500th Member signs up to Housing
Mutual
Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH)
officially became the UK’s first
tenant and employee co-owned mutual landlord on 26th March and
already the society is celebrating its
500th Member.
43 year old John Whetton works for Manchester
based ‘Back on Track’, a charity that helps vulnerable adults
re-engage with education. He has been an RBH tenant for over
ten years and welcomes the change to a mutual set up.
“In the 1980’s my parents were very active in the co-operative
housing movement in the Midlands,” he said. “I can remember
how they held resident meetings in our front room and how the
discussions there really helped to make a difference to our local
community - and so I particularly appreciate what RBH is trying to
do.”
RBH Chief Executive, Gareth Swarbrick, said;
“Our new model will help find solutions to the challenges we are
facing and the active involvement of both tenants and employees
will be crucial.
”We are delighted with the way in which both
tenants and employees have supported us and the membership drive is
well on track.”
The mutual model adopted by RBH has a
structure that means tenants and employees can choose to become
members of the new mutual - giving them ownership with the right to
elect their representatives onto a Representative Body. This
will comprise of elected tenants and employees who will be joined
by council representatives and co-opted external
stakeholders. It will monitor the success of the society,
shape the policy framework and prioritise spending. It will
also appoint (and remove) the Board of Directors.
Lynne Brosnan, Chair of the Constitution
Commission at RBH welcomed Mr Whetton to the membership and
explained the work of the committee and how the mutual will develop
in the future.
“The mutual model is about facing the future
together,” she said. “In order to do that there has to be a
consensus about what we want from our housing and our communities
and we are all very excited to be at the forefront of this new
thinking in the housing sector.”
John said that he was keen to get more
involved in the management of the organisation and to have a say in
the way in which RBH develops.
He said: “Personally I have a great fondness
and belief in the mutual model which gives tenants and staff a
genuine voice.”
