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Independent governance, assurance and innovation in social housing

Better governance. Better evidence. Stronger tenant influence.

Golden Marzipan brings independent judgement, practical assurance and fresh thinking to social housing governance. Led by Steve Dungworth, our work now concentrates on governance and Board effectiveness, alongside two distinctive collaborations: Game of Homes and Under One Roof.

Steve Dungworth
Steve DungworthIndependent adviser and Non-Executive Director

Trusted by more than 35 housing organisations across the UK and beyond.

  • Yorkshire Housing
  • Hanover Scotland
  • Honeycomb Group
  • North Star Housing Group
  • Blackwood Homes and Care
  • South Lakes Housing
Governance

Independent support for better governance

Good governance is more than compliance. It requires Boards and leaders to understand what is happening, ask the right questions and be confident in the evidence behind the answers.

Steve works with housing organisations as an independent adviser and Non-Executive Director, drawing on more than 20 years’ experience of governance, assurance, organisational improvement, tenant experience, data and digital change.

Steve’s areas of contribution
1

Board and committee effectiveness

Constructive challenge, decision-making and oversight.

2

Governance, risk and assurance

Understanding whether controls and improvement plans are genuinely working.

3

Data and digital governance

Helping Boards govern technology, data and AI without needing to become technical specialists.

Tenant influence that feels different

Game of Homes is a facilitated participation game that helps tenants, colleagues and leaders work together on real housing challenges.

It moves engagement beyond surveys and formal meetings, creating an inclusive environment in which different experiences are heard, ideas are developed and priorities become practical actions.

Tentacles Consultancy

Golden Marzipan developed Game of Homes with Tentacles Consultancy.

A participant adding ideas to the Game of Homes board during a session
A Game of Homes session: different experiences heard, ideas developed together.
underoneroof.io
The Under One Roof housing intelligence platform
The balanced scorecard
Boards should not govern through isolated KPIs or disconnected dashboards.

Seeing the whole organisation

Under One Roof is an emerging housing intelligence platform bringing together organisational performance, tenant satisfaction, financial health, property information and neighbourhood data.

Developed by Delimiter with input from Golden Marzipan and the Open Data Exchange, it explores how open data, visualisation and AI can give Boards and leaders a more balanced view of performance, risk and organisational health.

  • Developed byDelimiter
  • With input fromGolden Marzipan
  • AndOpen Data Exchange
About Steve

About Steve Dungworth

Steve is an experienced social housing leader, independent adviser and Non-Executive Director with particular expertise in governance, risk, assurance, organisational improvement and tenant experience.

He founded Golden Marzipan in 2019 and has since worked with more than 35 housing organisations. As Golden Marzipan enters its next phase, Steve is concentrating on governance, Board work and a small number of collaborations capable of bringing something genuinely different to the sector.

Why “Golden Marzipan”? Think of a Battenberg cake: four squares of sponge wrapped in golden marzipan. The squares are the changes an organisation wants to make; the marzipan is its people and culture, which is what makes change succeed.

Current roles
  • Non-Executive DirectorLeeds Federated Housing Association, Chair of the Customer Experience Committee
  • Co-founderOpen Data Exchange
  • FounderGolden Marzipan, 2019
Career in brief
  • 2019 to nowFounder, Golden MarzipanIndependent adviser on governance, assurance, data and digital change
  • Before 2019Public service leadershipRoles across the DWP, local authorities, the NHS and the charity sector, including 15 years leading change and digital transformation in social housing
  • QualificationsMBA, Manchester Business SchoolAdvanced practitioner in Managing Successful Programmes and Management of Risk
Contact

Talk to Steve

Board effectiveness, a Non-Executive role, or bringing Game of Homes or Under One Roof to your organisation. The best place to start is a conversation.

Email Steve