Board members chosen for NTV
The 15-member board of the National Tenant Voice has been chosen and met for the first time this week.
Housing minister John Healey approved the board appointments, which includes Michael Gelling as the chair, who is also chair of the Tenants’ and Residents’ Organisations of England.
The board of the NTV, a £1.5 million arm’s-length body aimed at giving social housing tenants more of a say in influencing housing policy, includes six members found by open recruitment.
The other nine come from the 50-strong National Tenant Council, which is at the heart of the NTV and met for the first time in Sheffield in January.
People chosen from the already existing council are: Nic Bliss, Cora Carter, Brenda Chester, Carole Donnelly, Michael Gelling, Ann Harris, Joseph Kargbo, John Paul Maytum and Pol O’Gray.
The others are: Steven Bright, Professor Tony Crook, Maccs Pescatore, Maggie Shannon, Ian Youll and Andrew Young.
Mr Healey said: ‘The National Tenant Voice is now up and running. The board members share a wealth of housing experience from across the country.
‘They will help ensure the NTV represents all those it has been set up to serve. The board members I have appointed and their tenant chair Michael Gelling will be at the heart of the National Tenant Voice and will help shape housing policy for the future.’
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Readers' comments (8)
the purple avenger | 31/03/2010 2:39 pm
I have encountered Mr Gelling on one occassion. Its dangerous to assess people on the evidence of one day but he struck me as a stereotypical union leader from the 70's. I hope he does not prove me right!
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ivor williams | 31/03/2010 3:03 pm
When the NTV was set up and first talked about it was envisaged that this would be the voice of the tenant. And it was supposted to be something new, but as usual it is the same OLD FACES, I understand that you need people with some knowledge and experience, but surely it is not beyond the whit of who set this up to pick other people to do this job on the behalf of tenants
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Norman Adams | 31/03/2010 3:16 pm
purple avenger - stereotypical union leader from the 70's - don't know what you mean by that, if you mean they failed to protect members in dispute with the employers? or that many were appointed and not elected? NTV looks to me by the way it's set up to NOT part of a solution but will be part of the problem
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Fingers | 31/03/2010 4:00 pm
Well here we are, same old moans, before we have any experience of the NTV and how it will evolve. There are a lot of assumptions being made here form others who should know better.
OK the NTV may have not been by election, but who is to say that these same people would not have been elected. After all they place themselves forward into a process that was open to all and have been successful in their application.
Final thought for today, those who can get on with it and deliver, those who can’t sit on the sidelines and carp and criticise without placing their heads above the parapet. Well done to all the board and council members, I wish them all the best of luck because if this is the response before they actively start work they will need all the luck going.
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Norman Adams | 31/03/2010 4:41 pm
Fingers - is that two up to Tenants'? some of us see Election as a must, that you seem to be happy with selection ....
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Dave Hollins | 31/03/2010 6:27 pm
Same old moan about elections but no-one has ever said how you could ever organise elections amongst the 8 million people living in social housing who would be eligible. Some councils fail to organise elections effectively for just a few hundred thousand people - it is a huge task.
So I wish the NTV well, anyone involved in the process of selection knows it was done on merit and very thoroughly (and no, I wasn't selected!). There's lots to do, they look like a reasonable bunch of people, so let them get on with it before passing judgement.
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Jimjam | 31/03/2010 8:09 pm
Oh where oh where are the new, fresh faces? Where are the young tenants out there? Why do we persit with the usual suspects?!! Just as disapointing as the same predictable board appointments to the TSA itself............its all very sad for the future of housing.........
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Len White | 06/04/2010 9:54 am
I hate the use of the term 'usual suspects'. That normally means people who have devoted their lives to working for tenants and have a lot of knowledge and experience. Such people should be congratulated for their huge contributions, even if you don't agree with everything they say or do, I can't see what is gained by insulting them.
If you look at the people on the NTV Board, I think there is a good mix of people who have experience at a national level and people who have never been involved in national organisations before, all selected through exhaustive interviews and assessments. Backbiting will get tenants nowhere at all.
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