to its Kickstart Scheme that will start in June.
Successful applicants will be placed in different areas of the business to gain valuable work experience by learning on the job and will receive a programme of support to ensure they are able to make the most of their time with Pinnacle.
Each person will have a dedicated Kickstart Coach, who will be a mentor, and undertake regular reviews and provide feedback.
In addition, the Kickstarters will attend Group Employability Workshops which will cover induction and expectations of their role within Pinnacle; building their capabilities and managing change to help participants become more self-aware and improve confidence. Young people on the Kickstart Scheme will also be supported to upskill in the writing of covering letters, completion of application forms; development of a best-in-class CV, job searching; and interview techniques.
"Pinnacle has always given back to the community and the Kickstart Scheme is the ideal opportunity to help young people gain experience of the workplace with lifelong skills for finding and keeping future employment.
We look forward to welcoming the Kickstarters to the Pinnacle team.”
Jane Baxter
Managing Director, Pinnacle People
Each Kickstarter will be paid weekly over the six-month programme and receive 12.5 days of annual leave as well as time off for Bank Holidays.
Pinnacle sponsor the British Army’s team to race across the Atlantic Ocean in aid of the Royal British Legion
At Pinnacle Group we are proud to be advocates for those who protect our nation and to support the wider Armed Forces Community. We are pleased to demonstrate our loyalty to the British Army and the Royal British Legion (RBL) by sponsoring a team to row across the Atlantic Ocean in the 2021 Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge.
Billed as the “World’s toughest row”, the crew made up of four members of the British Army’s prestigious Royal Army Physical Training Corps will be rowing 3,000 miles for six weeks in a 8.5m long rowing boat.
During the gruelling challenge the team face the ultimate test of physical and mental endurance. Rowing for 12-hours a day in two hours shifts, day and night, the team will be faced with an onslaught of waves, sleep deprivation and salt sores. What will spur them on is their dedication to raise money for the RBL, during their centurion year.
“As proud supporters of the of
the Armed Forces community, we are delighted to announce our sponsorship of the
Force Atlantic team. We are looking
forward to cheering the team on and raising money for such a worthy charity.”
Perry Lloyd
Chief Executive and Armed Forces Network Chair at Pinnacle Group
“After serving in the
3rd Battalion The Queen’s Regiment and now being a Sergeant Instructor at the
Kent Army Cadet Force, I am passionate about supporting the good work RBL does
for the Armed Forces community. This
challenge isn’t just a rowing race – it demonstrates what it means to be a part
of the British Armed Forces, it’s more than just physical and mental strength, it
shows leadership, discipline, teamwork and adventure.”
Paul Driver
Business Manager and founding Armed Forces Network member at Pinnacle Group
“Force Atlantic are proud to have Pinnacle Group
supporting us as a gold sponsor. Their support in providing opportunities for
veterans is superb and as an organisation, they are intrinsically aligned to
our campaign. Pinnacle Group recognise the value of military life and the
experience contained within. Our veterans boast some of the best transferable
skills around and through Pinnacle Groups’ Armed Forces Network, they offer a
future for our community. With the
support of Pinnacle Group, the team and I feel in a great place to achieve our
goals whilst raising money for their chosen charity, the Royal British Legion.”
Captain Scott Pollock
Captain Scott Pollock and the team captain of Force Atlantic 21
Pinnacle will be running a series of events throughout the summer to raise money for the Royal British Legion.
Good luck to the Force Atlantic 21 team.
Celebrating World FM Day
Today we celebrate World FM Day and say thank you to our facilities management colleagues for all the vital work they carry out every day.
This year’s World FM Day theme is ‘Celebrating FM: standing tall beyond the pandemic’. Here we celebrate some of the members of the Pinnacle team who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that the communities we serve continued to receive the best service possible throughout recent testing times.
COVID-19 Cleans, Lambeth (London)
The FM industry has been at the frontline of the nation’s effort to combat COVID-19 and protect the public.
Pinnacle provides FM services throughout the borough of Lambeth and in response to the current pandemic we ensured that the Council’s playgrounds are COVID-secure.
To tackle this challenge of reopening the playgrounds safely, Pinnacle and its specialist teams deployed its specialist COVID cleaning service to 90+ of Lambeth’s playgrounds.
As a result of this treatment, play surfaces were sterilised and local children could touch and enjoy these spaces. The children of Lambeth now have safe playgrounds and spaces to grow, thrive and be their best, as our society returns to normal.
Increased precautions, Humberside Police
Gill, Angela and Laurel work at Hessle Police Station, providing cleaning services which are allowing the station to operate safely. The team were described by the client as being “brilliant[…]always friendly, polite and go above and beyond when it comes to helping people and doing their job. Nothing is too much trouble for them.”
The client added: “In the challenging times we find ourselves they are having to work extra hard, especially with all of the extra wiping of contact points and specialist sprays for sanitising, but they never complain, they just get on with the job at hand which must be particularly difficult here with it being a 24 hr station.”
VE Day Celebration, Leeds Schools
All members of Pinnacle’s Schools Catering team came into work on Bank Holiday Friday which should have been their day off to open three schools in Leeds to provide a VE day meal to Key Workers and vulnerable children. Putting on this lunch in celebration of VE Day is another example of the team’s dedication to their community and to delivering added social value on their contract, something that is greatly appreciated by the client.
Adjusting work hours to keep schools working, North London Schools
Rob works as a caretaker at Starksfield, part of our North London Schools contract. He is a lone worker and is respected by his colleagues for always going above and beyond, on what can be a challenging contract.
Recently, Rob voluntarily went into work on a Saturday to put up a reading shed which now provides a space for students to read under shelter in their playground. He has also carried out additional cleaning during school hours to sanitise door handles, carrying out toilet checks and daily stock takes.
He consistently communicates well with colleagues and ensures everyone continues to feel supported.
Shopping for residents, Lambeth (London)
Wahab Balarabe and Kenneth Cottrell have been helping elderly vulnerable residents in Ethelred Towers, Lambeth North, providing them with essential food items. Waham and Kenneth have been going shopping for their residents in their time off and bringing items to work and delivering them to their door.
A heartfelt thank you to all colleagues who have gone the extra mile in carrying out their duties.
Happy World FM Day!
Serving Communities through Financial Inclusion
At Pinnacle Group we now offer financial advice and support for residents to ensure they are accessing the benefits they are entitled and can manage any debt.
Pinnacle’s new Financial Inclusion Manager, Martin Keating, is working in the communities where we provide housing management services across the UK, to help households identify which benefits they are entitled to, as well as support applications and give debt advice.
Working closely with the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and local authorities, Martin is supporting residents, especially those with low literacy or numeracy skills, to navigate the benefits system.
“I’ll look at the whole family situation and the financial issues holistically,” explains Martin. “I can help with any hurdles along the way and also make applications on behalf of the residents. I’m basically the first port of call and a one-stop shop.”
In addition, Martin supports residents who do not have internet access to find the financial support they need, which has become increasingly difficult as more services move online.
Since the start of the year, Martin has made a tremendous impact, supporting 192 residents, and has achieved financial outcomes for Pinnacle and its residents in excess of £134,000.
“I’m also able to help with any debt problems and can support residents manage their finances and repayments. In one particular case, I was able to support one resident with debt relief, and with the local Citizens Advice Bureau, managed to reduce her £25,000 debt to £5,000,” adds Martin.
Martin is also currently engaging with 33 residents across Pinnacle’s communities with employment training such as CV writing and interview techniques with external partners. This is just one of the initiatives that Martin would like to continue.
“I love working with residents and really making a difference,” explained Martin. “My work is fully supported by Pinnacle and now COVID restrictions are easing I’m collaborating with colleagues to help more people through town hall events and setting up drop-in surgeries.”
In the meantime, Martin is running internal training events with Pinnacle case officers on benefit programmes, disability benefits and universal credit.
“I want to ensure that case officers are identifying and referring residents to me who might not be claiming all the benefits they are entitled to or who might be in financial trouble,” said Martin.
“Residents can contact me directly at any time; there is no need to wait for a referral. I want to ensure that all Pinnacle residents are getting all the benefits they are entitled to.”
Martin Keating, Financial Inclusion Manager at Pinnacle Group, can be contacted on 07985 871635 and by email on [email protected].
Supporting Residents by creating a sustainable new community allotment
The opportunity to get involved in supporting the Chalkhill allotment project arose when a group of residents contacted Pinnacle Group, requesting its support in the development of their allotment space. The idea behind the allotments was to create and kick-start a new project for the whole community to be involved in.
The Pinnacle Group team agreed that this project was a great initiative and saw an additional opportunity to use recycled materials to fabricate the planters. On our client’s Clapham Park site, also managed by Pinnacle, decking was required to be removed from properties and was planned to be disposed of. Pinnacle devised a plan to re-use this decking, providing additional sustainability benefits to the project.
https://youtu.be/S-I_IOfpEGU
Over the course of a week, the team worked on the site, with the support of local residents, to clear the area and build all of the planters for the allotments from scratch. After they had been built, these planters were finished with compost, topsoil, and several sets of new hand tools were provided to residents so that they can begin their green-fingered journey. Pinnacle’s total contribution towards the project was in excess of £1,500, representing excellent social impact value for money.
What started as a great initiative to bring together the local community and residents quickly became a reality. The Chalkhill allotment is one of many similar projects delivered by Pinnacle for its residents and we look forward to seeing them flourish.
"Thanks to everyone involved... what a transformation, can’t wait to get our families down there and start planting seeds."
Chalkhill Resident
Pinnacle win a contract to provide FM services for Clarion Housing Group’s properties in Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire
Pinnacle Group has announced that it has been contracted by Clarion Housing Group, the largest housing association in the UK, to provide cleaning services for properties in its Wisbech, Huntington, Peterborough and Cambridge estates.
Pinnacle are proud to support Clarion and the local communities that it serves and are delighted to have won this competitive, three-year contract.
As of 8 March 2021, Pinnacle are providing estates services to 195 sites, including new build flats, low to medium rise flats and a mix of new and pre-established housing estates. The contract is for an initial three-year period, with a possible two-year extension, and will include the 17 retirement schemes that Clarion operates in the region.
Pinnacle are providing estates services across these sites, including regular cleaning and management of the wide ranging and mixed tenure and sheltered sites in Clarion’s Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire portfolio. Pinnacle are a housing management provider, delivering tailored solutions to over 300,000 homes and looks forward to applying this experience to this contract.
“Having worked with Pinnacle Group in the past, their professionalism and experience gave us the confidence that they were the right group for the job. We have been really pleased with their approach to supporting our residents and working with them to build positive relationships. We look forward to working in partnership with Pinnacle over the next three years.
Sally Greetham
Clarion Group
“It’s fantastic to be awarded this contract, especially during a time where we want to provide the absolute best services to Clarion’s Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire residents. As shown in our work with other housing associations, Pinnacle takes pride in building valuable partnerships with our customers’ teams and ensuring that their residents get the best possible service. We look forward to demonstrating this commitment to Clarion.”
Neil Fergus
Pinnacle Group’
Both Clarion and Pinnacle Group are focused on taking a sustainable approach to housing, and partake in a variety of wider ventures. These include Clarion Futures, the charitable foundation of Clarion Housing Group and Pinnacle People, the group’s social investment arm, which both help get people back to work, develop skills and support with personal financial management.
Microsoft recognises Pinnacle Group as a leading developer of Power Platform solutions
Microsoft has acknowledged Pinnacle Group as one the leading firms using its Power Platform to undertake audits for the facilities and sites that it manages both internally and on behalf of its clients. Sancho Harker, a Solution Integration Analyst in Pinnacle’s Technology and Innovation team, was key in introducing this system to the Group’s operations and has also been recognised by Microsoft as one of their Most Valuable Professionals (MVP).
Using Microsoft’s Power Platform system Pinnacle will save 3,300 pages of printed paper and recover over 1,000 hours of auditors’ time each year.
Some of the solutions the Technology and Innovation team have been working on include:
Effectively Processing and Auditing Data at Pace
Before the introduction of the Power Platform system, Pinnacle’s Health and Safety team used a paper-based system to document data and this process could be cumbersome and time consuming. The Power Platform allows for the creation of bespoke Power Apps that can document every stage of the audit process easily, combined with another system called Power Automate that is used to handle the back-end data seamlessly.
The reporting of audit data has been automated through the Power BI system, which allows the running of real-time reports by month, risk level, profit centre and various other fields.
Recruitment Power Platform Simplifying and Modernising Recruitment
Pinnacle’s recruitment processes have now been brought in-house and modernised via the Power Platform system and this will enable the company to save between £100,000 and £500,000 per year on recruitment costs.
Developing the Profit Centre Power App
Sancho created the “Profit Centres List” app that supports Pinnacle managers to access their respective profit centre “hub” and receive requests for authorisation. This has centralised and streamlined a time-consuming process and ensured higher productivity for the firm. The simplification of the profit centre listing has been especially helpful, as it allows swift authorisation of costs and tasks.
Currently, Pinnacle has 15 Power Platform solutions in production and at least 20 in the pipeline.
Pinnacle secures £3,500 for Lambeth food banks and support services
In the run up to the 2020 festive season, Pinnacle has worked with several local organisations, such as the Trussell Trust, Lambeth Larder and Blenheim Gardens’ resident management to alleviate hardship in Lambeth.
This year, Pinnacle Group has reaffirmed its ongoing commitment to Londoners suffering hardship during the festive season and, along with its partners, it and its team members have:
- Donated a total of £3,500 to Trussell Trust and local community food banks across Lambeth;
- Volunteered their time, logistics chain and expertise to the local groups undertaking this work in Lambeth; and,
- Erected and donated Christmas trees and a light installation in Clapham Park, Lambeth.
Pinnacle supported two Trussell Trust food banks in Lambeth, Norwood and Brixton and Clapham Park, to help the local community. The Trussell Trust operates a food bank network that provided 1,900,122 three-day emergency food supplies across the UK in 2019/2020.
The Norwood and Brixton Foodbank, located at St Margaret’s Church, requested Pinnacle’s support to deep clean the church’s halls that are being used by food bank volunteers considering the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Pinnacle’s team cleaned these halls and will provide sanitorial services for the days that volunteer teams are working, alongside a final tidy up and sterilisation of the facilities in late December. Pinnacle has also donated £500 to this fantastic effort by the Norwood and Brixton Foodbank, as well as a further £500 to Clapham Park food bank.
“Eight members of the team volunteered their time at the Clapham Park Food Bank to wrap gifts, pack food hampers, pre-pack boxes with treats and sort food donations. We also donated and erected Christmas trees and light installations in Clapham Park. Alongside this effort, Pinnacle donated to this remarkable food bank, which alone feeds over 1800 people and distributed 20,000kgs of food in 2019.”
Grant Seward
Area Manager
Pinnacle also supported the Oasis Community Hub, Waterloo, by volunteering five vans to distribute pre-packed support parcels destined for deprived housing and hostels across Lambeth. Pinnacle contributed £500 to this food bank’s effort, which will support it providing 500 food and gift hampers. Separate to this work with and support to the Trussell Trust, Pinnacle also supported Lambeth Larder.
Pinnacle has also donated £500 to the Blenheim Gardens’ resident management organisation’s (RMO) Floating Food Bank, alongside a further £500 for its hardship fund that will support school clothing for local children. This donation to RMO was matched by Martin Vitera, a sanitorial chemicals and Pinnacle supplier, which kindly donated £250 to both the food bank and the hardship fund.
Pinnacle recognises that food poverty and hardship is a serious issue in the UK and, as a leading facilities management firm, it understands that it has an important role to play in the communities that it serves. It was grateful for the opportunity to assist and support the Trussell Trust, Lambeth Larder and Blenheim Gardens’ RMO and their work with local communities.
Pinnacle offers support to Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing (MTVH) Christmas Community Value Drive
In the run up to the 2020 festive season, Pinnacle has worked with MTVH to support communities and alleviate hardship in London, Cambridge and Nottingham.
This year, Pinnacle Group has worked with MTVH as a part of its ongoing commitment to communities across the UK suffering hardship during the festive season. Over the last few months, Pinnacle has:
- Donated and erected Christmas trees across the country;
- Supported MTVH with producing and distributing Christmas Hampers in Nottingham, Cambridge and London; and,
- Donated £3,000 to help make Christmas happen for MTVH residents.
Pinnacle Group donated ten Christmas trees to MTVH, to be erected on their sites across the country. One of the chosen sites, St Martins’ Estate in Tulse Hill, Lambeth, hosted an orchestral concert to celebrate the festive season after the tree was put up and decorated, bringing some much-needed cheer to the community.
Pinnacle Group has also been helping MTVH to offer residents Christmas hampers and a donation of £3,000 was made to MTVH, supporting families through hampers containing food and small gifts, like books, providing them with a Christmas. In addition to the donation, Pinnacle is also the delivery partner, supporting MTVH in the collection and delivery of the Christmas hampers across the East Midlands, East Anglia and London.
Pinnacle Group employees have volunteered their time, and Pinnacle the use of their vans, to help MTVH with their Christmas deliveries. The deliveries will be made to keep the most vulnerable and socially isolated residents at MTVH properties feel positively engaged during the festive period.
Pinnacle recognises that food poverty, isolation and loneliness is a serious issue in the UK, now more than ever. As a leading facilities management firm, Pinnacle is focused on supporting the communities in which it works and has been grateful for the opportunity to support MTVH to make Christmas happen.
"We are immensely proud of all of the Pinnacle Employees, who have gone above and beyond to support MTVH this Christmas. A special thank you goes out to our colleague Diogo driving to the MTVH Lambeth site to help switch on the Christmas tree lights for the concert, and to all of our volunteers delivering Christmas hampers to residents across London, Cambridge and Nottingham.”
Martin Rosiak
Area Manager
Pinnacle Group donates to local causes
Ahead of the festive season, Pinnacle Group undertook a staff consultation exercise to nominate local causes and food banks within communities that they serve and to support these social ventures with donations. This collective activity served to recognise causes or charitable efforts that may otherwise have not received support and to ensure that Pinnacle was responsive to the needs of the local communities where it operates.
The consultation asked colleagues to identify and nominate food banks in their contract areas. This led to over 20 responses from our local teams and a set of 25 food banks and local causes across the communities we serve were identified. Pinnacle then donated sums of £500 each to support these food banks, as they provide basic food and support services to local communities that may be struggling during the festive period, over £10,000 has been donated.
Pinnacle also requested that colleagues recognise and nominate local causes that the Group could support. This was an important request, as many worthy, local causes do not have the resources to effectively publicise or communicate their work and are focused on their social outreach. Pinnacle colleagues identified a number of local causes and the Group will be working with each of these remarkable ventures, which are undertaking important work in trying times.
Pinnacle is grateful that colleagues were able to volunteer their experience and knowledge to support these charitable causes and local food banks.
“We appealed to Pinnacle employees to help support food banks and local causes in the communities where we operate. We were delighted by the enthusiasm shown by all our staff to directly help people and families suffering hardship at this most difficult of times.”
Perry Lloyd
Group Chief Executive
Elsewhere, in the London Borough of Lambeth alone, Pinnacle donated a total of £3,500 to the Trussell Trust and local community food banks. Alongside these donations, Pinnacle teams volunteered their time and expertise to the groups undertaking this important work in the Borough.
Pinnacle recognises that food poverty and social deprivation is a serious issue in the UK and, as a leading provider of front-line, community facing services, acknowledges the important ongoing role it needs to play in the communities that it serves.