Mark Thompson, Head of Risk and Policy
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Mark Thompson - Head of Risk and Policy, has been with The Wrekin Housing Group since 1999 having moved from Telford and Wrekin Council.
For Wrekin's 25 year anniversary in March, we caught up with staff who've been with us since the very beginning, asking about their Wrekin journey and highlights over the years.
“My job didn’t transfer over from the council automatically. I joined the council in 1992 and had already done a few other jobs. I was managing the housing benefit, fraud and overpayments team at the time but was asked if I would apply for the Policy and Regulation Management Job – the rest as they say is history."
“I can remember it being quite political at the time. There was a movement against stock transfers because it was viewed as a privatisation. I remember going into the council chamber and hearing the result – there was a fair bit of shouting from the opposition and there was a fair bit of doubt."
“It was a challenging start. The regulation was intense and there were a fair few teething problems. Our customers' expectations were raised so we had a lot of stuff to deal with, but it was a brave new world and we were excited about the possibilities."
Despite people's reservations, Mark recalls how the organisation rose to the challenge of proving the doubters wrong.
“The biggest change has been a stronger customer focus. We’re more aware of delivering a responsive service to our customers a good example has been introducing our same-day repairs service."
“The transfer has also allowed us to really invest in our properties and build new homes. As a local authority, it was very difficult to do that."
Mark says it's the people that make Wrekin such a great organisation to be part of.
“The best thing about working for Wrekin is the people. When I’m a bit older I can look back and say I’ve worked with some brilliant people and we really made a difference."
"You will always remember how other people made you feel, and also how you made other people feel.
"It’s a supportive place to work and people genuinely try to do the right thing. Without the right people, you can’t deliver great customer service. That’s what makes us strong.”