RETIRING Kingdom Housing Association chief executive Bill Banks has been recognised by Secured by Design (SBD) for his work around Designing Out Crime in the organisation’s properties.
Bill joined Glenrothes-headquartered Kingdom in 1987 as an admin assistant and has held various roles over the years. He was director of development & property services and deputy chief executive before being appointed group chief executive in May 2014.
Bill is a chartered member of the Chartered Institute of Housing and recent positions include former non-executive director of both Kingdom Initiatives Limited & Kingdom Support and Care CIC, past board member and chair of Scotland’s Housing Network, a former appointee on Ruchazie HA Committee and, until recently, vice chairperson of the Fife Housing Partnership.
Stuart Ward, national Designing Out Crime manager for Police Scotland, said, “I am delighted to present Bill with this well-deserved certificate in recognition of all the work that he has done around Designing Out Crime in Kingdom Housing Association’s properties. Bill has long championed Secured by Design for all of the new builds and refurbishments that Kingdom Housing Association have taken on and owned.
“In 2017 Police Scotland found that 3,000 homes built to SBD’s nationally recognised police crime prevention standards in more than 150 Kingdom Housing Association developments in Fife experienced 87% fewer reported crimes compared to properties not similarly designed and protected.
“These results highlight the benefits of building to SBD security standards. Evidence suggests that SBD homes achieve significant reductions in crime and can continue to do so year-on-year. This is especially important as most SBD developments are in social housing in deprived areas.
“I wish Bill all the best in the next chapter in his life.”
Bill Banks said, “Kingdom has changed enormously since I joined 36 years ago. When I started Kingdom had 16 properties and now owns and manages over 6,500 homes, has two subsidiaries, and over 500 staff.
“I’ve really enjoyed my time with Kingdom and I’m particularly proud of the sustainability initiatives we have developed, the quality we have been able to incorporate into our projects, including Secured by design accreditation standards, the homelessness programmes we pioneered and the trainee programme we have implemented.
“It’s the variety of projects and the wide-ranging positive impacts on our communities that have made the last 36 years so rewarding.”
