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Henry Boot plc

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FY2022 Annual Report · Henry Boot plc
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Henry Boot PLC
Annual Report and Financial Statements
for the year ended 31 December 2022

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WELCOME TO OUR 
ANNUAL REPORT 2022

WE ARE A PURPOSE LED BUSINESS

Our Purpose

To empower and develop our people to create long-term value and sustainable 
growth for our stakeholders. Our stakeholders are our shareholders, employees, 
pensioners, customers and suppliers. More broadly, we recognise our duties to 
the environment and the communities in which we operate.

Empowering and developing our people sits at the core of our purpose. This focus shapes our values and behaviours and 
is a key aspect of our strategic objectives. Being purpose-led enables us to create long-term value for our stakeholders
and ultimately achieve our vision.

alues

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Our
Purpose

Our Vis i o n

Our approach to Responsible Business and ESG

Our Responsible Business Strategy sets out medium-term objectives which we aim to achieve by the end of 2025. 
It aims to incorporate and align our approach to environmental, social and governance (ESG) with our commercial strategy 
to ensure our activity and performance is influenced by our Purpose and Values.

Ultimately, It is essential that responsibility is at the core of our business activity, including our Strategy, Vision and Values.

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INSIDE THIS REPORT

Group at a Glance
Find out more about the Group’s 
operations.

Business Model
We have a long-standing and proven 
business model which is key to how we 
create value for our stakeholders.

 Read Group at a Glance
on pages 08 to 11

 Read the Business Model
on pages 20 to 23

   Read about our
137 history at
www.henryboot.co.uk

   Watch the Business
Model Video at
www.henryboot.co.uk

Overview
Highlights
Clear Medium-term Strategic Objectives
2025 Responsible Business Strategy
Chair’s Statement
Group at a Glance
Investment Case
Strategic Value in the Business

Strategic

Chief Executive Officer Update
Business Model
Our Markets
Our Strategy
Our strategy – Performance at a Glance
Responsible Business Strategy
Segmental review
– Land Promotion
– Property Investment and Development
– Construction
Financial Review
Principal Risks and Uncertainties
Our Risks
Section 172 Statement
Our People
TCFD

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Governance
Board of Directors
Executive Committee
Chairman’s Introduction
Governance at a Glance
Corporate Governance Report
– Division and Responsibilities
– Board Leadership and 
Company Purpose

90
99
– Composition, Success and Evaluation
104
– Nomination Committee Report
– Audit and Risk Committee Report
111
– Responsible Business Committee Report 116
120
– Directors’ Remuneration Report
124
– Remuneration Policy
127
– Annual Report on Remuneration
137
Director’s Report

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Financials
Independent Auditor’s Report

Consolidated Statement of 
Comprehensive Income

Statements of Financial Position
Statements of Changes in Equity
Statements of Cash Flows
Notes to the Financial Statements

Shareholder Information
Notice of Annual General Meeting
Financial Calendar
Advisers
Group Contact Information
Glossary

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Our focused Key Markets
The Group operates within three key 
markets: Industrial and Logistics, 
Residential and Urban Development.

Responsible Business
Our approach to ESG and creating 
social value within the communities we 
operate in.

 Read about our Markets
on pages 24 to 27

 Read our Responsible 
Business Approach
on pages 32 to 36

View our Online Annual Report at
henryboot.annualreport2022.com

Henry Boot PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2022

01

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HIGHLIGHTS

Financial Highlights

Operational highlights

Profit Before Tax

£45.6m

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m
6
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8
4
£

m
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£

£279m of sales led by our land promotion, property development 
and housebuilding businesses making the most of strong markets 
in the first half of the year

Selective approach to acquisitions throughout the year, totalling 
£28.4m, including £27m of strategic investment to grow Hallam 
Land Management and Stonebridge Homes’ land holdings

Group Revenue

£341.4m

m
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ROCE

12.0%

Earnings per 
Ordinary Share 

25.0p

%
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Net Asset Value per 
Ordinary Share

295p

p
5
9
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p
7
6
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p
9
3
2

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5
3
2

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7
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Dividend per 
Ordinary Share

6.66p

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• Continued investment in our £240m high-quality committed 

development programme where costs are 97% fixed

•

Land Promotion

− A record of 3,869 plots sold (2021: 3,008), driven by a major 

disposal at Didcot of 2,170 plots 

− 9,431 plots with planning permission (2021: 12,865), leaving 

Hallam Land Management well positioned against a backdrop 
of an increasingly constrained planning system 

• Property Investment & Development

− Significant committed development programme of £240m, with 

63% pre-sold or pre-let 

− Over 1m sq ft of Industrial & Logistics development underway 

(HBD Share: £150m GDV)

− £1.5bn development pipeline (Henry Boot share £1.25bn), 65% 
of which is focused on supply-constrained Industrial & Logistics 
markets, where occupier demand remains robust

− Well timed sales within the investment portfolio of £29.6m, 

at an average 17% premium to the last reported book value, 
contributed to total return outperformance of -1.5% versus 
CBRE Index of -9.1%

− Stonebridge Homes completed 175 homes (124 private/51 

social) (2021: 120), at an average selling price for private homes 
of £503k (2021: £509k). Total owned and controlled land 
bank is now 1,094 plots (2021: 1,157) with detailed or outline 
planning permission on 872 plots (2021: 912)

• Construction

− The construction business performed ahead of budget with 

turnover of £101.5m (52% from public sector) out of £128.6m 
segment total and has secured 68% of 2023 order book 

− Banner Plant has seen record levels of trading activity after 
experiencing strong demand from its customers and Road 
Link (A69) has performed well as a result of increasing traffic 
volumes 

• Responsible Business

− Continuing to make good progress against our Responsible 
Business Strategy targets and objectives, launched in 
January 2022

NOTES: 

This report contains the following alternative performance measures 
(APM):  Underlying profit. Return on Capital Employed. Net Asset Value 
(NAV) per share. Net (debt)/cash. Total Accounting Return.

More details can be found on page 49.

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Pictured: Island, Manchester, capable 
of delivering 91,000 sq ft of Net Zero 
Carbon office space

Henry Boot PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2022

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CLEAR MEDIUM-TERM 
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

Our strategy is guided by medium-term strategic objectives

GROWTH AND DELIVERY

PEOPLE AND SAFETY

To grow capital
employed

Medium-term Target
£500m

Work towards a more coordinated 
H&S approach to ensure our 
Group is a safe place to work
Medium-term Target
<395 Accident Incident Rate

Return on average capital 
employed

Reduce directly controlled
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions

 Read more about our 
Strategy on page 28

Medium-term Target
20% reduction

Seek high levels of employee 
satisfaction and engagement
Medium-term Target
40 eNPS

Create a high performance 
culture led by a range of training 
opportunities
Medium-term Target
4 days (per employee)

Medium-term Target
10-15%

Grow Hallam
Land’s plot sales
Medium-term Target
c.3,500 pa

Grow HBD development 
completions

Medium-term Target
c.£200m pa

Grow investment 
portfolio value
Medium-term Target
£150m

Grow Stonebridge
Homes house sales
Medium-term Target
600 units pa

Focus on our three core long-term markets
The Group operates in three key sustainable markets:

INDUSTRIAL & LOGISTICS

Long-term drivers
Occupier demand remains robust and low vacancy rates 
continue to drive rental growth.

RESIDENTIAL

Long-term drivers
Rise in mortgage rates post ‘mini-budget’ have slowed 
sales rates but supply of new homes remains low, leaving 
the Group in a strong position. 

URBAN DEVELOPMENT

Long-term drivers
Dominant centres are still attractive to younger people, 
whilst there has been a recovery in regional office take-up 
with occupier focus on high quality agile/green buildings.  

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Growth

Delivery

 Read about our Core Markets 
on pages 24 to 27

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ACH

 
 
 
 
2025 RESPONSIBLE 
BUSINESS STRATEGY

We have always understood and been influenced by the
responsibility we have to create sustainable and long-term value
for the communities and environments we operate in.

ESG factors are becoming an increasingly important focus for investors, customers,
our people, and the general public intensified by global events and climate change. We are working hard to ensure
that our long-term business decisions incorporate the way we protect and collaborate with our people, partners,
places and planet. It is essential that we ensure responsibility is at the core of our business and values.

The foundations we lay – Phase 1 of our
Responsible Business Strategy (135 Henry Boot).

In March 2021, we launched 135 Henry Boot which was the first phase 
of our new Responsible Business Strategy, aligning with the Group’s
135th anniversary and focused on the delivery of five key objectives:

1. To launch our path to net zero carbon (NZC) and build awareness of the 
importance of sustainable business practices and the circular economy.

2. To take action to ensure our business is equal,
diverse, inclusive, and accessible.

3. To work with key partners across the built environment sector to create 
positive direction and thought on diversity within our industry.

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4. To collaborate with our communities to understand  
and respond to their challenges and requirements.

5. To engage all our stakeholders to create social
value and contribute to a fair and just society.

Phase 2 sets ambitious objectives 
and targets for the medium-term:

Ensuring we maintain our bold and determined approach to 
achieving significant environmental and social value through
our work. The objectives that we have set out in our
Responsible Business Strategy are:

1. To further embed ESG factors into our commercial
decision making, so that we adapt our business ensuring
long-term sustainability and value creation for our stakeholders.

2. To empower and engage our people to deliver long-term meaningful 
change and impact for the communities and environments we work in. 

3. To authentically address those issues deemed to be
most significant and material to our business and hold ourselves
accountable by reporting regularly on our progress.

PILLAR 1 – OUR PEOPLE

PILLAR 2 – OUR PLACES

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Safety and the 
Environment

People

We will support, develop, engage 
and empower our people to have an 
exceptional working experience, to be the 
best versions of themselves and to deliver 
long-term value for our stakeholders.

In fulfilling our Purpose, we will support 
and engage the communities we work 
with to create long-lasting social value.

PILLAR 3 – OUR PLANET

PILLAR 4 – OUR PARTNERS

We will protect and preserve our planet
by reducing our environment impact, 
consuming responsibly and safe-guarding 
our environments.

We will collaborate with our partners to 
deliver exceptional results, create value 
and share knowledge, solutions and 
creativity to address key issues.

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Henry Boot PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2022

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CHAIR’S 
STATEMENT

THE GROUP’S BEST 
EVER FINANCIAL 
RESULTS
RESULTS
RESULTS

PETER MAWSON
PETER MAWSON
CHAIR

H

enry Boot has benefited from strong 
sales activity which helped drive a 30% 
increase in profit before tax (PBT) to 
£45.6m (December 2021: £35.1m). 
In 2022, we completed and exchanged 
on £279m of sales within our property 
development, strategic land and 
housebuilding businesses, which 

delivered the Group’s best ever financial results of £56.1m 
on an underlying profit basis before revaluation movements 
on completed investment property. Whilst we are cautious 
with respect to the near-term trading climate as the 
economy adjusts to a higher interest rate environment, 
I am pleased to report that the Group continues to make 
progress against its strategic objectives, and we remain 
confident about achieving its medium-term growth and 
return targets. 

£56.1m 

UNDERLYING PROFIT  
(2021: £29.3M)

295p

NET ASSET VALUE PER SHARE 
(2021: 267P)

Read the 
Business 
Review 
on pages 
38 to 44

The Group’s financial position remains robust, with TAR5
at 12.8%, reflecting the growth of NAV per share plus 
dividends paid. The business has remained purposefully 
selective on new projects investing £28.4m into new 
opportunities, with net debt increasing only marginally 
to £48.6m (2021: £40.5m) and gearing remaining low at 
12.3% (2021: 11.4%), providing flexibility from a position of 
strength to react to any opportunities we see in the market. 

On the basis of the Group’s strong commercial and financial 
performance, the Board proposes to pay a final dividend 
of 4.00p per share, which together with the 2.66p interim 
dividend, gives a total of 6.66p (2021: 6.05p), an increase 
of 10.1% for the year. This will be paid on 2 June 2023 to 
shareholders on the register at the close of business on 
5 May 2023.

In 2022 we launched our Responsible Business Strategy, 
and I am pleased to report we are making good progress 
against our targets. Our commitment to addressing climate 

06

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Pictured above: The Isaacs Building in Sheffield city 
centre, which will provide a new head office space for 
Henry Boot in line with the modern and progressive 
vision of the company

change and reducing our environmental impact remains 
a key focus. We are proud of the progress made to lower 
our total direct GHG emissions (Scopes 1 and 2), which 
were 12% lower than our 2019 baseline, and the efforts our 
people have made to support our targets through how they 
work and travel.

Each year we conduct an independent Group Employee 
Engagement Survey, through the HIVE HR platform, to gain 
feedback from our people so we can continue to improve 
our employee experience and provide a positive culture 
and workplace environment. The 2022 survey continues 
to show very high levels of advocacy, pride and loyalty 
in Henry Boot, achieving an increased employee Net 
Promoter Score (eNPS) of 39 (2021: 26), which is ranked at 
the top of the very good range. 

Finally, as the Group continues to grow and evolve as 
a diverse and progressive business, we have made the 
decision to relocate our Head Office from Banner Cross 
Hall to the Isaacs Building in Sheffield city centre this 
autumn. Isaacs Building is a seven-storey development 

in which we have taken 12,800 sq ft across the top three 
floors. The building offers greater collaboration space and 
excellent transportation links, as well as supporting our 
2030 NZC commitments.

On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank everyone at 
Henry Boot for their dedication and hard work. Their high 
levels of engagement have once again been instrumental 
to the business in producing such a strong set of results 
against a challenging backdrop.

PETER MAWSON
CHAIR

This report contains the following alternative performance 
measures (APM):  Underlying profit. Return on Capital 
Employed. Net Asset Value (NAV) per share. Net (debt)/cash. 
Total Accounting Return.

More details can be found on page 49.

Henry Boot PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2022

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GROUP AT
A GLANCE

Established in 1886, we are one of the UK’s leading land development, property 
investment and development and construction companies.

We manage the combined effort and expertise of six primary subsidiaries, investing in our future to create long-term value and 
robust returns for all our stakeholders and partners. With our uniquely sustainable business model we have built a market-leading 
Group of Companies that source, develop and deliver across the whole property value-chain. We have been in business for over 
135 years and we are valued for our expertise and forward thinking approach.

Our Geographical Reach

National coverage and strategic sites
The head office of the Henry Boot Group is located in Sheffield but 
we operate throughout the country. We have nine regional offices 
and seven plant hire centres to ensure we are close to our strategic 
sites and we are able to maximise our development opportunities.

Key

Head Offices

Regional Offices

Hire Centres

Our Core Values
All our operations are carried out in accordance with our six 
key values: Respect, Loyalty, Delivery, Adaptability, Integrity and 
Collaboration. These values are imperative to our success, and 
our people continue to live by them in both their individual and 
collaborative roles.

Our Strategic Priorities
Our strategy is shaped by four key strategic pillars – Safety and 
the Environment, People, Growth and Delivery. Being purpose-
led allows us to create long-term value for our stakeholders and 
ultimately achieve our vision.

Respect

Loyalty

Delivery

Adaptability

Safety and the 
Environment

People

Growth

Delivery

Integrity

Collaboration

 Read the Strategy 
on pages 28 to 31

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Pictured: Setl, delivering 101 premium 
apartments within Birmingham’s 
Jewellery Quarter.

Henry Boot PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2022

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GROUP AT
A GLANCE

Our Group is over 135 years old and 
contains six primary subsidiaries that 
operate across our three key markets.

3,869 

PLOTS SOLD BY HALLAM 
LAND MANAGEMENT

95,704 

PLOTS IN THE LAND 
PORTFOLIO

£117m 

DEVELOPMENT 
COMPLETIONS (HBD 
SHARE £83M)

175 

STONEBRIDGE HOMES 
COMPLETIONS

£106m

INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO 
(INCLUDING OUR SHARE OF 
JOINT VENTURES)

£101.5m 

CONSTRUCTION 
TURNOVER

Recurring Revenue: This revenue stream is regular and stable which 
allows the Group to maintain long-term bank funding relationships.

Cyclical Revenue: This revenue stream is dependent on each 
economic cycle. These profits, in good years, contribute significantly 
to the Group’s profits overall.

LAND PROMOTION

Hallam Land Management Limited
The strategic land and planning promotion arm of the Henry 
Boot Group.

Since 1990 we have been acquiring, promoting and 
developing land and have an outstanding record in 
achieving planning permission. Hallam Land has a strategic 
land bank focused on higher value locations in the South 
and Midlands, and in total has the potential to deliver 
around 95,704 residential plots.

Key Markets:

 Residential 

 Industrial & Logistics

Revenue Stream

How Land Promotion is
well-positioned for the long-term

•

•

•

A land bank of c.96,000 plots

A total of 9,431 plots with planning permission, of 
which 992 have been exchanged for sale in 2023/24

12,297 plots currently awaiting planning determination

 Read more on pages 38 to 39

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PROPERTY INVESTMENT AND DEVELOPMENT

CONSTRUCTION

Henry Boot Developments Limited
HBD (Henry Boot Developments) is a UK based property 
developer working with a £1.25bn pipeline. Specialising in 
industrial and logistics, urban regeneration and residential 
projects, HBD creates profitable and impactful places in the 
communities that we work.

Key Markets:

 Industrial & Logistics

 Residential 

 Urban Development

Revenue Stream

Stonebridge Homes Limited
Stonebridge Homes is a jointly owned company (controlled 
by Henry Boot PLC), operating throughout Yorkshire and 
with a well-deserved reputation for building quality, high 
specification homes in sought after locations and with 
a proven track record in delivering successful housing 
schemes.

Over the last ten years, Stonebridge Homes has 
successfully delivered over 25 developments. They have 
sustainable plans for growth that has seen them launch their 
first new development in Barnard Castle in the North East 
of England in 2022, and increase the number of outlets in 
Yorkshire, whilst beginning to substantially increase delivery 
to become a multi-regional business.

Key Markets:

 Residential 

Revenue Stream

How Property Investment and 
Development is well-positioned 
for the long-term

• HBD has a committed development programme worth 
£395m (£240m HBD share), 63% of which has been 
pre-let or pre-sold

•

•

•

A long-term pipeline of £1.25bn, comprising 65% 
Industrial & Logistics, 20% Urban Commercial and 15% 
Urban Residential

The investment portfolio has been valued at £106m, 
with expected growth in the medium-term

Stonebridge Homes has a total land bank of 1,094 units 
or based on one-year forward sales, 4.4 years supply 
(with 872 plots having planning permission)

 Read more on pages 40 to 43

Henry Boot Construction Limited
A regional construction services provider to both public 
and private sector customers, delivering sustainable, 
customer-focused solutions and building strong partnering 
relationships to ensure the best outcomes for all projects.

Key Markets:

 Industrial & Logistics

 Residential 

 Urban Development

Revenue Stream

Banner Plant Limited
Offering a wide range of construction equipment 
and services for sale and hire in plant, temporary 
accommodation, power tools, powered access and big air 
compressors. Primarily, supply areas stretch from Yorkshire 
in the North to the East Midlands and Birmingham in 
the South.

Road Link (A69) Limited
Road Link has a 30-year contract (three years remaining) 
with National Highways to operate and maintain the A69 
trunk road between Carlisle and Newcastle upon Tyne. 
National Highways pays Road Link (A69) a shadow toll, 
which is a fee based upon the number of vehicles using the 
road and mileage travelled by those vehicles.

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How Construction is 
well-positioned for the long-term

• Henry Boot Construction’s order book is 68%

secured for 2023

•

•

Three urban development schemes with a total 
contract value of £129m are progressing well

94% of secured order book has fixed price orders 
placed or contractual inflation clauses

• Well positioned as a partner on 10 public sector 

frameworks

 Read more on page 44

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INVESTMENT
CASE

FIVE REASONS 
TO INVEST

Shareholder returns
The Company has a great track record of creating shareholder value through our strategic 
focus of delivering sustainable growth. The Group has achieved a total shareholder return 
(TSR) of 10.5% per annum over 20 years, which is significantly ahead of the FTSE All-Share 
index of 7.9%.

Clear focus on three key markets driven by positive 
long-term trends
Our focus remains committed to achieving long-term growth within our three key markets 
– Industrial & Logistics, Residential and Urban Development. There were strong levels of 
demand across our key markets throughout the majority of 2022, leaving us confident in our 
ability to achieve our medium-term growth and return targets. However, despite witnessing a 
marked slowdown in Q4 22, in the early stages of 2023 there have been encouraging signs 
that demand is recovering with a resumption of activity in our markets.

Significant embedded value in the business
There is significant embedded value across the Group, with all the opportunities sitting 
within the Group’s three key markets. This includes c.96,000 strategic land plots (of which 
9,431 have planning permission) and a £1.25bn development pipeline (with 65% focused 
on Industrial & Logistics). Adding to this, we have a growing housebuilder, with a land bank 
of 1,094 units which equates to 4.4 years supply based on a one year rolling forward sales 
forecast for land.

Our culture: the Henry Boot way of doing things
Our people are vital to Henry Boot’s long-term success. A positive and inclusive embedded 
culture enables us to create and maintain long standing relationships with our customers, 
clients and communities. This is crucial to our sustainability, creating an environment which 
empowers our people to deliver the Group’s strategy, whilst continuing to attract and retain 
people who support our culture.

Responsible Business approach
We launched the second phase of our Responsible Business Strategy in January 2022. The 
Strategy outlines forward-looking targets aimed at further embedding our ESG approach into 
the Group’s commercial and strategic decision making, which we continue to work towards.

12
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OUR
STRENGTHS

Our diversified businesses
Henry Boot operates across the whole
property value chain.
With our uniquely sustainable business model we have built a 
market-leading Group of Companies that source, develop and 
deliver across the whole property value-chain.

We manage the combined effort and expertise of six primary 
subsidiaries, investing in our future to create long-term value and 
robust returns for all our stakeholders and partners.

Our planning and development expertise
The Group has been in business for over 135 
years and we are valued for our expertise and 
forward-thinking approach.
Henry Boot recognises that our people are fundamental to the 
success and sustainability of the Group. It is their expertise that 
executes our business model successfully and delivers the value 
created by the business to our stakeholders.

Our capital structure
We reinvest the cash generated from our 
investment portfolio and construction business 
into profitable areas of the business.
Our financial structure allows us to invest in the more profitable 
areas of the business to ensure we can maximise value, whilst 
maintaining prudent gearing levels. HBD’s property investment 
portfolio generates rental income each year, allowing us to borrow 
against the investment portfolio at attractive rates. The construction 
segment is self-funded and cash generative, resulting in the cash 
produced from these activities being invested into strategic land and 
property development.

Our relationships
We have close relationships with landowners’, 
key property advisers to alert us to potential 
opportunities; and planning consultants and 
legal advisers for knowledge and guidance.
At Henry Boot we pride ourselves on collaboration. We set clear 
mutual expectations and strive to achieve them. We promote cross-
team working, and work in partnership to make things happen.

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STRATEGIC VALUE 
IN THE BUSINESS

LAND PROMOTION

LAND BANK
Regional breakdown

PERMISSION

10% PLOTS WITH 
13% PLOTS IN 

PLANNING

77% FUTURE

PLOTS

Residential Land Plots

SCOTLAND

9,630

NORTH MIDLANDS

17,716

SOUTH WEST

21,687

TOTAL PLOTS

95,704

NORTH

12,528

SOUTH MIDLANDS

21,982

SOUTH EAST

5,395

 | 

SOUTH

6,766

100,000

80,000

60,000

40,000

20,000

0

88,070

92,667

95,704

72,469

77,144

44,051

51,766

64,337

68,543

73,976

11,929

16,489

10,665

14,713

8,312

15,421

11,259

12,865

12,297

9,431

Dec 2018

Dec 2019

Dec 2020

Dec 2021

Dec 2022

 Plots with Permisson     

 Plots in Planning     

 Future Plots     

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PROPERTY INVESTMENT & DEVELOPMENT

Future Development Pipeline
The Group has a total development pipeline 
of £1.5bn GDV (HBD Share £1.25bn), with 
all of these opportunities sitting within the 
Company’s three key markets.

Regional breakdown

 Consented

 Controlled

30% INDUSTRIAL

AND LOGISTICS:
BIG BOX

35%

INDUSTRIAL AND 
LOGISTICS:
MID/SMALL
BOX

15% URBAN 

RESIDENTIAL

20% URBAN 

COMMERCIAL

65%

INDUSTRIAL AND 
LOGISTICS

 | 

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STRATEGIC
REPORT

Chief Executive Officer Update

Business Model

Our Markets

Our Strategy

Our strategy – Performance at a Glance

Responsible Business Strategy

Segmental review

– Land Promotion

– Property Investment and Development

– Construction

Financial Review

Principal Risks and Uncertainties

Our Risks

Section 172 Statement

Our People

TCFD

18

20

24

28

30

32

38

40

44

45

50

52

58

63

68

The Directors present the Group Strategic Report
for the year ended 31 December 2022.

This report sets out how Henry Boot continues to create 
consistent value through the promotion of new land opportunities, 
the development of and investment in high-quality property 
assets, and construction activities.

The Business Overview and Strategic Report on pages 02 to 77 
has been approved by the Board and signed on its behalf by

TIM ROBERTS
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

12 April 2023

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Henry Boot PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2022

17

Pictured: Ique qui iduci officii scidebis molore, aut offici aut 
diam asperit, con non cone vent, volum volo moluptat.

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CHIEF EXECUTIVE 
OFFICER UPDATE

WE HAVE CONFIDENCE IN 
ACHIEVING OUR MEDIUM-TERM 
GROWTH AND RETURN TARGETS

TIM ROBERTS
TIM ROBERTS
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

H

enry Boot had a good 2022, delivering our best 
ever underlying profit of £56.1m. Even after 
allowing for downward valuation movements of 
£10.5m in our completed investment property 
portfolio as UK commercial property values 
declined, our statutory profit before tax still 
increased by 30% to £45.6m (2021: £35.1m). This 
is a highly satisfactory result amidst the macro 
economic headwinds faced in the second half. 

The year started off buoyantly with encouraging levels of demand 
across our three key markets, which offset cost pressures and 
supply constraints, but with energy prices fuelling inflation and rising 
interest rates, we saw a marked slowdown in Q4 22. However, 
as we enter 2023 there are encouraging signs that the economy 
is proving slightly more resilient than expected, and demand is 
recovering with a resumption of activity in our markets.

The Group’s results for the year were driven primarily by residential 
land sales at Hallam Land Management (HLM), a mix of land sales 
and development profits at HBD and house sales at Stonebridge 
Homes (SBH). We profitably sold £279m of land, buildings and 
houses during the year making the most of strong markets in H1 22 
and took a very selective approach to acquisitions totalling £28.4m, 
which included growing HLM and SBH’s land holdings. 

On a statutory basis NAV increased by 11% to £395m, or excluding 
the pension surplus was up by 5% to £388m. Capital employed 
increased by 6.2% over the year to £399m, consistent with our 
medium-term target of £500m. Profitable sales also helped us to 
effectively manage our gearing, which at 12.3%, remains at the 
bottom of our 10-20% target range. The strength of our balance 
sheet, plus recently refreshed banking facilities of £105m, which 
are secured to 2025, means we are well positioned for a period 
of continued uncertainty ahead. As was the case when we came 

out of COVID, we have the capacity to buy land, maintain and 
potentially expand the committed development programme, 
and continue to grow our JV housebuilder, which puts us in a 
competitive position to act opportunistically.

With the disposal of 3,869 plots, HLM had its best ever year in 
terms of volume, making the most of a buoyant land market in H1 
22, primarily due to a major disposal of 2,170 plots at Didcot. This 
project is a great example of HLM’s depth of expertise in dealing with 
increasingly complex planning matters, and not only will it deliver 
much needed housing supply, but it also includes 80 acres of open 
space alongside extensive green infrastructure and cycle networks.

HLM grew its land bank to c.96,000 plots (2021: c.93,000) during 
the period, of which 9,431 plots have planning permission. I am 
increasingly convinced that the UK planning system is in need of 
urgent reform. The delays and complexities can no longer be blamed 
on COVID. Whilst we would derive greatest satisfaction from a more 
efficient system on account of the benefits this would bring local 
communities, the challenges of the current situation mean that the land 
we successfully promote and the expertise we bring in navigating the 
planning system remain increasingly in demand.  

Towards the end of 2022, our major land customers, the national 
housebuilders, saw a well reported slowdown in house sales and 
consequently became more selective on land acquisitions. Early 
signs are that confidence is returning and, together with 992 plots 
(2021: 1,880 plots) unconditionally exchanged at year-end, we 
anticipate a reasonable year ahead in terms of land sales.

HBD continues to grow completed development activities with a 
Gross Development Value (GDV) of £117m (HBD share: £83m) (2021: 
£303m GDV, HBD share: £68m) of which 92% has been let or sold. 
The committed programme now totals £395m (HBD share: £240m 
GDV), 63% of which is currently pre-let or pre-sold. Whilst there 
are signs that construction cost inflation is slowing, we continue to 
actively manage risk with 97% of the development costs fixed.

Although investment markets have adjusted rapidly, our underlying 
occupational markets remain in fundamentally good shape. 
Structural demand persists for Industrial & Logistics (I&L) space, 
with national take up in 2022 a very healthy 65.8m sq ft (according 
to Gerald Eve), which, whilst down on the record high in 2021, was 
still the second most active year on record with rents increasing 
by 10.3% during the year. The build to rent (BtR) occupational 
market remains very buoyant with residential rents growing by 
12.1% according to Zoopla in 2022. On offices there is a clear 
trend of people returning to our major cities and the workplace, 
with particularly strong demand for buildings that offer strong 
environmental credentials that assist occupiers in achieving their 
own NZC goals.

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The part of the committed programme not pre-let or pre-sold is 
primarily in three high-quality schemes where we remain confident 
of demand: 

•

•

•

In Rainham, we have recently committed along with our JV 
partner, Barings, (HBD share: £24m GDV) to a 380,000 sq ft 
speculative I&L scheme. Whilst marketing has not yet begun, 
this NZC urban logistics development serving Greater London 
is already experiencing strong occupier interest.

In the centre of Birmingham, we are part way through 
construction of 101 premium apartments (HBD share: £32m 
GDV) which we expect to launch successfully for sale in the 
summer of this year.

Finally, in Manchester city centre in partnership with the Greater 
Manchester Pension Fund, we are building 91,000 sq ft of 
prime, NZC offices (HBD share: £33m). With the scheme 
responding to several identified office requirements, we expect 
good occupier interest.

As we make progress on letting or pre-selling these schemes, 
we have a number of high-quality I&L and BtR projects within our 
£1.25bn development pipeline that we can bring forward at the 
appropriate time.

As we highlighted at the time of the interim results, we tactically 
identified several properties for sale and I am pleased to report 
we sold three properties for a total of £29.6m, a 17% premium 
to the last reported book value. As a result, against a backdrop 
of falling values, we have delivered relative out performance on 
our investment portfolio (current value including our share of JVs 
£106m) with a total return of -1.5 % versus the CBRE UK index of 
-9.1%. Over the next few years, through a combination of retaining 
completed developments and acquisitions, we will look to build the 
portfolio up to our strategic target of £150m.

We made further progress with our JV housebuilder Stonebridge 
Homes (SBH), with a 46% increase in the number of homes 
delivered to 175 completions (2021: 120). Whilst supply chain 
issues at the tail end of the year meant we did not reach our target 
of delivering 200 homes, we marginally beat our profit expectations. 
This was driven by our ability to achieve sales prices that were over 
10% ahead of budget, which meant cost inflation running at 9% 
was absorbed. With a target of 250 completions in 2023, and 139 
homes already forward sold, we remain firmly on track to continue 
scaling up and hit our ambitious medium-term strategic target of 
600 completions per annum.

The Construction segment has done remarkably well to trade ahead 
of our expectations. Henry Boot Construction (HBC) has made 
progress on all its projects despite dealing with very challenging 
supply and labour restrictions, although there are some signs that 
these restrictions and cost inflation are easing. HBC begins the year 
with 68% of the 2023 order book secured and a healthy pipeline of 
opportunities. Banner Plant (BP) has seen record levels of trading 
activity and is successfully growing its customer base.

Against a challenging near-term backdrop, we expect 2023 profits 
to be more subdued than 2022, but we will remain active, pushing 
ahead with our strategic and growth ambitions from a position of 
strength, further details of which are covered in the strategy and 
outlook sections below.

Outlook
Whilst the immediate outlook is uncertain, a number of leading 
indicators suggest that the economic slowdown will not be as 
severe as forecasts in the final quarter of last year predicted. It looks 
increasingly like interest rates are close to the so called ‘pivot’, we 
are seeing early signs that supply restrictions are lifting and with that 
some prospect of cost pressures easing. 

There are early signs that our markets are improving. Occupier 
demand for I&L has remained resilient, and whilst yields moved out 
quickly during the second half of 2022, there are investors already 
looking to buy, tempted by the strong fundamentals of the market. 
Likewise, whilst data is available only for the first two months, 
housebuilders generally and SBH specifically, have seen a partial 
recovery in home buyer interest this year from the lows experienced 
in the final quarter of 2022. The march of the BtR sector, both in 
terms of customer and investor demand, continues.

So, for Henry Boot, we remain focused on building out our high-
quality development programme. As we increase forward sales 
and pre-lettings above the present 63%, we will selectively look to 
replenish, and potentially expand, committed development, primarily 
by drawing down schemes which are ready to go from our £1.25bn 
development pipeline. With an ever restrictive planning environment 
demand for our well located consented plots will come back as 
the UK remains critically short of housing. In the meantime, we are 
partially insulated by the 992 land promotion plots that are already 
unconditionally exchanged and we start the year with 56% of SBH’s 
250 target completions for 2023 already forward sold.

We will continue to work towards a more progressive, diverse and 
responsible business by meeting targets outlined in our Responsible 
Business Strategy, and investing in key areas such as marketing, 
customer relations and business improvement processes, including 
technology. At the same time, we will continue to nurture the great 
culture within Henry Boot and engage with people who, despite 
the ups and downs of the last few years have remained energetic 
and fully committed. Moreover, we have confidence in the long-
term fundamentals of our markets, business model and have the 
operational and financial resources to continue to meet our strategic 
growth and return objectives.

TIM ROBERTS
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

This report contains the following alternative performance measures 
(APM):  Underlying profit. Return on Capital Employed. Net Asset 
Value (NAV) per share. Net (debt)/cash. Total Accounting Return.

More details can be found on page 49.

Key Highlights

95,704

RESIDENTIAL
LAND PLOTS 
(2021: 92,667)

£1.25bn

HBD DEVELOPMENT 
PIPELINE GDV 
(2021: £1.1BN)

£106m

INVESTMENT 
PORTFOLIO VALUE 
(2021: £126M)

1,094 units

STONEBRIDGE HOMES 
TOTAL LAND BANK 
(2021: 1,157)

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BUSINESS 
MODEL

Our business model is based on transforming land, property and development into sustainable, long-term value.

Key resources and relationships

Responsible business approach (ESG)

Our people
Henry Boot recognises that our people are fundamental to the 
success and sustainability of the Group. It is their expertise that 
executes our business model successfully and delivers the value 
created by the business to our stakeholders.

 Read more on pages 63 to 67

The ‘Henry Boot Way’
In our approach to responsibility, we are committed to doing 
everything possible to collaborate with and support our people, 
partners, places and planet as we fulfil our corporate purpose. In 
2017 we undertook our people-led One Henry Boot Project driven 
by the ‘Henry Boot Way’ of working, to define our Purpose, Vision 
and Values. The ‘Henry Boot Way’ continues to play a crucial role in 
our business and long-term ESG approach.

Portfolio & land bank
HBD have a £1.25bn pipeline, comprising 65% Industrial & 
Logistics, 20% Urban Commercial and 15% Urban Development, 
whilst Hallam Land Management have increased the land bank to 
95,704 plots in the portfolio.

 Read more on pages 14 to 15

Group strategy framework
(Focus of 3 Core Markets)
The Group provides reliable earnings with a clear focus on our 
three key markets – Industrial & Logistics, Residential and Urban 
Development – driven by positive long-term structural trends.

 Read more on pages 28 to 29

Supply chain
Our relationships with our supply chain is critical to our success 
and we work hard to engage and collaborate with all of our 
suppliers and partners to create and maintain long-term successful 
relationships.

 Read more on page 67

Effective governance
We established our Responsible Business Committee to provide 
Board level oversight and scrutiny of the Group’s responsible 
business performance. Board and Executive Committee members 
were appointed sponsors of our responsible business initiatives 
and significant engagement was undertaken with our people-led 
working groups.

 Read more on pages 116 to 119

2025 Responsible Business Strategy
Our Responsible Business Strategy sets out medium-term 
objectives which we aim to achieve by the end of 2025. The 
Strategy is built on four key pillars - Our People, Our Places, Our 
Planet and Our Partners. It will drive us to deliver our strategic 
objectives and targets and our activity and performance will 
align with our Purpose, Values, and selected UN Sustainable 
Development Goals (SDGs).

 Read more on pages 32 to 36

Partnerships
At Henry Boot we pride ourselves on collaboration. We set clear 
mutual expectations and strive to achieve them. We promote cross-
team working, and work in partnership to make things happen.

 Read more on page 36

Our long-term commitments to 2030
The 2025 Responsible Business Strategy will support us in reaching 
our NZC target by 2030. We will continue to collaborate with our 
people and partners with passion and ingenuity to create long-
lasting and genuine value and impact for all the people we work 
with and the places we work in.

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TRACK RECORD OF GENERATING 
ATTRACTIVE RETURNS

Key

Land Promotion

 Property Investment
and Development

Land Promotion

Construction

Sale of
land

Sale of

property

Identify 
opportunities
and acquire
land

Obtain
planning
permission

Development

of site

Capital structure and financial strength is 
result of our operating model

Recurring Revenue: The revenue from construction and the 
property investment portfolio is regular and stable. This income 
allows Henry Boot PLC to maintain long term bank funding 
relationships.

Cyclical Revenue: Sale of land and property development 
generates cyclical revenue. These activities are riskier and give 
varying amounts of profit through each economic cycle. These 
profits, in good years, contribute significantly to the stable profits 
from construction and property investment.

Group operating model

Identify opportunities and acquire land
Hallam Land Management acquires mainly agricultural land 
and then promotes it for its highest value use. Henry Boot 
Developments acquires mainly brownfield land.

Obtain planning permission
Gaining planning permission on land adds immense value to 
its worth.

Hallam Land Management promotes land for residential and 
commercial consent.

Henry Boot Developments promotes land for commercial 
development. Stonebridge Homes promotes land for residential 
development.

Sale of land
Once Hallam Land Management obtains planning permission on 
a site, it is sold to a developer, sometimes after infrastructure has 
been installed. The amount of capital required to achieve planning 
permission on a section of land is a very small proportion of the total 
capital required for the whole building process, from acquisition 
of land without planning permission through to completion of 
construction. This means that Hallam Land Management
is focused on maximising the most profitable section of the 
housebuilding process for the lowest amount of working capital.

Development of site
Unlike Hallam Land Management, when Henry Boot 
Developments and Stonebridge Homes gain planning permission 
for a site, they will develop it themselves.

A. Sale of property
Once a property is developed, it may be immediately sold, 
generating significant revenue. Properties may be retained by the 
business to form part of the investment portfolio and may be sold at 
a later time.

B. Investment portfolio
A number of the finished property developments are retained 
and managed by the Property Investment and Development 
segment. The property investment portfolio of Henry Boot 
Developments is worth £106m and generates a sizeable amount of 
rental income each year.

Construction
Henry Boot Construction is a contractor specialising in servicing 
both public and private clients in all construction and civil engineering 
sectors.

Banner Plant offers a wide range of services, and a high quality 
inventory of equipment for hire and sale, such as temporary 
accommodation, powered access equipment, tools and non-man 
operated plant.

Road Link (A69) has a contract with National Highways to operate 
and maintain the A69 trunk road between Carlisle and Newcastle 
upon Tyne. National Highways pays Road Link a fee based on the 
number of vehicles using the road and the mileage travelled.

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TRACK RECORD OF GENERATING 
ATTRACTIVE RETURNS

Sale of
property

Construction

Development
of site

Investment
portfolio

Our expertise

Land Promotion
Businesses: Hallam Land Management

•

•

•

•

Identifying land with future potential

The use of agency and option agreements, as opposed 
to buying all land outright, means less expenditure on 
each asset, allowing us to maximise the number of land 
opportunities that we are involved in at any one time.

As investment is spread over many assets, this reduces 
the overall risk of involvement in the planning process 
and maximises the likelihood of making a return on the 
capital invested.

Taking land through the complexities of the 
planning system

Property Investment & Development
Businesses: Henry Boot Developments
and Stonebridge Homes

•

Acquiring and developing brownfield land or under 
performing property assets

• Operating in diverse sectors to maximise development 

opportunities

• Developing partnership arrangements

•

Ability to self fund or source prefunding opens up 
opportunities. The businesses can commit to long-term 
projects, such as complex multi-site regeneration 
schemes.

Construction
Businesses: Henry Boot Construction,
Banner Plant and Road Link (A69)

•

Project delivery in both the public and private sector, 
on-time and within budget

• Creating trusted relationships and repeat business

•

Supplying a wide range of plant equipment

Group
•

As a result of our financial structure, we can invest in the 
more profitable areas of the business (strategic land and 
property development) to maximise the value generated

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at www.henryboot.co.uk

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O P E N

for m ore infor m atio n

BUSINESS 
MODEL

The impact we’re making

Value generation for stakeholders

UN SDGs
When creating our Responsible Business Strategy, we 
engaged our stakeholders to understand which of the UN 
SDGs they felt our business could most positively impact. 

Based on the feedback received, the Responsible Business 
Committee selected the below SDGs as those best aligned 
with our corporate purpose.

 Read more on pages 32 to 36

Society
All of the targets contained within the Responsible 
Business Strategy have been influenced and shaped 
through consultation with our people, our commercial and 
community partners, our senior management and Board, 
and our professional advisers to ensure that they are 
robust, ambitious (whilst also achievable) and will create the 
impact we aspire to achieve. 

Our People
Our people deliver the core activities of our business model. 
We invest a significant amount of time and resource in their 
training and development to ensure they are empowered 
in their roles. We apply the same methods and dedication 
when we are recruiting to ensure we attract the highest 
calibre of people within the Group.

Communities
We have offices in ten locations across the UK, but we have 
projects which extend our community impact across the 
country. Wherever we operate it is fundamental to us that 
we develop strong relationships and partnerships with our 
communities. This could be by using the local supply chain 
on projects or volunteering our skill set to a local charity.

Customers
We are committed to maintaining our long standing track 
record of customer satisfaction. We continue to listen, 
understand and adapt how we can improve upon what we 
deliver, so we are able to further enhance the competitive 
advantage our Group brings to its customers.

Shareholders
Our priority is to protect the sustainability of our Group 
for our shareholders. By operating transparently and 
responsibly, we are able to create added value for our 
shareholders, providing updates on performance and 
changes to the strategic direction of the Group.

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OUR 
MARKETS

Key long-term structural trends affecting our business

URBANISATION
According to the UN, population will 
have grown to approximately 71.7m 
by 2050 with 90% of the population 
living in urban areas.

Given expected population increases over the long-term major 
cities will be a key driver of UK growth with a corresponding 
increase in demand for more housing and high-quality office 
space. People do not choose to live in cities merely to be close 
to work, but rather because of the lifestyle benefits provided by 
accessibility to amenities. A Centre for Cities survey shows that 
being “close to restaurants/leisure and cultural facilities” was 
by far the biggest factor in determining city centre residents’ 
location decisions.

TECHNOLOGY
Advances in technology will 
continue to disrupt how we live, 
work, shop and communicate, 
leading to a greater requirement to 
deliver services that adapt to the 
emergence of new technology, but 
also the environment in which they 
do it in.

With continued demand for warehouse space from third-
party logistics operators, online retailers and manufacturers, 
the importance of property technology has increased 
for data and analytics as well as to help automate and 
streamline tasks.

DEMOGRAPHICS
UK’s population continues to grow, 
albeit at a slower rate than previously, 
with people living longer and low
birth rates. 

However, the most significant change in the working age 
population over the next 20 years is for 20 to 30-year olds and 
40 to 50-year olds who are expected to increase by 4.1% and 
4.3% respectively. Demographics therefore provide positive 
support for senior living and BtR aimed at young professionals.

ENVIRONMENT
The built environment contributes 
an estimated 25% of the UK’s 
carbon emissions, which increases 
the pressure on businesses in our 
industry to adapt their operations to 
become more sustainable.

 This, alongside climate change and the need to reverse 
environmental degradation, has created higher demand for 
energy efficient green buildings with rising brown discount.

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INDUSTRIAL
AND LOGISTICS

Market overview

According to Gerald Eve UK industrial and logistics space take-up totalled 65.8 million sq ft in 2022, which whilst down 
from the previous record high of 2021, was still the second most active year on record. The CBRE Monthly Index showed 
strong industrial rental value growth of 10.3% last year, ahead of the 9.0% increase in 2021. Occupier demand continues 
to be from a variety of sectors with ongoing supply chain disruption likely to accelerate the trend of near–shoring and 
reshoring as many companies seek to diversify points of production and to localise their supply chain.

Whilst e-commerce remains a structural driver of demand for logistics space it is certainly not immune from a wider economic slowdown. 
The decline in online retail sales during 2022, as many consumers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns, has also 
corresponded with a reduction in take-up from internet retailers. 

What does Henry Boot have to offer:
• HBD has committed to Momentum, Rainham (HBD share: 
£24m GDV) a 380,000 sq ft speculative I&L development 
located close to Central London. The scheme will target 
BREEAM Excellent, an EPC A+ rating and all the units will be 
100% electric.

•

•

• We also secured a pre-let with DPD and DHL at Preston 

East (HBD share: £15m GDV) in H2 22, the 122,000 sq ft I&L 
development was subsequently pre-sold to Titan Investments, 
at 10% above book value, with completion expected in Q4 23.

In total, the Group is committed to develop over 1 million sq 
ft of industrial and logistic space, with a GDV value of £261m 
GDV (HBD Share £150m). 

Industrial and logistics represents 65% of Henry Boot’s £1.25bn 
development pipeline with the potential to deliver approximately 
7 million sq ft of space.

Warehouse take up and availability

Industrial rent

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100

80

60

40

20

0

10

8

6

4

2

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16

14

12

10

8

6

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2

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2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

 Take-up m sq ft (LHS)     

 Vacancy rate % (RHS)

 Gerald Eve Prime Logistics rents     

 CBRE All industrial rents

Source: Gerald Eve

Source: Gerald Eve & CBRE

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OUR 
MARKETS

RESIDENTIAL

Market overview

The residential market slowed during the second half of 2022 as homebuyer demand was impacted by higher mortgage 
rates following the sharp increases in interest rates. Whilst new home completions increased in 2022 they remain 3% 
below the COVID level and at 205,000 dwellings continue to be way behind Government targets of 300,000 new homes a 
year, which is primarily due to delays within the planning system.

According to Savills Research, following growth during the first nine months of 2022 UK greenfield values fell by 2.2% in the final quarter as 
land transactions slowed significantly due to many housebuilders pausing buying in response to slowing sales rates. However, despite the 
majority of national housebuilders slowing their land buying, there remains selective interest in prime sites with planning, with signs that some 
confidence is returning following the significant disruption caused by the ‘mini-budget’ in September 2022.

What does Henry Boot have to offer:
• Hallam Land Management has six offices located across 

the country and is well established and experienced in the 
complexities of the UK planning system.

•

The Group has a strategic land bank that has the potential to 
deliver c.96,000 residential plots, of which 9,431 plots have 
planning permission.

•

Stonebridge Homes, the Group’s jointly owned housebuilder, 
offers further residential capabilities, with a total land bank of 
1,094 plots of which 872 plots have either detailed, or outline 
planning consent.

Land values and planning consents

UK housing completions

150

140

130

120

110

100

90

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

350

250

325

300

275

250

225

200

175

150

200

150

100

50

0

5
0
0
2

6
0
0
2

7
0
0
2

8
0
0
2

9
0
0
2

0
1
0
2

1
1
0
2

2
1
0
2

3
1
0
2

4
1
0
2

5
1
0
2

6
1
0
2

7
1
0
2

8
1
0
2

9
1
0
2

0
2
0
2

1
2
0
2

2
2
0
2

 Savills UK greenfield development land index (LHS)

 Housing completions 000’s

 England planning consents – ‘000s (RHS)

Source: Savills

Source: Office for National Statistics 

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URBAN
DEVELOPMENT

Market overview

The Urban Development market continues to improve since being impacted by COVID, with strong signs that major 
UK regional cities are bouncing back, with an increase in mobility. There is a continued belief that by 2050, 90% of the 
population will live in urban areas, with people choosing to live in prime urban areas, not only for work reasons but for 
better lifestyle options in general.

There has been a strong recovery in total construction activity in 2022 with annual output increasing by 5.6%. The BtR occupational 
market remains very buoyant with residential rents growing by 12.1% according to Zoopla in 2022. Office development in major cities has 
also shown improvement, with a clear trend of people returning to the workplace, with occupiers showing particularly strong demand for 
buildings that offer strong environmental credentials to achieving their own NZC goals.

What does Henry Boot have to offer:
•

The Group has a strong presence in key cites identified as 
target areas for BtR schemes. 

•

At Neighbourhood, Birmingham, a £117m 414-unit BtR 
development, secured planning in March 2023. The scheme is 
situated on a 2.6-acre site located within the Jewellery Quarter 
area of Birmingham, in a prime location in close proximity to the 
city centre. 

• HBD and Greater Manchester Pension Fund are working 

in a joint venture to deliver a 91,000 sq ft of NZC offices in 
Manchester City Centre. The building is targeting the highest 
sustainability certifications, including an EPC ‘A’ rating, 
BREEAM Excellent and a 5.5 star carbon NABERS rating.

• Henry Boot Construction is currently working on three urban 
development schemes in both the city centre of Sheffield and 
York, at a combined total contract value of £129m.

Rental growth

Construction output

150

140

130

120

110

100

90

140

130

120

110

100

90

80

5
0
0
2

6
0
0
2

7
0
0
2

8
0
0
2

9
0
0
2

0
1
0
2

1
1
0
2

2
1
0
2

3
1
0
2

4
1
0
2

5
1
0
2

6
1
0
2

7
1
0
2

8
1
0
2

9
1
0
2

0
2
0
2

1
2
0
2

2
2
0
2

 England Private Housing     

 UK Commercial Property

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

Source: Office for National Statistics and CBRE

Source: Office for National Statistics 

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27

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OUR
STRATEGY

Group Strategy Performance

The Group set a medium-term strategy in 2021 to grow the size of the business by 
increasing capital employed by 40% focusing on its three key markets: I&L, Residential 
and Urban Development.

KEY STRATEGIC PILLARS

OUR STRATEGY IS 
SHAPED BY FOUR 
KEY STRATEGIC 
PILLARS AND 
FOCUSES ON 
THREE LONG 
TERM MARKETS

SAFETY AND 
ENVIRONMENT

GROWTH

DELIVERY

PEOPLE

We aim to be the 
safest place to work 
in our markets and 
be respectful to our 
environment

Grow PBT by 
increasing capital 
employed to £500m 
by investing in our 
three key markets

Adopt emerging 
working practices, 
investing and 
collaborating to 
deliver our 
operational targets

Open, progressive, 
high performing 
business governed 
by clear objectives 
which engage 
diverse range of talent

LONG-TERM
MARKETS

INDUSTRIAL AND LOGISTICS

RESIDENTIAL

URBAN DEVELOPMENT

VALUE DELIVERY

LAND PROMOTION

PROPERTY 
INVESTMENT AND 
DEVELOPMENT

HOUSEBUILDING

CONSTRUCTION

RETURNS

GROW CAPITAL EMPLOYED TO OVER £500M + TARGET ROCE 10–15% +
MAINTAIN A PROGRESSIVE DIVIDEND POLICY

RESPONSIBLE
APPROACH

PEOPLE STRATEGY + ESG

RISK

OPTIMUM GEARING OF 10–20% + MINIMUM 65% COMMITTED DEVELOPMENT 
PROGRAMME PRE-LET/PRE-SOLD

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Group overall strategy

Strategic
Priorities

Aims

We aim to be the safest place to work in our markets 
and be respectful to our environment

Safety and 
Environment

Growth

Delivery

Grow PBT by increasing capital employed to £500m 
by investing in our three key markets

Adopt emerging working practices, investing and 
collaborating to deliver our operational targets

People

Open, progressive, high performing business governed 
by clear objectives which engage diverse range 
of talent

Performance

•

•

The Group’s Accident Incident Rate decreased to 
202 per 100,000 employees, which is a result of 
reaffirming our robust management systems and 
commitment to on-site training. 

Launched our Responsible Business Strategy in 
2022, which included our NZC framework and 
target to be NZC by 2030.

• Capital employed increased by 6% to £399m.

•

•

•

The Group’s land bank grew to 95,704 plots, 
with 6,906 plots added in the year.

Increased committed programme to £240m.

Sold 3,869 plots at an average gross profit of 
£6.1k per plot.

• Completed £83m of property developments.

• Completed 175 homes, at an average selling price 

for private homes of £503k. 

•

2023 construction order book 68% secured.

•

•

•

Significantly increased our eNPS score to 39, 
ranked at the top of the very good range.

Learning intervention days increased to 3.7 days 
per employee.

Female representation across our workforce 
increased to 25%.

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OUR STRATEGY –
PERFORMANCE AT A GLANCE

CLEAR FOCUS

Growth and Delivery Strategic Pillars

Objective
and Medium-
term Target

KPI

To grow capital 
employed to £500m

Capital
Employed

Medium-term
Target
£500m

19

20

21

22

£352m

£365m

£376m

£399m

To generate a ROCE 

ROCE

of 10–15%

Medium-term
Target
10–15%

19

20

21

22

14.8%

4.9%

9.6%

12%

Grow Hallam Land’s 
plot sales

Plot Sales

Medium-term
Target
c.3,500 pa

Grow HBD 
development 
completions

Medium-term
Target
c.£200m

19

20

21

22

3,427

2,000

3,008

3,869

Development 
Completions

19

£404m

20

£55m

21

£69m

22

£83m

Grow investment 
portfolio value

Investment
Portfolio

Medium-term
Target
£150m

19

20

21

22

£70m

£92m

£126m

£106m

Grow Stonebridge 
Homes house sales

Unit 
Completions

Medium-term
Target
c.600 units

Henry Boot 
Construction’s order 
book secured

Medium-term
Target
>65%

19

20

21

22

115

120

159

175

Order Book Secured

19

20

21

22

95%

80%

100%

68%

Medium-term 
performance
Commentary

Aim for 2023

On track to grow 
capital employed to 
over £500m

To maintain capital 
employed growth to 
over £400m

Link to Strategic
Pillars and Group Risk 

Strategic Pillar

Risks

3

5

We maintain our aim 
to be within the target 
range  

To be within stated 
target range

Strategic Pillar

Risks

4

8

9 10 11 12

To exceed current five 
year average

Strategic Pillars

Exceeded the strategic 
target of 3,500 per 
annum, forward sales 
of 992 plots

Increased our future 
pipeline to £1.25bn, 
we are on course to 
complete on average 
£200m per annum

To grow HBD 
share of completed 
developments, with 
committed programme 
of £240m for 2023

Risks

3

4

5

11 12 13

Strategic Pillars

Risks

3

4

5

11 12 13

Value reduced primarily 
due to nearly £30m 
of accretive sales 
with scope to rebuild 
portfolio from retained 
developments

Completions below our 
target of 200 but strong 
sales prices mean the 
business performed 
marginally ahead 
of budget

Secured above target 
range for 2023 order 
book, with public 
sector work remaining 
a key focus

To maintain progress 
towards stated target

Strategic Pillars

Risks

3

4

5

11 12 13

To increase unit 
completions to 250

Strategic Pillars

Risks

3

4

5

11 12 13

To secure 65%of 2024 
order book by end 
of year

Strategic Pillar

Risks

3

4

8 13

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RIGHT APPROACH

People and Safety Strategic Pillars

Objective
and Medium-
term Target

Work towards a more 
coordinated H&S 
approach to ensure our 
Group is a safe place 
to work

KPI

Accident
Incident Rate

233

19

20

21

22 202

466

630

Medium-term 
performance
Commentary

The Group’s AIR 
reduced in 2022 due 
to robust management 
systems, and an 
increased focus on 
training

Aim for 2023

To maintain our robust 
health & safety approach 
and procedures

Link to Strategic
Pillars and Group Risk 

Strategic Pillar

Risks

4

8

9 10 11 12

Medium-term
Target
>395

Reduce directly 

controlled GHG 

emissions

Medium-term
Target
20% reduction

GHG Emission CO2e

19

20

21

22

3,313

2,562

2,706

2,930

Scopes 1 and 2 GHG 
emissions reduced by 
12% against our 2019 
baseline

To empower our 
people and partners to 
share knowledge and 
solutions to reduce GHG 
emissions

Strategic Pillar

Risks

4

8

9 10 11 12

Seek high levels of 
employee satisfaction 
and engagement

Employee Net 
Promoter Score (eNPS)

Medium-term
Target
40 (eNPS)

19

20

21

22

40 (eNPS)

46 (eNPS)

26 (eNPS)

39 (eNPS)

Create a high 
performance culture 
led by a range of 
training opportunities

L&D Interventions 
Delivered
(per employee)

Medium-term
Target
4 days (per employee)

19

20

21

22

3.3 days

2.8 days

2.5 days

3.7 days

After addressing 
feedback from the 
2021 survey via the 
Group Employee 
Forum, we saw a 
significant increase in 
our eNPS score

As the Group evolved 
its training approach 
to offer both in-person 
and virtual sessions, we 
increased the number 
of training interventions 

To continue engaging 
with the Group Employee 
Forum and address 
feedback which has 
arisen from the survey

To implement a wide 
range of training 
opportunities to support 
a high performance 
culture

Strategic Pillar

Risks

4

8

9 10 11 12

Strategic Pillar

Risks

4

8

9 10 11 12

Group strategic priorities

Safety and the
Environment

People

Growth

Delivery

Risks

1 Safety

8 Construction contracts

2 Environmental & climate change

9  Property assets

3  Economic

4  People & culture

5  Funding

6  Cyber

7  Pensions

10  Property development

11  Land sourcing

12  Land demand

13  Political

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RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS 
STRATEGY

Our Responsible Business Strategy sets out medium-term objectives which we aim to achieve 
by the end of 2025. It aims to incorporate and align our approach to ESG with our commercial 
strategy, and to ensure our activity and performance is influenced by our Purpose and Values.

Strategy Structure – how it all fits together

Our Purpose
is to empower and develop our people to create
long-term value and sustainable growth for our stakeholders.

We will support, develop, engage, and empower our people to have an exceptional working experience,
to be the best versions of themselves, and to deliver long-term value for our stakeholders.

Pillar 1 – Our People

Pillar 2 – Our Places

In fulfilling our Purpose, we will support and engage the communities we work with,
and alongside, to create long-lasting social value.

Pillar 3 – Our Planet

We will protect and preserve our planet by reducing our environmental impact,
consuming responsibly and safeguarding our environments.

Pillar 4 – Our Partners

We will collaborate with our partners to deliver exceptional results,
create value and share knowledge, solutions and creativity to address key issues.

Our Ambitions
will be delivered by our people working closely with our partners
– delivering collaborative solutions with real impact.

Our Values
will underpin and align everything we do.

Our Strategy is aligned to the UN SDGs that we and 
our stakeholders feel our business can most positively impact

Responsible Business Strategy – 2022 Progress Report 
The tables on the following pages detail the progress we have made against the four strategic pillars of the Strategy in 2022. 
For more information and case studies please review our Responsible Business Strategy – 2022 Progress Report

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Our People
Our people are our greatest asset and are instrumental in the delivery of our Responsible Business Strategy. As we collaborate with them 
to create value for our communities and environments, we will invest in them and further develop a workplace culture that encourages 
openness, collaboration and fairness. We will proactively support their health and wellbeing and be innovative to ensure that our workplace 
is diverse, accessible, and allows all our people to thrive.

Objectives

2025 Target

2022 Performance

Aligned 
UN SDGs

Material
Issues

OUR PEOPLE

Promoting 
positive health 
and wellbeing 
for our
people

Develop and deliver a Group-wide 
Health and Wellbeing Strategy with 
a range of activities and resources 
available to all.

Creating 
an equal, 
inclusive 
and diverse 
workplace

Encourage greater levels of gender 
diversity in our workforce and 
increase gender representation in 
management positions with 30% 
of workforce and line managers 
being female.

Our new Health and Wellbeing Strategy has been 
developed throughout 2022 in collaboration with 
our senior management, Group Employee Forum, 
colleagues across the Group, and commercial and 
community partners. This Strategy launched in early 
2023 with a delivery plan supporting implementation.

We have made strong progress and female 
representation of our overall workforce is 25% and of 
our management is 24%

(S/R)

Reduce our gender pay gap 
to 20%.

Our 2022 gender pay gap (when measured as a 
median) was 21.43%.

(S/R)

Begin reporting on our ethnicity 
pay gap and set a reduction 
target to encourage greater ethnic 
diversity in our workforce.

We have engaged commercial partners to review 
ethnic pay gap reporting and are undertaking the 
required work to begin reporting in 2024.

Deliver equality, diversity and 
inclusion (EDI) training to 100% of 
our people.

We have delivered EDI training to 79% of our 
workforce and continue to engage our people 
regularly on this issue.

Introduce best practice recruitment 
processes and reverse mentoring 
programmes, combined with an 
annual benchmarking and auditing 
process to ensure progress against 
targets.

Our EDI Steering Group and HR team are 
collaborating to introduce new recruitment processes 
and a reverse mentoring programme in 2023. 
We continually review our workforce data and are 
introducing measures to ensure it is robust and 
accurate to establish further targets and introduce 
new diversity initiatives.

Engaging and 
empowering 
our people

Introduce ESG related targets 
for all senior management 
remuneration.

All members of our Executive Committee have ESG 
related targets incorporated into their performance 
review.

Ensure that all Group Pension 
Schemes incorporate ESG factors 
in investment decisions and that 
our people are well informed about 
their investment choices.

ISIO, our pension scheme manager, conduct 
thorough reviews of ESG capabilities and report 
performance against their ESG Manager Review 
Framework. ISIO’s financial coaching sessions 
provided for our people include advice about 
pension investments and the Group regularly shares 
information about pensions with employees.

(S/R)  This data is inclusive of Stonebridge Homes and Road Link (A69)

• Employee 
health and 
wellbeing

• EDI

• Education 

engagement

• Employee 
health and 
wellbeing

• EDI

• Employee 
health and 
wellbeing

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RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS 
STRATEGY

Our Places

Investing in, and collaborating with, the communities in which we work is critical to ensure that we create long term meaningful social value. 
We are committed to supporting thriving local communities, to working in partnership with community organisations, and to harness the 
skills and passion of our people to improving people’s lives. We keenly work with education partners to create excitement about our industry 
and inspire learners to consider a career with us. We believe that this approach will support our long term success and ensure that we 
remain a partner of choice for all those we work alongside.

Objectives

2025 Target

2022 Performance

Aligned 
UN SDGs

Material
Issues

• Community 
engagement

• Employee 
health and 
wellbeing

• Community 
engagement

• Employee 
health and 
wellbeing

• Education 

engagement

• Employee 
health and 
wellbeing

OUR PLACES

Developing 
collaborative 
charity 
partnerships

Contribute £1,000,000 of financial 
(and equivalent) value to our 
charitable partners* (including 
donations of funds, resources, 
sponsorship and pro-bono support).

In 2022 we contributed a total of £291,692 to a 
range of our charitable and community partners 
including financial donations and sponsorship, 
employee fundraising, and expertise, time and 
resources provided pro bono.

Develop long-term strategic 
partnerships both nationally 
and regionally, and align all 
Group charitable giving with our 
Charitable Giving Pillars – for 
maximum impact.

In 2022 we developed the relationship with our 
Group Charity Partner Place2Be and contributed 
approximately £20,000 to support their vital work. We 
also continued to develop existing and new strategic 
charity partnerships and aligned charitable donations 
with our Charitable Giving Pillars.

Collaborating 
with our 
communities

Contribute 7,500 volunteering 
hours across our Group to a 
range of community, charity and 
education projects.

In 2022, we contributed over 2,250 volunteering 
hours (equivalent to 281 working days) to a wide 
range of charitable, community, and education 
partners.

Engaging 
learners

Engage 5,000 learners through 
careers initiatives, curriculum-
focused activity, work experience, 
and mentoring.

In 2022, we engaged over 2,500 learners through 
a wide range of careers education activity and 
initiatives including work experience, site visits, 
career sessions and mentoring.

Offer 200 entry level employment 
opportunities or work experience 
placements with a focus on those 
who traditionally struggle to access 
opportunities.

In 2022, we offered 30 work experience placements 
and 21 entry level employment positions. We 
engaged a range of education partners to 
share information about entry routes (including 
apprenticeships) with learners who traditionally 
struggle to access careers education.

Develop and deliver an Education 
Engagement Strategy to 
consolidate and enhance our 
support and collaboration with 
education partners, to create 
significant impact for learners, 
and to incorporate social and 
environmental responsibility into 
our education programmes.

In 2022 we undertook extensive engagement with 
education and community partners to develop an 
understanding of their needs and aspirations across 
the areas in which we work.

Additional engagement was undertaken with our 
people to review the education support currently 
provided. The feedback and learnings from this 
engagement will be incorporated into our Education 
Engagement Strategy which will be launched in 2023.

*Charitable partners includes registered charities, CICs, community organisations, and education partners.

(S/R)  This data is inclusive of Stonebridge Homes and Road Link (A69)

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Our Planet
We recognise the increasing risk that climate change poses and are steadfast in our commitment to protect our planet for future 
generations. We have a clear target of achieving NZC for our direct GHG emissions by 2030. We are taking a holistic approach to tackling 
climate change through clear ambitions to protect natural environments, reduce resource use and waste creation, and encouraging 
behaviour change. Our targets below (unless stated otherwise) use a baseline year of 2019 for reporting progress.

Objectives

2025 Target

2022 Performance

Aligned 
UN SDGs

Material
Issues

OUR PLANET

Reducing 
GHG 
emissions

Absolute target to reduce Scope 1 
and 2 GHG emissions by over 20% 
to support reaching NZC by 2030.

Our Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions in 2022 were 2,930 
tonnes (a 12% reduction against our 2019 baseline 
which was 3,313 tonnes).

• NZC

Whilst this reduction is positive, our direct GHG emissions 
rose moderately in 2022 due to increased productivity. 
We remain committed to utilising innovative solutions 
and measures to ensure our GHG emissions fall and we 
achieve our medium term targets.

(S/R)

In 2022, a fleet project team was established to deliver 
an infrastructure programme to service our future electric 
fleet. Two electric vans were ordered and will be piloted to 
identify any challenges ahead of additional vehicles being 
sourced to achieve our target.

Our HGV fleet is close to full EURO 6 compliance and 
monitoring of the developments in sustainable HGVs is 
regularly undertaken.

Henry Boot Construction trialled a range of sustainable 
generator solutions across key sites throughout 2022 
in order to identify opportunities to reduce reliance on 
traditional generators.

Energy Impact Limited, a specialist third party, were 
engaged and have completed audits of our directly 
controlled offices and depots. Short term recommendations 
are currently being implemented. Employee-led 
sustainability audits were also undertaken to identify further 
GHG emissions and waste reduction opportunities.

Replace 50% of van fleet with electric 
vehicles (EVs) or other sustainable 
alternatives (100% by 2030) 

Ensure that all our HGVs are EURO 6 
compliant (30% to be replaced with 
EVs or other sustainable alternatives 
by 2030).

Supply 50% of electricity demand for 
construction sites from renewable 
generators.

Complete energy, resource and 
sustainability audits in all of our 
directly controlled offices, sites 
and depots – and implement all 
medium-term recommendations.

Consuming 
resources 
responsibly

Reduce non-sustainable business 
mileage by 20%.

Business mileage in 2022 reduced by 34% from our 
2019 baseline.

Use biodiesel as we electrify 
our fleet.

Due to the volatility of the market for HVO fuel and the 
complexity around it’s credibility, we are not currently 
utilising biodiesel as a GHG emissions reduction measure.

Cut avoidable waste to 99% for our 
construction sites (100% by 2030).

In 2022, 99% of avoidable waste reduction was 
achieved on Henry Boot Construction’s sites.

Reduce consumption of avoidable 
plastic by 50% and undertake Group-
wide waste and water monitoring to 
establish reduction targets.

A programme to monitor and reduce avoidable plastic 
use across the Group remains in development.

Introduce a Group-wide Sustainable 
Supply Chain Standard to support 
supply chain collaboration and 
innovation.

Procurement specialists from across the Group are 
represented on the Group Climate Forum and will 
be supporting the development of our forthcoming 
Sustainable Supply Chain Standard.

To be a 
steward of 
nature

Collaborate with commercial 
partners to achieve biodiversity 
net gain (BNG) on our projects 
and, enhance and preserve natural 
environments where we work.

Deliver nature stewardship training 
to 100% of our people

We continue to collaborate closely with our customers, 
supply chain and commercial partners to deliver BNG 
effectively on our schemes and to share knowledge and 
solutions.

Teams from the business have attended BNG seminars 
with specialist industry speakers. A broader range 
of training and education will be provided across the 
Group in 2023.

• Responsible 
consumption

• Nature 

stewardship

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RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS 
STRATEGY

Our Partners
We have a clear responsibility to our commercial partners and stakeholders. Our success is not possible without the customers we support 
and an engaged network of suppliers, advisors, and membership organisations.

It is essential that we collaborate with them to remain a partner of choice in our key markets and foster thriving and inclusive local economies 
where we work. 

We also recognise that we are just one business and that, through collaborative working, we will be able to deliver much greater impact and 
value for our communities and the environments in which we work.

Objectives

2025 Target

2022 Performance

Aligned 
UN SDGs

Material
Issues

OUR PARTNERS

Being a 
partner
of choice
for our key
markets

Pay all of our suppliers the 
real living wage and secure 
accreditation with the Living Wage 
Foundation.

Maintain best practice to ensure 
our sites and supply chain are 
modern slavery free.

The Living Wage Foundation have been engaged 
and a review is currently being undertaken of the 
requirements to secure membership.

Best practice is maintained by the Group’s Modern 
Slavery Policy (which is routinely reviewed) and 
engagement has been undertaken with charities 
focused on this issue including Causeway.

Provide resources and support to 
enable our supply chain to support 
the objectives of this Strategy.

A range of support has been offered to our supply 
chain including toolbox talks, bespoke mental health 
awareness sessions with the Lighthouse Charity, and 
guidance on regulations and best practice.

Delivering 
high impact 
collaborations

Engage and collaborate with our 
partners to generate the highest 
possible social value for our 
community and charity partners.

We have routinely engaged our commercial partners 
and supply chain to collaborate on delivering 
significant social value and employment and skills 
opportunities in alignment with commercial schemes 
and community partnerships.

Engage key partners to create a 
more diverse and inclusive built 
environment sector and form 
business led partnerships to 
improve EDI.

We continue to engage with membership 
organisations (including the Confederation of British 
Industry (CBI) and Business in the Community 
(BITC)) on EDI and engage other businesses to 
share knowledge and best practice.

Collaborate with all our partners to 
reduce our environmental impact. 
This will include collaborating 
with business coalitions and 
membership organisations, and 
providing access to environmental 
training and resources for our 
suppliers.

We continue to engage with membership organisations 
(including Yorkshire Climate Action Coalition) to share 
knowledge and best practice. We became members 
of the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) and will 
work closely with their team to educate and inform our 
people and partners on the latest sector environmental 
developments. We routinely collaborate with our 
supply chain and professional partners across all areas 
of commercial operations to identify opportunities to 
protect the environment and support the aspirations of 
our NZC Framework.

• Community 
engagement

• NZC

• Responsible 
consumption

• EDI

• Nature 

stewardship

• Community 
engagement

• NZC

• Responsible 
consumption

• EDI

• Nature 

stewardship

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Pictured: Kangaroo Works, Sheffield, 
providing 365 high-quality apartments 
in the Heart of the City.

Henry Boot PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2022

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SEGMENTAL
REVIEW

LAND
PROMOTION

NICK DUCKWORTH
NICK DUCKWORTH
HALLAM LAND 
HALLAM LAND 
MANAGEMENT LIMITED
MANAGEMENT LIMITED

H

LM has traded strongly in 2022, 
achieving an operating profit of £17.3m 
(2021: £17.5m) from selling 3,869 plots 
(2021: 3,008 plots) at nine locations. 
Total plot sales were materially higher 
during 2022 due to a major disposal at 
Didcot of 2,170 plots to Taylor Wimpey 
and Persimmon Homes. However 

due to the size of the sale and discount for volume, the 
average gross profit per plot reduced to £6,066 (December 
2021: £7,820).

UK greenfield land values increased by 2.0% in the 12 
months to 31 December 2022 according to Savills Research. 
Following growth during the first nine months of the year, UK 
greenfield values fell by 2.2% in the final quarter. In the latter 
part of the year, transactions slowed significantly as many 
housebuilders paused land buying in response to slowing 
sales rates and the number of sites being actively marketed 
for sale reduced. However, although many of the major 
housebuilders have slowed their land buying, there remains 
selective interest in prime sites with planning consents, such 
as HLM can offer, amid some confidence returning to the 
industry following the significant disruption caused by the 
effects of the mini-budget in the second half of 2022.

HLM’S land bank grew to 95,704 plots (December 2021: 
92,667 plots), of which 9,431 plots (December 2021: 
12,865 plots) have planning permission (or Resolution to 
Grant subject to S106). The decrease in plots with planning 
permission reflects disposals during 2022 and continued 
delays in the planning system. In 2022, there were 1,473 
plots submitted for planning, taking the total plots awaiting 
determination to 12,297 (December 2021: 11,259 plots).

Unfortunately, the planning system continues to experience 
delays due to a growing number of complexities such as 
the emerging Draft National Planning Guidance, which 
looks to be slowing down Local Authority Development 
Plan making and Planning Application determination. 
This resulted in HLM only gaining planning permission 
for 435 plots in 2022 (2021: 52 plots). Already in 2023, 
HLM has achieved planning permission on 320 plots and 
is expecting determination on its remaining plots to fall 
into 2023 and beyond.

HLM’s land bank remains well positioned due to the 
high levels of stock with planning permission. Despite 
experiencing challenges with the planning system, 
the number of plots under control and in planning has 
increased, giving us confidence in the medium term that 
our stock levels holding planning will return to similar 
levels seen in previous years. 

There is significant latent value in the Group’s strategic land 
portfolio, which is held as inventory at the lower of cost or 
net realisable value. As such, no uplift in value is recognised 
within our accounts relating to any of the 9,431 plots with 
planning and any increase in value created from securing 
planning permission will only be recognised on disposal. 

In relation to significant schemes:

•

•

In H2 22, a S106 Agreement was signed at South 
West Milton Keynes allowing the outline planning 
consent to be drawn down for 618 plots, primary 
and secondary schools and open space. The site 
has subsequently been disposed of post period-
end to Taylor Wimpey, with the sale completing in 
March 2023. 

At Pickford Gate, Coventry (formerly Eastern Green), 
following the grant of outline planning permission for 
2,400 plots, 37 acres of employment land and a new 
primary school, local centre uses and open space in 
2020, HLM unconditionally exchanged to sell 250 plots 
to the Vistry Group in March 2023, which will complete 
by the end of 2023.

Residential Land Plots

2022
2021
2020
2019
2018

b/f
12,865
15,421
14,713
16,489
18,529

With permission
granted
435
452
2,708
1,651
1,533

sold
(3,869)
(3,008)
(2,000)
(3,427)
(3,573)

c/f
9,431
12,865
15,421
14,713
16,489

In planning
12,297
11,259
8,312
10,665
11,929

Future
73,976
68,543
64,337
51,766
44,051

Total
95,704
92,667
88,070
77,144
72,469

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•

•

In 2022, North West Bicester, a 3,100-plot scheme the 
subject of an outline planning application, progressed well with 
Oxfordshire County Council delivering a road bridge under the 
London/Banbury rail line, and the District Council signalling 
an increase in development plan housing numbers, such that 
our scheme aligns with emerging policy. The scheme, which 
also includes a primary school, funds for a secondary school, 
mixed use local centre, commercial land open space and 
biodiversity offsetting, has been designed to achieve emerging 
environmental requirements and energy use.

At Swindon, the 2,000-plot site with outline consent that is 
being promoted through an option agreement jointly held with 
Taylor Wimpey, terms for acquisition were near settled with the 
landowners, but stalled due to the market disruption in Q4 2022 
and HLM is now working to conclude the purchase during 2023.

Residential Land Plots – Regional Split

Region
Scotland
North
North Midlands
South Midlands
South
South East
South West
Totals

Plots
9,630
12,528
17,716
21,982
6,766
5,395
21,687
95,704

Percentage
10%
13%
18%
23%
7%
6%
23%
100%

Community Benefits
The 342 acre site is located to the South West of Milton Keynes, 
below the A421 between Bletchley and Newton Longville.

Positioned around seven miles outside of the centre of Milton 
Keynes, a series of public transport improvements are set to 
further enhance the site’s connections to the surrounding area.

Alongside 1,855 homes, of which 35% will be affordable, the 
site will feature a primary school, secondary school and a 
neighbourhood centre including retail and community buildings.

Over 130 acres of green infrastructure will be delivered across 
the site, providing extensive play spaces, sports facilities and 
benefitting air quality and local ecology.

CASE STUDY

Milton Keynes

Sale of 1,855 plots
In 2023, Hallam Land Management completed the sale 
of 1,855 plots (HLM share 618 plots) at Milton Keynes to 
housebuilder Taylor Wimpey, resulting in an ungeared internal 
rate of return of 14% p.a.

Providing value for local authorities
The site forms part of the South West Milton Keynes Consortium 
and approval was required from both Buckinghamshire Council 
and Milton Keynes Council. The cross-boundary scheme was 
granted approval in December 2022.

An extensive Section 106 package will provide funds towards 
facilities and services benefitting both authorities, including 
6.5 acres of employment land, Milton Keynes hospital, 
Buckinghamshire education services, extensive offsite highway 
works and new public transport infrastructure together with 
substantial pedestrian links.

“The ongoing demand for new homes 
presents a significant opportunity for 
Hallam Land, and the sale of this site 
to a leading national housebuilder 
continues to demonstrate the benefit 
of working with us to navigate complex 
planning arrangements.”

Nick Duckworth
Managing Director, Hallam Land Management Limited

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SEGMENTAL
REVIEW

PROPERTY INVESTMENT 
AND DEVELOPMENT

EDWARD HUTCHINSON
EDWARD HUTCHINSON
HENRY BOOT 
DEVELOPMENTS 
DEVELOPMENTS 
LIMITED

DARREN STUBBS
DARREN STUBBS
STONEBRIDGE HOMES 
STONEBRIDGE HOMES 
LIMITED

P

roperty Investment and Development, 
which includes HBD and SBH, delivered 
a combined operating profit of £25.7m 
(2021: £18.3m).

According to the CBRE Monthly Index, 
commercial property values declined by 
13.3% in the 12 months to 31 December 
2022. Industrial property was the worst performing sector 
with values down 21% during the year followed by offices 
down 12.1% and retail down 8.1%. Commercial property 
values were negatively impacted by rising interest rates 
during H2 22 with overall values declining by -19.0%. 
Having seen strong investor demand over the last few 
years driving substantial yield compression, I&L was the 
worst performing sector in 2022 as the sharp increases in 
interest rates resulted in significant yield expansion during 
H2 22. Whilst investment volumes were down 25% on 
2021, it was still the second most active year on record. 
At the same time, I&L vacancy rates reached a new low of 
3.6% in Q4 22 (for units above 50,000 sq ft). The rate of 
yield expansion has slowed in recent months suggesting 
that commercial property values are beginning to stabilise. 

At the same time, the rental growth outlook for both I&L 
and regional BtR remains positive given the level of active 
demand and lack of available space. Regional office 
demand has continued to recover from the 2020 low with 
take-up increasingly focused on grade A space resulting in 
prime rental growth of 6.5% in 2022.

HBD has performed well, completing developments with a 
GDV of £117m (HBD share £83m GDV; 2021: HBD share 
£68m GDV), of which 92% have been let or sold. In the 
year, HBD completed on:

•

•

•

Five industrial schemes totalling 497,000 sq ft with a 
combined GDV of £86m (HBD share: £60m GDV).

Two residential land sales with a GDV of £23m (HBD 
share: £15m GDV), comprising a 184-unit scheme 
in Skipton, which was pre-sold to Bellway, as well 
as a sale of land to Aberdeen City Council for the 
construction of 500 houses.

A 23-unit residential build-to-sell scheme in York, 
Clocktower, with a GDV of £8m. 

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2022 Completed Schemes

Scheme

Industrial
Wakefield, Kitwave
Luton, Quad 2
Pool, MKM
Southend
Wakefield Hub, Phoenix

Residential
Skipton
Aberdeen, Cloverhill
York, Clocktower

Total for the year

GDV
(£’m)

HBD Share 
of GDV
(£m)

Commercial 
(‘000 sq ft)

Residential 
Size 
(Units)

12
16
4
12
42
86

7
16
8

31
117

6
16
4
12
22
60

7
8
8

23
83

65
82
15
75
260
497

–
–
–

–
497

–
–
–
–
–
–

184
500
23

707
707

Status

Pre-let & pre-sold
Pre-sold 
Pre-let
Speculative 
Pre-sold

Pre-sold
Pre-sold
Pre-sold

The committed development programme now totals a GDV of £395m (HBD share: £240m GDV) of which 63% is currently pre-let or pre-
sold, with 97% of the development costs fixed.

2023 Committed Programme

Scheme
Industrial
Rainham, Momentum
Nottingham, New Horizon
Walsall, SPARK Remediation
Luton, Diploma
Preston, East DPD & DHL

Urban Residential
Birmingham, Setl
York, TDT
Aberdeen, Bridge of Don
Aberdeen, Cloverhill

Urban Commercial
Manchester, Island
Total for year
% sold or pre-let (incl Island)

GDV 
(£m)

HBD Share 
of GDV (£m)

Commercial 
(‘000 sq ft)

Residential  
size (units)

Status Completion

120
54
37
20
30
261

32
22
12
2
68

66
395
45%

24
54
37
20
15
150

32
22
1
2
57
–
33
240
63%

368
426
–
85
122
1,001

–
54
–
–
54

91
1,146

Speculative
–
Forward funded
–
Forward funded
–
–
Pre-let
– Pre-let and forward funded
–

Speculative
Pre-sold
Under-offer
Pre-sold and DM fee

Q4 24
Q2 23
Q2 24
Q2 23
Q4 23

Q1 24
Q2 23
Q4 23
Q4 23

Speculative

Q3 24

101
–
TBC
420
521

–
521

Within the committed programme there is currently over 1m sq ft of I&L space (HBD Share: £150m GDV), a total of 521 urban residential 
units (HBD Share: £57m GDV) and 91,000 sq ft of commercial space (HBD Share: £33m GDV). In this regard:

•

•

In H1 23, three projects (Diploma, Luton, New Horizon, 
Nottingham and TDT, York) are set to complete on site with a 
combined GDV of £96m.

•

After securing pre-lets with DPD and DHL at Preston East (HBD 
share: £15m GDV) in H2 22, the 122,000 sq ft I&L development 
was subsequently pre-sold to Titan Investments, at 10% above 
book value, with completion expected in Q4 23.

At Setl, Birmingham, HBD is currently on site delivering a 
scheme of 101 premium apartments within the highly sought-
after St Paul’s area of Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter. 
Residential amenities include a roof garden, co-working lounge 
and wellness studio. The scheme also incorporates 2,250 sq ft 
of ground floor commercial space and is currently on track for 
completion in Q4 23.

• HBD has committed to Momentum, Rainham (in an 80:20 
JV with Barings) (HBD share: £24m GDV) a 368,000 sq ft 
speculative I&L development located close to Central London 
and within five miles of J30 of the M25. Whilst formal marketing 
has not yet begun, the scheme is already attracting strong 
occupier interest.

Henry Boot PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2022

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SEGMENTAL
REVIEW

PROPERTY INVESTMENT 
AND DEVELOPMENT

HBD’s total development pipeline has grown to a GDV of £1.5bn 
(HBD share: £1.25bn GDV). All of these opportunities sit within the 
Company’s three key markets of I&L (65%), Urban Commercial 
(20%) and Urban Residential (15%). Significant schemes include:

•

•

•

As reported in the interim results, HBD was appointed as 
development partner on the first phase (HBD share: £50m 
GDV) of Cheltenham Borough Council’s £1bn Golden Valley 
development which comprises the delivery of a mixed-use 
campus clustered around 150,000 sq ft of innovation space 
that will serve as the new National Cyber Innovation Centre. 

In H2 22, a planning promotion and option agreement was 
secured at Brodsworth (HBD Share: £90m GDV) for 432 acres of 
employment land and 1,000 residential plots. The c.730-acre site 
is jointly being promoted and developed by both HLM and HBD. 

At Neighbourhood, Birmingham (HBD Share: £117m GDV), a 
planning application was submitted in Q3 22 for 414-unit BtR 
development and was subsequently granted in March 2023. The 
scheme is situated on a 2.6-acre site located within the Jewellery 
Quarter area of Birmingham, in a prime location in close proximity 
to the city centre. Neighbourhood will create an inclusive new 
community around public realm with landscaped gardens and will 
host a selection of the best local independent leisure operators. 
The internal amenities within the scheme include a double height 
winter garden, a gym, roof terraces and work zones. The scheme 
is targeting to secure pre-funding during 2023. 

Within the development pipeline there are several developments 
that showcase the Group’s ESG ambitions and credentials by 
targeting both an EPC A rating and BREEAM Excellent: 

• HBD and Greater Manchester Pension Fund are working in 
a joint venture to deliver 91,000 sq ft of NZC offices within 
Manchester City Centre. Island will include 12,500 sq ft of 
amenity areas including social, meeting and event spaces 
and a communal roof terrace. The scheme is on track to be 
completed in Q3 24. 

•

At Momentum, Rainham, the I&L NZC scheme will target 
BREEAM Excellent, an EPC A+ rating and all the units will be 
100% electric. The scheme is currently receiving encouraging 
occupier interest. 

• HBD is designing 200,000 sq ft of NZC offices within 

Manchester’s St John’s district, which is establishing itself as 
the tech, arts and culture district of the city centre. 

During 2022, a number of well-timed sales were made to reduce 
the size of the investment portfolio (including share of properties 
held in JVs), which as of 31 December 2022 was valued at £106m 
(2021: £126m). Whilst the CBRE UK Monthly Index showed 
commercial property values decreased by 13.3% over 2022, HBD 
completed three sales in H2 22, comprising Kitwave Wakefield, 
Acre Mill and Stop24 for a total of £29.6m, at an average 17% 

premium to the last reported book value. This was a major driver 
of relative outperformance with a portfolio capital return of -5.4%. 
The total property return of -1.5% for 2022, was significantly 
ahead of the CBRE UK Monthly Index (-9.1%). Rent collection for 
FY 22 stands at 98% with occupancy increasing slightly to 88% 
(2021: 85%) and the weighted average unexpired lease term is now 
10.7 years (2021: 16.1 years).

The Group is also committed to ensuring that all the properties 
within the investment portfolio have a minimum EPC rating of ‘C’. 
Currently 70% of these properties have a rating of ‘C’ or higher, of 
which 39% of the total portfolio are rated ‘A-B’. The majority of the 
remaining 30% of the portfolio that are currently below a ‘C’ rating, 
have redevelopment potential with a target range of ‘A’ or ‘B’.

The UK housing market slowed during 2022 as homebuyer demand 
was impacted by higher mortgage rates following the sharp 
increases in interest rates. According to Nationwide, house prices 
increased by 2.9% during 2022, with the increase of 5.7% during 
the first eight months of the year largely reversing in the final four 
months as prices declined by 2.6% from their peak. Whilst mortgage 
approvals remain subdued, the reduction in longer-term interest 
rates has started to feed through to mortgage rates, which together 
with unemployment remaining low and a continued shortage of 
supply, should help support transaction volumes during 2023.

SBH has continued to grow and during 2022 delivered 175 house 
completions (124 private/51 social) (2021: 120), at an average 
selling price for private homes of £503k (2021: £509k). Due to high 
levels of forward sales brought into the year, the average sales 
rate reduced to 0.51 houses per week per outlet (2021: 0.83). In 
common with many in the industry, supply chain challenges have 
impacted SBH with completed sales below our target of 200, but 
strong sales prices mean the business was marginally ahead of 
budget. As a result of sales prices being achieved 10.4% ahead of 
budget, 9% build cost inflation has been effectively managed. 

SBH total owned and controlled land bank now comprises 1,094 
plots (2021: 1,157) of which 872 plots have detailed or outline 
planning and has 3.5 years supply based on a one-year rolling forward 
sales forecast for land with planning or 4.4 years for its full land bank.

SBH has begun the year well, with mortgage rates beginning to 
stabilise, and an easing of cost of living pressures providing some 
support to housing market activity levels. The strategic objective of 
growing the business to achieve 600 completions per annum remains 
on track, entering 2023 with 56% of reservations already secured 
against its delivery target of 250 homes (188 private/62 social). 

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The future
A planning application was submitted in Q3 2022, and the 
scheme will be going to planning Committee in Spring 2023, 
with the aim to secure forward funding later in the year. 
Subject to planning permission being granted, HBD hopes to 
start on site in mid-2023.

Neighbourhood is HBD’s second project within the Jewellery 
Quarter, with construction work on its Setl development 
well underway.

“Following planning being granted, we 
are really excited to continue to progress 
on Neighbourhood this year. We have 
received a very positive reaction to our 
plans for the scheme, and have considered 
and reacted to a number of suggestions 
raised during the consultation period.”

Ed Hutchinson
Managing Director, HBD

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CASE STUDY

Neighbourhood, Birmingham

Delivering over 400 apartments
Neighbourhood is located in the popular Jewellery Quarter area 
of Birmingham. It is a £117m GDV build-to-rent scheme, which 
will see the transformation of the former Sytner car garage, 
delivering 414 apartments alongside a range of amenities.

Creating a vibrant community
HBD acquired the 2.6-acre site in April 2021, working carefully 
on its plans for the new development to ensure that the 
contemporary scheme is designed in keeping with the historic 
Jewellery Quarter.

Neighbourhood has been designed by award-winning 
architecture practice, BPN Architects, along with re-form 
Landscape Architecture, a team focused on creating 
sustainable places.

In addition to 414 new apartments, the site will encompass a 
host of amenities for residents, including double height winter 
garden, roof terraces and social spaces featuring a selection 
of the best local independent leisure operators, plus a gym, 
lounge, work-from-home areas and an on-site concierge.

New planting and rain gardens throughout will boost liveability; 
one of many features included within the design to ensure that 
the scheme is sustainable.

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SEGMENTAL
REVIEW

CONSTRUCTION

TONY SHAW
TONY SHAW
HENRY BOOT 
HENRY BOOT 
CONSTRUCTION 
CONSTRUCTION 
LIMITED
LIMITED

JONATHAN FISHER
JONATHAN FISHER
JONATHAN FISHER
JONATHAN FISHER
BANNER PLANT 
BANNER PLANT 
BANNER PLANT 
BANNER PLANT 
LIMITED
LIMITED
LIMITED

TREVOR WALKER
TREVOR WALKER
TREVOR WALKER
TREVOR WALKER
ROAD LINK (A69) 
ROAD LINK (A69) 
ROAD LINK (A69) 
LIMITED

rading in the Group’s construction segment 
has been ahead of expectations in 2022, 
achieving an operating profit of £12.1m 
(2021: £9.0m).

HBC operates across ten public sector frameworks 
and has seven schemes on site through public sector 
frameworks with a total order value of £55m. In 2022 there 
were six successful renewals, which include:

T

UK construction activity continued to recover 
during 2022, with annual output increasing 
by 5.6% following the record increase of 
12.8% in 2021. At a sector level private 
housing was the largest positive contributor, with record 
annual growth in private industrial new work. Monthly output 
in December 2022 was 3.8% above the February 2020 
pre-COVID level.

HBC, the Group’s construction business, performed in 
line with expectations, delivering a turnover of £101.5m 
(2021: £81.6m) (52% in public sector) and begins 2023 
with 68% of its order book secured. 94% of the forecast 
costs relating to work already secured for 2023 has fixed 
price orders placed or contractual inflation clauses.

Despite experiencing delays and challenges with the 
supply chain and material deliveries, progress continues 
to be made on the £42m urban development scheme 
in the heart of Sheffield for Sheffield City Council and 
Queensberry Development Management to create the 
Cambridge Street Collective as a mixed-use facility as well 
as Elshaw House which will be a seven-storey NZC office 
building. Works will be completed in H1 2023. Works on 
our £40m BtR residential scheme Kangaroo Works in 
Sheffield are also progressing through to completion in 
H1 2023. Good progress has been made on the £47m 
residential development called the Cocoa Works in York for 
Latimer Developments. The seven storey 279 apartment 
scheme remains on schedule for completion early 2024.

•

•

•

A new four-year P23 NHS Framework for projects 
up to £20m across Yorkshire, Humber and the East 
Midlands.

A place on the new four-year DfE Framework for 
projects between £6m to £12m in the North East, 
Yorkshire and the East Midlands.

YORbuild3 Medium Value Framework for projects 
between £4m and £10m.

Looking ahead, HBC is looking to maintain its public 
sector framework presence and is currently bidding on the 
Pagabo refit and refurbishment framework for works up to 
£30m in Yorkshire, Humberside and the East Midlands.

BP has seen record levels of trading activity with turnover in 
2022 up 5%. Strong customer demand has also driven an 
improvement in the asset utilisation rate to 75% (2021: 70%) 
on its plant hire equipment. Road Link has performed well 
as a result of traffic volumes increasing and the added 
benefit of high inflation feeding into higher toll revenues.

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FINANCIAL
REVIEW

STRONG SALES SIGNIFICANTLY 
INCREASING PROFITABILITY

DARREN LITTLEWOOD
DARREN LITTLEWOOD
CHIEF FINANCIAL 
CHIEF FINANCIAL 
OFFICER
OFFICER

Summary of financial performance

Total revenue

Property Investment and Development
Land Promotion
Construction

Operating profit/(loss)
Property Investment and Development
Land Promotion
Construction
Group overheads 

Net finance cost
Profit before tax

What we did in 2022

• 31% increase in operating profit despite downward 
revaluation movements on Investment Property.

• Increased capital employed to £399m (2021: 

£376m), investing in strategic land and development 
schemes.

• Made opportune disposals of investment properties 
and a joint venture to recycle cash into assets with 
increased development potential.

• Increased dividends by 10% as a continuation of our 

progressive dividend policy

2022
£’m

169.0
43.8
128.6
341.4

25.7
17.3
12.1
(8.6)
46.5

(0.9)
45.6

2021
£’m

69.4
58.6
102.6
230.6

18.3
17.5
9.0
(9.3)
35.5

(0.4)
35.1

Change %

+144
-25
+25
+48

+40
-1
+34
-8
+31

+125
+30

The Group has benefited from strong activity within its 
property development and strategic land businesses, driving 
the Group’s best ever financial results on an underlying 
profit basis1 of £56.1m (excluding revaluation movements 
on completed investment property) (2021: £29.3m).

Property investment and development was particularly 
strong in H1 22, as a number of land sales completed 
and development contracts progressed, with the full-
year results subdued only by the market-wide fall in UK 
commercial property values. Stonebridge Homes continued 
its growth trajectory increasing unit completions by 46% to 
round off a strong performance for the property investment 
and development segment. 

UK housebuilding demand has also driven increased 
strategic land activity within our land promotion segment 
with an operating profit of £17.3m generated by the 
disposal of 3,869 residential plots during the year. The 
segment also contractually exchanged sales that will 
generate £13.0m of gross profit in 2023.

In anticipation of the UK economy slowing in H2 22, the 
Group reduced cash investment in new acquisitions and 
focused on the development of existing schemes from our 
pipeline of opportunities, with the aim of bringing assets to 
market at the most opportune time.

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FINANCIAL
REVIEW

Consolidated Statement of 
Comprehensive Income
Revenue increased 48% to £341.4m (2021: £230.6m) as we 
continue to deliver a number of schemes in the property investment 
and development segment and having completed on 175 (2021: 120) 
house sales in Stonebridge Homes. The land promotion business 
disposed of 2,170 plots to Taylor Wimpey and Persimmon Homes at 
Didcot and exceeded our target to dispose of 3,500 plots per annum. 
The construction segment grew its revenue by 25%, continuing to 
deliver urban development works in Sheffield and from a number of 
framework agreements that generate profitable work.

Gross profit of the Group increased 47% to £81.6m (2021: 
£55.5m), a gross profit margin of 24% (2021: 24%) and reflects 
healthy returns across all our operating segments. Administrative 
expenses increased by £4.0m (2021: £3.4m) as we continued to 
invest in our people and processes to support future growth.

Property revaluation (losses)/gains
Wholly owned investment property:
Completed investment property
Investment property in the course of construction

Joint ventures and associates:

Completed investment property
 Investment property in the course of construction

Pension expenses of £4.3m (2021: £6.0m) are £1.7m lower than 
the prior year due to the cost of closing the defined benefit pension 
scheme to future accrual in 2021. The defined benefit pension 
scheme entered a surplus on an IAS 19 basis in the year. 

Property revaluation losses amounted to £8.2m (2021: £15.0m 
gain), incorporating £4.9m revaluation losses (2021: £8.0m gain) 
on wholly owned investment property and £3.2m revaluation 
losses (2021: £7.0m gain) on our share of investment property 
held in joint ventures.

2022
£’m

(7.3)
2.4
(4.9)

(3.2)
–
(3.2)
(8.2)

2021
£’m

4.6
3.4
8.0

1.2
5.8
7.0
15.0

OPERATING
PROFIT

NAV

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2
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Read the Business Review on 
pages 38 to 44

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Profit on sale of investment properties of £0.6m (2021: £1.3m), 
relates to the opportune disposal of a motorway services asset 
to the existing operator in Kent. Loss on disposal of assets held 
for sale of £0.1m represents the selling costs on disposal of an 
industrial asset in Wakefield. 

Share of profit of joint ventures and associates of £9.1m 
(2021: £8.9m) includes a significant land disposal in Aberdeen 
for local authority housing and development of an industrial unit 
in Wakefield offset by property revaluation losses of £3.2m, all by 
the property investment and development segment. 

Profit on disposal of joint ventures and subsidiaries of £0.7m 
(2021: nil) relates to the disposal of a long standing 50% interest 
in a joint venture entity in Huddersfield by the property investment 
and development segment.

Overall, operating profits increased by 30.6% to £46.5m 
(2021: £35.6m) and, after adjusting for net finance costs, 
we delivered a PBT of £45.6m (2021: £35.1m).

The segmental result analysis shows that:

•

•

Property investment and development produced an increased 
operating profit of £25.7m (2021: £18.3m) arising from 
additional profits on development contracts, land sales and 
an increase in Stonebridge housing unit disposals to 175 
(2021: 120), offset by a valuation loss on wholly owned 
investment property of £4.9m (2021: 8.0m gain).  

Land promotion operating profit remained consistent at 
£17.3m (2021: £17.5m) as we disposed of 3,869 residential 
plots during the year (2021: 3,008). 

• Construction segment operating profits increased to £12.1m 
(2021: £9.0m) as construction and plant hire activity levels 
remain positive and due to inflation-related fee increases on 
our PFI contract.  

We continue to demonstrate the benefits of a broad-based 
operating model and how this allows us to manage the impact 
of cyclical markets during challenging times and capitalise on 
market recoveries that follow. We maintain a significant pipeline of 
property development and consented residential plots; the variable 
timing of the completion of deals in these areas does give rise to 
financial results which can vary depending upon when contracts are 
ultimately concluded. We mitigate this through the mix of businesses 
within the Group and our business model which, over the longer 
term, will ultimately see the blended growth of the Group delivered.

Tax
The tax charge for the year was £7.7m (effective rate of tax: 16.9%) 
(2021: £4.5m; effective tax rate: 12.8%) and is lower (2021: lower) 
than the standard rate of tax due to adjustments for joint ventures and 
associates reported net of tax (2021: due to adjustments in respect 
of earlier years arising from additional loss relief on asset disposals). 
Current taxation on profit for the year was £8.5m (2021: £1.1m), 
deferred tax was a credit of £0.8m (2021: £3.4m debit).

Earnings per share and dividends
Basic earnings per share increased 18% to 25.0p (2021: 21.2p) in 
line with the increase in profits attributable to owners of the Parent 
Company. Total dividend for the year increased 10% to 6.66p 
(2021: 6.05p), with the proposed final dividend increasing to 4.00p 
(2021: 3.63p), payable on 2 June 2023 to shareholders on the 
register as at 5 May 2023. The ex-dividend date is 4 May 2023.

Return on capital employed2 (‘ROCE’)
Higher operating profit in the year saw an increased ROCE to 
12.0% in 2022 (2021: 9.6%) and is now within the Group’s target 
return of 10%–15% which we believe is appropriate for our current 
operating model and the markets we operate in. 

Finance and gearing
Net finance costs increased to £0.9m (2021: £0.4m) reflecting the 
increase in UK interest rates during the year.

Interest cover, expressed as the ratio of operating profit (excluding 
the valuation movement on investment properties, disposal and joint 
venture profits) to net interest (excluding interest received on other 
loans and receivables), was 22 times (2021: 31 times). No interest 
incurred in either year has been capitalised into the cost of assets.

The Group’s banking facilities were agreed on 23 January 2020 
at £75.0m. The facility with Barclays Bank PLC, HSBC UK Bank 
plc and National Westminster Bank Plc runs for three years and 
includes two one-year extensions. On 20 January 2022, the banks 
agreed to the Group’s second extension taking the facility to 23 
January 2025 and on 9 October 2022 to a call on the accordion 
increasing the total committed facility to £105.0m. The Group had 
drawn £65.0m of the facility at 31 December 2022 (2021: £50.0m). 

On 20 December 2021, the Group signed a £25.0m receivables 
purchase agreement with HSBC Invoice Finance UK Limited (HSBC) 
that allows it to sell deferred income receivables to the bank. The 
risk and rewards of ownership are deemed to fully transfer to HSBC 
and, therefore, this agreement is recorded off balance sheet. The 
Group had sold £7.6m of receivables under the agreement at 31 
December 2022 (2021: £nil).

2022 year-end net debt4 was £48.6m (2021: £40.5m)6 resulting in 
the Group having gearing of 12.3% (2021: 11.4%), at the lower end 
of our targeted range of 10%-20%. 

All bank borrowings continue to be from facilities linked to floating 
rates or short-term fixed commitments. Throughout the year, we 
operated comfortably within the facility covenants and continue 
to do so.

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FINANCIAL
REVIEW

Cash flow summary 

Operating profit
Depreciation and other non-cash items
Net movement on equipment held 
for hire
Movement in working capital
Cash generated from operations
Net capital disposals/(investments)
Net interest and tax
Dividends paid
Dividends received from joint ventures
Other 
Change in net debt
Net (debt)/cash brought forward
Net debt carried forward 

2022
£’m
46.5
(3.4)

(4.1)
(55.6)
(16.6)
16.6
(3.6)
(12.4)
7.1
0.8
(8.1)
(40.5)
(48.6)

2021
£’m
35.6
(13.9)

(4.8)
(55.5)
(38.6)
(20.9)
(5.0)
(8.4)
2.2
0.2
(70.5)
30.0
(40.5)

During 2022, the cash outflow from operations amounted to 
£16.6m (2021: £38.6m) after net investment in equipment held for 
hire of £4.1m (2021: £4.8m), and cash outflows from a net increase 
in working capital of £55.6m (2021: £55.5m).

Our increase in working capital arises from additional investment in 
property developments in progress, our housebuilding and strategic 
land portfolios and an increase in contract assets.

Net capital disposals of £16.6m (2021: £20.9m investment) arose 
from disposals of investment property of £19.1m (2021: 6.7m) 
and joint ventures of £6.9m (2021: £4.3m) and net movement in 
JV investments of £0.6m (2021: £(13.7)m), which were offset by 
additions to investment property of £9.3m (2021: £17.3m) and net 
additions to property, plant and equipment of £0.7m (2021: £0.9m).

Net dividends, totalled £5.3m (2021: £6.2m), with those paid to 
equity shareholders of £8.4m (2021: £7.6m) increasing by 10% and, 
dividends to non-controlling interests of £4.0m (2021: £0.8m), being 
offset by dividends received from joint ventures during the year of 
£7.1m (2021: £2.2m).

After net interest and tax of £3.6m (2021: £5.0m), there was an 
overall outflow in net cash of £8.1m (2021: £70.5m), resulting in net 
debt of £48.6m (2021: £40.5m).

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Statement of financial position summary

Investment properties
Intangible assets
Property, plant and equipment, 
including right-of-use assets
Investment in joint ventures and 
associates

Inventories
Receivables
Payables
Other
Net operating assets
Net debt
Retirement benefit asset/(obligations)
Net assets 
Add back: Non-current liabilities and 
pension asset
Capital employed

2022
£’m
97.1
2.9

20216
£’m
104.2
3.7

29.8

27.9

10.0
139.8
291.8
122.9
(113.6)
(4.2)
436.7
(48.6)
6.2
394.3

4.8
399.1

12.2
148.0
235.3
111.1
(85.1)
(1.2)
408.0
(40.5)
(12.2)
355.3

20.4
375.7

Wholly owned investment properties decreased in value to £97.1m 
(2021: £104.2m), following the disposals of an industrial unit in 
Wakefield and motorway service station in Kent, together they 
sold at a premium to book value of £18.6m. This was offset by 
the transfer of newly completed industrial units from inventory 
at Southend and Luton, which amount to £16.7m including 
subsequent expenditure. Property revaluation losses amounted 
to £8.2m (2021: £15.0m gain), incorporating £4.9m revaluation 
losses (2021: £8.0m gain) on wholly owned investment property 
and £3.2m revaluation losses (2021: £7.0m gain) on our shares of 
investment property held in joint ventures.

Intangible assets reflect goodwill of £1.2m (2021: £1.4m), being 
Road Link (A69) of £0.3m (2021: £0.5m) and Banner Plant depots 
£0.9m (2021: £0.9m) and the Group’s investment in Road Link 
(A69) of £1.7m (2021: £2.3m). The treatment of the Road Link 
investment as an intangible asset is a requirement of IFRIC 12 and 
the impairment arises because the underlying road asset reverts to 
National Highways at the end of the concession period in 2026. 

Property, plant and equipment comprises Group occupied buildings 
valued at £7.0m (2021: £6.6m) and plant, equipment and vehicles 
with a net book value of £22.8m (2021: £21.3m), including £1.0m 
(2021: £1.6m) of right-of-use assets under IFRS 16. Property, plant 
and equipment, along with right-of-use assets, have increased 
as new additions of £3.8m (2021: £6.8m) are offset by disposals 
and the depreciation charge for the year. Right-of-use assets have 
decreased in the year, due to depreciation, as the Group’s lease 
liabilities unwind.

Investments in joint ventures and associates decreased £2.2m to 
£10.0m (2021: £12.2m) arising from the Group’s share of profits of 
£9.1m (2021: £8.9m) (including fair value reductions of £3.2m), less 
distributions of £7.2m (2021: £2.2m) and net disposals of £4.1m 
(£0.4m). We continue to undertake property development projects 
with other parties where we feel there is a mutual benefit. 

Inventories were £291.8m (2021: £235.3m) with property inventory 
increasing to £91.2m (2021: £75.2m) as the Group progressed a 
Build to Sell opportunity in Birmingham, and existing development 
schemes, most notably an industrial scheme in Southend. We have 

increased our housebuilder land and work in progress to £80.6m 
(2021: £52.5m) as we continue to invest in land, expand regionally 
into the North East and increase annual plot disposals. We continue 
to invest in owned land and land interests held under promotion 
agreements at a lower capital cost. Inventories are held at the lower 
of cost or net realisable value, in accordance with our accounting 
policy and, as such, no uplift in value created from securing planning 
permission is recognised within our accounts until disposal. 

Receivables, including contract assets, increased £11.8m to 
£122.9m (2021: £111.1m)6 due to an increase in commercial 
activity. Deferred payment receivables remain a function of the 
number and size of strategic land development schemes sold, and 
levels of construction contract activity undertaken. 

Payables increased to £113.6m (2021: £85.1m) with trade and 
other payables increasing to £100.0m (2021: £73.9m), provisions 
decreasing to £5.4m (2021: £6.3m) as strategic land provisions 
unwind, contract liabilities decreasing to £4.0m (2021: £5.0m), 
arising from payments received for work not yet undertaken.

Net debt included cash and cash equivalents of £17.4m (2021: £11.1m), 
borrowings of £65.0m (2021: £50.0m) and lease liabilities of £1.0m 
(2021: £1.7m). In total, net debt was £48.6m (2021: 40.5m).

At 31 December 2022, the IAS 19 pension valuation has decreased 
over the year from a deficit of £12.2m to a surplus of £6.2m, driven 
by a significant decrease in the value placed on the liabilities. This is 
mainly the result of substantial increases in the corporate bond yields 
used to discount future benefit payments, which reduces the value 
placed on the liabilities. The pension scheme’s assets continue to 
be invested globally, with high-quality asset managers, in a broad 
range of assets. The pension scheme Trustees regularly consider the 
merits of both the managers and asset allocations and, along with the 
Company, review the returns achieved by the asset portfolio against 
the manager benchmarks. They then make changes, as the Trustee 
considers appropriate, in conjunction with investment advice received.

Overall, the net assets of the Group increased by 11.0% to 
£394.3m (2021: £355.3m) from retained profits and the decrease in 
retirement benefit valuation less distributions to shareholders. NAV 
per share3 increased 10.5% to 295p (2021: 267p).

DARREN LITTLEWOOD
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

NOTES: 
1 Underlying profit is an alternative performance measure (APM) and 
is defined as profit before tax excluding revaluation movements on 
completed investment properties. Revaluation movement on completed 
investment properties includes losses of £7.3m (2021: £4.6m gain) 
on wholly owned completed investment property and losses of £3.2m 
(2021: £1.2m gains) on completed investment property held in joint 
ventures. This APM has been introduced as it provides the users with a 
measure that excludes specific external factors beyond management’s 
controls and reflects the Group’s underlying results. This measure is used 
in the business in appraising senior management performance.

2 Return on Capital Employed is an APM and is defined as operating profit/
capital employed where capital employed is the average of total assets 
less current liabilities and pension asset/obligation at the opening and 
closing balance sheet dates.

3 Net Asset Value (NAV) per share is an APM and is defined using the 

statutory measures net assets/closing ordinary shares.

4 Net (debt)/cash is an APM and is reconciled to statutory measures in note 32.

5 Total accounting return is an APM and is defined as the growth in NAV per 
share plus dividends paid, expressed as a percentage of NAV per share at 
the beginning of the period.

6 See ‘prior year restatements’ on page 159.

Henry Boot PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2022

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PRINCIPAL RISKS 
AND UNCERTAINTIES

MANAGING OUR RISKS

For Henry Boot, effective risk management 
is essential in achieving positive outcomes 
from our operations and for the delivery of 
our strategic targets.

Overview 
As a Group, Henry Boot takes a considered approach to risk. We 
invest prudently in pursuit of our strategic targets, maintain financial 
strength through effective cash management and aim to be the 
safest place to work in the markets in which we operate.

The Group operates a system of internal control for risk 
management within a structured framework. The long-term success 
of the Group depends on the continual review, assessment and 
control of the key business risks and the emerging risks it faces. 

While there is a formal process in place for reporting risks on an 
annual basis, the process of risk identification, assessment and 
response is continuous and, therefore, if required, risks are reported 
to the Group’s Board outside of the annual process, should events 
dictate that this is necessary and appropriate.

In the event of rapidly changing risks, our business continuity group, 
which incorporates key members of senior management, have 
established procedures and actions that will support the Group’s 
day-to-day response to sudden or developing incidents, providing 
regular updates to our people, the Executive Committee and 
the Board.

Risk appetite 
The Group’s risk appetite and tolerance levels are reviewed annually 
by the Audit and Risk Committee and guide the risk process. The 
Group has no appetite for safety-related risk or undue financial 
exposure and will not pursue additional income generating or cost-
saving initiatives unless returns are at targeted levels.

Risk management framework
The principal components of the Group’s risk management 
framework comprise the risk strategy, risk appetite and tolerance 
statement, risk registers and the risk heat map. Although the process 
of risk identification, assessment and response is continuous and 
embedded within the day-to-day operations of each business 
segment, it is consolidated, reported and reviewed at varying levels 
throughout the Group on an annual basis as a continuation of 
the strategy review process. The Board reviews all principal risks 
including consideration of how risk exposures have evolved during 
the period and any new risks arising from the risk registers.

The methodology used is to initially assess the gross (or inherent) 
risk. This is essentially the worst case scenario, being the product 
of the impact, together with the likelihood of the risk materialising 
if there are no controls in place to manage, mitigate or monitor the 
risk. The key benefit of assessing the gross risk is that it highlights 
the potential risk exposure if controls were to fail completely or not 
be in place at all. Both impact and likelihood are scored on a rating 
of one to five, using a scoring matrix.

The Board has ultimate responsibility for risk management, internal 
controls and review. Part of the Audit and Risk Committee’s role 
is to ensure that the Group’s risk management framework and 
processes, on which the Board relies, are working effectively. 

Emerging risks
The Group believes that its emerging risks are inextricably linked to 
emerging trends in our marketplace and more widely to global and 
economic events. Such trends include urbanisation, demographics, 
technology, political and environment. Failure to keep pace with 
these changes could result in additional risk exposure to the 
Group. Management have, therefore, undertaken horizon scanning 
exercises which form key considerations in the Group’s risk and 
strategic planning. 

The Group continues to recognise the importance of climate risk 
and its impact on our business and the planet, this is recognised 
as one of the Group’s principal risks and further information on our 
assessment of climate risk is detailed on pages 72 to 74.

The Group have also considered the political and economic impact 
of the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. The associated risks continue 
to be closely monitored and mitigations strengthened, while not 
a separate principal risk their impact is considered across each 
principal risk area.

The financial impact of the above are considered in the going 
concern and viability section on pages 56 to 57.

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Risk 
Governance
Establish risk strategy 
and appetite

Risk Identification 
and Assessment
Identify and 
evaluate risk

Risk Response 
and Reporting
Review, report 
and revise

The Board/The Audit and Risk Committee
Oversight of all risk management within the Group is undertaken at the highest level by the Board of Henry Boot PLC, 
which is delegated in general terms to the Audit and Risk Committee.

Reviews the adequacy and effectiveness of the Group’s internal controls and risk management systems.

Monitors and reviews internal and external audit.

The Executive Committee
Reviews risks and internal controls at a consolidated Group level and coordinates the Group’s response.

Business Continuity Group
Comprises senior individuals from 
within the Group who meet on a flexible basis to 
establish the Group’s procedures and plans for 
management of continuity events. 

Communicates to our people and directs the 
immediate business response.

Subsidiary Boards and PLC
Each subsidiary and PLC department has a 
nominated individual responsible for 
reviewing the risks within that subsidiary/department 
on an annual basis. In general, this will be the 
Managing Directors (for subsidiaries) and the heads 
of department (for the PLC), with input from other 
relevant designated team members as applicable.

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Risk heat map
The risk heat map illustrates the 13 principal risks identified by 
the Board as having a potential material impact on the Group. 
The risks have been plotted by the Group Board/Audit and 
Risk Committee based on a common understanding of the risk 
appetite of the Group. The risks are presented gross (before 
taking account of mitigating actions).

Movements from the prior year’s ranking are indicated by the 
arrows.

1 Safety

8  Construction contracts

2  Environmental & climate change

9  Property assets

3  Economic

10  Property development

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4  People & culture

5  Funding

6  Cyber

7  Pensions

11  Land sourcing

12  Land demand

13  Political

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OUR
RISKS

To enable stakeholders to appreciate what the business considers 
are the main operational risks, they are presented in detail below.

Change 
during
the year

Link to Group 
strategic 
priorities

Introduction 
of Building 
Safety Act

Risk

1

Safety

Risk description

Mitigation

Inherent risk within all of our 
businesses, but most notably 
within construction activity

•

Priority consideration at all Group and 
subsidiary Board meetings.

• Robust training, policies, procedures 

2

Environmental
and climate
change

The Group is inextricably 
linked to the real estate and 
construction sectors, and 
environmental considerations 
are paramount to our success

Further detail on the 
compliance, legal, 
technological, reputational, 
financial, market and physical 
risk associated with climate 
change are documented 
in the TCFD section of this 
Annual Report (pages 72-74)

and monitoring.

• Construction operation is ISO 

45001 approved Health and Safety 
management system.

•

Internal independent Health and Safety 
department conducts regular random 
inspections.

• Routine Director, senior manager 
or independent health and safety 
inspections.

• Construction environmental risk is 

managed through the operation of an 
ISO 14001 approved environmental 
management system.

• Continuous improvement of our 

performance is achieved by setting 
annual environmental improvement 
targets.

•

Internal design helps mitigate 
environmental planning issues.

• Record of awards given in respect 
of good safety and environmental 
performance.

•

Environmental Impact Assessments are 
carried out for all construction activities. 
These detail the action required to 
eliminate or reduce environmental 
impacts.

• Board level Responsible Business 

Committee established.

• Responsible Business Strategy 

including NZC framework in place.

Key
Change during the year

Group strategic priorities

 Increased

 Decreased

 No change

 Safety

 People

 Growth

 Delivery

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Risk description

Mitigation

Change 
during
the year

Link to Group 
strategic 
priorities

Risk

3

Economic

The Group operates solely in 
the UK and is closely allied to 
the real estate, housebuilding 
and construction sectors. A 
strong economy with strong 
tenant demand is vital to 
create long-term growth in 
rental and asset values, while 
at the same time creating 
a healthy market for the 
construction and plant hire 
divisions

4

People and 
culture

Attraction and retention of the 
highest calibre people with 
the appropriate experience 
is crucial to our long-
term growth in the highly 
competitive labour markets in 
which the Group work

5

Funding

The lack of readily available 
funding to either the Group 
or third parties to undertake 
property transactions can 
have a significant impact on 
the marketplace in which 
we operate

Rising 
interest 
rates, price 
inflation, 
debt 
management 
and slowing 
economy

Impact 
of cost 
of living, 
well-being 
and mental 
health 
issues.

Demand 
and 
competition 
for skilled 
personnel

Additional 
funding 
requirements 
to support 
business 
growth

•

Strong Statement of Financial Position 
with no gearing and a long-term 
shareholder base means that we 
can ride out short-term economic 
fluctuations.

• Different business streams increase the 
probability that not all of them are in 
recession at the same time.

•

The City recognises the Group is a 
cyclical business and understands 
performance will be affected by 
economic cycles.

• Directors and shareholders share 
a common goal of less aggressive 
leveraging than some competitors.

• Banking partners continue to be 

supportive.

•

•

•

•

•

This risk is increased when 
unemployment falls and labour markets 
contract.

Long-term employment records indicate 
that good people stay within the Group.

The Group encourages equity 
ownership.

Proven record of sharing profits with our 
people.

Succession planning is an inherent part 
of management process.

• Reward and remuneration benchmarked 
against the market to ensure competitive.

•

•

The Group has agreed three-year 
facilities with its banking partners, which 
run to January 2025 and are backed by 
investment property assets.

A good level of interest from the banks 
in tendering for the renewed facilities in 
2019, facility renewed January 2020.

• New £25m HSBC receivable purchase 
agreement in place to January 2025.

• Detailed cash requirements are forecast 
up to 15 months in advance, and 
reviewed and revised monthly.

•

•

Five-year business plan prepared as 
part of strategic review.

As a PLC, access to equity funding is 
available, should this be required.

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OUR
RISKS

Risk

6

Cyber

7

Pension 

Risk description

Mitigation

Change 
during
the year

Link to Group 
strategic 
priorities

Unauthorised access to 
systems, hacking, malware 
and distributed denial of 
service could all lead to data 
loss, business disruption, 
reputational damage or 
financial loss

The Group has a legacy 
defined benefit pension 
scheme that closed to future 
accrual in 2021. While the 
Trustees have a prudent 
approach to the mix of both 
return-seeking and fixed-
interest assets, times of 
economic instability can have 
an impact on those asset 
values with the result that 
the reported pension deficit 
increases. Furthermore, the 
relationship between implied 
inflation and long-term gilt 
yields has a major impact on 
the pension deficit and the 
business has little control over 
those variables

•

Awareness updates routinely 
distributed to our people.

• Use of software and security products 

and regular updates thereof.

• Detailed disaster recovery plans.

•

•

External vulnerability and threat 
management reviews.

Internal mock attacks carried out.

• Operation of Trustee approved 

Recovery Plan.

• While pension schemes are a long-

term commitment, regulations require 
the Group to respond to deficits in the 
short term.

•

The move out of gilts provides a 
cushion should interest rates rise.

• Risk mitigated by move to quoted 

investments including pooled diversified 
growth funds.

•

•

Treat pension scheme as any other 
business segment to be managed.

Strong working relationship maintained 
between Company sponsor and 
pension Trustee.

• Use good quality external firms for 
actuarial and investment advice.

•

•

Scheme now closed to future accrual.

Preliminary commercial appraisal.

• Directors closely involved.

•

•

•

Standard position set out in guide for 
our people.

Experienced legal and commercial 
management.

Project specific tender risk register.

• Use of pre-construction services 
agreements help to mitigate cost 
and risk.

•

Inflation clauses negotiated where 
security of pricing cannot be achieved.

Liability 
decreased 
on funding 
basis and 
is now an 
asset on an 
IAS19 basis

Supply chain 
and viability 
challenges

8

Construction
contracts

Changes in terms and 
conditions of standard 
contracts exposing the 
Company to major financial 
and design liability risks

Key
Change during the year

Group strategic priorities

 Increased

 Decreased

 No change

 Safety

 People

 Growth

 Delivery

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Risk

9

Property 
assets

Risk description

Mitigation

Investment property assets 
are not marketable and are 
without secure tenancies. 
Valuations are volatile

10

Property
development

Construction and client risk, 
which is not matched by 
commensurate returns on 
development projects. Clients 
not taking up new lettings on 
speculative schemes

11

Land sourcing

The inability to source, acquire 
and promote land would 
have a detrimental effect on 
the Group’s strategic land 
portfolio and income stream

• Monthly performance meetings.

• Defined appraisal process.

• Monitoring of property market trends.

• Highly experienced development team.

•

Flexible to market trends in development 
requirements.

• Diverse range of sites within the portfolio 
and over £1.25bn pipeline of future 
opportunities.

•

•

Portfolio strategy actively managed and 
covenants regularly reviewed.

Investments in sector with strong 
medium term tailwinds.

• Construction projects, including returns 

and cash flows, are monitored monthly by 
subsidiary company management teams.

•

Seek high level of pre-lets prior to 
authorising development.

• Development subject to a ‘hurdle’ 

profit rate.

•

Shared risk with landowners where 
applicable.

• Highly experienced development team.

•

Flexible to market trends in development 
requirements.

• Diverse range of sites within the 

portfolio and £1.25bn pipeline of future 
opportunities.

• Monthly operational meetings detail 

land owned or under control, new 
opportunities and status of planning.

•

Acquisitions are subject to a formal 
appraisal process, which must exceed 
the Group defined rate of return, and 
is subject to approval by the subsidiary 
board or Executive Directors of the main 
Board, subject to level of investment.

•

Land portfolio of over 96,000 plots with 
aspiration to grow further.

• Well respected name within the industry 

that demonstrates success.

• Housebuilder land portfolio at 1,094 

residential plots.

Change 
during
the year

Link to Group 
strategic 
priorities

Softening 
yields

Softening 
yields 
impact 
margins and 
viability

Capital 
taxes & 
margin 
erosion

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OUR
RISKS

Risk

12

Land demand

Risk description

Mitigation

Change 
during
the year

Link to Group 
strategic 
priorities

A dramatic change in 
housebuilder funding 
sentiment and demand for 
housing can have a marked 
change on the demand and 
pricing profile for land

•

•

The Group’s policy is to only progress 
land that is deemed to be of high quality 
and in prime locations.

The business is long term and is not 
seriously affected by short-term events, 
or economic cycles.

Housebuilder 
activity 
reduced

• We recognise cyclicality in our long-term 
plans and operate with a relatively low 
level of debt.

• Greenfield land is probably the most 
sought-after land to build upon.

•

Long-term demographics show a 
growing trend; therefore, demand for 
land will follow.

• Housebuilders have very good land 

portfolios and are selective, targeting 
prime locations.

•

•

•

The Group’s highly skilled in-house 
technical and planning teams monitor 
changes in the market and in the 
planning process, and react accordingly 
to ensure that planning consents are 
achieved in a cost-effective and timely 
manner.

Large land portfolio can help smooth 
short-term fluctuations.

A high profit margin can be achieved 
when successful.

• No uplifts are taken on land through 
the planning process, which reduces 
valuation risk in a downturn. Therefore, 
though profits may be reduced if site 
values fall, the Group should still achieve 
a profit on sale.

Housing 
planning 
policy, and 
property 
taxes

Escalation 
of events in 
Ukraine

13

Political

Political decisions, events 
or conditions can have 
a significant impact on 
the Group. Changes in 
government or government 
policy towards planning 
policies could impact on 
the speed of the planning 
consent process or the 
value of sites and legislative 
changes can have a 
significant impact on the 
viability of transactions and 
schemes

Key
Change during the year

Group strategic priorities

 Increased

 Decreased

 No change

 Safety

 People

 Growth

 Delivery

Going concern
In undertaking their going concern review, which covers the period to 
December 2024, the Directors considered the Group’s principal risk 
areas that they consider material to the assessment of going concern.

As the UK economy moves at a slow pace, the Directors have 
assessed the Group’s ability to operate in a more uncertain 
environment in modelling a base case scenario. They have also 
modelled what they consider to be a severe downside scenario 
including further curtailments in activities. This downside scenario 
shows a c.50% reduction in sales and c.67% reduction in profits 
from the base case. Construction and development activity only 
takes place where contracted and likewise for Hallam Land where 
no sales are assumed in 2023 unless already contracted. 

For Stonebridge Homes a 10% decline in house prices is assumed 
along with a 25% reduction in the number of plots sold and Banner 
Plant revenue declines c.25%. This downside model assumes that 
acquisition and development spend is restricted other than that 
already committed and is all consistent with previous experience 
in recessionary environments. Having started 2023 with net debt1
of £48.6m, and with c.£63.2m net debt at 28 February 2023, 
against facilities of £105.0m the Directors have concluded that 
the Group is able to control the level of uncommitted expenditure, 
whilst delivering contracted schemes, allowing it to retain and 
even improve the cash position in the event of a severe downside 
scenario, although the impact of doing so on the profit and loss 
account would be unavoidable.

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assumes that deferred land sale debtors falling due of £31.8m as 
at 28 February 2023 will continue to be received during the period 
either directly from the debtors themselves or via the use of our debt 
purchase facilities or promissory notes which management consider 
to be viable alternatives facilitated by UK banks. These models 
highlight that as economic conditions worsen and construction 
activity, developments and land sales do not happen as envisaged, 
deferred land sale receipts, reduced investment and tight cost 
control sees the Group retain cash in the short to medium term, 
although long-term profitability would be significantly lower if the 
aforementioned mitigating actions were required to preserve cash. 

Assessment of viability
The long-term strategy: the three year monthly forecasts reflect the 
Directors’ best estimates of the prospects for the business and the 
Directors consider a three-year period to be appropriate over which 
to assess the viability of the Group. In addition to the downside 
modelled, we have also reviewed several potential viability risks to 
the Group and consider that the following represent scenarios which, 
if not carefully managed, could impact on the Group’s viability.

Firstly, overtrading developments in progress with the attendant 
increase in leverage, at the same time as the property cycle turns 
down, asset values are falling, and schemes must be completed 
to create best value. This creates a potentially damaging scenario 
where debt is rising, and asset values are falling. Mindful of this 
scenario, we look to maintain prudent debt levels (even at maximum 
facility utilisation of £105m) and we have pre-sold or pre-let 63% 
of the committed development pipeline and secured 97% of the 
development costs on fixed price contracts. 

Secondly, a decline in residential property markets where margins 
decline due to a lack of government support and planning delays 
or rejections, compounded by lower sales prices, higher build costs 
and increased legislative costs. Where possible the Group mitigates 
this risk by providing quality products from healthy land banks 
(including consented land) in prime locations.

Finally, a health and safety-related breach that causes a fatality (or 
similar serious outcome). We manage this risk through a very robust 
health and safety policy, zero tolerance towards policy breaches and 
consider health and safety at all of our Company board meetings. 
Our safety scores continue to be well into the top quartile of the UK 
construction industry and we have achieved a very safe working 
environment over the last 20 years. 

Viability statement
Based on their assessment of prospects and viability above, the 
Directors confirm that they have a reasonable expectation that 
the Group will be able to continue in operation over the three-year 
viability period.

1 Net debt is an APM and is reconciled to statutory measures in note 32.

The Group meets its day-to-day working capital requirements 
through a secured loan facility. The facility was renewed on 23 
January 2020, at a level of £75m, for a period of three years and 
extended by one year in January 2021 and a further year in January 
2022 taking the facility renewal to 23 January 2025 on the same 
terms as the existing agreement. The facility includes an accordion 
to increase the facility by up to £30m, which was called on by the 
Group on 9 October 2022 increasing the overall facility to £105m. 
None of the modelling undertaken by the Directors gives rise to any 
breach of bank facility covenants. The most sensitive covenant in 
our facilities relates to the ratio of EBIT (Earnings Before Interest and 
Tax) on a 12-month rolling basis to senior facility finance costs. Our 
downside modelling, which reflects a near 50% reduction in revenue 
and near 67% reduction in profit before tax from our base case 
for 2023, demonstrates significant headroom over this covenant 
throughout the forecast period to the end of December 2024. 

At the time of approving the Financial Statements, the Directors 
expect that the Company and the Group will have adequate 
resources, liquidity and available bank facilities to continue in 
operational existence for the foreseeable future. Accordingly, 
they continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in 
preparing the Financial Statements.

Viability statement
Introduction
The business model and strategy of Henry Boot PLC can be found 
on pages 28 to 31 in the Strategic Report. These documents 
outline the long-term business model and are central to the 
understanding of how the Group operates. We have operated the 
current business model successfully since 2004 and have a 137-
year unbroken trading history. By their nature the Group’s activities 
tend to be very long term, especially in the land promotion business 
and increasingly within property development. The Group’s strategy 
and experience in the markets in which we operate has been 
built up over many years. Over the last ten years, the Group has 
reported an average profit before tax of £37.0m per annum, added 
over £200.8m to net assets (an increase of some 104%) and paid 
64.0p per share in dividends, all from the trading segments it now 
operates, and at no stage in the last economic downturn, between 
2008 and 2010, nor during 2020 and 2021 with the outbreak of 
COVID, did the Group make a trading loss. 

The assessment processes
The Group’s prospects are assessed through a three year forecasting 
process led by the PLC Board Executive Directors and the Boards 
of the individual subsidiaries. A detailed three-year bottom up base 
case is agreed prior to the commencement of the current financial 
year, reforecast each month throughout the financial year within 
each business and consolidated at a Group level. As a largely deal-
driven business, it is considered inappropriate to attempt to prepare 
detailed bottom-up forecasts over a longer-term period. Whilst our 
strategic land promotion business commenced 2023 with 9,431 
plots with planning permission which, at a five-year average disposal 
rate of 3,175 plots would imply that we have almost three years of 
sales already in hand and a property development pipeline of over 
£1.25bn Gross Development Value (GDV) to be delivered over a 
period extending beyond five years, it becomes difficult to accurately 
forecast the timing of transactions beyond year three. 

We have stress tested our financial results based on the downside 
scenario modelled to December 2024, as described in the Going 
Concern statement on page 56 and 57 followed by an assumed 
return to planned levels of activity for year three. Our modelling 

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SECTION 172 STATEMENT AND 
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY

Introduction 
It is the aim of our Board and its Committees always to give proper 
consideration to stakeholder interests when taking decisions, 
and whilst recognising that not all decisions will be equally positive 
for all stakeholders, it is nevertheless important for all issues to 
be considered. 

The Board formally adopted a Stakeholder Policy in 2019, which 
has been reviewed and revised in successive years, to ensure that 
the Board is proactively considering the most effective methods of 
incorporating stakeholder views into decision-making and providing 
effective engagement with all groups. More detail on this can be 
found below. 

The Board is keenly aware that stakeholder views, and the 
considerations of ensuring a sustainable and long-term business, 
as well as maintaining the highest standards of business conduct, 
are all essential aspects of its decision-making processes. Set out 
below are some of the ways we ensure this, and decision-making 
processes will remain under review at ExCo and Board level to 

ensure that they remain dynamic and rounded. Within this report we 
also set out a substantial case study on one of the Board’s biggest 
decisions in 2022, detailing the consideration of s.172 factors and 
how this has shaped the Board’s approach. 

Our stakeholders

The Board identified our key stakeholders during our work 
on the Henry Boot Way in 2017, being those groups whose 
interests and views are vital to the operation and culture of the 
Group, as embodied within our Purpose:

“To empower and develop our people to create long-term 
value and sustainable growth for our stakeholders.

Our stakeholders are our shareholders, employees, 
pensioners, customers and suppliers. More broadly, we 
recognise our duties to the environment and the communities 
in which we operate.”

Board Information
• Our Board and senior leaders regularly engage with stakeholders as described on pages 59 to 60

• Board papers on Reserved Matters include consideration of stakeholder interests and views

• Gerald Jennings’ role as designated NED for liaison with the Group Employee Forum ensures that the Board consider 

the views of, and impacts on, the workforce of various decisions

•

Leadership and management receive training on Directors’ duties to maintain awareness of the Board’s responsibilities 
under s.172

Long-term Strategic Considerations
•

The Board reflects on the Responsible Business Strategy and whether the outcome of its decisions support and 
contribute to the agreed targets

•

•

The Board remains mindful of the Company’s corporate objectives and KPIs which are discussed regularly, and have a 
wholesale review at annual Strategy Days

Papers seeking Board approval are required to explain how the matter aligns with the Company’s long-term strategy. 
Any items that deviate from the strategy are given additional scrutiny

Decision making
•

The Company’s culture is a core consideration when making decisions. The Board reflects on whether the action 
aligns with The Henry Boot Way and our values: Integrity, Respect, Delivery, Collaboration, Loyalty and Adaptability

•

Actions directly brought about as a result of Board engagement – some examples are set out in the Employee 
Engagement section on pages 96 to 97

• Where appropriate, outcomes of decisions are re-assessed, and further engagement and dialogue undertaken

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Board Stakeholder Engagement Strategy

The Board Stakeholder Policy, reviewed annually, is key in setting the existing status of current and future engagement with all of the Group’s 
key stakeholders. During the 2022 review, three additional stakeholders were identified as having relevance in relation to Board engagement 
– Regulators, Media, and Professional Associations. Engagements with these groups are planned for 2023 and will be reported on next year. 
It is important to note that the below sets out Board specific engagements, not the broad and thorough range of engagements undertaken 
by the wider Group with each of these stakeholders.

Why is it important for the 
Board to engage with this 
stakeholder group

Stakeholder

Shareholders Dialogue with our shareholders 

to understand issues that are 
important to them is vital in 
shaping the approach of the 
Board, and the wider Group, 
in ensuring the delivery of our 
strategy, growth plans and 
returns

How we the Board engaged in 2022

How we the Board 
responded

• Bi-annual Investor Roadshows and structured 
feedback sessions with institutional investors 
and major family and other shareholders

• Ongoing and structured 
communications on 
results

•

Focussed investor communication regarding 
significant issues as required

• Regular Board updates on investor and proxy 
advisor sentiment collated by management / 
brokers / PR consultants

•

•

Informal and ad hoc shareholder engagement 
with family and other substantial shareholders

Attendance by all Board members at the AGM, 
available to answer questions and engage 
directly with shareholders

• Consideration of 

appropriate guidance to 
be issued where required

• Communication of 
key initiatives such 
as strategy and ESG 
objectives

Employees

Customers

Our people are the biggest 
asset of the Group, and 
ensuring that their priorities are 
understood makes sure that 
the Board can take their views 
into account when delivering 
on our strategic aims

See our Employee Engagement report on pages 96 
to 97, plus:

•

•

Subsidiary board MDs and department heads 
attended Board meetings to discuss issues 
relevant to their company/team and the Group

• Board members attended subsidiary board and 
other meeting opportunities throughout the year

Making sure that the services 
we offer are well received 
by customers is vital as a 
long-standing business with a 
reputation for longevity in its 
relationships

• Board site visits arranged to not only view sites 
in construction/development but also potentially 
interact with customers. This has now been 
supplemented by providing Board members with 
details of all subsidiary meetings / visits that they 
can attend on an individual basis if convenient

•

•

Pensioners

As former employees of 
the business, pensioner 
engagement ensures we 
maintain focus on our 
investment outcomes and 
returns

• Reports regarding customer engagement 

across the Group comes to Board meetings 
twice annually

•

•

•

•

Pensioner’s lunch arranged by the company 
invitations extended to Board members 

Ad hoc attendance by Board members at ad 
hoc events for pensioners and family members

Pension Newsletter produced on an annual 
basis and a copy issued to relevant members

Pensions report presented bi-annually at 
Board meeting to show the performance of the 
pension scheme

• CFO attends Pension Trustee meeting as a 

representative of the Company

See examples within 
employee engagement 
report plus case study 
on page 61

Introduction of structured 
customer feedback 
initiatives within each 
subsidiary

Inclusion of customer 
feedback mechanisms 
within wider Marketing and 
Communications Strategy 
as considered at the 
Strategy Days

• Oversight of pension 
related matters on a 
regular basis

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SECTION 172
STATEMENT

Stakeholder

Suppliers

Why is it important for the 
Board to engage with this 
stakeholder group

As with customers, our supply 
chain is crucial, and our long-
standing relationships ensure 
we are able to deliver on our 
commitments

How we the Board engaged in 2022

How we the Board 
responded

• Board site visits arranged to not only view sites 
in construction/development but also potentially 
interact with suppliers, supplemented by 
providing Board members with details of all 
subsidiary meetings / visits that they can attend 
on an individual basis if convenient

•

Inclusion of supplier 
feedback mechanisms 
within wider Marketing and 
Communications Strategy 
as considered at the 
Strategy Days

Communities

Being a responsible corporate 
citizen of the areas we operate 
in aligns with our values and 
is a substantial aspect of our 
Responsible Business Strategy

Environment

Similar to communities, 
responsibility to the 
environment as our wider 
stakeholder is integral to 
delivery of our ESG objectives, 
as well as ensuring we operate 
within our environments in a 
responsible manner

• Matters Reserved for the Board reports from 

Group subsidiary companies contain sections 
on stakeholder engagement including suppliers

• Much work has been done on an individual 
project basis and also subsidiary and Group 
wide on community engagement, particularly 
through the Responsible Business Strategy, 
overseen by the Responsible Business 
Committee, and set out in this report on page 34 

• Matters Reserved for the Board reports 

from Group subsidiary companies contains 
sections on stakeholder engagement including 
communities

• Community partnership 
targets included within 
the Responsible Business 
Strategy – see page 34

• Matters Reserved for the Board reports 

•

from Group subsidiary companies contain 
sections on stakeholder engagement including 
environment

Environmental targets 
included within the 
Responsible Business 
Strategy – see pages 35

• Current environmental assessment and 
reporting is captured in the Responsible 
Business section of the Annual Report, which is 
reviewed by the Board

• H&S report brought to each PLC Board 

meeting setting out inspections and issues 
noted, plus any interactions with authorities 
such as the HSE

•

Employees from across the Group who are 
involved in delivery of the Climate Change 
Framework are invited to relevant Responsible 
Business Committee meetings to share updates.

• Responsible Business 
Committee approved 
adoption of Climate 
Change Framework – 
more detail on this within 
the Responsible Business 
Committee Report on 
page 117

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CASE STUDY

Relocation of the Group’s Head Office
For some years, the Board and senior managers within the business have been reviewing options for the Group’s Head Office 
in Sheffield. The existing office building, Banner Cross Hall, is a Grade II listed former stately home in one of Sheffield suburbs, 
occupied by the Group for around 90 years. As such, although an imposing and impressive building, it has a number of 
features that are not conducive to modern office working, following a review of our working needs post-pandemic; as well as 
being in need of extensive modernisation for environmental and other reasons. For this reason, alternative options including 
a move to a purpose-built office within Sheffield city centre were also explored. The options, having been considered by the 
Board, triggered a process of engaging with and considering various stakeholders as part of the ultimate decision being 
progressed throughout 2022 and into 2023. 

The following timeline sets out the progress of the Board’s decision-making and interactions that incorporated stakeholder 
views within the process: 

November 2021 options in principle considered by 
Board at 2021 Strategy Days, including detailed costing 
for Banner Cross Hall refurbishment. Board resolved to 
continue exploring this option along with alternatives

February 2022 following identification of alternative 
office space within Sheffield, Board resolved to carry out 
engagement with employees on the options

May 2022 decision to relocate to alternative office 
space communicated to employees. Project team 
established comprising of a Steering Group and 
dedicated workstream leads as well as employee-led 
working groups focussing on key areas raised during 
the feedback consultation: Culture and Heritage; 
Agile Working; Personal Safety, Travel and Parking; 
Collaboration; and Location

March 2022 town hall meeting held at Banner Cross 
Hall (broadcast as live webinar to the Group) explaining 
the options being considered – Banner Cross Hall 
refurbishment and relocation to alternative office space, with 
benefits and drawbacks of both explained. Consultation 
exercise launched within the Group, offering both open and 
confidential methods for employees to provide feedback

April 2022 having further considered the options 
and feedback received, the Board determined that 
it wished to progress with the option to relocate to 
alternative office space

June 2022 external workspace design support 
appointed and Working Groups commence 
gathering initial employee feedback on workspace 
considerations

July 2022 following collation of feedback, it is 
incorporated into initial workspace design and consultants 
engage with key teams throughout the business for 
additional views

September 2022 presentation of initial workspace 
design to Board for feedback

Work has continued on progressing the development of the relocation plans with regular updates to the Board, and the project 
team structure will remain under review during 2023 as the Group looks to move to its new head office as required.

Consideration of s.172 factors

Likely consequences of
decisions in the long term
The Board has considered the fitness for purpose of 
Banner Cross Hall post-refurbishment, noting that due to 
the listed nature of the building, it would have remained as 
a predominantly cellular structure, not allowing for many 
open-plan options or to accommodate post-pandemic 
working needs. Also, although the environmental impact of 
the building would have been mitigated, it would have been 
unlikely to achieve a good EPC rating.  

Interests of the Company’s workforce
Naturally this has been one of the primary considerations for 
the Board to take into account as part of making this decision, 
and the methods of incorporating the expressed interests and 
concerns of the workforce are as set out in the timeline above.

Need to foster relationships with
suppliers, customers and others
The Board took into account when considering the alternative 
office location the ease of transport links to a central 
city location, proximity to key customers and suppliers, 
and enhanced space to provide interactions with all key 
stakeholders, as well as improved ability to attract talent to 
the business. 

Impact on community and environment
The impact on the local community of vacating the building at 
Banner Cross Hall has been discussed by the Board as part of 
its decision making, also taking into account the environmental 
impact of the building versus an alternative option (also see 
above), as well as the contribution that could be made to 
creating a vibrant city centre by being located within it.

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62

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OUR
PEOPLE

Our Approach
Our people are our greatest asset and are vital to our long-term 
strategic success and sustainability. Engaging and developing our 
people is crucial to our continued performance and growth. 

For roles that must be performed in a particular location, we 
continually work to identify opportunities to be agile in different ways, 
such as adapting start and finish times to minimise commuting time, 
fulfil personal commitments, or make time for hobbies.

We collaborate with our people to enable them to achieve their 
best. We work to continually develop and maintain a culture of 
inclusivity that enables us to attract and retain the best talent to 
work at every level. Our people are committed to working as part of 
our team and support and represent our Values. 

We believe empowering our people to work in an agile manner will 
support their health and wellbeing and allow us to quickly adapt to 
any changes in circumstances. It will enable our people to work in 
a manner that is most beneficial to their needs whilst continuing to 
deliver high quality results.

We convened an Agile Working Group to review the Group’s 
approach and this formed one of the Employee Working Groups 
established as part of the Isaacs Head Office relocation project 
(see page 61). The Group members represent a range of job roles, 
seniority, location and function across our business and they have 
developed recommendations for how we can further improve and 
refine our Agile Working Framework. We will be incorporating these 
recommendations into an updated version of the Framework which 
will be launched in 2023. 

We remain committed to investing the time and resources to 
support, engage, and motivate our people to feel valued, to be 
able to develop rewarding careers, and want to stay and progress 
with us. We recruit and promote from within wherever possible 
to provide the best possible progression opportunities. As our 
business continues to develop and grow, we understand that by 
retaining and inspiring effective and committed people, we can 
continue to deliver excellence to all.

Agile Working 
In July 2021 we launched our Agile Working Framework and we 
continue to enshrine the learnings we adopted from the Pandemic 
in our future ways of working.

The Framework’s vision is to change the way we work to improve 
work-life balance for our people, while maintaining high levels of 
engagement and service for our stakeholders. We believe an element 
of agility can be achieved in all our job roles, but we recognise that 
not all tasks can be done from alternative locations or from home. 

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OUR
PEOPLE

Employee Engagement Survey

Our Objectives

Our Findings

Key Outcomes

The overall objective of conducting 
the survey is to gain an in-depth 
understanding of our people’s 
experience whilst working at Henry 
Boot. The survey is focused on gaining 
our people’s feedback so we can 
support a culture and an environment 
where they can be the best version of 
themselves at work.

The survey and our findings focus on the 
Group as a whole. Whilst we can look 
at our subsidiaries as separate entities 
(which will be beneficial for business 
specific feedback), we have opted 
to look at the scoring holistically as a 
Group to push for more collaboration, a 
collective responsibility and a joined-up 
approach to culture and engagement.

Our Process
Our process facilitated by HIVE (our 
employee engagement partner), saw our 
annual Employee Engagement Survey 
housing a framework of 34 questions 
that were used to measure progress 
when compared with the responses 
within our previous survey conducted 
during 2021. Some questions were 
based on those posed previously to 
allow for statistical analysis of change; 
however, other questions were more 
focused on 2022 and specifically how 
we have, and continue to, adapt to 
issues such as the cost of living crisis.

71%

RESPONSE RATE
(INCREASE OF 7% FROM 2021)

The survey results show that our people 
have remained resilient, optimistic, 
and focused on working as a team to 
maintain delivering an exceptionally high 
standard for our clients and partners.

The survey results and feedback 
are carefully reviewed by our Board, 
Executive Committee, and Group 
Employee Forum to identify any areas 
where there is scope for increased 
engagement with, and support for, 
our people.

VERY GOOD GROUP eNPS SCORE OF 

39

(an increase of 13 points from 2021)

8.8

We received an 8.8 employee 
engagement score when our people 
were asked whether they have good 
relationships with others in their team. 

8.4

We received an 8.4 employee 
engagement score when people were 
asked if they feel proud to work for 
Henry Boot.

Did You Know?
Each year, our Group Employee 
Forum are tasked with a project 
focused on the results of the 
survey. In 2022, they focused 
on health and wellbeing and, 
particularly, on maintaining 
boundaries between professional 
and personal lives. The findings 
from their project were shared with 
the Board and incorporated in 
to the new Health and Wellbeing 
Strategy.

Working collaboratively
Our eNPS of 39 (26 in 2021) was 
significantly higher than last year. We 
believe this is in response to the positive 
actions taken, in collaboration with 
our people, to address any issues or 
experiences they raised in the 2021 
survey. The actions we took focused on 
three key themes – involving employees 
about decisions in the future, creating 
an enjoyable work environment, and 
investing in our people. 

Wellbeing
Wellbeing was again a key theme in 
the 2022 survey and we have been 
working hard to support the health and 
wellbeing of our people (see page 65 
for more information). We recognise that 
our people experience pressure and 
we remain committed to implementing 
our new Health and Wellbeing Strategy 
(which has been influenced by the 
survey results and feedback from our 
Group Employee Forum). This will 
support our people to establish and 
maintain positive work-life boundaries 
and feel empowered to switch off when 
not working.  

As part of the Employee Engagement 
Survey, we continue to roll out our 
Open-Door platform where our people 
can provide us with confidential honest 
feedback. This platform has been well 
adopted and has demonstrated the 
real sense of honesty and integrity that 
underpins our workplace culture, the 
Henry Boot Way.

In relation to employee engagement 
more widely and the role of the 
Board in this, please also see our 
Employee Engagement section on 
pages 96 to 98. 

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Reward Strategy
We launched our Reward Strategy in September 2022 which aims 
to ensure that all our people are fairly rewarded. We intend to clearly 
outline and align the pay and progression structures across the 
Group in support of our aspirations to attract and retain a talented 
and diverse workforce.

Our Strategy is strongly linked to our Values and behaviours and 
introduces a new grading and pay structure and bonus scheme 
which provides everyone with an earnings opportunity linked to 
performance. It can be summed up in these five principles which 
guided the changes we are making:

1 Competitiveness – offering competitive pay so we can both 

retain people and attract new talent into the business

2 Fairness – ensuring that our reward structure is fair and 

rewards people for the level of performance and contribution 
they give

3 Structure, transparency and inclusivity – providing regular 
updates on how we are performing, as well as giving clarity on 
how the performance of our people will be managed, linking it 
more closely with personal development and wellbeing

4 A ‘One Henry Boot’ approach – reward that’s right for us

5 Simplicity and consistency – making sure that the 

processes are clear, easy to understand, and consistent for 
everyone.

By having a structure in place that is consistent and easy to 
understand, we hope our people will be able to see what the next 
step looks like for them, not just in terms of reward but also in terms 
of skills development, responsibility, and career progression.

Health and Wellbeing
Our people are our greatest asset and investment in their health and 
wellbeing is critical to ensure that they are healthy, productive, and 
fulfilled in their roles.

Whilst the health and wellbeing of our people has long been 
a primary consideration, we recognise that a more strategic, 
interventionist, and collaborative approach is needed. This will 
ensure that we provide the best possible support to our people and 
continue to be successful and enjoy commercial growth driven by 
fulfilled and productive people.

The development of a new Health and Wellbeing Strategy is 
a primary objective of both the Group’s People Strategy and 
Responsible Business Strategy. In the materiality assessment 
undertaken in the development of the latter, the health and 
wellbeing of our people was ranked the highest material issue that 
we should focus on by both internal and external stakeholders.

Our Health and Wellbeing Strategy was developed throughout 2022 
by the Group HR team who engaged the Group Employee Forum, 
a cross-Group working party, and a range of external partners to 
share knowledge and solutions. The Strategy launched in 2023 
and consolidates our existing offer making it more accessible whilst 
adding additional initiatives, resources, and training that our people 
can access to ensure we respond to their individual needs. The 
Strategy focuses on the Group’s support for our people across four 
key areas of wellbeing – physical, mental, digital, and financial.

Financial Wellbeing
We are committed to ensuring that our people are well rewarded 
for their hard work and have access to resources to support their 
financial wellbeing.

We operate the Henry Boot PLC Group Stakeholder Pension Plan 
(defined contribution pension), where the Group pays contributions 
to an independently administered fund (AVIVA) based upon a fixed 
percentage of employee’s salary.  Member benefits from the plan 
are determined by the amount of contributions paid by the Group 
and the member, the investment returns on the investments made 
by the individual based on their risk appetite (with most people 
remaining in the pre-selected Default Fund), and the decisions 
made by the member on retirement age and how they choose to 
receive their retirement benefits. We have implemented the UK’s 
auto-enrolment pension requirements, including re-enrolment on a 
triennial basis, and our people are informed of auto-enrolment and 
other pension choices through our online portal and the Hub.

Did You Know?
We recognised the impact that the cost of living and energy 
crisis could have for our people’s financial security and 
wellbeing. In response, we provided a one-off cost of living 
payment of £1,000 in September 2022 to the lowest paid two 
thirds of our workforce

We partnered with ISIO to provide our people with financial coaching 
sessions with one of their expert finance coaches. The individual 
sessions gave access to a professional and independent financial 
coach, who provided a confidential ‘health check’ of finances and 
answered any questions about managing finances. 43 sessions were 
delivered and further sessions will be made available to our people in 
2023 as part of our Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

In October 2022 we granted share options to all our people who 
met the eligibility criteria for the Company Share Option Plan 
(CSOP). We also sent invitations to those who were eligible to 
participate in the Group’s 2022 Sharesave scheme, which allows 
people to contribute a maximum of £500 per month to one or a 
combination of current Sharesave schemes. The Remuneration 
Committee agreed to apply a 20% discount off the share price, the 
maximum discount allowed under the HMRC rules. At the close of 
the invitation, 54.9% of those who were eligible had joined one or 
more Sharesave schemes.

EDI
We aim to create a fair, accessible, diverse, and inclusive working 
environment, while recognising the challenges our sector has 
traditionally experienced, particularly in relation to gender and 
ethnicity representation and diversity. We want to foster a 
sustainable culture in which all our people can be themselves at 
work so that they can thrive, add value, and feel valued. We believe 
that this will bring out the best in our people and lead to long term 
success and sustainability. You can read more about our strategic 
approach to EDI and 2022 performance on page 33.

Did You Know?
In 2022, we supported Sheffield City Council’s Future Proof work 
experience scheme. We partnered up with a Sheffield based 
secondary school and worked with their students to develop 
a fictional marketing campaign that Henry Boot could run to 
improve our diversity. The winning team then met with our EDI 
Steering Group to share their ideas and receive feedback.

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OUR
PEOPLE

Although we recognise that the ambitions and objectives in our 
Responsible Business Strategy will take time to achieve, we are fully 
committed to working with key partners to engage with under-
represented groups through various networks. We will encourage 
diversity of thought and approach amongst our people, and open 
up opportunities for under-represented groups to experience and 
access employment in our industry. We continue to forge links with 
local groups and educational establishments to encourage diversity 
and to change perceptions and influence others to view our industry 
as a positive career choice. Examples of the networks we are 
members of and actively support are Building Equality, Women in 
Property, the Considerate Constructor’s Scheme, and Business in 
the Community (BITC).

We support our people wherever possible, whether they are new to 
the Group or have been with us for some time. Our opportunities 
for learning, career development, and promotion are inclusive to all 
our people. We are proactively engaging with external stakeholders 
(including local government and special education providers) to learn 
about how we can best support those who are disabled or have 
special educational needs (SEND) into meaningful employment and 
to offer SEND students rewarding career education experiences.

The Board Diversity Policy is set out in more detail as part of our 
Nomination Committee report on pages 104-110. Our gender pay 
gap (when measured as a median average) is currently 21.43%. 
This continues to reflect the current ratio of men and women 
employed rather than an issue relating to how we pay our people. 
Our Responsible Business Strategy sets out ambitious targets for 
us to increase our workforce diversity and we recognise that further 
improving our gender diversity in our workforce and management 
teams will support us to further reduce this gap. We are also 
currently undertaking the necessary preparations to begin reporting 
on our ethnicity pay gap.

The Strategy will guide us to ensure our recruitment processes 
attract diverse talent and ensure our workforce reflects the diversity 
of the communities in which we live and work, by increasing 
opportunities and reducing barriers to under-represented groups.

All employees

Female
121

Senior Managers

Female
3

Male
356

Male
15

Directors

Female
2

Male
5

Professional Development 
Delivering a workplace culture and positive career experience that 
attracts new and diverse talent and retains experienced people will 
give us the ability to compete successfully and ensure long term 
sustainability. The Group has a relatively low level of people turnover 
as the retention and development of our internal talent remains 
critical to our success. Our turnover in 2022 was 16.1%. Our high 
retention rates ensure that we have a solid base on which our 
people can grow, develop and achieve their potential. Our directly 
employed headcount was 477 at the end of 2022. 

We recruited a further 9 apprentices in 2022, which brings our 
total number of current apprentices to 20 with a further 6 trainees. 
Our trainees and apprentices are enrolled on formal courses of 
education and supplement their learning through in house training 
and experiential development.  

Our preferred succession planning method is one of in-house 
development and growth; consequently, we also have a number 
of experienced employees enrolled on formalised education 
programmes to enhance their skills and knowledge, in anticipation 
of career development and promotion within the business in which 
they operate. Throughout 2022, 6 of our people completed their 
education programmes and a further 2 progressed onto the next 
level of their employment programme. We have key pathways in 
place for our apprentices and trainees to ensure our talent pipeline 
continues to flourish.

Throughout 2022, our senior leaders who participated on our 
Senior Leadership Development Programme (SLDP) have continued 
to develop their own skills and knowledge and have continued 
with coaching and mentoring activities. A further 2 participants 
completed this Programme in 2022.

Throughout 2022, we also hosted our Leadership Development 
Programme (LDP) which has been attended by 15 of our middle 
managers. This unique programme of development and support 
aims to encourage further aspiration and development and 
progression potential in our future leaders. We also piloted a new 
Management Development Programme (MDP) which will be rolled 
out in 2023 and aims to provide Line Managers in the business with 
enhanced people focused skills and behaviours..

We delivered 1,773.5 learning and development days (an average of 
3.7 days per person) and there was also an unquantifiable amount 
of ad hoc learning and development, which takes place on a daily 
basis at our sites, offices, depots and via remote engagement. The 
coming year will see a renewed learning and development provision 
being rolled out across all subsidiaries which includes a focus on 
developmental outputs from building capacity and capability at all 
levels, provision of mentoring and other interventions, which will seek 
to build resilience and increase performance amongst our people.

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Our Performance Development Review (PDR) process places 
focus on a quality, two-way conversation, aimed at developing our 
people, sustaining and improving performance across the business. 
Our approach is to encourage this conversation throughout the 
year, through a process of interim and midyear reviews, to ensure 
our people know what is expected of them and have support in 
achieving this.

In 2022, we took the decision to begin to have a more open and 
transparent conversation about performance against SMART 
objectives and how our people were progressing against those. 

We introduced Performance ratings and SMART objectives, with a 
focus on not only tasks and operational deliverables, but Values 
and behaviours. 

This is an evolving process, which will continually develop over 
the years ahead through engagement with our people across the 
whole business.

Health and Safety 
One of our most important responsibilities as a business is making 
sure that the health, safety and wellbeing of our people, partners 
and the wider public is safeguarded, together with protecting the 
environment in all our areas of operations. 

Our team are enthusiastic experts in this area and work hard in 
collaboration with our project teams and supply chain to drive 
innovation and achieve best practice. 

Our Performance 
Our Accident Incidence Rate (AIR) and Accident Frequency Rate 
(AFR) performance remains strong, and we are delighted to report 
that for the eleventh consecutive year, our construction related AIR 
and AFR for our directly employed people and operatives is zero. 

We are pleased to report a strong overall (including subcontractors) 
Accident Incidence Rate (AIR) of 276 (injuries per 100,000 persons) 
and Accident Frequency Rate (AFR) of 0.14. This result is a 
combination of the effectiveness of our management processes, 
the commitment of our project teams, our continuous improvement 
approach and Zero Harm initiatives. This strong health and safety 
management culture has resulted in securing a prestigious RoSPA 
Gold Medal Award for the 13th consecutive year resulting in a 
RoSPA Presidents Award.

In 2022, our Construction segment successfully maintained 
approval to the ISO 45001 (Occupational Health and Safety 
Management System) standard, in addition to ISO 14001 
(Environmental Management) and ISO 9001 (Quality Management) 
standards which are assessed by Lloyd’s Register Limited. 

We continue to be a Considerate Constructors Scheme Partner, 
registering two of our projects as ‘Ultra Sites’ which commits the 
sites to the highest standards of considerate construction in the 
‘Respect the Community’, ‘Care for the Environment‘ and ‘Value 
their Workforce’ scoring criteria. We are delighted to report our 
average score for 2022 was 42.67 (industry average score is 39.77).

We have also enjoyed success in further industry awards including 
the Constructing Excellence, LABC Awards, Chartered Institute of 
Building (CIOB), Insider Yorkshire Property Awards and Generation 
for Change (G4C).

Our Supply Chain 
Our partnership with our supply chain is critical to our success and 
we work hard to engage and collaborate with all of our suppliers and 
partners to create and maintain long term successful relationships. 
We have a commitment to securing the services of predominantly 
local subcontractors and utilising local suppliers to minimise the miles 
and emissions that working with us produces and to generate social 
value for the communities in which we work. This continues to be a 
strong and responsible approach for our business. 

Human Rights
Our business is totally committed to supporting and working to the 
UN’s Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Protecting, 
preserving and respecting human rights is fully embedded in our 
culture and is fundamental to our Values. This commitment is 
reflected in and demonstrated by our routinely updated policies 
including:

•

•

•

Anti-Bribery and Corruption

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Ethics

• Modern Slavery

• Rights to Work

• Whistleblowing

In addition to our policies, we aim to demonstrate this commitment 
through all our behaviour and actions towards our people, suppliers, 
partners and the communities in which we operate. 

Modern Slavery 
We recognise that our industry is vulnerable to the impacts of 
modern slavery and therefore we have implemented and embedded 
a number of measures, which seek to bring about greater 
transparency and scrutiny into our various supply chains in order to 
combat slavery and trafficking activities. 

We keep our Human Trafficking and Slavery Statement (the 
‘Statement’) under regular review and set out the activities we 
undertake to reduce the risk of slavery and trafficking activities being 
present within our business operations. These measures include 
enforcing our Modern Slavery Policy, due diligence requirements, 
and mandatory contract clauses seeking compliance by our supply 
chain with appropriate anti-slavery measures. Following completion 
of a Modern Slavery Assessment Tool (MSAT), we have signed up 
to the Gangmasters & Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) Construction 
Protocol. In addition, we have also engaged NGOs and other 
supply chain bodies to understand where our practices may be 
strengthened. 

We commit to collaborating closely with our people, partners, 
contractors and suppliers to monitor our performance, share 
knowledge, and maintain vigilance throughout our business and 
supply chains. 

Anti-Bribery and Anti-Corruption 
Delivering our services with a zero-tolerance approach to corruption 
in any form is essential for us to demonstrate our Values, long-
standing commitment to ethical behaviour and integrity, and to 
uphold our reputation and image. Our Anti-Bribery and Corruption 
Policy sets out the standards expected of all Group employees and 
supply chain members in relation to anti-bribery and corruption and 
the Board has overall responsibility for ensuring this policy complies 
with the Group’s legal and ethical obligations and that everyone in 
our organisation and supply chain complies.

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TASK FORCE ON CLIMATE-RELATED FINANCIAL 
DISCLOSURES (TCFD) RECOMMENDATIONS REPORT

Compliance Statement
Over the course of 2022 Henry Boot has continued to implement 
the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related 
Financial Disclosures (TCFD), and the accompanying guidance 
notes, to further embed the requirements within our wider 
Responsible Business approach. The table below sets out in 
more detail where we have assessed ourselves in relation to our 
level of consistency with the recommendations of TCFD, and an 
explanation of the steps yet to be taken where we are not currently 
fully consistent. Where we have indicated ‘Full’ consistency with 
the recommendations of the TCFD, this means that we believe 
we have achieved the minimum of the recommendations set out, 
but nevertheless acknowledge that there will be further work to 
do to refine and enhance this approach in coming years. ‘Partial’ 
consistency indicates that we have carried out some work but are 
not yet fully consistent with the recommendations.  Where we have 
stated we are at the ‘Beginning of the journey’ we have plans in 
place to achieve full consistency but recognise that the bulk of the 
work has not yet commenced and may take more than the following 

Compliance Assessment Table

12 months to complete. The table also provides references to 
other sections within this Annual Report where further detail can be 
found. We expect that over the course of 2023, we will continue to 
delve into this and understand the wider impacts it may have on our 
strategic focus, to ensure that our strategy development is properly 
debated and embedded within our operations. For this reason, as 
we set out below, in some areas we have chosen to explain the 
extent of current consistency with the recommendations and the 
direction of travel as we move forwards.

Given that the industries represented within our Group include 
construction and property development, we are aware that we are 
classed as a “higher risk business” and acknowledge that we need 
to continuously develop our level of disclosure to ensure that it is 
more thorough and progressively advanced. This will be an area of 
further development for us over the course of 2023 and beyond, 
as well as involving appropriate levels of external assurance to the 
risks and opportunities we identify, the scenario modelling work we 
undertake, and the materiality of the financial impacts those risks 
may present to the business. 

Provision/ 
Consistency
Level 

GOVERNANCE

Board oversight 
of climate-
related risks and 
opportunities

F

More 
Information

Responsible 
Business 
Committee 
Report, (pages 
116 to 119)

Governance 
Structure, 
(page 87)

Director’s 
Remuneration 
Report (pages 120 
to 136)

Risk Report 
(pages 50-56)

Achieved to Date

Future Developments

• Responsible Business Committee established, 

•

providing Board-level importance to all ESG related 
matters, including oversight of the Group’s Climate 
Change Framework, and achievement of all ESG 
related targets within the Responsible Business 
Strategy 

• Climate related risks and opportunities form part of 

the annual risk management procedures

• Remuneration Committee has oversight of the 

incorporation of ESG related metrics into executive 
remuneration 

•

Skills and experience in climate issues formed part 
of recent Non-executive Director recruitment and 
are assessed in the Board skills assessment 

• Reporting within the Strategy Days assessed 

how the business as a whole and the individual 
subsidiaries had performed against ESG metrics 
and targets. All strategies include ESG related 
objectives

•

•

An extensive governance structure is in place for all 
ESG related matters

Training and engagement sessions held with 
subject matter experts and Responsible Business 
Committee

• Budgeting process accounts for all ESG 

related expenditure required for achievement of 
Responsible Business Strategy

Increased amount of ESG 
updates to ExCo and Board 
planned for 2023

• With Serena Lang assuming 
the role as the Chair of 
the Responsible Business 
Committee, we will be working 
to ensure that her knowledge 
and experience further develops 
the role of the Committee in 
interrogating areas of delivery 
and focus

•

•

Further training and upskilling 
sessions to be held with 
Responsible Business 
Committee, Executive 
Committee and other senior 
leaders within the business 
during 2023

Strategy planning to follow 
for November 2023 Strategy 
Days including incorporation of 
scenario modelling work into 
longer term strategies, to be 
reviewed by Board and ExCo, 
and to further develop the 
corporate objectives linking with 
ESG risks and opportunities

Key:

F  Full compliance

P  Partial compliance, progress made

B  Beginning of the journey, plans are in place to address

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Provision/ 
Consistency
Level 

GOVERNANCE

Management’s 
role in assessing 
and managing 
climate-related 
risks and 
opportunities

F

STRATEGY

Climate-related 
risks and 
opportunities 
identified over the 
short, medium, 
and long term

P

Impact of climate-
related risks and 
opportunities on 
the organisation’s 
business, 
strategy, and 
financial planning

P

Resilience of the 
strategy, taking 
into consideration 
different climate-
related scenarios

B

More 
Information

Responsible 
Business 
Committee 
Report, 
governance 
arrangements 
(page 118)

Responsible 
Business 
Committee 
Report, 
management roles 
on committee and 
groups (page 117)

Achieved to Date

Future Developments

•

•

•

Executive Committee members are responsible for 
delivering against specific targets calibrated to ensure 
each business contributes to achievement of climate-
related goals, and are periodically updated about 
progress against Responsible Business Strategy

•

•

The ESG Steering Group (comprising of the Chief 
Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Finance 
Director, HR Director, General Counsel and Company 
Secretary, and Responsible Business Manager) helps 
to assess all ESG related issues including climate 
issues, to support the Board, and bringing leaders 
from across the Group together for a multi-disciplinary 
approach. This considers progress against the 
Responsible Business Strategy but also cross cutting 
issues such as property environmental performance 
and associated objectives

The Chief Executive Officer has ultimate oversight of the 
Group’s environmental performance and achievements, 
which is reported on to the Executive Committee along 
with the Board, and disseminated down to other senior 
management and more widely within the business 
through planned information releases

Increased amount of ESG 
updates to ExCo and Board 
planned for 2023

Further training and upskilling 
sessions to be held with 
Responsible Business 
Committee, Executive 
Committee and other senior 
leaders within the business 
during 2023

• Governance structure will 
continue to be assessed 
during 2023 to ensure it is fit 
for purpose and is providing 
sufficient focus to all required 
areas. In addition, wider climate 
issues with the potential to 
impact strategic direction will 
be considered more holistically 
within the groups established, as 
appropriate

•

These have been identified and are as set out in the 
table within this report on pages 72 to 75

•

Risk Report 
(pages 50 to 56)

These will remain under review 
on an annual basis in line with 
our usual risk review process, 
with the additional developments 
regarding the risk review process 
that are outlined on page 71

• Responsible Business Strategy was considered 
by the Board and Executive Committee at the 
Strategy Days in 2021 prior to its introduction. The 
overarching objective of the Strategy is to embed 
ESG into the Group’s commercial decision-making 
processes

•

Strategy Days in 2022 reflected on progress 
achieved in delivery of the Responsible Business 
Strategy

•

•

• Group’s five-year business planning (into which ESG 

related expenditure was incorporated)

Scenario modelling work had not 
been completed in sufficient time 
prior to the 2022 Strategy Days to 
enable these to be reflected within 
the strategy documents and will 
be completed in 2023

Strategy planning to follow 
for November 2023 Strategy 
Days including incorporation of 
scenario modelling work into 
longer term strategies, to address 
risks and opportunities identified, 
to then also be reflected more 
fully within the budgeting and 
financial planning process

•

Scenario modelling work to date is captured within 
the scenario modelling section of this report

• Qualitative scenario modelling 

work is ongoing and 
consideration will turn in the 
next 18 months to quantitative 
scenario modelling and how this 
could further impact on strategic 
considerations and further 
financial planning

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OUR RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS 
TCFD

Achieved to Date

Future Developments

More 
Information

•

As set out in the accompanying notes to the table 
within this report

• We will continue to deepen our 
exploration of how these risks 
are prioritised against the other 
principal risks as identified, and 
our assessment of their materiality, 
over the course of 2023

•

As set out in the table within this report

• Qualitative scenario modelling 

Provision/ 
Consistency
Level 

RISK

Processes 
for identifying 
and assessing 
climate-
related risks

F

Processes 
for managing 
climate-
related risks

B

work relating to the risk identified 
is ongoing and consideration will 
turn in the next 18 months to 
quantitative scenario modelling 
and how this could further impact 
on strategic considerations and 
further financial planning

• We will continue to deepen our 
exploration of how these risks 
are prioritised against the other 
principal risks as identified, 
and our assessment of their 
materiality, over the course 
of 2023

Risk Report 
(pages 50 to 56) 

•

How processes 
for identifying, 
assessing, 
and managing 
climate-related 
risks are 
integrated into 
the organisation’s 
overall risk 
management

F

The Group undertakes an annual review of its principal 
risks as documented in pages 50 to 56 of this report. 
This review which is undertaken at a subsidiary level 
includes consideration of the risks and opportunities 
relating to climate change. The financial impact of 
the risks is in part quantified in our NZC transition 
workings, although are not material to the business. 
As part of the assessment of the climate-related risks 
and opportunities, the management and/or mitigation 
of each item identified sets out the response, and a 
decision to Treat, Tolerate, Terminate or Transfer each 
relevant item following such management or mitigation 
was indicated

METRICS AND TARGETS

Metrics used by 
the organisation 
to assess climate-
related risks and 
opportunities 
in line with its 
strategy and risk 
management 
process

P

• Metrics relating to GHG emissions have been adopted 
as part of overall Responsible Business Strategy – see 
page 35 of the Responsible Business Report and 
page 76

•

• GHG emissions reduction target supported by 

sub-targets focused on reduction of business travel, 
fleet electrification, sustainable generator usage and 
reduction of water usage

• Remuneration related targets on GHG emissions have 
been incorporated into the bonus objectives for the 
Executive Committee and will also be incorporated into 
LTIP objectives from 2023

•

Further work will be required 
following the climate-related 
scenario planning work which 
will commence in 2023, to 
understand the impact that these 
outcomes have on the Group’s 
Responsible Business Strategy 
and Group Strategy, and whether 
this should alter any metrics 
previously determined

Additional metrics to be 
established to incorporate the 
required cross-industry, climate-
related metrics

Responsible 
Business Report 
(page 35)

Director’s 
Remuneration 
Report 
(page 135)

NZC 
Framework at 
henryboot.co.uk

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More 
Information

Responsible 
Business Report 
(page 35)

Provision/ 
Consistency
Level 

Achieved to Date

Future Developments

METRICS AND TARGETS

Scope 1, Scope 2, 
and if appropriate, 
Scope 3 GHG 
emissions, and 
the related risks

P

Targets used by 
the organisation 
to manage 
climate-related 
risks and 
opportunities 
and performance 
against targets

P

Key:

•

Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions are set 
out below

•

The risks related to these have not 
been fully quantified and will be 
the subject of further review and 
assessment

• Work to identify a partner to 

assist in assessing our Scope 
3 GHG emissions will be 
undertaken during 2023 to 
commence this work in 2024 and 
beyond 

•

Targets relating to a number of environmental factors 
have been adopted as part of overall Responsible 
Business Strategy – see page 35 of the Responsible 
Business Report and page 76

•

Responsible 
Business Report 
(page 35)

Further work will be required 
following the climate-related 
scenario planning work to 
understand the impact that these 
outcomes have on the Group’s 
Responsible Business Strategy 
and Group Strategy, and whether 
this should alter any targets 
previously determined

F  Full consistent   P  Partial consistent, progress made    B  Beginning of the journey, plans are in place to address

Governance
The Group has set up a comprehensive governance structure 
incorporating a Responsible Business Committee of the Board, plus 
a number of special interest groups, committees, steering groups 
and working groups, which is set out in further detail on page 118 
within the Responsible Business Committee Report. Through this 
structure we can ensure that necessary activities are delegated to 
the appropriate groups to provide the required focus to these areas, 
with the Responsible Business Committee, and ultimately the Board, 
maintaining overall oversight and direction. In addition, page 117 of 
the Responsible Business Committee Report sets out the roles of 
various senior managers within the business, and their links to the 
various groups, to outline how senior management has the necessary 
oversight and involvement with responsible business delivery. 

During 2023, we will be carrying out further work with the various 
subsidiary businesses to re-review the risks and opportunities 
identified, and further develop the strategy for whether these 
climate-related risks should be mitigated, transferred, accepted, or 
controlled. The review will also determine the potential materiality of 
the financial risks that may be posed, assessed by reference to the 
two scenarios that are identified within the table below, and how 
this may impact on strategic direction, as well as the opportunities 
that each part of the business should focus on in developing their 
strategies. This can then be fully modelled within the subsidiaries’ 
and Group’s strategies for the Strategy Days in November 2023. 
This will be reported on more fully in next year’s report. This work 
needs to be carried out before determining the extent to which those 
strategies may be altered by this exercise.

Risks and Opportunities and Risk 
Management Process
A risk and opportunity assessment has been carried out in 
conjunction with the managing directors of each subsidiary 
business, the Executive Committee, Audit and Risk Committee 
and Responsible Business Committee, to identify potential risks 
and review the likelihood and impact. This focussed on each area 
of physical and transitional risk identified as being pertinent to the 
industries in which we operate. Once completed, this was compiled 
into an overall matrix of risk and opportunity, which can be seen in 
the tables on pages 72-75. As this exercise has been performed in 
respect of each part of the business, it has included assessment of 
risk by sector (and geography to the extent it is relevant).

In relation to the timeframes considered for the risks and 
opportunities identified below, these have been reconsidered 
following last year’s reporting, and the Group considers short term 
to be up to 2030, medium term to be up to 2040 and long term 
to be up to 2050. The financial commitments required to address 
the short-term risks are embedded in the Group’s short-term 
budget and five-year business plan. We have taken this approach 
as we recognise that the response to climate change is evolving 
rapidly and, whilst it is essential to deliver cost projections for the 
investment needed to tackle climate change, we must maintain 
flexibility to adapt our projections to take into account changes 
in the regulatory and legislative landscape and the evolving 
technological response and availability.

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OUR RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS 
TCFD

Risk Table

Low emissions scenario: 
2°C warming

Transition
Risk

Potential
financial impact

2030 2040 2050 Response

Technology

Capital cost of 
replacing/upgrading 
plant and vehicles

Subsidiaries affected:
BP and HBC

In this scenario the business 
is exposed to significant 
transition risks, including more 
stringent reporting regulation 
and short-notice legislative 
changes with requirements 
to adopt new or alternative 
materials and technologies 
that deliver low-carbon 
whole-life infrastructure 
assets and buildings. It 
includes associated supply 
chain impacts and potential 
cost increases.

Financial

Increase in supply 
chain costs as their 
transition costs 
(including technological 
and legislative) are 
passed through to main 
contractor/developer

Subsidiaries affected:
HBD and HBC

A balanced transition to carbon friendly 
plant and vehicles considering our 
customer base, the Group’s NZC 
targets and availability of technological 
advancements. The Group have 
assessed the cost of transitioning as 
part of our NZC framework, including 
the transition of cabins, generators and 
electrification of the fleet. These costs 
are included in the Group’s five-year 
business plan. We will look at scenario 
modelling the costs of transition in the 
next 18 months.

It remains difficult to predict the speed 
at which our supply chain will transition 
and the likely increase in cost to the 
Group or indeed our ability to share the 
cost with our customers. The Group’s 
aim is to maintain healthy margins 
on all developments by appropriately 
fixing costs and pricing accordingly 
while also supporting the transition of 
our Group and others to a low carbon 
economy.

Unmitigated risk  

 Significant risk  

 Elevated risk  

 Low risk

Subsidiary
HBC = Henry Boot Construction
BP = Banner Plant 

HLM = Hallam Land Management
SBH = Stonebridge Homes 

HBD = Henry Boot Developments
RL = Roadlink (A69)

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Low emissions scenario: 
2°C warming

Transition
Risk

Potential
financial impact

2030 2040 2050 Response

Market

Demand for sustainable 
assets rapidly increase 
/ reduced appetite for 
assets that do not meet 
sustainability criteria

Subsidiaries affected:
HBD, BP and HBC

In this scenario the business 
is exposed to significant 
transition risks, including more 
stringent reporting regulation 
and short-notice legislative 
changes with requirements 
to adopt new or alternative 
materials and technologies 
that deliver low-carbon whole-
life infrastructure assets 
and buildings. It includes 
associated supply chain 
impacts and potential cost 
increases (cont.)

Policy 
and legal

Government legislation 
designed to reduce 
emissions (such as 
emissions trading 
schemes/carbon 
tax requirements, 
biodiversity net gain 
or Future Homes 
standards) changes 
specifications and 
increases costs of 
schemes impacting 
viability. 

Subsidiaries affected:
HLM, HBD and SBH

Strategic Land values 
reduce as housebuilders 
and developers look 
to pass on additional 
building standards costs 
as well as additional 
site planning and 
infrastructure cost 
requirements. 

Subsidiaries affected:
HLM

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The Group continues to invest in 
sustainable schemes and assets in 
line with Group targets and to position 
ourselves favourably in the market.

The increasing cost of switching 
to sustainable options will in some 
cases be passed to customers or be 
embedded within initial appraisals, 
we also expect the Group will retain 
costs in some cases as a responsible 
employer and where this is the case 
provision is made in the Group’s 
budget and business plan.

The Group closely monitors existing 
and emerging legislation such as 
the Future Homes Standard and 
biodiversity requirements in advance 
of committing to a scheme. Appraisals 
then fully embed additional legislative 
costs which currently remain within 
accepted target return levels.

Strategic Land forecasts recognise 
potential decreases in profit per 
plot although we will look to begin 
modelling the full financial impact in the 
next 18 months. 

I

F
N
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N
C
A
L
S

I

Unmitigated risk  

 Significant risk  

 Elevated risk  

 Low risk

Subsidiary
HBC = Henry Boot Construction
BP = Banner Plant 

HLM = Hallam Land Management
SBH = Stonebridge Homes 

HBD = Henry Boot Developments
RL = Roadlink (A69)

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OUR RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS 
TCFD

High emissions scenario:
4°C warming

Transition
Risk

Potential
financial impact

2030 2040 2050 Response

In this scenario the business 
is exposed to significant 
physical risks, both acute 
and chronic, including 
exposure to flooding, strong 
winds and heat stress 
resulting in damage to assets, 
prolonged project delivery 
timescales and more onerous 
whole-of-life obligations on 
buildings and assets to ensure 
materials can withstand 
temperature extremes.

Extreme 
weather 
conditions – 
Precipitation, 
flood, wind

Heat stress

Flooding

Delayed build 
programmes due to 
extreme weather events, 
leading to additional 
risk/costs. Ground 
or site conditions/
location is affected by 
climate events which 
means that they are no 
longer viable for their 
intended use. 

Subsidiaries affected:
HBC, SBH and HBD

Design criteria evolved 
to combat overheating. 
Construction site 
conditions and practices 
will need to ensure 
worker health and safety 
and well-being.

Subsidiaries affected:
HBC, SBH and HBD

Already a key 
requirement of planning 
process. Increased 
number of flood plains 
in future may reduce 
land values

Subsidiaries affected:
HLM, SBH and HBD

Current scheme appraisals make 
allowance for delays and contractual 
protections are used where possible. 
We therefore do not expect any 
material short term financial losses. 
In the longer term where the Group 
is unable to contractually mitigate the 
risk it could result in margin erosion on 
schemes although we do not foresee 
this resulting in scheme losses due to 
the healthy margins currently achieved.

The Group remains mindful to develop 
sustainable assets and of the health 
and well-being impact on our people. 
While some costs will inevitably be 
passed on to the end user there will 
also be some financial impact on the 
Group. 

Flood assessments are considered 
on all schemes with a particular focus 
on Strategic Land which can be held 
for longer durations. In the long term 
we could experience a reduction in 
the volume of suitable land available 
leading to reduced margins or the 
impairment of land values where 
flooding becomes more prevalent. This 
is mitigated in the medium term by the 
suitable strategic land bank we hold in 
prime locations. We will look to begin 
modelling the financial impact in the 
next 18 months.  

Identified above are the primary risks to the Group – however, we continue to consider lesser risks which, if they were to increase in either 
likelihood or impact, would be elevated to primary risks. These include: 

•

•

•

•

the cost of investing in new technology to monitor our environmental impact;

cost of capital;

the valuation impact of environmental factors on investment property; and 

increase in insurance costs. 

Unmitigated risk  

 Significant risk  

 Elevated risk  

 Low risk

Subsidiary
HBC = Henry Boot Construction
BP = Banner Plant 

HLM = Hallam Land Management
SBH = Stonebridge Homes 

HBD = Henry Boot Developments
RL = Roadlink (A69)

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Opportunities

Opportunities

Description

Response

Resources

Recruitment of modern thinking and 
progressive people

The Group’s delivery on ESG matters, and in particular climate 
change, have already impacted the recruitment process with 
candidates often reflecting on this as a reason they join Henry Boot.

Financial

Market

Availability and cost of capital to 
the Group

Discussed potential targets with our funders and plan to incorporate 
climate targets at our next renewal in January 2025 as a means to 
reduce interest costs.

Green credentials open tendering 
opportunities

Diversified offerings to customers (green 
products, retrofitting, redevelopment)

Increased premium on products

Environmental credentials and reporting have supported numerous 
bids in the year, in particular our position on public sector framework 
contracts in the construction segment.

This opportunity will be progressed in line with our NZC targets 
to 2030.

Energy source 
and usage

Ability to attract tenants

Lower operating costs

Innovation and 
resilience

Digital transformation

The Group is progressing multiple developments which are 
operationally net zero and BREEAM excellent. This opportunity will 
be progressed as we recycle and develop assets, including the 
Group’s investment property.

As a Group we continue to invest heavily in digital transformation and 
systems as we believe this will support efficiency and effectiveness 
as the Group grows. This is an ongoing opportunity with key system 
upgrades currently in process.

Strategy
Currently we are in the process of carrying out qualitative scenario modelling work, the results of which are reflected (to the extent carried 
out) in the risks table set out above. Over the course of the next 18 months we intend to develop this further to encompass quantitative 
scenario modelling and use this to formulate a transition plan, which will specifically link to each identified risk and opportunity. The transition 
plan will be discussed with the subsidiary businesses, incorporating any short-term as well as longer-term milestones, preparing for and 
addressing those medium-term or long-term risks identified above. 

Scenario modelling will also include the potential financial impact and will link to any relevant disclosures on this within the financial 
statements, as well as linking to the relevant risks or opportunities identified. This information will then be crucial for use during the 
businesses’ preparation for its November 2023 Strategy Days, enabling the factors identified to be incorporated within the strategies to be 
considered by the Board and Executive Committee at that time. 

Metrics and Targets
The metrics we currently set relate predominantly to GHG emissions, though we are conscious that additional metrics will be required in relation 
to climate related risks and opportunities, capital deployment, internal carbon pricing and remuneration. We have a target to reach NZC for 
all direct (Scope 1 and 2) GHG emissions by 2030. In achieving this target, we are aiming to fully electrify our fleet of vans (and make initial 
progress in adapting our fleet of heavy goods vehicles), decarbonise operational emissions, and adapt our properties. Our Decarbonisation 
Trajectory (see below) plots our projected path to achieve NZC. 

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OUR RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS 
TCFD

Carbon Trajectory

4.0

3.0

2.0

1.0

0.0

)

e
2
O
C
k

(

s
e
n
n
o
T

Original Trajectory

Actual 

1,392 tonnes
to offset

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

Total direct emissions – 
scope 1 and 2 (tonnes of CO2e)
Carbon reduction plan total direct 
emissions - scope 1 and 2 
(tonnes of CO2e)
Total emissions (tonnes of CO2e)
Total energy consumed – 
scopes 1, 2 and 3 (MWh)

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

2030

3,313

2,562

2,706

2,930

3,313
4,404

3,204
3,357

3,095
3,654

2,985
3,958

2,875

2,765

2,653

1,392

n/a

11,551

12,600

13,647

In 2020, the Group worked with external consultants to establish a carbon reduction trajectory. From a 2019 baseline, reductions were 
forecast based on the Group NZC strategy which included fleet electrification, generator replacement and retrofitting of controlled sites 
amongst other activities. The trajectory forecast a reduction in direct emissions to 2,653 tonnes by 2025 and to 1,392 tonnes by 2030. The 
Group is meeting the reduction targets albeit having been largely impacted by the pandemic in 2020. Although our actions in respect of 
decarbonisation may evolve due to changes in legislation, and technology, we still believe that our 2025 and 2030 targets can be achieved. 

As seen below, we saw a moderate increase in our direct GHG emissions in 2022. This is partly due to increased productivity associated 
with the end of the COVID pandemic restrictions. It has also been exacerbated by a reliance on diesel powered generators for construction 
operations where it has not been possible to access electricity via a mains supply.

Despite these factors, we are pleased that we have made strong progress in our efforts to decarbonise our operations. Our energy usage 
decreased by 37% less gas and 9% less electricity used when compared with our 2019 baseline and business travel reduced by 34% (also using 
a 2019 baseline) as our colleagues adapted to new ways of working (these figures are not inclusive of Stonebridge Homes). We trialled a number of 
innovative technological solutions (including sustainable site-based generator solutions) which we hope will support a reduction in site based GHG 
emissions. We remain committed to our decarbonisation targets and are optimistic that we will achieve these.

In addition to our direct emissions, we are committed to reducing our indirect GHG emissions (Scope 3). In 2023, we will be undertaking 
a project to analyse our indirect emissions ahead of establishing a reduction target and action plan. This target will require significant 
collaboration with our people, supply chain and customers to ensure we take a collaborative approach to reaching NZC.

In addition to our decarbonisation targets, we have also established a range of additional targets (see page 35) focused on the reduction of 
waste, water and plastic usage. Utilising circular economy principles, we seek to expand on our strong existing performance to implement 
commercial processes that utilise resources and avoid creating waste. We are also committed to implementing nature stewardship into our 
commercial delivery and to innovate and work with key partners to enhance natural habitats and ecosystems in the environments in which 
we work.

This holistic approach to tackling the impacts of climate change will support our business to adapt to the evolving framework of regulation 
and stakeholder expectations, and to protect natural capital and reduce environmental damage.

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Henry Boot Group CO2 footprint by source

Henry Boot Group CO2e emissions
Scope 1: Combustion of fuel and operation of facilities (Location based)
Combustion of fuel and operation of facilities (Market based)
Scope 2: Electricity, heat, steam and cooling purchased for own use (Location based)
Electricity, heat, steam and cooling purchased for own use (Market based)
Total direct emissions
Total direct emissions per employee1
Scope 3: Upstream and downstream indirect emissions (Location based)
Upstream and downstream indirect emissions (Market based)
Total emissions (Location based)
Total emissions per employee1

2022
Tonnes
2,453
2,453
477
–
2,930
5.5 tonnes CO2e
1,028
906
3,958
7.4 tonnes CO2e

Rise

Trend
Rise

2021
Tonnes
2,303
2,303
403
–
2,706
Rise
5.5 tonnes CO2e No change
948
Rise
834
3,654
Rise
7.4 tonnes CO2e No change

1 Employee numbers are based on the monthly average for the year.

Carbon Emissions by Segment

Henry Boot Group Energy Usage
Total energy consumed (scopes 1, 2 and 3)

2022
MWh
13,647

2021
MWh
12,600

Trend
Rise

Henry Boot Group
CO2e emissions

2022
intensity
ratio 
tonnes of 
CO2e

2022
tonnes of 
CO2

2021
tonnes of 
CO2

2021
intensity
ratio tonnes 
of CO2e

Property investment and development
Land development
Construction
Group overheads
Total gross controlled emissions

1,089
33
2,740
96
3,958

9.29
0.94
21.12
1.17

757
35
2,739
122
3,654

11.47
1.17
26.68
1.85

Intensity 
basis
per 1,000 sq. ft 
of investment 
property with 
communal areas
per employee
per £1m of turnover
per employee

Trend of 
intensity

Fall
Fall
Fall
Fall

Our carbon emissions for the year ended 31 December 2022 were calculated using the GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting 
Standard, which provides requirements and guidance for companies calculating their GHG emissions and in accordance with the March 
2019 BEIS ‘Environmental Reporting Guidelines: Including streamlined energy and carbon reporting guidance’ and the EMA methodology 
for SECR Reporting.

Our direct and indirect operational carbon emissions are shown in the tables above. These sources fall within our consolidated financial 
statements. We do not have responsibility for any emission sources that are not included in our financial statements. Overall, the Group’s 
carbon emissions have increased by 8% when compared with the previous year, although remains comparable on a tonnes per employee 
basis. When compared to 2019 pre COVID levels the Group has reduced carbon emissions by 10%; this equates to a decrease of 0.7 
tonnes per employee.

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GOVERNANCE

Board of Directors

Executive Committee

Chairman’s Introduction

Governance at a Glance

Corporate Governance Report

– Division and Responsibilities

– Board Leadership and Company Purpose

– Composition, Success and Evaluation

– Nomination Committee Report

– Audit and Risk Committee Report

– Responsible Business Committee Report

– Directors’ Remuneration Report

– Annual Report on Remuneration

– Directors Report

– Statement of the Directors’ 

Responsibility in Respect of Financial Statements 

80

82

84

86

87

90

99

104

111

116

120

127

137

143

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Henry Boot PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2022

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Pictured: Ique qui iduci officii scidebis molore, aut offici aut 
diam asperit, con non cone vent, volum volo moluptat.

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BOARD OF 
DIRECTORS

PETER MAWSON
Chair

TIM ROBERTS
Chief Executive Officer

DARREN LITTLEWOOD 
Chief Financial Officer

JOANNE LAKE
Senior Independent Director

N B

R

B

B

A

R B

Date of appointment
October 2015

Date of appointment
January 2020

Date of appointment
January 2016

Date of appointment
October 2015

Independent
Yes

Independent
No

Independent
No

Independent
Yes

Additional roles held
Non-executive Chairman 
of Nexus Planning Limited, 
Board Representative for 
Paradise Circus Project for 
the Greater Birmingham 
& Solihull Local Enterprise 
Partnership.

Brings to the Board
Key strengths:

• Wide-ranging experience 

in senior leadership and 
practitioner roles across 
the built environment

•

Property development 
and planning knowledge 
in both the public and 
private sector

Peter has a wealth 
of experience in the 
management and leadership 
of professional service 
firms, together with senior 
practitioner expertise across 
the built environment, from 
both public and private sector 
perspectives.

Additional roles held
Previously Director of British 
Land PLC, and Non-executive 
Director of Songbird PLC.

Brings to the Board
Key strengths:

•

•

•

Strong strategic and 
corporate experience 
accumulated as past 
longstanding Director

Strong property and 
leadership experience

Extensive experience 
in delivering significant 
property development 
projects

Tim joined Henry Boot as 
Chief Executive Officer 
in January 2020. He is 
responsible for developing 
and implementing Group 
Strategy and has ultimate 
responsibility for Group 
profitability. Tim leads the 
engagement with all the 
Company’s stakeholders, 
including interaction with 
investors and our people. He 
is also the Director responsible 
for all health, safety and 
environmental matters.

Additional roles held
Director of the Company’s 
six principal operating 
subsidiaries and Member 
of the CBI Yorkshire and 
Humber Regional Council.

Brings to the Board
Key strengths:

•

•

In depth Group and 
financial experience

Establishing and 
delivering strategy whilst 
protecting assets in 
the Group

Darren joined the Group in 
1999 prior to his appointment 
as Group Finance Director in 
2016. He became qualified as 
a member of the Chartered 
Institute of Management 
Accountants in 2007 and is 
responsible for all financial 
and risk matters relating to the 
Group. He is heavily involved 
in investor communications 
and, along with Tim Roberts, 
is also responsible for 
communicating strategy and 
results to both private and 
institutional investors.

Additional roles held
Non-executive Chair of 
Made Tech Group plc, Non-
executive Director of Gateley 
(Holdings) Plc, Non-executive 
Director of Pollen Street PLC 
and Non-executive Director of 
Braemar PLC.

Brings to the Board
Key strengths:

•

•

Extensive financial and 
investment banking 
experience

In depth knowledge of 
strategy and governance

Joanne has over 30 years’ 
experience in accountancy 
and investment banking, 
including with Panmure 
Gordon, Evolution Securities, 
Williams de Broe and 
Pricewaterhouse. She is a 
Chartered Accountant and 
a Fellow of the Chartered 
Institute for Securities & 
Investment and of the ICAEW, 
and is a member of the 
ICAEW’s Corporate Finance 
Faculty. Joanne became the 
Senior Independent Director 
on 26 May 2022.

Key

Committee Membership

N  Nomination  A  Audit and Risk  R  Remuneration  B  Responsible Business 

 Committee Chair

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JAMES SYKES
Non-executive Director

GERALD JENNINGS
Non-executive Director and 
Designated Non-executive 
Director for Workforce 
Engagement

SERENA LANG
Non-executive Director

AMY STANBRIDGE
General Counsel and 
Company Secretary

N B

N

A R

N

A

BR

Date of appointment
March 2011

Date of appointment
October 2015

Date of appointment
August 2022

Date of appointment
October 2018

Independent
No

Independent
Yes

Independent
Yes

Independent
No

Additional roles held
Chairman and Partner in 
the London office of Saffery 
Champness Chartered 
Accountants, which he 
joined in 1987. He is a Non-
executive Director of Saffery 
Champness business in 
Guernsey.

Brings to the Board
Key strengths:

•

•

Significant strategic land 
knowledge

Sound financial 
background and 
experience

As a partner in the Private 
Wealth and Estates Group at 
Saffery Champness he has 
many years’ experience in the 
UK strategic land market and 
brings that experience to Board 
decision making generally but 
particularly to Hallam Land 
Management Limited.

Additional roles held
Non-executive Chairman 
of Social Communications 
(Leeds) Limited, Chair of the 
Morley Town Deal Board and 
Director of G R Jennings 
Properties Ltd.

Brings to the Board
Key strengths:

• Widespread industry 

experience in retail and 
property

•

•

•

Successful track record 
of delivering significant 
development projects and 
working with a wide range 
of stakeholders.

Extensive experience in 
asset management

A variety of executive 
and non-executive roles 
over the years within the 
private, public and third 
sectors

Gerald has over 30 years’ 
experience in the retail and 
property industry and the 
delivery of major development 
projects and adding value 
through proactive asset 
management.

Additional roles held
Chairman of Eleco plc and 
Non-executive Director of 
Ainscough Crane Hire Ltd.

Brings to the Board
Key strengths:

•

•

•

Extensive strategic 
leadership, growth and 
digital transformation 
experience

Experience in 
industrial, engineering 
and construction 
environments and 
culturally diverse markets

Strong sustainability 
credentials, specifically in 
the Built Environment

• Diversity of thought to 

the Board having worked 
across multiple industries

Prior to joining Eleco plc in 
2014, she previously held 
executive roles as Enterprise 
Client Executive at Invensys 
(now Schneider Electric), 
Global VP of Transformation 
at BP plc and as an Executive 
Consultant at Capgemini 
Ernst & Young.

Additional roles held
Trustee of St Luke’s Hospice, 
Sheffield and member of 
Business in the Community’s 
(BITC) Yorkshire and 
Humber Board.

Brings to the Board
Key strengths:

•

Significant legal, 
compliance, regulatory 
and corporate 
governance experience

• Robust knowledge of all 

aspects of commercial 
law and practice

Having obtained her 
qualifications at the 
Universities of Nottingham 
(LLB Hons) and Sheffield 
(PG Dip LP), Amy qualified 
as a solicitor in 2006 and 
as a Chartered Secretary in 
2019. She is an experienced 
lawyer with a demonstrated 
history of working in-house 
in the public sector and 
construction industry. With 
a broad range of expertise 
across contract and 
commercial law and practice, 
construction matters, 
corporate governance and 
compliance matters, Amy 
has worked at Henry Boot 
PLC since 2014, becoming 
Company Secretary in 2018 
and General Counsel in 2021.

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EXECUTIVE 
COMMITTEE

NICK DUCKWORTH
Hallam Land 
Management Limited

EDWARD HUTCHINSON
Henry Boot
Developments Limited

TONY SHAW 
Henry Boot 
Construction Limited

JONATHAN FISHER
Banner Plant Limited

Date of appointment
Managing Director in 2016

Date of appointment
Managing Director in 2018

Date of appointment
Managing Director in 2021

Date of appointment
Managing Director in 2021

Brings to the 
Executive Committee
Nick Duckworth MRTPI 
began his career in a private 
sector planning consultancy, 
Phillips Planning Services, 
in 1990. He left there in late 
1992 and joined Hallam 
Land’s then newly established 
Northampton office. In 1997, 
Nick set up the South West 
office of Hallam Land in Bristol 
and became the Regional 
Manager. He was appointed a 
Director in 2002 and became 
Managing Director in 2016.

Brings to the 
Executive Committee
Edward Hutchinson BSc 
(Hons), MRICS started his 
career in quantity surveying 
before quickly progressing 
into project management. 
He joined Henry Boot 
Developments in 2004 as 
a Project Manager rapidly 
rising to the position of Senior 
Project Manager in 2006. 
Edward was appointed a 
Director in 2012 and became 
Managing Director in 2018. 
In January 2021, he became 
a board member of the 
Yorkshire Board of LandAid, 
following which he assumed 
the position of Chair in 
January 2023.

Brings to the 
Executive Committee
Tony Shaw joined Henry Boot 
Construction Limited as a 
Trainee in 1985 and with a 
background in production 
planning and project 
management, he has held 
a number of positions in the 
business including Regional 
Manager and Operations 
Director. Tony is North East 
Regional Chair and a Director 
of the National Federation of 
Builders (NFB) and a Director 
of the Yorkshire Builders 
Federation (YBF). Tony took 
over as Managing Director in 
July 2021.

Brings to the 
Executive Committee
Jonathan Fisher joined 
the Henry Boot Group in 
2021, bringing with him 
extensive experience in 
hospitality and facilities 
management. He began his 
career as a General Manager 
with Whitbread before 
transitioning into sales and 
management within facilities 
management. At the Algeco 
Group, Jonathan worked as 
an Account Director before 
being promoted to Regional 
Director, overseeing four 
production facilities. He also 
served as UK Sales Director 
before becoming Managing 
Director at Banner Plant. In 
addition to his professional 
achievements, Jonathan is 
a foundation governor at his 
local high school.

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Additional Executive 
Committee Members

DARREN STUBBS
Stonebridge Homes
Limited

RACHEL WHITE
Henry Boot PLC

Date of appointment
Chief Executive in 2010

Date of appointment
HR Director in 2022

TIM ROBERTS
Chief Executive Officer

Brings to the 
Executive Committee
Darren Stubbs has a 
wealth of experience in the 
housebuilding industry and 
a proven track record in 
delivering successful housing 
developments, spanning 
a 39-year career. Darren 
founded Stonebridge Homes 
in 2010, a jointly-owned 
company with Henry Boot 
PLC. Darren is the Chairman 
of The Yorkshire Children’s 
Charity and Vice Chair of 
Zarach, a charity who 
provide beds to children living 
in poverty.

Brings to the 
Executive Committee
Rachel White joined Henry 
Boot PLC in 2001 as a 
graduate. She has held a 
number of roles in the HR 
team, before taking the role 
of HR Director in July 2022. 
Rachel leads the delivery 
of our People Strategy to 
meet the requirements of 
our internal stakeholders 
including employee relations, 
succession planning, talent 
management, diversity and 
inclusion, wellbeing, reward 
and recognition, employee 
benefits and employee 
engagement.

Rachel is also a Trustee 
Director for Henry Boot 
Pension Trustees Limited 
and is a member of the 
Governance Committee for 
the Henry Boot PLC Group 
Stakeholder Pension Plan. 
In 2022, Rachel became a 
Trustee of The Children’s 
Hospital Charity and is also a 
volunteer befriender to lonely 
older people through b:Friend.

DARREN LITTLEWOOD
Chief Financial Officer

AMY STANBRIDGE
General Counsel and 
Company Secretary

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CHAIR’S 
INTRODUCTION

PETER MAWSON
CHAIR

Dear Shareholders,

T

his year has seen quite a change for us as a 
Board, most significantly with the retirement 
of Jamie Boot as our Chairman, my 
appointment to the role and the recruitment 
of a new Non-executive Director, Serena 
Lang. This represents a substantial shift for 
the Board, with us reflecting on the loss 
of Jamie’s many years of experience and 

expertise in navigating the challenges faced by the business 
during his tenure, and we wish Jamie all the best in his 
well-deserved retirement. It has also presented us with the 
scope to progress our succession planning approach, and I 
am naturally delighted to have been given the opportunity to 
step into the role as the Chair. It is my intention to ensure that 
we carry on the great work we have had underway for many 
years under Jamie’s direction in our approach to governance, 
and also make further progress on our journey towards 
greater diversity and inclusion throughout the business, 
whilst strengthening our succession and leadership support. 
We wholeheartedly welcome Serena to her position on the 
Board and also, from the beginning of 2023, as the Chair of 
the Responsible Business Committee, an area in which she 
brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise. 

During 2022 we further developed our methodology for 
strategic planning and, during a year in which there has been 
a substantial degree of turbulence, this tested our adaptability 
to not only weather this challenging time to come but also 
used it as an opportunity to reflect on areas of the business 
in which we can progress some material programmes of 
modernisation. I believe this is a testament to how robust and 
aspirational our ambitions are. This is something that we have 
debated thoroughly as a Board and I am confident that, with 
the enhanced Executive Committee support and input that 
we now receive, we are set up well to move forwards. 

Succession Planning and Diversity
As a Board, we have been carefully thinking about our 
wider succession planning approach and how we ensure 
a diverse representation of views on our Board, which 
you can read about in more detail in the Nomination 
Committee Report on pages 104 to 110. Further work on 
our recruitment ambitions will be delivered during 2023 
and 2024, which I believe will bolster the resilience and 
expertise of the Board and we are mindful that whilst doing 
so we want to maintain the excellent working relationships 
we have always enjoyed as a team. To facilitate our future 
approach to recruitment, we have also rethought the ways 
in which we analyse the skills and expertise of our wider 
senior leadership team, which you can read more about on 
pages 107 to 108.

Strategy
The Company continues to enhance its methods of 
reviewing Company strategy, holding our Strategy Days in 
November 2022. We were not only joined by the Executive 
Committee but a range of other senior leaders from within 
the business, who presented on and debated key aspects 
of both subsidiary and the wider Group approach on issues 
such as people, marketing and IT. By restructuring these 
discussions, the Board had the ability to obtain greater 
insight of these key areas and fully analyse our resilience, 
ambition and focus. Whilst the main strategic direction 
of the Group has not changed, by being able to discuss 
issues directly with a range of senior leaders, it also gave 
a great opportunity to us to interact more widely and gave 
visibility to important members of the wider leadership 
team. More details on this can be found on page 91.

Leadership Development and Oversight
In a number of areas this year, the Board has overseen 
initiatives intended to reshape our approach to reward 
and recognition, leadership development and broader 
succession issues. The launch by the Group of an 
overarching Reward Strategy has been a major move 
forwards for us. Ensuring that this compliments the 
existing Remuneration Policy, as well as being rolled 
out thoughtfully, this has been overseen by the Board 
and Remuneration Committee. Thinking about how we 
communicate programmes such as this also touches 
on how we bring our leaders along with us on important 
initiatives and we have overseen a programme of 
development activity for our Executive Committee, as 
well as some other senior leadership upskilling sessions, 
to support this. The next phase of our leadership 
development is Aspire, our Management Development 
Programme, will launch in early 2023 and alongside this we 
are reviewing wider succession plans and talent grids to 
ensure that the oversight of this area is robust. 

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Code Compliance

During 2022 the Board and its Committees have continued to keep their focus on ensuring wherever 
possible that compliance with the Code can be achieved, improving its operations and governance. 
This is demonstrated throughout this Corporate Governance Report and of particular note are the 
Code principles below with references to further detail as applicable.

Given our long history as a family business, and as a FTSE Small Cap company, we have adopted 
alternative solutions to the provisions where we believe this is appropriate. The Code recognises that 
good governance can be achieved by other means, and the Board believes the approach we have 
taken is the most appropriate for the Company and its shareholders, while remaining consistent with 
the spirit of the Code.

Division and responsibilities

Read more on pages 87 to 89

Board leadership and Company 
purpose

Read more on pages 90 to 98

Composition, success and evaluation

Read more on pages 99 to 110

Audit, risk and internal control

Read more on pages 111 to 114

Remuneration

Read more on pages 120 to 135

“I am delighted to have stepped into the role 
as Chair during 2022 and am confident about 
the direction of the Group, its resilience, 
ambition and focus, strengthened by our 
approach to governance.”

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Responsible Business 
Delivering on our Responsible Business 
goals remains a key focus for the Board 
and, as well as embedding our Responsible 
Business Committee activity in 2022, we 
welcomed a range of guest speakers to 
help us develop our thinking on key topics. 
Areas developed this year included our 
climate change framework, health and 
wellbeing approach as well as volunteering 
and charitable giving. You can read more 
about this in detail on pages 116 to 119. 
In addition, to strengthen our governance 
in this area, an ESG Steering Group, 
which feeds into the Responsible Business 
Committee, was formed. I look forward 
to working closely with Serena Lang as 
she assumes the role as the Chair of 
the Responsible Business Committee to 
continue refining its operations and ensuring 
that we support the business with its 
ambitions in this area. 

The following report sets out our 
structure, governance processes and key 
activities undertaken by the Board and its 
Committees during 2022. We welcome 
feedback from our stakeholders and I would 
encourage you to get in touch with us on 
any governance matters. I hope to see 
many of you at our AGM on 25 May 2023 
(see page 208 for full details).

PETER MAWSON
CHAIR

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GOVERNANCE
AT A GLANCE

HIGHLIGHTS

Promoting long-term success
•

Against an uncertain economic backdrop, the Board has remained purposefully selective on new 
projects, with gearing remaining low at 12.3% (2021: 11.4%), allowing the Group to react to any 
opportunities available in the market. 

• Key themes and actions arising from the Strategy Days in November centred around long-term vision 

and maintaining strategic ambition. This included the pursuit of high-quality projects, improving business 
processes, investment in technology and nurturing future talent. 

Read more on page 91

Responsible Business
• Recognising the rising pressures on the cost of living, the Board approved a £1,000 one-off payment 
in September 2022 for those in the lower paid grades 6-9 and we offered financial coaching to all our 
people. Alongside this, we also increased our community support through volunteering and donations 
to local food banks.

•

ESG targets from the Responsible Business Strategy relating to scope 1 and 2 GHG emission 
reductions and improving gender balance across the Group have been introduced into the LTIPs 
for the Executive Directors and senior management. ESG-related objectives have already been 
incorporated into the Annual Bonus plan.

•

Strong performance made against the Responsible Business Strategy medium-term targets for 2025.

Read more on pages 116 to 119

Board Succession 
•

A wholesale review of the skills matrix was undertaken at the end of 2022 as we look ahead to future 
Non-executive Director appointments and consider the future skills needed to maintain long-term 
success. For the first time, the Executive Committee members were included in the review to provide 
a wider coverage of the skills set available across the top layers of the Company.

•

•

Serena Lang joined the Board in August 2022 and underwent a thorough and tailored induction 
programme, meeting all the Executive Committee members, the Chair of the Group Employee 
Forum and other key senior managers. She also undertook several site visits including Henry Boot 
Construction’s Cocoa Works re-development in York and several Stonebridge Homes sites in 
Harrogate meeting employees and other stakeholders.

The Nomination Committee updated the Board Diversity Policy to increase our target for female 
representation on the Board from 33% to 40%. 

Read more on pages 104 to 110

Stakeholder Engagement
•

2022 has seen increased engagement between the Board and the workforce on a number of matters. 
Board members attended the town hall meeting to discuss a potential move away from the existing 
head office and received all consultation feedback from employees before coming to a decision 
to relocate to Sheffield city centre. Regular feedback has been sought to gauge sentiment on the 
implementation of the workforce reward strategy and the new personal development review process. 

•

The Board met with the Group Employee Forum (GEF) in March and September. Gerald Jennings, 
who attends all the GEF meetings, provides updates to the Board on any key issues and ensures that 
there is a two-way dialogue between the two groups.

• Customers were identified as a stakeholder group that the Board wanted increased oversight of. New 
customer plans have been developed for each business and updates will be provided on a more 
regular basis at Board meetings. 

Read more on pages 59 to 60

“We have confidence 
in the long-term 
fundamentals of our 
markets, business 
model and have 
the operational and 
financial resources to 
continue to meet our 
strategic growth and 
return objectives.” 

Tim Roberts

£1,000 Cost of Living 
payment made to 
67% of the workforce 
in September 2022.

As part of his 
transition into the 
Chair role, Peter 
Mawson has held 
14 ‘Meet the Team’ 
sessions across 
10 office locations, 
and visited 7 plant 
hire depots and 
8 project sites. 

An improved 
customer insight 
programme will 
be rolled out during 
2023 with increased 
reporting to the 
Board on customer 
feedback and 
priorities.

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CORPORATE 
GOVERNANCE REPORT

DIVISION OF RESPONSIBILITIES

UK Corporate Governance Code 2018
The Board is committed to achieving high governance standards and 
following best practice. Where we do not strictly follow the Code, 
considerable thought is given to ensuring that our approach aligns with 
the spirit of good governance, helps to promote high ethical standards 
and sustains the success of the Company over the long term. 

For this financial year, as a premium listed company, the Company 
was subject to compliance with the UK Corporate Governance 
Code 2018 (Code). Further details of how the Code has been 
applied are set out throughout this Corporate Governance section 
and a statement of Code compliance is presented on page 118.

The Board
The names, responsibilities and other details of each of the 
Directors of the Board are set out on pages 80 and 81. Jamie 
Boot resigned as a Director and Chair on 26 May 2022, with Peter 
Mawson stepping into the Chair role. Serena Lang joined the Board 
as Non-executive Director on 1 August 2022. Biographies for each 
Director are shown on page 80 to 81 and roles and responsibilities 
can be viewed on the website.

Peter Mawson 
Non-executive Director

Tim Roberts 
Chief Executive Officer

Darren Littlewood 
Chief Financial Officer

Joanne Lake 
Senior Independent Director

James Sykes 
Non-executive Director

Gerald Jennings 
Non-executive Director

Serena Lang
Non-executive Director

Jamie Boot
Non-executive Director

8

8

8

8

8

8

8

8

8

8

8

8

2

2

4

4

Meetings attended

Eligible meetings

Throughout the year there have been six scheduled Board 
meetings attended by all Directors, and two separate Board 
meetings to approve one-off, urgent matters. In addition to the 
formal Board meetings, two Strategy Days were held in November 
with a selection of sessions attended by the Executive Committee 
and senior management.

The number of Committee meetings are reported in each 
Committee report.

Board composition

Executive
29%

Independent 
Non-executive Chair
14%

Board tenure

6+ years
72%

Board gender

Male
72%

Independent
Non-executive
43%

Non-independent
Non-executive
14%

0-2 years
14%
3-5 years
14%

Female
28%

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Board composition and independence 
The governance structures in place are designed to reflect the 
individuality of the Company and the composition of both its 
institutional shareholders and individual shareholders, many of 
whom have family ties to the Company. James Sykes is classed 
as non-independent, having been appointed to represent the 
substantial shareholdings of the Reis family interests (see page 139). 

The Company values the importance of its independent Non-
executive Directors who provide objective advice and challenge the 
Executive Directors. Their diverse backgrounds in various sectors 
and knowledge of the wider business environment are critical when it 
comes to strategy development. The Non-executive Directors meet 
without the Executive Directors present, usually the evening before 
the Board meetings and on other occasions throughout the year.

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CORPORATE 
GOVERNANCE REPORT

DIVISION OF RESPONSIBILITIES

Governance framework

Board

Audit and 
Risk
Committee

Nomination
Committee

Remuneration
Committee

Responsible 
Business 
Committee

Group
Employee 
Forum

You can read 
about the 
structure for the 
Board’s oversight 
of climate-
related risks and 
opportunities in 
the Responsible 
Business 
Committee report 
on page 118.

Executive Committee

Land Promotion

Property 
Investment and 
Development

Construction

Subsidiary
Employee 
Employee 
Forums
Forums

Hallam Land
Management

Henry Boot
Developments

Henry Boot
Construction

Stonebridge
Homes

Banner 
Plant

Road 
Link (A69)

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Key features

Board 

•

•

The Board maintains a formal schedule of matters reserved for its decision that cannot be delegated 
elsewhere (available to view on the website)

This schedule is reviewed at least annually and includes:

− establishing long-term strategy and objectives 

− overseeing culture and stakeholder engagement

− approval of annual budgets, financial results and the dividend policy

− approval of capital expenditure above an agreed amount

− the determination and monitoring of the Company’s principal and emerging risks including the 

effectiveness of internal controls

• When matters require Board approval, management is required to present a detailed paper which includes 

any input or feedback received from stakeholders, assessment of key risks and how the matter links to Group 
strategy

Board 
Committees

• Delegated authority from the Board to look after specific areas of responsibility

•

Each Committee operates under its own written Terms of Reference which are reviewed at least annually and 
are available on the website

• Report to the Board and work alongside the other Committees eg the Responsible Business Committee 

works alongside the Audit and Risk Committee to fully consider the TCFD reporting requirements

• Responsible Business Committee formed in 2021 – see page 116 for more information

• Have access to external consultants where necessary

•

See pages 104 to 135 for more information on the work of each Committee

Executive 
Committee

• Members are set out on pages 82 to 83

• Re-formed in December 2020, the Board has reviewed and approved their updated Terms of Reference and 

delegated levels of authority

• Meets ten times a year to debate strategic issues that affect the Group, to collaborate and share best practice 

and make recommendations to the Board

•

Appointments to the Executive Committee are overseen by the Nomination Committee and the Board. 
Members of the Executive Committee attend the Board meetings regularly and are part of the Board 
Strategy Days.

Subsidiary 
Boards

• Day-to-day operational management of the subsidiary companies sits with their respective boards and MDs

•

•

The CEO and CFO sit on all the principal subsidiary company boards

The MDs are invited to attend the Strategy Days and the Board meetings on a rotational basis to discuss 
business plans and strategy

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CORPORATE 
GOVERNANCE REPORT

BOARD LEADERSHIP AND COMPANY PURPOSE

Enabling long-term sustainable success
Henry Boot’s long-term success is founded upon a clear purpose and supporting strategy, 
which considers the views and needs of its many stakeholders. 

Details of the Board’s contribution to the long-term success of the Company whilst ensuring 
responsible governance, strategy implementation and oversight of operations is set out below.

Committed to engaging
with wider stakeholders
and hearing their voices
in decision-making

Read more 
on page 58

Developing and
embedding our approach
to ESG matters, through
the launch and embedding
of our Responsible
Business Strategy

Read more 
on page 32

Contributing to the
Group’s strategy in its
dedicated Strategy Days

Read more 
on page 91

Supporting
Henry Boot’s
long-term
success

Oversight of the
Group’s sustainable 
business model

Read more 
on page 20

History of managing
gearing, and the balance
sheet, effectively through 
the cycle

Read more 
on page 57

Consideration of the
risks and opportunities
facing the business (with an 
additional focus on climate-
related risks and opportunities) 
and aligning with strategy

Read more 
on page 50

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Board Leadership and Company Purpose
The Board has a rolling 12-month Forward Business Schedule which is regularly reviewed to check that there is appropriate balance across the 
year between forward-looking vs backward-looking discussion and between strategy, risk, operations and governance. It includes routine items 
that are included on every agenda such as health and safety and financial updates as well as one-off topical items or decisions for approval. 

The schedule ensures that all stakeholder groups are discussed and, where appropriate, attendance from management and colleagues across the 
different businesses is encouraged. 

Stakeholders 
considered

Link to 
Strategy

What was reviewed and considered?

Area

Contributing to the 
Group’s Strategy 
Days

Sh E Cu

History of managing 
gearing and the 
balance sheet 
effectively through 
the cycle

E Cu S

Sh Co     En

Consideration of 
the risk facing the 
businesses

E Cu Sh

S

Overseeing the 
health and safety 
arrangements in 
place

E

S En

Co Cu

Commitment to 
development and 
increasing our 
knowledge of the 
business and culture

E Cu S

Sh En

The Board held a productive session over two days joined by the Executive Committee 
and other senior management. Strategies for each of the subsidiary businesses were 
debated with a renewed focus on the types of opportunities we want to pursue and 
how to build upon existing relationships with customers. Alongside this, time was 
dedicated to ensuring that the strategies for some of the central support functions 
(IT, Marketing and People) were aligned and able to help the businesses deliver their 
long-term ambitions. The key themes, actions and decisions from the sessions were 
captured, shared with senior management and will be regularly reviewed.

Throughout our 135-year history, Henry Boot has successfully navigated its way through 
many economic crises and cyclical downturns thanks to its sustainable business model. 

The Board monitors the level of gearing at every meeting ensuring that it remains within 
the agreed target range. More than ever, the Board has considered how best to employ 
capital to maximise returns and make progress against the agreed strategic objectives.

Before coming to any investment decision, the Board considers gearing, the Group’s 
positioning in each of its key three markets and the level of risk involved.

The Audit and Risk Committee and the Board review the Group’s principal and 
emerging risks twice a year (see pages 50 to 56 for more information) but given the 
level of uncertainty in the market, the Board has taken a heightened approach to risk 
management. 

At the start of the year, the Board concentrated specifically on the risks posed to the 
business from the war in Ukraine and the measures that had been put in place to mitigate 
them, such as having 97% of the committed development programme as fixed cost.

Risks relating to individual investment decisions are considered in detail before approval, 
particularly for speculative schemes where the Board actively manages the amount 
of speculative vs pre-sold or pre-let projects within the committed development 
programme. 

As one of Henry Boot’s core strategic objectives, safety remains a key priority at 
Board level. Health and Safety KPIs are discussed at every Board meeting alongside 
reporting on accidents and near misses.

The Group Health & Safety Manager meets with the Board to present the annual 
Health and Safety reports for each of the principal businesses and outlines his 
recommendations for improvement.

In October, the Board held an interactive session with the Vice Chair of the TCFD to 
discuss his role on the TCFD steering group and good practice around reporting. Other 
development opportunities during 2022 included a discussion with a Sustainability Lead 
from Natwest Bank who specialised in the real estate and housing sector to explore 
key themes and trends and also a refresher course on Directors’ statutory duties. An 
extensive programme of training and development has been prepared for 2023 with a 
focus on the ESG agenda.

On an operational level during 2022, the Board visited the Setl and Neighbourhood sites 
in Birmingham, Phoenix 10 in Walsall and New Horizon in Nottingham. Informal lunches 
have been held with various teams and offices following Board meetings and most 
Non-executive Directors have also attended a sample of subsidiary board meetings 
across the 12 months providing opportunities to engage with talent throughout the 
organisation and give an insight into culture and health and safety practices.

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Group strategic priorities

Stakeholders

 Safety 

 People 

 Growth 

 Delivery

E Employees

S Suppliers

Sh Shareholders

En Environment

Cu Customers

P Pensioners

Co Communities

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CORPORATE 
GOVERNANCE REPORT

BOARD LEADERSHIP AND COMPANY PURPOSE

Our Culture 
The Henry Boot Group adopted its Purpose, Vision and Values in 2017 after extensive work had been carried out through numerous Group 
employee engagements – this is referred to as the ‘Henry Boot Way’. By approaching the definition of our culture in this way, we ensured that 
we could capture the thoughts of employees through a ‘bottom-up’ approach and articulated a culture that reflected all. Since then, we have 
been on a journey to reflect the Henry Boot Way throughout our business, and it remains a key element in our Group strategy. The Board 
recognises that not only does it have a key role to play in living the Values itself, but also the need to ensure that the overall culture of the Group 
is embedded within its strategy and general approach to business. Over the course of 2023 and 2024, the Board along with the Executive 
Committee will be looking again at culture, how it is understood throughout the business and how it is monitored, alongside work on the brand 
value proposition and employee value proposition, which will be reported on in subsequent years. 

S T R ATEGY

Our purpose
To empower and develop 
our people to create
long-term value and
sustainable growth for
our stakeholders

VALUE S
THEHENRY BO O T W A Y

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How the Board monitored culture in 2022

Engagement 
surveys

Action

The cycle of undertaking and 
reflecting on the outcomes of 
the main employee survey has 
now become well established 
by the Board, Executive 
Committee and subsidiary 
boards. To continue the 
process adopted in 2021, 
the Group Employee Forum 
(GEF) was asked to reflect on 
some of the areas identified 
as requiring further focus 
within the survey results, and 
attended a Board meeting 
to discuss their views and 
proposals for addressing the 
issues raised.

During 2022 and in support of 
our revised Reward Strategy, 
we also engaged with our 
people to establish the value 
they placed on the various 
employment benefits offered 
by the Group and to establish 
if there were any gaps in 
our offer.

Health and 
Wellbeing

The Health and Wellbeing 
Strategy, and the work that 
has been done to produce this 
(including substantial input by 
the Group Employee Forum) 
and launch it, is covered in 
more detail on page 65

Link to culture, and 
effectiveness of 
engagement method

Values upheld 
or impacted

Outcomes, development 
of culture and addressing 
culture issues

Loyalty

Integrity

Collaboration

The Board reviewed the 
survey outcome as a whole 
and through the direct 
engagement with the GEF, 
focussed on areas that had 
not scored as well within 
the survey, such as ability to 
balance work with home life, 
and switch off from work. 
The Board and Responsible 
Business Committee 
have incorporated these 
suggestions within the Health 
and Wellbeing Strategy, 
launched in early 2023.

We continue to say that our 
people are our greatest asset, 
and at times of challenge, 
we can provide stability and 
support in various guises. 
This goes to the heart of the 
culture of the Group, that we 
are nothing without the people 
who make our business a 
success.

Respect

Adaptability

Integrity

The Health and Wellbeing 
Strategy discussed above 
aims to develop our culture as 
a progressive and proactive, 
supportive employer of choice. 

The outcomes of an 
engagement survey which can 
build a picture year on year 
regarding the shift of attitude 
by employees relating to 
culture are essential. It gives 
a good baseline for the Board 
to measure against, and as 
a method of engagement it 
ensures that it reaches all areas 
of the Group. In addition, being 
able to hear directly from GEF 
members on issues that impact 
them and their areas of the 
business enables the Board to 
understand directly whether 
those employees feel that the 
culture of the business is being 
upheld, and where it is not, 
what employees feel could be 
done to address this. 

During the cost of living crisis 
our people are looking to 
the Group for guidance and 
support more than ever in 
different ways, by engaging 
with our people to provide 
valued benefits we hope to 
have alleviated some of the 
pressure being felt. 

The formulation of the Health 
and Wellbeing Strategy 
reflects the outcomes of our 
engagement surveys and 
issues that have particularly 
resonated with our employees, 
as set out above. Engagement 
methods in developing our 
Strategy included:

− GEF reflection and Board 

presentations (see more on 
page 96)

− Health and Wellbeing 
Working Group

− HR Management team

−

A range of other internal 
engagements

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CORPORATE 
GOVERNANCE REPORT

BOARD LEADERSHIP AND COMPANY PURPOSE

Employee 
forum

Action

As well as the direct Board 
interaction outlined above, 
and as described on page 
96, linkage to the Board is 
provided by the designated 
Non-executive Director 
appointed to liaise with the 
GEF, so that the entire Board 
can benefit from hearing the 
feedback and respond to 
issues as necessary.

Whistleblowing 
response

In 2022, a whistleblowing 
report was received in respect 
of cultural issues within 
Henry Boot Construction, 
in particular in relation to 
the position of and working 
practices impacting women 
within the business.

Values upheld 
or impacted

Collaboration

Respect

Integrity 

Loyalty

Respect

Link to culture, and 
effectiveness of 
engagement method

The Group and Subsidiary 
Employee Forums provide 
a key method of employee 
engagement on several issues 
including cultural matters 
and perceptions throughout 
the Group. The designated 
NED feeds back on issues 
discussed by the GEF at every 
Board meeting, to ensure that 
relevant issues are taken into 
account in decision-making 
as well as the general view 
across the Group on matters 
impacting on culture. Bringing 
together interested members 
of the Group, who can speak 
directly to the designated NED, 
means that a cross section of 
views from around the Group 
can be heard. 

Following receipt of the 
whistleblowing report, 
immediate action was taken 
by the CEO supported by the 
HR Director to implement an 
investigation into the allegations 
made. This was overseen by a 
director from one of our other 
subsidiaries, and took the 
form of interviews and data 
gathering to create a robust 
assessment. The report was 
shared and accepted by the 
board of HBC and formed a 
basis on which a cultural action 
plan has been developed 
and is being implemented 
during 2023.

Outcomes, development 
of culture and addressing 
culture issues

The Board, represented by 
the designated NED, attended 
all GEF meetings in the year 
and provided insight to the 
GEF around several matters, 
including the socialisation of 
our new reward strategy for 
our people. Other NEDs and 
the Executive Directors have 
also attended the GEF by 
invitation where relevant to 
the agenda. Views of the GEF 
have been taken into account 
when discussing those issues 
at the Board, as reported in 
more detail on pages 96 to 97. 

We have always encouraged 
our people to speak up if there 
is something that is causing 
concern, recognising that this 
may not always be possible 
through overt routes, so a 
whistleblowing line is in place 
for those times where a direct 
report might not be possible. 
Our ongoing engagement 
with our people through 
various routes means that 
the use of our whistleblowing 
line is minimal and that any 
perceived issues can be dealt 
with openly. This matter has 
also received Board oversight 
and guidance to the subsidiary 
affected, ensuring that the 
culture issues identified are 
addressed.

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Link to culture, and 
effectiveness of 
engagement method

Values upheld 
or impacted

Outcomes, development 
of culture and addressing 
culture issues

Head office 
proposals

Action

As explored in detail within 
our section 172 statement 
on pages 58 to 61, the 
broad and deep consultation 
process undertaken as part 
of the Board’s decision to 
relocate its head office in 
Sheffield resulted in a number 
of engagements across 
the Group.

Strategy Days

The Group’s People Strategy, 
alongside the wider strategy 
of the operational businesses, 
was discussed at the 2022 
Strategy Days with the Board 
and Executive Committee.

Adaptability

Delivery 

A number of methods of 
communication and feedback 
were employed during the 
consultation exercise on the 
proposed head office move, 
such as:

− Webinars

−

−

−

Town hall meetings

Feedback channels via 
both email and confidential 
portals

The establishment of 
Group-wide Working 
Groups on particular areas 
of interest

Further outlines of these 
methods of engagement are 
contained at page 61

Delivery

Integrity

The culture of the business 
and how this can be influenced 
by the senior leadership 
teams, including the Board, 
was a key part of the People 
Strategy and also an underlying 
element of the Marketing and 
Communications Strategy, 
focusing on the offer to our 
people through its employee 
value proposition. 

Responsible 
Business 
Committee

The Responsible Business 
Committee (see page 116 for 
the work of the Committee 
during the year) is a further 
strand of connection to the 
wider workforce as well as 
to the Group’s customers, 
suppliers, professional service 
providers, professional 
associations and community, 
charity and education 
partners.

Respect

Integrity

Delivery

The Committee focusses on a 
number of issues that relate to 
culture in practice across the 
Group, and how the culture of 
the business is also perceived 
by external stakeholders and 
as employees, as well as the 
embedding of the Values within 
our Responsible Business 
Strategy. 

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In order to take our people 
with us on this change journey, 
we adopted a structure of 
Working Groups to focus on 
specific aspects of the project 
which were highlighted by our 
people as being important to 
them, with a remit to develop 
their thinking into broader 
Group wide policies. It was 
therefore key that there was 
cross Group representation 
on these working groups, 
who feedback their views into 
the project Steering Group, 
Executive Committee and the 
Board to shape the ultimate 
proposals. We are immensely 
proud of our culture and our 
heritage, it was therefore fitting 
that these two aspects were 
the sole focus of one of the 
Working Groups.

The Board and Executive 
Committee recognise that 
culture is the key to success, 
and that without a positive 
and engaging culture even 
the best formulated strategies 
will struggle. We have placed 
our people at the heart of 
all we do and therefore the 
focus that the Board and 
Executive Committee are 
giving to the People Strategy 
as a key lever of change and 
also a shared priority will be 
more meaningful to our wider 
internal stakeholders.

The view of employees 
and external stakeholders 
influenced the shaping 
of a number of policies 
and strategies supporting 
the delivery of our overall 
Responsible Business 
Strategy, including elements 
such as health and wellbeing 
(as discussed above), EDI 
Strategy, charitable giving, 
community partnerships 
and volunteering. These are 
intrinsic to delivering the 
established culture of Henry 
Boot as a business that cares 
about its links with the wider 
community and its people. 

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CORPORATE 
GOVERNANCE REPORT

BOARD LEADERSHIP AND COMPANY PURPOSE

Employee Engagement
As we often state, Henry Boot’s greatest assets are its people 
and as such are a key focus across the organisation, including at 
Board level, to ensure that employee views are being taken into 
account. The Board has established two key methods of direct 
Board employee engagement, also demonstrating compliance with 
Provision 5 of the Code: 

•

•

the founding of a network of employee forums across the 
Group; and 

the appointment of a designated Non-executive Director of the 
Board to liaise with the Group Employee Forum. 

In addition, there are a number of ways that employee engagement 
is addressed in our Responsible Business report on page 117, and 
in this section, we outline the ways in which that engagement has 
specifically taken place with the Board.

Employee forum 
Our Group and subsidiary Employee Forums, launched in 
2019 and have continued to meet to discuss a range of key Group 
issues during 2022. Each main wholly-owned subsidiary 

(and Henry Boot PLC) have their own ‘Subsidiary Employee 
Forum’ (SEF), the Chair of each of which meets to form the ‘Group 
Employee Forum’ (GEF). 

The Group is constantly looking to develop and strengthen its 
approach to employee engagement, and recognises the Employee 
Forums as a pivotal route to hearing the voice of employees. 
Subsidiary Employee Forums have been asked to strengthen their 
offering in a number of ways, by recruiting new members, and 
refreshing those holding the role as Chair of each SEF. SEF Chairs 
have also appointed a Deputy Chair, who has been able to shadow 
them at certain meetings, and have been invited to subsidiary board 
meetings to represent their views directly to their respective boards. 
The GEF has worked with the Marketing and Communications team 
to ensure that the outcomes of their work and engagements are 
more widely publicised to the Group. 

Outcomes
A number of the key issues discussed by the GEF, some of which 
have been referred up to the Board or elsewhere throughout the 
Group for resolution and/or discussion and feedback, or have 
otherwise been overseen by the Board are outlined here:

What employees requested 
or were consulted on

Employee engagement 
survey results 

Method and outline of engagement

How the Board responded

As referred to in Our Culture (page 92), in 2022 the GEF 
were tasked by the PLC Board to undertake a research 
project focused on the lowest scoring questions in the 
2021 Employee Engagement Survey. These were:

“I am able to quickly switch off and reenergise when not 
at work” and

“Over the last 12 months my workload has felt 
manageable.”

As an increased workload is likely to result in an inability 
to switch-off from work, they decided to address both 
topics together under a “wellbeing” umbrella. The GEF 
undertook extensive engagement with people from 
across each of the subsidiary businesses and shared 
their proposals with the Board in September 2022.

The outcomes of the GEF’s work 
consolidated the responses into a series 
of proposals including:

•

The provision of guidance and 
training for line managers on how to 
manage agile working and working 
from home

• Raising awareness of the need for 
individuals to create self-imposed 
boundaries between work and home, 
including rest breaks

•

Providing education around available 
technology

• Reviewing resourcing levels in 
locations that had an upturn in 
turnover.

Following their initial presentation to the 
Board, their proposals were incorporated 
into the Health and Wellbeing Strategy 
considered by the Executive Committee 
and Responsible Business Committee, 
detailed further in the Responsible 
Business Committee Report on pages 
116 to 119.

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What employees requested 
or were consulted on

Reward strategy

Head office relocation

Induction

Method and outline of engagement

How the Board responded

The Board and management through 
the Executive Committee supported 
the development of a significantly 
different approach to reward in the 
Group. Engagement with the GEF will 
continue in order to refine and add to the 
communication as we continue with our 
journey towards reward transparency.

The Board and management, through 
regular updates from the Isaacs Steering 
Group, have had oversight of the direction 
of travel being proposed on a number 
of key initiatives. Through extensive 
consultation, which has included externally 
supported stakeholder interviews with 
the design team, it is anticipated that the 
move to Isaacs Building will be pivotal to 
the next phases of our modernisation and 
transformation agenda.

Engagement with the GEF in relation to 
induction and onboarding will continue 
in order to refine and ensure relevance of 
the programme.

As outlined in our 2021 Report, the GEF were 
instrumental in bringing forward priorities in relation 
to transparency in reward and also promotion and 
performance management. Throughout the latter part 
of 2021 and into early 2022 the Executive Committee, 
with external guidance and internal resource, worked 
collaboratively to create a Reward Strategy that 
would be relevant to all our subsidiaries despite their 
market differences. Our people, through the GEF and 
other networks, were consulted and involved in the 
development of several key aspects of the Reward 
Strategy and the subsequent roll out. This has been 
undertaken on a phased basis to ensure adequate 
socialisation of what is a significant step for the Group 
towards total reward transparency.

Following the decision to relocate our Head Office, the 
Group consulted widely with all those individuals directly 
affected by the decision to allow the dialogue to be 
relevant and also to take into account the views of our 
people. The formation of several Working Groups which 
included colleagues from other parts of the Group not 
directly affected by the decision has been of importance 
to ensure that the cultural shift that will ensue from the 
relocation (agile working, collaboration, more visibility) 
is not just limited to those in the Isaacs Building but 
also has influence Group wide and informs Group 
protocols. Due to the expansive nature of this remit, the 
GEF has been engaged in the process albeit on a more 
peripheral basis than other projects. More detail on this 
can be found on page 61.

Our Group induction programme was relaunched in 
2022 for the first time since the Covid pandemic. An 
initial proposal was shared with the GEF for feedback 
from our people before a final solution was delivered. 
The first in-person session was piloted in November 
2022. Feedback from participants and stakeholders 
was positive, highlighting the collaboration and 
networking benefits, plus opportunities to learn about 
other subsidiaries, with minimal enhancements required. 
Phase two is underway with an eLearning module 
created to give the history of the Group and services 
offered by subsidiaries, allowing the in-person event to 
focus on the here and now. While the eLearning module 
content will remain stable, we expect the in-person 
event to continuously be updated to reflect participant 
feedback and changing projects. 

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CORPORATE 
GOVERNANCE REPORT

CASE STUDY

Peter Mawson – Chair engagement visits
Since his appointment as the Chair in May 2022, Peter has 
undertaken a programme of visits and engagements with 
employees across the Group, a summary of these are set 
out below:

Banner Plant
•

Visits from June 2022 into 2023 to: Leicester Plant depot; 
Rotherham Access & Tools depot; Derby Plant & Tool Hire 
depot; Leeds Tool Hire depot; Leicester Tool Hire depot; 
and Chesterfield Tool Hire depot. Also carried out a ‘Meet 
the Team’ event at the Dronfield Headquarters, Plant 
Depot & Accommodation Depot in October 2022. 

Hallam Land Management
•

Visits to Northampton team and Bristol team in June/July 
2022 followed by local site visits. Leeds team engagement 
in August 2022, as well as with the management team 
in Sheffield and the London and Glasgow teams in 
November 2022.  

Henry Boot Construction 
•

Site visits to Block H, Block G & Kangaroo Works 
in Sheffield in July 2022, to Cocoa Works in York in 
August 2022, and a ‘Meet the Team’ at the Dronfield 
Headquarters in October 2022.  

PLC
•

‘Meet the Team’ events from July to September 2022, 
including: finance team; legal, company secretarial 
and insurance teams; HR team; IT department and 
Responsible Business Manager. 

Q&A WITH RECENTLY JOINED GEF MEMBERS 

Matt Pruce, the Chair of the Hallam Land Management SEF, is 
a Senior Development Planner. Lee Pratt is the Depot Manager 
of Banner Plant’s Leicester Depot, and Chair of the Banner 
Plant SEF. As both of them have joined the Group Employee 
Forum within the past 18 months, we asked them for their 
views on their roles on the GEF. 

Q: How have you found it being part of the GEF this year?
Lee: I have really enjoyed it. I joined the GEF as Chair in 
December 2021, and since then it has been a bit of a 
whirlwind, as the first meeting with the GEF was to discuss our 
proposal on Health and Wellbeing to be raised with the Board 
in March 2022. However, I have loved every minute and really 
feel as a group the GEF has made a change in the business.
Matt: I have found being part of the GEF a very rewarding 
experience, it’s been great to work with my fellow forum 
members to understand views from across the business and 
have such positive dialogue with Executive Committee and the 
Board about our approach and feedback.

Q: Is the GEF supporting the culture of the business
and the work of the Board? 
Matt: The GEF continually strives to engage with and listen 
to our colleagues to understand the key matters within the 

Stonebridge Homes
• Meetings with various leaders within the business from August 

to November 2022. 

HBD
•

‘Meet the Team’ events in Leeds in August 2022, and in 
Manchester, Glasgow and London offices in November 2022, 
as well as the management team in Sheffield. 

Roadlink 
•

Visit to the Road Link team at Stocksfield in August 2022. 

This has enabled Peter to hold one-to-one meetings with teams 
and individuals across the business, to provide visibility of his role 
as Chair and to get to know as many of our people as possible, 
facilitating meaningful discussions on issues relevant to each of the 
businesses. 

“It was really important to me that, having become the Chair, 
I was able to commit time to have some quality discussions with 
our people across the businesses, to introduce myself and get to 
know people on a personal level. I believe this helps to open up vital 
conversations and enable me to also get to know what the priorities 
are for our Group, and how I can help to facilitate these.” 

Peter Mawson, Chair

workplace. Each year we focus on one key topic area which 
we have identified through this engagement and make a set 
of recommendations to the Board on how we can improve the 
business which will ultimately influence its culture and priorities.
Lee: We discuss with all our subsidiaries ways to improve the 
business. Using ideas from our employees creates a massive buy 
in, and with that and the PLC Board taking on all the ideas we can 
all build a better future for the business as one.

Q: In what ways do you feel that having a seat at the GEF 
helps people within your subsidiary to be heard? 
Lee: I feel that by having a seat, I am the voice of Banner Plant, 
speaking for all the employees and making sure all their views are 
heard as a collective. The Banner Subsidiary Employee Forum 
team are collecting lots of views that we then discuss, and it 
is then my responsibility to make sure that their opinions are 
understood by a wider audience. It helps in a massive way as we 
are making changes as a business as a result of their views.
Matt: Although all of the Henry Boot subsidiaries work within 
the property and construction industry, our working practices 
differ from company to company, and therefore our lived working 
experiences differ. Being Hallam’s representative means I can
relay and make sure the key issues of my colleagues are heard 
by ExCo and the Board.

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COMPOSITION, SUCCESSION AND EVALUATION

Board performance review
Although Henry Boot is not required to conduct an externally 
facilitated performance review, as it sits outside the FTSE 350, the 
Nomination Committee did seriously consider whether to engage an 
external provider for 2022. Whilst the value of such a process was 
fully appreciated, the Committee concluded that it was not the right 
time to conduct such an exercise and would review the decision 
again in 2023. 

A formal and rigorous internal performance review was undertaken 
for the Board, its Committees, the Chair and each individual Director. 
Attendees at Board meetings were again asked to complete an 
anonymous questionnaire seeking their thoughts on preparing for, 
attending and receiving feedback after the meetings. This step 
offered an additional layer of rigour to the evaluation process.

The process and results are set out below. 

Areas where the Board 
scored strongly:

• Collaborative and welcoming 

environment

• Clear oversight of the 

work undertaken by the 
executive team

• Sufficient time and focus 
dedicated to discuss 
strategic issues

Board focus areas:

• Overseeing the development 

of the marketing, branding and 
communication approach 

• Allowing time for idea generation 

and innovation

•

Improving and maximising the 
Board attendee experience

Process

STEP

STEP

In March 2022, the Nomination Committee 
considered whether to conduct an externally 
facilitated performance review but agreed to 
proceed with an internal approach.

Questionnaire deadline, results 
collated and reports written.

STEP

STEP

The Board discussed and agreed an 
approach in September 2022. 

At the year-end, results were reviewed 
with the Board and respective Committees, 
and actions were agreed for 2023. 
Progress against the 2022 actions 
was also discussed.

STEP

STEP

Question content was agreed with the 
respective Chairs and the questionnaires 
issued. 1:1 interviews were also arranged 
with Peter Mawson to discuss individual 
performance and training needs.

Mid-year reviews will be carried out in 
summer 2023 to discuss performance 
against the agreed actions before a full 
review at the year-end. 

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CORPORATE 
GOVERNANCE REPORT

COMPOSITION, SUCCESSION AND EVALUATION

BOARD 

2022 action areas

Progress during 2022

Customer
Regular updates to the Board on the 
development of the customer feedback 
processes for each business and review where 
direct Board involvement would be beneficial

Agenda
Review the Forward Business Schedule in H2 
with the aim of reassessing agenda structure and 
priorities

Key Project Oversight
Introduce a more structured process for 
monitoring projects that have received Board 
approval and increased focus to be given to 
capturing lessons learned

Board Visibility
Continue to seek additional opportunities to 
increase interaction between the Board and the 
wider business, including informal meetings and 
presence within offices, particularly to familiarise 
Peter with the Group and its people upon him 
taking up the role as Chair

Action areas for 2023

• Following an initial conversation in December 2021, an update on the approach to customer engagement 

and the wider communications and marketing strategy was discussed at the July 2022 meeting

• Group Marketing and Communications Director presented an update at the November Strategy Days 
• An approach for 2023 was agreed at the December 2022 meeting

• Forward Business Schedule brought to the Board in January and July 2022
• More streamlined and harmonised reporting approach agreed with ExCo members
• More papers have been moved out of the main Board pack into an additional reading shelf to prioritise 

other items on the agenda and/or provide simpler updates

• Post completion report for all reserved matter projects (and any other exceptional projects) to be 

brought back to the Board for review

• Lunch with HBC senior management in February 2022 and Birmingham office in July 2022
• GEF invited to the Board for the March and September meetings and also to the AGM
• Board attendance at the town hall meeting to discuss the future of the Head Office
• Visits around Birmingham to meet site-based staff in July 2022
• Video from Peter sent to all employees in May 2022
• Peter has visited every regional office, seven Banner depots and a number of construction sites, as 
well as meeting each of the teams at Banner Cross Hall and Dronfield (see page 98 for more details)

Brand
Oversee the marketing, branding and 
communications strategy as it develops 
and is rolled out

Innovation
Build time into the Forward Business Schedule to 
concentrate on innovation, idea generation and 
opportunity identification

Culture
Formulate an approach to understanding and 
assessing culture within the business

AUDIT AND RISK 

2022 action areas

Progress during 2022

Internal controls
Monitor and implement (as required) the new 
requirements arising from the BEIS consultation

Climate-related risks
Evolve our approach to the assessment of 
climate-related risks and climate scenario 
planning in line with TCFD recommendations

• KPMG internal audit of financial controls undertaken to the standards anticipated by the audit reform 

requirements, to identify current gaps and requirements

• Further updates to be provided when confirmation is provided on the full detail of the requirements

• Discussion held at July Responsible Business Committee regarding direction of travel on scenario 

planning work, to be progressed alongside Scope 3 emissions work

• Benchmarking exercise ongoing to look at disclosures and reporting by other companies on TCFD 

to inform discussions on approach and budgeting for 2023

• TCFD report for 2022 ARA has been reviewed in line with all best practice guidance from a number 

of regulatory and big 4 sources to improve disclosures. More work on incorporating risk and 
opportunities into scenario planning to be undertaken in 2023

Independence Policy
Refine Company policy and protocols for 
maintaining independence from the external auditors

• New policy approved and in place

Action areas for 2023

Training
Provide specialist training for 
the Committee on the new audit 
reform when the guidance is 
finalised

New Audit Reform 
Processes
Begin internal preparations to 
our systems and processes to 
be in the best position to adapt 
to the new audit reform

Risk Review
Agree new risk review 
procedures to be implemented 
and rolled out in 2023 
(supported by Board and ExCo 
training)

Cyber & IT approach
Oversee a wholesale review of the Group’s cyber 
and IT security approach, receiving updates 
arising from the cyber internal audit of 2022 but 
placing these into a broader perspective of the 
overall risk management for IT and cyber

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NOMINATION

2022 action areas

Progress during 2022

Executive Succession
Review succession plans for each ExCo 
member and those prepared by the MDs of 
each business

Skills Matrix
Re-evaluate the approach to the skills mix 
on the Board, ensuring that skills required to 
deliver the Group’s future strategy are fully 
considered

Diversity
Work with recruitment partners to ensure 
that the long list and short list for Board 
appointment is adequately diverse to find 
the best possible candidate for the role

EDI
Continue to monitor and support EDI 
initiatives across the Group with the 
corresponding link that this represents in 
providing progress against diversity targets 
in the Board Diversity Policy

• Detailed discussions on formailisation of succession plans deferred until March 2023 following the 2022 

performance review process when the talent grids were updated

• Further work on the talent grids to be undertaken in 2023 

• Skills matrix reviewed and revised approach taken to also include ExCo
• Skills carefully considered for the role description for Board recruitment and will be considered for future 

recruitment to address skills gaps so far as possible

• Use of Facet5 for Board members considered

• Women on Boards (WoB) co-appointed to recruit new Non-executive Director with a view to improve 

diversity on the Board

• Diverse long and shortlist provided by Norman Broadbent as lead recruiter, including WoB candidate
• Improved diversity of skills and gender balance due to changes on the Board
• Further improvements planned for future recruitment activities 

• EDI training rolled out across whole Group during 2022
• Directors supported People targets included in the Responsible Business Strategy through work with 

Responsible Business Committee (exceeded 2022 Group gender targets)

• Inclusion of diversity related objectives within executive remuneration in conjunction with the 

Remuneration Committee

• EDI Steering Group meeting in September attended by Joanne Lake
• Board Diversity Policy refreshed with updated FCA targets

Action areas for 2023

Diversity & Inclusion
Hold a session with the EDI 
Steering Group to gain insight 
into barriers to recruitment / 
progression and understand 
how this could be improved

Diversity Reporting
Oversee the development of 
wider diversity reporting in 
categories other than gender 
(eg ethnicity, disability)

Reverse Mentoring
Oversee a reverse mentoring 
programme with ExCo members 
and Board members

Talent Grids
Continue to develop succession 
planning and talent grids for ExCo 
and other senior leaders within the 
business

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CORPORATE 
GOVERNANCE REPORT

COMPOSITION, SUCCESSION AND EVALUATION

REMUNERATION

2022 action areas

Progress during 2022

Executive Committee pay
Review the salaries and structure of the Executive 
Committee members’ variable pay to ensure 
a consistent approach and alignment with the 
Executive Directors and the wider workforce

Workforce remuneration
Monitor the roll out of the new workforce strategy, 
seeking feedback from the Group Employee 
Forum at various stages

• ExCo salaries were benchmarked as part of the reward strategy project and information included in 
the September 2022 papers. Further benchmarking carried out throughout the year where needed

• ExCo Bonus and LTIP structure discussed in early 2022 and revised in September 2022 to bring 

ExCo members in line with the Executive Directors and the wider workforce strategy

• LTIP award increased and 25% of Annual Bonus now deferred into shares

• Meeting held between the Group Employee Forum and Gerald Jennings and Tim Roberts in 

February 2022 to discuss alignment of reward between Executive Directors and the new workforce 
reward strategy

• Board approval for the new reward strategy was given in July 2022
• Update on reward strategy implementation and employee communications in September 2022 and 

December 2022

• Opportunity for all directors to meet the GEF twice a year informally in March and September 

Action areas for 2023

Workforce communications
Oversee improved communications between the 
Committee, ExCo and employees particularly 
with regards to the roll out of the workforce 
reward strategy and Performance review process, 
seeking feedback from the GEF at various stages

Target setting
Ensure targets for Executive Directors are 
sufficiently stretching at the time of setting and 
seek advice from advisors on best practice and 
market expectations

Workforce reward
Check for consistency across workforce benefits, 
particularly with regards to pension contribution

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RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS

2022 action areas

Specialist speakers
To engage with a series of specialist guest speakers who will inform the Committee 
on a variety of ESG topics including the regulatory and legislative framework

Training
Working with the Responsible Business Manager and Company Secretary, to identify 
and commission specialist third parties to provide training and/or updates on the 
ESG regulatory and legislative framework to the Committee and the workforce

Engagement
To engage with all Henry Boot working groups, including the Group Employee Forum, 
focusing on responsible business throughout the year to understand their roles, 
opinions, and aspirations

Best practice
To identify peers (in our sector and beyond) that are performing well on ESG and 
continually work with the Responsible Business Manager to benchmark Henry Boot’s 
performance

Progress during 2022

• Marcos Navarro of Natwest Bank joined the Committee and 

Executive Committee in June 2022 to discuss ESG approaches, 
particularly in relation to the housing market and key themes and 
trends.

• In addition, Graeme Pitkethly of Unilever met with the Committee 
and Executive Committee in November 2022 to discuss his role 
on the TCFD Steering Group and the expectations of the market 
regarding good practice in TCFD reporting.

• The Committee has liaised closely with the Company Secretary 
and Responsible Business Manager to identify focus areas 
where training and upskilling could provide improved knowledge 
and performance.

• A Training Programme is currently under development for 

implementation in 2023. This will include training and guidance 
on the ESG regulatory framework, climate change, and health 
and wellbeing.

• Committee Members have been appointed as Sponsors of 
the Group’s responsible business focus areas. Joanne Lake 
(EDI Sponsor) attended the EDI Steering Group in September 
2022 to engage them in a discussion on performance and 
focus. Gerald Jennings continued to liaise closely with the 
Group Employee Forum with a particular focus on community 
engagement.

• The Committee continued to proactively engage with the 

Responsible Business Manager to identify peers (both within 
our sector and the broader market) who perform strongly on 
ESG. This information has been used to continually benchmark 
Henry Boot’s approach and performance against competitors 
and peers. 

Action areas for 2023

Materiality 
Assessment
To support the 
development and 
delivery of the 
materiality assessment 
to be undertaken with 
key stakeholders

Specialist 
speakers
To continue to 
engage with a series 
of specialist guest 
speakers who will 
inform the Committee 
on a variety of ESG 
topics including 
the regulatory and 
legislative framework

Training
Work with the Responsible 
Business Manager and 
Company Secretary, to identify 
and commission specialist 
third parties to provide training 
and/or updates on the ESG 
regulatory and legislative 
framework

Engagement
To engage with Henry Boot 
working groups focusing 
on responsible business 
throughout the year to 
understand their roles, 
opinions, and aspirations

Best practice
To identify peers (in our 
sector and beyond) that are 
performing well on ESG and 
continually work with the 
Responsible Business Manager 
to benchmark Henry Boot’s 
performance

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CORPORATE 
GOVERNANCE REPORT

COMPOSITION, SUCCESSION AND EVALUATION

PETER MAWSON
CHAIR OF THE 
NOMINATION 
COMMITTEE
 5  5

NOMINATION 
COMMITTEE 
REPORT

Review of the year

In order to evolve a number of key initiatives this year, 

the Nomination Committee (Committee) met five times 
during 2022 to review and discuss matters such as 
succession planning, leadership development and 
talent management, diversity and inclusion, and skills. 
You can read an in-depth review of the approach we 
have taken to the Board Chair and Non-executive 
Director recruitment, how we have taken steps during 

this process to support greater diversity and inclusion within 
our Board, and thought carefully about the appropriate 
ways of undertaking our recruitment activity to constantly 
strive to balance on our Board in as many areas as possible 
including in relation to the mix of skills and experience. 

We have also continued to broaden our understanding 
of the talent below the Board level, and have monitored 
the Senior Leadership Development Programme and the 
Leadership Development Programme, to provide practical 
skills to our managers. This has helped to inform the 
Committee’s oversight of wider talent grids for the entire 
business to ensure that succession planning throughout 
the business, not just at Board level, is more developed.

Time has been spent reviewing the skills, knowledge and 
overall effectiveness of the Board and its Committees, as 
well as rationalising the memberships of our Committees 
for Code compliance and time commitment purposes, the 
results of which are set out in this report. 

Those serving as members of the Committee for 2022 were 
myself, Joanne Lake, Gerald Jennings, Jamie Boot and 
James Sykes. Within the year Serena Lang was welcomed to 
the Committee following her appointment to the Board, with 
Joanne Lake stepping down as a Committee member, and 
Jamie Boot also stepping down, having retired in May 2022.

On behalf of the Board and the Committee, I am pleased 
to present the Directors’ Nomination Report for the year 
ended 31 December 2022.

JAMES SYKES
COMMITTEE
MEMBER

 4  5

JOANNE LAKE
COMMITTEE
MEMBER

 4  4

GERALD JENNINGS
COMMITTEE
MEMBER

 5  5

JAMIE BOOT
COMMITTEE
MEMBER

3

3

SERENA LANG
COMMITTEE
MEMBER

 1  1

Nomination Committee attendance key

Meetings attended   

Eligible meetings

Following a review of Committee memberships, Joanne stepped 
down as a member of the Nomination Committee with effect from 
September 2022

Jamie retired in May 2022

Serena joined the Committee with effect from her appointment on 
the 1 August 2022

“This year we have seen a lot of exciting 
developments in our approach to succession 
planning, development, diversity and skills.”

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Henry Boot PLC Board

Nomination Committee

Board and Chair succession planning 

 Read more on page 105

Committee
memberships 

Leadership
succession planning 

 Read more on page 107

 Read more on page 107

Board evaluation and skills 

Increasing Diversity 

 Read more on 
pages 107 and 108

 Read more on 
pages 108 to 110

Board Succession Planning 
and Chair Appointment

The Committee continued the work commenced in 2021 regarding 
succession planning for Board, reviewing its proposed activity for 
2023/2024 alongside its ambitions in relation to diversity and inclusion, 
as well as the need to plan for the future and also to consider 
appropriate methods of addressing outcomes of its skills evaluation. 

Recruitment of Non-executive Director

Q&A with Serena Lang
Q: What attracted you to a role as a Non-executive at 

Henry Boot PLC?

A: The core themes that attracted me to Henry Boot are:

1. A really robust business that thinks long term and has the 
ability to ride the economic waves with its portfolio across 
the Built Environment;

2. A strong focus on sustainability;

3. A clear sense of purpose; and

4. A strong leadership team with a great culture from Board 

Monitoring overall Board and committee effectiveness 

level down

 Read more on page 110

Q: What were your thoughts about the recruitment and 

induction process?

External recruitment partners were selected by the Committee to assist 
with the recruitment process for a new independent Non-executive 
Director to the Board. The Committee’s appointed partner was 
Norman Broadbent, who was used in conjunction with Women on 
Boards, to help the Committee shape its requirements for the role and 
to propose strategies to achieve greater diversity on the Board. 

January 2022

Recruitment timeline and approach approved by Nomination 
Committee 

February 2022

External recruitment partners appointed

March 2022

Candidate briefing pack and role profile issued to recruitment 
partners

May 2022

A: The recruiters were able to clearly articulate the business 

and its strategy, and had been well briefed. There was clarity 
around the skillsets required from the appointment that would 
be additive to the existing Board. As a result of the above I 
was quickly able to determine that this was a business I was 
interested in and could add value to. After the initial research 
call, there were 3 interviews which allowed for the appropriate 
due diligence on both sides.The induction was extensive and 
really beneficial and I was able to join a strategy meeting 3 
months in with an understanding of each of the businesses.

Q: What do you anticipate will be your areas of focus within your 

Board and Committee roles?

A: There is significant expertise on the Board, particularly in 

relation to sector and financial knowledge. I anticipate being 
able to specifically add value in the areas of sustainability, 
digitising the built environment, strategy and marketing.

Chair Appointment
Q & A with Peter Mawson

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Longlist of candidates received, shortlisting for interviews

Q: What are your thoughts about the Chair recruitment process?

June 2022

Initial informal conversations held with five shortlisted 
candidates; list reduced to two

July 2022 

Final interviews held with shortlisted candidates and Serena 
Lang selected and recommended to Board for approval of 
appointment

August 2022

New independent Non-executive Director appointed

A:  Having taken soundings from across the Board, from key 

stakeholders and from the Executive team, there was universal 
agreement that an appointment from within the existing group 
of Non-executive Directors would be in the best interests of 
the Group. The CEO, in consultation with the HR Director, 
ensured a rigorous assessment and review process for those 
of us who were prospective candidates, ultimately leading to 
a formal interview involving both Executive and Non-executive 
Directors. I am, of course, delighted to have been invited to take 
on the role but, more importantly, I do feel that the Board had 
confidence in the robust approach to Chair selection. 

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CORPORATE 
GOVERNANCE REPORT

COMPOSITION, SUCCESSION AND EVALUATION
Nomination Committee Report

Q: What steps did you think were important to take in relation to the 

handover from Jamie Boot as the previous Chairman?

A:  Jamie was always going to be a hard act to follow! I cannot ever 
hope to have his intimate knowledge of the business, but I have 
felt it important to become visible within the business, meet 
with as many of our people as possible and be available to all 
of our stakeholders. I am conscious that I and the Board have 
responsibility for a business which has a long and successful 
history, with a strong legacy of continuity and family ownership. 
At the same time, we are a Group which is constantly evolving 
and modernising in this ever more complex and uncertain 
world, and we continue to attract major institutional and private 
investors who recognise our commercial strength built on that 
legacy. I feel it is important to strive to maintain that balance as 
we drive successfully forwards. 

Q: What do you believe will be your key areas of focus as the Chair 

of the Board in 2023?

A:  I believe we have a clear and well-expressed strategy but 

maintaining strategic oversight will continue to be a focus for 
me. We need to further develop Board succession planning 
and achieve greater diversity as a part of that succession plan. 
Meanwhile, despite our commercial strength, our excellent pool 
of committed, talented people and a unified, inclusive culture we 
have a way to go in projecting our brand and market position 
effectively across our markets. This will be a key focus for me. 
Primarily, though, my core role will be to support our people 
across the Group. It is their committed contribution that makes 
Henry Boot a great business and allows us successfully to 
deliver on behalf of all of our stakeholders.

The Committee took the informed decision not to appoint an 
external recruitment partner to select a new Chair, considering 
instead that maintaining continuity of experience was vital to ensure 
a smooth transition to a new Chair. However, the Committee 
considers it to be a major step to have an independent Non-
executive Director taking the Chair role, and that the approach 
taken ensures a good balance of independence alongside 
maintenance of the knowledge acquired from a Director who has 
been on the Board for a number of years. 

Other matters of note and next steps
As a consequence of me having taken up the role as Chair of the 
Board, the Senior Independent Director position has been assumed 
by Joanne Lake. The Board took the decision to retire the role of 
Deputy Chair, which was previously held by Joanne, as it is not 
considered to be usual for a company of this nature. 

Further independent Non-executive Directors will be appointed during 
2023 and 2024, replacing those approaching their 9-year tenure, 
to ensure that Board membership is progressively refreshed. These 
recruitments will take into account the need to ensure sufficient time 
for new Non-executive Directors to be assimilated into their roles, 
particularly where it is anticipated that they will be assuming a Chair 
role for one of the Board Committees. We are conscious that with the 
retirement of Joanne Lake in 2024, one of the recruitment activities 
will need to ensure that a successor has recent and relevant financial 

experience in order to be able to fulfil the Code requirements for 
Audit and Risk Committee Chair. In addition, there is anticipated to 
be a further period during which the flexibility permitted by Provision 
19 of the Code, will be utilised to allow me to remain in my role as 
Chair past the nine-year period of tenure. This is to ensure that all 
new Non-executive Directors who have been recruited have had the 
opportunity to develop detailed knowledge of the business, before 
becoming eligible to be considered for the Chair role. 

The anticipated timeline for future Non-executive Director recruitment 
is as follows:

First appointment (future ARC Chair)

March 2023
April 2023

May 2023

sign off preferred approach
finalise person specification and role profile as 
well as preferred recruitment partner
preferred recruitment partner to commence 
seeking candidates for long list
shortlisting 

October 2023

August 2023
September 2023 Committee members meet shortlisted 
candidates informally
formal interview of preferred shortlisted 
candidates to select appointee, for 
recommendation to the Committee
appointee commences role as Non-executive 
Director, enabling a period to shadow Joanne 
as Audit and Risk Committee Chair until 
September 2024 at which point they will 
assume the role 

January 2024 

Second appointment 

January 2024

March 2024

May 2024
June 2024

July 2024

August 2024

finalise person specification and role profile 
as well as preferred recruitment partner, 
with refreshed look at any required skills or 
experience 
preferred recruitment partner to commence 
seeking candidates for long list
shortlisting
Committee members meet shortlisted 
candidates informally
formal interview of candidates to select 
appointee, for recommendation to the 
Committee
appointee commences role as Non-executive 
Director. 

The Committee fully recognises the commitments within its Board 
Diversity Policy (see page 108) to achieving greater diversity and 
inclusion within its members and will be seeking to meet these 
objectives within these recruitment activities, whilst acknowledging 
that it will take time to be able to put these objectives fully 
into action through this succession approach. In addition, the 
Committee will be considering the extent to which it can address 
any outcomes from its skills assessment in the recruitment activities, 
whilst acknowledging that it will also need to fulfil any other 
regulatory requirements in relation to Committee Chair requirements 
and Committee membership.

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Committee membership
Given that membership of the Committees increasingly requires greater time commitments than previously (for meeting attendance and pack 
reading), the memberships were reviewed by the Committee and refined. In order to enable a complete induction experience for Serena Lang 
as our newest Non-executive Director, membership of all Committees for her has currently been allocated, though at a later point this could be 
reviewed if required. As a result, Committee membership from September 2022 was revised as follows:

Audit and Risk 

Remuneration

Nomination

Responsible Business 

C= Chair   M= Member

Joanne

James

Gerald

Peter

Serena

Tim

Darren

C

M

M

M

C

M

M

M

M

C

M

C

M

M

M

M

M

Those Non-executive Directors who are not formal members of 
any given Committee are very welcome to attend if their time 
commitments allow, and all Board members still have access to 
all the relevant papers and packs on our Board portal, as well as 
the Board reviewing and ratifying any necessary decisions of the 
Committees.

Leadership succession planning
Succession planning at all levels within the Group is an area of 
significant interest and the Board has continued to support the 
development of our people through a variety of mechanisms 
including formalised Leadership Development Programmes, 
coaching and mentoring. 

For Executive Directors and Executive Committee, the Committee 
regularly reviews the talent grids which are overseen by our HR 
Director with input, where appropriate, from Executive Directors, 
Executive Committee and external partners who have gained insight 
into our people through the delivery of our suite of development 
opportunities. The aim of the regular review is to identify suitable 
internal talent who are capable of taking on senior roles within the 
Group in the future and to ensure that we nurture and address any 
identified development needs to support success.

The Committee has oversight of the Company’s Senior Leadership 
Development Programme (SLDP) through which we have given 
development opportunities to a significant number of senior 
management. In 2020, we developed the Leadership Development 
Programme (LDP) which was delivered remotely and in person during 
the pandemic and addressed development in our next levels of 
management. The SLDP and LDP will continue to be available for our 
people as required and identified by the business as being a priority.

In 2022, the Company piloted Aspire, a Management Development 
Programme which aims over a period of nine months to develop 
junior managers and aspiring managers to develop both themselves 
personally and professionally to become more effective in their roles 
and drive performance in their teams.

Our investment in learning, development, talent and succession at 
all levels in the business is pivotal in achieving our key objectives:

• Delivering our purpose which is: “To empower and develop our 

people”; and ensure that this applies at all levels including our 
senior teams

•

•

To strengthen our short and medium-term succession planning 
across the whole business; whilst providing the foundations for 
longer-term talent planning

To provide the right level of development support to ensure 
that we all continue to make the maximum contribution to the 
wider business

The Committee will continue to oversee the leadership development 
opportunities in the business and monitor the ongoing impact on 
succession planning and talent pipelines throughout the Group.

Board evaluation and skills assessment
Formal performance reviews were carried out at the end of 2022 and 
you can read about the process and results on pages 99 to 103. 

In addition to the performance reviews outlined on page, the 
Committee reviewed the assessment of the Board’s key skills and 
experience. We have streamlined the skills evaluation activity to 
align more with the core expertise required, to ensure strong links 
between the skills evaluated and the core strategic objectives, 
and focus on those areas most relevant to an effective overall 
governance structure. In addition, given the closer ways of working 
and inputs received from the Executive Committee in relation to a 
number of key strategic areas, the assessment of skills has been 
extended to all Executive Committee members.

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CORPORATE 
GOVERNANCE REPORT

COMPOSITION, SUCCESSION AND EVALUATION
Nomination Committee Report

Board & Executive Committee Skills Questionnaire

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The Skills Matrix will be key to determining the role profile for recruiting new Board members as it aims to address any areas in which skills 
could be usefully supplemented.

Board Diversity Policy
The Committee reviewed and approved an updated Board Diversity 
Policy during the year, which is aligned to the recommendations 
of the Hampton Alexander Review regarding gender diversity 
on boards, and the Parker Review on ethnic minority board 
representation, as well as reflecting the amended targets introduced 
by the updated Listing Rules. The full policy is available to view at 
www.henryboot.co.uk/our-responsibility. The Committee ensured 
that the objectives set out within the Board Diversity Policy were 
fully incorporated within the recruitment activity undertaken 
during 2022, and will also ensure that our ambitions in this area 
are captured in forthcoming rounds of recruitment. As such, we 
anticipate being able to make progress towards achievement of 
those objectives through this further period of Board refresh. 

Our key strategic priorities, which are centred around safety, 
people, growth and delivery can only be enhanced by seeking 
diversity of opinion which is achieved through having a varied 
Board membership. One of the four pillars of our Responsible 
Business Strategy, launched in January 2022, is dedicated to Our 
People. This pillar aligns with our goal to champion diversity and 
incorporates the strategic objectives of our Group-wide People 
Strategy and Responsible Business Strategy (see page 33 for more 
information). We are committed to improving our position on Board 
diversity when appropriate opportunities arise. It is recognised 
that there will be periods of change on the Board and that these 
objectives may be reliant upon the Board being refreshed, however, 
it is our longer-term intention to achieve these objectives. The Board 
and Nomination Committee will also take into account the prevailing 
skills and diversity of the Board and the wider Group as and when 
seeking to appoint a new Director to the Board.

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Objective

Progress against objective

Status

1

2

3

4

5

6

The Board will ensure that it is made up of 
an appropriate mix of skills, experience and 
knowledge required to effectively oversee and 
support the management of the Group. 

Detailed review of effectiveness undertaken confirming that the Board is 
adequately resourced and performing well.

The Board has set a target to meet the objective 
of the Hampton Alexander Review, in that at 
least 40% of our Board members are women.

At least 40% female representation remains our goal but currently stands at 
28% (2 out of 7). We will continue to ensure that our recruitment processes 
maximise the diversity included in our long and short lists.

In addition, the Board shall have as its 
objective that at least one of the four senior 
board positions (Chair, Chief Executive Officer 
(CEO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO) or Senior 
Independent Director (SID)) shall be a woman, 
as per the Listing Rules objective.

The Board has set a target to meet the 
objectives of the Parker Review for at least one 
Board member to be from an ethnic minority 
background excluding white ethnic groups 
(as set out in categories used by the Office for 
National Statistics). 

The Board will consider candidates for 
appointment as Non-executive Directors from 
a wider pool including those with little or no 
previous FTSE Board experience. 

The Board will work with external recruitment 
consultants to provide support for Board 
appointments and will ensure that Non-
executive Director ‘long lists’ include both 
women and candidates from an ethnic minority 
background excluding white ethnic groups.

We are fully committed to achieving and exceeding this goal with our Non-
executive Director succession planning and Group-wide diversity initiatives.

The role of Senior Independent Director is held by Joanne Lake, who is female.

We currently have no members on the Board from an ethnic minority 
background. It is our ambition to achieve this objective over the next rounds of 
recruitment and internal progression. 

We have consciously worked with our recruitment partners to ensure that 
our briefs for Non-executive Director appointments encouraged diverse 
candidates, and a number of those on our long list had no previous FTSE 
experience. We will continue to ensure that previous FTSE experience is not a 
specified requirement in future recruitment rounds in order to attract a broad 
pool of applicants. 

In 2022, we appointed external recruitment partners to work with us on our 
recruitment exercise, and ensured that the long list for the candidates provided 
a wealth of individuals from diverse backgrounds. We will continue this 
approach for successive appointments during 2023 and 2024. 

As previously discussed on page 106, we did not engage an external recruiter 
for the appointment of the new Chair. This was a considered decision to 
prioritise the continuity of the leadership of the Board after Jamie Boot, a major 
shareholder and Boot family member, retired as a Director after 40 years’ 
service.

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CORPORATE 
GOVERNANCE REPORT

COMPOSITION, SUCCESSION AND EVALUATION
Nomination Committee Report

Objective

Progress against objective

Status

7

8

9

The Board (in conjunction with the Committee 
and the Responsible Business Committee) 
will support and monitor Group activities to 
increase the percentage of senior management 
roles held by women and other under-
represented groups across the Group. Activities 
may include, but not be limited to, the hiring of 
diverse external senior managers and internal 
promotion activity but also continued emphasis 
on diverse pipeline, graduate and apprentice 
recruitment to support this objective long term. 

The Committee (together with the Responsible 
Business Committee), on behalf of the Board, 
will monitor, challenge and support internally 
set targets for diversity and inclusion at all levels 
across the organisation. 

The Committee (together with the Responsible 
Business Committee), on behalf of the Board, 
will report annually against these objectives 
and other initiatives taking place within the 
Company which promote gender and other 
forms of diversity.

Through a series of peer sharing forums and information exchanges, led by our 
HR team, we have worked to elevate the built environment and real estate as a 
positive career option for women and under-represented groups. Whilst there 
is still more to do in this area, the intent to develop a pipeline of talent for the 
Group which meets our diversity aspirations is crucial. 

During the year, the Committees have approved improved maternity and 
paternity policies, as well as the introduction of new policies aimed at improving 
the experience for women at work, such as the Menopause Policy. 

Phase 2 of the Responsible Business Strategy launched in January 2022 
includes People-related targets. The Strategy was reviewed by the Responsible 
Business Committee and approved by the Board.

ESG-related targets now also form 25% of the personal objective element of 
the Annual Bonus award for Executive Directors (equating to 10% of salary). 
These include quantitative targets for improving the gender mix and reducing 
the gender pay gap.

We have improved disclosure of progress against our targets for this year. 
Whilst we have not achieved all our targets yet, we remain determined to drive 
improvements and hope to have made further progress during 2023.

Key:  

 Objective achieved  

 Objective achieved in part  

 Objective remains a work in progress

The gender balance of those in senior management positions and 
their direct reports is shown on page 66. You can read more about 
our EDI Strategy and workforce diversity initiatives on page 33.

Terms of reference
In September 2022, the Committee reviewed its terms of reference 
in line with the scope of its operations, and the requirements of 
the Code, to ensure that they remained appropriate. Some minor 
amendments were proposed and approved, and the full terms of 
reference is available to view on the Company’s website. 

Board effectiveness and time commitment
The Board believes it has an appropriate balance of Executive and 
Non-executive, and independent and non-independent Directors 
having regard to the size and nature of the business. Further to a 
review by the Committee it is felt that the overall combination of 
experience, skills, knowledge and lengths of service of the current 
Board members provides an appropriate level of balance which 
contributes to effective decision-making and helps to mitigate risk. 
A detailed succession plan for the Non-executive Directors, as set 
out within this report will address any gaps needed to achieve our 
strategic objectives.

The Committee discussed the skills, independence, length of tenure 
and time commitments of all the Directors and reviewed the results 
of the 2022 performance reviews (see pages 99 to 103 for more 
information) as well as the Board skills evaluation completed during 

the year. During this process, we noted that Joanne Lake held 
directorships in other publicly-listed companies including a chair 
person role at Made Tech Group plc. Joanne’s time spent at her 
other directorships now equates to, on average, 10 days a month 
and therefore the Committee agreed that this leaves sufficient time 
to carry out her duties. Among other things, her experience from 
other listed businesses provides helpful insight into governance 
matters and best practice and we value her input. We do not see 
any indication that these other directorships negatively impact her 
contribution to the Group and remain wholly satisfied with her time 
commitments and performance.

Following the review, I can confirm on behalf of the Committee that 
the performance of the Directors, the Board and its committees, 
continues to be effective and that all individuals show commitment 
to their roles. All Directors will seek re-election at the upcoming 
AGM, biographies are shown on pages 80 to 81, and a further 
summary of Board roles and responsibilities can be found on our 
website at henryboot.co.uk.

PETER MAWSON
CHAIR OF THE NOMINATION COMMITTEE

12 April 2023

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AUDIT, RISK AND INTERNAL CONTROL

JOANNE LAKE
CHAIR OF THE AUDIT 
CHAIR OF THE AUDIT 
AND RISK COMMITTEE
AND RISK COMMITTEE

4  4

AUDIT AND RISK 
COMMITTEE

PETER MAWSON
COMMITTEE
MEMBER

GERALD JENNINGS
COMMITTEE
MEMBER

3

3

4

4

SERENA LANG
COMMITTEE
MEMBER

1

1

Audit and Risk attendance key

Meetings attended

Eligible meetings

Following his appointment as Chair of the Board, Peter stepped 
down as a member of the Audit and Risk Committee with effect from 
September 2022

Serena joined the Committee with effect from her appointment on the 
1 August 2022

“Through embedding our external and 
internal auditor resource further this 
year, the Committee has set itself 
up well to ensure a systematic and 
thorough approach to our audit and 
risk practices.”

Review of the year

O

n behalf of the Board and the Audit and 
Risk Committee (the Committee), as 
Chair of the Committee, I am pleased 
to present the Directors’ Audit and Risk 
Committee Report for the year ended 
31 December 2022.

This year, the Audit and Risk Committee 
has commenced its first year of internal 

audit work with KPMG as the internal audit partner, 
appointed during the latter part of 2021, approving their 
annual plan and overseeing the outcomes of their review. 
Alongside the Responsible Business Committee, we 
also reviewed the approach to assessing climate related 
risks and opportunities and the reporting around this as it 
relates to the TCFD disclosures, integrating this approach 
with our general risk review procedures. We continued to 
develop the relationship with EY as the external auditor of 
the Group, overseeing all external and internal audit activity 
and internal controls regarding risk. The Committee is also 
aware of the impending introduction of the audit reforms 
relating to internal controls, which is discussed in more 
detail on page 113, and which will be the subject of further 
work during 2023. 

Those serving as members of the Committee were myself 
(Committee Chair) and Gerald Jennings, with Peter 
Mawson stepping down from the Committee during the 
year in compliance with Corporate Governance Code 
requirements, and being replaced by Serena Lang. 

Internal audit 
Given the size of the Group and extent of the internal 
audit activities required, the Committee considers that an 
externally appointed internal auditor is appropriate. This 
provides independence to the internal audit activities as 
well as ensuring that any required areas of specialism 
and knowledge of audit processes can be provided by 
the auditor. 

From early 2022 onwards, our internal audit partner has 
been KPMG LLP (KPMG). During 2022, the following 
internal audit reviews were carried out by KPMG:

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CORPORATE 
GOVERNANCE REPORT

AUDIT, RISK AND INTERNAL CONTROL

Topic

Outline

Cyber Security 

The objective of this audit was to provide a risk-based assessment of the Group’s Cyber Security capabilities 
and to highlight gaps or areas requiring control improvement. This work has focused predominantly on 
the Group’s Cyber Security maturity but also included consideration of Stonebridge Homes. The Internal 
Audit was conducted using KPMG’s Cyber Security Framework, consisting of nine different domains, which 
comprise: Leadership and Governance; Information Risk Management; Human Factors; Third Parties; 
Resilience; Compliance; Technical Security; Security Architecture; and Security Operation.

Financial Controls
Gap Analysis

This audit performed a gap analysis, to understand and document the flow of information within each in-
scope process, identify the various controls in place to mitigate key risks and identify and document the 
control gaps that exist within each process, where risks are currently not being adequately remediated.

The scope of the internal audit focused on understanding and covering the following key areas:

Record to Report (R2R) – accounting and financial reporting procedures including journals, balance sheet 
reconciliations and month end closing;

Order to Cash (O2C) – end to end cycle from contracting with customers through to receipt of payment for 
goods and services; and

Purchase to Pay (P2P) – end to end cycle from selection of supplier through to processing of payment for 
goods and services.

The scope of this audit focused on understanding and covering the following key areas:

Pre-construction governance - procedures undertaken prior to contracting, including governance and 
approval processes for tender submission and contract award; 

Project controls - a high-level assessment of the structure around the management of capital projects; and 

Supply chain due diligence and monitoring - processes for compiling the approved supply chain and 
ongoing monitoring of subcontractors, as well as the processes in place for maintaining due diligence over, 
and monitoring subcontractors who are not part of the approved supply chain.

Construction 
Contracts - Supply 
Chain Resilience 

The results of this internal audit activity were reviewed by the Committee during the year, and will continue to be monitored on an ongoing 
basis, including implementation of any recommendations and the overall status of the audit result. 

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Audit and Risk Committee Report

Internal audit effectiveness review 
The Committee determined that an assessment of the effectiveness of 
the internal auditor was not appropriate for 2022 due to the fact that 
the internal auditor had only commenced its activities in early 2022, 
and had been tested through the tendering exercise and appointment 
process. A review of the first full year of internal auditing activities will 
be carried out during 2023 and reported on in the following year. 

In determining their initial testing plan for 2022, KPMG reviewed 
the Group’s risk reporting materials, previous internal audit report 
and met with all senior stakeholders in the business. Their plan was 
presented and approved by the Committee in February 2022.

Cyber Security
As highlighted above and in previous Committee reports, as well 
as in the risk report at pages 50 to 56, cyber security continues 
to be an area of focus, to ensure that appropriate procedures 
and systems are in place. The Group has not been subject to an 
information security breach within the previous three years (the 
last incident having occurred in 2018), and is accredited by Cyber 
Essentials Plus, an externally audited certification. Cyber risk is an 
area where we continue to review the appropriateness of relevant 
mitigation factors, such as information security insurance products, 
but it is not currently felt that such products offer value for money 
in relation to the risk that would be insured. The Group continues 
to mitigate the risks in other ways, through the biannual provision 
of detailed eLearning, supplemented by phishing email campaigns 
– with failures being dealt with by targeted user training, as well as 
having a suite of information security policies and protocols being 
updated in line with ISO27001 recommendations. Following the 
recommendations of KPMG as a result of the internal audit activity 
highlighted on the previous page, the Group has put additional 
measures in place, including: USB disablement; multi-factor 
authentication on all users and cloud systems; procurement of new 
backup products; and data migrated from local storage to cloud 
storage to help visibility.

Audit Reform 
As a Committee, we are keenly aware that the audit-related 
corporate governance reforms led by the FRC have been in 
progress and that measures will need to be put in place to ensure 
full compliance with the requirements when finalised. Policies and 
protocols will be reviewed under the supervision of the Committee, 
and a gap analysis carried out. The Committee has been advised 
on the details of this by both our external and internal auditors, and 
will continue to review how to use those resources to shape our 
approach over the coming year. 

External audit effectiveness review
The Committee oversaw a full review of the effectiveness of the 
external auditor in July 2022, which collated feedback from the 
Committee, finance teams, Managing Directors and other key 
stakeholders within the Group. Within the scope of the review, the 
following were considered:

•

•

•

Planning and half year work performed August to September 2021

Interim audit carried out November 2021

Year end audit carried out January to April 2022 

Overall, the review concluded that EY conducted a thorough and 
comprehensive audit providing robust and independent challenge 
where needed. The strong working relationships with the external audit 
team, the collaborative nature of the work carried out on the going 
concern evaluation, and the level of challenge being fair and balanced 
were reflected upon. Constructive discussions were held with EY 
around ways of refining the flow of information between internal teams 
and the audit team, to ensure continuous improvements in methods 
of engagement. It was also noted that many of these areas would 
continue to improve with the embedding of those internal protocols 
around information sharing, which did not impact on the quality of 
audit work or audit opinion, and so were not considered to be matters 
of any significant concern.

Extent to which external auditor
challenged management
The external auditor has provided robust challenge, particularly 
around areas of complexity or judgement, including contract, property 
and inventory valuations, as well as going concern and viability. Its 
procedures and findings are detailed in its report to this Committee.

Independence of the external auditor
In order to ensure the independence of the external auditor, the 
Committee monitors the non-audit services provided by it to the 
Group and has a policy on the provision of non-audit services by 
the external auditor with the objective that such services do not 
compromise the independence or objectivity of the external auditor.

In addition, an External Auditor Independence Policy has been 
developed to supplement our approach on external auditor 
independence, which was approved in early 2023. 

The Committee is required to approve services provided by the 
external auditor in excess of £25,000. All other services below 
this threshold are also monitored to ensure that the performance 
of regulatory requirements is not impaired by the provision of 
permissible non-audit services.

EY did not provide any non-audit services to the Group during the year. 
Details of amounts paid to the auditors for audit services are set out 
in note 3 to the Financial Statements. Deloitte will provide the Group’s 
corporation taxation services for the year ended 31 December 2022. 

In accordance with best practice, the Company will require its 
external audit partner to rotate every five years, this being the 
second year to which this relates. The statutory auditor signing the 
Audit Report for 2022 is Victoria Venning. 

The Committee members meet with the audit partner and other 
members of the audit team without management present to discuss 
any potential areas of concern. There are no issues to report 
in relation to this. The Committee also reviews a letter from the 
external auditor on an annual basis outlining the measures taken 
by it to ensure that its independence is not compromised. The 
Committee reviews the safeguards and policies in place to maintain 
a high level of objectivity.

Following a review of all these elements, the Committee is satisfied 
that the independence and objectivity of the external auditor is 
not impaired and that the amount of non-audit fees is at a level 
which does not compromise the overall quality and rigour of the 
work undertaken.

Henry Boot PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2022

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CORPORATE 
GOVERNANCE REPORT

AUDIT, RISK AND INTERNAL CONTROL

Audit and Risk Committee Report
Effectiveness of risk management and internal controls
Risk assessment and risk management reporting across the Group has continued to be monitored during the year. Details of the key risks 
which the Group faces, the key controls in place to manage and mitigate those risks and the enhanced system of risk management adopted 
by the Company are set out in more detail on pages 50 to 56. The Committee, and ultimately the Board, oversee these processes and 
review the risk reporting and principal and emerging risks on an ongoing basis.

Significant issues 
The Committee considered the following key accounting issues and matters of judgement in relation to the Group’s Financial Statements 
and disclosures. In addition to these disclosures, the Independent Auditor’s Report on page 146 discusses other key audit matters which 
were also considered by the Committee.

Focus

Matters considered

Committee outcome

Valuation of investment 
properties

The investment property portfolio accounts for a large 
proportion of the Group assets and the assessment 
is subject to a degree of judgment and assumptions.

In line with our accounting policy, completed 
investment properties are held at fair value. Other 
than houses, the portfolio is valued twice a year 
by external, independent valuers. Assets under 
construction are valued by management at fair value 
using the residual method.

The Committee critically reviewed the 
valuations and any key movements during 
the year. Having discussed the valuations 
during the meeting and considered 
EY’s assessment, the Committee was 
comfortable with the values adopted.

Valuation of housebuilder 
inventory

Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net 
realisable value. 

Construction accounting 
estimates

Inventories comprise all the direct costs incurred in 
bringing the individual inventories to their present 
state at the reporting date, less the value of any 
impairment losses. 

Net realisable value of inventories is determined by 
reference to expected future sales value and costs to 
complete assumptions which are subject to estimation.

As explained more fully in our accounting policy 
on construction contracts, a significant element of 
turnover is attributable to construction contracts.

Contract costs and revenues may be affected by a 
number of uncertainties that are dependent on the 
outcome of future events and therefore estimates 
may need to be revised as events unfold and 
uncertainties are resolved.

During the year, the Committee reviewed the 
carrying value of housebuilder inventories 
and judgements in relation to recoverable 
amounts. Following discussions with EY, the 
Committee was satisfied that the carrying 
values are appropriate.

During the year, the Committee examined 
the judgements and methodologies applied 
to uncertainties and were in agreement with 
the position adopted.

Terms of Reference
During 2022, the Committee reviewed its terms of reference in line with the scope of its operations, and the requirements of the Code, to 
ensure that they remained appropriate. Some minor amendments were proposed and adopted as part of that review and the Terms of 
Reference were reapproved, and are available on the Company’s website. 

Approved by the Board and signed on its behalf by

JOANNE LAKE
CHAIR OF THE AUDIT AND RISK COMMITTEE

12 April 2023

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CORPORATE 
GOVERNANCE STATEMENT

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE STATEMENT

Compliance statement
During 2022, the Board and its Committees have been continuing 
its work to embed the requirements of the Code and improve 
wherever possible its operations and governance. The Company 
has complied with all the principles of the UK Corporate 
Governance Code 2018 for the year ended 31 December 2022 
and the vast majority of the provisions. This is demonstrated 
throughout this Corporate Governance report, and of particular note 
are the issues below with references to further detail as applicable. 
However, as in previous years, there are some instances where the 
Company has chosen to take advantage of the flexibility offered with 
the “comply or explain” rule when applying certain provisions. 

Given our 135-year history as a family business, and as a FTSE 
Small Cap company, we have adopted alternative solutions to 
the provisions where we believe this is appropriate. The Code 
recognises that good governance can be achieved by other means 
and the Board believes the approach we have taken is the most 
appropriate for the Company and its shareholders whilst remaining 
consistent with the spirit of the Code.

To provide further clarification, we will shortly be uploading details 
of our position against every principle and provision to the 
Company’s website. 

Provisions 9 and 19
As previously disclosed, the former Chair of the Board (Jamie Boot) 
was not independent on appointment, having served as Group 
Managing Director and a member of the Board for 30 years. In May 
2022, Peter Mawson, an independent Non-executive Director of 
the Company, was appointed as the new Chair and the Company is 
now compliant with provisions 9 and 19. 

We foresee that there is likely to be a period of non-compliance with 
provision 19 from 1 October 2024 when Peter Mawson will remain 
as Chair, despite his nine-year tenure, for a period of time to allow 
the Non-executive Directors recently recruited to the Board to have 
the opportunity to develop detailed knowledge of the business, 
before becoming eligible to be considered for the Chair role.

Provision 11
As previously foreseen, following the retirement of Jamie Boot from 
the Board in May 2022, there was a short period of non-compliance 
with provision 11 in relation to the number of independent and non-
independent Directors on the Board, with only two independent 
Non-executive Directors (excluding the Chair) being in place, versus 
three non-independent Directors (Tim Roberts, Darren Littlewood, 
and James Sykes). This position was resolved when Serena Lang 
joined as an independent Non-executive Director in August 2022 
and the Company is now compliant.

Provision 20
During the succession planning for the Chair role, the Board 
determined that its strong preference was not to appoint an external 
recruitment agency to source a new Chair for the Board, but to 
ensure continuity of experience within the Chair role by appointing 
one of its existing independent Non-executive Directors as the 
Chair. Within the longer-term succession plan, provision is made 
for a further Chair appointment process to commence within 
the next 5 years, which will once again enable all Non-executive 
Directors in post at that time to apply for the role as Chair. The 
Board feels strongly that it is important for its Chair to have had 
some knowledge and experience of the business prior to assuming 
the role as Chair, and accordingly has planned for this approach 
to maintain that continuity. An external recruitment agency was 
appointed to carry out the search for Serena Lang and will be used 
for future Non-executive Director appointments, as reported on 
page 106.

Provision 24
Peter Mawson became Chair on 26 May 2022 and remained a 
member of the Audit and Risk Committee until 16 September 2022. 
The Committee composition is now in line with provision 24.   

20% vote against – AGM
At the AGM in 2022, no resolution proposed received more than 
20% of the vote against it.

AMY STANBRIDGE
COMPANY SECRETARY

12 April 2023

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CORPORATE 
GOVERNANCE REPORT

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE REPORT

PETER MAWSON
CHAIR OF THE 
RESPONSIBLE 
BUSINESS COMMITTEE
BUSINESS COMMITTEE

 3  3

RESPONSIBLE 
BUSINESS 
COMMITTEE

JAMES SYKES
COMMITTEE
MEMBER

JOANNE LAKE
COMMITTEE
MEMBER

GERALD JENNINGS
COMMITTEE
MEMBER

 3  3

 3  3

 2  2

SERENA LANG
COMMITTEE
MEMBER

DARREN LITTLEWOOD
COMMITTEE
MEMBER

 1  1

 3  3

TIM ROBERTS
COMMITTEE
MEMBER

 3  3

Responsible Business Committee attendance key

Meetings attended

Eligible meetings

Following a review of Committee memberships, Gerald stepped down 
as a member of the Responsible Business Committee with effect from 
September 2022

Serena joined the Committee with effect from her appointment on the 
1 August 2022

Review of the year

T

he Responsible Business Committee (the 
Committee) met three times during the 
year, as well as attending two additional 
engagement sessions with guest speakers 
to provide insight on some key areas 
of practice. The responsibilities of the 
Committee are to provide oversight and 
leadership on the Company’s strategic 

approach to, and performance on, all responsible business 
practices. It provides an independent review and oversight 
of the development and delivery of the Group’s Responsible 
Business Strategy, which guides the Company’s approach 
to delivery of long term ESG activity and objectives.

During the year the Committee has been responsible 
for overseeing the approval and delivery of the Group’s 
Responsible Business Strategy, which was launched in 
early 2022. The Committee is also alive to the interactions 
required in relation to incorporation of ESG-related targets 
into executive remuneration (in conjunction with the 
Remuneration Committee) and oversight of climate-related 
risks (along with the Audit and Risk Committee). 

Those serving as members of the Committee during the 
year were myself, Joanne Lake, Gerald Jennings, James 
Sykes, Tim Roberts and Darren Littlewood. Within the year 
Serena Lang was welcomed to the Committee following her 
appointment to the Board, with Gerald stepping down as a 
Committee member, and it is my pleasure to hand over the 
reins of the Committee to Serena as Chair with effect from 1 
January 2023. 

On behalf of the Board and the Responsible Business 
Committee (the Committee), as Chair of the Committee, I 
am pleased to present the Directors’ Responsible Business 
Committee Report for the year ended 31 December 2022.

“In the last year, we have launched our progressive Strategy for Responsible Business 
and this Committee continues to focus on making sure that the business delivers against 
its commitments as well as ensuring it has the right governance in place to manage the 
broad spectrum of activities this entails.”

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Henry Boot PLC Board
Responsible Business Committee - 
key responsibilities

• Oversight of the setting of, and achievement of the objectives 

within, the Responsible Business Strategy;

• Review of all sustainability and ESG reporting, including 

implementation of the recommendations of the TCFD and all 
associated governance arrangements (see more on pages 
68 to 77);

•

Ensuring that the Board maintains up to date awareness of the 
Company’s impact on the communities it serves, the environment 
it operates within and the charitable support it is able to give;

• Monitoring culture and alignment with the Company’s Purpose, 

Vision and Values; and

• Monitoring and supporting the development of employee 

diversity and inclusion across the Company and its leadership.

Responsible Business Strategy
Throughout 2022, the Committee approved and then monitored the 
delivery of the Responsible Business Strategy, which was launched 
in January 2022. This included periodic assessment of the progress 
of the Group against the targets and metrics set within the Strategy. 
Individual Non-executive Directors were assigned to represent 
key areas of the Strategy – with myself being sponsor of the NZC 
Framework, Joanne Lake sponsoring our EDI Strategy and Gerald 
Jennings sponsoring the Community Partnership Plan.

Given the changes in Committee membership, we will be 
undertaking a review of the Committee Sponsorship roles in 
early 2023.

Throughout 2022, the Committee regularly monitored delivery of 
the Responsible Business Strategy targets and considered how the 
development of new initiatives (including the Reward Strategy – see 
page 65) took into account ESG factors and aligned with existing 
responsible business initiatives.

Other significant issues considered

Focus

Matters considered

Committee outcome

TCFD and Scope 
3 GHG Emissions 
approach

Climate Change 
Framework 
(CCF)

Health and 
Wellbeing

Throughout the year, TCFD reporting in relation to certain 
specific elements of quantitative scenario modelling, and 
the development of the Group’s approach to Scope 3 GHG 
Emissions evaluation, has been assessed. As noted in the 
TCFD report within this Annual Report and Accounts, further 
progress in these areas is required, and the Committee has 
been reviewing the approaches to addressing this.

Linked to the subject above, in December 2022 the 
Committee reviewed a consolidated framework developed 
by the ESG Steering Group and TCFD Steering Group, which 
brought together the proposed approach on NZC, TCFD, 
Biodiversity, Nature Stewardship and Carbon Offsetting.

The purpose of the CCF is to provide an internal reporting 
mechanism that aligns the existing and forthcoming strategies, 
reporting requirements, and initiatives focused on how the 
Group is responding to climate change. This approach intends 
to provide a clearer strategic structure and more clarity for 
monitoring progress and impact.

Following a round of review by the Executive Committee, and 
having been contributed to by the GEF (see pages 65 to 96), 
the Health and Wellbeing Strategy was considered by the 
Committee in December 2022.

EDI Action Plan  Whilst the overall EDI Strategy has been subsumed within the 

Group’s overall Responsible Business Strategy, the Group’s 
EDI Steering Group continues to operate and had explored 
ways in which targets for 2022 could be defined and achieved. 
The 2022 Action Plan contained a range of measures including 
a revision of parental leave policies to provide greater support 
to parents throughout the Group, and also a menopause and 
pregnancy loss policy being introduced.

The TCFD Steering Group has been tasked with 
compiling an approach to TCFD and Scope 3 
reporting, including use of external consultants, 
with proposals to be approved by the Committee 
during the year. 

The Committee noted the interactions with 
the Audit and Risk Committee in relation to 
assessment of risk, and felt that having an 
overarching Framework to bring together all of 
the elements relating to climate change was 
beneficial. The individual strands within the CCF 
will continue to be developed and overseen by 
the Committee during the year.

The Committee agreed that the Strategy, which 
was an evolution of the current approach, was 
an appropriate response to provide a more 
collaborative and proactive support for our 
people. Alignment with other initiatives, such as 
the Agile Working approach and employee value 
proposition work, was noted. 

Discussing these important initiatives, the 
Committee supported the work done to date and 
approved the amended policies. The proposed 
actions for 2023, and for the remaining years of 
the Responsible Business Strategy, will address 
encouraging greater levels of diversity throughout 
the workforce and management, reducing the 
gender pay gap, reporting on the ethnicity pay 
gap and other training and initiatives to increase 
awareness of EDI matters.

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CORPORATE 
GOVERNANCE REPORT

Focus

Matters considered

Committee outcome

Engagement 
sessions with 
guest speakers

Marcos Navarro of Natwest Bank joined the Committee 
and Executive Committee in June 2022 to discuss ESG 
approaches, particularly in relation to the housing market and 
key themes and trends. 

These sessions have provided greater 
engagement of the Committee members with 
peers and subject matter experts, and upskilling 
in key areas relating to current topics of debate. 

In addition, Graeme Pitkethly of Unilever met with the 
Committee and Executive Committee in November 2022 
to discuss his role on the TCFD Steering Group and the 
expectations of the market regarding good practice in 
TCFD reporting.

The Committee, in conjunction with the Board 
and Nomination Committee, will continue to 
identify further areas for development through 
these engagement sessions. 

Oversight of climate related disclosures and governance
Set out below is a summary of the approach that has been developed within the Group to ensure that key stakeholders are involved in, and 
providing relevant reporting on, ESG-related activities throughout the business. These governance structures enable specialists and subject 
matter experts, as well as our people from throughout the various parts of the Group, to get involved in areas that are closest to them, and 
ensure that the input to our Committee comes from as broad a range of employee stakeholders as possible. 

Responsibilities of senior leaders and management

Senior Leader

Membership 

Summary of Role 

Chief Executive Officer

Board

Responsible Business Committee

ESG Steering Group

Executive Committee

Chief Financial Officer

Board

Responsible Business Committee

ESG Steering Group

Executive Committee

Responsible Business 
Manager

Responsible Business Committee 
(attendee)

ESG Steering Group

Executive Committee (attendee)

Responsible Business Steering Group

EDI Steering Group

Climate Change Forum 

Charity Committee

Finance Director

Responsible Business Committee 
(attendee)

ESG Steering Group

TCFD Steering Group

General Counsel and 
Company Secretary

Board (attendee)

Responsible Business Committee 
(attendee)

HR Director 

ESG Steering Group

Executive Committee

EDI Steering Group

TCFD Steering Group

Executive Committee

EDI Steering Group

ESG Steering Group

Responsible Business Committee 
(attendee)

Managing Directors

Executive Committee

The Chief Executive Officer assumes overall responsibility for the 
delivery of the Group’s Responsible Business Strategy and responsible 
business performance.

The Chief Financial Officer supports the Chief Executive Officer to monitor 
and lead the Group’s responsible business performance and to embed 
ESG within commercial decision making.

The Responsible Business Manager:

• is responsible for monitoring the Group’s performance against the 
Responsible Business Strategy and routinely updating Executive 
Committee and the Responsible Business Committee

• fulfils the secretary role for the Responsible Business Committee
• assumes responsibility for the management and objectives of the 

Climate Change Forum and EDI Steering Group

• assists with preparation of the Group’s TCFD disclosures

The Finance Director: 

• collaborates with the Responsible Business Manager to monitor and 
measure progress against quantative targets within the Responsible 
Business Strategy 

• provides advice on alignment with the Group’s risk framework and 

commercial opportunities

• assists with preparation of the Group’s TCFD disclosures

The Company Secretary is the Group’s executive ESG Lead and assumes 
responsibility to inform strategic direction on ESG and alignment with the 
expectations of shareholders and the market, as well as assisting with 
preparation of the Group’s TCFD disclosures.

The HR Director assumes responsibility for overseeing the alignment of the 
Responsible Business Strategy with the People Strategy and leads the EDI 
Steering Group.

The Managing Directors all advise on the Group’s strategic approach to 
ESG and assume responsibility for the responsible business performance 
for their respective businesses.

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ESG Governance Structure

Remuneration 
Committee

Oversee alignment of 
Remuneration objectives 
with ESG targets.

Nomination 
Committee

Sets Board diversity policy.

Responsible 
Business Steering 
Group 

Overseeing delivery of 
Responsible Business 
aims in relation to their 
communication and impact 
on our people.

ESG Steering Group

Initial development and 
review of all ESG related 
items for the Responsible 
Business Committee 
including strategy, 
frameworks and policies.

Board 

Ultimate responsibility to approve and oversee:

•

•

•

Delivery of ESG targets in Responsible
Business Strategy

Risk management framework

Setting and adjusting of Strategy and
overall budget

Responsible Business
Committee 

Reviewing and approving overall Responsible 
Business strategy and all linked policies and 
frameworks including climate change framework, 
EDI strategy, charitable giving and volunteering – 
plus achievement

Executive Committee 

•

•

Oversight of deliverables

Endorsement of approach on Strategy, 
policies etc

Key

Delegating

 Reporting

Proposing

Subsidiaries

•

•

Delivery of subsidiary-specific ESG targets

Contribution to Working Groups and 
committees

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Audit and Risk
Committee

Audit oversight of ESG 
delivery setting and 
monitoring risk management.

TCFD Steering 
Group 

Oversight and delivery of TCFD 
implementation reporting.

Charity 
Committee 

Oversees the application 
of the Group’s Charitable 
Giving Policy

EDI Steering
Group 

Formulates Group EDI Strategy 
and annual action plans

Climate Change 
Forum 

Overseeing delivery of 
climate change framework

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Terms of reference
During 2022, the Committee reviewed its terms of reference in line with the scope of its operations and key areas of focus to ensure 
that they remained appropriate. Some minor amendments were proposed and adopted as part of that review and the Terms of 
Reference were reapproved, and are available on the Company’s website. 

PETER MAWSON
FORMER CHAIR OF THE RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS COMMITTEE

SERENA LANG
CHAIR OF THE RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS COMMITTEE

12 April 2023

12 April 2023

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CORPORATE 
GOVERNANCE REPORT

REMUNERATION

GERALD JENNINGS
GERALD JENNINGS
CHAIR OF THE 
REMUNERATION 
REMUNERATION 
COMMITTEE

4

4

DIRECTORS’
REMUNERATION
REPORT

JOANNE LAKE
COMMITTEE
MEMBER

4

4

PETER MAWSON
COMMITTEE
MEMBER

4

4

SERENA LANG
COMMITTEE
MEMBER

2

2

Remuneration Committee attendance key

Meetings attended

Eligible meetings

Annual Statement from the 
Chair of the Remuneration Committee 

O

n behalf of the Board and the Remuneration 
Committee (the Committee), I am pleased to present 
the Directors’ Remuneration Report for the year 
ended 31 December 2022.

This report is divided into three sections: 

• This Annual Statement, which summarises the 
work of the Committee and our approach to 
Directors’ remuneration. 

•

•

The Remuneration Policy section, which provides a summary of the 
policy approved at the 2021 AGM. The full Remuneration Policy can 
be found on pages 111 to 118 of the 2020 Annual Report (and is also 
available on the Company website).

The Annual Report on Remuneration, which sets out the remuneration 
outcomes for the financial year ended 31 December 2022 and 
the proposed implementation of the Remuneration Policy for the 
upcoming year. 

Company performance 
Henry Boot performed well in 2022, achieving the Group’s 
best ever underlying profit, whilst continuing to make good 
progress against our strategic objectives. 

The key highlights are listed below: 

• Record underlying profit of £56.1m driven by residential 

land and property development sales

•

•

•

Profit before tax increased by 30% to £45.6m 

Increased ROCE of 12.0%, up 240 bps, within our 
medium-term strategic target of 10–15%

EPS grew to 25.0p, up 17.9%

• Dividend increased by 10% to 6.66p with dividend 

cover increased to 3.8x

•

Sold 3,869 plots at an average gross profit of £6.1k 
per plot

• Completed on £83m (HBD Share) of developments 

with 92% let/sold

• Maintained a strong average selling price for private 

homes of £503k

•

2023 construction order book 68% secured – 94% of 
costs are fixed

“We have delivered strong operational 
performance resulting in our best ever 
underlying profit and increased the 
dividend by 10%. We believe this is 
reflected in the incentive payouts during 
the year. We are pleased to introduce 
a measure based on our Responsible 
Business Strategy into the LTIP grant in 
2023 to drive a reduction in GHG and 
improve equality”

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Remuneration outcomes 
Annual Bonus
The 2022 annual bonus was based on PBT (66.7%) and personal 
objectives (33.3%). Operating performance of the business was 
excellent, having benefited from strong sales within our property 
development and strategic land businesses, driving the Group’s 
best ever financial results on an underlying profit basis. Our non-
financial operational performance was also excellent with significant 
progress made against our business strategy.

In line with the fall of UK commercial property values in the second 
half of 2022, the investment portfolio reduced in value, with the 
result that the 2022 underlying profitability from operations was 
negatively impacted by £10.5m. As the bonus is designed to reward 
strong operational performance within management’s control, this 
negative impact is not included in the formulaic outcome of the 
bonus (in contrast to the LTIP which includes EPS and ROCE, 
which are both impacted by movements in property values). On this 
basis, this would have led to a maximum 66.7% pay out against the 
stretching PBT target range set at the start of the year. However, 
the Committee reviewed this outcome and determined that 
downward discretion should be exercised to reduce the pay out to 
a target level for this element (so 33.3% rather than 66.7% of the 
total bonus opportunity), recognising that the reduction in property 
values had led to a reduction of statutory PBT and weakening of the 
share price in the final quarter of 2022. 

Management performance was strong against the strategic 
objectives that were set, with a pay-out of 28.3% and 28.8% of 
33.3% for the CEO and CFO, respectively. As a result, the formulaic 
outcome of the bonus is 61.6% of maximum for the CEO and 
62.1% of maximum for the CFO. 

The Committee is comfortable that the bonus outcome reflects 
the wider business performance of the Company over the year. 
As part of the process for approving Executive Director bonuses, 
the Committee also considered the bonus awards payable to less 
senior management and employees more widely. The pay-out 
is considered proportionate and is broadly consistent with wider 
workforce bonuses.

One third of the bonus is deferred in to shares and held for 
three years.

LTIP award for performance period FY20–22
The three-year performance period for the 2020 LTIP award ended 
on 31 December 2022. Performance was based on EPS (33.3%), 
ROCE (33.3%) and TSR (33.4%). The EPS and ROCE targets were 
set before the impact of the COVID pandemic and have not been 
adjusted to reflect the significant detrimental impact this had on 
our financial performance. ROCE was measured on an average 
basis across all three years (including a very low ROCE in 2020 
caused by significant business disruption) and the 2022 EPS had 
not recovered sufficiently compared to the 2019 EPS, which was a 
pre COVID high point for measuring the growth targets. This meant 
that the minimum performance threshold was not achieved in either 
case. The Total Shareholder Return performance element achieved 
partial vesting based on our stock market performance relative to 
the companies in the FTSE Small Cap Index over the performance 
period. Overall, 15.1% of the LTIP will vest. The Committee believes 
that this outcome is appropriate and chose not to apply discretion 
on the incentive outcome.

The Committee is aware of investor and proxy agency concerns 
regarding LTIP “windfall gains” and has considered whether market 
movements risk creating a windfall gain for Executive Directors on 
the vesting of the 2020 LTIP. The award was granted in June 2020 
when the share price was 256p, having recovered from the sharp 
market drop in March 2020. As this is higher than the share price at 
the time of writing (223p on 31 March 2023), there is currently no 
windfall gain.

The Committee is comfortable that actions taken on pay during 
the year across the Company were appropriate and balanced 
the interests of all stakeholders and that the Remuneration Policy 
operated as intended.

Board Changes 
Jamie Boot retired from his role as Chairman on 26 May 2022, 
following the Company’s AGM. After undertaking a considered 
selection process to determine succession, the Group was 
delighted to announce that Peter Mawson would succeed Jamie 
as Chair. As a consequence of Peter’s changing role, the Senior 
Independent Director position was assumed by Joanne Lake. 
The Board has taken the decision to retire the role of Deputy 
Chair, which was previously held by Joanne. As a part of the work 
undertaking in the search for a successor to Jamie Boot, the Chair 
fee was reviewed. The market data suggested that the current 
fees payable were below market. Taking into account the market 
positioning and the time commitment for the role, the Chair fee for 
Peter was set at £105,000 effective 26 May 2022.

Later in the year, Serena Lang was appointed as a Non-executive 
Director with effect from 1 August 2022. Serena took over as Chair 
of the Responsible Business Committee on 1 January 2023.

Application of the Directors’ 
Remuneration Policy for 2023
The key decisions for 2023 are set out below.

Salary and fees 
The Committee reviewed the out of cycle salary increases that had 
been made in 2022 and the one-off cost of living payment for the 
lowest paid employees. Building on this support for the lower paid 
employees, for 2023 the Committee determined that there should 
be a tiered approach to salary increases, favouring the lowest paid. 
On this basis the lowest paid cohort of employees will receive a 
standard salary increase of between 5-7%, the next lowest paid 
4-6%, the Executive Committee 3-5% and the Executive Directors 
3%. The average overall salary increase, excluding the Executive 
Directors and Executive Committee, is 6.24%.

The Non-executive Director and Chair’s fees have been increased 
by 4% for 2023. 

Annual Bonus 
The maximum annual bonus for Executive Directors will remain at 
120% of salary. The annual bonus will again be based two-thirds on 
financial measures and one-third on strategic objectives, of which 
a quarter are related to ESG targets. One third of the bonus is 
deferred in to shares and held for three years.

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CORPORATE 
GOVERNANCE REPORT

REMUNERATION

Directors’ Remuneration Report

LTIP
The 2023 LTIP awards will be granted at the normal maximum grant 
level, 125% of salary for the CEO and 100% of salary for the CFO. 
The 2023 LTIP awards will again be based on EPS, ROCE and 
TSR (30% of the award each) and, for the first time, we are pleased 
to introduce a measure based on our Responsible Business 
Strategy, for the remaining 10%. This year’s award will be based on 
achievement against two targets from our Responsible Business 
Strategy; a reduction to our scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 
2025, reflecting our ambition to be net zero for such emissions by 
2030 (5%), and a stretching target to improve our gender balance 
across the workforce (5%). In future years we may evolve these 
measures to reflect other aspects of our broader ESG agenda. 

The ranges for the EPS and ROCE targets have been set to be 
equivalently challenging to prior years, taking into account internal 
business plans and current market conditions.

Wider workforce considerations 
Salary levels across the workforce were reviewed during the year, 
taking into account the unusually high levels of inflation and cost 
of living challenges, including a spike in energy costs. This resulted 
in out of cycle salary increases for over 100 employees (22.8% of 
the workforce). Also, in September, we made a one-off payment of 
£1,000 to the lowest paid two thirds of the workforce. 

The Committee also has oversight of the annual bonus and the 
long-term incentive schemes across the business and ensures that a 
consistent approach is taken between executive schemes and those 
applying to the workforce generally.

As a part of the Policy review in the upcoming year, the Committee 
will review the cascade of the Remuneration Policy below Board to 
ensure our approach is competitive and aligns with the strategy of 
the business.

In my dual capacity as Committee Chair and designated Non-
executive Director for workforce engagement, I meet regularly 
with the Group Employee Forum. We dedicate one entire session 
to discuss how executive remuneration aligns with the workforce 
reward strategy. Feedback has been positive with the Group 
Employee Forum appreciating the link between the strategy, company 
performance and reward with the corporate objectives feeding down 
through the business from the Executive Directors to all our people. 
Executive remuneration and the implementation of the Remuneration 
Policy were not raised as issues during the engagement and so no 
amendments were required to the proposed implementation of the 
Remuneration Policy in 2023 as a result of the engagement. 

Shareholder engagement 
The Committee consults with its larger shareholders on executive 
pay matters, where considered appropriate. As there are no 
significant changes in the implementation of the Remuneration 
Policy, we have not carried out a further formal consultation 
with shareholders in relation to the policy or its operation in 
2023. However, I am always happy to make myself available to 
shareholders to discuss any concerns or feedback they may have. 
We will consult with larger shareholders during the Remuneration 
Policy review process ahead of the 2024 AGM.

Closing remarks
Should you have any queries or comments, please do not hesitate 
to contact me or the Company Secretary, as we value engaging 
with our shareholders.

I hope that you will be able to support the Directors’ Remuneration 
Report at this year’s AGM.

GERALD JENNINGS
CHAIR OF THE REMUNERATION COMMITTEE

12 April 2023

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Remuneration at a glance

Performance snapshot 

Annual bonus performance

Measure
Underlying PBT (66.7%)
Individual/Strategic
objectives (33.3%)

LTIP performance

Performance
£56.1m

Achievement 
(% of max)
50%

See pages 129 to 130

85%

£1,500

Scenario Charts (£’000)
£2,500

£2,000

£1,991

Achievement 
(% of max)

45%
0%
0%

£1,000

£500

£0

£545

%
0
0
1

£1,6970

£1,121

%
6
2

%
5
2

%
9
4

%
5
3

%
3
3

%
2
3

£1,199

%
0
3

%
5
3

%
5
3

£1,045

£705
%
2
2
%
6
2

%
2
5

£365

%
0
0
1

Minimum

Target

Maximum Minimum

Target

Maximum

Tim Roberts

Darren Littlewood

 Fixed Pay   

 Annual Bonus   

 LTIP   

 50% share price growth on LTIP

Implementation for 2023

Base salary

3% increase for all Executive Directors 

• CEO – £470,200

• CFO – £309,000 

Benefits

No change

Pension

8% of salary (in line with the wider workforce)

Annual 
Bonus

• Maximum opportunity: 120% of salary

•

Subject to underlying profit and strategic 
objectives

LTIP

• CEO – 125% of salary

• CFO – 100% of salary

•

•

Subject to EPS, ROCE, TSR and ESG 
targets

Two year holding period applies

Shareholding 
guidelines

200% of salary (to be held for 2 years
post-employment)

Measure
Relative TSR
vs FTSE Small Cap
EPS
ROCE

Performance
Between median and 
upper quartile
-4% pa
8.98%

Executive pay
Total Remuneration (£’000)

1000

800

600

400

200

0

2022

2021

2022

2021

Tim Roberts

Darren Littlewood

 Salary   

 Benefits   

 Pension   

 Annual Bonus   

 LTIP   

 Other

1 The 2021 figure includes a salary repayment during the year of £43,046 
for Tim Roberts and £25,000 for Darren Littlewood relating to FY2020 – 
see page 128 for more details.

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CORPORATE 
GOVERNANCE REPORT

REMUNERATION
REMUNERATION

Remuneration policy

This part of the Directors’ Remuneration Report sets out a summary 
of the Remuneration Policy approved by shareholders at the 2021 
AGM on 20 May 2021. 

The Company’s policy on remuneration is designed to ensure that 
Executive Directors earn sufficient remuneration to be motivated 
to achieve our strategy with the addition of appropriate incentives, 
aligned to our vision and strategic objectives, that encourage 
enhanced performance without excessive risk.

The Committee annually reviews market practices and levels 
of remuneration for directors in similar roles within companies 
of comparable size and complexity. This review considers 
remuneration within our wider workforce, pay increases awarded 
and bonus levels generally in the Group, with the aim that we 
reward all employees fairly according to their role, performance, 
the economic environment and the Group’s financial performance.

The Policy has been tested against the six factors listed in Provision 
40 of the UK Corporate Governance Code: 

• Clarity – the Committee made alterations to the Remuneration 
Policy to make it clearer, including a simplified annual bonus 
structure. The elements of the Remuneration Policy were 
described clearly to investors during the consultation process 
and to the workforce during the engagement with the Group 
Employee Forum. 

• Simplicity – remuneration structures have been simplified. All 

structures are as simple as possible whilst providing a strong link 
between reward and performance and avoiding reward for failure. 

• Risk – the Remuneration Policy has been designed to 

discourage inappropriate risk taking including a balance between 
short-term and long-term elements, as well as bonus deferral, 
recovery and withholding provisions, in addition to in-employment 
and post-cessation shareholding requirements. To avoid conflicts 
of interest, Committee members are required to disclose any 
conflicts or potential conflicts ahead of Committee meetings. No 
Executive Director or other member of management is present 
when their own remuneration is under discussion.

• Predictability – elements of the Policy are subject to caps and 
dilution limits. An illustration of pay levels for different levels of 
performance are shown in the scenario charts in the notes to 
the Policy table. The Committee has the discretion to adjust 
the formulaic outcomes of the incentive arrangements if the 
outcome is considered inappropriate. 

• Proportionality – There is a broadly equal balance between 

fixed pay and incentives at target performance and there is also 
a broadly equal balance between short-term and long-term 
incentives, reflecting the importance of both short-term and 
long-term performance. 

• Alignment to culture – Henry Boot’s distinctive company 

culture was taken into consideration with the incentivisation of 
the Executive Directors to continue to develop the Group with 
our people at the forefront of our strategies, whilst formulating a 
Policy to drive sustainable long-term growth.

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Summary of the Directors’ Remuneration Policy 
and its implementation in 2023 

Below is a summarised version of the Policy you can read the full Policy on our website:
http://www.henryboot.co.uk/investors/governance/remuneration-policy/

Element

Salary

Purpose and link to strategy

Key features

2023 implementation

Core element of fixed remuneration 
reflecting role, experience and market 
rates. Assists in recruitment and retention

• Reviewed annually
• Increases generally awarded in line 
with the workforce average unless 
compelling reasons for a higher rise

• Average workforce increase: 6.24%
• Tim Roberts: £470,200

(3% increase)

• Darren Littlewood: £309,000 (3% 

increase)

Benefits

Provided on a market competitive basis 
and assists in recruitment and retention

• Level of benefits reviewed to reflect 

• No change from last year

market practice

• Include car allowance, private 

health insurance, permanent health 
insurance, death in service cover 
and participation in SAYE scheme

Pension

Contribution towards retirement income

• Choice of participating in defined 

• Tim Roberts and Darren Littlewood 

Annual bonus

To incentivise the delivery of financial 
performance, operational targets 
and individual objectives over the 
financial year

LTIP

Provides a clear and strong 
link between Executive Director 
remuneration and value creation for 
shareholders for achieving longer term 
strategic objectives

Shareholding
guidelines

Aligns their long-term interests to those 
of shareholders

contribution scheme or cash in lieu
• Aligned to the rate applying to the 
majority of the workforce (8%)

receive cash in lieu of pension 
contribution at a level of 8% of base 
salary in line with the majority of 
employees

• Targets set annually, majority of 

• Stretching PBT target set for two 

which will be financial

thirds of the opportunity 

• Maximum bonus opportunity of 

• Personal objectives set for one third of 

the opportunity. 25% of this element will 
be based on ESG targets

• Expected grant in FY23 is 125% of 
salary for Tim Roberts and 100% 
salary for Darren Littlewood

• Mixture of EPS, ROCE, TSR and 
ESG targets performance criteria

• Current holdings for Executive 
Directors shown on page 132

120% of salary

• No more than 10% pay-out for 

threshold performance and 50% 
pay-out for target performance

• Two thirds paid in cash and one third 
invested in shares and deferred for 
three years

• Committee discretion and malus 

clawback provision apply

• Performance conditions and targets 
set annually linked to strategy / TSR

• Normal levels are 125% of salary 

for CEO and 100% salary for CFO 
(Maximum level is 175% of salary – 
above normal levels require major 
shareholder consultation)

• No more than 25% vests for threshold 

performance

• Three-year award with two-year 

holding period

• Committee discretion and malus 

clawback provision apply

• Requirement to build and maintain 

equivalent to 200% of base salary for 
Executive Directors

• Executive Directors are expected 
to retain at least 50% of any 
LTIP awards or deferred bonus 
awards until holdings reach the 
required level.

• Post-cessation requirement to hold 
lower of shares held or 200% of 
salary for at least two years (market 
purchased shares excluded)

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CORPORATE 
GOVERNANCE REPORT

REMUNERATION

Element

Purpose and link to strategy

Key features

2023 implementation

Non-executive
Director fees

Fee levels set to assist recruitment and 
retention of high calibre Non-executive 
Directors

• Non-executive Director fees will be 
increased by 4%, lower than the 
increase for the wider workforce 
of 6.24%

• Chair fee set by the Committee
• Non-executive fees set by the 

Board (excluding the Non-executive 
Directors)

• Increases aligned generally to the 

workforce rate

• Non-executive Directors not involved 

in share schemes or pension 
arrangements

Service contracts and letters of appointment
The Executive Directors have a service contract requiring twelve months’ notice of termination from either party as shown below:

Executive 
Director

Date of 
appointment

Date of current 
contract

Notice from 
the Company

Notice from 
the individual

Unexpired period 
of service contract

Tim Roberts

1 January 2020

1 August 2019

12 months

12 months

Darren Littlewood

1 January 2016

1 January 2016

12 months 

12 months 

Rolling

Rolling

The table below details the letters of appointment for each Non-executive Director.

Non-executive 
Directors

Date of appointment

Date of current 
letter of appointment

Notice from 
the Company

Notice from 
the individual

Peter Mawson

1 October 2015 

30 July 2015

James Sykes

22 March 2011

21 August 2019

Joanne Lake

1 October 2015 

30 July 2015 

Gerald Jennings

1 October 2015

30 July 2015 

Serena Lang

1 August 2022

28 July 2022

3 months

3 months 

3 months 

3 months 

3 months 

3 months

3 months 

3 months 

3 months 

3 months 

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Annual report on remuneration
The following section provides details of how Henry Boot’s Remuneration Policy 
was implemented during the financial year. The labelled parts of the Directors’ 
Remuneration Report are subject to audit. 

The Remuneration Committee
The primary role of the Committee is to:

• Review, recommend and monitor the level and structure of the remuneration packages of the Executive Directors and senior management;

•

Set and approve the remuneration package for the Executive Directors; and

• Determine a balance between base pay and performance-related elements of the remuneration package in an effort to align the interests 

of stakeholders more widely (including shareholders) with those of the Executive Directors.

The members of the Committee and their attendance at Committee meetings is set out page on 120. The key activities of the Committee 
during the year are set out below: 

• Oversight of Remuneration Policy and its implementation.

• Reviewed and approved salaries for the Executive Directors and senior management.

• Reviewed formulaic incentive outcomes for the Executive Directors, senior management and the wider workforce. Considered whether 

they were aligned to Company performance over the short and long term.

• Reviewed the LTIP awards for the Executive Directors and senior management. 

•

Engaged with the wider workforce on the alignment between executive pay and the wider workforce.

External Advisers
Following a formal and robust tender process, the Committee appointed Korn Ferry as its advisers with effect from 11 June 2020. 

During the year the Committee received independent advice on Directors’ remuneration from Korn Ferry who are a member of the 
Remuneration Consultants Group and adhere to its Code of Conduct which requires its advice to be objective and impartial. Korn Ferry 
provided advice on market practice updates, benchmarking and supported management with undertakings such as producing the 
Directors’ remuneration report to the extent this did not impact the independence of its advice. The fees paid to Korn Ferry for providing 
advice to the Committee in relation to Directors’ remuneration was £47,100. 

Korn Ferry provided other human capital related services during the year, but these services were carried out by a team separate to the 
remuneration advisory team. As a result, the Committee is satisfied that the advice received was objective and independent.

Statement of voting at the last Annual General Meeting (AGM) 
At the 2022 AGM, shareholders were asked to approve the 2021 Annual Report on Remuneration. The Directors’ Remuneration Policy was 
approved by shareholders at the 2021 AGM. The votes received are set out below:

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2022 AGM (26 May 2022)
Approve the 2021 Directors’ Remuneration 
report (excluding the Remuneration Policy)

2021 AGM (20 May 2021)
Approve the 2021 Directors’ Remuneration 
report (excluding the Remuneration Policy)

Nature of vote

Votes for

Advisory 83,537,884 94.99

% Votes against % Votes total Votes withheld
12,669

4,407,409 5.01 87,945,293

Nature of vote

Votes for

Binding 87,300,759 98.03

% Votes against % Votes total Votes withheld
9,626

1.97 89,055,143

1,754,384

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Single total figure of remuneration (Audited) 
The table below reports the total remuneration receivable by Directors in respect of qualifying services during the year.

Year ended
31 December 2022
Tim Roberts
Darren Littlewood
Jamie Boot
James Sykes
Joanne Lake
Gerald Jennings
Peter Mawson
Serena Lang

Salary 
and
fees1
£’000
457
300
40
51
58
58
89
21

Taxable
benefits
£’000
37
31
1
0
0
0
0
0

Pension-
related
benefits
£’000
37
24
0
0
0
0
0
0

Other2
£’000
4
4
0
0
0
0
0
0

Total 
fixed
£’000
535
359
41
51
58
58
89
21

Annual
bonus
£’000
338
224
0
0
0
0
0
0

Long-term
incentives3
£’000

65 
38
0
0
0
0
0
0

Total 
Variable
£’000
403
262
0
0
0
0
0
0

Total
Remuneration
£’000
938
621
41
51
58
58
89
21

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CORPORATE 
GOVERNANCE REPORT

REMUNERATION

Year ended
31 December 2021
Tim Roberts
Darren Littlewood
Jamie Boot
James Sykes
Joanne Lake
Gerald Jennings
Peter Mawson

Salary
and
fees1,4
£’000
478
300
91
48
48
48
48

Taxable
benefits
£’000
35
28
1
–
–
–
–

Pension-
related
benefits
£’000
35
51
–
–
–
–
–

Other2
£’000
0
0
–
–
–
–
–

Total
fixed
£’000
548
379
92
48
48
48
48

Annual
bonus
£’000
435
275
–
–
–
–
–

Long-term
incentives5
£’000
–
29
 –
–
–
–
–

Total 
Variable
£’000
435
304
–
–
–
–
–

Total
Remuneration
£’000
983
683
92
48
48
48
48

1 Salary includes the value subject to salary sacrifice. 

2 Tim Roberts and Darren Littlewood participated in the SAYE all employee plan, further details are set out on page 132. 

3 Value of shares based on a three-month average share price of £2.38 to 31 December 2022. This value will be restated next year based on the actual share 

price on the date of vesting.

4 As stated in the 2021 annual report, the Board voluntarily reduced salaries by 20% from 1 April 2020, for the duration of the most severe impact of the 

pandemic. Salaries and fees were reinstated in full on 1 October 2020. For Executive Directors, the total salary waived was £43,046 for the CEO and £25,000 
for the CFO. These salary reductions for Tim Roberts and Darren Littlewood were repaid in 2021, to mirror the experience of the wider workforce. The 
Chairman’s fee and the Non-executive Director’s fees were reduced by 20%. The fee reductions were not reinstated. 

5 The 2019 LTIP award vested on 30 April 2022, the value included in the table is based on the value of the award on vesting and includes dividend equivalents 

of 496 shares. The value is based on the share price on the date of vesting. 

Taxable benefits include the provision of a company car or a cash allowance alternative, permanent health insurance and private medical 
insurance. The value of benefits is not pensionable.

The information in the single total figure of remuneration in the table on page 127 is derived from the following:

Salary or fees

The amount of salary or fees received in the year 

Taxable benefits

The taxable benefits received in the year by Executive Directors.

Annual bonus

The value of bonus payable and the calculations underlying this are disclosed on pages 128 and 129.

Long-term incentives

The value of LTIP awards are those related to shares that vested as a result of the performance over the 
three- year period ended 31 December of the reporting year.

Pension-related 
benefits

Pension-related benefits represent the cash value of pension contributions or salary in lieu of contributions 
received by Executive Directors at a rate of 8% salary for both Tim Roberts and Darren Littlewood.

Other

SAYE awards granted to Executive Directors during the year

Individual elements of remuneration
Pension entitlement
Tim Roberts and Darren Littlewood receive a salary supplement in lieu of pension contribution equivalent to 8% of salary, in line with the 
workforce rate.

2022 bonus
The maximum annual bonus opportunity for the Executive Directors was 120% of salary. Two thirds of the bonus was subject to stretching 
PBT targets and one third personal strategic objectives. Performance against the targets is set out in the table below. 

Measure
Financial
Underlying PBT
Non-financial
Personal objectives
Formulaic outcome
Outcome following Committee discretion

Weighting
(% of 
maximum)

Threshold
10% of 
maximum

Target
50% of 
maximum 

Stretch
100% of 
maximum

Actual 
result

Outcome
(% of maximum)
Tim 
Roberts

Darren 
Littlewood

66.7%

£45.2m

£50.3m

£52.8m

£56.1m

66.7%

66.7%

33.3%

See below
See below

28.3%
95.0%
61.6%

28.8%
95.5%
62.1%

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Operating performance of the business was excellent, having benefited from strong sales within our property development and strategic 
land businesses, driving the Group’s best ever financial results on an underlying profit basis. Our non-financial operational performance was 
also excellent with significant progress made against our business strategy. 

In line with the fall of UK commercial property values in the second half of 2022, the investment portfolio reduced in value, with the result that 
the 2022 underlying profitability from operations was negatively impacted by £10.5m. As the bonus is designed to reward strong operational 
performance within management’s control, this negative impact is not included in the formulaic outcome of the bonus (in contrast to the 
LTIP which includes EPS and ROCE, which are both impacted by movements in property values). On this basis, this would have led to 
a maximum 66.7% pay out against the stretching PBT target range set at the start of the year. However, the Committee reviewed this 
outcome and determined that downward discretion should be exercised to reduce the pay out to a target level for this element (so 33.3% 
rather than 66.7% of the total bonus opportunity), recognising that the reduction in property values had led to a reduction of statutory PBT 
and weakening of the share price in the final quarter of 2022. 

The Committee also evaluated the performance of the Executive Directors against their 2022 personal strategic objectives. The proportion of 
objectives achieved was assessed as follows:

2022 personal objectives – Tim Roberts

Objective Details

Weighting
(% of salary) Performance against objective

1

2

3

4

5

6

Implement Group strategy, identifying strategic 
smart objectives, taking account of risk

15%

Communicating the Group’s strategy, vision 
and values both internally and externally

Develop senior leadership team and review 
Group remuneration

Lead good Health and Safety practices around 
the Group to avoid any major Health and 
Safety incidents

Attract new shareholders to the register, 
achieving positive feedback from meetings with 
existing shareholders and analysts by clear key 
messaging and Investor Relations (IR) Policy

Implement Environment Social and 
Governance (ESG) Policy, and promote an 
open, diverse and progressive organisation

4%

4%

4%

3%

10%

40%

Total out of max 40%

Outcome
(% of 
salary)

12%

3%

3%

Strong: Continued prudent deployment of capital with a more 
thorough approach to the cascade of strategic objectives 
throughout ExCo and to wider management teams aligned to 
Corporate objectives.

Strong: Key appointment of Communications and Marketing 
Director and a more strategic focus on the messages shared 
with all stakeholders to ensure consistency of narrative.

Strong: Continued development of Executive Committee 
with focus on collaboration and customer. Supported the 
implementation of a Group wide reward strategy to provide 
clarity and transparency.

Excellent: All major KPIs have been achieved and continue to 
be monitored closely.

4%

Strong: Continued refinement of our equity narrative. 
Attracted 1 major new investor to the register.

Excellent: Successful policy launch and development of ESG 
targets for all parts of the business. We achieved our gender 
target for the year and a reduction in our gender pay gap 
aligned to our longer term goals.

2.5%

9.5%

34%

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CORPORATE 
GOVERNANCE REPORT

REMUNERATION

2022 personal objectives – Darren Littlewood

Objective Details

Weighting
(% of salary) Performance against objective

Outcome
(% of 
salary)

8.5%

6.5%

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Implement Group strategy, identifying strategic 
smart objectives, taking account of risk

10%

Implement IT strategy with a focus on identifying 
business process improvements, efficiencies and 
systems

8%

Strong: Continued prudent deployment of capital across 
all activities with focus on alignment to the refreshed Group 
strategy and implementation of technology solutions. 
Continued management of the pension liabilities.

Strong: Appointment of IT Director to deploy the IT strategy 
and align to the requirements of the Group and continued 
focus on cyber security. Group wide process mapping has 
been implemented and has identified a number of areas of 
efficiency and where technology solutions can be deployed.

Developing strategic influence within the 
business and profile within the wider industry

Developing the Finance/IT/Comms team’s profile 
and skillsets, developing their integration across 
the Group and encouraging the departments to 
become more pro-active business partners

3%

3%

Excellent: Continued commitment to ExCo development with 
focus on customer and collaboration. Positive feedback from 
stakeholders in relation to profile raising and representation on 
wider trade bodies and forums.

3%

Excellent: Development of wider skills within the Group to 
strengthen delivery to internal stakeholders.

2.5%

Management and development of financial 
reporting within each business, to the Board and 
to the investor community

3%

Undertake a review of internal and external audit 
and tender the Group’s provision of tax services

3%

Support the implementation of the Group’s 
ESG Policy

10%

Total out of max 40%

40%

Excellent: Continued to develop compelling equity narrative 
supported by relevant and consistent financial reporting.

Good: Reviewed external audit with feedback to ARC; tax 
services were successfully tendered with Deloitte being 
appointed. Internal audit review will be carried over into 2023.

Excellent: Successful policy launch and implementation of 
appropriate ESG targets in all parts of the business. Success 
has been achieved in increasing female representation and 
reducing the gender pay gap.

2.5%

2%

9.5%

34.5%

Based on performance to 31 December 2022 and downward discretion used by the Committee, the adjusted annual bonus outcome for 
Executive Directors during the year are shown below. 

Executive
Tim Roberts
Darren Littlewood

Annual Bonus outcome

% of maximum
61.6%
62.1%

% of salary
74%
74.5%

Bonus outcome (£) 
£337,812
£223,500

Two thirds of the bonus will be payable in cash. The remaining one third will be invested in shares and deferred for three years. No further 
performance conditions or service requirements apply. 

Long-Term Incentive Plan (LTIP)
LTIP Awards were granted to Tim Roberts and Darren Littlewood on 22 June 2020. The LTIP shares in this award were subject to the 
performance criteria set out in the table below. 

Performance condition
EPS growth
ROCE
TSR1

Weighting
33.3%
33.3%
33.4%

Total vesting (out of 100%)

Threshold
(25% vesting)
RPI+3% p.a.
10%
Median
TSR: -11%

Maximum
(100% vesting)
RPI+7% p.a.
13%
Upper quartile
TSR: 24%

Actual 
performance
-4% p.a
8.97%
Rank 56 out of 128
TSR: -5.2%

1 The TSR comparator group was comprised of the FTSE Small Companies Index (excluding investment trusts).

Pay-out of 
element
(% of max)
0%
0%
15.1%

15.1%

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The Committee is comfortable that the level of vesting is in line with underlying performance and shareholder experience over the 
performance period and that no discretion would apply. As a result, the following shares will vest. 

Executive Director
Tim Roberts
Darren Littlewood

Number 
of shares 
granted
168,039
97,592

Number of 
shares due 
to vest
25,369
14,733

Estimated 
Number of 
shares for 
dividend 
equivalents
1,941
1,127

Total 
£64,998
£37,747

1 The share price was £2.56 at the time of grant, compared to the three-month average share price of £2.38 to 31 December 2022. Therefore, No part of the 

award is currently attributable to share price appreciation. No discretion was applied.

2 After awards vest, subject to selling sufficient shares to pay tax, shares must be held for a further two years. 

3 Dividend equivalent shares will be awarded on the shares that vest and will be valued on an average share price for the three business days before the vest 
date of 22 June 2023. For the purpose of the table above, the estimated number of dividend equivalents has been based on the three-month average share 
price up to 31 December 2022. For the FY23 Annual Report, this figure will be restated.

4 The total value above has been calculated based on the three-month average share price up to 31 December 2022.

LTIP awards granted in the year (audited)
LTIP awards were granted during the year to Tim Roberts and Darren Littlewood on 29 April 2022.

Tim Roberts
Darren Littlewood

Type of award
LTIP – nil cost options
LTIP – nil cost options

% of salary
125%
100%

Number of 
shares
175,938
92,497

Face value of 
grant at 324.33p
per share1
£570,620
£299,996

% of award 
vesting at 
threshold
25%
25%

1 The share price is calculated based on the average share price for the three days preceding the grant.

The awards are subject to the following performance conditions which will be measured over the three-year period ending 31 December 2024:

Measure
EPS in 2024
Return on Capital Employed (average over three years)
TSR relative to the FTSE Small Cap Index (excluding investment trusts)

Threshold
(25% of max)
Weighting
28p
33.3%
33.3%
11%
33.4% Median performance 

Maximum
(100% of max)
35p
14%
Upper quartile

Sharesave options granted during the year (audited)
During the year Tim Roberts and Darren Littlewood were granted options under the Company’s Sharesave scheme. The details are set 
out below: 

Name
Tim Roberts
Darren Littlewood

Number 
of options 
granted1
9,090
9,090

Exercise 
price2
198p
198p

Face value
at grant1
£22,437 
£22,437

% of award 
vesting at 
threshold

Date on which 
exercisable
N/A 1 December 2025
N/A 1 December 2025

1 Both Directors opted to save £500 a month over the 3-year savings period equating to 9,090 shares based on the exercise price.

2 The exercise price is calculated based on the average share price for the three days preceding the grant (246.83p). The Board then applied a 20% discount 

on the price for all participants in line with HMRC rules. 

Payments to past Directors
The only payment to a past Director during the year, in respect of services provided to the Company as a Director, was in relation to LTIPs 
granted to John Sutcliffe in 2019. As a good leaver, the number of shares available to vest was 5,797 shares, having been prorated for his 
time in employment. This equated to a market valuation on exercise of £18,782. 

Payments made for loss of office
Jamie Boot stepped down from the Board on 26 May 2022 and received fees to that date (£40k). There were no additional payments.

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CORPORATE 
GOVERNANCE REPORT

REMUNERATION

Statement of Directors’ shareholdings and share interests (Audited)
The following table sets out the shareholdings and share interests in ordinary shares of the Directors and connected persons in the 
Company as at 31 December 2022. The Executive Directors are subject to a shareholding requirement of 200% of salary under the 
Remuneration Policy. Executive Directors are expected to retain at least 50% of any LTIP awards or deferred bonus awards until holdings 
reach the required level. There are no holding requirements for Non-executive Directors. 

At 31 December 2022

Beneficially
owned at
1 January 
2022
279,067 
205,404
13,200 
20,000
10,710
19,900
N/A
5,665,002

Unvested 
Options with 
performance 
conditions 
550,876
294,784
–
–
–
–
–
–

Unvested 
Options 
without 
performance 
conditions
9,090
9,090
–
–
–
–
–
–

Beneficially
owned 
303,258
225,380
13,200
20,000
10,710
19,900
–
5,665,002

Vested 
unexercised 
options
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

Total interests
863,224
529,254
13,200
20,000
10,710
19,900
–
5,665,002

Share-
holding
as a % of
salary or 
fees 
152%
171%
28%
89%
41%
77%
0%
13,921%

Director
Tim Roberts
Darren Littlewood
Peter Mawson 
James Sykes
Joanne Lake
Gerald Jennings
Serena Lang 
Jamie Boot4

1 All outstanding scheme interests are in the form of options. 

2 The table above includes the holdings of persons connected with each of the Directors. 

3 The shareholding as a percentage shown above is based on the share price at 31 December 2022 (235p). The salary used for this calculation is that which 

commences on 1 January 2023.

4 Shareholding for Jamie Boot is shown at 26 May 2022 when he stepped down from the Board in relation to his fee at that time.

Tim Roberts increased his holding by 42,000 shares to 345,258 on 26 January 2023. There have been no other transactions between 
31 December 2022 and 31 March 2023.

LTIP

Tim Roberts

Darren Littlewood

Market price 
at date of 
grant
256.17p
262.67p
324.33p

Date of grant 
22/06/2020
23/06/2021
29/04/2022

30/04/2019
22/06/2020
23/06/2021
29/04/2022

272.3p
256.17p
262.67p
324.33p

At 1 January 
2022
168,039
206,899
–
374,938
82,619
97,592
104,695
–
284,906

Grant during 
the year

–
175,938
175,938
–
–
–
92,497
92,497

Exercised 
during the 
year
–
–
–
–
9,0941,2
–
–
–
9,094

Lapsed 
during the 
year
–
–
–
–
74,021
–
–
–
74,021

At 31 
December 
2022
168,039
206,899
175,938
550,876
–
97,592
104,695
92,497
294,784

Actual 
exercise 
date/earliest 
vesting date
22/06/2023
23/06/2024
29/04/2025

30/04/2022
22/06/2023
23/06/2024
29/04/2025

1 Shares exercised under the LTIP includes 496 dividend equivalent shares.

2 Darren Littlewood exercised 9,094 options during the year under the LTIP. The aggregate gain on exercise was £29,465 based on a share price on the date 

of exercise of 324p.

Sharesave plan

Tim Roberts

Date of 
grant
15/10/2021
21/10/2022
Darren Littlewood 15/10/2021
21/10/2022

At 1 
January 
2022
8,000
–
8,000
–

Granted 
during the 
year
–
9,090
–
9,090

Exercised 
during the 
year
–
–
–
–

Lapsed 
during the 
year1
8,000
–
8,000
–

At 31 
December 
2022
– 
9,090
– 
9,090

Exercise 
price
225p
198p
225p
198p

Date from 
which 
exercisable
–
01/12/2025
–
01/12/2025

Expiry date
–
01/06/2026
–
01/06/2026

1 Both Tim Roberts and Darren Littlewood pulled out of the 2021 Sharesave plan and opted to join the 2022 Sharesave plan instead.

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Share price
The middle market price for the Company’s shares at 31 December 2022 was 235p and the range of prices during the year was 227p to 345p.

Ten-year TSR performance graph
The chart below shows the TSR for the Company compared to the FTSE Small Cap Index over ten years. The FTSE Small Cap index has 
been chosen as Henry Boot is a constituent of the FTSE Small Cap index.

450

400

350

300

250

200

150

100

50

0

)

d
e
s
a
b
e
R

(

)

£

(

l

e
u
a
V

Dec 12

Dec 13

Dec 14

Dec 15

Dec 16

Dec 17

Dec 18

Dec 19

Dec 20

Dec 21

Dec 22

Source: Datastream (Thomson Reuters)

Henry Boot PLC

FTSE SmallCap Index

CEO remuneration for the previous ten years
Year

Name
Total Remuneration
Annual bonus
LTIP

(£’000)
(% of max)
(% of max)

2012
Jamie 
Boot
962
58.3
40

2013
Jamie 
Boot
1,054
83.3
50

2014
Jamie 
Boot
1,000
94.5
25

2015
Jamie 
Boot
981
87.8
25

2016
John 
Sutcliffe
1,118
91.1
67

2017
John 
Sutcliffe
1,277
99.2
100

2018
John 
Sutcliffe
1,250
76.8
87

2019
John 
Sutcliffe
912
64.8
65

2020
Tim 
Roberts
715
50.0
nil

2021
Tim 
Roberts
982
83.3
nil

2022
Tim 
Roberts
938
61.6 
15.1

Percentage change in Directors remuneration
The table below sets out in relation to salary, taxable benefits and annual bonus the percentage increase in remuneration for Directors 
compared to the wider workforce.

Average percentage change 
2021/22
Taxable
benefits
6%
11%
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
0%

Salary/
fees
-5%
0%
N/A
6%
21%
21%
85%
N/A
6.24%

Annual
bonus
-22%
-19%
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
54.89%

Average percentage change 
2020/21
Taxable
benefits
0%
0%
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
0%

Salary/
fees
5%
9%
5%
5%
15.36%
20.55%
27.81%
N/A
9.55%

Annual
bonus
68%
87%
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
0%

Average percentage change 
2019/20
Annual
Taxable
bonus
benefits
0%
N/A
0% -51.10%
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
0% -40.81%

Salary/
fees
0%
11%
3%
3%
3%
3%
3%
N/A
3.99%

Chief Executive Officer1
Chief Financial Officer1
Jamie Boot2
James Sykes3
Joanne Lake3
Gerald Jennings3
Peter Mawson4
Serena Lang5
Workforce

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1 As stated in the 2021 annual report, the Board voluntarily reduced salaries by 20% from 1 April 2020, for the duration of the most severe impact of the 

pandemic. Salaries and fees were reinstated in full on 1 October 2020. For Executive Directors, the total salary waived was £43,046 for the CEO and £25,000 
for the CFO. These salary reductions for Tim Roberts and Darren Littlewood were repaid in 2021, to mirror the experience of the wider workforce. The 
Chairman’s fee and the Non-executive Director’s fees were reduced by 20%. 

2 Jamie Boot stepped down from the Board on 26 May 2022. As he did not serve a full year in 2022, the change has not been included as it would not be 

representative.

3

In line with general market practice, additional fees were introduced for FY22 onwards for those Directors with additional responsibilities to reflect the 
increased time commitment required to effectively undertake these roles.

4 Peter Mawson succeeded Jamie Boot as Chair on 26 May 2022, as a result, his fees increased year on year. 

5 Serena Lang was appointed as a Non-executive Director on 1 August 2022. As a result no year-on-year change can be provided. 

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CORPORATE 
GOVERNANCE REPORT

REMUNERATION

CEO pay ratio
The CEO pay ratio comparing the CEO single total figure of remuneration to the equivalent pay for the lower quartile, median and upper 
quartile of UK employees (calculated on a full-time equivalent basis). The ratios have been calculated in accordance with the Companies 
(Miscellaneous Reporting) Regulations.

2022
2021
2020
2019

25th
percentile
pay ratio
28:1
31:1
26:1
41:1

Median pay
ratio
20:1 
22:1
18:1
27:1

75th
percentile
pay ratio
12:1
14:1
11.1
17:1

Method
Option A
Option A
Option A
Option A

The Committee selected Option A as the method of calculation as it is generally recognised as the most statistically robust and is consistent 
with approach used historically. The pay and benefits for UK employees was calculated on 24 March 2023 using the same method as used 
for the single total figure. No estimates or adjustments have been made.

Each employee’s pay and benefits were calculated using each element of remuneration on a full-time basis, consistent with the CEO. 
No adjustments (other than the approximate up-rating of pay elements to achieve full-time equivalent rates) were made, with the exception 
of annual bonuses for Stonebridge and Road Link where the amount paid during 2021 was used as the FY22 bonus figures had not yet 
been determined at the time this report was produced. No components of pay have been omitted.

Salary/wages
Total remuneration

25th
percentile
£28,000
£33,227

50th
percentile
£38,600
£45,629

75th
percentile
£48,783
£74,060

In 2022, the CEO pay ratio is broadly in line with previous years but has reduced slightly in comparison to 2021. This is in part due to lower 
annual bonus payments than 2021 and higher remuneration for employees due to the increase in base pay and higher bonus pay-outs. 

The Committee is satisfied that the median pay ratio reported this year is consistent with our wider pay, reward and progression policies for 
employees.

Relative importance of the spend on pay
The following table sets out the percentage change in dividends, and the overall spend on pay across our whole organisation:

Ordinary dividends
Overall expenditure on pay

2022
£’000
8,840
39,444

2021
£’000
8,016
38,144

Change
%
10.0%
3.4%

Implementation of Remuneration Policy in 2023
The section below sets out the implementation of the Remuneration Policy in 2023. Other than the introduction of an ESG performance 
condition into the LTIP, there are no significant changes. 

Executive Directors
Base salary and fees
The salary increase for 2023 is set out below:

Tim Roberts
Darren Littlewood

Salaries effective from

1 January
2023
£
£470,200 
£309,000 

1 January
2022
£
456,503
300,000

Change
%
3%
3%

Pension
The Executive Directors will continue to receive cash in lieu of pension contribution at a level of 8% of base salary in line with the 
majority of employees.

2023 bonus
The maximum bonus opportunity for Executive Directors is 120% of salary. The 2023 bonus will be based two thirds on financial measures 
and one third on strategic personal objectives of which a quarter are related to ESG targets. In line with the Policy, 10% of the bonus will pay 
out for threshold performance, 50% at target. The profit targets are considered to be commercially sensitive and will therefore be disclosed 
retrospectively in next year’s report. An overview of the strategic personal objectives for each Executive Director is set out below. 

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2023 strategic personal objectives – Tim Roberts

1

2

3

4

5

6

Objective

Evaluate and oversee implementation of Group strategy

Enhance the Henry Boot profile through effective communication of our strategy, purpose, vision and values

Oversee and drive culture of high performance through enhancing leadership capabilities and developing strategic 
capacity

Oversee and direct Group wide Health and Safety practices to avoid any major Health and Safety incidents

Create and share compelling narrative to engage with our shareholders and encourage new investors

Oversee implementation of ESG Policy and influence the modernisation agenda with oversight of nurturing our 
culture and embracing new ways of working

2023 strategic personal objectives – Darren Littlewood

Objective

With CEO, support the implementation of the Group Strategy

Oversee the implementation of the IT Strategy to encourage business improvement and efficiencies

Encourage strategic development of talent in group and continue to develop own profile amongst peers

Support modernisation agenda and key internal changes across Group support functions to achieve a more 
aligned business partner model

Oversee and develop financial reporting to support compelling equity narrative to encourage development of the 
shareholder register

Support implementation of ESG Policy and influence our modernisation agenda

1

2

3

4

5

6

Weighting 
(% of 
salary)

15%

4%

4%

4%

3%

10%

Weighting 
(% of 
salary)

10%

10%

2%

4%

4%

10%

Two-thirds of any bonus earned will be payable in cash and for the remaining one third of the bonus, Executive Directors will be required to 
invest this into shares which must be held for three years. 

2023 LTIP Awards
LTIP awards will be granted at 125% of base salary to the CEO and 100% of salary for the CFO. The 2023 LTIP awards will again be based on 
EPS, ROCE and TSR (30% of the award each) and, for the first time, we are pleased to introduce a measure based on our ESG strategy, for the 
remaining 10%. This year’s award will be based on achievement against two targets from our Responsible Business Strategy; a reduction to our 
Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2025, reflecting our ambition to be net zero for such emissions by 2030 (5%), and a desire to improve our 
gender balance across the workforce (5%). In future years we may evolve these measures to reflect our broader ESG agenda.

The detailed performance metrics, which will be measured over the three-year period to 31 December 2025, is as follows:

EPS (30% weighting)

We strive to grow earnings per share sustainably over the long-term. This should give rise 
to an ability to grow dividends faster than inflation; a key driver to long-term growth in 
shareholder value.

Return on Average Capital Employed
(30% weighting)

We strive to achieve a 10% profit before tax return on balance sheet net assets. This should 
give rise to at least two times dividend cover, thereby generating growth in the Group’s retained 
capital to reinvest and grow. This is a further driver to long-term shareholder value growth.

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Total Shareholder Return (TSR) relative to 
constituent companies of the FTSE Small 
Companies Index (30% weighting)

We strive to achieve high shareholder returns. TSR reflects the extent to which 
shareholders and the market consider that the Company strategy is appropriate and is 
being implemented and articulated well by the Executive Directors.

ESG – Scope 1 and 2 GHG reductions 
(5% weighting)

Workforce Gender Balance 
(5% weighting)

We strive to ensure that our business decisions create sustainable and long-term value for 
all our stakeholders. We want to deliver our commercial purpose whilst leaving a lasting 
positive legacy.

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CORPORATE 
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REMUNERATION

These four performance criteria provide a good balance between financial and stock market performance and broader stakeholder interests.

The range of the financial targets for the 2023 awards have been set to be equivalently challenging to prior years’ awards, taking into 
account internal business plans and current market conditions. 

For the new ESG related targets, the Scope 1 and 2 emissions targets represent, approximately a 10% reduction from the 2022 figure of 
2,930 tonnes. This is considered a stretching goal and is line with the Responsible Business Strategy target for 2025. The performance 
target has been determined based on the current size of the business and will adjust based on growth or contraction of the business, to 
ensure that it remains equivalently challenging irrespective of the size of the business in three years’ time. Our current gender balance is 
74.5:25.5, male : female and 70:30 represents a clear and simple goal for the business. 

We considered whether there should be sliding scales set, but determined that this was unnecessary as each represents just 5% of the 
overall LTIP opportunity and the target in each case is sufficiently stretching.

Weighting

Threshold target
(25% of maximum)

Maximum target
(100% of maximum)

EPS in 2025

Return on Average Capital Employed (average over 3 years)
TSR relative to the FTSE Small Cap Index (excluding Investment 
Trusts)
Scope 1 and 2 GHG reduction
Workforce Gender Balance by 2025

*Individuals identifying as male or female

Awards will be subject to a two-year holding period post vesting. 

30%

30%

30%
5%
5%

20p

9.5%

28p

12%

Median performance 

Upper quartile performance

2,650 tonnes
70 male : 30 female*

Non-executive Directors
Non-executive Director and Chair’s fees have been increased by 4% for FY23, lower than the average increase for the workforce of 6.24%. 

Chair fee1
Base Non-executive Director fee
Remuneration & Audit and Risk Committee Chair fee 
Responsible Business Committee Chair
Non-executive Director designated to workforce engagement
Senior Independent Director

1 Fee includes role as Chair of Nomination Committee.

Fees effective from

1 January
2023
£
109,200
52,654
5,200
2,600
2,600
3,640

1 January
2022
£
105,0002
50,629
5,000
2,500
2,500
3,500

Change
%
4%
4%
4%
4%
4%
4%

2 Peter Mawson was appointed as Chair on 26 May 2022. The fee for the Chair represents his fee on appointment. 

Approved by the Board and signed on its behalf by

GERALD JENNINGS
CHAIR OF THE REMUNERATION COMMITTEE

12 April 2023

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DIRECTORS’ REPORT

The Directors’ Report for the financial year ended 31 December 
2022 is detailed below.

Activities of the Group
The principal activities of the Group are land promotion, property 
investment and development, and construction.

Strategic Report
In accordance with the Companies Act 2006, we are required 
to present a fair review of the Group’s business along with a 
description of the principal risks and uncertainties it faces. The 
Strategic Report for the year ended 31 December 2022 is set out 
on pages 02 to 77.

Corporate governance statement
The Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules of the 
Financial Conduct Authority require certain information to be 
included in a corporate governance statement in the Directors’ 
Report. Information that fulfils the requirements of the Corporate 
Governance Statement can be found in Governance on pages 84 
to 143, and also within this Director’s Report. 

Results for the year and dividends
The results are set out in the Consolidated Statement of 
Comprehensive Income on page 155. The companies affecting the 
profit or net assets of the Group in the year are listed in note 35 to 
the Financial Statements.

The Directors recommend that a final dividend of 4.00p per ordinary 
share be paid on 2 June 2023, subject to shareholder approval at 
the 2023 AGM to be held on 25 May 2023, to ordinary shareholders 
on the register at the close of business on 5 May 2023. If approved, 
this, together with the interim dividend of 2.66p per ordinary share 
paid on 14 October 2022, will make a total dividend of 6.66p per 
ordinary share for the year ended 31 December 2022. Further details 
are disclosed in note 10 to the Financial Statements on page 174.

Financial instruments
The Group’s policy in respect of financial instruments is set out 
within the Accounting Policies on page 166 and details of credit risk, 
capital risk management, liquidity risk and interest rate risk are given 
respectively in notes 18, 24, 25 and 27 to the Financial Statements.

Going concern and viability statement
The Directors have, at the time of approving the Financial 
Statements, a reasonable expectation that the Company and 
the Group have adequate resources to continue in operational 
existence for the foreseeable future. Further detail is contained in 
the Strategic Report on pages 56 to 57.

Accountability and audit
Details of the Directors’ responsibilities and the Statement of 
Directors’ Responsibilities are contained on page 143. The 
Independent Auditors’ Report is given on pages 146 to 154.

Fair, balanced and understandable
The Audit and Risk Committee and the Board have assessed the tone, 
balance and language of the Annual Report and Financial Statements, 
being mindful of the requirements of the UK Corporate Governance 

Code and the need for consistency between the narrative section 
of the document and the Financial Statements. The Board’s formal 
statement on the Annual Report and Financial Statements being fair, 
balanced and understandable is contained within the Statement of 
Directors’ Responsibilities which can be found on page 143.

Political donations
The Company made no political donations in the year or in the 
previous year.

Directors and their interests
Details of the Directors who held office during the financial year 
ending 31 December 2022 and as at the date of this Annual Report 
and Financial Statements can be found on pages 80 and 81. At 
no time during the year has any Director had any interest in any 
significant contract with the Company.

The interests of Directors and persons closely associated with them 
in the share capital of the Company as at 31 December 2022, are 
disclosed in the Directors’ Remuneration Report on page 132. 
Between 31 December 2022 and 31 March 2023, being a date 
not more than one month prior to the date of the Notice of the 
AGM, Tim Roberts purchased 42,000 ordinary shares. There were 
no other changes in the beneficial interests of any of the current 
Directors during this period. 

Details of Directors’ long-term incentive awards and share options 
are provided in the Directors’ Remuneration Report on pages 130 
to 132.

Directors’ service contracts and
letters of appointment
Details of unexpired terms of Directors’ service contracts and/
or letters of appointment of the Executive Directors proposed for 
reappointment at the AGM on 25 May 2023 are set out in the 
Directors’ Remuneration Policy.

Tim Roberts and Darren Littlewood each have a one-year rolling 
service agreement in accordance with our policy on Directors’ 
contracts. Termination of these arrangements would therefore be 
subject to their contractual terms and conditions which require a 
notice period of one year to the Director. Contractual compensation 
in the event of early termination provides for compensation at basic 
salary, pension and benefits for the notice period.

Non-executive Directors, including the Chair, do not have service 
contracts. All Non-executive Directors have letters of appointment 
and their appointment and subsequent reappointment is subject to 
approval by shareholders. Non-executive Director appointments are 
typically for three years; however, they may be terminated without 
compensation at any time. The full 2022 Directors’ Remuneration 
Policy can be viewed on the website, with a summary set out on 
pages 125 to 126.

Training and development
Formal and tailored inductions are arranged for all new Directors 
and continued development is monitored by the Chair as part of the 
evaluation process. The programme of induction includes attendance 
at PLC Board and subsidiary meetings, meetings with key internal 

Henry Boot PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2022

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and external stakeholders, training on director duties and other 
developments to ensure a seamless integration into the business. 
You can read more about the induction for Serena Lang on page 105 
and Peter Mawson’s transition to the Chair role on pages 106.

fines and/or imprisonment. In keeping with normal market practice, 
the Company believes that it is prudent and in the best interests 
of the Company to protect the individuals concerned from the 
consequences of innocent error or omission. 

Non-executive Directors are encouraged to familiarise themselves 
with the Company’s business, and throughout the year they 
have regularly attended subsidiary board meetings and other 
management meetings. You can read more about training during 
2023 on page 91 and engagement with employees and other 
stakeholders on pages 96 to 98. 

As a result, the Company operates a Directors’ and officers’ liability 
insurance policy in order to indemnify Directors and other senior 
officers of the Company and its subsidiaries, as recommended 
by the UK Corporate Governance Code. This insurance policy 
does not provide cover where the Director or officer has acted 
fraudulently or dishonestly.

Specific training requirements were considered as part of the Board’s 
performance review, details of which can be found on pages 107 to 
108. General updates on regulations and best practice are provided 
through a mixture of briefings, Board papers and email updates.

Employment policy and involvement
Employees
Employees are at the heart of all that we do; our culture ensures that 
employees can grow, thrive and succeed. Details of how we seek to 
promote and achieve this are set out in the people section on pages 
63 to 67, the employee engagement report on pages 96 to 98 and 
Nomination Committee Report on pages 104 to 110. 

Employee engagement
Details of our employee engagement activities can be found on 
pages 96 to 98.

Employee communications
Employee communications has become a focus during 2022 with 
the creation of a new role and the subsequent appointment of a 
Group Marketing & Communications Director. We are undertaking 
a review of how we communicate with our people and have issued 
a survey to understand employee preferences on the regularity, 
nature and medium of our interactions. The results will be analysed 
and discussed with the Group Employee Forum and will feed into a 
revised strategy that will be rolled out in 2023.

During the year, we have had regular communications and 
interactions with employees and directors through townhalls, 
email, live webinars and recorded video messages from the 
CEO. Collaboration and inclusion is encouraged; live webinars 
are recorded so that they can be watched on demand and Q&A 
sessions are included where possible. 

Employee share schemes
The Group encourages participation in employee share schemes 
of the Company to share in the potential growth and any future 
success of the Group. From 2018, eligible employees have been 
invited to participate in Sharesave and either the Company Share 
Option Plan or the Long Term Incentive Plan based on their role on 
an annual basis. Details of employee share schemes are set out in 
note 29 to the Financial Statements.

Directors’ indemnity provisions
Directors risk personal liability under civil and criminal law for 
many aspects of the Company’s main business decisions. As a 
consequence, the Directors could face a range of penalties including 

In addition, subject to the provisions of and to the extent permitted 
by relevant statutes, under the Articles of Association of the 
Company, the Directors and other officers throughout the year, 
and at the date of approval of these Financial Statements, were 
indemnified out of the assets of the Company against liabilities 
incurred by them in the course of carrying out their duties or the 
exercise of their powers.

Health and safety
The Health and Safety of our employees and others is paramount.

Further information on our approach to Health and Safety is 
provided in the People section on page 67.

Relationship with stakeholders
Details of how we engage with stakeholders and uphold our 
Director’s duties more widely under s.172 of the Companies Act 
2006 can be found on pages 58 to 61.

Shareholder relations
The Company actively communicates with its institutional and 
private shareholders and values a two-way conversation on key 
Company issues. It is this close relationship with shareholders that 
is viewed as one of the Company’s particular strengths.

During the year a number of formal presentations were made by 
members of the Board to institutional shareholders and feedback from 
these meetings was provided to the Board by our brokers or through 
written reports. In addition, informal feedback sessions regarding the 
Annual Report were carried out with institutional investors. At every 
Board meeting an update is given to the Non-executive Directors 
on any feedback from investors, particularly after investor roadshow 
programmes. The Board receive a report at every meeting on share 
movements during the period and any market trends. The Company 
uses the Investor Relations section of its website, henryboot.co.uk, to 
publish statutory documents and communications to shareholders, 
such as the Annual Report and Financial Statements. The website is 
designed to communicate with both present and potential investors 
and includes all London Stock Exchange announcements, investor 
presentations and press releases.

Greenhouse gas emissions
The GHG emissions disclosures required by the Companies Act 
2006 (Strategic Report and Directors’ Report) Regulations 2013 
are included within the Strategic Report on pages 76 to 77. This 
information is incorporated by reference into (and shall be deemed 
to form part of) this report.

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Substantial interests in voting rights 
Excluding Directors, as at 31 March 2023, being a date not more 
than one month prior to the date of the Notice of the AGM, the 
information in the table below had been disclosed to the Company 
in accordance with the requirements in the Listing Rules and the 
Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules of the Financial 
Conduct Authority.

Rysaffe Nominees and 
J J Sykes (joint holding)1
David John Gladman
The London & Amsterdam 
Trust Company Limited
The Fulmer Charitable Trust2
Polar Capital

Voting rights over ordinary 
shares

Number % of issued 

20,532,155
11,319,548

8,487,371
5,739,580
4,176,337

15.40
8.48

6.37
4.40
3.14

1 Rysaffe Nominees and James Sykes are joint registered holders on behalf of 
various Reis family trusts and are therefore not included under the beneficial 
interests of James Sykes set out in the Directors’ Remuneration Report.

2 The shares of the Fulmer Charitable Trust, a recognised charity, are 

registered in the names of Mr John Spencer Reis, Mrs Sally Anne Reis and 
Mrs Caroline Mary Mytum as Trustees.

These figures represent the number of shares and percentage held 
as at the date of notification to the company.

Details of Directors’ holdings can be found on page 132. 

Shares held by the Henry Boot PLC
Employee Trust 
The Company has an established Employee Trust (the Trust) for 
the benefit of the Group’s employees to satisfy existing grants by 
the Company under various share-based payment arrangements. 
Details of the Company’s share-based payment arrangements 
are provided in note 29 to the Financial Statements. The Trustee 
of the Trust, a subsidiary of the Company of which the Directors 
throughout 2022 were Tim Roberts, Darren Littlewood and Amy 
Stanbridge (Jamie Boot resigned as a Director on 1 July 2022), 
exercises the voting rights in relation to shares held as it, in its 
absolute discretion, thinks fit, but having regard to the interests of 
the beneficiaries. In respect of the financial year of the Company 
ended on 31 December 2022, the Trust has waived the right to 
receive from the Company all dividends (if any) in respect of the 
shares held within the Trust.

There were no purchases during 2022 by the Trust who makes 
purchases of ordinary shares in the Company from time to time in 
order to satisfy upcoming grants. Further details are provided in 
note 31 to the Financial Statements. 

Future developments
Important events since the financial year end and likely future 
developments are described in the Strategic Report on pages 18 to 
77 and in note 34 to the Financial Statements.

Statement of disclosure of 
information to auditors
The Directors of the Company who held office at the date of 
approval of this Annual Report each confirm that:

•

•

so far as they are aware, there is no relevant audit information 
(information needed by the Company’s auditors in connection 
with preparing their report) of which the Company’s auditors are 
unaware; and

they have taken all the steps that they ought to have taken as 
Directors in order to make themselves aware of any relevant 
audit information and to establish that the Company’s auditors 
are aware of that information.

Independent auditors
The external auditors, Ernst & Young LLP, have carried out the audit 
of the 2022 financial results. Resolutions re-appointing Ernst and 
Young LLP as auditors (Resolution 11) and authorising the Audit 
and Risk Committee to fix their remuneration (Resolution 12) will be 
proposed at the AGM.

Annual General Meeting (AGM)
The Notice of the AGM can be found on pages 208 to 211, which 
also details methods of shareholder engagement to take place in 
conjunction with the AGM. It is also available at henryboot.co.uk, 
where a copy can be viewed and downloaded.

Additional shareholder information
This section sets out details of other matters on which the Directors 
are required to report annually, but which do not appear elsewhere 
in this document.

The information below summarises certain provisions of the current 
Articles of Association of the Company (as adopted by special 
resolution on 27 May 2011) (the Articles) and applicable English law 
concerning companies (the Companies Act 2006). This is a summary 
only and the relevant provisions of the Companies Act 2006 or the 
Articles should be consulted if further information is required.

Share capital
The Company’s issued share capital comprises two classes of shares 
being, respectively, ordinary shares of 10p each (ordinary shares) and 
cumulative preference shares of £1 each (preference shares). Further 
details of the share capital of the Company are set out in note 29 to 
the Financial Statements. As at 31 March 2023, the ordinary shares 
represent 97.10% of the total issued share capital of the Company 
by nominal value and the preference shares represent 2.90% of such 
total issued share capital. The ordinary shares and the preference 
shares are in registered form. Both classes of share are admitted to 
the Official List maintained by the Financial Conduct Authority.

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The Company’s ordinary shares are categorised as “Premium 
Listed” and its preference shares as “Standard Listed”. A Standard 
Listing is based on EU minimum standards for floating a company 
on a public market whereas a Premium Listing requires compliance 
with additional requirements set out in the Listing Rules of the 
Financial Conduct Authority.

The Notice of the AGM on pages 208 to 211 includes the 
following resolutions:

•

•

•

An ordinary resolution (Resolution 13) to renew the authority of 
the Directors to allot shares up to a maximum nominal amount 
of £4,457,727 representing approximately one-third (33.33%) 
of the Company’s issued ordinary share capital at 31 March 
2023. The authority will expire on 24 August 2024 or at the 
conclusion of the next AGM, whichever is the earlier, but it is 
the present intention of the Directors to seek annual renewal of 
this authority. The Directors do not have any present intention of 
exercising the authority.

A special resolution (Resolution 14) to enable the Directors to 
continue to allot equity securities for cash in connection with 
a rights or other issue pro rata to the rights of the existing 
shareholders, but subject to certain exceptions, and for any 
other purpose provided that the aggregate nominal value of 
such allotments does not exceed £668,659 (approximately 5% 
of the Company’s issued ordinary share capital at 31 March 
2023). The authority will expire on 24 August 2024 or at the 
conclusion of the next AGM, whichever is the earlier, but it is the 
present intention of the Directors to seek annual renewal of this 
authority. The Directors also confirm their intention that, in line 
with the Pre-Emption Group’s Statement of Principles, no more 
than 7.5% of the issued ordinary share capital of the Company 
(excluding treasury shares) will be issued for cash on a non pre-
emptive basis during any rolling three-year period without prior 
consultation with shareholders.

A special resolution (Resolution 15) to renew the authority of the 
Company to make market purchases of up to 13,373,182 of 
its own issued ordinary shares (10% of the Company’s issued 
ordinary share capital at 31 March 2023). The minimum price 
that may be paid under the authority for an ordinary share is 10p 
and the maximum price is limited to not more than 5% above 
the average of the middle market quotations for an ordinary 
share as derived from the London Stock Exchange Daily Official 
List for the five business days before the purchase is made. The 
Directors will exercise the authority only if they are satisfied that it 
would be likely to result in an increase in expected earnings per 
share of the ordinary share capital in issue and that any purchase 
will be in the best interests of shareholders generally. If the 
Directors do decide to exercise the authority, ordinary shares 
so acquired will either be cancelled or held as treasury shares, 
depending upon the circumstances prevailing at the time. 

Rights and obligations attaching to shares 
Subject to the Companies Act 2006 and other shareholders’ rights, 
any share may be issued with such rights and restrictions as the 
Company may by ordinary resolution decide or, if no such resolution 
has been passed or so far as the resolution does not make specific 
provision, as the Board of Directors for the time being of the 
Company (the Board) may decide. Subject to the Companies Act 
2006, the Articles and any resolution of the Company, the Board 
may deal with any unissued shares as it may decide. 

Rights of preference shares
The preference shares carry the following rights in priority to the ordinary 
shares but carry no further right to participate in profits or assets:

•

•

•

the right to receive out of the profits of the Company a fixed 
cumulative preferential dividend at the rate of 5.25% per annum 
on the capital paid up thereon;

the right on a return of assets on a winding up to payment of 
the capital paid up thereon together with a sum calculated at 
the rate of 6.00% per annum in respect of any period up to the 
commencement of the winding up for which such preferential 
dividend as referred to above has not been paid; and

the right on a return of assets in a reduction of capital to 
repayment of the capital paid up thereon together with a sum 
equal to all arrears (if any) of such preferential dividend as 
referred to above. The preference shares shall not confer on the 
holders of them any right to receive notice of or to be present or 
to vote at any general meeting unless either:

•

•

a resolution is proposed directly affecting the rights or 
privileges of the holders of the preference shares as a 
separate class; or 

at the date of the notice convening the general meeting, 
the fixed cumulative preferential dividend provided in the 
Articles shall be in arrears for more than six months.

Voting 
For 2023, the Company has determined that voting on each 
resolution will be conducted by way of a poll. The Company believes 
that a poll is more representative of shareholders’ voting intentions 
because shareholder votes are counted according to the number of 
votes held and all votes tendered are taken into account. The results 
of the poll will be announced to the London Stock Exchange and will 
be made available on the Company’s website at www.henryboot.
co.uk as soon as practicable following the conclusion of the AGM. 
Under the Companies Act 2006, shareholders are entitled to appoint 
a proxy to exercise all or any of their rights to attend and to speak 
and vote on their behalf at a general meeting or class meeting. 

Restrictions on voting 
A shareholder shall not be entitled to vote at any general meeting or 
class meeting in respect of any shares held by him unless all calls 
and other sums presently payable by him in respect of that share 
have been paid. In addition, holders of default shares (as defined 
in the Articles) shall not be entitled to vote during the continuance 
of a default in providing the Company with information concerning 
interests in those shares required to be provided (following relevant 
notification) under the Companies Act 2006.

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Deadlines for voting rights
Full details of the deadlines for exercising voting rights in respect of 
the resolutions to be considered at the AGM to be held on 25 May 
2023 are set out in the Notice of AGM on pages 208 to 211.

Dividends and distributions
The Company may, by ordinary resolution, declare a dividend to be 
paid to the shareholders but no dividend shall exceed the amount 
recommended by the Board. The Board may pay interim dividends 
and also any fixed rate dividend whenever the financial position 
of the Company justifies its payment in the opinion of the Board. 
If the Board acts in good faith, none of the Directors shall incur 
any liability to the holders of shares with preferred rights for any 
loss they may suffer in consequence of the payment of an interim 
dividend on other shares.

Variation of rights
The Articles specify that the special rights attached to any class of 
shares may, either with the consent in writing of holders of three-
quarters of the issued shares of that class or with the sanction of 
a special resolution passed at a separate meeting of such holders 
(but not otherwise), be modified or abrogated.

Transfer of shares
Under and subject to the restrictions in the Articles, any shareholder 
may transfer some or all of their shares in certificated form by 
transfer in writing in any usual form or in any other form which the 
Board may approve. Uncertificated shares must be transferred 
by means of a relevant system, such as CREST. The Board may, 
save in certain circumstances, refuse to register any transfer of a 
certificated share not fully paid up. The Board may also refuse to 
register any transfer of certificated shares unless it is:

•

•

•

•

in respect of only one class of shares;

duly stamped or exempt from stamp duty;

delivered to the office or at such other place as the Board may 
decide for registration; and

accompanied by the certificate for the shares to be transferred 
and such other evidence (if any) as the Board may reasonably 
require to show the right of the intending transferor to transfer 
the shares. 

In addition, the Board may refuse to register any transfer of shares 
which is in favour of (i) a child, bankrupt or person of unsound mind 
or (ii) more than four transferees.

Repurchase of shares
Subject to the provisions of the Companies Act 2006 and to any 
rights conferred on the holders of any class of shares, the Company 
may purchase all or any of its shares of any class, including any 
redeemable shares.

Amendment to the Articles of Association
Any amendments to the Articles may be made in accordance with the 
provisions of the Companies Act 2006 by way of special resolution.

Appointment and replacement of Directors
The Directors shall not, unless otherwise determined by an ordinary 
resolution of the Company, be less than three nor more than 15 in 
number. Directors may be appointed by the Company by ordinary 
resolution or by the Board. A Director appointed by the Board shall 
retire from office at the next AGM of the Company but shall then 
be eligible for reappointment. The Board may appoint one or more 
Directors to hold any office or employment under the Company for 
such period (subject to the Companies Act 2006) and on such terms 
as it may decide and may revoke or terminate any such appointment.

At each AGM any Director who has been appointed by the Board 
since the previous AGM and any Director selected to retire by 
rotation shall retire from office. At each AGM, one-third of the 
Directors who are subject to retirement by rotation or, if the number 
is not an integral multiple of three, the number nearest to one-third 
but not exceeding one-third shall retire from office. In addition, 
there shall also be required to retire by rotation any Director who 
at any AGM of the Company shall have been a Director at each 
of the preceding two AGMs of the Company, provided that they 
were not appointed or reappointed at either such AGM and they 
have otherwise ceased to be a Director and been reappointed by 
general meeting of the Company at or since either such AGM. The 
Company’s policy is that all of the Directors should be, and are, 
subject to annual re-election.

The Company may, by ordinary resolution of which special notice 
has been given in accordance with the Companies Act 2006, 
remove any Director before their period of office has expired 
notwithstanding anything in the Articles or in any agreement 
between them and the Company. A Director may also be removed 
from office by the service on them of a notice to that effect signed 
by or on behalf of all the other Directors, being not less than three in 
number. The office of a Director shall be vacated if:

i.

ii.

iii.

they are prohibited by law from being a Director;

they become bankrupt or make any arrangement or 
composition with their creditors generally;

they are physically or mentally incapable of acting as a Director, 
in the opinion of a registered medical practitioner who is 
treating them; 

iv. a court makes an order that they are prevented from exercising 

their powers or rights by reasons of their mental health;

v.

for more than six months they are absent, without special leave 
of absence, from the Board, from meetings of the Board held 
during that period, and the Board resolves that their office be 
vacated; or

vi.

they serve on the Company notice of their wish to resign.

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Powers of the Directors
The business of the Company shall be managed by the Board 
which may exercise all the powers of the Company, subject to 
the provisions of the Articles and any resolution of the Company’s 
shareholders.

The Articles specify that the Board may exercise all the powers 
of the Company to borrow money and to mortgage or charge all 
or any part of its undertaking, property and assets and uncalled 
capital and to issue debentures and other securities, subject to the 
provisions of the Articles.

Takeovers and significant agreements
The Company is a party to the following significant agreements 
that take effect, alter or terminate on a change of control of the 
Company following a takeover bid:

•

•

the Company’s share schemes and plans; and

bank facilities whereby upon a “change of control” the lenders 
shall consult with the Company for a period not greater than 
30 days (commencing on the date of the change of control) to 
determine whether and on what basis the lenders are prepared 
to continue the facility.

Information rights
Beneficial owners of shares who have been nominated by the 
registered holder of those shares to enjoy information rights under 
Section 146 of the Companies Act 2006 are required to direct all 
communications to the registered holder of their shares, rather than 
to the Company’s registrars, Computershare Investor Services PLC 
or to the Company directly.

Approved by the Board and signed by its order by

AMY STANBRIDGE
COMPANY SECRETARY

12 April 2023

The following table sets out where stakeholders can find relevant Non-Financial information within this Annual Report, further to the Financial 
Reporting Directive requirements contained in sections 414CA and 414CB of the Companies Act 2006. Where possible, it also states where 
additional information can be found that support these requirements.

Reporting requirement

Relevant Henry Boot policies and procedures Where to read more in this report Page

Business Model 

Principal risks and impact of 
business activity

Non-financial KPIs

Business Model 

Risks and Uncertainties

Audit and Risk Committee Report

Strategy

Key Performance Indicators

20 to 23

50 to 57
111 to 114

28 to 31

Employee Engagement

Board Diversity Policy

Board Stakeholder Policy

Our People 

Section 172

Employee Engagement

Human Rights

Modern slavery statement & Policy

Our People

Rights to Work

Whistleblowing

Social matters

Board Stakeholder Policy

Our Responsible Business

Anti-bribery and corruption

Anti-bribery and Corruption Policy

Environmental matters

Board Stakeholder Policy

Section 172

Our People

Our Planet 

TCFD

Section 172 

Employee Engagement

63 to 67
59 to 60
96 to 98

63 to 67

32 to 36

59 to 60

63 to 67

35

68 to 77

59 to 60

96 to 98

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STATEMENT OF DIRECTORS’ RESPONSIBILITIES 
IN RESPECT OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The directors are responsible for preparing the annual report and 
the financial statements in accordance with applicable United 
Kingdom law and regulations. 

Company law requires the directors to prepare financial statements 
for each financial year. Under that law the directors have elected 
to prepare the group and parent company financial statements in 
accordance with UK-adopted international accounting standards 
(“IFRSs”). Under company law the directors must not approve the 
financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and 
fair view of the state of affairs of the group and the company and of 
the profit or loss of the group and the company for that period. 

In preparing these financial statements the directors are required to:

•

select suitable accounting policies in accordance with IAS 8 
Accounting Policies, Changes in Accounting Estimates and 
Errors and then apply them consistently;

• make judgements and accounting estimates that are 

reasonable and prudent;

•

•

•

•

•

present information, including accounting policies, in a manner 
that provides relevant, reliable, comparable and understandable 
information;

provide additional disclosures when compliance with the 
specific requirements in IFRSs is insufficient to enable users to 
understand the impact of particular transactions, other events 
and conditions on the group and company financial position 
and financial performance; 

in respect of the group financial statements, state whether 
UK-adopted international accounting standards have been 
followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and 
explained in the financial statements;

in respect of the parent company financial statements, state 
whether UK-adopted international accounting standards, have 
been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and 
explained in the financial statements; and

prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis 
unless it is inappropriate to presume that the company and/ or 
the group will continue in business.

The directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting 
records that are sufficient to show and explain the company’s and 
group’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at 
any time the financial position of the company and the group and 
enable them to ensure that the company and the group financial 
statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also 
responsible for safeguarding the assets of the group and parent 
company and group and hence for taking reasonable steps for the 
prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Under applicable law and regulations, the directors are also 
responsible for preparing a strategic report, directors’ report, 
directors’ remuneration report and corporate governance statement 
that comply with that law and those regulations. The directors are 
responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and 
financial information included on the company’s website. 

The directors confirm, to the best of their knowledge:

•

•

•

that the consolidated financial statements, prepared in 
accordance with UK-adopted international accounting 
standards give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, 
financial position and profit of the parent company and 
undertakings included in the consolidation taken as a whole; 

that the annual report, including the strategic report, includes a 
fair review of the development and performance of the business 
and the position of the company and undertakings included in 
the consolidation taken as a whole, together with a description 
of the principal risks and uncertainties that they face; and

that they consider the annual report, taken as a whole, is fair, 
balanced and understandable and provides the information 
necessary for shareholders to assess the company’s position, 
performance, business model and strategy.

Approved by the Board and signed on its behalf by

TIM ROBERTS
DIRECTOR

DARREN LITTLEWOOD
DIRECTOR

12 April 2023

12 April 2023

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Henry Boot PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2022

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FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS

Independent Auditors’ Report

Consolidated Statement of 
Comprehensive Income

Statements of Financial Position

Statements of Changes in Equity

Statements of Cash Flows

Notes to the Financial Statements

146

155

156

157

158

159

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Pictured: Ique qui iduci officii scidebis molore, aut offici aut 
diam asperit, con non cone vent, volum volo moluptat.

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INDEPENDENT 
AUDITORS’ REPORT

to the members of Henry Boot PLC

Opinion
In our opinion:

• Henry Boot PLC’s group financial statements and parent company 
financial statements (the “financial statements”) give a true and fair 
view of the state of the group’s and of the parent company’s affairs 
as at 31 December 2022 and of the group’s profit for the year 
then ended;

•

•

•

the group financial statements have been properly prepared in 
accordance with UK adopted international accounting standards;

the parent company financial statements have been properly 
prepared in accordance with UK adopted international accounting 
standards as applied in accordance with section 408 of the 
Companies Act 2006; and

the financial statements have been prepared in accordance with 
the requirements of the Companies Act 2006. 

We have audited the financial statements of Henry Boot PLC (the 
‘parent company’) and its subsidiaries (the ‘group’) for the year 
ended 31 December 2022 which comprise:

Group
Group statement of financial 
position as at 31 December 2022

Group statement of comprehensive 
income for the year then ended

 Group statement of changes in 
equity for the year then ended

 Group statement of cash flows for 
the year then ended

Parent Company
Parent Company statement 
of financial position as at 31 
December 2022
Parent Company statement of 
changes in equity for the year 
then ended
Parent Company statement of 
cash flows for the year then 
ended 
Related notes 1 to 36 to the 
financial statements including a 
summary of significant accounting 
policies

Related notes 1 to 36 to the 
financial statements, including a 
summary of significant accounting 
policies

The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their 
preparation is applicable law and UK adopted international 
accounting standards and as regards the parent company financial 
statements, as applied in accordance with section 408 of the 
Companies Act 2006.

Basis for opinion 
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards 
on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities 
under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s 
responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of 
our report. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is 
sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion

Independence
We are independent of the group and parent in accordance with 
the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial 
statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard as 
applied to listed public interest entities, and we have fulfilled our 
other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. 

The non-audit services prohibited by the FRC’s Ethical Standard 
were not provided to the group or the parent company and we 
remain independent of the group and the parent company in 
conducting the audit. 

Conclusions relating to going concern
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that 
the directors’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in 
the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate. Our 
evaluation of the directors’ assessment of the group and parent 
company’s ability to continue to adopt the going concern basis of 
accounting included:

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

confirming our understanding of management’s going concern 
assessment process, through our walkthrough of the Group’s 
financial close process and engaging with management early 
to ensure all key factors we identified were considered in their 
assessment.

obtaining management’s going concern assessment, 
including the cash forecast and forecast covenant calculation, 
which covers the period to 31 December 2024. The Group 
has modelled a base scenario and a severe but plausible 
downside scenario in their cash forecasts and covenant 
calculations in order to incorporate unexpected changes to 
the forecasted liquidity of the Group. This downside scenario 
models a significant curtailment of activity and is modelled on a 
recessionary environment similar to that experienced during the 
global financial crisis in 2008.

testing the factors and assumptions included in each modelled 
scenario for the cash forecast and covenant calculation which 
included consideration of whether climate change could impact 
the assessment. We also considered the appropriateness 
of the models used to calculate the cash forecasts and 
covenant calculations to determine if they were appropriately 
sophisticated to be able to make an assessment on going 
concern. 

testing the integrity and clerical accuracy of the model.

considering the mitigating factors included in the cash forecasts 
and covenant calculations that are within control of the 
Group, for example, reducing uncommitted development and 
acquisition expenditure. This included an assessment of the 
Group’s non-operating cash outflows. 

verifying the credit facilities available to the Group, being the 
secured loan facility of £105m.

performing reverse stress testing in order to identify what 
factors would lead to the Group utilising all liquidity or breaching 
the financial covenant during the going concern period. 

reviewing the Group’s going concern disclosures included in 
the annual report in order to assess that the disclosures were 
appropriate and in conformity with the reporting standards. 

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Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified 
any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, 
individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the group 
and parent company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a 
period to 31 December 2024. 

In relation to the group and parent company’s reporting on how they 
have applied the UK Corporate Governance Code, we have nothing 
material to add or draw attention to in relation to the directors’ 
statement in the financial statements about whether the directors 
considered it appropriate to adopt the going concern basis of 
accounting.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the directors with 
respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of 
this report. However, because not all future events or conditions can 
be predicted, this statement is not a guarantee as to the group’s 
ability to continue as a going concern.

Overview of our audit approach
Audit scope

• We performed an audit of the complete 

financial information of six components and 
audit procedures on specific balances for a 
further ten components.

•

•

•

The components where we performed full 
or specific audit procedures accounted for 
93% of Profit before tax, 99% of Revenue 
and 98% of Total assets.
Valuation of contract balances and 
associated revenue and profit recognition

Valuation of house building inventories and 
profit recognition

Valuation of investment properties
•
• Overall group materiality of £2.4m which 

represents 5% of Profit before tax.

Key audit 
matters

Materiality

An overview of the scope of the Parent 
Company and group audits 
Tailoring the scope
Our assessment of audit risk, our evaluation of materiality and our 
allocation of performance materiality determine our audit scope for 
each company within the Group. Taken together, this enables us 
to form an opinion on the consolidated financial statements. We 
take into account size, risk profile, the organisation of the group 
and effectiveness of group-wide controls, changes in the business 
environment, the potential impact of climate change and other 
factors such as recent Internal audit results when assessing the 
level of work to be performed at each company.

In assessing the risk of material misstatement to the Group financial 
statements, and to ensure we had adequate quantitative coverage 
of significant accounts in the financial statements, of the 55 
reporting components of the Group, we selected 16 components 
covering entities, which represent the principal business units within 
the Group.

Of the 16 components selected, we performed an audit of the 
complete financial information of six components (“full scope 
components”) which were selected based on their size or risk 
characteristics. For the remaining ten components (“specific scope 
components”), we performed audit procedures on specific accounts 

within that component that we considered had the potential for 
the greatest impact on the significant accounts in the financial 
statements either because of the size of these accounts or their risk 
profile. 

The reporting components where we performed audit procedures 
accounted for 93% (2021: 95%) of the Group’s Profit before tax, 
99% (2021: 99%) of the Group’s Revenue and 98% (2021: 96%) 
of the Group’s Total assets. For the current year, the full scope 
components contributed 81% (2021: 71%) of the Group’s Profit 
before tax, 95% (2021: 94%) of the Group’s Revenue and 83% 
(2021: 84%) of the Group’s Total assets. The specific scope 
component contributed 12% (2021: 24%) of the Group’s Profit 
before tax, 4% (2021: 5%) of the Group’s Revenue and 15% 
(2021: 12%) of the Group’s Total assets. The audit scope of 
these components may not have included testing of all significant 
accounts of the component but will have contributed to the 
coverage of significant accounts tested for the Group. 

Of the remaining 39 components that together represent 7% of 
the Group’s Profit before tax, none are individually greater than 
4% of the Group’s Profit before tax. For these components, we 
performed other procedures, including analytical review and testing 
of consolidation journals and intercompany eliminations to respond 
to any potential risks of material misstatement to the Group financial 
statements.

The charts below illustrate the coverage obtained from the work 
performed by our audit teams.

Profit before tax

Other procedures
7%

Revenue

Other procedures
1%

Total assets

Other procedures
2%

Full scope components
81%

Specific scope 
components
12%

Full scope components
95%

Specific scope 
components
4%

Full scope components
83%

Specific scope 
components
15%

Involvement with component teams 
All audit work performed for the purposes of the audit was 
undertaken by the Group audit team.

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Key audit matters 
Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professional 
judgment, were of most significance in our audit of the financial 
statements of the current period and include the most significant 
assessed risks of material misstatement (whether or not due to 
fraud) that we identified. These matters included those which had 
the greatest effect on: the overall audit strategy, the allocation of 
resources in the audit; and directing the efforts of the engagement 
team. These matters were addressed in the context of our audit of 
the financial statements as a whole, and in our opinion thereon, and 
we do not provide a separate opinion on these matters.

INDEPENDENT 
AUDITOR’S REPORT

to the members of Henry Boot PLC

Climate change 
Stakeholders are increasingly interested in how climate change 
will impact Henry Boot PLC. The Group has determined that 
the most significant future impacts from climate change on their 
operations will be from various factors that are explained on 
pages 72 to 75 in the required TCFD on page 52 in the principal 
risks and uncertainties. They have also explained their climate 
commitments on page 35. All of these disclosures form part of the 
“Other information,” rather than the audited financial statements. 
Our procedures on these unaudited disclosures therefore consisted 
solely of considering whether they are materially inconsistent with 
the financial statements, or our knowledge obtained in the course of 
the audit or otherwise appear to be materially misstated, in line with 
our responsibilities on “Other information”. 

In planning and performing our audit we assessed the potential 
impacts of climate change on the Group’s business and any 
consequential material impact on its financial statements. 

The Group has explained in the Basis of preparation note how 
they have reflected the impact of climate change in their financial 
statements. Significant judgements and estimates relating to climate 
change are included on page 161. 

Our audit effort in considering the impact of climate change on the 
financial statements was focused on evaluating management’s 
assessment of the impact of climate risk, physical and transition, 
their climate commitments, the effects of material climate risks 
disclosed on pages 72 to 75 and the significant judgements and 
estimates disclosed on page 161 and whether these have been 
appropriately reflected in asset values and associated disclosures. 
As part of this evaluation, we performed our own risk assessment, 
supported by our climate change internal specialists, to determine 
the risks of material misstatement in the financial statements from 
climate change which needed to be considered in our audit. 

We also challenged the Directors’ considerations of climate 
change risks in their assessment of going concern and viability and 
associated disclosures. Where considerations of climate change 
were relevant to our assessment of going concern, these are 
described above. 

Based on our work we have considered the impact of climate 
change on the financial statements to impact certain key audit 
matters. Details of our procedures and findings are included in 
our explanation of the valuation of investment properties key audit 
matter below.

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Risk

Our response to the risk 

Valuation of contract 
balances and associated 
revenue and profit 
recognition
Refer to the Audit & Risk Committee 
Report (page 112); Accounting policies 
(page 162); and Notes 1, 17 and 21 of 
the Consolidated Financial Statements 
(pages 169, 187 and 190)

The Group has reported revenues 
from construction and development 
contracts for the year of £154.7m 
(2021 - £78.8m) and cost of sales of 
£140.1m (2021 - £84.1m). The Group 
has reported contract assets of £19.3m 
(2021 - £7.5m) and contract liabilities of 
£4.0m (2021 - £5.0m). 

For construction and development 
contract activity the performance 
obligation is satisfied over time. This 
means that revenue is recognised 
by measuring the progress towards 
completing the performance obligation 
satisfactorily. This assessment requires 
management to estimate the stage 
of completion of construction and 
development contract activity and 
assess costs to complete. Forecasting 
is highly subjective and is an area that 
could lead to misstatement of revenue, 
profit and related construction and 
development contract balances either 
through error or management bias. 

We performed a walkthrough to understand the key processes 
and identify key controls. 

We challenged the cost to complete assumptions by:

• Holding discussions with project managers and quantity 

surveyors to understand the basis for the assumptions 
and for a sample of incomplete contracts, attending the 
year end valuation meetings where the costs to complete 
are challenged internally;

•

Testing a sample of costs to complete by agreeing through 
to purchase order, contract or other evidence;

• Understanding the nature of costs to come and evaluating 
the split between fixed and variable costs to assess the 
cost volatility risk; 

•

For contracts where costs with sub-contractors are fixed, 
we assessed management’s consideration of key supplier 
resilience; and

• We obtained the post year end Cost Variance Reports 
(‘CVR’s’) to ascertain whether there had been any 
unfavourable or favourable margin movements that should 
have been reflected at year end.

We performed sensitivity analysis to determine what level of 
cost increase or project delays would be required to have a 
material impact on the amounts recognised as revenue and 
cost of sales in the year.

We recalculated the percentage completion and margin 
recognised in the year.

We analysed historical accuracy of forecasting by comparing 
original forecast margins to their final actual margins on 
contracts completed in the year.

We agreed total expected revenue for the contract through to 
signed contracts and approved variation orders.

We tested costs incurred in the period to third party invoices 
and the allocation of costs to the correct contracts.

We visited the three largest contract sites to gain a deeper 
understanding of the projects and to identify any contra-
indicators of the stage of completion through inspection and 
discussion with the onsite project managers.

We agreed key contractual terms to customer contracts.

We reviewed board minutes and the legal claims log to 
determine whether there are any claims not reflected in the 
year end contract assessments.

We assessed the completeness of onerous contracts to 
ensure that these are accounted correctly in line with IAS 37.

We performed full and specific scope audit procedures 
over this risk area in two components, which covered 
100% of the risk amount.

Key observations 
communicated 
to the Audit Committee 

Based on our audit 
procedures we have 
concluded that the 
contract balances, revenue 
and profit recognised in 
the year are not materially 
misstated.

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INDEPENDENT 
AUDITOR’S REPORT

to the members of Henry Boot PLC

Risk

Valuation of house building 
inventories and profit 
recognition
Refer to the Audit Committee Report 
(page 112); Accounting policies (page 
165); and Note 20 of the Consolidated 
Financial Statements (page 189)

The Group holds house building 
inventories of £80.6m (2021 - £52.5m). 

There is a risk that the margin used to 
recognise profit on each development 
is incorrect and that the carrying 
value of inventory could be subject to 
impairment write downs.

The carrying value of inventory is 
determined by reference to a number 
of assumptions inherent in the site 
forecasts, such as costs to complete 
and expected selling price. These are 
used to calculate the expected margin 
on each development and the cost of 
sale recorded when a plot is sold. There 
is a risk that these assumptions may 
be subject to management override 
or error.

Key observations 
communicated 
to the Audit Committee 

Based on our audit 
procedures we have 
concluded that the house 
building inventory balance 
and profit recognised in 
the year are not materially 
misstated.

Our response to the risk 
We performed a walkthrough to understand the key process 
and identified key controls. 

For completed sites, we compared the budgeted and 
actual costs and margin to assess the historical accuracy of 
management’s forecasting and used this to profile where the 
greatest risk lies in the cost of sales recognised in the year. 

We tested a sample of costs incurred in the year to purchase 
invoice and checked they were allocated to the appropriate site.

We challenged the cost to complete assumptions on all 
incomplete sites by performing the following procedures;

• We held a meeting with the commercial director to assess 
the status and performance to date of the active sites and 
the basis for the cost to complete assumptions made, 
including understanding the reasons behind any excess 
costs or savings recognised on the site since the initial 
forecast. This also enabled us to challenge whether the 
costs to complete assumptions include future market 
indicators of inflation and raw material cost increases;

• We tested a sample of costs to complete by agreeing 

through to third party support (e.g. tender, purchase order);

• We compared the original budgeted margin to the current 
expected site margin to assess the historical accuracy of 
management’s forecasting and the impact on cost of sales; 

• We compared the margin recognised to date to the current 

expected site margin to identify any significant deviations. 
Where there were significant deviations we understood the 
drivers and substantiated these;

• We performed a stress test to see by how much costs to 

complete would have to change to have material impact on 
the margin recognised in the financial statements; and

• Where available, we inspected the post year end site 
forecasts to ascertain whether there had been any 
significant margin movements that should have been 
reflected at year end.

• We challenged the expected selling price assumptions on all 
incomplete sites by performing the following procedures;

• We held a meeting with the commercial director to assess 
the basis for the expected selling price assumptions made. 
This enabled us to challenge whether the expected selling 
price assumptions include future market indicators for 
house prices; 

• We inspected industry publications to assess expectations 

regarding house prices to identify any contradictory 
evidence for the expected selling price; and

• We tested a sample of expected selling prices to the current 
market price on the external website or the most recent 
selling price for the same/similar house type.

We performed a stress test to see what expected selling prices 
would have to change by to result in a material write down to 
inventory. 

We performed full and specific scope audit procedures over 
this risk area in one component which covered 100% of the 
risk amount.

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Key observations 
communicated 
to the Audit Committee 

Based on our audit 
procedures we have 
concluded that the 
contract balances, revenue 
and profit recognised in 
the year are not materially 
misstated.

Risk

Our response to the risk 

Valuation of investment 
properties
Refer to the Audit Committee Report 
(page 112); Accounting policies (page 
164); and Note 14 of the Consolidated 
Financial Statements (pages 180 to 184)

The Group holds Investment property of 
£97.1m (2021 - £104.2m).

There is a risk that the carrying value 
of investment properties is misstated, 
given that the carrying value of these 
assets is based on a number of 
assumptions which contain inherent 
uncertainties and which require 
management judgement. Uncertainties 
in the valuations include yields, 
market rent, actual rent achieved and 
commercial property values amongst 
other building specific assumptions.

In addition, there is a risk that management 
inappropriately override the valuation 
determined by the external valuer.

We performed walkthroughs to understand the key process 
and identify key controls. This is done by selecting relevant 
transactions and tracing them through the process.

For a sample of investment properties, we used our internal 
EY valuations specialists to assess the appropriateness of 
the valuations provided by Management’s specialist valuer. 
We assessed these through reading the external valuer 
reports and testing the underlying data used by the external 
valuer in forming their valuation. This included validating key 
assumptions around rent, yields and commerical property 
values to supporting third party evidence or market activity, 
and by holding discussions directly with the external valuer to 
confirm their valuation approach, including their consideration 
of climate risk. We also considerd if there was any contrary 
evidence to management’s valuations. 

Where applicable, we tested a sample of properties in the 
course of construction by agreeing the valuation through to 
relevant agreements and progress reports.

Tested the appropriateness of any material adjustments from 
the valuation determined by the external valuer to the book 
value recorded.

We performed full and specific scope audit procedures over 
this risk area in six components, which covered 98% of the 
risk amount.

Our application of materiality 
We apply the concept of materiality in planning and performing the 
audit, in evaluating the effect of identified misstatements on the 
audit and in forming our audit opinion. 

Materiality
The magnitude of an omission or misstatement that, individually 
or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to influence 
the economic decisions of the users of the financial statements. 
Materiality provides a basis for determining the nature and extent of 
our audit procedures.

We determined materiality for the Group to be £2.4 million (2021: 
£1.8 million), which is 5% (2021: 5%) of Profit before tax (2021: 
Profit before tax). We believe that Profit before tax provides us with 
an appropriate basis of materiality and is the most relevant measure 
for stakeholders as it is a focus of both management and investors

We determined materiality for the Parent Company to be £2.4 
million (2021: £2.0 million), which is 2% (2021: 2%) of Equity (2021: 
Equity). The increase in materiality is due to dividends received from 
subsidiaries in the year. 

Performance materiality
The application of materiality at the individual account or balance 
level. It is set at an amount to reduce to an appropriately low level 
the probability that the aggregate of uncorrected and undetected 
misstatements exceeds materiality.

On the basis of our risk assessments, together with our assessment 
of the Group’s overall control environment, our judgement was 
that performance materiality was 75% (2021: 75%) of our planning 
materiality, namely £1.8m (2021: £1.3m). We have set performance 
materiality at this percentage due to this being a recurring audit with 
a history of few misstatements.

Audit work at component locations for the purpose of obtaining 
audit coverage over significant financial statement accounts is 
undertaken based on a percentage of total performance materiality. 
The performance materiality set for each component is based 
on the relative scale and risk of the component to the Group as 
a whole and our assessment of the risk of misstatement at that 
component. In the current year, the range of performance materiality 
allocated to components was £0.4m to £1.8m (2021: £0.3m to 
£1.3m). 

Reporting threshold
An amount below which identified misstatements are considered as 
being clearly trivial.

We agreed with the Audit Committee that we would report to them 
all uncorrected audit differences in excess of £0.1m (2021: £0.09m), 
which is set at 5% of planning materiality, as well as differences 
below that threshold that, in our view, warranted reporting on 
qualitative grounds. 

We evaluate any uncorrected misstatements against both the 
quantitative measures of materiality discussed above and in light of 
other relevant qualitative considerations in forming our opinion.

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151

 
INDEPENDENT 
AUDITOR’S REPORT

to the members of Henry Boot PLC

Other information 
The other information comprises the information included in the 
annual report set out on pages 1 to 143, other than the financial 
statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The directors are 
responsible for the other information contained within the annual 
report. 

Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other 
information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in 
this report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion 
thereon. 

Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, 
consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent 
with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the 
course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. 
If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material 
misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise 
to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. 
If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is 
a material misstatement of the other information, we are required to 
report that fact.

Matters on which we are required
to report by exception
In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the group and 
the parent company and its environment obtained in the course 
of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the 
strategic report or the directors’ report.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in 
relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to 
you if, in our opinion:

•

•

•

adequate accounting records have not been kept by the parent 
company, or returns adequate for our audit have not been 
received from branches not visited by us; or

the parent company financial statements and the part of 
the Directors’ Remuneration Report to be audited are not in 
agreement with the accounting records and returns; or

certain disclosures of directors’ remuneration specified by law 
are not made; or

• we have not received all the information and explanations we 

require for our audit

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Opinions on other matters prescribed 
by the Companies Act 2006
In our opinion, the part of the directors’ remuneration report to 
be audited has been properly prepared in accordance with the 
Companies Act 2006.

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of 
the audit:

•

•

the information given in the strategic report and the directors’ 
report for the financial year for which the financial statements 
are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and 

the strategic report and the directors’ report have been 
prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

Corporate Governance Statement
We have reviewed the directors’ statement in relation to going 
concern, longer-term viability and that part of the Corporate 
Governance Statement relating to the group and company’s 
compliance with the provisions of the UK Corporate Governance 
Code specified for our review by the Listing Rules.

Based on the work undertaken as part of our audit, we have 
concluded that each of the following elements of the Corporate 
Governance Statement is materially consistent with the financial 
statements or our knowledge obtained during the audit:

• Directors’ statement with regards to the appropriateness of 
adopting the going concern basis of accounting and any 
material uncertainties identified set out on page 57;

• Directors’ explanation as to its assessment of the company’s 
prospects, the period this assessment covers and why the 
period is appropriate set out on page 57;

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• Director’s statement on whether it has a reasonable expectation 
that the group will be able to continue in operation and meets 
its liabilities set out on page 57;

However, the primary responsibility for the prevention and detection 
of fraud rests with both those charged with governance of the 
company and management. 

• Directors’ statement on fair, balanced and understandable set 

• We obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory 

frameworks that are applicable to the group and determined 
that the most significant are those that relate to the reporting 
framework (UK adopted international accounting standards 
as applied in accordance with section 408 of the Companies 
Act 2006), the relevant tax compliance regulations in the UK, 
employment law and building safety regulations

• We understood how Henry Boot PLC is complying with those 

frameworks by making enquiries of management, Internal Audit, 
those responsible for legal and compliance procedures and the 
Company Secretary. We corroborated our enquiries through 
our review of board minutes and papers provided to the Audit 
Committee. 

• We assessed the susceptibility of the group’s financial 

statements to material misstatement, including how fraud 
might occur by meeting with management from various parts 
of the business to understand where it considered there was a 
susceptibility to fraud. We also considered performance targets 
and their propensity to influence efforts made by management 
to manage earnings. We considered the programmes and 
controls that the Group has established to address risks 
identified, or that otherwise prevent, deter and detect fraud; 
and how senior management monitors those programmes 
and controls. Where the risk was considered to be higher, we 
performed audit procedures to address each identified fraud 
risk, as set out in the Key Audit Matters section above. These 
procedures included testing manual journals and were designed 
to provide reasonable assurance that the financial statements 
were free from material fraud and error.

• Based on this understanding we designed our audit procedures 
to identify non-compliance with such laws and regulations. 
Our procedures involved journal entry testing, with a focus on 
manual consolidation journals, and journals indicating large 
or unusual transactions based on our understanding of the 
business; enquiries of Group management and Internal Audit; 
and focused testing, as referred to in the key audit matters 
section above. In addition, we completed procedures to 
conclude on the compliance of the disclosures in the Annual 
Report and Accounts with the requirements of the relevant 
accounting standards, UK legislation and the UK Corporate 
Governance Code 2018.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the 
financial statements is located on the

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out on page 137;

• Board’s confirmation that it has carried out a robust assessment 
of the emerging and principal risks set out on page 50 to 56;

•

•

The section of the annual report that describes the review of 
effectiveness of risk management and internal control systems 
set out on page 111 to 114; and;

The section describing the work of the audit committee set out 
on page 111 to 114.

Responsibilities of directors
As explained more fully in the directors’ responsibilities statement 
set out on page 143, the directors are responsible for the 
preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied 
that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control 
as the directors determine is necessary to enable the preparation 
of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, 
whether due to fraud or error. 

In preparing the financial statements, the directors are responsible 
for assessing the group and parent company’s ability to continue 
as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to 
going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting 
unless the directors either intend to liquidate the group or the parent 
company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but 
to do so.

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit 
of the financial statements 
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether 
the financial statements as a whole are free from material 
misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an 
auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance 
is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit 
conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a 
material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from 
fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the 
aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the 
economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial 
statements. 

Explanation as to what extent the audit was 
considered capable of detecting irregularities, 
including fraud 
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance 
with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our 
responsibilities, outlined above, to detect irregularities, including 
fraud. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement due to fraud 
is higher than the risk of not detecting one resulting from error, as 
fraud may involve deliberate concealment by, for example, forgery 
or intentional misrepresentations, or through collusion. The extent 
to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, 
including fraud is detailed below.

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INDEPENDENT 
AUDITOR’S REPORT

to the members of Henry Boot PLC

Other matters we are required to address 
•

Following the recommendation from the audit committee, we 
were appointed by the company on 26 May 2022 to audit the 
financial statements for the year ending 31 December 2022 and 
subsequent financial periods. 

•

•

The period of total uninterrupted engagement including 
previous renewals and reappointments is three years, covering 
the years ending 31 December 2020 to 31 December 2022.

The audit opinion is consistent with the additional report to the 
audit committee.

Use of our report
This report is made solely to the company’s members, as a body, in 
accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. 
Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the 
company’s members those matters we are required to state to 
them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest 
extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility 
to anyone other than the company and the company’s members 
as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we 
have formed.

VICTORIA VENNING (SENIOR STATUTORY AUDITOR)
for and on behalf of Ernst & Young LLP, Statutory Auditor
Manchester

12 April 2023

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CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF 
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

for the year ended 31 December 2022

Revenue
Cost of sales

Gross profit
Administrative expenses
Pension expenses 

(Decrease)/increase in fair value of investment properties
Profit on sale of investment properties
Loss on sale of assets held for sale
Share of profit of joint ventures and associates
Profit on disposal of joint ventures
Operating profit 
Finance income
Finance costs
Profit before tax
Tax
Profit for the year from continuing operations

Other comprehensive income/(expense) not being reclassified to 
profit or loss in subsequent years:
Revaluation of Group occupied property
Deferred tax on property revaluations
Actuarial gain on defined benefit pension scheme
Deferred tax on actuarial gain

Total other comprehensive income not being reclassified to profit or loss in 
subsequent years
Total comprehensive income for the year
Profit for the year attributable to:
Owners of the Parent Company
Non-controlling interests

Total comprehensive income attributable to:
Owners of the Parent Company
Non-controlling interests

Note

1

4

14

16
16
3
5
6

7

12
19
27
19

2022
£’000

341,419
(259,829)

81,590
(36,143)
(4,312)
41,135
(4,921)
646
(149)
9,079
667
46,457
1,641
(2,503)
45,595
(7,725)
37,870

315
(23)
14,994
(3,749)

11,537
49,407

33,319
4,551
37,870

44,856
4,551
49,407

2021
£’000

230,598
(175,052)

55,546
(32,174)
(6,039)
17,333
7,972
1,340
—
8,928
—
35,573
724
(1,155)
35,142
(4,482)
30,660

—
(282)
23,297
(4,840)

18,175
48,835

28,160
2,500
30,660

46,335
2,500
48,835

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Basic earnings per ordinary share for the profit attributable to owners of the 
Parent Company during the year

Diluted earnings per ordinary share for the profit attributable to owners of the 
Parent Company during the year

9

9

25.0p

21.2p

24.6p

20.9p

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STATEMENTS OF 
FINANCIAL POSITION

as at 31 December 2022

Assets
Non-current assets
Intangible assets
Property, plant and equipment
Right-of-use assets
Investment properties
Investments
Investment in joint ventures and associates
Retirement benefit asset
Trade and other receivables
Deferred tax assets

Current assets
Inventories
Contract assets
Trade and other receivables
Current tax receivable
Cash

Liabilities
Current liabilities
Trade and other payables
Contract liabilities
Current tax liabilities
Borrowings
Lease liabilities
Provisions

Net current assets/(liabilities)
Non-current liabilities
Trade and other payables
Lease liabilities
Retirement benefit obligations
Deferred tax liability
Provisions

Net assets
Equity
Share capital
Property revaluation reserve
Retained earnings
Other reserves
Cost of shares held by ESOP trust
Equity attributable to owners 
of the Parent Company
Non-controlling interests
Total equity

Group

Parent Company

Note

2022
£’000

2021 
(restated1)
£’000

2022
£’000

2021
(restated1)
£’000

11
12
13
14
15
16
27
18
19

20
17
18

22
21

25
13
26

22
13
27
19
26

29
30
30
30
31

2,933
28,766
997
97,116
—
9,990
6,188
37,029
249
183,268

291,778
19,257
66,601
—
17,401
395,037

95,827
4,006
3,793
65,000
426
4,003
173,055
221,982

4,568
607
—
4,401
1,385
10,961
394,289

13,763
2,352
365,692
7,482
(967)

388,322
5,967
394,289

3,716
26,349
1,581
104,177
—
12,165
—
37,107
3,389
188,484

235,296
7,556
64,615
1,828
11,116
320,411

72,155
5,033
—
50,000
639
5,427
133,254
187,157

1,669
1,021
12,228
4,582
855
20,355
355,286

13,732
2,060
328,348
6,744
(1,044)

349,840
5,446
355,286

—
380
63
—
37,771
—
6,188
185,206
307
229,915

—
—
40,149
—
10,316
50,465

89,308
—
2,356
65,009
34
—
156,707
(106,242)

—
30
—
1,548
—
1,578
122,095

13,763
—
100,680
8,619
(967)

122,095
—
122,095

—
317
76
—
37,771
—
—
176,689
3,522
218,375

—
—
27,845
1,551
2,691
32,087

86,173
—
—
50,000
41
—
136,214
(104,127)

—
37
12,228
—
—
12,265
101,983

13,732
—
81,414
7,881
(1,044)

101,983
—
101,983

1 See ‘prior year restatements’ on page 159. 

The Parent Company made a profit for the year of £15,987,000 (2021: £8,938,000).

The Financial Statements on pages 155 to 206 of Henry Boot PLC, registered number 160996, were approved by the Board of Directors 
and authorised for issue on 12 April 2023.

On behalf of the Board

Tim Roberts
Director

Darren Littlewood
Director

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STATEMENTS OF 
CHANGES IN EQUITY

for the year ended 31 December 2022

Group
At 1 January 2021
Profit for the year
Other comprehensive income
Total comprehensive income
Equity dividends
Proceeds from shares issued
Share-based payments

Note

30

10

30, 31

At 31 December 2021
Profit for the year
Other comprehensive income

Total comprehensive income
Equity dividends
Proceeds from shares issued
Share-based payments

30

10

30, 31

At 31 December 2022

Share
capital
£’000
13,718
—
—
—
—
14
—

14
13,732
—
—

—
—
31
—
31
13,763

Attributable to owners of the Parent Company
Cost of
shares 
held
by ESOP
 trust
£’000
(1,176)
—
—
—
—
—
132

Property
revaluation
reserve
£’000
2,342
—
(282)
(282)
—
—
—

Retained
earnings
£’000
288,514
28,160
18,457
46,617
(7,620)
—
837

Other
reserves
£’000
6,404
—
—
—
—
340
—

—
2,060
—
292

292
—
—
—
—
2,352

(6,783)
328,348
33,319
11,245

44,564
(8,383)
—
1,163
(7,220)
365,692

340
6,744
—
—

—
—
738
—
738
7,482

132
(1,044)
—
—

—
—
—
77
77
(967)

Non-
controlling
interests
£’000
3,686
2,500
—
2,500
(740)
—
—

(740)
5,446
4,551
—

4,551
(4,030)
—
—
(4,030)
5,967

Total
£’000
309,802
28,160
18,175
46,335
(7,620)
354
969

(6,297)
349,840
33,319
11,537

44,856
(8,383)
769
1,240
(6,374)
388,322

Parent Company
At 1 January 2021
Profit for the year
Other comprehensive expense
Total comprehensive expense
Equity dividends
Proceeds from shares issued
Share-based payments

At 31 December 2021
Profit for the year
Other comprehensive income
Total comprehensive income
Equity dividends
Proceeds from shares issued
Share-based payments

At 31 December 2022

Note

8

10

31

8

10

30

Share
capital
£’000
13,718
—
—
—
—
14
—
14
13,732
—
—
—
—
31
—
31
13,763

Retained
earnings
£’000
61,357
8,938
18,457
27,395
(7,620)
—
282
(7,338)
81,414
15,987
11,245
27,232
(8,383)
—

417
(7,966)
100,680

Cost of
shares held
by ESOP
 trust
£’000
(1,176)
—
—
—
—
—
132
132
(1,044)
—
—
—
—
—
77
77
(967)

Other
reserves
£’000
7,541
—
—
—
—
340
—
340
7,881
—
—
—
—
738
—
738
8,619

Total
equity
£’000
313,488
30,660
18,175
48,835
(8,360)
354
969

(7,037)
355,286
37,870
11,537

49,407
(12,413)
769
1,240
(10,404)
394,289

Total 
equity
£’000
81,440
8,938
18,457
27,395
(7,620)
354
414
(6,852)
101,983
15,987
11,245
27,232
(8,383)
769
494
(7,120)
122,095

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STATEMENTS OF 
CASH FLOWS

for the year ended 31 December 2022

Cash flows from operating activities
Cash generated from operations
Interest paid
Tax paid
Net cash flows from operating activities
Cash flows from investing activities
Purchase of intangible assets
Purchase of property, plant and equipment
Capital expenditure on investment property
Purchase of investment in associate
Proceeds on disposal of property, plant and equipment 
(excluding equipment held for hire)
Proceeds on disposal of assets held for sale
Proceeds on disposal of investment properties
Advances of loans to joint ventures and associates
Repayment of loans from joint ventures and associates
Advances made to subsidiary undertakings
Repayments received from subsidiary undertakings
Proceeds on disposal of investment in joint ventures
Interest received
Dividends received from joint ventures and subsidiaries
Net cash flows from investing activities
Cash flows from financing activities
Proceeds from shares issued
Movement in payables from joint ventures and associates
Advances received from subsidiary undertakings
Repayments made to subsidiary undertakings
Repayment of borrowings
Proceeds from new borrowings
Principal elements of lease payments
– ordinary shares
Dividends paid
– non-controlling interests
– preference shares
Net cash flows from financing activities
Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year
Cash and cash equivalents at end of year

Group

Parent Company

Note

32

11
12
14
16

16

16, 8

10

10

2022
£’000

(16,549)
(1,829)
(2,918)
(21,296)

—
(971)
(9,301)
(2,112)

270
10,987
8,146
(8,560)
10,904
—
—
6,873
1,153
7,160
24,549

769
355
—
—
(70,000)
85,000
(679)
(8,362)
(4,030)
(21)
3,032
6,285
11,116
17,401

2021
£’000

(38,665)
(792)
(4,299)
(43,756)

(203)
(861)
(17,317)
(2)

301
—
6,651
(12,999)
—
—
—
4,252
129
2,155
(17,894)

354
(701)
—
—
(14,969)
55,000
(683)
(7,599)
(740)
(21)
30,641
(31,009)
42,125
11,116

2022
£’000

(10,473)
(3,031)
(1,500)
(15,004)

—
(205)
—
—

—
—
—
—
—
(22,676)
10,677
—
85
26,491
14,372

769
—
4,713
(3,803)
(70,000)
85,000
(48)
(8,362)
—
(21)
8,248
7,616
2,691
10,307

2021
£’000

(9,037)
(2,272)
(2,750)
(14,059)

—
(280)
—
—

—

—
—
—
(87,409)
15,185
—
4,544
14,530
(53,430)

354
—
5,007
(7,625)
(5,000)
55,000
(130)
(7,599)
—
(21)
39,986
(27,503)
30,194
2,691

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NOTES TO THE 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the year ended 31 December 2022

The principal Accounting Policies adopted in the preparation of the Group’s Financial Statements are set out below. These policies have 
been consistently applied to all years presented, unless otherwise stated.

The Company is a public limited company, listed on the London Stock Exchange and incorporated and domiciled in the United Kingdom. 
The address of its registered office is Banner Cross Hall, Ecclesall Road South, Sheffield, England, United Kingdom S11 9PD.

Basis of preparation and statement of compliance
The Consolidated Financial Statements of the Group and the Financial Statements of the Parent Company have been prepared in 
accordance with UK-adopted International Accounting Standards. They have been prepared on the historical cost basis, except for financial 
instruments, investment properties and Group occupied land and buildings, which are measured at fair value.

The Directors have taken advantage of the exemption available under Section 408 of the Companies Act and not presented a statement 
of comprehensive income for the Parent Company alone. See note 8.

The Group has considered the impact of climate change when preparing the financial statements. In particular, the potential effect on 
balance sheet assets arising from either future physical or transition risk. Having undertaken this process we are satisfied no impairments are 
required at this time, largely due to the natural churn and development of property assets, continued investment and replacement of plant 
hire equipment and the consideration of appraisal processes on land acquisitions. 

Prior year restatements
Amounts owed by Group undertakings (parent only) and joint ventures and associates
Amounts owed by Group undertakings (parent only) and joint ventures and associates have been restated for the period ended 31 December 
2021. The Group previously recognised amounts owed by Group undertakings (parent only) and joint ventures and associates as been 
entirely due within one year on the basis these amounts were repayable on demand. Following a review of the Group’s historic practice and 
future plans not to call on all intercompany receivables in the short term, £176,689,000 of current intercompany receivables (parent only) 
and £23,803,000 of amounts owed by joint ventures and associates at 31 December 2021 have been reclassified to non-current in line 
with IAS 1. There is no impact on the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income, Statement of Changes in Equity or Statement of 
Cash Flows. The impact on the 31 December 2020 balance sheet would be to reclassify £102,181,000 of current intercompany receivables 
(parent only) and £10,300,000 of amounts owed by joint ventures and associates to non-current receivables. 

Government loans
The Group’s borrowings and trade receivables have been restated for the period ended 31 December 2021. The Group previously 
recognised a government loan payable to the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) amounting to £2,941,000 (2020: £2,941,000) 
and a corresponding trade receivable from the related housebuilder. Following legal guidance on the nature of the agreement it has been 
concluded that the Group has no residual obligation to the HCA in respect of the loan which is payable directly by the related housebuilder 
and therefore no rights to receive a corresponding trade receivable from the related housebuilder. This has resulted in previously reported 
borrowings reducing by £2,941,000 and trade receivables decreasing by the same. There is no impact on the Consolidated Statement of 
Comprehensive Income, Statement of Changes in Equity or Statement of Cash Flows. The impact on the 31 December 2020 balance sheet 
would be to decrease borrowings and trade receivables by £2,941,000.

Consolidation
The Consolidated Financial Statements are a consolidation of the Financial Statements of the Parent Company and all entities controlled by 
the Company (its subsidiaries) made up to 31 December each year. Subsidiaries are all entities over which the Group has control. The Group 
controls an entity when the Group is exposed to, or has rights to, variable returns from its involvement with the entity and has the ability to 
affect those returns through its power over the entity. Subsidiaries are fully consolidated from the date on which control is transferred to the 
Group. They are deconsolidated from the date that control ceases.

Where necessary, adjustments are made to the Financial Statements of subsidiaries to bring the Accounting Policies used in line with those 
used by the Group. All intra-group transactions, balances, income and expenses are eliminated on consolidation. The results of subsidiaries 
acquired or disposed of during the year are included in the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income from the effective date of 
acquisition or to the effective date of disposal. Non-controlling interests in the fair value of the net assets of consolidated subsidiaries are 
identified separately from the Group’s equity therein. Non-controlling interests consist of the amount of those interests at the date of the 
original business combination and the non-controlling interests’ share of changes in equity since the date of the combination. 

Investments in subsidiaries are accounted for at cost less impairment. Cost also includes direct attributable costs of investment.

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NOTES TO THE 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the year ended 31 December 2022

Going concern
In undertaking their going concern review, which covers the period to December 2024, the Directors considered the Group’s principal risk 
areas that they consider material to the assessment of going concern.

As the UK economy moves at a slow pace, the Directors have assessed the Group’s ability to operate in a more uncertain environment 
in modelling a base case scenario. They have also modelled what they consider to be a severe downside scenario, including further 
curtailments in activities. This downside scenario shows a c.50% reduction in sales and c.67% reduction in profits from the base case. 
Construction and Development activity only takes place where contracted and likewise for Hallam Land where no sales are assumed in 2023 
unless already contracted. For Stonebridge Homes a 10% decline in house prices is assumed along with a 25% reduction in the number of 
plots sold and Banner Plant revenue declines c.25%. This downside model assumes that acquisition and development spend is restricted 
other than that already committed and is all consistent with previous experience in recessionary environments. Having started 2023 with net 
debt of £48.6m, and with c.£63.2m net debt at 28 February 2023, against facilities of £105.0m the Directors have concluded that the Group 
is able to control the level of uncommitted expenditure, whilst delivering contracted schemes, allowing it to retain and even improve the cash 
position in the event of a severe downside scenario, although the impact of doing so on the profit and loss account would be unavoidable. 

The Group meets its day-to-day working capital requirements through a secured loan facility. The facility was renewed on 23 January 2020, 
at a level of £75m, for a period of three years and extended by one year in January 2021 and a further year in January 2022 taking the 
facility renewal to 23 January 2025 on the same terms as the existing agreement. The facility includes an accordion to increase the facility 
by up to £30m, which was called on by the Group on 9 October 2022, increasing the overall facility to £105m. None of the modelling 
undertaken by the Directors gives rise to any breach of bank facility covenants. The most sensitive covenant in our facilities relates to the 
ratio of EBIT (Earnings Before Interest and Tax) on a 12-month rolling basis to senior facility finance costs. Our downside modelling, which 
reflects a near 50% reduction in revenue and near 67% reduction in profit before tax from our base case for 2023, demonstrates significant 
headroom over this covenant throughout the forecast period to the end of December 2024. 

At the time of approving the Financial Statements, the Directors expect that the Company and the Group will have adequate resources, 
liquidity and available bank facilities to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Accordingly, they continue to adopt 
the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the Financial Statements. Further detail is contained in the Strategic Report on 
pages 56 and 57.

Operating segments
The chief operating decision maker is the person or group that allocates resources to and assesses the performance of the operating 
segments of an entity. The Group has determined that its chief operating decision maker is the Board of Henry Boot PLC (the ‘Board’).

Management has determined the operating segments based on the reports reviewed by the Board in making strategic decisions.

The Board considers the business based on the following operating segments:

•

•

Property Investment and Development, inclusive of property investment, property development, housebuilding and associated trading 
activities;

Land Promotion, inclusive of land management, development and trading activities; and 

• Construction, inclusive of its PFI company and plant hire activities.

Whilst the following is not a reportable segment, information about it is considered by the Board in conjunction with the reportable 
segments:

• Group overheads, comprising central services, pensions, head office administration, in-house leasing and financing activities.

Joint ventures and associates
Joint ventures are all entities in which the Group has shared control with another entity, established by contractual agreement. Associates 
are all entities over which the Group has significant influence but not control, generally accompanied by a share of between 20% and 50% of 
the voting rights. Joint ventures and associates are accounted for using the equity method of accounting and are initially recognised at cost. 
The Group’s share of profits or losses is recognised in the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income. If the share of losses equals 
its investment, the Group does not recognise further losses, except to the extent that there are amounts receivable that are long-term and 
may not be settled in the foreseeable future. Unrealised gains on transactions between the Group and its joint ventures and associates are 
eliminated to the extent of the Group’s interest in them. Unrealised losses are also eliminated unless the transaction provides evidence of an 
impairment of the asset transferred. The accounting policies of the joint ventures and associates are consistent with those of the Group.

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Business combinations and goodwill
Acquisitions of subsidiaries and businesses are accounted for using the acquisition method. The consideration for each acquisition is 
measured as the aggregate of the fair values (at the date of exchange) of assets given, liabilities incurred or assumed, and equity instruments 
issued by the Group in exchange for control of the acquiree.

The consideration transferred includes the fair value of any asset or liability resulting from a contingent consideration agreement. Subsequent 
changes in fair value of contingent consideration classified as a financial asset or financial liability are accounted for in accordance with 
IFRS 9. Identifiable assets acquired and liabilities and contingent liabilities assumed in a business combination are measured initially at 
their fair values at the acquisition date. Acquisition-related costs are recognised in the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income 
as incurred.

Goodwill arising on consolidation of subsidiary undertakings is recognised as an asset and initially measured at cost, being the excess of the 
cost of the business combination over the Group’s interest in the net fair value of the identifiable assets, liabilities and contingent liabilities 
recognised. Goodwill is subsequently measured at cost less any accumulated impairment losses. Goodwill is subjected to an impairment 
test at the reporting date or when there has been an indication that the goodwill should be impaired, any loss is recognised immediately 
through the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income and is not subsequently reversed. For the purpose of impairment testing, 
goodwill is allocated to cash-generating units. The allocation is made to those cash-generating units that are expected to benefit from the 
business combination in which goodwill arose.

Critical judgements and estimates
The critical judgements and estimates in applying the Group’s Accounting Policies that have the most significant effect on the amounts 
recognised in the Financial Statements, apart from those noted below, relate to revenue recognition and inventories. These are referred to on 
page 163 and each is interpreted by management in the light of IFRS 15 ‘Revenue from Contracts with Customers’ and IAS 2 ‘Inventories’.

The key assumptions concerning the future and other key sources of estimation uncertainty at the reporting date, and that could have a 
material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities over the ensuing year, are: 

• Retirement benefit costs — the estimates used in retirement benefit costs are arrived at in conjunction with the scheme’s actuary and 

advisers, those having the most significant impact being the liabilities discount rate, RPI and mortality rates. Note 27 to the Financial 
Statements gives details of the sensitivity surrounding these estimates; 

•

Fair value of investment properties and of Group occupied properties — the fair value of completed investment property and of Group 
occupied property is determined by independent valuation experts using the yield method valuation technique. The fair value of investment 
property under construction has been determined using the residual method by the Directors of the Company. The most significant 
estimates used in these valuations are rental values, yields and costs to complete. Notes 12 and 14 to the Financial Statements give 
details of the valuation methods used and the sensitivity surrounding these estimates. In determining fair value measurement, the impact of 
climate-related matters, including legislation, which may affect the fair value measurement of investment property has been considered; and

•

Provisions — amounts recognised in relation to provisions are based on assumptions in respect of cost estimates, the timing of cash 
flows and discount rates used. Note 26 to the Financial Statements gives details of the sensitivity surrounding these estimates.

Revenue recognition
Revenue is measured based on the consideration specified in a contract with a customer at an amount that reflects the consideration to 
which the Group expects to be entitled in exchange for transferring promised goods or services to a customer and excluding amounts 
collected on behalf of third parties. The Group recognises revenue when it transfers control over a product or service to a customer. Where 
consideration is not specified within the contract and therefore subject to variability, the Group estimates the amount of consideration to be 
received from its customer. The consideration recognised is the amount which is highly probable not to result in a significant reversal in future 
periods. Where a modification to an existing contract occurs, the Group assesses the nature of the modification and whether it represents a 
separate performance obligation required to be satisfied by the Group or whether it is a modification to the existing performance obligation.

The Group has some contracts where the period between the transfer of the promised goods or services to the customer and payment by 
the customer exceeds one year. The Group adjusts its transaction price for the time value of money.

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NOTES TO THE 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the year ended 31 December 2022

The Group’s activities are wide-ranging, and, as such, depending on the nature of the product or service delivered and the timing of when 
control is passed to the customer, the Group will account for revenue over time or at a point in time. Where revenue is measured over time, 
the Group uses the input method to measure progress of delivery.

Product and Service

Nature, timing of satisfaction of performance obligations and significant payment terms.

Construction contracts

Sale of land and 
properties

Typically, the Group’s construction contracts consist of one performance obligation, being delivery of 
the construction works. However, for certain contracts (for example where contracts involve separate 
phases or products that are not highly interrelated), multiple performance obligations exist. Where 
multiple performance obligations exist, total transaction price is allocated to performance obligations 
based on the relative standalone selling prices of each performance obligation. 

Revenue attributed to each performance obligation is recognised over time based on the percentage 
of completion, as the benefit is transferred to the customer, reflecting the enhancement in value of 
the customer’s asset. The percentage of completion is calculated as the costs incurred to date as a 
percentage of the total costs expected to satisfy the performance obligation. Estimates of revenues, 
costs or extent of progress toward completion are revised if circumstances change. Any resulting 
increases or decreases in estimated revenues or costs are reflected in the percentage of completion 
calculation in the period in which the circumstances that give rise to the revision become known.

Losses are recorded in full when the unavoidable costs of fulfilling a contract exceed the economic 
benefits.

Any revenues recognised in excess of amounts invoiced are recognised as contract assets within 
current assets. Any payments received in excess of revenue recognised are recognised as contract 
liabilities within current liabilities.

Revenue from the sale of land and properties is generally a single performance obligation which is 
satisfied at the point in time when control of the land and properties has passed, typically on legal 
completion when legal title has transferred. 

Land and properties are treated as disposed when control of the asset is transferred to the buyer. 
Typically, this will either occur on unconditional exchange or on completion. Where completion is 
expected to occur significantly after exchange, or where the Group continues to have significant 
outstanding obligations after exchange, the control will not usually transfer to the buyer until 
completion.

Variable consideration such as overages are estimated based on the amount of consideration the 
Group expects to be entitled to, taking into account the terms which may give rise to variability and 
it is only recognised where it is highly probable there will not be a significant future reversal. This is 
estimated at contract inception and reassessed over the life of the contract.

Revenue includes the fair value of consideration received or receivable on the sale of part exchange 
properties.

PFI Concession

Revenue from the Group’s PFI concession is recognised at the point in time, by the calculation of 
‘shadow tolls’ based on individual vehicle usage of the A69.

The concession is accounted for in accordance with IFRIC 12 ‘Service Concession Arrangements’ 
using the intangible asset model. 

Operating leases 
(recognised as income 
under IFRS 16 ‘Leases’)

Revenue from operating leases is recognised on a straight-line basis over the lease term, except for 
contingent rental income which is recognised in the period in which it was earned. When the Group 
provides incentives to its tenants, the cost of incentives is recognised over the lease term, on a 
straight-line basis, as a reduction to revenue.

Plant and equipment 
hire (recognised as 
income under IFRS 16 
‘Leases’)

Revenue from plant and equipment hire is measured as the fair value of rental proceeds which relate 
to the period of account.

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Critical judgements and estimates in applying IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers
The following are the critical judgements and estimates in applying accounting policies that the Directors have made in the process of 
applying IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers and that have the most significant effect on the amounts recognised in the 
Consolidated Financial Statements. 

Estimates in determining the recognition of revenue on construction contracts over time – construction contract revenue is recognised in 
accordance with the stage of completion of the contract where the contract’s outcome can be estimated reliably. The principal method used 
to recognise the stage of completion is the input method using cost incurred to date as a percentage of estimated total costs to complete. 
The assessment of the final outcome of each contract is determined by regular review of the revenues and costs to complete that contract 
by an in-house or external survey of the work. 

Judgement in determining the recognition of revenue at a point in time on land sale contracts – there is often judgement involved in 
evaluating when a customer obtains control of land during a sale, particularly where the contract includes licensing (or the granting early 
access to housebuilders before completion), risk or deferred payment term clauses. In determining the revenue recognition the Directors 
consider the present right for payment, legal title, physical possession, risks and rewards of ownership and acceptance of the asset in 
forming their opinion. Where necessary third party advice is taken.

Interest income and expense
Interest income and expense are recognised within ‘Finance income’ and ‘Finance costs’ in the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive 
Income using the effective interest rate method, except for borrowing costs relating to qualifying assets, which are capitalised as part of the 
cost of that asset. The Group has chosen not to capitalise borrowing costs on all qualifying assets which are measured at fair value.

The effective interest rate method is a method of calculating the amortised cost of a financial asset or financial liability and of allocating the 
interest income or interest expense over the relevant period. The effective interest rate is the rate that exactly discounts estimated future 
cash payments or receipts throughout the expected life of the financial instrument, or a shorter period where appropriate, to the net carrying 
amount of the financial asset or financial liability.

Leasing
Where the Group acts as a lessor in the case of operating leases, rentals receivable are recognised on a straight-line basis over the term of 
the relevant lease. Initial direct costs incurred in negotiating and arranging an operating lease are added to the carrying amount of the leased 
asset and recognised over the lease term on the same basis as rental income.

Leases
The Group assesses whether a contract is or contains a lease, at inception of the contract. The Group recognises a right-of-use asset and 
a corresponding lease liability with respect to all lease arrangements in which it is the lessee, except for short-term leases (defined as leases 
with a lease term of 12 months or less) and leases of low value assets. For these leases, the Group recognises the lease payments as an 
operating expense on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease unless another systematic basis is more representative of the time 
pattern in which economic benefits from the leased assets are consumed.

Lease liability: The lease liability is initially measured at the present value of the lease payments that are not paid at the commencement date, 
discounted by using the rate implicit in the lease. If this rate cannot be readily determined, the Group uses an incremental borrowing rate 
which is the rate of interest that the lessee would have to pay to borrow over a similar term, and with a similar security, the funds necessary 
to obtain an asset of a similar value to the right-of-use asset in a similar economic environment.

Right-of-use assets: The right-of-use assets comprise the initial measurement of the corresponding lease liability, lease payments made at 
or before the commencement day and any initial direct costs. They are subsequently measured at cost less accumulated depreciation and 
impairment losses. Right-of-use assets are depreciated over the shorter period of lease term and useful life of the underlying asset.

The Group applies IAS 36 to determine whether a right-of-use asset is impaired and accounts for any identified impairment loss in line with 
the Group’s existing impairment accounting policy.

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NOTES TO THE 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the year ended 31 December 2022

Share-based payments
Equity-settled share-based payments to employees of the Company and its subsidiary undertakings are measured at fair value of the equity 
instruments at the date of grant and are expensed on a straight-line basis over the vesting period. Fair value is measured by a Monte Carlo 
pricing model, taking into account any market performance conditions and excludes the effect of non-market-based vesting conditions. 
Details regarding the determination of the fair value of equity-settled share-based transactions are set out in note 29. At each reporting 
period date, the Group estimates the number of equity instruments expected to vest as a result of the effect of non-market-based vesting 
conditions. The impact of the revision, if any, is recognised in the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income with a corresponding 
adjustment to equity reserves.

SAYE share options are treated as cancelled when employees cease to contribute to the scheme. This results in accelerated recognition 
of the expenses that would have arisen over the remainder of the original vesting period.

Intangible assets excluding goodwill
Intangible assets are stated at cost less accumulated amortisation and impairment. The PFI asset which is accounted for under IFRIC 12 
‘Service Concession Arrangements’ represents the capitalised cost of the initial project, together with the capitalised cost of any additional 
major works to the road and structures, which are then amortised, on a straight-line basis, over 20 years or the remaining life of the 
concession. The concession lasts a period of 30 years and has a further three years to run.

Property, plant and equipment
Group occupied properties are stated in the Statement of Financial Position at their revalued amounts, being the fair value, based on market 
values, less any subsequent accumulated depreciation or subsequent accumulated impairment loss. Fair value is determined annually by 
independent valuers. Surpluses on revaluations are recorded in OCI and credited to the revaluation reserve. However, to the extent that it 
reverses a revaluation deficit of the same asset previously recognised in profit or loss, the increase is recognised in profit or loss. Deficits on 
revaluations are charged against the revaluation reserve to the extent that there are available surpluses relating to the same asset and are 
otherwise charged to profit or loss in the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive income. 

In respect of land and buildings, depreciation is provided where it is considered significant, having regard to the estimated remaining useful 
lives and residual values of individual properties.

Equipment held for hire, vehicles and office equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and any recognised impairment loss. 
Cost includes the original purchase price of the asset plus any costs attributable to bringing the asset to its working condition for its intended use.

Depreciation is charged so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets over their estimated useful lives, using the straight-line method, 
mainly at the following annual rates:

•

•

Equipment held for hire – between 6% and 50%

Vehicles

– between 10% and 25%

• Office equipment

– between 25% and 33%

Investment property
Investment properties are those properties which are not occupied by the Group and which are held for long-term rental yields, capital 
appreciation or both. Investment property also includes property that is being constructed or developed for future use as investment property.

Investment properties are initially measured at cost, including related transaction costs. 

At each subsequent reporting date, investment properties are remeasured to their fair value; further information regarding the valuation 
methodologies applied can be found in note 14 to the Financial Statements. Movements in fair value are included in the Consolidated 
Statement of Comprehensive Income.

Where the Group employs professional valuers, the valuations provided are subject to a comprehensive review to ensure they are based 
on accurate and up-to-date tenancy information. Discussions are also held with the valuers to test the valuation assumptions applied and 
comparable evidence utilised to ensure they are appropriate in the circumstances. 

Subsequent expenditure is capitalised to the asset’s carrying value only where it is probable that the future economic benefits associated 
with the expenditure will flow to the Group. All other expenditure is expensed to the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income in 
the period in which it arises.

Investment property is derecognised when it is disposed of at its carrying value.

Where specific investment properties have been identified as being for sale within the next 12 months, a sale is considered highly probable 
and the property is immediately available for sale, their fair value is shown under assets classified as held-for-sale within current assets, 
measured in accordance with the provisions of IAS 40 ‘Investment Property’.

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Inventories
Inventories are stated at the lower of cost and estimated net realisable value and are subject to regular impairment reviews.

Inventories comprise developments in progress, land held for development or sale, options to purchase land and planning promotion agreements.

•

Property developments in progress includes properties being developed for onward sale.

• Housebuilder land and work in progress includes construction of residential housing for onward sale.

•

Land held for development or sale is land owned by the Group that is promoted through the planning process in order to gain planning 
permission, adding value to the land.

• Options to purchase land are agreements that the Group entered into with the landowners whereby the Group has the option to 

purchase the land within a limited time frame. The landowners are not generally permitted to sell to any other party during this period, 
unless agreed to by the Group. Within the time frame the Group promotes the land through the planning process at its expense in order 
to gain planning permission. Should the Group be successful in obtaining planning permission it would trigger the option to purchase 
and subsequently sell on the land.

•

•

Planning promotion agreements are agreements that the Group has entered into with the landowners, whereby the Group acts as 
promoter for the landowners in exchange for a fee of a set percentage of the proceeds or profit of the eventual sale. The Group 
promotes the land through the planning process at its own expense. If the land is sold the Group will receive a fee for its services.

The Group capitalises various costs in promoting land held under planning promotion agreements. In some instances the agreements 
allow for the Group to be reimbursed certain expenditure following the conclusion of a successful sale, at which point the reimbursed 
costs are recognised as revenue. These costs are held in inventory at the lower of cost and estimated net realisable value.

Inventories comprise all the direct costs incurred in bringing the individual inventories to their present state at the reporting date, including 
any reimbursable promotion costs, less the value of any impairment losses.

Impairment reviews are considered on a site-by-site or individual development basis by management at each reporting date; write-downs or 
reversals are made to ensure that inventory is then stated at the lower of cost or net realisable value.

Net realisable value is considered in the light of progress made in the planning process, feedback from local planning officers, development 
appraisals and other external factors that might be considered likely to influence the eventual outcome. Where it is considered that no future 
economic benefit will arise, costs are written off to the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income. 

Where individual parcels of land held for development are disposed of out of a larger overall development site, costs are apportioned 
based on an acreage allocation after taking into account the cost or net realisable value of any remaining residual land which may not form 
part of the overall development site or which may not be available for development. Where the Group retains obligations attached to the 
development site as a whole, provisions are made relating to these disposals on the same acreage allocation basis.

Critical judgements and estimates in applying IAS 2 Inventories
The following are the critical estimates in applying accounting policies that the Directors have made in the process of applying IAS 2 
Inventories and that have the most significant effect on the amounts recognised in the Consolidated Financial Statements. 

Estimates in determining the carrying value of work in progress inventory – there is often estimation involved in forecasting future costs 
to complete and selling prices which can be affected by market conditions and unexpected events. In determining the carrying value the 
Directors consider previous experience, communications with suppliers and market trends in forming their opinion. Where necessary third 
party advice is taken.

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NOTES TO THE 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the year ended 31 December 2022

Assets classified as held for sale
Non-current assets are classified as held for sale when their carrying amount is to be recovered principally through a sale transaction and a 
sale is considered highly probable. They are stated at the lower of carrying amount and fair value less costs to sell, or fair value in the case of 
Investment Property, if their carrying amount is to be recovered principally through a sale transaction rather than through continuing use and 
a sale is considered highly probable.

Tax
The tax charge on the profit or loss for the year comprises the sum of tax currently payable and any deferred tax movements in the year.

Tax currently payable is based on taxable profit for the year adjusted for any tax payable or repayable in respect of earlier years. Taxable 
profit differs from net profit as reported in the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income because it excludes items of income or 
expense that are taxable or deductible in other years and items that may never be taxable or deductible.

The Group’s liability for current taxation is calculated using tax rates that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the reporting date.

Corporation tax liabilities of wholly owned subsidiary companies are generally transferred to and paid by the Parent Company and credit is 
given by the Parent Company for loss relief surrendered.

Deferred tax is the tax expected to be payable or recoverable on differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities in the 
Financial Statements and the corresponding tax bases used in computing taxable profits.

The carrying amount of deferred tax assets is reviewed at each reporting date and reduced to the extent that it is no longer probable that 
sufficient taxable profits or gains will be available to allow all or part of the assets to be recovered.

The carrying value of the Group’s investment property is assumed to be realised by sale and the deferred tax is then calculated based on the 
respective temporary differences and tax consequences arising from this assumption.

Deferred tax is calculated at tax rates that are expected to apply in the period when the liability is settled or the asset is realised, based 
on rates that have been enacted or substantively enacted at the reporting date. Deferred tax is charged or credited in the Consolidated 
Statement of Comprehensive Income, except when it relates to items charged or credited directly to equity, in which case the deferred tax is 
also dealt with in equity.

Deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities are offset where the Group has a legally enforceable right to do so and when the deferred tax 
assets and liabilities relate to tax levied by the same tax authority where there is an intention to settle the balances on a net basis.

Financial instruments
The Group retains such financial instruments as are required, together with retained earnings, in order to finance the Group’s operations.

Financial assets or financial liabilities are recognised by the Group in the Statement of Financial Position only when the Group becomes a 
party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.

The principal financial instruments are:

•

Trade and other receivables are measured initially at fair value and then amortised cost — where the time value of money is material, 
receivables are amortised using the effective interest rate method (see Interest income and expense in notes 5 and 6). IFRS 9’s simplified 
approach to provisioning is used to calculate the Group’s lifetime expected credit loss; 

• Cash and cash equivalents, which comprise cash in hand, demand deposits and other short-term highly liquid investments that are 
readily convertible to a known amount of cash and are subject to an insignificant risk of changes in value with an original maturity of 
three months or less; 

•

Trade and other payables which are on normal credit terms, are not interest bearing and are stated at their nominal values — where the 
time value of money is material, payables are carried at amortised cost using the effective interest rate method (see Interest income and 
expense in notes 5 and 6); and

• Borrowings — see below. 

For the purpose of the statement of cash flows, cash and cash equivalents consist of cash and short-term deposits, as defined above, net 
of outstanding bank overdrafts as they are considered an integral part of the Group’s cash management.

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Borrowings
Borrowings are recognised initially at fair value, net of transaction costs incurred. Borrowings are subsequently carried at amortised cost; 
any difference between the proceeds (net of transaction costs) and the redemption value is recognised in the Consolidated Statement of 
Comprehensive Income over the period of the borrowings using the effective interest method. 

Fees paid on the establishment of loan facilities are recognised as transaction costs of the loan to the extent that it is probable that some 
or all of the facility will be drawn down. In this case, the fee is deferred and amortised until the drawdown occurs. To the extent that there is 
no evidence that it is probable that some or all of the facility will be drawn down, the fee is capitalised as a pre-payment for liquidity services 
and amortised over the period of the facility to which it relates.

Government grants
Government grants are recognised at their fair value in the Consolidated Statement of Financial Position, within deferred income, where 
there is reasonable assurance that the grant will be received and all attached conditions will be complied with. 

Government grants relating to revenue items are released to the Statement of Comprehensive Income and recognised within cost of sales 
over the period necessary to match the grant on a systematic basis to the costs that they are intended to compensate.

Government grants relating to capital items are released against the carrying value of the grant supported assets when the completion 
conditions of those assets are met.

Provisions
Provisions are recognised when the Group has a present obligation (legal or constructive) as a result of a past event. It is probable that the 
Group will be required to settle that obligation with an outflow of economic benefits and a reliable estimate can be made of the amount of 
the obligation. 

The amount recognised as a provision is the best estimate of the consideration required to settle the present obligation at the reporting date, 
taking into account the risks and uncertainties surrounding the obligation. Where a provision is measured using the cash flows estimated to 
settle the present obligation, its carrying amount is the present value of those cash flows. Onerous contracts are provided for at the lower of 
costs or termination.

When some or all of the economic benefits required to settle a provision are expected to be recovered from a third party, a receivable is 
recognised as an asset if it is virtually certain that reimbursement will be received and the amount of the receivable can be measured reliably.

The land promotion provision represents management’s best estimate of the Group’s liability to provide infrastructure and services as a 
result of obligations which remain with the Group following the disposal of land. Where the infrastructure and services obligations relate 
to developments on which land is being disposed of over a number of phases, provisions are calculated based on an acreage allocation 
methodology taking into account the expected timing of cash outflows to settle the obligations.

The Group regularly reviews its contract obligations and whether they are considered to be onerous. In the event that the costs of meeting 
the obligations exceed the economic benefits expected to be received through the life of the development, a provision would be recognised 
based on the lower of the cost of fulfilling the contract or terminating the contract.

The road maintenance provision represents management’s best estimate of the Group’s liability under a five-year rolling programme for the 
maintenance of the Group’s PFI asset.

Other provisions include any liabilities where the Directors anticipate that a present obligation would result in a future outflow of resources, 
including legal and regulatory penalties or claims, being taken into account in the Financial Statements.

Specific details of the Group’s provisions relating to land promotion and road maintenance can be found in note 26.

Retirement benefit costs
Payments to the defined contribution retirement benefit scheme are charged as an expense as they fall due.

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The cost of providing benefits under the defined benefit retirement scheme is determined using the Projected Unit Credit Method, with 
actuarial calculations being carried out at each reporting date. Actuarial gains and losses are recognised in full in the period in which they 
occur. They are recognised within ‘Other comprehensive income’ within the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income. The 
net periodic benefit cost, comprising the employer’s share of the service cost and the net interest cost, is charged to the Consolidated 
Statement of Comprehensive Income. The Group’s net obligations in respect of the scheme are calculated by estimating the amount of 
future benefit that employees have earned in return for their service in the current and prior periods. This is then discounted to present value 
and the fair value of the scheme’s assets is then deducted.

Share capital
Ordinary share capital is classified as equity. Preference share capital is classified as equity as it is non-redeemable or is redeemable only 
at the Company’s option and any dividends are discretionary. Dividends on preference share capital classified as equity are recognised as 
distributions within equity.

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NOTES TO THE 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the year ended 31 December 2022

Dividends
The Group recognises a liability to pay a final dividend when the distribution is authorised and the distribution is no longer at the discretion 
of the Group. Under UK company law a distribution is authorised when it is approved by the shareholders. An interim dividend is recognised 
when paid. A corresponding amount is then recognised directly in equity.

Impact of accounting standards and interpretations
At the date of authorisation of these Financial Statements, the following standards, amendments and interpretations to existing standards 
are effective or mandatory for the first time for the accounting year ended 31 December 2022:

IFRS 4 (amended 2020)
IFRS 16 (amended 2021)
IFRS 3 (amended 2020)
IAS 16 (amended 2020)
IAS 37 (amended 2020)
Annual Improvements (issued 2020)

‘Extension of the temporary exemption from applying IFRS 9’
‘Covid-related rent concessions beyond June 2021’
‘Reference to the Conceptual Framework’
‘Proceeds before intended use’
‘Costs of fulfilling a contract’
‘Annual improvements to IFRS standards 2018 - 2020’

The adoption of these standards and interpretations has not had a significant impact on the Group.

Effective from

Immediately available
1 April 2021
1 January 2022
1 January 2022
1 January 2022
1 January 2022

At the date of the authorisation of these Financial Statements, the following standards, amendments and interpretations were in issue but 
not yet effective:

IFRS 17 (issued 2017)
IFRS 17 (amended 2020)
IAS 1 (amended 2021)
IAS 8 (amended 2021
IAS 12 (amended 2021)

IFRS 17 (amended 2021)
IAS 1 (amended 2020)
IAS 1 (amended 2022)
IFRS 16 (amended 2022)

‘Insurance Contracts’
‘Implementation challenges’
‘Disclosure of accounting policies’
‘Definition of accounting estimates’
‘Deferred tax related to Assets and Liabilities arising from a single 
transaction’
‘Initial application of IFRS 17 and IFRS 9
‘Classification of liabilities as current or non-current’
‘Non-current liabilities with covenants’
‘Lease liability in a sale and leaseback’

Effective from

1 January 2023
1 January 2023
1 January 2023
1 January 2023
1 January 2023

1 January 2023
1 January 2024
1 January 2024
1 January 2024

A review of the impact of these standards, amendments and interpretations has been conducted and the Directors do not believe that they 
will give rise to any significant financial impact.

In 2022, the Group did not early adopt any new or amended standards and does not plan to early adopt any of the standards issued but not 
yet effective.

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1. Revenue
Analysis of the Group’s revenue is as follows:

Activity in the United Kingdom

Construction contracts:
– Construction1
– Property Investment and 
Development2

Sale of land and properties:

– Property Investment and 
Development2
– Housebuilder unit sales2
– Land Promotion3

PFI concession1

Revenue from contracts 
with customers
Plant and equipment hire1
Investment property rental income2

Other rental income – Property 
Investment and Development2
Other rental income – Land Promotion3

1 Construction segment 

2 Property Investment and Development segment

3 Land Promotion segment

2022
£’000

97,571

57,177

34,726
70,631
43,672
13,590

317,367
17,447
6,444

12
149
341,419

Timing of revenue 
recognition

Timing of revenue 
recognition

At a point 
in time
£’000

Over time
£’000

2021
£’000

At a point 
in time
£’000

Over time
£’000

74,431

4,405

—
—
—
—

—

—

9,622
49,494
58,410
11,115

—

—

34,726
70,631
43,672
13,590

97,571

74,431

57,177

4,405

—
—
—
—

9,622
49,494
58,410
11,115

207,477
17,129
5,772

67
153
230,598

162,619

154,748

128,641

78,836

Contingent rents recognised as investment property rental income during the year amount to £435,000 (2021: £357,000).

2. Segment information
For the purpose of the Board making strategic decisions, the Group is currently organised into three operating segments: Property 
Investment and Development; Land Promotion; and Construction. Group overheads are not a reportable segment; however, information 
about them is considered by the Board in conjunction with the reportable segments.

Operations are carried out entirely within the United Kingdom.

Inter-segment sales are charged at prevailing market prices.

The accounting policies of the reportable segments are the same as the Group’s Accounting Policies. The Group’s Principal Accounting 
Policies are described on pages 159 to 168.

Segment profit represents the profit earned by each segment before tax and is consistent with the measure reported to the Group’s Board 
for the purpose of resource allocation and assessment of segment performance.

Revenues from external sales are detailed in note 1.

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NOTES TO THE 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the year ended 31 December 2022

2. Segment information continued

2022

Property
Investment and
Development
£’000
168,990
290
169,280
36,488
(16,142)
5,322
25,668
4,015
(2,226)
27,457
(3,411)

Land
Promotion
£’000
43,820
—
43,820
24,320
(6,971)
—
17,349
744
(213)
17,880
(3,451)

Construction
£’000
128,609
4,453
133,062
20,720
(8,636)
—
12,084
1,507
(374)
13,217
(2,771)

Group
overheads
£’000
—
386
386
99
(8,743)
—
(8,644)
26,576
(3,373)
14,559
1,908

Eliminations
£’000
—
(5,129)
(5,129)
(37)
37
—
—
(31,201)
3,683
(27,518)
—

24,046

14,429

10,446

16,467

(27,518)

9,450

312
(15)
—

4,921
—
—

—

30
—
—

—
775
—

5,884

3,755
203
580

—
683
—

2021

Property
Investment and
Development
£’000
69,360
290
69,650
14,924
(14,959)
18,296
18,261
4,538
(7,002)
15,797

(2,927)
12,870

17,430

76
285
—

(7,972)
—
—

Land
Promotion
£’000
58,563
—
58,563
23,257
(5,726)
(56)
17,475
698
(139)
18,034

(2,244)
15,790

Construction
£’000
102,675
7,606
110,281
17,363
(8,401)
—
8,962
765
(467)
9,260

(1,798)
7,462

—

10
—
—

—
1,051
—

6,524

2,864
203
602

—
1,499
—

392

472
—
—

—
—
(3,422)

Group
overheads
£’000
—
526
526
52
(9,177)
—
(9,125)
19,060
(2,303)
7,632

2,487
10,119

380

584
—
—

—
—
(920)

—

—
—
—

—
—
—

Eliminations
£’000
—
(8,422)
(8,422)
(50)
50
—
—
(24,337)
8,756
(15,581)

—
(15,581)

—

—
—
—

—
—
—

Revenue
External sales
Inter-segment sales
Total revenue
Gross profit
Administrative expenses and pension
Other operating income
Operating profit/(loss)
Finance income
Finance costs
Profit before tax
Tax

Profit for the year
Other information
Capital additions

Depreciation of plant, property and 
equipment and right-of-use assets
Impairment
Amortisation of intangible assets

Decrease in fair value of investment 
properties
Provisions
Pension scheme credit

Revenue
External sales
Inter-segment sales
Total revenue
Gross profit
Administrative expenses and pension
Other operating income/(expense)
Operating profit/(loss)
Finance income
Finance costs
Profit before tax

Tax
Profit for the year
Other information
Capital additions

Depreciation of plant, property and 
equipment and right-of-use assets
Impairment
Amortisation of intangible assets

Increase in fair value of investment 
properties
Provisions
Pension scheme credit

Total
£’000
341,419
—
341,419
81,590
(40,455)
5,322
46,457
1,641
(2,503)
45,595
(7,725)

37,870

15,726

4,569
188
580

4,921
1,458
(3,422)

Total
£’000
230,598
—
230,598
55,546
(38,213)
18,240
35,573
724
(1,155)
35,142

(4,482)
30,660

24,334

3,534
488
602

(7,972)
2,550
(920)

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2. Segment information continued

Segment assets
Property Investment and Development2
Land Promotion
Construction
Group overheads

Unallocated assets
Deferred tax assets
Current tax receivables
Retirement benefit asset
Cash and cash equivalents
Total assets
Segment liabilities
Property Investment and Development
Land Promotion
Construction
Group overheads

Unallocated liabilities
Current tax liabilities
Deferred tax liabilities
Current lease liabilities
Current borrowings
Non-current lease liabilities
Retirement benefit obligations
Total liabilities
Total net assets

1 See ‘prior year restatements’ on page 159. 

2

Includes investment in joint ventures and associates of £9,990,000 (2021: £12,165,000).

3. Operating profit
Operating profit has been arrived at after charging/(crediting):

Depreciation of property, plant and equipment (note 12)
Depreciation of right-of-use assets (note 13)
Impairment of goodwill included in administrative expenses (note 11)
Reversal of impairment of land and buildings included in administrative expenses (note 12)
Impairment of land and buildings included in administrative expenses (note 12)
Amortisation of PFI asset included in cost of sales (note 11)
Amortisation of capitalised letting fees (note 14)
Impairment losses recognised on trade receivables (note 18)
Decrease/(increase) in fair value of investment property (note 14)
Cost of inventories recognised as expense
Employee costs
Amounts payable to Mazars LLP by Road Link (A69) Limited in respect of audit services
Gross profit on sale of equipment held for hire

Gain on sale of other property plant and equipment
Loss on disposal of right-of-use assets

2022
£’000

355,491
149,598
45,766
3,612
554,467

249
—
6,188
17,401
578,305

59,113
13,114
36,994
568
109,789

3,793
4,401
426
65,000
607
—
184,016
394,289

2022
£’000
3,972
597
203
(75)
60
580
25
432
4,921
85,594
39,088
13
(1,070)

(176)
1

2021
(restated1) 
£’000

310,421
142,655
43,205
2,323
498,604

3,389
1,828
—
11,116
514,937

36,169
11,523
40,418
3,071
91,181

—
4,582
639
50,000
1,021
12,228
159,651
355,286

2021
£’000
3,534
598
203
—
285
602
41
779
(7,972)
80,241
38,439
12
(981)

(16)
10

171

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NOTES TO THE 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the year ended 31 December 2022

3. Operating profit continued
The remuneration paid to Ernst & Young LLP, the Company’s external auditors, was as follows:

Fees payable for the audit of the Company’s annual Financial Statements and Consolidated 
Financial Statements
Fees payable to the auditors and their associates for other services:
– audit of the Company’s subsidiaries pursuant to legislation
Total audit fees

4. Employee costs

2022
£’000

200

330
530

2021
£’000

167

298
465

Wages and salaries
Share-based payment expense
Social security costs
Defined benefit pension costs (see note 27)
Defined contribution pension costs (see note 27)
Other pension costs
Other employee costs

Group

Parent Company

2022
£’000

29,671
1,240
3,821
989
3,251
72
44
39,088

2021
£’000

27,689
968
3,448
3,407
2,521
111
295
38,439

2022
£’000

5,130
496
649
989
449
22
—
7,735

2021
£’000

3,968
413
593
2,855
316
17
—
8,162

Included within 2021 employee costs is a £820,000 debit for repayment of furlough grant income from the Government’s Job Retention 
Scheme introduced in response to the Covid pandemic. 

The average monthly number of employees during the year, including Executive Directors, was:

Property Investment and Development
Land Promotion
Construction
Plant Hire 
Parent Company

5. Finance income

Interest on bank deposits
Interest on other loans and receivables
Unwinding of discounting: trade receivables

2022
Number

2021
Number

121
35
149
146
82
533

2022
£’000

146
1,007
488
1,641

112
30
151
137
66
496

2021
£’000

2
127
595
724

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6. Finance costs

Interest on bank loans and overdrafts
Interest on other loans and payables
Unwinding of discounting: trade payables and borrowings

7. Tax

Current tax:

UK corporation tax on profits for the year
Adjustment in respect of earlier years
Total current tax
Deferred tax (note 19):
Origination and reversal of temporary differences
Adjustment in respect of prior years
Impact of rate change
Total deferred tax
Total tax

2022
£’000

2,136
45
322
2,503

2022
£’000

8,690
(152)
8,538

(813)
—
—
(813)
7,725

2021
£’000

747
59
349
1,155

2021
£’000

2,752
(1,683)
1,069

3,457
105
(149)
3,413
4,482

Corporation tax is calculated at 19% (2021: 19%) of the estimated assessable profit for the year. 

In the Spring Budget 2021, the Government announced that from 1 April 2023 the main rate of UK corporation tax would increase to 25%. 
This new law was substantively enacted on 24 May 2021; deferred tax balances at the year end have been measured at 25% (2021: 25%), 
being the rate at which timing differences are expected to reverse.

The charge for the year can be reconciled to the profit per the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income as follows:

Profit before tax

Tax at the UK corporation tax rate
Effects of:
Permanent differences
Capital gains
Impact of rate differences
Deferred tax adjustment in respect of prior years
Corporation tax adjustment in respect of earlier years
Joint venture results reported net of tax
Effective tax rate

2022
£’000
45,595

2022
%

19.00

(0.80)
0.27
—
—
(0.33)
(1.20)
16.94

2021
£’000
35,142

2021
%

19.00

0.48
(0.78)
(0.42)
0.30
(4.79)
(1.03)
12.76

The tax charge in the year is lower (2021: lower) than the standard rate of corporation tax predominantly due to joint ventures reported net of 
tax (2021: due to adjustments in respect of earlier years arising from additional loss relief on asset disposals).

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NOTES TO THE 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the year ended 31 December 2022

7. Tax continued
In addition to the amount charged to profit for the year, the following amounts relating to tax have been recognised in other 
comprehensive income:

Deferred tax:
– property revaluations
– actuarial gain
Total tax recognised in other comprehensive income/(expense)

2022
£’000

(23)
(3,749)
(3,772)

2021
£’000

(282)
(4,840)
(5,122)

8. Results of Parent Company
As permitted by Section 408 of the Companies Act 2006, the Statement of Comprehensive Income of the Parent Company is not presented 
as part of these Financial Statements. The profit dealt with in the Financial Statements of the Parent Company and approved by the Board on 
12 April 2023 is £15,987,000 (2021: £8,938,000) and includes dividends received from subsidiaries of £26,490,500 (2021: £14,530,000).

9. Earnings per ordinary share
The calculation of the basic and diluted earnings per share is based on the following information:

Profit for the year
Non-controlling interests
Preference dividend

Weighted average number of shares in issue
Less shares held by the ESOP on which dividends have been waived
Weighted average number for basic earnings per share
Adjustment for the effects of dilutive potential ordinary shares
Weighted average number for diluted earnings per share

Basic earnings per share
Diluted earnings per share

2022
£’000
37,870
(4,551)
(21)
33,298

2021
£’000
30,660
(2,500)
(21)
28,139

2022
No.
133,449,943
(401,672)
133,048,271
2,290,780
135,339,051

2021
No.
133,264,346
(439,261)
132,825,085
2,645,458
135,470,543

2022
25.0p
24.6p

2021
21.2p
20.9p

The Group has two types of dilutive potential ordinary shares, being: those share options granted to employees where the exercise price is 
less than the average market price of the Company’s ordinary shares during the year; and expected future vesting of shares under the 2015 
Long-Term Incentive Plan.

10. Dividends

Amounts recognised as distributions to equity holders in the year:
Preference dividend on cumulative preference shares
Final dividend for the year ended 31 December 2021 of 3.63p per share (2020: 3.30p)
Interim dividend for the year ended 31 December 2022 of 2.66p per share (2021: 2.42p)

2022
£’000

21
4,822
3,540
8,383

2021
£’000

21
4,383
3,216
7,620

The proposed final dividend for the year ended 31 December 2022 of 4.00p per share (2021: 3.63p) makes a total dividend for the year of 
6.66p (2021: 6.05p). 

The proposed final dividend is subject to approval by shareholders at the AGM and has not been included as a liability in these Financial 
Statements. The total estimated dividend to be paid is £5,300,000.

Notice has been received from Moore Street Securities Limited waiving its right as corporate trustee for the Employee Share Ownership Plan 
(‘ESOP’) to receive all dividends in respect of this and the previous financial year.

Dividends paid to non-controlling interests during the year amounted to £4,030,000 (2021: £740,000).

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11. Intangible assets

Cost
At 1 January 2021
Additions at cost
At 31 December 2021 and 2022
Accumulated impairment losses and amortisation
At 1 January 2021

Amortisation
Impairment losses for the year
At 31 December 2021

Amortisation
Impairment losses for the year
At 31 December 2022
Carrying amount
At 31 December 2022
At 31 December 2021

Goodwill
£’000

4,973
—
4,973

3,324

—
203
3,527

—
203
3,730

1,243
1,446

PFI
asset
£’000

18,973
203
19,176

16,304

602
—
16,906

580
—
17,486

1,690
2,270

Total
£’000

23,946
203
24,149

19,628

602
203
20,433

580
203
21,216

2,933
3,716

The Group acquired the trade and assets of Premier Plant Tool Hire & Sales Limited on 30 March 2017. They were immediately hived up into 
the immediate parent company Banner Plant Limited, which sits in the Construction segment. The goodwill arising on the acquisition, which 
has a current net book value of £903,000 (2021: £903,000), represents the excess of consideration over net assets acquired and is subject 
to an impairment test at the reporting date. The cash generating units assessed for impairment are the Leicester depots of Banner Plant 
Limited, which were formerly Premier Plant Tool Hire & Sales Limited’s only operational sites. Impairment calculations use pre-tax cash flow 
projections including revenue growth of 3.0% (2021: 3.0%) per annum into perpetuity which reflects past experience and management’s 
future expectations. Management estimates discount rates that reflect current market assessments of the time value of money and risk 
specific to the cash generating unit of 5.0% (2021: 3.5%).

The Group’s investment in Road Link (A69) Holdings Limited is 61.2%. The goodwill arising on the acquisition which has a current net book 
value of £340,000 (2021: £543,000) represents the excess of consideration over net assets acquired and is subject to an impairment test 
at the reporting date. This company’s subsidiary, Road Link (A69) Limited, operates a PFI concession which comprises managing and 
maintaining the A69 Carlisle to Newcastle trunk road. The Company receives payment from National Highways based on the number and 
type of vehicles using the road. The concession lasts for a period of 30 years and has a further three years to run, at the end of which the 
road reverts to National Highways. Whilst the impairment test demonstrates significant headroom based on forecast levels of return being 
consistent with prior years, an impairment charge of £203,000 (2021: £203,000) has been recognised during the year. This reflects the fact 
that the PFI concession will revert to National Highways at the end of the 30-year period, at which point no goodwill should remain. There 
were no significant changes to these arrangements during the year.

Amortisation of the PFI asset is recognised within cost of sales in the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income.

Although the Companies Act 2006 Section 390(5) requires a coterminous year end, the subsidiary company’s accounting reference date is 
31 March in order to align with National Highways financial year end and hence interim Financial Statements are prepared for incorporation 
into these Consolidated Financial Statements.

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NOTES TO THE 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the year ended 31 December 2022

12. Property, plant and equipment

Group

Cost or fair value
At 1 January 2021
Additions at cost 
Disposals 
At 31 December 2021
Additions at cost 
Disposals
Increase in fair value in year
At 31 December 2022
Being:
Cost 
Fair value at 31 December 2022

Accumulated depreciation and impairment
At 1 January 2021
Charge for year
Impairment
Eliminated on disposals
At 31 December 2021
Charge for year
Reversal of impairment
Impairment
Eliminated on disposals
At 31 December 2022

Carrying amount
At 31 December 2022
At 31 December 2021

Land and
buildings
£’000 

Equipment
held
for hire 
 £’000

Vehicles
 £’000 

Office
equipment
£’000

7,322
—
—
7,322
55
—
315
7,692

—
7,692
7,692

427
—
285
—
712
—
(75)
60
—
697

6,995
6,610

39,885
5,952
(2,449)
43,388
5,454
(3,275)
—
45,567

45,567
—
45,567

26,394
2,474
—
(2,271)
26,597
3,059
—
—
(3,002)
26,654

18,913
16,791

5,835
473
(976)
5,332
612
(597)
—
5,347

5,347
—
5,347

2,842
786
—
(692)
2,936
660
—
—
(504)
3,092

2,255
2,396

3,267
388
(47)
3,608
304
—
—
3,912

3,912
—
3,912

2,828
274
—
(46)
3,056
253
—
—
—
3,309

603
552

Total
 £’000

56,309
6,813
(3,472)
59,650
6,425
(3,872)
315
62,518

54,826
7,692
62,518

32,491
3,534
285
(3,009)
33,301
3,972
(75)
60
(3,506)
33,752

28,766
26,349

At 31 December 2022, the Group had entered into contractual commitments for the acquisition of property, plant and equipment amounting 
to £1,566,000 (2021: £3,420,000).

Fair value measurements of the Group’s land and buildings
Land and buildings have been revalued at 31 December 2022 by Jones Lang LaSalle Limited and Dove Haigh Phillips LLP in accordance 
with the Practice Statements contained in the RICS Appraisal and Valuation Standards on the basis of market value at £6,995,000 (2021: 
£6,610,000). Jones Lang LaSalle Limited and Dove Haigh Phillips LLP are professional valuers who hold recognised and professional 
qualifications and have recent experience in the location and category of the land and buildings being valued. 

The valuation conforms to International Valuation Standards and was based on recent market transactions with similar characteristics and 
location using the yield method valuation technique. The yield method of valuation involves applying market-derived capitalisation yields, and 
the actual or market-derived future income streams where appropriate, with adjustments for letting voids or rent-free periods as applicable 
to each item of land and buildings.

On the historical cost basis, the land and buildings would have been included at a carrying amount of £4,339,000 (2021: £4,269,000).

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12. Property, plant and equipment continued
The following table provides an analysis of the fair values of land and buildings by the degree to which the fair value is observable:

Freehold land
Buildings
Total fair value 

Level 1
£’000
—
—
—

Level 2
£’000
—
—
—

Level 3
£’000
60
6,935
6,995

2022
£’000
60
6,935
6,995

2021
£’000
60
6,550
6,610

Increase
 in year
£’000
—
385
385

The Group’s policy is to recognise transfers into and out of fair value hierarchy levels as of the date of the event or change in circumstances 
that causes the transfer. The Directors determine the applicable hierarchy that land and buildings fall into by assessing the level of 
comparable evidence in the market which that asset falls into and the inherent level of activity. As at the reporting date and throughout the 
year, all land and buildings were determined to fall into Level 3 and so there were no transfers between hierarchies.

Explanation of the fair value hierarchy:

Level 1 – fair value measurements are those derived from quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets 

or liabilities that the entity can access at the measurement date;

Level 2 – fair value measurements are those derived from the use of a model with inputs (other than quoted prices included 

in Level 1) that are observable from directly or indirectly observable market data; and

Level 3 – fair value measurements are those derived from use of a model with inputs that are not based on observable 

market data.

Information about fair value measurements using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3):

Class
Valuation technique
Rental value per sq ft (£) 

Yield % 

– weighted average
– low
– high
– weighted average
– low
– high

Buildings
Yield 
6.92
3.31
16.25
9.56
7.62
11.83

The sensitivity analysis to significant changes in unobservable inputs relating to fair value measurements (Level 3) are set out below:

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Yield – improvement by 0.5%
Rental value per sq ft – increase of £1 average

Impact on 
valuation 
£’000
Buildings
360
1,000

The sensitivities have been selected by management on the basis that they consider these measures to be a reasonable expectation of likely 
changes to the significant unobservable inputs in the next 12 months.

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NOTES TO THE 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the year ended 31 December 2022

12. Property, plant and equipment continued

Parent Company

Cost
At 1 January 2021
Additions
Disposals
At 31 December 2021
Additions
Disposals
At 31 December 2022
Accumulated depreciation
At 1 January 2021
Charge for year
Disposals
At 31 December 2021
Charge for year
Disposals
At 31 December 2022
Carrying amount
At 31 December 2022
At 31 December 2021

13. Leases
The Group as lessee

Right-of-use assets

Land and buildings
Vehicles
Office equipment

Lease liabilities
Due within one year
Due after more than one year

Contractual maturities of lease liabilities including future interest:
On demand or within one year
In the second year
In the third to fifth years inclusive
In more than five years
Total contractual cash flows
Future finance charges on lease liabilities
Present value of contractual cash flows

Office
equipment
£’000

1,068
279
—
1,347
205
—
1,552

886
144
—
1,030
142
—
1,172

380
317

Group

Parent Company

2022
£’000

775
1
221
997

426
607
1,033

449
282
322
31
1,084
(51)
1,033

2021
£’000

1,249
2
330
1,581

639
1,021
1,660

676
447
564
63
1,750
(90)
1,660

2022
£’000

2021
£’000

—
16
47
63

34
30
64

35
14
16
—
65
(1)
64

—
11
65
76

41
37
78

42
27
11
—
80
(2)
78

Additions to the right-of-use assets during the 2022 financial year were £14,000 (2021: £69,000) for the Group and £32,000 (2021: £65,000) 
for the Parent Company.

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13. Leases continued
The statement of profit or loss shows the following amounts relating to leases:

Depreciation charge of right-of-use assets

Land and buildings
Vehicles
Office equipment

Interest expense (included in finance cost)

Group

Parent Company

2022
£’000

2021
£’000

2022
£’000

2021
£’000

474
1
122
597

40

470
5
123
598

58

—
14
31
45

2

—
23
30
53

3

The total cash outflow for leases in 2022 was £679,000 (2021: £683,000) for the Group and £48,000 (2021: £131,000) for the Parent Company.

The Group leases various offices, equipment and vehicles. Rental contracts are typically made for fixed periods of 4 to 10 years and may 
have extension options. 

Contracts may contain both lease and non-lease components. The Group allocates the consideration in the contract to the lease and 
non-lease components based on their relative stand-alone prices. However, for leases of real estate for which the Group is a lessee, it has 
elected not to separate lease and non-lease components and instead accounts for these as a single lease component. 

Lease terms are negotiated on an individual basis and contain a wide range of different terms and conditions. The lease agreements do not 
impose any covenants other than the security interests in the leased assets that are held by the lessor. Leased assets may not be used as 
security for borrowing purposes. 

Assets and liabilities arising from a lease are initially measured on a present value basis. Lease liabilities include the net present value of the 
following lease payments: 

•

•

•

•

•

Fixed payments (including in-substance fixed payments), less any lease incentives receivable; 

Variable lease payments that are based on an index or a rate, initially measured using the index or rate as at the commencement date; 

Amounts expected to be payable by the Group under residual value guarantees; 

The exercise price of a purchase option if the Group is reasonably certain to exercise that option; and 

Payments of penalties for terminating the lease, if the lease term reflects the Group exercising that option. 

Lease payments to be made under reasonably certain extension options are also included in the measurement of the liability. 

The lease payments are discounted using the interest rate implicit in the lease. If that rate cannot be readily determined, which is generally 
the case for leases in the Group, the lessee’s incremental borrowing rate is used.

The Group is exposed to potential future increases in variable lease payments based on an index or rate, which are not included in the lease 
liability until they take effect. When adjustments to lease payments based on an index or rate take effect, the lease liability is reassessed and 
adjusted against the right-of-use asset. 

Lease payments are allocated between principal and finance cost. The finance cost is charged to profit or loss over the lease period so as to 
produce a constant periodic rate of interest on the remaining balance of the liability for each period. 

Right-of-use assets are measured at cost comprising the following: 

•

•

•

The amount of the initial measurement of lease liability 

Any lease payments made at or before the commencement date less any lease incentives received 

Any initial direct costs, and restoration costs

Right-of-use assets are generally depreciated over the shorter of the asset’s useful life and the lease term on a straight-line basis. If the 
Group is reasonably certain to exercise a purchase option, the right-of-use asset is depreciated over the underlying asset’s useful life. While 
the Group revalues its land and buildings that are presented within property, plant and equipment, it has chosen not to do so for the right-of-
use buildings held by the Group. 

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179

 
NOTES TO THE 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the year ended 31 December 2022

13. Leases continued
Payments associated with short-term leases of equipment and vehicles and all leases of low-value assets are recognised on 
a straight-line basis as an expense in profit or loss and amount to £nil (2021: £nil) in the period. Short-term leases are leases 
with a lease term of 12 months or less. Low-value assets comprise IT equipment and small items of office furniture. Cash 
outflows during the period related to these leases equal the rent expense and are included within operating activities in the 
Statement of Cash Flows.

The Group as lessor
The Group has entered into operating leases on its investment property portfolio which typically have lease terms between 
one and 25 years, and include clauses to enable periodic upward revision of the rental charge according to prevailing market 
conditions. Ordinarily, the lessee does not have an option to purchase the property at the expiry of the lease period and 
some leases contain options to break before the end of the lease term.

Future aggregate minimum rentals receivable under non-cancellable operating leases at 31 December are as follows:

Within one year
Between 1-2 years
Between 2-3 years
Between 3-4 years
Between 4-5 years
More than five years

2022
£’000

5,186
4,672
4,477
4,137
3,583
32,989
55,044

2021
£’000

4,048
4,803
3,898
3,105
2,706
47,052
65,612

14. Investment properties
Fair value measurements recognised in the Statement of Financial Position
The following table provides an analysis of the fair values of investment properties recognised in the Statement of Financial Position by the 
degree to which the fair value is observable:

Completed investment property
Industrial
Leisure
Mixed-use
Residential
Office
Retail

Investment property under 
construction
Industrial

Total carrying amount

Level 1
£’000

Level 2
£’000

—
—
—
—
—
—
—

—
—
—

—
—
—
—
—
—
—

—
—
—

Level 3
£’000

52,927
9,208
—
4,322
6,275
14,466
87,198

9,918
9,918
97,116

2022
£’000

52,927
9,208
—
4,322
6,275
14,466
87,198

9,918
9,918
97,116

Increase/
(decrease)
in year
£’000

6,131
(390)
(7,483)
195
(3,663)
(2,769)
(7,979)

918
918
(7,061)

2021
£’000

46,796
9,598
7,483
4,127
9,938
17,235
95,177

9,000
9,000
104,177

The Group’s policy is to recognise transfers into and out of fair value hierarchy levels as of the date of the event or change in circumstances 
that causes the transfer. The Directors determine the applicable hierarchy that a property falls into by assessing the level of comparable 
evidence in the market which that asset falls into and the inherent level of activity. As at the reporting date and throughout the year, all 
property was determined to fall into Level 3 and so there were no transfers between hierarchies.

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14. Investment properties continued
Explanation of the fair value hierarchy:

Level 1 – fair value measurements are those derived from quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets 

or liabilities that the entity can access at the measurement date;

Level 2 – fair value measurements are those derived from the use of a model with inputs (other than quoted prices included 

in Level 1) that are observable from directly or indirectly observable market data; and

Level 3 – fair value measurements are those derived from use of a model with inputs that are not based on observable 

market data.

Investment properties have been split into different classes to show the composition of the investment property portfolio of the Group as at 
the reporting date. Management has determined that aggregation of the results would be most appropriate based on the type of use that 
each property falls into, which is described below:

Class
Industrial
Leisure

Mixed-use

Residential
Retail
Land
Office

Includes manufacturing and warehousing, which are usually similar in dimensions and construction method.
Includes restaurants and gymnasiums or properties in which the main activity is the provision of entertainment and 
leisure facilities to the public.

Includes schemes where there are different types of uses contained within one physical asset, the most usual 
combination being retail, office and leisure.

Includes dwellings under assured tenancies.
Includes any property involved in the sale of goods.
Includes land held for future capital appreciation as an investment.
Includes buildings occupied for business activities not involving storage or processing of physical goods.

Investment properties under construction are categorised based on the future anticipated highest and best use of the property.

Completed investment property

Class
Fair value hierarchy

Carrying value
At 1 January
Initial acquisition

Industrial
Level 3
£’000

Leisure
Level 3 
£’000

Mixed-use
Level 3
£’000

Residential
Level 3
£’000

Office
Level 3
£’000

Retail
Level 3
£’000

2022
£’000

2021
£’000

46,796
—

9,598
—

7,483
—

4,127
—

9,938
—

17,235
—

95,177
—

78,730
11,268

Subsequent expenditure on 
investment property
Capitalised letting fees 
Amortisation of capitalised letting fees

Disposals 
Transfer from inventory

Transfers from investment property 
under construction
Increase/(decrease) in fair value in year
At 31 December
Adjustment in respect of tenant 
incentives
Market value at 31 December

8
2
(12)

—
6,827

—
(694)
52,927

948
53,875

Tenant incentives are included in trade receivables.

—
—
(10)

—
—

—
(380)
9,208

202
9,410

—
—
—

(7,493)
—

—
10
—

—
—

—
—
(3)

(7)
—

—
205
4,322

—
4,322

—
—
—

—
—

—
—
—

—
—

8
2
(25)

502
129
(41)

(7,500)
6,827

(5,312)
1,517

—
(3,663)
6,275

—
(2,769)
14,466

—
(7,291)
87,198

3,741
4,643
95,177

625
6,900

459
14,925

2,234
89,432

1,560
96,737

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NOTES TO THE 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the year ended 31 December 2022

14. Investment properties continued
There is no actively traded market for the Group’s commercial property and as such the adopted valuation is completed using the professional 
judgement of the Group’s professional valuers, who use the yield method to determine fair value. The calculation of the capital value of a 
property under this method uses a yield to multiple against the rental income stream with due allowance for a fixed assumed purchaser’s 
cost. The primary variables of the yield method are thus: the yield, which is based on historic yields for properties that are similar but to which 
there may be adjustment to take into account, factors such as geographical location and lease terms; and the contracted rent, which is based 
on contracted rents that exist at the balance sheet date, but may also include a provision for rents that may be achieved in the future after 
accounting for a period of vacancy, such rents being based on rental income terms that exist in similar properties, adjusted for geographic 
location and lease terms.

With the exception of the residential class, completed investment property has been revalued at 31 December 2022 by Jones Lang 
LaSalle Limited in accordance with the Practice Statements contained in the RICS Valuation - Global Standards (the ‘Red Book’) on the 
basis of market value at £85,110,000 (2021: £92,609,000). Jones Lang LaSalle Limited are professional valuers who hold recognised and 
professional qualifications and have recent experience in the location and category of the investment property being valued. The valuation 
conforms to International Valuation Standards, as incorporated within the Red Book and was based on recent market transactions with 
similar characteristics and location using the yield method valuation technique. The yield method of valuation involves applying market-
derived capitalisation yields, and the actual or market-derived future income streams where appropriate, with adjustments for letting voids 
or rent-free periods as applicable to each property. For all completed investment properties, their current use equates to the highest and 
best use.

Residential properties are valued using recent comparable sales transactions with a significant unobservable input being the discount 
used, to reflect the lower value achieved where properties are held under an assured tenancy, that typically earn a low market level of rent. 
The discount applied recognises that the value is higher where the house is offered with the benefit of vacant possession at the end of the 
assured tenancy.

The fair value of the residential class at 31 December 2022 has been determined by the Directors of the Company at £4,322,000 
(2021: £4,127,000). The fair value takes into account market evidence based on recent comparable sale transactions adjusted to take into 
account the tenanted nature of the properties.

Information about fair value measurements using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3):

2022

Class

Industrial

Leisure Mixed-use

Residential

Office

Retail

Valuation technique
Rental value per sq ft (£) 

Yield % 

– weighted average
– low
– high
– weighted average
– low
– high

Yield
6.40
0.67
13.00
6.05
3.38
7.75

Yield
15.55
1.82
45.05
6.68
5.84
9.76

Yield
4.95
2.75
9.00
10.90
8.21
12.69

Sales 
comparison
—
—
—
—
—
—

% discount applied to houses held under assured 
tenancies

—

—

—

25.00

Yield
27.05
26.60
28.06
12.44
9.61
15.95

—

Yield
14.06
7.33
25.38
5.78
4.49
8.83

—

2021

Class

Industrial

Leisure Mixed-use

Residential

Office

Retail

Valuation technique
Rental value per sq ft (£) 

Yield % 

– weighted average
– low
– high
– weighted average
– low
– high

% discount applied to houses held under assured 
tenancies

Yield

4.44
0.56
11.00
4.98
2.73
9.05

Yield
15.88
1.75
45.05
6.54
4.79
9.76

Yield
15.26
7.50
24.65
5.08
3.09
24.26

Sales 
comparison

—
—
—
—
—
—

Yield
26.82
26.50
27.50
8.96
6.91
11.70

Yield
14.57
8.21
21.40
5.08
3.97
9.00

—

—

—

25.00

—

—

There is considered to be no inter-relationship between observable and unobservable inputs.

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14. Investment properties continued
The sensitivity analysis to significant changes in unobservable inputs relating to fair value measurements (Level 3) is set out below:

Yield – improvement by 0.5% 
Rental value per sq ft – increase by £1 
average
Tenancy discount – increase by 1%

Yield – improvement by 0.5% 
Rental value per sq ft – increase by £1 
average
Tenancy discount – increase by 1%

Industrial

Leisure

Mixed-use

Residential 

Impact on valuation 2022 £’000

3,834

8,243
—

Industrial

4,519

11,083
—

662

607
—

219

1,013
—

—

—
49

Impact on valuation 2021 £’000
Residential 

Mixed-use

Leisure

719

644
—

377

255
—

—

—
50

Office

356

328
—

Office

668

456
—

Retail

1,206

1,002
—

Retail

1,393

1,378
—

The sensitivities have been selected by management on the basis that it considers these measures to be a reasonable expectation of likely 
changes to the significant unobservable inputs in the next 12 months.

The property rental income earned by the Group from its occupied investment property, all of which is leased out under operating leases, 
amounted to £5,757,000 (2021: £5,772,000). Direct operating expenses arising on investment property generating rental income in the year 
amounted to £1,229,000 (2021: £1,274,000). Direct operating expenses arising on the investment property which did not generate rental 
income during the year amounted to £122,000 (2021: £162,000). 

At 31 December 2022, the Group had entered into contractual commitments for the acquisition and repair of investment property amounting 
to £nil (2021: £nil).

Investment property under construction

Class
Fair value hierarchy

Carrying value

At 1 January

Subsequent expenditure on investment property
Capitalised letting fees 
Transfer from inventory
Transfer to completed investment property
Transfers to assets held for sale
Increase in fair value in year
At 31 December
Adjustment in respect of tenant incentives
Market value at 31 December

Industrial
 Level 3
£’000

9,000

9,265
26
391
—
(11,134)
2,370
9,918
—
9,918

2022
£’000

9,000

9,265
26
391
—
(11,134)
2,370
9,918
—
9,918

2021
£’000

3,993

5,419
—
—
(3,741)
—
3,329
9,000
—
9,000

One property was transferred to ‘assets held for sale’ during the year and was subsequently disposed of prior to the year end.

Tenant incentives are included in trade receivables.

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NOTES TO THE 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the year ended 31 December 2022

14. Investment properties continued 
Investment property under construction
Information about fair value measurements using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3):

Class

Valuation technique
Rental value per sq ft (£)

Yield %

Class

Valuation technique
Rental value per sq ft (£)

Yield %

– weighted average
– low
– high
– weighted average
– low
– high

– weighted average
– low
– high
– weighted average
– low
– high

2022

Industrial

Residual
10.21
10.21
10.21
4.5
4.5
4.5

2021

Industrial

Residual
6.10
6.10
6.10
4.1
4.1
4.1

The sensitivity analysis to significant changes in unobservable inputs relating to fair value measurements (Level 3) is set out below:

Yield – improvement by 0.5%

Rental value per sq ft – increase by £1 average

Yield – improvement by 0.5%

Rental value per sq ft – increase by £1 average

Impact on 
valuation 2022 
£’000
Industrial

1,025

1,804

Impact on 
valuation 2021 
£’000
Industrial

1,037

358

Investment properties under construction are developments which have been valued at 31 December 2022 at fair value by the Directors 
of the Company using the residual method at £9,918,000 (2021: £9,000,000). The residual method of valuation involves estimating the 
gross development value of the property using market-derived capitalisation yields and market-derived future income streams. From this 
gross development value the remaining gross development costs to be incurred are deducted, using market-derived data cost estimates 
or the actual known costs and including cost contingencies for construction risk as appropriate. In addition, a deduction for the anticipated 
development profits yet to be earned is made, taking into account the progress of the development to date in line with key milestones.

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15. Investments

Parent Company – shares in Group undertakings
Cost
At 1 January 2021, 31 December 2021 and 31 December 2022
Adjustments
At 1 January 2021, 31 December 2021 and 31 December 2022
Carrying amount
At 31 December 2022
At 31 December 2021

Total
£’000

37,771

—

37,771
37,771

Amounts due from and to subsidiary companies are listed in notes 18 and 22 and details of all subsidiary companies are listed in note 35. All 
trading subsidiaries operate in the United Kingdom and are wholly owned, with the exception of:

• Road Link (A69) Holdings Limited and its subsidiary Road Link (A69) Limited which is 61.2% owned by Henry Boot Construction 

Limited;

•

Plot 7 East Markham Vale Management Company Limited which is 66.7% owned by, and under board control of, Henry Boot 
Developments Limited;

• Capitol Park Property Services Limited which is 4.6% owned by, and under board control of, Henry Boot Developments Limited; and

•

Stonebridge Homes Group Limited and its wholly owned subsidiaries (as indicated in note 35) which is 50% owned by, and under board 
control of (by virtue of majority voting rights), Henry Boot Land Holdings Limited.

They are all incorporated in the United Kingdom. All subsidiary companies have only one class of ordinary issued share capital.

16. Investment in joint ventures and associates

Group

Cost
At 1 January 
Share of profit/(loss) for the year
Dividends received
Additions
Disposals
At 31 December

2022

Joint 
ventures
£’000

Associates
£’000

12,165
9,524
(7,160)
—
(6,206)
8,323

—
(445)
—
2,112
—
1,667

Joint
 ventures
£’000

5,688
9,064
(2,155)
—
(432)
12,165

2021

Associates
£’000

152
(136)
—
2
(18)
—

Total
£’000

12,165
9,079
(7,160)
2,112
(6,206)
9,990

Total
£’000

5,840
8,928
(2,155)
2
(450)
12,165

During the year, the Group increased its equity investment in Rainham Holdco SARL, an associate undertaking, by a further £2.1m which 
maintains our interest at 20%.

The Group’s share of its joint ventures’ and associates’ aggregated assets, liabilities and results are as follows:

Investment property
Current assets
Non-current assets
Total assets
Current liabilities
Non-current liabilities
Net investment

Joint 
ventures
£’000

9,311
24,283
—
33,594
(22,848)
(2,423)
8,323

2022

Associates
£’000

—
6,062
—
6,062
(4,395)
—
1,667

Total
£’000

9,311
30,345
—
39,656
(27,243)
(2,423)
9,990

Joint
 ventures
£’000

21,676
25,711
1
47,388
(32,122)
(3,101)
12,165

2021

Associates
£’000

—
5,692
7
5,699
(2,130)
(3,569)
—

Total
£’000

21,676
31,403
8
53,087
(34,252)
(6,670)
12,165

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185

 
NOTES TO THE 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the year ended 31 December 2022

16. Investment in joint ventures and associates continued

Revenue
Administration and other expenses
(Decrease)/increase in fair value of 
investment properties
Operating profit/(loss)
Finance costs
Profit/(loss) before tax
Tax
Share of profits/(losses) after tax

Joint 
ventures
£’000

38,101
(23,569)

(3,232)
11,300
(403)
10,897
(1,373)
9,524

2022

Associates
£’000

13
(154)

—
(141)
(287)
(428)
(17)
(445)

Total
£’000

38,114
(23,723)

(3,232)
11,159
(690)
10,469
(1,390)
9,079

Joint
 ventures
£’000

18,944
(15,388)

6,970
10,526
(375)
10,151
(1,087)
9,064

2021

Associates
£’000

53
(67)

—
(14)
(121)
(135)
(1)
(136)

Total
£’000

18,997
(15,455)

6,970
10,512
(496)
10,016
(1,088)
8,928

Details of the Group’s investments in joint ventures and associates are listed in note 35.

Material joint ventures and associates
The Directors considers Pennine Property Partnership LLP, Montagu 406 Regeneration LLP, Newmarket Lane Holdings Limited (Group) and 
Cognito Oak LLP to be the only material joint venture or associate they hold an interest in. 

Pennine Property Partnership LLP is a property development joint venture between the Group and Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS 
Foundation Trust, the LLP is incorporated in England and the Group has ownership of 50%. The joint venture is accounted for using the 
equity method of accounting. Montagu 406 Regeneration LLP is a property development joint venture between the Group and The Mayor 
and Burgesses of the London Borough of Enfield. The LLP is incorporated in England and the Group has ownership of 50% of the LLP. 
The joint venture is accounted for using the equity method of accounting. Newmarket Lane Holdings Limited (Group) (henceforth the 
“NML Group”) is a property development joint venture between the Group, two individual shareholders, and Hazeltime Limited. The NML 
Group includes three legal entities, Newmarket Lane Holdings Limited, Newmarket Lane Limited, and Newmarket Lane Management 
Company Limited. The NML Group is incorporated in England, and the Group has ownership of 50% of the NML Group. The joint venture 
is accounted for using the equity method of accounting. Cognito Oak LLP is a property development joint venture between the Group and 
Wraith Real Estate Limited, the LLP is incorporated in England and the Group has ownership of 50%. The joint venture is accounted for 
using the equity method of accounting.

The table below provides summarised financial information for Pennine Property Partnership LLP, Montagu 406 Regeneration LLP, 
Newmarket Lane Holdings Limited (Group) and Cognito Oak LLP. The information disclosed reflects the amounts presented in the financial 
statements of Pennine Property Partnership LLP, Montagu 406 Regeneration LLP, Newmarket Lane Holdings Limited (Group), and Cognito 
Oak LLP and not the Group’s share of those amounts.

Summarised balance sheet

Investment properties (non-current)
Inventories
Trade and other receivables
Cash and cash equivalents
Trade and other payables
Borrowings (non-current)
Net assets/(liabilities)
Reconciliation to carrying 
amount:
Opening net assets 1 January
Profit/(loss) for the period
Other distribution
Closing net assets
Group’s share in %
Group’s share in £
Carrying amount

Pennine Property 
Partnership LLP

Montagu 406 
Regeneration LLP

Newmarket Lane 
Holdings Limited (Group)

Cognito 
Oak LLP

2022
£’000

—
—
—
—
—
—
—

10,826
1,215
(12,041)
—
—
—
—

2021
£’000

17,401
141
138
252
(4,516)
(2,590)
10,826

8,956
2,920
(1,050)
10,826
50%
5,413
5,413

2022
£’000

18,611
889
656
420
(15,720)
—
4,856

11,639
(6,783)
—
4,856
50%
2,428
2,428

2021
£’000

25,950
—
143
—
(14,454)
—
11,639

(5)
11,644
—
11,639
50%
5,820
5,820

2022
£’000

—
15,336
9,319
1,665
(13,077)
—
13,243

3,412
9,831
—
13,243
50%
6,622
6,622

2021
£’000

—
19,050
2,303
1,850
(19,791)
—
3,412

(24)
3,455
(19)
3,412
50%
1,706
1,706

2022
£’000

—
—
—
—
(1)
—
(1)

(249)
14,826
(14,578)
(1)
50%
(1)
(1)

2021
£’000

—
1,710
68
348
(2,375)
—
(249)

(41)
(208)
—
(249)
50%
(125)
(125)

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16. Investment in joint ventures and associates continued
Summarised statement of comprehensive income

Revenue
Movement in fair value of 
investment property
Profit/(loss) for the year

2022
£’000

1,318

300
1,215

2021
£’000

752

2,356
2,920

2022
£’000

564

2021
£’000

2022
£’000

2021
£’000

2022
£’000

—

36,218

19,435

17,208

(6,764)
(6,783)

11,695
11,644

—
9,831

—
3,455

—
14,826

2021
£’000

1,572

—
(208)

The Group disposed of one joint venture investment in the year:

Pennine Property Partnership LLP
On 1 September 2022 the Group, through its subsidiary Henry Boot Developments Limited, disposed of its interest in Pennine Property 
Partnership LLP for a total consideration of £6,873,000.

Sale proceeds
Book value of net assets
Profit on disposal

17. Contract assets

Construction contracts – Construction segment
Construction contracts – Property Investment and Development segment

Due within one year
Due after more than one year

2022
£’000

6,873
(6,206)
667

2021
£’000

2,291
5,265
7,556
7,556
—
7,556

2022
£’000

4,882
14,375
19,257
19,257
—
19,257

Amounts relating to construction contracts are balances due from customers under construction contracts that arise when the Group 
receives payments from customers in line with a series of performance-related milestones. The Group will previously have recognised a 
contract asset for any work performed but not yet invoiced as conditional to reaching certain agreed milestone. Any amount previously 
recognised as a contract asset is reclassified to trade receivables at the point at which it is invoiced to the customer. 

Contract assets have increased as the Group has provided more construction contract services in the property investment and development 
segment.

There were no impairment losses recognised on any contract asset in the reporting period (2021: £nil). 

The Group does not recognise any assets arising from the costs incurred to obtain a contract as the related amortisation period would have 
been less than one year.

18. Trade and other receivables

Trade receivables
Loss allowance
Prepayments
Amounts owed by joint ventures and associates
Amounts owed by Group undertakings

Due within one year
Due after more than one year

1 See ‘prior year restatements’ on page 159. 

Group

Parent Company

2022
£’000

70,245
(1,682)
9,751
25,316
—
103,630
66,601
37,029
103,630

2021
(restated1)
£’000

66,889
(1,269)
8,442
27,660
—
101,722
64,615
37,107
101,722

2022
£’000

484
—
2,085
—
222,786
225,355
40,149
185,206
225,355

2021
(restated1)
£’000

168
—
949
—
203,417
204,534
27,845
176,689
204,534

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Amounts due after more than one year relate to deferred consideration included in trade receivables on inventory sold that are discounted to 
present value and are due for payment between January 2024 and July 2026, and amounts owed by joint ventures and associates that are 
not expected to be recovered in the next 12 months.

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NOTES TO THE 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the year ended 31 December 2022

18. Trade and other receivables continued
Group
Movement in the trade receivables loss allowance

At 1 January
Impairment losses recognised

Amounts written off as uncollectable (utilisation)

Amounts recovered during the year
Impairment losses reversed
At 31 December

2022
£’000

1,269
417

(4)

—
—
1,682

2021
£’000

691
779

(196)

(5)
—
1,269

The loss allowance as at 31 December 2022 and 31 December 2021 for trade receivables was determined as follows:

2022

0-30 days
30–60 days

60–90 days

90–120 days
120+ days

2021

0-30 days
30–60 days

60–90 days

90–120 days
120+ days

Expected 
loss rate 
%

—
1.3

1.2

5.9
40.7

Expected 
loss rate 
%

—
0.6

2.9

24.2
41.1

Gross
carrying 
amount 
£’000

63,962
1,462

520

341
3,960
70,245

Gross
carrying 
amount 
(restated1)
£’000

60,464
2,895

548

128
2,854
66,889

Loss 
allowance 
£’000

25
19

6

20
1,612
1,682

Loss 
allowance 
£’000

31
18

16

31
1,173
1,269

1 See ‘prior year restatements’ on page 159. 

The Directors consider that the carrying amount of trade and other receivables of the Group and Parent Company approximates to their 
fair value.

Parent Company
Amounts owed by Group undertakings include loans of £213.4m (2021: £203.7m) and are repayable on demand, unsecured and are stated 
net of provisions for impairment of £1,498,000 (2021: £1,500,000), of which £nil (2021: £3,000) has been provided in the year, £2,000 
(2021: £87,000) has been recovered in the year and £nil (2021: £nil) was written off. Expected credit losses are based on the assumption 
that repayment of the loan is demanded at the reporting date. Where there are insufficient liquid assets the Parent Company considers 
the expected manner of recovery to measure expected credit losses. This might be a ‘repay over time’ strategy, or a fire sale of less liquid 
assets. Interest is charged annually at 0% (2021: 2.85%).

The Parent Company has no impaired trade receivables (2021: nil).

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18. Trade and other receivables continued
Credit risk
The Group’s principal financial assets are bank balances and cash, and trade and other receivables, which represent the Group’s maximum 
exposure to credit risk in relation to financial assets.

The Group’s credit risk is primarily attributable to its trade receivables. The amounts presented in the Statement of Financial Position are 
net of loss allowances for doubtful receivables, estimated by the Group’s management based on prior experience and forward-looking 
assessments of the economic environment in accordance with IFRS 9 ‘Financial Instruments’.

The Group has no significant concentration of credit risk, with exposure spread over a large number of counterparties and customers.

The credit risk on liquid funds is limited because the counterparties are banks with high credit ratings assigned by international credit rating agencies.

19. Deferred tax
Deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities are offset where the Group has a legally enforceable right to set off current tax assets against 
current tax liabilities and when the deferred tax assets and liabilities relate to tax levied by the same tax authority where there is an intention 
to settle the balances on a net basis. The amounts after offsetting are as follows:

Group

At 1 January 2021
Recognised in profit or loss
Recognised in other comprehensive income
At 31 December 2021
Recognised in profit or loss
Recognised in other comprehensive income
At 31 December 2022
Deferred tax asset
Deferred tax liability
Parent Company
At 1 January 2021
Recognised in profit or loss
Recognised in other comprehensive income
At 31 December 2021
Recognised in profit or loss
Recognised in other comprehensive income
At 31 December 2022
Deferred tax asset
Deferred tax liability

Accelerated
capital
allowances
£’000

Property 
revaluations
£’000

Retirement
benefit 
scheme
£’000

Other
timing
differences
£’000

85
(279)
—
(194)
(593)
—
(787)
—
(787)

68
36
—
104
(76)
—
28
28
—

—
(4,106)
(282)
(4,388)
2,345
(23)
(2,066)
—
(2,066)

—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—

6,924
973
(4,840)
3,057
(856)
(3,749)
(1,548)
—
(1,548)

6,924
973
(4,840)
3,057
(856)
(3,749)
(1,548)
—
(1,548)

333
(1)
—
332
(83)
—
249
249
—

355
6
—
361
(82)
—
279
279
—

Total
£’000

7,342
(3,413)
(5,122)
(1,193)
813
(3,772)
(4,152)
249
(4,401)

7,347
1,015
(4,840)
3,522
(1,014)
(3,749)
(1,241)
307
(1,548)

Deferred tax assets relating to deductible temporary differences are recognised if it is probable that they can be offset against future taxable 
profits or existing temporary differences. 

In the Spring Budget 2021, the Government announced that from 1 April 2023 the main rate of UK corporation tax rate would increase to 
25%. This new law was substantively enacted on 24 May 2021. As a result, deferred tax balances at the year end have been measured at 
25% (2021: 25%), being the rate at which timing differences are expected to reverse. Management does not expect any significant reversal 
of deferred tax assets or liabilities in the next 12 months.

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20. Inventories

Property developments in progress
Housebuilder land and work in progress
Land held for development or sale
Options to purchase land
Planning promotion agreements

2022
£’000

91,213
80,629
57,475
11,893
50,568

2021
£’000

75,161
52,464
47,682
13,558
46,431

291,778

235,296

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Within property developments in progress, £nil (2021: £1,277,000) has been written down and recognised as an expense in the year. 
These costs relate to development projects no longer likely to proceed. Within land held for development or sale, options to purchase land 
and planning promotion agreements, £2,019,000 (2021: £1,170,000) has been written down and recognised as an expense in the year. 
These costs relate to land, options and planning promotion agreements where planning permission for development has been refused or is 
deemed to be doubtful.

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NOTES TO THE 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the year ended 31 December 2022

21. Contract liabilities

Construction contracts – Construction segment
Construction contracts – Property Investment and Development segment

Due within one year

Revenue recognised that was included in the contract liability balance at the beginning of the period
Construction contracts – Construction segment
Construction contracts – Property Investment and Development segment
Revenue recognised from performance obligations satisfied in previous periods
Construction contracts – Construction segment
Construction contracts – Property Investment and Development segment

2022
£’000

4,006
—
4,006
4,006

2022
£’000

5,033
—

—
—

2021
£’000

5,033
—
5,033
5,033

2021
£’000

7,280
150

—
—

Contract liabilities have decreased in the year as the Group invoicing remains more closely aligned with the level of construction of work 
undertaken on these contracts.

22. Trade and other payables

Trade payables
Social security and other taxes
Accrued expenses
Deferred income
Amounts owed to joint venture and associates

Amounts owed to Group undertakings

Due within one year

Due after more than one year

Group

Parent Company

2022
£’000
80,069
2,273
3,911
13,777
365

—
100,395
95,827

4,568
100,395

2021 
£’000
56,420
4,119
9,441
3,834
10

—
73,824
72,155

1,669
73,824

2022
£’000
1,492
427
1,279
—
—

86,110
89,308
89,308

—
89,308

2021
£’000
1,409
572
1,024
—
—

83,168
86,173
86,173

—
86,173

The Directors consider that the carrying amount of trade payables approximates to their fair value.

Amounts due after more than one year include £1,343,000 (2021: £1,669,000) of deferred income and £3,225,000 (2021: £nil) of trade payables 
relating to deferred land payments. Included within deferred income is £1,669,000 relating to an advanced payment from National Highways 
(2021: £1,874,000). This is being released as revenue and interest within the income statement under the terms of the A69 Road Link contract. 
During the year, £519,000 (2021: £445,000) has been recognised as revenue and £314,000 (2021: 332,000) recognised as interest. The balance 
of deferred income represents advanced receipts for construction of a pre-sold asset in the property investment and development segment which 
is due to complete in 2023.

Parent Company
Amounts owed to Group undertakings (including loans of £85.8m (2021: £81.1m)) are repayable on demand, unsecured and bear interest 
at rates of between 0%-5.20% (2021: 2.85%). 

23. Government grants
Government grants have been received in relation to the infrastructure of one of the Group’s land promotions and one of the Group’s 
property developments.

Grant income received relating to revenue grants are included within deferred income and released to the Consolidated Statement of 
Comprehensive Income on a systematic basis to match the costs it is intended to compensate. There are no unfulfilled conditions or 
contingencies attached to the grants that have been recognised.

Amounts credited to the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income during the year were £130,000 (2021: £723,000).

Grant income relating to capital grants is included within deferred income until the completion conditions are met; at this point the grant is 
transferred to offset the cost of the asset.

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24. Capital risk management
The Group’s objectives when managing capital are:

•

•

To safeguard the Group’s ability to continue as a going concern and have the resources to provide returns for shareholders and benefits 
for other stakeholders; and

To maximise returns to shareholders by allocating capital across our businesses based on the level of expected return and risk.

The Group sets the amount of capital in proportion to risk. The Group manages the capital structure and makes adjustments to it in the light 
of changes in economic conditions and the risk characteristics of the underlying assets. In order to maintain or adjust the capital structure, 
the Group may adjust the amount of dividends paid to shareholders, return capital to shareholders, issue new shares or sell assets to 
reduce debt.

The Group monitors capital on the basis of net debt to equity. Net debt is total debt less cash and cash equivalents and at 31 December 
2022 this was £48.6m (2021: £43.5m). Equity comprises all components of equity and at 31 December 2022 this was £394.3m (2021: 
£355.3m).

During 2022 the Group’s achieved its strategy, to maintain the debt to equity ratio below 30% (2021: 30%). This level was chosen to ensure 
that we can access debt relatively easily and inexpensively if required.

In January 2020, the Group concluded negotiations with three banking partners to put in place a £75m facility to replace the £72m facility 
we had in place at 31 December 2019. The renewed facilities commenced on 23 January 2020, with a renewal date of 23 January 2023 
and an option to extend the facilities by one year, each year, for the next two years occurring on the anniversary of the facility. The renewed 
facilities, on improved terms, maintain covenants on the same basis as the previous facilities. On 19 January 2022 the banks agreed to the 
Group’s second request to extend the facility to 23 January 2025 and on 9 October 2022 to call on the facility accordion increasing the total 
commitments by £30m to £105m. The Group had drawn £65m of the facility at 31 December 2022 (2021: £50m).

The Group’s secured bank facilities are subject to covenants over loan-to-market value of investment properties, interest cover, EBIT cover, 
gearings and minimum consolidated tangible assets value. The Group operated comfortably within all of its requirements throughout the 
year and continues to do so over forecast periods.

On the 17 December 2021, the Group entered into a Receivables Purchase Agreement with HSBC Invoice Finance (UK) Limited. The 
Receivables Purchase Agreement allows the Group to sell eligible deferred receivables generated through its land sale activities to HSBC 
Invoice Finance (UK) Limited. Under the terms of the agreement the Group irrevocably assigns all rights to HSBC Invoice Finance (UK) 
Limited and all tangible risks and rewards of ownership of the financial asset are transferred. Upon transfer of contractual rights, the deferred 
receivable asset is derecognised in the financial statements of the Group. There is a maximum agreement limit of £25m of which receivables 
due from eligible housebuilders can be sold. Amounts of £7.6m (2021: nil) were sold under the agreement at the year end.

The Group’s capital risk management disclosures are consistent with the Parent Company. 

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25. Borrowings

Bank overdrafts

Bank loans

Due within one year
Due after one year

Contractual maturities of borrowings, including future interest, as follows:
On demand or within one year
In the second year
In the third to fifth years inclusive

Due within one year
Due after one year

1 See ‘prior year restatements’ on page 159. 

Group

Parent Company

2022
£’000

—

65,000
65,000
65,000
—
65,000

65,000
—
—

65,000
65,000
—
65,000

2021
(restated1)
£’000

—

50,000
50,000
50,000
—
50,000

50,000
—
—

50,000
50,000
—
50,000

2022
£’000

9

65,000
65,009
65,009
—
65,009

65,009
—
—

65,009
65,009
—
65,009

2021
£’000

—

50,000
50,000
50,000
—
50,000

50,000
—
—

50,000
50,000
—
50,000

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NOTES TO THE 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the year ended 31 December 2022

25. Borrowings continued
The weighted average interest rates paid were as follows:

Bank overdrafts
Bank loans – floating rate
Bank loans – floating rate (relating to Stonebridge Homes Limited)

2022
%

2.72
4.59
—

2021
%

1.24
1.51
1.98

Bank overdrafts are repayable on demand and bank loans are drawn for periods of between one and six months.

Borrowings are recognised at amortised cost. 

Liquidity risk
The Company’s objectives when managing liquidity are:

•

•

To safeguard the Group’s ability to meet expected and unexpected payment obligations at all times; and

To maximise the Group’s profitability.

Interest on floating rate borrowings is arranged for periods from one to six months. These borrowings are secured by a fixed and floating 
charge over the assets of the Group excluding those of Road Link (A69) Limited.

The Stonebridge Homes Limited revolving loan facility is secured by a specific charge over the freehold property of that company and is 
guaranteed by Henry Boot PLC. On 25 January 2019 the Stonebridge Homes facility was increased to £10,000,000 with full and final 
settlement becoming due on 24 January 2022. On 17 December 2021, the facility was settled in full with Stonebridge Homes now being 
funded through the Henry Boot PLC group facility. 

Other borrowings are arranged at floating rates, thus exposing the Group to cash flow interest rate risk.

Based on approximate average borrowings during 2022, a 1.0% (2021: 0.5%) change in interest rates, which the Directors consider to be a 
reasonably possible change, would affect profitability before tax by £618,000 (2021: £82,000).

The fair value of the Group’s borrowings is not considered to be materially different from the carrying amounts.

At 31 December 2022, the Group had available £40,000,000 (2021: £25,000,000) undrawn committed borrowing facilities.

26. Provisions

At 1 January 2021
Additional provisions in year
Utilisation of provisions
At 31 December 2021
Included in current liabilities
Included in non-current liabilities

Additional provisions in year
Utilisation of provisions
At 31 December 2022
Included in current liabilities
Included in non-current liabilities

Land
promotion
£’000

Road
maintenance
£’000

3,936
1,051
(570)
4,417
3,562
855
4,417
775
(1,637)
3,555
2,170
1,385
3,555

1,992
1,499
(1,626)
1,865
1,865
—
1,865
683
(715)
1,833
1,833
—
1,833

Total
£’000

5,928
2,550
(2,196)
6,282
5,427
855
6,282
1,459
(2,352)
5,388
4,003
1,385
5,388

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26. Provisions continued
The land promotion provision represents management’s best estimate of the Group’s liability to provide infrastructure and service obligations, 
which remain with the Group following the disposal of land. The provision is calculated using the present value of the estimated cash flows 
required to settle the present obligations, pro rata on an acreage allocation basis where disposals occur over a number of phases, such 
that provisions are only made in relation to the land which has been disposed of. Based on a 1.0% change in the discount rate and a 5.0% 
change in the estimated cash outflows, both of which the Directors consider to be a reasonably possible change, land promotion provisions 
would change and affect profitability before tax by £32,000 and £182,000 respectively (2021: £11,000 and £101,000).

The Group maintains rigorous forecasting and budgeting for the infrastructure and services contracts to which our provisions relate. The 
Group’s outstanding obligations are not considered to be ‘onerous’ contracts, as the costs of meeting the obligations are not anticipated to 
exceed the economic benefits expected to be received throughout the life of the developments.

The road maintenance provision represents management’s best estimate of the Group’s liability under a five-year rolling programme for 
the maintenance of the Group’s PFI asset. Based on a 5.0% change in the estimated cash outflows, which the Directors consider to be a 
reasonably possible change, the road maintenance provision would change and affect profitability before tax by £129,000 (2021: £206,000).

Off balance sheet arrangements
The Group is currently undertaking the infrastructure of land promotions at Bridgwater and Cranbrook, spanning 122 and 53 acres 
respectively (2021: 122 and 53). The Group is liable for various planning and infrastructure obligations required to be met under section 
agreements imposed by the local Councils. The Group shares its planning and infrastructure obligations relating to the Cranbrook site with 
two other parties, the Group’s share being 30%. These shared obligations are secured by performance bonds and legal charges. The Group 
deems the possibility of default by the other parties as highly remote. The infrastructure of these developments is anticipated to continue 
until 2023 and 2025 respectively, with costs being incurred throughout these periods.

The Group has cumulatively disposed of 117 and 50 acres respectively (2021: 117 and 48), and has subsequently recognised provisions to 
the value of £3,451,000 (2021: 4,351,000), being the Group’s best estimate of the consideration required to settle the present obligations at 
the reporting date. Subsequent disposals are expected to occur over a number of phases; provisions are made in relation to the land which 
has been disposed of. The present value of the estimated cash flows relating to future disposals, amounting to £185,000 (2021: £617,000), 
has therefore not been recognised in these Financial Statements. 

Contingent liabilities
Contingent liabilities may arise in respect of subcontractor and other third party claims made against the Group, in the normal course of 
trading. These claims can include those relating to cladding/legacy fire safety matters, and defects. A provision for such claims is only 
recognised to the extent that the Directors believe that the Group has a legal or constructive obligation as a result of a past event and it is 
probable that an outflow of economic benefit will be required to settle the obligation. However, such claims are predominantly covered by 
the Group’s insurance arrangements. 

27. Retirement benefit obligations
Defined contribution pension plan
The Group operates a defined contribution pension plan for all qualifying employees. The plan is administered and managed by Aviva and 
the Group matches member contributions, providing a minimum of 5% (2021: 5%) of salary is paid by the employee, on a pound-for-pound 
basis up to a maximum of 8% (2021: 8%).

The total cost charged to income of £3,251,000 (2021: £2,521,000) represents contributions payable to the plan by the Group. 

Defined benefit pension scheme
The Group sponsors a funded defined benefit pension scheme in the UK. The scheme is administered within a Trust which is legally 
separate from the Group. Trustees are appointed by both the Group and the scheme’s membership and act in the interest of the scheme 
and all relevant stakeholders, including the members and the Group employers. The Trustees are also responsible for the investment policy 
for the scheme’s assets.

Existing scheme members accrued benefits up until 19 March 2021 at which point the scheme closed to future accrual. To 19 March 2021 
members accrued an annual pension of either 1/45th or 1/60th of final pensionable salary for each year of pensionable service. Increases 
in pensionable salary were limited to 1% per annum. Once in payment, pensions increase in line with inflation. The scheme also provides a 
two-thirds spouse’s pension on the death of a member.

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NOTES TO THE 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the year ended 31 December 2022

27. Retirement benefit obligations continued
Up to the date of closure active members of the scheme paid contributions at the rate of either 5% or 7% of pensionable salary and the 
Group employers paid the balance of the cost as determined by regular actuarial valuations. The Trustees are required to use prudent 
assumptions to value the liabilities and costs of the scheme, whereas the accounting assumptions must be best estimates.

The Group has not recognised any obligation under a minimum funding requirement as it is entitled to a refund of any residual assets once 
all members have left the scheme.

The scheme poses a number of risks to the Group. These include:

Investment risk
The present value of obligations is calculated using a discount rate determined by reference to high quality corporate bond yields. If the 
return on the scheme’s assets is below this rate the scheme deficit will increase.

Interest rate risk
A decrease in the yield on high-quality corporate bonds will reduce the discount rate and thus increase the value placed on the scheme’s 
liabilities. However, this would be partially offset by an increase in the value of the scheme’s bond investments.

Inflation risk
The present value of the liabilities is calculated by reference to a best estimate of future inflation. If inflation turns out to be higher than this 
estimate then the deficit will increase.

Longevity risk
The present value of the liabilities is calculated using a best estimate of the life expectancy of scheme members. An increase in life 
expectancies will increase the scheme’s liabilities.

A formal actuarial valuation was carried out as at 31 December 2021. The results of that valuation have been projected to 31 December 2022 by 
a qualified independent actuary and the next formal valuation will be 31 December 2024. The figures in the following disclosure were measured 
using the projected unit method. The main financial assumptions used in the valuation of the liabilities of the scheme under IAS 19 are:

Retail Prices Index (RPI)
Consumer Prices Index (CPI)
Pensionable salary increases
Rate in increase to pensions in payment liable for Limited Price Indexation (LPI)
Revaluation of deferred pensions
Liabilities discount rate

Mortality assumptions

Retiring today (aged 65)
Male
Female
Retiring in 20 years (currently aged 45)
Male
Female

2022
%

3.20
2.60
—
2.60
2.60
4.90

2022
Years

21.7
23.8

22.7
25.0

2021
%

3.30
2.70
—
2.70
2.70
2.00

2021
Years

21.8
24.1

22.8
25.3

The mortality assumptions adopted are the Self Administered Pension Schemes (SAPS) tables with allowance for future improvements in line 
with Continuous Mortality Investigation (CMI) 2021 with an annual improvement of 1% per annum.

The sensitivities regarding the principal assumptions used to measure the scheme liabilities are set out below:

Rate of inflation
Liabilities discount rate
Rate of mortality

Impact on scheme liabilities

Change in 
assumption
0.25%
0.25%
1 year

Increase in 
assumption
Increase by 2.3%
Decrease by 2.9%
Increase by 3.7%

Decrease in 
assumption
Decrease by 2.3%
Increase by 3.1%
Decrease by 3.6%

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27. Retirement benefit obligations continued
Amounts recognised in the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income in respect of the scheme are as follows:

Service cost:
Current service cost
Ongoing scheme expenses
Past service cost
Net interest expense
Pension protection fund
Pension expenses recognised in profit or loss
Remeasurement on the net defined benefit liability:
Return on plan assets (excluding amounts included in net interest expense)
Actuarial gain arising from changes in demographic assumptions
Actuarial gain arising from changes in financial assumptions
Actuarial gain arising from experience assumptions
Actuarial gain recognised in other comprehensive income
Total

2022
£’000

—
644
—
209
136
989

50,365
(1,070)
(63,568)
(721)
(14,994)
(14,005)

2021
£’000

180
502
2,074
505
146
3,407

(13,239)
(277)
(9,781)
—
(23,297)
(19,890)

The amount included in the Statement of Financial Position arising from the Group’s obligations in respect of the scheme is as follows:

Present value of scheme obligations
Fair value of scheme assets

This amount is presented in the Statement of Financial Position as follows:

Non-current (assets)/liabilities

Movements in the present value of scheme obligations in the year were as follows:

At 1 January
Current service cost
Interest on obligation
Actuarial losses
Past service cost
Benefits paid
At 31 December 

Movements in the fair value of scheme assets in the year were as follows:

At 1 January
Interest income
Actuarial (losses)/gains on scheme assets
Employer contributions
Benefits paid
Ongoing scheme expenses
At 31 December 

2022
£’000

152,576
(158,764)
(6,188)

2021
£’000

221,660
(209,432)
12,228

2022
£’000

(6,188)

2021
£’000

12,228

2022
£’000

221,660
—
4,353
(65,359)
—
(8,078)
152,576

2022
£’000

209,432
4,144
(50,365)
4,275
(8,078)
(644)
158,764

2021
£’000

235,143
180
4,201
(10,058)
2,074
(9,880)
221,660

2021
£’000

198,698
3,696
13,239
4,181
(9,880)
(502)
209,432

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NOTES TO THE 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the year ended 31 December 2022

27. Retirement benefit obligations continued
The categories of plan assets are as follows:

Quoted investments, including pooled diversified growth funds: 

Equity
Diversified credit funds
Cash and net current assets

Unquoted investments:

Direct lending

    Liability driven investment
    Infrastructure

Special situations

At 31 December 

2022
£’000

14,381
46,483
2,979

18,969
33,283
21,319
21,350
158,764

2021
£’000

47,796
63,641
3,222

22,536
34,369
20,101
17,767
209,432

The weighted average duration of the defined benefit obligation is 12 years (2021: 16 years). 

The current estimated amount of total contributions expected to be paid to the scheme during the 2023 financial year is £1,300,000, being 
£1,300,000 payable by the Group and £nil payable by scheme members. 

The Company’s level of recovery plan funding to the scheme is £100,000 per month from March 2023 to December 2024 with a provision to 
suspend contributions if in surplus over £3m for two quarters or increase contributions to £300,000 if in deficit over £3m for two quarters. In 
addition to this, the Company contributes a further £260,000 per annum towards the administration expenses of the scheme.

28. Related party transactions
Transactions between the Company and its subsidiaries, which are related parties, have been eliminated on consolidation and are 
disclosed below:

Parent Company

Management charges receivable
Interest receivable
Interest payable
Rents payable
Recharge of expenses

Transactions between the Company and its remaining related parties are as follows:

Purchases of goods and services

Related companies of key management personnel (amounts paid for Non-executive Director services)

2022
£’000

4,670
—
(1,447)
(159)
(25)

2022
£’000

51

2021
£’000

2,456
4,544
(1,753)
(158)
(39)

2021
£’000

48

Amounts owing by related parties (note 18) or to related parties (note 22) are unsecured, repayable on demand and will be settled in cash. No 
guarantees have been given or received. No significant provisions have been made for impaired receivables in respect of the amounts owed by 
related parties. Other than as disclosed above and in note 16, there are no further related party transactions with joint ventures and associates.

Remuneration of key management personnel
The key management personnel of the Group are the Board of Directors and members of the Executive Committee, as presented on pages 
80 to 83. They are responsible for making all of the strategic decisions of the Group and its subsidiaries, as detailed on pages 28 and 31. 
The remuneration of the Board of Directors is set out in the Remuneration Report on pages 120 to 136. The remuneration of the relevant 
six (2021: eight) members of the Senior Management team is set out below, in aggregate, for each of the categories specified in IAS 24 
‘Related Party Disclosures’. 

Short-term employee benefits
Post-employment benefits
Share-based payments

2022
£’000

1,648
81
19
1,748

2021
£’000

1,976
92
23
2,091

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29. Share capital

400,000 5.25% cumulative preference shares of £1 each (2021: 400,000)
133,627,922 ordinary shares of 10p each (2021: 133,323,967)

Authorised, allotted, 
issued and fully paid

2022
£’000

400
13,363
13,763

2021
£’000

400
13,332
13,732

The Company has one class of ordinary share which carries no rights to fixed income, but which entitles the holder thereof to receive notice of 
and attend and vote at general meetings or appoint a proxy to attend on their behalf. During the year, 303,955 ordinary shares (2021: 142,430) 
were issued in satisfaction of share option exercises.

Subject to Board approval, the preference shares carry the right to a cumulative preferential dividend payable half yearly at the rate of 
5.25% per annum. They also carry a right, in priority to the ordinary equity, on a return of assets on a winding-up or reduction of capital, to 
repayment of capital, together with the arrears of any preferential dividend. With the exception of any resolution proposed to directly affect 
the rights or privileges of the holders of the preference shares, the holders thereof are not entitled to receive notice of, be present or vote at 
any general meeting of the Company.

Share-based payments
The Company operates the following share-based payment arrangements:

(i) The Henry Boot 2010 Sharesave Plan
This savings-related share option plan was approved by shareholders in 2010 and is HMRC approved. Grants of options to participating 
employees were made on 24 October 2017 at a price of 270.0p at a discount of 10%, on 4 October 2018 at a price of 262.0p at a discount 
of 5.8%, on 3 October 2019 at a price of 224.0p at a discount of 9.7%, on 5 October 2020 at a price of 237.0p at a discount of 6.0%, 
on 15 October 2021 at a price of 225.0p at a discount of 20.5% and on 21 October 2022 at a price of 198.0p at a discount of 15.7%. 
These become exercisable for a six-month period from 1 December 2021, 1 December 2022, 1 December 2023, 1 December 2024 and 
1 December 2025 respectively. There are no performance criteria attached to the exercise of these options which are normally capable 
of exercise up to six months after the third anniversary of the Sharesave contract commencement date. The right to exercise options 
terminates if a participating employee leaves the Group, subject to certain exceptions.

2021

October 2017 grant
October 2018 grant
October 2019 grant
October 2020 grant
October 2021 grant
Weighted average exercise price

2022

October 2018 grant
October 2019 grant
October 2020 grant
October 2021 grant
October 2022 grant
Weighted average exercise price

Options
outstanding at 
1 January 
2021

179,553
86,499
734,761
312,039
—
236p

Options
outstanding at
1 January 
2022

55,643
624,340
209,214
440,640
—
228p

Options
granted

—
—
—
—
444,640
225p

Options
granted

—
—
—
—
1,007,374
198p

Options
lapsed

(84,366)
(13,050)
(104,709)
(102,825)
(4,000)
243p

Options
exercised

(95,187)
(17,806)
(5,712)
—
—
267p

Options
lapsed

(5,153)
(45,243)
(52,617)
(167,227)
(15,270)
226p

Options
exercised

(50,490)
(168,879)
—
(933)
—
233p

Options
outstanding at
31 December
2021

—
55,643
624,340
209,214
440,640
228p

Options
outstanding at
31 December
2022

—
410,218
156,597
272,480
992,104
211p

The weighted average share price at the date of exercise for share options exercised during the year was 257.07p (2021: 278.10p).

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197

 
NOTES TO THE 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the year ended 31 December 2022

29. Share capital continued 

(ii) The Henry Boot 2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan
This plan was approved by shareholders at an AGM held on 21 May 2015. Details of the plan and the vesting requirements are also set out 
in the Directors’ Remuneration Policy which is also available to view on the website. 

In respect of (ii) above, the aggregate total of movements in share options granted and awards of shares is as follows:

Share options granted at 1 January
Lapses of share options in year
Awards of shares in year
Share options granted in year
Share options granted at 31 December

2022
Number

1,365,397
(385,427)
(31,486)
647,331
1,595,815

2021
Number

1,078,207
(177,367)
(53,085)
517,642
1,365,397

The weighted average share price at the date of exercise for share options exercised during the year was 323.00p (2021: 278.00p). 
The weighted average exercise price of all share options issued in the scheme is nil.

(iii) The Henry Boot PLC 2010 Approved Company Share Option Plan 
This plan, more commonly known as a CSOP, was approved by shareholders in 2010 and is HMRC approved. Any full-time Director or 
employee (full-time or part-time) is eligible to participate at the discretion of the Remuneration Committee of the Board. Options are granted 
by deed with no consideration payable by the participant. The aggregate subscription price at the date of grant of all outstanding options 
granted to any one participant under the plan and any other HMRC approved plan operated by the Company (but excluding options 
granted under any savings-related share option plan) must not exceed £30,000. The aggregate market value at the date of grant of ordinary 
share options which may be granted to any one participant in any one financial year of the Company shall not normally exceed two times 
the amount of a participant’s remuneration for that financial year. The Remuneration Committee may impose objective conditions as to 
the performance of the Group which must normally be satisfied before options can be exercised. Options are normally exercisable only 
within the period of three to ten years after the date of grant. The right to exercise options generally terminates if a participant leaves the 
Group, subject to certain exceptions. The first grant of options under the plan was made to certain senior employees (none of whom at the 
time were Directors of Group companies) on 17 May 2011 at an option price of 121.5p. The second grant of options under the plan was 
made to certain senior employees (none of whom at the time were Directors of Group companies) on 1 October 2014 at an option price of 
191.0p. The third grant of options under the plan was made to certain senior employees (none of whom at the time were Directors of Group 
companies) on 6 October 2017 at an option price of 298.9p. The fourth grant of options under the plan was made to certain employees 
(two of whom at the time were Directors of Group companies) on 14 September 2018 at an option price of 291.0p. The fifth grant of 
options under the plan was made to certain employees (two of whom at the time were Directors of Group companies) on 3 October 2019 
at an option price of 249.0p. The sixth grant of options under the plan was made to certain employees (none of whom at the time were 
Directors of Group companies) on 5 October 2020 at an option price of 263.0p. The seventh grant of options under the plan was made to 
certain employees (none of whom at the time were Directors of Group companies) on 29 September 2021 at an option price of 281.0p. The 
eighth grant of options under the plan was made to certain employees (none of whom at the time were Directors of Group companies) on 5 

October 2022 at an option price of 247.0p. There were no performance conditions imposed on either of these grants.

2021

May 2011 grant
October 2014 grant
October 2017 grant
September 2018 grant
October 2019 grant
October 2020 grant
September 2021 grant
Weighted average exercise price

Options
outstanding at 
1 January
 2021

5,000
15,000
130,507
263,565
437,406
416,316
–
266p

Options
granted

—
—
—
—
—
—
413,230
281p

Options
lapsed

Options
exercised

Options 
outstanding at 
31 December
2021

—
—
(34,298)
(43,396)
(88,779)
(65,847)
(8,890)
269p

(5,000)
(5,000)
—
—
(8,420)
(566)
—

198p

—
10,000
96,209
220,169
340,207
349,903
404,340
271p

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29. Share capital continued 
2022

October 2014 grant
October 2017 grant
September 2018 grant
October 2019 grant
October 2020 grant
September 2021 grant
September 2022 grant
Weighted average exercise price

Options
outstanding at 
1 January 
2022

10,000
96,209
220,169
340,207
349,903
404,340
—
271p

Options
granted

—
—
—
—
—
—
605,010
247p

Options
lapsed

Options
exercised

Options 
outstanding at 
31 December
2022

—
(13,386)
(19,500)
(36,306)
(37,213)
(42,132)
(7,450)
270p

—
(25,936)
(54,294)
(5,277)
(2,093)
(792)
—
290p

10,000
56,887
146,375
298,624
310,597
361,416
597,560
262p

The weighted average share price at the date of exercise for share options exercised during the year was 323.36p (2021: 274.80p).

Fair value
Fair value is measured by a Monte Carlo pricing model using the following assumptions:

LTIP
CSOP 2011
CSOP 2014
CSOP 2017
CSOP 2018
CSOP 2019
CSOP 2020
CSOP 2021
CSOP 2022
Sharesave 2017
Sharesave 2018
Sharesave 2019
Sharesave 2020
Sharesave 2021
Sharesave 2022

Weighted 
average 
exercise price

Nil
121.5p
191.0p
298.9p
291.0p
249.0p
263.0p
281.0p
247.0p
270.0p
262.0p
224.0p
237.0p
225.0p
198.0p

Weighted 
average 
share price
241.0p to 
324.0p
121.5p
191.0p
309.0p
291.0p
249.0p
263.0p
281.0p
250.0p
300.0p
278.0p
248.0p
263.0p
2.83.0p
235.0p

Expected 
volatility
29.37% to 
38.73%
41.47%
31.17%
30.37%
29.28%
29.25%
38.07%
38.60%
38.25%
30.30%
29.53%
29.25%
38.07%
38.60%
38.25%

Expected life

3 years
3 years
3 years
3 years
3 years
3 years
3 years
3 years
3 years
3 years
3 years
3 years
3 years
3 years
3 years

Risk-free rate
0.00% to 
1.65%
1.67%
1.23%
0.51%
0.91%
0.28%
0.00%
0.41%
4.15%
0.51%
0.99%
0.28%
0.00%
0.58%
3.89%

Expected 
dividend yield
1.95% to 
3.24%
5.02%
3.16%
3.02%
2.90%
3.24%
2.61%
2.49%
1.95%
3.02%
2.90%
3.24%
2.61%
2.49%
1.95%

The volatility measured at the standard deviation of continuously compounded share returns is based on statistical analysis of daily share 
prices over the last three years.

The weighted average fair value of share options granted during the year was 96.78p (2021: 92.71p).

Expense recognised in the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income

The total expense recognised in the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income
arising from share-based payment transactions

2022
£’000

1,241

2021
£’000

969

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The total expense recognised in the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income arose solely from equity-settled share-based 
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NOTES TO THE 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the year ended 31 December 2022

30. Reserves

Group

At 1 January 2021
Profit for the year
Dividends paid
Proceeds from shares issued
Arising on employee share schemes
Deferred tax on revaluation surplus
Actuarial gain on defined benefit pension 
scheme
Deferred tax on actuarial gain
At 31 December 2021
Profit for the year
Dividends paid
Proceeds from shares issued

Arising on employee share schemes
Increase in fair value in year
Deferred tax on revaluation surplus
Actuarial gain on defined benefit pension 
scheme
Deferred tax on actuarial gain
At 31 December 2022

Parent Company

At 1 January 2021
Profit for the year
Dividends paid
Premium arising from shares issued
Arising on employee share schemes
Unrecognised actuarial loss
Deferred tax on actuarial loss
At 31 December 2021
Profit for the year
Dividends paid
Premium arising from shares issued
Arising on employee share schemes
Unrecognised actuarial loss
Deferred tax on actuarial loss
At 31 December 2022

Property
revaluation
£’000

2,342
—
—
—
—
(282)

—
—
2,060
—
—
—

—
315
(23)

—
—
2,352

Retained 
earnings 
£’000

61,357
8,938
(7,620)
—
282
23,297
(4,840)
81,414
15,987
(8,383)
—
417
14,994
(3,749)
100,680

Retained
earnings
£’000

288,514
28,160
(7,620)
—
837
—

23,297
(4,840)
328,348
33,319
(8,383)
—

1,163
—
—

14,994
(3,749)
365,692

Other

Capital
redemption
£’000

Share
premium
£’000

Capital
£’000

271
—
—
—
—
—

—
—
271
—
—
—

—
—
—

—
—
271

5,924
—
—
340
—
—

—
—
6,264
—
—
738

—
—
—

—
—
7,002

209
—
—
—
—
—

—
—
209
—
—
—

—
—
—

—
—
209

Investment
revaluation
£’000

Capital 
redemption 
£’000

Other

Share 
premium 
£’000

Capital 
£’000

1,135
—
—
—
—
—
—
1,135
—
—
—
—
—
—
1,135

271
—
—
—
—
—
—
271
—
—
—
—
—
—
271

5,924
—
—
340
—
—
—
6,264
—
—
738
—
—
—
7,002

211
—
—
—
—
—
—
211
—
—
—
—
—
—
211

Total
other
£’000

6,404
—
—
340
—
—

—
—
6,744
—
—
738

—
—
—

—
—
7,482

Total 
other 
£’000

7,541
—
—
340
—
—
—
7,881
—
—
738
—
—
—
8,619

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30. Reserves continued
Property revaluation reserve
The property revaluation reserve represents the unrealised surpluses arising on revaluation of the Group occupied land and buildings and is 
not available for distribution until realised on disposal.

Retained earnings
Retained earnings represent the accumulated profits and losses of the Group. This reserve is distributable to the extent it does not arise 
from revaluation gains.

Capital redemption reserve
The capital redemption reserve represents the purchase and cancellation by the Company of its own shares and comprises the aggregate 
nominal value of all the ordinary shares repurchased and cancelled. This reserve in not distributable.

Share premium reserve
The share premium reserve represents the difference between the sums received from the issue of shares and their nominal value net of 
share issue expenses. This reserve is not distributable.

Capital reserve
The capital reserve represents realised profits arising on the disposal of investments and is available for distribution.

Investment revaluation reserve
This reserve was carried forward from previous accounting framework, and represents accumulated unrealised revaluation gains. This is 
distributable only when the related investment in subsidiaries are sold or impaired.

31. Cost of shares held by the ESOP trust

At 1 January
Disposals
At 31 December

2022
£’000

1,044
(77)
967

2021
£’000

1,176
(132)
1,044

Quoted investments represent own shares held by the Henry Boot PLC Employee Trust as an ESOP to provide an incentive to greater 
ownership of shares in the Company by its employees. 

At 31 December 2022, the Trustee held 391,003 shares (2021: 422,489 shares) with a cost of £966,483 (2021: £1,044,311) and a market 
value of £918,858 (2021: £1,187,195). All of these shares were committed to satisfy existing grants by the Company under the Henry Boot 
PLC 2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan. In accordance with IAS 32, these shares are deducted from shareholders’ funds. Under the terms of the 
Trust, the Trustee has waived all dividends on the shares it holds.

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NOTES TO THE 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the year ended 31 December 2022

32. Cash generated from operations

Group

Parent Company

Profit before tax
Adjustments for:
Amortisation of PFI asset
Goodwill impairment
Depreciation and impairment of property, plant and 
equipment
Depreciation of right-of-use assets
Revaluation (decrease)/increase in investment properties
Amortisation of capitalised letting fees 
Share-based payment expense
Pension scheme credit
Movements on provision against loans to subsidiaries
Profit on disposal of property, plant and equipment
Profit on disposal of equipment held for hire
Loss on disposal of right-of-use assets
Profit on disposal of investment properties
Loss on disposal of assets held for sale
Gain on disposal of joint ventures
Finance income
Dividends received from subsidiaries
Finance costs
Share of profit of joint ventures and associates
Operating cash flows before movements in 
equipment held for hire
Purchase of equipment held for hire
Proceeds on disposal of equipment held for hire
Operating cash flows before movements in working capital
Increase in inventories
(Increase)/decrease in receivables
(Increase)/decrease in contract assets
Increase/(decrease) in payables and provisions
Decrease in contract liabilities
Cash generated from operations

11
11

12
13
14
3
4

3
3
3

5

6
16

12

2022
£’000

45,595

579
203

3,957
597
4,921
25
1,241
(3,422)
—
(176)
(1,070)
—
(646)
150
(667)
(1,641)
—
2,503
(9,079)

43,070
(5,454)
1,343
38,959
(63,701)
(3,763)
(11,701)
24,684
(1,027)
(16,549)

2021 
£’000

35,142

602
203

3,819
598
(7,972)
41
968
(920)
—
(16)
(981)
—
(1,340)
—
—
(724)
—
1,155
(8,928)

21,647
(5,952)
1,159
16,854
(36,025)
(22,643)
5,772
(226)
(2,397)
(38,665)

2022
£’000

14,001

—
—

142
45
—
—
495
(3,422)
(1)
—
—
—
—
—
—
(85)
(26,491)
3,372
—

(11,944)
—
—
(11,944)
—
(1,183)
—
2,654
—
(10,473)

2021
£’000

7,211

—
—

144
53
—
—
413
(920)
(84)
—
—
74
—
—
—
(4,544)
(14,530)
2,275
—

(9,908)
—
—
(9,908)
—
4,677
—
(3,806)
—
(9,037)

Net debt is an alternative performance measure used by the Group and comprises the following:

Analysis of net debt1:
Cash and cash equivalents
Bank overdrafts
Net cash and cash equivalents
Bank loans
Lease liabilities
Net debt

1 See ‘prior year restatements’ on page 159. 

25

25
13

17,401
—
17,401
(65,000)
(1,033)
(48,632)

11,116
—
11,116
(50,000)
(1,660)
(40,544)

10,316
(9)
10,307
(65,000)
(64)
(54,757)

2,691
—
2,691
(50,000)
(78)
(47,387)

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33. Guarantees and contingencies
The Parent Company has guaranteed the performance of certain contracts entered into by Group undertakings in the ordinary course of 
business. These guarantees are impracticable to quantify. 

The Parent Company has given cross guarantees to certain of the Group’s bankers and bondsmen in respect of facilities available to 
Group undertakings in the normal course of business. At the year end amounts guaranteed against these facilities were £65,000,000 and 
£19,036,000 respectively.

In the opinion of the Directors, no loss is expected to arise in connection with these matters.

34. Events after the balance sheet date
Since the balance sheet date the Group has proposed a final dividend for 2022, further information can be found in note 10.

There were no other significant events since the balance sheet date which may have a material effect on the financial position or 
performance of the Group.

35. Additional information – subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates
Details of the Company’s subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates, all of which are incorporated in England (unless otherwise stated) and 
are either consolidated or equity accounted in the Group Financial Statements at 31 December 2022, are as follows:

Subsidiary name
Airport Business Park Southend Management Limited2
Airport Business Park (Quad) Management Limited
Banner Plant Limited
Butterfield Quad Management Company Limited2
Butterfield Quad 2 Management Company Limited2
Capitol Park Property Services Limited2
Chocolate Works York Management Company Limited
Clock Tower (York) Management Company Limited
Comstock (Kilmarnock) Ltd.
FB Shelfco 2022 Limited
First National Housing Trust Limited
Glasgowend Limited
Hallam Land Management Limited
HB Island Limited
HBGP Limited
HBD City Court Limited
HBD Summerhill Limited
HBD X Factory Limited
Henry Boot Biddenham Limited
Henry Boot Construction Limited
Henry Boot Contracting Limited
Henry Boot Developments Limited
Henry Boot Cornwall House Limited
Henry Boot Estates Limited
Henry Boot Investments 1 Limited
Henry Boot Inner City Limited
Henry Boot ‘K’ Limited
Henry Boot Land Holdings Limited
Henry Boot (Launceston) Limited
Henry Boot Leasing Limited
Henry Boot (Manchester) Limited
Henry Boot Nottingham Limited

Proportion of 
ownership

Direct or 
indirect

8.9%
83.3%
100%
12.5%
33.3%
4.6%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
85%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%

Indirect
Indirect
Direct
Indirect
Indirect
Indirect
Indirect
Indirect
Indirect
Indirect
Direct
Direct
Direct
Direct
Direct
Indirect
Indirect
Indirect
Direct
Direct
Direct
Direct
Indirect
Direct
Indirect
Direct
Indirect
Direct
Direct
Direct
Direct
Indirect

Activity

Management company
Management company
Plant Hire
Management company
Management company
Management company
Management company
Management company
Land promotion
Inactive
Property investment
Inactive
Land promotion
Holding company
Holding company
Property investment and development
Property investment and development
Property development
Land promotion
Construction
Inactive
Property investment and development
Property development
Property investment
Property development
Inactive
Property investment and development
Holding company
Land promotion
Motor vehicle leasing to Group companies
Property development
Inactive

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203

 
NOTES TO THE 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the year ended 31 December 2022

Subsidiary name
Henry Boot Projects Limited
Henry Boot Swindon Limited
Henry Boot Tamworth Limited
Henry Boot Wentworth Limited
IAMP Management Company Limited
Investments (North West) Limited
Marboot Centregate Ltd
Marboot Centregate 2 Limited
Moore Street Securities Limited
Plot 7 East Markham Vale Management Company Limited
Preston East Management Company Limited
Road Link (A69) Holdings Limited
Road Link (A69) Limited
St John’s Manchester Limited
Saltwoodend Limited
SJ Manchester Limited Partnership
SJM GP Limited
SJM (Nominee) Limited
Stonebridge Homes Group Limited1
Stonebridge Homes Limited1
Stonebridge Offices Limited1
Winter Ground Limited
Wyvern Park Skipton Management Company Limited

Proportion of 
ownership

Direct or 
indirect

100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
66.7%
100%
61.2%
61.2%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
50%
50%
50%
100%
100%

Direct
Direct
Indirect
Direct
Indirect
Indirect
Indirect
Indirect
Direct
Indirect
Indirect
Indirect
Indirect
Indirect
Indirect
Indirect
Indirect
Indirect
Indirect
Indirect
Indirect
Indirect
Indirect

Activity

Inactive
Inactive
Inactive
Property development 
Management company
Property development
Inactive
Inactive
Employee benefit trust
Management company
Management company
Holding company
PFI road maintenance
Property development
Inactive
Inactive
Holding company
Holding company
Holding company
Property development
Property investment
Inactive
Management company

1 Stonebridge-related entities are included as subsidiaries due to the Group’s additional voting rights, having two of the three director appointments.

2 Subsidiary by virtue of management control

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35. Additional information – subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates continued

Joint ventures and associates
Aytoun Street Developments Limited

Bigmouth Manchester Limited

Cognito Oak LLP

Crimea Land Mansfield LLP

HBB Preston East Ltd

HBB Roman Way Limited

Henry Boot Barnfield Limited

I-Prop Developments Limited

Island Site Limited Partnership

Island Site (General Partner) Limited

Island Site (Nominee) Limited

Kirklees Henry Boot Partnership Limited

Montagu 406 Regeneration LLP

MVNE LLP

Newmarket Lane Holding Limited

Newmarket Lane Limited

Newmarket Lane Management Company Limited

Rainham HoldCo S.a.r.l.

Road Link Limited

Proportion of 
ownership

Direct or 
indirect

50%

50%

50%

50%

50%

50%

50%

50%

50%

50%

50%

50%

50%

50%

50%

50%

50%

20%

37.6%

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Indirect

Activity

Property development

Property development

Property development

Land promotion

Property development

Property development

Property development

Inactive

Property development

Holding company

Property development

Inactive

Property investment

Property development

Property development

Property development

Management company

Property investment and development

Inactive

The address of the registered office of all subsidiaries, joint venture and associates is the same as the Parent Company, with the exception of:

Road Link Limited, Road Link (A69) Limited and Road Link (A69) Holdings Limited whose registered office is Stocksfield Hall, Stocksfield, 
Northumberland, NE43 7TN. Comstock (Kilmarnock) Ltd. whose registered office is 48 St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, G2 5HS.
Henry Boot Barnfield Limited, HBB Roman Way Limited and HBB Preston East Limited whose registered office is 8 Kenyon Road, 
Lomeshaye Industrial Estate, Nelson, Lancashire, England, BB9 5SP. Kirklees Henry Boot Partnership Limited whose registered office is 
Legal Services, 2nd Floor Civic Centre 3, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD1 2WZ. Cognito Oak LLP whose registered office is Union Plaza 
(6th Floor), 1 Union Wynd, Aberdeen, Scotland, AB10 1DQ. Island Site Limited Partnership whose registered office is Guardsman Tony 
Downes House, 5 Manchester Road, Droylsden, Tameside, M43 6SF. Crimea Land Mansfield LLP whose registered office is C/O Harworth 
Group, Advantage House Poplar Way, Catcliffe, Rotherham, S60 5TR, United Kingdom. Rainham HoldCo S.a.r.l. whose registered office is 
1 Rue Isaac Newton, L-2242, Luxembourg.

Residents Management Companies
The companies listed below are Residents Management Companies (RMCs). All RMCs are companies limited by guarantee without share 
capital (unless otherwise stated) and incorporated in the UK. The capital, reserves and profit or loss for the year has not been stated for 
these RMCs as beneficial interest in any assets or liabilities of these companies is held by the residents. These companies have not been 
included in the consolidated accounts, are temporary members of the Group and will be handed over to residents in due course. The 
registered office of each RMC is 1 Featherbank Court, Horsforth, Leeds, LS18 4QF.

RMCs controlled by the Group:
Woodside Park Newlay Estate Management Company Limited, Fox Valley Management Company Limited1, Moorlands Cleckheaton 
Management Company Limited, Brookfield Garth Hampsthwaite Management Company Limited, Kingsley Road Harrogate Management 
Company Limited, Weyland Road Management Company Limited, Willow Crest Cawood Management Company Limited, The Willows 
Whinney Lane Management Company Limited, Victoria Gardens (Headingley) Management Company Ltd1, Derry Hill Menston Management 
Company Limited and Hawbank Field Skipton Management Company Limited.

1 Company limited by share capital

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NOTES TO THE 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the year ended 31 December 2022

36. Partly-owned subsidiaries
Financial information of subsidiaries that have a material non-controlling interests is provided below:

Name

Stonebridge Homes Limited
Road Link (A69) Limited

Country of incorporation

England
England

Name

Accumulated balances of material non-controlling interest:
Stonebridge Homes Limited
Road Link (A69) Limited
Profit allocated to material non-controlling interest:
Stonebridge Homes Limited
Road Link (A69) Limited

2022
£’000

50%
61.2%

2022
£’000

 3,687 
 2,280 

 2,182
 2,369 

2021
£’000

50%
61.2%

2021
£’000

 2,624 
 2,822 

 1,033 
 1,467 

The summarised financial information of these subsidiaries is provided below. This information is based on amounts before 
inter-company eliminations.

Summarised statement of profit or loss
Revenue
Cost of sales
Administrative and other expenses
Net finance costs
Profit before tax

Tax
Profit for the year
Total comprehensive income
Attributable to non-controlling interests
Dividends paid to non-controlling interests

Summarised balance sheet
Non-current assets
Inventories
Trade and other receivables
Cash and cash equivalents
Current liabilities
Non-current liabilities
Net assets
Equity holders of parent
Non-controlling interest

Summarised cash flow
Operating
Investing
Financing
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents

Stonebridge Homes Limited

Road Link (A69) Limited

2022
£’000

70,643 
(56,613)
(6,572)
(2,039)
5,419

(1,054)
4,365
4,365 
2,182 
1,121 

1,110 
80,629 
6,703 
550 
(81,150)
(468)
7,374 
3,687 
3,687 

1,951 
(33)
(2,351)
(433)

2021
£’000

49,505 
(39,790)
(6,331)
(835)
2,549 

(482)
2,067 
2,067 
1,033 
740 

1,257 
52,464 
4,682 
879 
(53,514)
(520)
5,248 
2,624 
2,624 

(6,468) 
(73)
4,800
(1,741)

2022
£’000

13,590 
(5,106)
(691)
(254)
7,539 

(1,432)
6,107 
6,107 
2,369 
2,910 

1,690 
–
4,710 
4,080 
(3,260)
(1,343)
5,877 
3,597 
2,280 

4,742 
60 
(7,500)
(2,698)

2021
£’000

11,115 
(5,458)
(657)
(331)
4,669 

(887)
3,782 
3,782 
1,467 
– 

2,271 
– 
3,227 
6,778 
(3,335)
(1,669)
7,272 
4,450 
2,822 

(601)
(202)
– 
(803)

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SHAREHOLDER
INFORMATION

Notice of Annual General Meeting
Financial Calendar
Advisers
Group Contact Information
Glossary

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212
212
213
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Henry Boot PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2022
Henry Boot PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2022

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NOTICE OF ANNUAL 
GENERAL MEETING

THIS DOCUMENT IS IMPORTANT and requires your immediate 
attention. If you are in any doubt about the action you should take, 
you should immediately consult your stockbroker, bank manager, 
solicitor, accountant or other independent professional adviser 
authorised under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. 
If you have sold or otherwise transferred all your shares in Henry 
Boot PLC, please forward this document and the accompanying 
Form of Proxy to the person through whom the sale or transfer 
was effected, for transmission to the purchaser or transferee.

The Board of Henry Boot PLC considers all of the proposed 
resolutions to be in the best interests of shareholders as a whole 
and accordingly recommends that shareholders vote in favour of 
all the resolutions proposed.

Notice of Annual General Meeting
Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of 
Henry Boot PLC (Company) will be held at DoubleTree by Hilton 
Hotel Sheffield Park, Chesterfield Road South, Sheffield, S8 8BW 
on Thursday 25 May 2023 at 12.30pm, for the following purposes:

To consider and if thought fit, pass the following resolutions, which 
will be proposed as ordinary resolutions of the Company. 

Resolution 1
To receive the Directors’ Report, Auditors’ Report, Strategic 
Report and the Financial Statements for the year ended 
31 December 2022.

Resolution 2
To declare a final dividend of 4.00p per ordinary share.

Resolution 3
To approve the Directors’ Remuneration Report (other than the part 
containing the Directors’ Remuneration Policy) for the year ended 
31 December 2022.

Resolution 4
To reappoint Timothy Roberts as a Director of the Company.

Resolution 5
To reappoint Darren Littlewood as a Director of the Company.

Resolution 6
To reappoint Joanne Lake as a Director of the Company.

Resolution 7
To reappoint James Sykes as a Director of the Company.

Resolution 8
To reappoint Peter Mawson as a Director of the Company.

Resolution 9
To reappoint Gerald Jennings as a Director of the Company.

Resolution 10
To reappoint Serena Lang as a Director of the Company.

Resolution 11
To reappoint Ernst & Young LLP as auditors of the Company.

Resolution 12
To authorise the Audit and Risk Committee to fix the auditors’ 
remuneration.

Resolution 13
THAT pursuant to Section 551 of the Companies Act 2006, the 
Directors be and are generally and unconditionally authorised to allot 
shares in the Company or to grant rights to subscribe for or to convert 
any security into shares in the Company up to an aggregate nominal 
amount of £4,457,727, provided that (unless previously revoked, 
varied or renewed) this authority shall expire on 24 August 2024 or at 
the conclusion of the next AGM of the Company after the passing of 
this resolution, whichever is the earlier, save that the Company may 
make an offer or agreement before this authority expires which would 
or might require shares to be allotted or rights to subscribe for or 
to convert any security into shares to be granted after this authority 
expires and the Directors may allot shares or grant such rights 
pursuant to any such offer or agreement as if this authority had not 
expired. This authority is in substitution for all existing authorities under 
Section 551 of the Companies Act 2006 (which, to the extent unused 
at the date of this resolution, are revoked with immediate effect).

To consider and if thought fit, pass the following resolutions, which will 
be proposed as special resolutions of the Company.

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Resolution 14
THAT subject to the passing of Resolution 13 and pursuant to 
Section 570 of the Companies Act 2006, the Directors be and are 
generally empowered to allot equity securities (within the meaning 
of Section 560 of the Companies Act 2006) for cash pursuant to 
the authority granted by Resolution 13 as if Section 561(1) of the 
Companies Act 2006 did not apply to any such allotment, provided 
that this power shall be limited to the allotment of equity securities:

a.

in connection with an offer of equity securities (whether by way 
of a rights issue, open offer or otherwise):

i.

ii.

to holders of ordinary shares in the capital of the Company 
in proportion (as nearly as practicable) to the respective 
numbers of ordinary shares held by them; and

to holders of other equity securities in the capital of the 
Company, as required by the rights of those securities or, 
subject to such rights, as the Directors otherwise consider 
necessary,

but subject to such exclusions or other arrangements as the 
Directors may deem necessary or expedient in relation to treasury 
shares, fractional entitlements, record dates or any legal or practical 
problems under the laws of any territory or the requirements of any 
regulatory body or stock exchange; and

b. otherwise than pursuant to paragraph a. of this resolution, up to 

an aggregate nominal amount of £668,659,

and (unless previously revoked, varied or renewed) this power shall 
expire on 24 August 2024 or at the conclusion of the next AGM of 
the Company after the passing of this resolution, whichever is the 
earlier, save that the Company may make an offer or agreement 
before this power expires which would or might require equity 
securities to be allotted for cash after this power expires and the 
Directors may allot equity securities for cash pursuant to any such 
offer or agreement as if this power had not expired. This power 
is in substitution for all existing powers under Section 570 of the 
Companies Act 2006 (which, to the extent unused at the date of 
this resolution, are revoked with immediate effect).

Resolution 15
THAT pursuant to Section 701 of the Companies Act 2006, the 
Company be and is hereby generally and unconditionally authorised 
to make market purchases (within the meaning of Section 693(4) 
of the Companies Act 2006) of ordinary shares of 10p each in the 
capital of the Company (ordinary shares) provided that:

a.

b.

c.

d.

e.

the maximum aggregate number of ordinary shares hereby 
authorised to be purchased is 13,373,182;

the minimum price (excluding expenses) which may be paid for 
an ordinary share is 10p;

the maximum price (excluding expenses) which may be paid for 
an ordinary share is not more than the higher of: 

i.

ii.

an amount equal to 105% of the average of the middle 
market quotations for an ordinary share as derived from 
the London Stock Exchange Daily Official List for the five 
business days immediately preceding the day on which the 
purchase is made; and 

an amount equal to the higher of the price of the last 
independent trade of an ordinary share and the highest 
current independent bid for an ordinary share on the trading 
venue where the purchase is carried out;

the authority hereby conferred shall expire at the conclusion 
of the next AGM of the Company after the passing of this 
resolution or, if earlier, on 24 August 2024; and

the Company may make a contract to purchase ordinary shares 
under the authority hereby conferred prior to the expiry of such 
authority which will or may be completed or executed wholly or 
partly after the expiry of such authority.

By order of the Board

AMY STANBRIDGE
COMPANY SECRETARY

12 April 2023

HENRY BOOT PLC
Registered Office:
Banner Cross Hall
Ecclesall Road South
Sheffield
United Kingdom
S11 9PD

Registered in England and Wales No. 160996

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NOTICE OF ANNUAL 
GENERAL MEETING

Notes
1. The holders of preference shares in the Company are not 

entitled to attend and vote at the AGM.

2. The right to vote at the meeting is determined by reference to the 
register of members. Only those ordinary shareholders registered 
in the register of members of the Company as at the close of 
business on 23 May 2023 (or, if the meeting is adjourned, at the 
close of business on the date which is two working days before 
the date of the adjourned meeting) shall be entitled to attend 
and vote at the meeting in respect of the number of ordinary 
shares registered in their name at that time. Changes to entries 
in the register of members after that time shall be disregarded in 
determining the rights of any person to attend or vote (and the 
number of votes they may cast) at the meeting. 

3. Voting on each resolution will be conducted by way of a poll. 
The Company believes that a poll is more representative of 
shareholders’ voting intentions because shareholder votes are 
counted according to the number of votes held and all votes 
tendered are taken into account. The results of the poll will be 
announced to the London Stock Exchange and will be made 
available on the Company’s website at www.henryboot.co.uk as 
soon as practicable following the conclusion of the AGM.

4. An ordinary shareholder is entitled to appoint any other person 

as his or her proxy to exercise all or any of his or her rights to 
attend and to speak and vote at the meeting. A proxy need 
not be a shareholder of the Company. An ordinary shareholder 
may appoint more than one proxy in relation to the meeting, 
provided that each proxy is appointed to exercise the rights 
attached to a different ordinary share or ordinary shares held 
by that ordinary shareholder. Failure to specify the number of 
ordinary shares each proxy appointment relates to or specifying 
a number which when taken together with the numbers of 
ordinary shares set out in the other proxy appointments is in 
excess of the number of ordinary shares held by the ordinary 
shareholder may result in the proxy appointment being invalid. 

5. APPOINTMENT OF PROXY BY JOINT HOLDERS: In the case 
of joint holders, where more than one of the joint holders 
purports to appoint a proxy, only the appointment submitted by 
the most senior holder will be accepted. Seniority is determined 
by the order in which the names of the joint holders appear 
in the Company’s register of members in respect of the joint 
holders (the first-named being the most senior).

6. A proxy may only be appointed in accordance with the procedures 

set out in notes 7 to 9 below and the notes to the form of 
proxy. The appointment of a proxy will not preclude an ordinary 
shareholder from attending and voting in person at the meeting. 

7. A form of proxy is enclosed with the notice issued to 

holders of ordinary shares. When appointing more than one 
proxy, complete a separate proxy form in relation to each 
appointment. Additional proxy forms may be obtained by 
contacting the Company’s registrar or the proxy form may be 
photocopied. State clearly on each proxy form the number 
of shares in relation to which the proxy is appointed. To 
be valid, a form of proxy must be received by post (during 
normal business hours only) at the offices of the Company’s 
registrars, Computershare Investor Services PLC, The Pavilions, 
Bridgwater Road, Bristol BS99 6ZY, no later than 12.30pm 
on 23 May 2023 (or, if the meeting is adjourned, 48 hours 
(excluding any part of a day that is not a working day) before 
the time of any adjourned meeting). 

8. As an alternative to completing the hard copy form of 

proxy, an ordinary shareholder may appoint the Chair as 
his or her proxy electronically using the online service at 
www.investorcentre.co.uk/eproxy. For an electronic proxy 
appointment to be valid, the appointment must be received 
by Computershare Investor Services PLC no later than 
12.30pm on 23 May 2023 (or, if the meeting is adjourned, 
no later than 48 hours (excluding any part of a day that is not 
a working day) before the time of any adjourned meeting). 

 Proxymity Voting – if you are an institutional investor you may 
also be able to appoint a proxy electronically via the Proxymity 
platform, a process which has been agreed by the Company 
and approved by the Company’s registrar. For further information 
regarding Proxymity, please go to proxymity.io. Your proxy must 
be lodged by 12.30pm on 23 May 2023 (or, if the meeting is 
adjourned, no later than 48 hours (excluding any part of a day 
that is not a working day) before the time of any adjourned 
meeting) in order to be considered valid. Before you can 
appoint a proxy via this process you will need to have agreed to 
Proxymity’s associated terms and conditions. It is important that 
you read these carefully as you will be bound by them and they 
will govern the electronic appointment of your proxy.

9. CREST members who wish to appoint a proxy or proxies for the 
AGM (or any adjournment of it) through the CREST electronic 
proxy appointment service may do so by using the procedures 
described in the CREST Manual, which is available at euroclear.
com. CREST personal members or other CREST sponsored 
members, and those CREST members who have appointed a 
voting service provider(s), should refer to their CREST sponsor 
or voting service provider(s), who will be able to take the 
appropriate action on their behalf.

 In order for a proxy appointment or instruction made using the 
CREST service to be valid, the appropriate CREST message (a 
‘CREST Proxy Instruction’) must be properly authenticated in 
accordance with Euroclear UK & Ireland Limited’s specifications 
and must contain the information required for such instructions, 
as described in the CREST Manual. The message, regardless 
of whether it constitutes the appointment of a proxy or is an 
amendment to the instruction given to a previously appointed 
proxy, must, in order to be valid, be transmitted so as to be 
received by Computershare Investor Services PLC (ID: 3RA50) 
no later than 12.30pm on 23 May 2023 (or, if the meeting is 
adjourned, 48 hours (excluding any part of a day that is not a 
working day) before the time of any adjourned meeting). For 
this purpose, the time of receipt will be taken to be the time (as 
determined by the timestamp applied to the message by the 
CREST Applications Host) from which Computershare Investor 
Services PLC is able to retrieve the message by enquiry to 
CREST in the manner prescribed by CREST. After this time, any 
change of instructions to proxies appointed through CREST 
should be communicated to the appointee through other means.

 CREST members and, where applicable, their CREST sponsors 
or voting service providers should note that Euroclear UK & 
Ireland Limited does not make available special procedures in 
CREST for any particular messages. Normal system timings 
and limitations will therefore apply in relation to the input 
of CREST Proxy Instructions. It is the responsibility of the 
CREST member concerned to take (or, if the CREST member 
is a CREST personal member or sponsored member or has 
appointed a voting service provider(s), to procure that his or her 

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CREST sponsor or voting service provider(s) take(s)) such action 
as shall be necessary to ensure that a message is transmitted 
by means of the CREST system by any particular time. In this 
connection, CREST members and, where applicable, their 
CREST sponsors or voting service providers are referred, in 
particular, to those sections of the CREST Manual concerning 
practical limitations of the CREST system and timings.

 The Company may treat a CREST Proxy Instruction as invalid 
in the circumstances set out in Regulation 35(5)(a) of the 
Uncertificated Securities Regulations 2001.

10. An ordinary shareholder which is a corporation may authorise 
one or more persons to act as its representative(s) at the 
meeting. Each such representative may exercise (on behalf of the 
corporation) the same powers as the corporation could exercise 
if it were an individual shareholder, provided that (where there is 
more than one representative and the vote is otherwise than on a 
show of hands) they do not do so in relation to the same shares. 

11. Where a copy of this notice is being received by a person who 
has been nominated to enjoy information rights under Section 
146 of the Companies Act 2006 (Nominated Person):

a.

b.

the Nominated Person may have a right under an 
agreement between him/her and the shareholder by 
whom he/she was nominated to be appointed, or to have 
someone else appointed, as a proxy for the meeting; or

if the Nominated Person has no such right or does not wish 
to exercise such right, he/she may have a right under such 
an agreement to give instructions to the shareholder as to 
the exercise of voting rights.

 The statement of the rights of ordinary shareholders in relation to 
the appointment of proxies in notes 5 to 9 above does not apply 
to a Nominated Person. The rights described in such notes can 
only be exercised by ordinary shareholders of the Company.

12. A shareholder or shareholders having a right to vote at the meeting 
and holding at least 5% of the total voting rights of the Company 
(see note 17 below), or at least 100 shareholders having a right 
to vote at the meeting and holding, on average, at least £100 of 
paid up share capital, may require the Company to publish on its 
website a statement setting out any matter that such shareholders 
propose to raise at the meeting relating to either the audit of the 
Company’s Financial Statements (including the Auditors’ Report 
and the conduct of the audit) that are to be laid before the meeting 
or any circumstances connected with auditors of the Company 
ceasing to hold office since the last AGM of the Company in 
accordance with Section 527 of the Companies Act 2006.

Any such request must:

a.

identify the statement to which it relates, by either setting 
out the statement in full or, if supporting a statement 
requested by another shareholder, clearly identifying the 
statement that is being supported;

b. comply with the requirements set out in note 13 below; and

c. be received by the Company at least one week before the 

meeting.

 Where the Company is required to publish such a statement on 
its website:

i.

it may not require the shareholders making the request to 
pay any expenses incurred by the Company in complying 
with the request;

ii.

iii.

it must forward the statement to the Company’s auditors no 
later than the time when it makes the statement available 
on the website; and

the statement may be dealt with as part of the business of 
the meeting.

13. Any request by a shareholder or shareholders to require the 
Company to publish audit concerns as set out in note 12:

a. may be made either:

i.

ii.

in hard copy, by sending it to the Company Secretary, 
Henry Boot PLC, Banner Cross Hall, Ecclesall Road 
South, Sheffield S11 9PD; or

in electronic form, by sending it by email to 
cosec-ir@henryboot.co.uk. Please state 
‘Henry Boot PLC: AGM’ in the subject line of the email;

b. must state the full name(s) and address(es) of the 

shareholder(s); and

c. where the request is made in hard copy form, it must be 

signed by the shareholder(s).

14. Shareholders have the right to ask questions at the meeting 
relating to the business being dealt with at the meeting in 
accordance with Section 319A of the Companies Act 2006. 
The Company must answer any such question unless:

a.

b.

c.

to do so would interfere unduly with the preparation for 
the meeting or would involve the disclosure of confidential 
information;

the answer has already been given on a website in the form 
of an answer to a question; or

it is undesirable in the interests of the Company or the good 
order of the meeting that the question be answered.

15. The information required by Section 311A of the Companies Act 
2006 to be published in advance of the meeting, which includes 
the matters set out in this notice and information relating to the 
voting rights of shareholders, is available at henryboot.co.uk 

16. Except as expressly provided above, shareholders who wish 
to communicate with the Company in relation to the meeting 
should do so using the following means:

a.

telephone 0114 255 5444; or

b. email cosec-ir@henryboot.co.uk.

No other methods of communication will be accepted.

17. As at 03 April 2023 (being the last practicable date before 

publication of this notice), the Company’s issued ordinary share 
capital was 133,731,826 ordinary shares, carrying one vote 
each and representing the total number of voting rights in the 
Company.

18. The following documents will be available for inspection during 
normal business hours at the registered office of the Company 
from the date of this notice until the time of the meeting. They 
will also be available for inspection at the place of the meeting 
from at least 15 minutes before the meeting until it ends.

a. Copies of the service contracts of the Executive Directors.

b. Copies of the letters of appointment of the Non-executive 

Directors.

19. Biographies for each of the Directors are shown on pages 80 to  
81 of the annual report for the year ended 31 December 2022.

Henry Boot PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2022

211

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FINANCIAL 
CALENDAR

London Stock 
Exchange announcements
Annual Results 2022: 
21 March 2023

Interim Results 2023: 
19 September 2023

Pre-close Trading Statement 2023: 
end January 2024

Annual Report and 
Financial Statements 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 
(available and online): 
by 24 April 2023

ADVISERS

Chartered Accountants 
and Statutory Auditors
Ernst & Young LLP
1 Bridgewater Place
Water Lane
Leeds LS11 5QR

Bankers
Barclays Bank PLC
1 St Paul’s Place
121 Norfolk Street
Sheffield S1 2JW

HSBC UK Bank Plc
City Point
29 Kings Street
Leeds LS1 2HL

National Westminster Bank PLC
2 Whitehall Quay
Leeds LS1 4HR

Corporate Finance
KPMG Corporate Finance 
1 Sovereign Square
Sovereign Street
Leeds LS1 4DA

Financial PR
FTI Consulting
200 Aldersgate
Aldersgate Street
London EC1A 4HD

Annual General Meeting
25 May 2023

Dividends paid on ordinary shares
2022 Final dividend date (subject to approval at AGM): 
02 June 2023

2023 Interim dividend date (subject to approval): 
13 October 2023

Registrars
Computershare Investor Services PLC
The Pavilions
Bridgwater Road
Bristol BS13 8AE

Solicitors – Corporate
DLA Piper UK LLP
1 St Paul’s Place
Sheffield S1 2JX

Solicitors – Operational
Irwin Mitchell LLP
Riverside East House
2 Millsands
Sheffield S3 8DT

Stockbrokers
Numis Securities Limited
Joint Corporate Broker
The London Stock Exchange Building
10 Paternoster Square
London EC4M 7LT 

Peel Hunt LLP
Joint Corporate Broker
Moor House 
120 London Wall 
EC2Y 5ET

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GROUP CONTACT 
INFORMATION

Land Promotion
Hallam Land 
Management Limited

Registered office and Head office
Banner Cross Hall, Ecclesall Road South, 
Sheffield S11 9PD

t: 0114 255 5444
e: info@hallamland.co.uk 
w: hallamland.co.uk 

Regional offices
Bristol, Glasgow, Leeds, London and 
Northampton

Property Investment 
and Development
Henry Boot 
Developments Limited

Registered office and Head office
Banner Cross Hall, Ecclesall Road South, 
Sheffield S11 9PD

t: 0114 350 4477
e: hello@hbd.co.uk 
w: hbd.co.uk 

Regional offices 
Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow, Leeds, 
London and Manchester

Stonebridge Homes Limited

Registered office
Banner Cross Hall, Ecclesall Road South, 
Sheffield S11 9PD

Head office
1 Featherbank Court, Horsforth, Leeds 
LS18 4QF

t: 0113 357 1100
e: sales@stonebridgehomes.co.uk
w: stonebridgehomes.co.uk

Construction 
Henry Boot 
Construction Limited

Registered office
Banner Cross Hall, Ecclesall Road South, 
Sheffield S11 9PD

Head office
Callywhite Lane, Dronfield, Derbyshire 
S18 2XN

t: 01246 410111
e: hbc@henryboot.co.uk
w: henrybootconstruction.co.uk

Banner Plant Limited

Registered office
Banner Cross Hall, Ecclesall Road South, 
Sheffield S11 9PD

Head office
Callywhite Lane, Dronfield, Derbyshire, 
S18 2XS

t: 01246 299400
e: dronfield@bannerplant.co.uk
w: bannerplant.co.uk

Hire centres
Chesterfield, Derby, Dronfield, Leicester, 
Leeds, Rotherham and Wakefield

Road Link (A69) Limited

Registered office and Head office
Stocksfield Hall, Stocksfield, 
Northumberland NE43 7TN

t: 01661 842842 
e: enquiries@roadlinka69.co.uk

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GLOSSARY

We have used some terms in this report to explain how we run our business that might be unfamiliar to you. The following list gives a definition 
for some of the more frequently used terms:

A subsidiary is a company that is partly or 
completely owned by another company that 
holds a controlling interest in the subsidiary 
company.

TCFD 
Task Force on Climate-related Financial 
Disclosures’ (https://www.fsb-tcfd.org/)

Total shareholder return (TSR)
Dividends and capital growth in the share 
price, expressed as a percentage of the 
share price at the beginning of the year.

Total accounting return (TAR)
The growth in NAV per share plus dividends 
paid, expressed as a percentage of NAV per 
share at the beginning of the period.

UK planning system
This system consists of the process of 
managing the development of land and 
buildings. The purposes of this process are 
to save what is best of our heritage and 
improve the infrastructure upon which we 
depend for a civilised existence.

Commercial property
This refers to buildings or land intended to 
generate a profit, either from capital gain 
or rental income, such as office building, 
industrial property, retail stores, etc.

Disclosure and 
Transparency Rules (DTR)
Issued by the United Kingdom Listing 
Authority.

Dividend
A distribution of a portion of a company’s 
earnings, decided by the board of directors, 
to a class of its shareholders.

Earnings per share (EPS)
Profit for the period attributable to equity 
shareholders divided by the average number 
of shares in issue during the period.

ESG
Environmental, Social and Governance

Gearing
Net debt expressed as a percentage of 
equity shareholders’ funds.

IAS

International Accounting Standard.

IFRS
UK-adopted International Financial 
Reporting Standard.

SONIA
The effective overnight interest rate paid 
by banks for unsecured transactions in the 
British sterling market. 

Net asset value per 
share (NAV)

Equity shareholders’ funds divided by the 
number of shares in issue at the balance 
sheet date.

Operating profit
Profit earned from a company’s core 
activities.

Option agreement
A legal agreement between a landowner 
and another party for the right to buy land 
within a set time scale at the conclusion of a 
satisfactory planning permission.

Ordinary share
Any shares that are not preferred shares 
and do not have any predetermined 
dividend amounts. An ordinary share 
represents equity ownership in a company 
and entitles the owner to a vote in matters 
put before shareholders in proportion to 
their percentage ownership in the company.

PFI contract
A Private Finance Initiative contract is a 
contract between a public body and a 
private company and involves the private 
sector making capital investment in the 
assets required to deliver improved services. 
They are typified by long contract lengths, 
often 30 years or more.

Planning Promotion 
Agreement (PPA)
A legal agreement between a landowner 
and another party for a set time scale and 
financial consideration to promote land 
through the UK planning system.

Pre-let
A lease signed with a tenant prior to 
completion of a development.

Retail Prices Index (RPI)/
Consumer Prices Index (CPI)
Monthly inflation indicators based on 
different ‘baskets’ of products issued by the 
Office of National Statistics.

Return on average capital 
employed (ROCE)
Operating profit/capital employed where 
capital employed is the average of total 
assets less current liabilities and pension 
asset/obligation at the opening and closing 
balance sheet dates.

S106
Section 106 agreements (S106) are private 
agreements made between local authorities 
and developers. They can be attached to 
a planning permission to make acceptable 
development which would otherwise be 
unacceptable in planning terms.

Subsidiary company
A company whose voting stock is more than 
50% controlled by another company, usually 
referred to as the parent company or holding 
company.

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The production of this report supports the work of the Woodland Trust, 
the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity. Each tree planted will 
grow into a vital carbon store, helping to reduce environmental impact as 
well as creating natural havens for wildlife and people.

IBC

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Henry Boot PLC

Registered office:
Banner Cross Hall, Ecclesall Road South
Sheffield, S11 9PD United Kingdom

Registered in England and Wales no. 160996

Tel: 0114 2555444
Email: cosec-ir@henryboot.co.uk

Stock Code: BOOT.L

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