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Kate Newbolt

Regional manager, Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS) England

Kate Newbolt, 49, spent years as a council tenant and community campaigner before becoming a regeneration professional. Her current role is as a community involvement specialist at Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS) England, where she is North-West regional manager.

What has been your most beneficial career experience to date?
My experience as tenant. Things that happened to me as a young single parent have made it much easier for me to understand the people for whom we are providing services.

What's the best advice you've ever been given?
A manager at South Yorkshire Housing Association told me that when looking at a problem, I should take the people out of the equation and look at the situation. People's views about individuals can influence the way they see situations, but it's important to put perceptions aside in order to treat people fairly.

What's the best training you've had?
At Aragon Housing Association we took part in equality and diversity training for staff and residents that involved working with actors dramatising real-life situations. I was working with residents from small rural communities at the time, and attitudes were particularly bad towards ethnic minorities. Afterwards, tenants with whom we'd previously had problems often referred back to the training. It had a massive impact.

What book would you recommend?
The Communities We Have Lost And Can Regain by Michael Young and Gerard Lemos. It talks about the importance of looking at communities holistically and working in partnership with them.

What do you wish you'd known when you started out?
If you're really interested and care about your neighbourhood, you need to get involved - you can't be a bystander. There have been times when I haven't spoken my mind and afterwards felt quite ashamed. Now I think: "What the hell? I'm not going to shut up."

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

1987 Joins South Yorkshire Housing Association as a temporary receptionist. Eventually becomes community initiatives and training coordinator.

1996 Gains BA in housing from Sheffield Hallam University.

2000 Joins TPAS as an associate.

2001 Moves to Aragon Housing Association to set up a community development department.

2004 Returns to TPAS as an associate; promoted to regional manager.

Interview by Kate Allen