If you can remember it, you weren't there
Do you know who I am?
Former Housing Corporation director Max Steinberg is one of the sector's most prominent figures. To the outside world, he's not quite so well known – but that didn't deter him when, late for an important meeting, he flagged down a passing panda and insisted on a police escort to speed up "government business". They agreed, albeit after asking Steinberg's PA: "Who is he, exactly?"

He used the same trick on another occasion, when he was due to meet Guinness Trust head honcho Simon Dow at Heathrow airport for a fact-finding trip to Israel. Steinberg rang the local police and asked for an escort.

They refused, but as Steinberg was en route, a police car pulled up. "Are you Max Steinberg, on a diplomatic mission to Israel?" asked the trusty bobby. He then escorted Steinberg to the airport at top speed, where Dow and airline staff were waiting to applaud our hero as he jumped on to the plane seconds before take-off.

Starry, starry night
Delegates at the Scottish Council for Single Homeless Conference in Edinburgh last week were nearly made homeless themselves – by a troupe of pop stars. By a twist of fate, the MTV awards clashed with the conference and organisers feared the town's hotels wouldn't cope.

Fortunately, Justin and Beyoncé didn't elbow out the best of the homelessness sector. In fact, one starstruck delegate even went home with Dido's autograph.

Reality or flashback?
The entertainment at last week's Local Government Association conference in Liverpool harked back to the good old days, when housing directors wore big afros and Carla Lane sitcoms were funny.

Delegates were treated to a 1960s and 1970s magical mystery tour aboard the LGA's very own yellow submarine (OK, a ferry up and down the Mersey), complete with fancy dress and Fab Four covers band.

Too much workin' for the man, man
Said event was a valuable pressure release for LGA staff – not least David Thompson, who has evidently been working himself nigh into the ground on his secondment from Birmingham council.

"People who work hard must play hard, too," he told Social Animal, before grooving onto the dancefloor to shake his stuff to Eight Days a Week.

A not-so-bleak house
A Norfolk coal barn immortalised in the BBC's television adaptation of Great Expectations has come on to the market.

A mere snip at £170,000, the barn comes with its own piece of quay with mooring for three boats. But, of course … make them houseboats and wham, you've got your very own sustainable community. John Prescott would be proud.

Come on, bring the noise

The antisocial behaviour campaign has been boosted by the creation of a new forum to expose guilty parties to the national media’s steely glare. Stand aside antisocial behaviour orders and repossession proceedings, the ultimate tool to tackle nuisance is: the 2003 “UK’s noisiest home” campaign from the Noise Abatement Society. With submissions being accepted until May 2004, you’ve plenty of time to get your case ready.

Source

Housing Today