Tenant led housing panel for North Down and Ards

Social housing tenants in North Down and Ards will be offered a greater say in the future of their neighbourhoods with the creation of new local tenant-led panels by the Housing Executive.

Tenant Scrutiny Panels are being set up across Northern Ireland giving Housing Executive tenants a voice to ensure that local offices are delivering the services required in their areas and to the level of quality expected by tenants.

In North Down and Ards – which encompasses the offices in Bangor and Newtownards – tenants from across the area, which stretches from Holywood to Portaferry, will scrutinise services they feel are most important to tenants in the coming year.

For the Bangor office’s area tenants will be represented by Mark Gordon, Cecil Watson, Barry Craig, Louise Green, Alice Douglas, Ann Martin, Les Nelson, Isobelle Hamilton, Heather Courtney, William Anderson, Louise Little, Mina Stanfield and Margaret McMahon.  Meanwhile Newtownards office’s remit will be represented by Debbie Cox, Jim Jackson, William Sproule, Irene Dempster, Sandra Henderson, Frances McCormick, Ellen Allen, Kaye Boyle, Tommy Beck, Roberta Campbell, William McVea, Ian Cox, Margaret Cox and Dougie Vance.

The group meets three times a year and members have said they are looking forward to the year ahead.

Owen Brady, Area Manager for North Down and Ards, said the new panels will ensure that the Housing Executive works in an active and meaningful partnership with communities.

In addition to Tenant Scrutiny Panels, the Housing Executive has also formed resident and inter-agency partnerships in the North Down and Ards area. These partnerships will enable residents to make their estates and areas better places in which to live by taking part in ventures such as joint working groups, community partnerships and estate inspections.