Ethical business practices
We are committed to doing business ethically and responsibly, guided by clear policies and strong governance.
Our values and principles promote a culture of doing the right thing. We have clear policies supported by systems and processes to manage risks and help us to continually improve our business practices.
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You can read more about our approach to responsible and ethical business across this website, including:Anti-bribery and corruption
We have a zero-tolerance approach to bribery and corruption, as set out in our policies relating to anti-corruption, anti-money laundering and competition law. All regional businesses and key departments must provide written confirmation of compliance annually and to complete our gifts and hospitality register. We expect the same standards from our suppliers and anti-corruption provisions are included inour standard supplier contracts.
Whistleblowing
Our Board of Directors maintains responsibility for the Company’s Whistleblowing Policy which is communicated to employees including on our sites. It provides a clear procedure for employees to report concerns either to their line manager or through a third-party whistleblowing hotline.
All whistleblowing cases are investigated by the Head of Internal Audit, Group HR Director and/or the Group General Counsel and Company Secretary depending on the nature of the concern, and (where appropriate) the Head of HSE. The Board receives half-yearly whistleblowing updates which set out any whistleblowing issues raised during the period and interim updates on significant matters.
The updates provided are anonymous and summarise the result of any investigation.
Compliance with planning requirements
We aim to work constructively with planning authorities to agree the details of our planning obligations for each development, including affordable housing, local infrastructure, and facilities. Applications integrate a development plan, enabling planning authorities to monitor progress. We had c.26.5k plots for first principle planning determination in the planning system as at 31 December 2024 (2023: c.30.2k).
Once planning permission is granted, our technical teams monitor compliance with planning agreements and obligations. We also track build rates to make sure that each scheme is being managed efficiently and new homes are delivered on time. This is overseen by the Managing Director in each regional business.
As at 31 December 2024, we were building on or are due to start in the first quarter of 2025 on 98% of sites with implementable planning (2023: 99.6%).
Responsible marketing
We aim for all our marketing and advertising to be honest and accurate. We use a roster of advertising and marketing agencies which are required to follow the guidelines established by the Advertising Standards Authority, Committee of Advertising Practice, Institute of Practitioners in Advertising, and Construction Products Regulation as well as the New Homes Quality Code.
Our agencies have quality assurance and sign off processes for work. Many agencies and their staff who work on our marketing are members of professional bodies such as the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising and Chartered Institute of Public Relations and are bound by their Codes of Conduct.
During 2024, there were no complaints made to the Advertising Standards Authority about our advertising.