Kevin Brady has been appointed as the new chair of Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) by the elected tenants and employees on the mutual’s representative body.
His appointment comes as the housing mutual continues its recovery from the scandal over the death in 2020 two-year-old tenant Awaab Ishak in a mould-infected flat.
Brady was appointed by the representative body on 17 April and took up his role the following day. He brings a broad range and depth of experience in housing and central and local government, and RBH says he will “play a vital role” as it implements its recovery plan and “rebuilds trust with tenants, communities, and partner organisations”.
“I am delighted to be appointed as the new chair of the RBH board,” said Brady. “Although there are some huge challenges ahead, I am looking forward to working with RBH employees and tenants to make sure that we deliver our recovery plan and make sure that we provide the high quality homes and services that our tenants and communities expect and deserve.
Related: What next for social housing after the Rochdale Boroughwide tragedy?
“As a resident of Middleton, I know how important it is that the borough’s main social housing provider is strong and successful.”
Jonathan Wenn, RBH employee representative and chair of the nominations committee, said: “We are delighted to confirm the appointment of Kevin Brady as the new chair of the RBH Board. Kevin is a long term resident of the borough and brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to his new role. The nominations committee were very impressed with Kevin throughout the process.
“We are glad he is joining RBH and look forward to working with him as we meet the challenges RBH faces.”
RBH says Brady’s appointment followed an extensive process led by a nominations committee comprised of employee representatives Jonathan Wenn and Yasmeen Hasnain, tenant representative Andrew Johnson, and non-executive director Larry Gold.
