MTVH appoints council boss to replace Geeta Nanda

In a letter, jointly written by Mr Barrett and the authority’s leader David Mellen, they said the council’s failed Robin Hood Energy company and “historically” unlawful spending from the Housing Revenue Account had partly led to the problems. However, they also pointed to increasing demand for social care and homelessness services amid high inflation. 

In February, the government appointed three commissioners to help run the local authority.

Mr Barrett said today that the job at the council is “not yet done and we know that the pace of improvement will increase”. 

On his appointment to MTVH, he described the G15 landlord as “one of the largest and most innovative housing associations in the country”. 

Prior to Nottingham City Council, Mr Barrett spent five-and-a-half years as chief executive of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.

He also worked for Hammersmith and Fulham Council as its housing and regeneration director for four years, according to his LinkedIn profile. In the early part of his 32-year career, he was a chartered surveyor for the City of London Corporation.

Althea Efunshile, chair of MTVH’s board, said it believed Mr Barrett was somebody with “exceptional capability and character”.

She added: “He has decades of experience of leadership at scale and has achieved this across a range of the services that we manage.

“Throughout his career, he has put people, place, homes and regeneration at the heart of his work and has demonstrated an entrepreneurial approach combined with social purpose.”

In January, MTVH warned that its surplus for the current financial year will be lower than expected due to £105m in one-off provisions and impairments covering fire and general building safety works. 

The landlord currently has a G1/V2 rating with the regulator. In its last reported full year to the end of March 2023, MTVH posted an 18 per cent drop in post-tax surplus as operating and finance costs rose.