b'THE PROPERTY OMBUDSMAN ANNUAL REPORT 2018TPO FinancialReviewTPO started 2018 with thewhich requires continuous investment in theseparation of roles betweenworkforce and systems.Council & Board which the Articles of Association,We will develop this strong base into year on year created 28 years previously,increased performance which keeps us at the forefront stipulated. Following anof service excellence. Inevitably, this will mean reviewing independent review, the Boardour business models and subscription fees, which have unanimously voted for a new,stayed the same since 2014. We seek to ensure our modern governance structure,membership scheme is fair, transparent, and reflects which integrated Council &workload. Despite a changing landscape our business Gerry Fitzjohn, planning will seek to ensure that TPO is financially Chair, TPO Finance &Board into a single Unitary Performance Committee Board. It is my privilege andsustainable, robust enough to cope with changes in our pleasure to thank all the Boardservice and continues to be supported by a sensible members for their previous support and to welcomereserves policy that is reviewed annually.their engagement in the new externally facing Industry Forum which is focused on improving standards.It now falls to me as a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Finance & Performance Committee to ensure that there is an integrated and sustainable approach to TPOsGerry Fitzjohnfinances in the future. I do so with my colleagues in theChair, TPO Financeface of the challenges that year on year increases in& Performance Committeedemand present to TPO, and in the sure knowledge that cost savings, efficiency gains and modest increases in headcount alone will not allow TPO to continue to deliver the level of service we provide.Considerable progress has been made to invest in systems, skills and training internally, as well as investments in member training and in conferences to raise standards and operate in an efficient manner. To do this, TPO has incurred an in-year deficit and drawn down on reserves. This demonstrates that TPO has provided good value for money and the resultant improvement in efficiency has kept pace with demand. However, it is clear that the current level of income is not sufficient to sustainably support the demand on the service. Our income for the year increased by 3%, however, this has been outstripped by the increase in casework by 16% 21'