Having joined Belle Isle North EMB (Estate Management Board) in the late 90s, Ian Liptrot helped to bring about significant changes to the way housing services were managed across Belle Isle.
This led to the creation of Belle Isle Tenant Management Organisation in 2004, known locally as BITMO. After 20 years of championing local housing services, Ian will officially retire as a Board Member at BITMO later this month at BITMO’s Annual General Meeting.
Ian’s wife Paula, who was also well known for her community volunteering work, sadly passed away at the end of 2019. Ian has decided that the time is right to retire and step down from his role on BITMO’s Management Board.
“Myself and Paula always enjoyed being a part of BITMO; attending the monthly meetings, AGMs (Annual General Meetings) and community events, like the Belle Isle Gala” he said.
“We met some great friends, had a lot of laughs, but everything we did at BITMO was to help bring the people of Belle Isle together and make it a great place to live.
“Board Members have such an important role at BITMO; having a say on local investments, proposals, and services for the community. I am proud to have a TMO in Belle Isle, and I’m proud of the work it carries out.”
BITMO manages nearly 2000 properties on behalf of Leeds City Council, and is the only Tenant Management Organisation (TMO) in Leeds. Like all TMOs, BITMO is run by a tenant-led Management Board. The Management Board consists of up to 12 Tenant Board Members – these are people who rent their homes from BITMO, 4 Independent Board Members – homeowners, or people with a connection to Belle Isle, and 2 of Councillors for the area.
Ian added:
“Over the years, by being involved and volunteering with BITMO, I’ve seen how much of a community Belle Isle has become. I would encourage anyone who wants to make a difference to where they live to get involved in any way they can.”
For more information about becoming a Board Member at BITMO, please contact Karen Hoole at Belle Isle TMO on (0113) 378 2182, or email bitmo.enquiries@belleisletmo.co.uk.
You must be over 18 years old and rent your home from Belle Isle TMO in order to become a Tenant Board Member at BITMO. As a Tenant Board Member you could make a real difference to your neighbourhood.
At the time of publishing, Belle Isle TMO was looking at ways to hold their AGM safely, which is scheduled to take place at the end of September.
This post was written by Carla Yeomans
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