Kemp steps up to chair Plus Dane

Housing association Plus Dane Group has named Liberal Democrat councillor Richard Kemp, currently deputy chairman, as its new chairman.

Plus Dane is responsible for 15,000 homes in Merseyside and Cheshire and has a turnover in excess of £50m. Kemp was appointed after previous chairman, HM Coroner John Pollard, stood down.

Cllr Kemp has nearly 30 years' experience in politics and is a senior member of the Liberal Democrat group in Liverpool City Council. He is also currently deputy chairman of the Local Government Association.

Kemp has been deputy chairman of Plus Dane for the past two years. He said: "Plus Dane is a marvelous organisation and I'm incredibly proud to be associated with it. But I want us to do even better and work out ways of extending what the group can do for the people it serves, we want to build on our Neighbourhood Investor model to do more in existing neighbourhoods and if required, other places.

"We want to be even easier to work with and we are ready to help existing and new partners who share our service mission, particularly local authorities in these challenging times.

"The financial challenges are difficult for everyone, but I really believe we can get through these times and minimise the hurt for the people we serve if take the opportunity to strengthen partnership working."

Nigel Hodges, a senior member of the management team at pharmaceutical giant Astra Zeneca, becomes the deputy chairman.