Tenant prepares for first council meeting
Published: Monday, 12 December, 2016
Stroud District Council tenant Ian Allan is busy meeting resident groups in preparation for his groundbreaking appointment as a tenant representative on the council’s housing committee.
Sheltered housing resident Ian, who has been a Stroud District Council tenant for almost five years, was appointed by an independent panel in October and will attend his first committee meeting on 20th December.
Ian's role will be to represent the views of over 7,000 council tenants at the housing committee, using both his personal experiences as a tenant, along with feedback from others.
A council tenant since 2011, Ian hopes that his background as a chartered insurer and business owner will help him to help tenants communicate with the council.
Ian’s interest in tenant involvement started shortly after he moved to Vizard Close, Dursley, when he joined the council’s assets service development group which aimed to link tenants with council staff. He went on to become the chair of Stroud Council Housing Forum which has now been succeeded in favour of tenant roles on the housing committee.
Ian said:
"I'm delighted to have been chosen to represent tenants. I see this role as a vital link between tenants and the council. It’s about opening a line of communication in both directions."
He added:
"I want to help tenants to make the most of the opportunities available to them. I’m not afraid to speak up and say what works, and what doesn't."
Gathering the views of a wide range of tenants will be key to Ian’s role, and in order to help him do this he has already started to attend monthly tenant meetings.
Chair of the council’s tenants & residents’ forum Shirley Histead said:
"I think Ian’s appointment is a positive move and we will learn a lot about the workings of the housing department from him."
A panel of councillors and tenants appointed independent housing experts The Housing Quality Network (HQN) to carry out the recruitment process which resulted in Ian’s appointment, and the search is now on for a second tenant.
Cllr Mattie Ross, chair of the council’s housing committee said:
"This is a natural progression on the way we work with our tenants at Stroud District Council and I believe that having two tenant reps on our housing committee, who are engaged in debate and discussion, is the right way to go. I am delighted that housing committee has taken this step to work more closely with our tenants, and we all look forward to working together for everyone’s benefit."
Any tenant who is interested in applying for the role and would like more information should contact HQN on 01904 557191 or email stroudtenants@hqnetwork.co.uk
The deadline for applications is Sunday 8th January 2017.