Region 7: West Strathclyde

Gerald Casey - Chair

I am Chair of East Renfrewshire Tenants & Residents Federation (ERTRF), secretary of Mearns Village Community Association (MVCA) Registered Tenants Association, and Vice Chair of Mearns Community Council. I was invited to join the committee of the MVCA in 1999 at its inaugural meeting and have been chair and secretary on more than one occasion. Through our involvement with the MVCA we received an invitation to join the newly formed ERTRF and the Mearns Community Council.

Over the last ten years I have served on committees regarding housing allocation policy, common housing register, business and rent setting, Tenant Participation working group, and many others.

Margaret Dymond - Secretary

I live in Paisley, I am single and proud of it, and I have been involved in my local tenants organisation since September 2005 where I became secretary. I am currently a member of Renfrewshire Law Centre, Renfrewshire Public Partnership (CHP), and a Community Councillor for Paisley West & Central Community Council. Recently our council restructured the Tenant Participation Groups and I have been elected onto the panel to select an independent advisor for rent restructuring in Renfrewshire. Recently I gave a presentation to the Scottish Housing Regulator in the Council offices. I also currently serve on the new Renfrewshire Licensing Board.

Elizabeth Jenkins - Vice Chair

As a tenant it is very important to be involved with all aspects of tenant issues. I am a member of various working groups in North Ayrshire. As Vice Chair of Region 7 it keeps me informed and up to date with the current and pending legislation. Being involved with the tenant movement goes back over the past nine years, seven of these in the South of England and the last two years in Scotland. The problems are very much the same in both countries which allows the use of that variety of experience to help the tenants movement.

Alex Younger - Vice Chair

I was born in England but I moved as a 'bairn' to Canada where I was brought up and return to Scotland when I was 17. I served in the Royal Air Force and experienced working life in a variety of jobs including the building industry. I have also always had an interest in politics. I settled in Irvine some 10 years ago and now that I have retired I decided to join my local RTO to help make a difference in my community as I was concerned that standards were slipping. I am also a member of my local community council.

Sandra Gault - Treasurer

I have been involved in tenant participation since 2002. I currently act as Secretary for the Inverclyde Federation and belong to the Inverclyde community forum as well as being an active member of the local community.

Helen Westwater

As a founder member of the MVCA along with likeminded tenants who were fed up with the newly built houses that were in constant need of repair. We formed a group in 1996, and in 1999 we called a public meeting to gauge what support we could get from the other tenants in the Mearns, and this became the MVCA RTO which I was elected to as the vice chair. I serve on the housing service liaison group, sub committee tenants conference ERC, and business and rent setting group.

Cate Weir

For the past ten years I have been vice chair of Saltcoats High Flats involved in all tenants issues, working in conjunction with North Ayrshire Housing officers on various committees. It gives us satisfaction helping our neighbours by sitting on the Three Towns Crime prevention panel. As a committee member of Region 7 we are helping other tenants with new legislation brought forward by the Scottish Government.

John Donaghey

I have been involved in improving my local community centre for twenty three years supporting the community through many issues, for example working with recovering drug addicts and alcoholics. I have been developing my skills and knowledge in all aspects of housing management since the eighties. I am chair of the Federation of Inverclyde Tenants and Residents Association (FITRA) and Branchton Association of Tenants and Residents.

John Bunclark

I am privileged to be on the West Strathclyde Regional Network Committee which assists me in being a part of what goes on in my local community of Busby and East Renfrewshire as a whole, in being able to further the greater two way communication between the Scottish Government and the tenants and residents representatives on issues of National Policy. At present, I have served as the chairman of Busby Tenants and Residents association since April of 2006 and a community councillor since September 2005.

Neil Smith

I am currently the chair of Barrie Terrace and Hunter Avenue Tenants and Residents association RTO. For the last three years, in Ardrossan I have participated with North Ayrshire Council in compiling and agreeing the tenants handbook. More recently we have negotiated with the council on traffic issues within our area. The council has formed a forum which I was part of to assess their performance as a landlord. The tenant participation officer for the council has said they are happy with our involvement in West Strathclyde Region. This makes us the golden thread between, the tenants, the council, and the Scottish Government. I sit on the newly formed network of RTOs in North Ayrshire.

For more than nine years I have been actively involved in volunteer work within the Inverclyde Area. I am vice chair for the Federation of Inverclyde Tenants & Residents Association (FITRA). I am vice chair for Publicity & Promotion, Linking Education an Disability (LEAD) Scotland. I am a fundraiser for local groups like the Hospice and working with ethnic minority groups of different religious beliefs outwith the Inverclyde area including abroad. This has allowed me to learn about different cultures.

Gordon Letheron

I was born in Bridge of Weir and still live in the village. In the late eighties I became involved in local community activities. I do a lot of voluntary work now and I am chair of Bridge of Weir Tenants & Residents Association.

Helen Muir