‘No’ to board by another name
Richard Rosser’s excellent letter (‘Champions must not be chumps’, Gazette Letters September 6)
Certainly merits comment since it highlights many probable shortcomings associated with Homes for
Islington’s latest waste of money, the tenant Champions election; and must surely serve as a timely warning to all residents! So, why are so many residents opposed to this project? The very latest of many such reorganisations ostensibly designed to “increase” tenant involvement?
Members who attended the Islington Leaseholders Association (ILA) regular monthly meetings and its recent AGM will certainly understand why, since they voted unanimously to boycott the proceedings entirely. They agreed that ILA officers should not stand for election as their representatives. They prefer, and trust, their own independent organisation, to one imposed upon them by councillors; a democratic decision, which I am happy to support.
The assumption that this stance will weaken the organisation could not be further from the truth, and is probably due to a collective form of subliminal indoctrination by the council.
Advocates of the programme will, of course, insist that we should all be playing a part to address the issues of today – true, but just replacing the old Hfi board of directors with one containing four ex Hfi board directors does little to encourage tenants to participate, other than bin their voting cards in absolute disgust. I have already binned my voting card for the champion’s ballot. Why? Because I view the process as simply another attempt to make tenants responsible for the council’s nefarious policy decisions on housing issues.
By installing yet another “vetted” ALMO mark II directors, masquerading as tenant’s representatives, they simply make tenants responsible for the council’s subsequent actions.
Dr Brian Potter
Chairman Islington
Leaseholders Association