South Essex Homes has been elected to represent the London and southern region of England on the Board of the National Federation of ALMOs, the national body that represents half of all council housing in England.

South Essex Homes Chair, Phil Lyons, will act as a non executive director on the Board and will be supported by Chief Executive Mike Gatrell.

In his new role, Phil will join the nine-strong Board as the sole representative for the southern region of the UK and will play an important role in deciding the future of council housing.

The National Federation of ALMOs is the national trade body for England’s 60 Arms Length Management Organisations (ALMOs), which together manage over one million council properties - half of all council housing. As a Board Member, Phil will vote on key housing issues and work to improve the conditions of council tenants nationally. 

Commenting on his appointment, Phil said: “I am delighted that South Essex Homes has been chosen to represent our region and I will work hard to build on the achievements of the NFA so far in promoting council housing as an option of choice, rather than one of last resort. As a council tenant myself, I am very familiar with the issues tenants face and I will ensure that the views of council residents are heard at a national level.”    

“One of the key issues I intend to tackle is the housing shortage in this country. There is simply not enough housing to meet demand and in Southend and across the UK, more homes need to be built if the situation is ever to improve.”

Phil became Chair of the South Essex Homes Board in 2005 and has overseen a number of key milestones such as the organisation’s successful 2-star inspection in 2009. During Phil’s tenure as Chair, South Essex Homes also became the first social housing body in the UK to be awarded an ‘Excellent’ rating for its equality and diversity practices.

Phil will remain Chair of the South Essex Homes Board and will continue to represent the views of Southend’s council tenants and leaseholders.