Diana Sandifer is Crawley council’s new head of housing strategic services. Previously the council’s housing operations manager, she has worked for the council since 1986. She is an Apex assessor and chair of the south-east region of the Chartered Institute of Housing.
Jehan Weerasinghe
Jehan Weerasinghe is the new programme coordinator for Quadrant Community Investment, part of London & Quadrant. He will coordinate the QCI programme, which supports neighbourhood renewal, local labour schemes, community finance and community assets.
Paul Martin
Moat Housing Group has appointed Paul Martin as its new project manager for its care and repair scheme in Dartford and Gravesham, Kent. He joined Moat four years ago as repairs and maintenance officer. He has worked for Lloyds TSB and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Bill Brown
Bill Brown has joined Threshold Housing as its first director of human resources and corporate services. He will oversee fundraising, public relations and personnel.
He was formerly director of human resources at Brighton and Hove council.
Conor Lanigan
Conor Lanigan has joined Linkwide as community regeneration officer. Linkwide works with tenants, local people and agencies to create sustainable communities.
One of his first projects will be supporting the economic regeneration of the Dawson area of Falkirk, Scotland.
Jugal Sharma
Jugal Sharma has joined Brighton and Hove council as assistant director of housing. He will have responsibility for housing strategy, needs, allocations, private sector services, Supporting People and Carelink. He was housing needs manager at Hillingdon council, west London, for four years.
Ainsley Forbes
Ainsley Forbes has been elected the chair of Tower Homes. He was a regional committee member of London & Quadrant, Tower’s parent organisation, and assistant director of social services for Lambeth Council.
Sheila Rosewarne and Sheila Young
Maldon councillors Sheila Rosewarne and Sheila Young have joined the board of Plume Housing Association. Shelia Rosewarne is also on the Community Health Council and the management committee of the Citizens’ Advice Bureau, while Sheila Young is a member of the regional tourist board and the Association of Essex Councils’ community safety committee.
Suzanna Hardie and Judith Comber
Swathling Housing Society has two new maintenance coordinators, Suzanna Hardie and Judith Comber. Both new to housing, Suzanna was a deputy manager in retail and Judith worked for British Bakeries.
Job of the week
Paul Smith
New job
Consultancy director, Heart of England Consultancy (part of the Heart of England Housing Group)
Job specification
“To run the existing independent tenant adviser service and expand the business into new areas including training, regeneration and neighbourhood renewal, management consulting and research related to these activities. The role is to generate surplus revenues to plough back into the group’s social housing provision.”
Previous job
Chief executive, Housing Potential UK – the skills agency for housing.
If you were housing minister what would you do to improve the housing situation in the UK?
“I would seek a drastic simplification of housing financial systems and review the inclusion of local authority capital in the PSBR. I would place the creative management of social housing at the heart of neighbourhood renewal with residents leading the direction of local service integration.”
Do you have any role models?
“To avoid the obvious, Nelson Mandela, I will go for the defender of the truth against ignorance and bigotry, Galileo.”
Favourite book
“A choice between: The Prince by Machiavelli, Fame is the Spur by Howard Spring and Germinal by Emile Zola.”
Favourite TV show
“Star Trek: the Next Generation – a guide to the proactive deployment of resources.”
Favourite film
“The Magnificent Seven – a parable on the transitory nature of consultants.”
Hobbies
“Local history, days out with my family, tsunami puzzles, theoretical physics and going to meetings.”
What did you want to be when you were a child?
“When I was a child I wanted to be Mr Spock, hence my doing a degree in astrophysics.”
Source
Housing Today
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