Tenant Board Member Elections 2009
There are six tenants, four councillors and four independent people on the Wigan and Leigh Housing Board. This summer we will be holding elections for three Tenant Board Member places on the Board. Council tenants served by the Leigh, Platt Bridge or Wigan Area Housing Offices were recently invited to put themselves forward to join the Board and help make a difference to the lives of tenants in the borough.
Marjorie Marsden, a Tenant Board Member and Vice-chair of the Board explained what the role involves and gave the following advice to prospective candidates:
“I have been a Tenant Board Member for five years and the first thing I will say is that I’m always learning. Tenant Board Members play an important role in ensuring that the housing service meets the highest possible standards. We’re not involved in the day to day running of the organisation which is the responsibility of the management and employees of Wigan and Leigh Housing. The Board is responsible for the overall management of the organisation and sets future goals and priorities making sure that we keep within our financial budgets. As a Board Member you must always act in the best interests of the company but you can use your own experiences to influence the way that services are provided to make sure they meet the needs and priorities of tenants.
You don’t have to be a member of a tenants group to join the Board but you need to show that you have the interests of the community at heart. You are expected to attend and contribute to regular Board meetings, Area Forums and other meetings. You’ll also have to commit your time to reading reports and keeping abreast of what is going on in the organisation. You are given lots of advice and support to help you in the role and if you feel you could make a difference I would say go for it. You’ll find it really worthwhile.”
Tenant Board Members serve for four years on the Board and are then eligible for re-election. Board Members are volunteers but receive out of pocket expenses to cover travel, child care costs etc.
The closing date for applications has now passed. Prospective candidates will be invited to attend an informal interview with a panel of three Board Members before they can proceed to the ballot process. During the interview they will receive a fuller explanation of what is involved in the Tenant Board Member role and the panel will assess whether the candidates have the ability to develop the skills needed to be a Board Member.
Ballot papers will be issued to all tenants in the Leigh, Platt Bridge and Wigan housing management areas in early July and the successful candidates will be invited to join the Board at the company Annual General Meeting on 1st September.
Marjorie Marsden
Tenant Board Member - May 11th 2009
| 
A to Z
Apply for Housing
Repairs
Pay your rent