NFA Board

  • Sue Roberts MBE

    NFA Chair

    Wolverhampton Homes

    Tenant Chair

    Sue has been a Wolverhampton Council tenant since 1976 and is a passionate tenant activist in the city. Prior to becoming a tenant board member, she was a member of the Tenants’ Federation and Secretary of her local tenant and resident association.

    She has been a powerful champion of the Wolverhampton ALMO since the idea was initially considered in 2003/04, and served on the shadow board for two years. Sue says: “I decided that instead of going on about housing issues, I would get involved in the ALMO movement, as I believed, and still do, that it was the only way the organisation would make Wolverhampton’s council homes decent.”

    She was elected to the Board in October 2005 when Wolverhampton Homes went live and became Chair in 2008.

    Awarded an MBE for Services to Social Housing in the 2011 New Year Honours, Sue says: ”Now that, as a sector, we are delivering decent homes, my vision is to see more tenants getting involved with our services because that is what transforms services for the better."

  • Rupert Tyson MBE

    Board Director NFA

    Hackney Homes

    Tenant Chair

    Rupert is chairman of the Hackney Homes Board.

    Rupert has lived in the Dalston area of Hackney for over 24 years and has been involved on tenants’ and residents’ associations and neighbourhood panels for as long as he can remember.

    As well as his experience as a resident, he brings 20 years’ housing management experience to his role as chair.

    He says: “I am committed to working with Hackney Homes staff, Hackney Council and partners to deliver a first class housing service. Key to this is involving residents and ensuring that we are engaging with the diverse communities that we serve.”

    In his time as chair, Hackney Homes has been accredited as a two-star housing authority by the Audit Commission, staff satisfaction has improved to high levels and the organisation is winning more and more awards for innovation and excellence in services.

    Rupert is also the Health and Safety Board Member Champion –he has overseen a raft of improvements culminating in the recent three stars award from the British Safety Council.

    Rupert was recently awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours List for services to housing in Hackney.

  • Theresa Coyle MBE

    Board Director NFA

    Homes for Islington

    Tenant Chair

    Theresa was elected as Chair of HFI's Board in November 2009. She joined the Board in 2003 and has been re-elected to it twice. She has been very active in determining HFI's decent homes policy and delivery, having been the Chair of the Asset Management Committee since 2005.

    Theresa is a secure council tenant who has lived in Islington all her life and works full-time managing a multi-use community centre in the borough. For over ten years, Theresa has been involved in tenant consultation and participation, chairing the Tenants' Association and the local Area Housing Panel. Over the years, she has increasingly taken on more roles including being an Islington Strategic Partnership tenant representative. She also has extensive experience of managing and distributing budgets. Theresa was previously a director of FITA (Federation of Islington’s Tenants Associations) and has also worked for the Audit Commission as a resident inspector.

  • Ginette Hughes

    NFA Vice Chair

    Newark and Sherwood Homes

    Independent Chair

    Ginette has been on the Board of the National Federation of ALMOs since 2009. She is the Chair of Newark and Sherwood Homes and has been involved with that organisation since 2004. Her day job is Managing Director of a firm of architects and civil and structural engineers. She has 16 years’ experience as a magistrate, is a Fellow of the RSA and a Member of the Institute of Directors.

    Ginette understands the importance social housing plays in building communities and creating life chances. Having lived her formative years in social housing in Garthamlock, Glasgow and Waltham Abbey, Essex, she knows from personal experience the impact that housing services and their success or failure can have on tenants and communities.

    Ginette is committed to ensuring that tenants have the opportunity to contribute and influence the communities in which they live. Through their involvement they can assist in creating safe, secure, adaptable, and comfortable accommodation that promotes and enhances the community. Her desire to succeed and to develop herself extends to those she comes into contact with. It is through this drive that she seeks to improve the life experience of tenants.

  • Bill Constance

    Board Director NFA and Chair of Communications Sub-committee

    Photo of Bill Constance

    Poole Housing Partnership

    Independent Chair

    Bill has been Chair of Poole Housing Partnership since its inception in 2003.

    Prior to being involved with PHP, he was the marketing director for a multinational company.

    Poole Housing Partnership has twice been assessed by the Audit Commission as a three-star excellent organisation, most recently with ‘excellent prospects’.

    The Audit Commission said “the quality of leadership by the Board and Chief Executive is strong”.

  • Janet Dean

    Board Director NFA

    Sheffield Homes

    Independent Chair

    Janet is Director of a regeneration consultancy which provides strategic advice to national agencies and interim resourcing for organisations and partnerships. She is also a board member of Sheffield Hallam University and Yorkshire and Humber Strategic Health Authority. During a successful career in the public sector, Janet established a national reputation for partnership working and neighbourhood renewal, and pioneered work on developing community strategies through local strategic partnerships.

  • Hugh Broadbent

    NFA Vice Chair

    Six Town Housing

    Independent Chair

    Hugh was appointed as independent chair of Six Town Housing in late 2010. Hugh was previously CEO of First Choice Homes Oldham from its inception in 2002.

    Hugh says: “The ALMO movement has emphatically brought tenants centrestage, as evidenced by the success of the NFA in connecting tenants to MPs and government. ALMOs can be the embodiment of the Big ‘Society’. They are significant social enterprises that have shown themselves to be very enterprising, and with a strong NFA can demonstrate their ‘localism’ credentials.”

  • Phil Lyons

    Board Director NFA and Member of Communications Sub-committee

    South Essex Homes

    Tenant Chair

    Phil has been a social housing tenant almost all of his life. He grew up in London but has lived in Southend for the last ten years, and became involved with South Essex Homes in March 2005.

    He was elected chair of the Board in June of that year and has also been a member of the Chartered Institute of Housing’s Eastern Region since 2008, and now sits on their committee as the communications officer.

    Phil is passionate about social housing, and while understanding that the present shortage needs some radical solutions does not accept that it should be a choice of last resort: “It’s absolutely fine that some families should choose to live in social housing, and that should not mean that they’re feckless, or spongers, or even broken: it should just mean that that they don’t want to own a home but that the private rented sector doesn’t give them the stability that families need.”

    Phil will work with the NFA to keep the profile raised and to bring housing up on the coalition’s agenda.

  • Barbara Dennis OBE

    Board Director NFA

    The Gateshead Housing Company

    Independent Chair

    Barbara was appointed to the Board in January 2004 following establishment of the company. She was appointed as Chair of the Board in May 2006.

    Barbara currently runs her own training company, P3 Coaching. She is a Board member of One NorthEast, as well as a member of the National Housing Federations Care and Support committee.

    Barbara was previously Chief Executive of Norcare Housing.