A group chief executive has been appointed for the proposed merger between two Newport housing associations.

Five months ago, Melin Homes and Newport City Homes (NCH) revealed plans to merge.

Now, the appointed group chief executive officer designate has been named as Paula Kennedy, the current CEO of Melin Homes.

The selection was made after a rigorous assessment procedure.

Ms Kennedy accepted the offer, emphasising her commitment to integrating the best elements of both associations to create the new organisation.

Furthermore, she expressed gratitude to Ceri Doyle, Newport City Homes' CEO, for her contribution in pushing the merger agenda to its current level.

Ms Doyle opted not to apply for the group CEO role due to personal and professional reasons.

However, she remains enthusiastic about the merger, actively supporting its potential benefits to the Wales' housing sector, and the customers, employees, and local communities under both Melin and NCH.

Ms Doyle and Ms Kennedy will persist in their collaboration, facilitated by the dedicated board members of both organisations, in the pursuit of a successful merger.

A notification letter tackling the merger process will be sent to all customers of Melin and NCH, to give them a chance to outline their preferred services and values for the proposed new entity.

Both housing associations maintain that customers and colleagues are of utmost importance in their operations.