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Election leads to Brian being welcome on 'board'
09 July 2010

Election leads to Brian being welcome on 'board'

With the General Election still fresh in the memory, Railway Housing Association has struck another blow for democracy – by electing one of its residents onto the Board!

The Association has welcomed 69-year-old Brian Goole to its Board of Trustees. The Board is responsible for the governance of the Association, ensuring its legal and regulatory responsibilities are met

Brian and his wife Joyce, who live in Lemington, Newcastle, only moved into their Railway Housing Association property last year, but immediately took an active role in the community.

Brian joined one of the local focus groups, which promote interaction between the Association and its residents, and then considered running for election to the Railway Housing Association Board.

Along with other interested residents Brian had a crash course in the workings of housing associations and then decided to apply. He agreed and was surprised, but delighted when he discovered he had been elected.

He said: “At first I thought I would prefer to wait another year as this is the first time I have lived in a housing association property and I didn’t know what was involved in being on a board.

“However, I am a good listener and I knew by attending meetings, talking to people and basically fast-tracking my knowledge of the housing association sector, I could quickly come up to speed.

“I have always believed in being active in the community and by being on the board I can not only represent the interests of people in my area, but also Railway tenants across the UK.”

Brian, who ran his own painting and decorating business before handing the reins to his son Graeme, is the second resident board member at Railway Housing Association.

The first, Alan Gay, 80, became a board member a few years ago and has already been made Chair of the Association’s Human Resources Committee.

Alan, who lives in Market Weighton, York, said: “In my time on the board I feel I have helped fellow board members to see things from the perspective of residents and this influenced some of the decisions that have been made.

“It is a very enjoyable and rewarding role and by being involved I think I am giving something back to residents, by representing their interests, and also to Railway Housing Association for providing me with a home.”

Anne Rowlands, Chief Executive of Railway Housing Association, said: “We are delighted to welcome our second resident board and if Brian makes as much impact as Alan has we will be very pleased.

“The Tenant Services Authority, the organisation that regulates housing associations in the UK, requires landlords to involve and empower their tenants, and by allocating places on our board we believe there is no better way than demonstrating our commitment to our residents.”