A key voice for Stroud District Council tenants has been selected to help the Government and ministers improve social housing.

Ian Allan from Dursley has been accepted onto the Social Housing Quality Resident Panel. The panel consists of 250 social housing residents from across the country who share their experience directly with Government and ministers on how best to increase the quality of social housing.

Ian was one of more than 1,000 social housing tenants who applied. The panel consists of a broad mix of social housing residents who are best equipped to provide their experiences on social housing matters and to discuss with ministers the Government's social housing quality programme.

Ian, a former SDC housing committee tenant representative, said: "The Resident Panel gives ordinary people a say in both Government policy and local housing decisions for new developments and maintenance restoring empty housing.

"It is the voice of ordinary people but with the ability to fully press for much-needed change. This is the opportunity for people to change the system and for housing providers to satisfy residents' needs."

A former chartered insurer and business owner, Ian has been a council tenant since 2011 and has always had an interest in social housing. When he first moved to Vizard Close, Dursley, he quickly joined the council's assets service development group and became a key voice for SDC's housing tenants.

Cllr Mattie Ross, chair of SDC housing committee, said: "Ian has years of experience representing tenants through different groups and will bring a wealth of knowledge to his new role. He is known to be a fair-minded chair, who works well with others, as well as his many practical skills of bringing people together. This is great news for Stroud."

The Stroud District Council plan aims to offer affordable, energy-efficient homes and deliver high quality services for all tenants by investing in the renovation of existing council homes and meet a range of housing needs for those who experience disadvantage and creating a culture of tenant engagement and empowerment.