New faces on the RBH board

New RBH board member Tom Hilton

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Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, responsible for managing 14,000 council homes across the town, has two new tenant board members. The board directs company business and comprises thirteen members including tenants, councillors and independents.

During this summer’s tenant election campaign, two candidates – one from Rochdale North and one from Pennines - submitted applications that met the criteria by the deadline. As a result they were both “elected unopposed”.

Thomas Hilton, 43, from Falinge has lived and worked in Rochdale all his life and currently works in sales in a local electrical shop. He grew up in the Spotland and Greave area attending the former Redbrook and Greenhill High schools. He also spent a period of time in College Bank and Syke with his two sons.

A keen Rochdale Football Club fan and fisherman, he feels his time living on the estates will help him provide a tenant’s viewpoint.

Mr Hilton said: “I'm a firm believer in opportunity for everyone and hope that by helping in any way I can to provide safe housing, which will help promote the local area to businesses and continue the good work being done by RBH to improve the quality of life for local people.”

Peter Brierley, a retired engineer from Wardle, has a remarkable track record in championing tenants’ views having been a tenant since 1976.

Their appointments as Board members of Rochdale Boroughwide Housing will be formally accepted at the Annual General Meeting on 23 September.

Mr Brierley's term of office is for three years and Mr Hilton's term of office is for two years, as he fills a vacancy created by a board member who moved away from the area.