A SEDGEMOOR man has been awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award for his work to support residents living in social housing in the area.

Chris Moseley has lived in social housing for 44 years and has always advocated he knows the value a good landlord has on the lives of its tenants.

It is because of this that Chris became involved with Sedgemoor District Council as his landlord and then Homes in Sedgemoor, since moving to the area some 20 years ago.

Since the very first opportunity, he has become an advocate on behalf of his neighbours and is very proud to be called a tenant.

Mr Moseley said: “I first got involved in tenant involvement because my ethos was that every tenant should have a good home.

“Their landlord should make sure they are listened to, and have a high quality repair service.

"They must also make sure that a tenant’s home is safe and secure for everyone.

“As many tenants will tell you, this was not the case all those years ago. That is why I became involved, so little by little I could support tenants to change their lives and their homes, and 20 years later I am still here doing just that.”

This commitment has seen Chris dedicate much of his time and energy in becoming a key player within the tenant body at Homes in Sedgemoor, actively supporting the organisation to continue to improve the services it delivers and how it engages with its customers.

Chris’s appetite for involvement has led him to work at every level in the tenant participation structure, from chair of the board, to board member and shadow board member, to chair of the tenants forum and member of many committees and task groups.

He says he is keen not to make unachievable promises and with tenants, highlights opportunities to support compromise.

His experience as a qualified practitioner in restorative justice has meant he has the tools to discuss and negotiate and has assisted HiS to work better with tenants to develop positive engagement relationships and to hold HiS and his landlord to account.

Mr Moseley added: "I am keen to always keep up to date and ensure my knowledge is relevant to current tenants. Since becoming involved I have attended many courses and programmes to increase my knowledge and then ensure I am familiar with all aspects of social housing."

He is a regular attender at events at Trafford Hall, the Tenant Resource Centre near Chester, and has been invited to speak there on several occasions in a variety of subjects including decent homes, tenant scrutiny and See the Person campaign.

All this made him a worthy winner of the Tpas Lifetime Achievement Award 2020.