Cantref has announced plans to seek a merger partner just weeks after the Cambrian News revealed the housing association was the subject of an inquiry by the Welsh Government’s statutory regulator.

The move comes after a statement on the company’s website earlier this month confirmed that Lynne Sacale had left Cantref after a 10-year stint as chief executive.

It also emerged that chairman of the board, David Wilcox, had voluntarily stepped down from his role “enabling the board to take a fresh approach following the report into Cantref’s operations by the Welsh Government”.

The company, which operates throughout Ceredigion, north Pembrokeshire, north Carmarthenshire and the Machynlleth area in Powys, say its merger plans have been prompted by the Welsh Government review into its operations and governance over the last eight months.

“Following the review, Cantref’s board of management decided that the best way for the org­anisation to grow and develop and to continue providing the best service possible to its tenants is to merge with a suitable partner that can complement its business,” said a statement.

Commenting on the plans, Kevin Taylor, interim chair of Cantref, said: “The service and support we provide our tenants is our number one priority and at the heart of everything we do."