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Islington Tribune - by PETER GRUNER
Published: 2 November 2007

From bricks and mortar to tenants who are too noisy

EAMON McGoldrick insists he is not just an administrator for an organisation with a £50 million annual turnover. Housing, he says, is in his blood.
But housing is no longer just bricks and mortar, Mr McGoldrick adds. It involves issues such as the environment and neighbours getting on with each other.
His father was an electrical engineer and builder who was made redundant in the 1970s. Mr McGoldrick senior went on to become a self-employed painter and decorator and took the young Eamon with him on jobs.
After Swansea university, Mr McGoldrick entered housing management in 1977. He started as a housing management trainee with the former GLC before moving to Brent, where he became head of housing management, and Barnet.
He arrived in Islington in 1998 as chief housing officer.
Homes for Islington was set up four years ago as a limited liability company with non-profit-making directors, including four elected residents.
Part of its democratic structure means it subsidises the pressure group Federation of Islington Tenants Associations to the tune of £100,000 annually.
HfI employs 1,000 staff, ranging from lawyers, clerks of works, surveyors to caretakers and a growing band of officials whose job is to combat anti-social behaviour, which has almost taken over from maintenance as the number one complaint from the 20,000 tenants and 10,000 leaseholders.
Mr McGoldrick said: “Anti-social behaviour is not just about kids on the street.” Tenants were becoming louder and more selfish by playing music or doing their DIY without thought for neighbours.

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