I’ve been thinking about our next AGM, September 16 at 6.00pm, Paragon House.

We’ve received a couple of return visits this month. Tim Loughton MP and Minister for Children and Families came to see us for an update about Gold Service.

I was invited to Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour on Friday 18 June for a live discussion about the subject of Good Neighbours. The BBC had already recorded interviews with some residents at Haughton Green – Anne Saxon, Phil Green, Carol Bruder - and Fran Garlick, whose late husband received a most deserved tribute at this year’s TPAS Connecting People Awards Ceremony for his work as a Resident Champion.

23 November 2009 The acute shortage of affordable housing is well known and in the run up to next year’s General Election, we’re going to be hearing a lot more about the difficulties of getting onto the property ladder. Irwell Valley develops brilliant examples of social housing.

September 11 2009 The National Conversation was launched by the Tenant Services Authority in January, giving tenants the chance to tell the TSA that issues matter to them. It comes as no surprise that the initial findings indicate repairs and maintenance of homes, ensuring reasonable or affordable rents and keeping homes up to date and in a decent condition should be the TSA’s key priorities.

Congratulations to all my colleagues for our continuing successes at Irwell Valley.  For the 5th consecutive year, we are ranked amongst the Top 50 Workplaces in the UK listing compiled by the Great Paces To Work Institute, which means that we have also earned a 'laureate award' for sustaining and championing excellence.

Housing Associations were not set up to deal with the criminal justice system but there's a deep-seated recognition that there are an awful lot of very negative events that can happen on an estate.

Happy New Year and I hope you all had a peaceful and joyful Christmas. 2009 will be a critical, challenging and also an exciting time for The Homes and Communities Agency and The Tenant Services Authority - the two bodies formed out of the Housing Corporation and English Partnerships.

Nowhere else on the planet other than in the social housing sector is an organisation required by law to serve people irrespective of their willingness to pay or behave.  Our colleagues are frustrated and insulted because they believe they have to treat the 'neighbour from hell' as a fee-paying customer - and the 'neighbour from hell' can't believe their luck.