Roland Ashley, the chairman of Beth Johnson Housing Group, has died aged 57.
Ashley, a former regional officer for the National Housing Federation North and a popular and respected figure in the sector, suffered a heart attack near his home in Manchester on Sunday.

Lloyd Bradshaw, Beth Johnson's chief executive, said: "Roland was one of Beth Johnson's key figures.

"He made an immense contribution to our work and will be greatly missed by his fellow board members and staff."

Jim Coulter, NHF chief executive, said: "Everybody who knew him is shocked and saddened by his death.

"He was our first regional officer in the North and a pioneer of our self-build work."

Since leaving the NHF in 1991, Ashley worked as a consultant,

most recently as chief executive of Trust Thamesmead, a charitable organisation supporting the residents of Thamesmead and Abbeywood in south-east London.

Ashley was a founding member of Stoke-on-Trent-based Beth Johnson and was elected chairman in 2001. The housing association, which was founded in 1971, does not know who will succeed him.

Source

Housing Today