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The Board of the National Tenant Voice has met for the first time after Housing Minister John Healey approved its board appointments, and has selected Michael Gelling as its Chair.
The National Tenant Voice will give those eight million tenants living in social housing in England a strong voice, to enable them to speak up at all levels of housing policy and so that they might better influence national policy as it affects them. Supported by the Government, the organisation will be accountable to tenants across England, reflecting their views through consultation and research.
A fifty strong Council of tenants from across England has already been established as part of the new organisation, from which the following nine tenant board members have been appointed:
Nic Bliss, Cora Carter, Brenda Chester, Carole Donnelly, Michael Gelling, Ann Harris, Joseph Kargbo, John Paul Maytum and Pol O'Gray.
A further six non-national tenant council appointments have been made following a public recruitment exercise:
Steven Bright, Professor Tony Crook, Maccs Pescatore,
Maggie Shannon, Ian Youll and Andrew Young.
Recruitment to the board has been carried out in line with Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA) guidelines.
The Minister for Housing John Healey said:
"The National Tenant Voice is now up and running. It will be run by tenants for the benefit of tenants and will speak up for the eight million people living in public housing across England.
"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's Voice and will help shape housing policy for the future."
Notes to editors:
1. The National Tenant Voice (NTV) has been established as a new Arms Length Body, sponsored by Communities and Local Government, to give tenants living in social housing in England a stronger consumer voice so that they might better influence national policy as it affects them. NTV Board appointments are not remunerated.
2. Proposals for the NTV have been led by the tenant movement working closely with Government through a project group. The NTV will have an advocacy, research and support role.
3. The Board of the NTV includes fifteen members. Nine members have been appointed from the fifty strong National Tenant Council which met for the first time in January. A further six non-council members have been appointed having been recruited through open competition.
4. All Board posts are Ministerial appointments and therefore recruitment has been carried out in line with Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA) guidelines.
5. The process of recruitment to the National Tenant Council and the Board has been overseen by an Accountability Committee (AC) as a sub-group of the NTV Project Group.
6. The NTV Chair has been selected from the nine tenant board members. Ministers have agreed that the Board be responsible for selecting its Chair from a list of candidates recommended by the Accountability Committee. The Board met for the first time on Monday, 29 March and selected Michael Gelling as Chair. Michael is currently Chair of the Tenants and Residents Organisation of England and was a member of the NTV Project Group.
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