The fall-out from Places for People group's boardroom dispute continued this week as prospective tenants raised concerns about the association's governance just weeks before a crucial transfer ballot.
Tenants on the Tollington estates in Islington, north London, will vote on stock transfer to the Places for People Group in mid-November, but have been unsettled by the row.

This week restaurateur Prue Leith became the second independent board member to resign in less than a week. Guardian journalist David Walker left after the group's annual general meeting 10 days ago (HT 26 September, page 7). Two other independent members were voted off the board. The group had previously criticised the association's governance and its chairman.

The local anti-transfer lobby has been spreading the story to persuade tenants against voting for stock transfer.

Theresa Coyle, chair of the Islington LINKS association, which represents local tenants and has been involved in negotiations on the proposed stock transfer, said the boardroom wrangling could not have come at a more sensitive time. "There has always been some concern about whether to agree to stock transfer – whether we should trust a housing association to become our landlord," she said.

"If it can do this to its own board members then it is truly worrying. Walker and Leith had no axe to grind and yet when they didn't play ball they were pushed out. It doesn't send out the right message."

The three estates – which consist of a total of 1650 properties in total – could share investment of £140m if North British Housing, part of the Place for People Group, wins tenants' approval.

Richard Atkinson, chair of North British, said: "The recent Place for People board re-elections in no way affect the work that NBH is doing in Tollington."

  • Judith Harris Jones, one of the independent board members voted off last week, is compiling a dossier on the group's governance failings. Harris-Jones was the chair of Places of People's audit committee.

    • Source

    Housing Today