Our Housing Advisory Board
Our Housing Advisory Board is made up of 14 volunteers, dedicated to improving their community and the lives of residents in north Manchester.
They oversee the delivery of services to the Council’s housing stock by reviewing performance in all areas and overseeing our resident engagement activities.
The board is Chaired by Councillor Gavin White, our Executive member for Housing and Development. He is joined by local councillors, residents and professionals.
Watch this space for more about them and their motivations and aspirations for their communities.
The Board is responsible for overseeing the delivery of the housing services to the Council’s housing stock; primarily in, but not limited to, North Manchester. This includes the monitoring of the performance of all housing functions and the engagement of residents in the effective delivery of services.
As an advisory board (subject to political balance rules) it has no decision-making powers of its own but may make recommendations to the Council or the Council’s Executive on matters relating to the discharge of their housing functions, insofar as those functions relate to the Council’s housing stock.
The Commitee will be composed of:
- six elected councillors - the board will be chaired by the Executive Member with portfolio responsibility for Housing Management and the remaining five elected councillors will ordinarily represent North Manchester Wards (i.e. Charlestown, Crumpsall, Harpurhey, Higher Blackley, Moston, Cheetham and Miles Platting and Newton Heath).
- five co-opted residents from the Council’s housing stock - residents will be appointed to the board by the Council. Elections may need to be used to decide which nominees are put forward to the Council for consideration. Resident appointees will serve a maximum two-year term.
- up to three co-opted non-resident members - co-optees can be appointed to the board by the Council, following recommendations from the Board. Co-optees will provide independent specialist support and advice when required.
As this is an advisory board, all members of the committee may vote, including co-opted members.
- 18 May 2023
White Moss Road 6pm - 8pm
- 20 July 2023
White Moss Road 6pm – 8pm
- 28 September 2023
White Moss Road 6pm – 8pm
- 30 November 2023
White Moss Road 6pm – 8pm
Meetings will be held on a regular agreed basis throughout the year, at least six times annually. Dates of meetings will be scheduled to be included in the Council’s annual timetable of meetings. All meetings will be in person and, where possible, will be held at suitable venues in the North Manchester area.
The meetings will be serviced by the Council’s Commercial Governance Team, working closely with the Governance and Scrutiny Support Unit.
Meeting Quorum is 5 and must include a mix of both elected members and resident representatives to ensure balance.
Training will be arranged for Members so that they can contribute fully to the governance and oversight of services and provide appropriate challenge where necessary.
The board will be subject to the Council Procedure Rules and the Access to Information Procedure Rules in line with any other Council committee.
All board Members must sign and adhere to the Member Code of Conduct as operated by Manchester City Council.
These Terms of Reference will be reviewed on an annual basis at the start of the municipal year and if any changes are required, they will be taken back to Council for approval.
- Monitor performance and delivery of the consumer standard including the new satisfaction measures.
- Promote equalities and the diverse interest of residents and leaseholders.
- Monitor the impacts of investment in ensuring the Council maintains decent homes, fire and building safety and customer satisfaction.
- Provide reports to the Council’s Executive and to relevant Scrutiny Committees.
- Review draft reports on significant decisions to be taken by the Council in relation to the housing function.
- Be consulted on and advise on key changes to strategy, key policies, significant service changes and development proposals.
- Aim for the composition of the Committee and Resident Groups to be reflective of the diverse communities within North Manchester (and the city).
- Have sight of any scrutiny reports that are produced from any service audits or reviews that are carried out.
- Provide oversight of the savings to the HRA projected by virtue of the transfer of the service back to the Council.
- Receive and consider complaints data to inform service delivery.
- Have oversight of the risk register for the housing service.
- Review the connectivity of the core housing provision with neighbourhoods and other community delivery impacts. Particular reference to environmental investment and community safety.
- Monitor the debt management and financial inclusion services to ensure that tenancies are sustained whilst income is managed.
- Act in accordance with the Council’s powers and responsibilities and its Constitution.
Gavin White
"I believe it is really important that everyone in our city has access to a decent, safe, affordable and sustainable place to live - a place they can truly call home.
Serving as chair on the housing advisory board, alongside other residents, councillors and other board members is one of the key ways we can achieve that for our 12,500 households in North Manchester.
I love North Manchester, it has a really strong sense of identity. Our council homes should be at the heart of these areas in our city, and provide homes that help our residents to live in vibrant, healthy and sustainable communities."
Paula Sadler
I’m Paula Sadler and I’m a Councillor for Higher Blackley. I’ve lived in Collyhurst Village for the past 40 years so I have a strong connection to north Manchester.
I worked for Manchester City Council for 24 years firstly as an information officer, then a housing officer and then a rehousing officer so I got a real insight into housing during my career.
I joined the board because I wanted to build on this experience and to make sure residents are treated fairly. The current climate is difficult with many people needing a home and so few homes available.
I’d like to see more homes being built, specifically more one-bedroomed properties to free up family homes and reduce overcrowding.
I feel very privileged to be working on behalf of tenants and residents. Sometimes it can be frustrating when I can’t do things for them. I am hopeful that being on this board will give me more opportunities to be in a position to help.
Paula Appleby
I am Paula Appleby, Councillor for Moston Ward since 2015.
I have lived in Moston all my life and my aim and determination is to make Moston and New Moston a better place for all residents to live, work and play.
I am very pleased that Northwards Housing is now back with the Council and I am very proud and excited to be on the first Board.
My first three priorities (I have many more) for Moston Ward are:
- to reduce the time, it takes for a vacant property to be ‘ready to let’ and for a family or new resident to take up occupation in as short a time as possible
- to ensure the Council services and former Northwards services come together as one, one Council delivering to all residents, I want to see an end to “that’s Northwards responsibility” or “that’s Council’s responsibility”
- to ensure our environment is maintained to a high standard, clean streets, well-maintained communal spaces and residents and the Council working together in making our environment better.
TBC
The independents
Safeena Rather
I have worked in the housing sector for over 15 years, and I am passionate about social housing and social justice. My focus on the board in an advisory capacity will be around how we improve the delivery of services to residents and how we can make the customer journey easier for people.
I have experience in delivering a new service delivery model and I’m excited about how the board will develop to suggest improvements for the future.
I currently work in the housing sector where I am responsible for the delivery of key business priorities, objectives and performance indicators within Neighbourhoods. This includes responsibility for the effective delivery of services covering Neighbourhood & Tenancy Management, Anti-Social Behaviour, Income Collection and Allocations.
I live in North Manchester and have an understanding of the challenges we face; therefore I want to help shape great services in an area that I love.
Stephen Repton
I was born in Harpurhey and raised in Moston so I know the area well and understand the challenges faced by people in the community.
I am passionate about social housing. In my career, I have worked on transformation projects on IT and digital within the sector and I’ve seen for myself the benefits digital inclusion brings to communities, making a difference in everyday lives.
I want to share my skills and knowledge with young residents, to help them to build up decent careers and sustain their homes, and I’m keen to see environmental improvements, improve the look and feel of neighbourhoods, helping to build safe inclusive communities.
Chris Forrester
I have been working within the social housing sector for almost a decade. Most of which has been spent working in Manchester. I started my career as a Strategic Housing Apprentice at Derby City Council.
I then moved into various roles across the sector from Supply Chain to Governance and Housing Management to Development. My current role is Group Sales and Marketing Manager at Incommunities (a housing association across West Yorkshire).
My personal passion is helping people onto the property ladder and this can also help free up social homes for people who really need them.
I wanted to get involved with the board to help improve the housing service in my city. I feel I have a lot of experience and passion to give and see my role as helping to support the other members.
The tenant representatives
Phillip Foran
I have lived in north Manchester for 16 years, I brought my family up here, it feels like home, and everyone is so down-to-earth and friendly.
I work for Trafford Borough Council, I manage a team arranging discharge from hospital and urgent care so I have an understanding of the pressures local authorities are under.
I joined the board because I am interested in helping the department to save money whilst delivering better services. I’d like to see call waiting times improve and more effective repair ordering systems. I have a track record of achieving this in my own work so I wanted to see if I could deliver that here.
I like to give back where I can and volunteering helps me to achieve this.
Susan Taylor
I’ve lived in north Manchester all my life and for the last 15 years I’ve lived in Ancoats to be closer to my family. I love how unique the area is and how our industrial heritage surrounds us, I like the sympathetic developments that have taken place. Generations of my family lived here and I feel like I belong.
I feel there is a lack of affordable housing in north Manchester and I’m sad to see many facilities have gone such as shops, libraries and community centres. I’d like to see more opportunities for people to come together and get to know each other.
I joined the board so I could be a voice for my community and to get a greater insight into the council and how things work, I’d like to see more people get involved and take pride in where they live and I want to help to shape a better future for younger residents.
Norman Hesketh-Hart
Being a tenant of 25 years with past involvement in many committees has given me insight into how the structures work and how to encourage change to happen. I feel now there is a great opportunity to reset the goals and I’ve noticed a willingness to do so.
I would like to help establish better relationships between residents and the landlord and to see communication improve.
New methods are needed, old methods need revising, and a new, better rapport needs to be established. I hope to be instrumental in this area.
In a broader sense, I hope to achieve a better relationship between tenants and our landlord, with tenants having confidence that our landlord is making every effort to encourage a feeling of genuinely being at the heart of how the organisation works.
TBC
