AWICS Director - Adrian Waite

Adrian Waite

Since 1998, Adrian has owned and managed ‘Adrian Waite (Independent Consultancy Services) Limited’ (AWICS) providing management consultancy advice and training. In the past three years alone, Adrian has advised more than 200 clients on finance, business planning, rents & service charges, options appraisals, stock transfer, housing inspection, and value for money. Since 2006, Adrian's training courses have empowered more than 3,000 individuals in England, Scotland, and Wales to carry out their roles more effectively. 

Examples of his recent work include:

• Providing seminars and workshops on subjects including Local Authority Housing Finance, Service Charges and Implementing Self-Financing in Wales
• Providing in-house training to organisations including the Homes & Communities Agency, Cheltenham Borough Homes, Perth & Kinross Council, Thanet District Council and Wrexham Borough Council
• Advising Denbighshire County Council on Housing Business Planning, Implementing Self-Financing and Service Charges
• Carrying out options appraisals for organisations including Lambeth Borough Council and Community Trust Housing
• Advising Local Authorities and Housing Associations including Calico Housing Association and Oldham Borough Council on introducing and reviewing Service Charges
• Acting as Lead Associate in a Local Government Association Finance Peer Review
• Acting as an expert witness in finance in Judicial Reviews of Local Authority budgets

Since 2011, Adrian has been Chair of Impact Housing Association. Adrian guided the association through a period of significant socio-economic turmoil and the policy changes towards localism and light touch inspection by introducing a customer-focused approach centred on Value for Money. Under his tenure, staffing reviews resulted in a 17% efficiency gain and a Supporting People contract valued at £1.2m annually was retained. Adrian oversaw a threefold increase in the association's development programme, the development of new foyers for young people, an extra care elderly scheme and an increased return on assets from 1.5% in 2011 to 2.1% in 2014. As chair, Adrian also promoted increasing resident involvement. 

Between 1981 and 1998, Adrian worked in local government up to Chief Officer level. As Strategic Director at Copeland Borough Council, he was responsible for Best Value, Performance Monitoring and Benchmarking, Investors in People, and Communications and IT Strategies. As Finance Director at the authority he raised funding for a capital programme that peaked at £20million a year, reducing Council Tax while improving front line services. He represented the council on the board of the £24.4million Whitehaven Single Regeneration Budget programme that transformed the economy and environment of Whitehaven.

Adrian holds an honours degree in Geography (first class) from the University of Oxford. He is a fully qualified member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy; an Associate member of the Chartered Institute of Housing; and a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership & Management.