Keith, Can you please tell our readers briefly what your job is?
I am the Major Works Manager for Lambeth Living.

How long have you been doing this job? 
I have been doing this job for six years

What are the positives of the role you do?
Delivering Decent Homes improvement works for Lambeth’s tenants and leaseholders to ensure their homes are wind and weathertight, have reasonably modern facilities and are thermally efficient.

If you could choose any other department within Lambeth Living, what one would you choose and why?
Although not strictly Lambeth Living, with my construction and surveying background I feel that I could make a positive contribution to the Children and Young Peoples’ Services Department of Lambeth Council and the Building Schools for the Future Programme.


Your department has carried out and overseen the biggest changes on Weir Estate since it was built with the new windows and doors to residents home, what are your thoughts on this?
I am very pleased to see the improvements to homes on the Weir Estate and I acknowledge also the very hard work put in by the Weir Residents’ Association and the Thornton Ward Councillors in bringing this about. When visiting the estate recently with Dave McEvoy I was very pleased to hear residents tell us how pleased they are with the new windows and how they had noticed a reduction in their heating bills as a result.

How do you think your role within Lambeth Living benefits the residents of Lambeth?
I believe that my role and that of the Major Works team is able to improve the quality of Lambeth Living’s tenants’ and leaseholders’ homes probably more so than any other Lambeth Living department. Last year alone, the Major Works team delivered improvements to over 11,000 homes in Lambeth and I am very proud of that achievement.
What part of Lambeth is your favourite and why?
I enjoy the view from Lambeth Bridge and the Albert Embankment looking across to the Houses of Parliament, the mother of parliaments and home of democracy. I think it is great that you can see Big Ben, one of the most famous buildings in the world, from Lambeth.

What was your dream job growing up?
Probably an airline pilot, but unfortunately my eye sight was not good enough.

Can you please tell us an interesting fact about yourself?
I very much enjoy travelling, especially to South East Asia, where I have visited all of the many countries in that region of the world.I also enjoy long distance running and have completed several marathons and half marathons (but I only run up to 10 miles at a time these days, as my joints are not getting any younger and I feel the strain more now !).

What changes would you like to see happen within the borough over the next few years?
To see all of Lambeth Living’s homes brought up to the Decent Homes Standard. This will require many millions of pounds of investment over the next few years. I hope very much this will still be possible despite the financial difficulties and uncertainties this country faces over the next few years.

As you have been working closely with WERA, can you tell us what benefits Residents Associations bring to residents in your opinion?
Strong and well organised Residents’ Associations (such as at Weir) provide a very effective way of informing Lambeth Living about the needs of local communities which help us in planning and delivering major investment programmes, such as the recently completed programme on the Weir.

Where In the world do you most like to visit?
As I have said, I enjoy visiting South East Asia, where my favourite location is Bali, an island in Indonesia with a wonderful traditional Hindu culture.As my partner is Turkish, I also enjoy visiting Turkey and Istanbul, one of the world’s greatest cities, with fabulous buildings and history.

If you could change one thing about your job, what would it be?
It would be great if Lambeth Living could be given more decision making powers by our client, Lambeth Council, which I strongly believe would speed up the delivery of our programmes and bring about much needed improvements on Lambeth’s estates more quickly.

What do most like to do after a day at the office to unwind?
Have a good Turkish meal with Sunay, my partner. Having a meal at Ev, a Turkish restaurant in Waterloo is a great way to unwind (and it’s great value too !).

What has been your biggest achievement since joining Lambeth Living?
Last year, delivering £25 million of Decent Homes improvement work in Lambeth.

What aspects do you think are the most important for a successful community?
Harmony, understanding, tolerance and a strong willingness to work together to improve the quality of life within the community.

If you could meet anyone famous (dead or alive), who would you most like to meet and why?
Herbert Morrison, one of the most influential British politicians of the 20th century. Herbert Morrison was actually born in Lambeth and as Leader of the former London County Council (LCC) built thousands of good quality council housing in the 1930s and 1940s, much of which still exist in Lambeth to this day.Herbert Morrison served as Deputy Prime Minister in the Labour government immediately after the 2nd World War and was the Member of Parliament for Lewisham East, where I grew up and still live today. Interestingly, Herbert Morrison’s grandson is Peter (Lord) Mandelson, who is also a former Lambeth councillor. I was too young to meet Herbert Morrison, but my grandfather did and told me a lot about him, as he was the local MP.
Do you think your department has delivered a positive impact on residents’ lives in Lambeth?
Yes, most definitely. Over the last year alone we have delivered improvements to over 11,000 homes in Lambeth. We have installed new windows and roofs to over 1,500 homes.

What would you say is the most challenging aspect of your role?
Lambeth has such a huge backlog of outstanding repairs and improvement works required to be carried out to its properties. This will take several more years to get underway and complete. Residents, quite rightly, expect this work to take place as soon as possible, and it is very challenging for my team to have to explain that Lambeth only has a limited amount of money each year to be able to carry out this much needed investment.

What positive changes are Major Works looking to implement in the future for Lambeth?
Lambeth Living is hoping to soon let new long term contracts that will run for up to seven years and will include a large programme of Decent Homes works, such as the much needed  upgrading of kitchens and bathrooms and electrical re-wiring.The way these contracts are designed should also mean that we can get works underway much quicker than we have been able to do in the past when we have had to tender works on each estate individually, which is a very time consuming process.