Residents Champions revealed

The Housing Executive team is made up of a Chair, four tenants, a resident homeowner, a housing association tenant, the Residents’ Champion and four Councillors. The newly elected Residents’ Champion and two Residents’ Vice Champions will lead the new Residents’ Improvement Taskforce, which will make recommendation for service improvements. 

Eight members were voted in following a three week election. 

The five women and three men have been warmly welcomed into post by the Housing Executive's Chair, Islington Council's executive member for tenants, residents and communities, Cllr Barbara Sidnell.

She said:

"Welcome to all members of our first Housing Executive and our new Champions - congratulations to the eight election winners of our housing ballot.

"I'd like to thank all the candidates who put themselves forward for these housing roles and all those who voted.

"It's a great privilege and an enormous responsibility to serve, helping residents have a bigger say in how their council owned homes are run.

"The work starts immediately with professional training to get all our members up to speed on all the issues.

"Expect our Housing Executive and Champions to be making headlines as we work together to put housing at the forefront of council business."

BALLOT RESULT:

Residents' Champion: Theresa Coyle 

Residents' Vice Champions: Susanne Lamido (tenant) and Peter Owen (homeowner)

Tenant (north): Lawrencia Frempong

Tenant (south): Jim Rooke

Partners Tenant: Rose-Marie McDonald

Tenant-led Organisation Tenant representative: David Mulcahy

Homeowner representative: Liana Sparks 

The Housing Executive membership is completed by Councillors Jean-Roger Kaseki, Mick O'Sullivan, Terry Stacy and Claudia Webbe - making 13 members in total.

Electoral Reform Services carried out the ballot on behalf of Islington Council.

During June and July all residents were invited to become candidates and the council held a series of open days and briefings for residents interested in being part of the housing executive.

In early August, following interviews by a panel of residents, an independent tenant advisor and a council officer, a shortlist was drawn up.

The ballot ran from 3 - 21 September, with residents casting their votes by post, ballot box, telephone, SMS and online.

The first meeting of the housing executive will be 23 October at Islington Town Hall, though they are expected to first be presented to the meeting of Council on 11 October.