NFA Awards: Meet the Judges

  • Michael Gelling

    Chair, TAROE (Tenants and Residents Organisations of England)
    Michael Gelling

    Michael is the Chairperson of his local estate Neighbourhood Forum, Palace Fields in Runcorn and is also a delegate and founding member of Runcorn Residents Federation, which traditionally covered a New Town area. Michael served on the local Council for sixteen years and held a number of positions including that of Vice Chair of Housing, Chair of Personal Committee and the Social Services Committee. He has continued his involvement in the Housing arena through his membership of the Tenants and Residents Organisations of England of which he is the Chair. Michael served as the Vice Chair of the Guinness Trust North Regional Board for four years as an independent member.

    In Runcorn where he lives Michael is involved in many voluntary and community groups which cover the disciplines of community safety, poverty, disability, credit union, youth, welfare rights, education and drug issues. Michael is also the Company Secretary of Halton Community Partnership Trust, a one-stop shop for voluntary sector, is the Chairperson of Hallwood Park and Palace Fields Neighbourhood Management Board and also Chairperson of a seventy place Community Nursery. Michael has served for the past twenty-six years as a Lay Member of the Employment Tribunal Service and currently Chairs the Lay Members Association in Liverpool.

  • Alison Inman

    Chair, National Federation of ALMOs
    Alison Inman

    Alison was announced as the new Chair of the National Federation of ALMOs (NFA) in June 2009. Having sat on the NFA Board since 2008, Alison has been instrumental in promoting the NFA's increasing national influence and says central to her role will be continuing to grow its authority with national and local Government, policy makers and national media, championing the interests of ALMOs.

    A mum, magistrate and law graduate, Alison was elected Chair of Colchester Borough Homes - the Essex-based ALMO which manages 6,300 homes - in 2008, having been an independent board member since 2007. She has worked in the welfare rights field for a number of years and has extensive local government and voluntary sector experience.

    Her role as a magistrate in the local adult and family courts as well as over 15 years involved with women's aid and victim support organisations has resulted in a passionate belief in the importance of proactive measures to help struggling communities.

    As Chair of Governors at the Willow Brook Primary School, a 'Fresh Start' school, Alison and the Governors challenged the traditional way the school was run, integrating it into the community, raising both the aspiration and attainment levels of its 200 pupils making it a successful and vibrant community asset.

  • Roger Jarman

    Head of Housing at the Audit Commission
    Roger Jarman

    Roger Jarman is the Head of Housing at the Audit Commission, the independent watchdog for local public services in England. Roger has worked as an academic as well as in local government. He has also worked for a range of central agencies in housing including the Housing Corporation where he spent eight years in a variety of roles from 1991.

    Roger moved to the Audit Commission in 1999 and has worked in research as well as inspection. He was Head of Housing (London) from April 2008 for over 12 months. In early 2007 he was seconded to Communities and Local Government to work on the Cave Review. He took up his current post in May 2009.

Further judges are currently being sought, these will be confirmed shortly.