Tenant Advisory Panel

Valerie Oldfield

Valerie Oldfield has been a social housing tenant for 33 years and an active tenant for 18 years. Valerie was voted in as a board member by residents for three consecutive terms, resulting in nine years on the board of her housing association. 

Valerie has been active in many tenant involvement activities: a member of the performance review group, repairs group, scrutiny group, resident design group, readers’ panel, and a member and chair of the residents’ forum. Valerie also attends various residents’ focus groups.

Coming from a business, creative and community background, Valerie strongly believes in residents and their housing associations working together, and in the development of the relationship, understanding and services of social housing.

Sheila Capuano

Sheila is a 63 year-old divorcee, who was born and bred in Derbyshire and is now retired. She lives in a little fishing village in Northumberland called Newbiggin-by-the-Sea. Sheila has three children who are now grown up with children of their own, who live in Derbyshire.

Sheila was educated at a grammar school with further education in between having her children. She has done a variety of jobs, from factory to office work.

In her spare time, she enjoys walking the dog, reading and sleeping. 

Stephen Johnson

Stephen Johnson is 52 and was born and raised in London. He studied at Hammersmith and West London College and Durham University where he obtained a BA Honours Degree in Politics. Stephen previously worked with London's homeless at St. Martin in the Fields. He has lived in social housing since 1994 in Notting Hill and is very active in resident involvement activities such as the Health and Disability Group provided by his landlord. In 2010 Stephen helped set up Local Scrutiny Panels for tenants and leaseholders to scrutinise landlord performance, such as on repairs.

He feels strongly about anti-social behaviour (ASB) and how it is tackled within social housing, as well as how specific groups are affected by ASB and crime. Stephen is active with the Notting Hill Genesis LGBT residents' group and sits on an LGBT police community consultation committee that meets monthly at Kensington Police Station. Stephen also lives with health and disability issues and advocates for adaptations to allow full participation in meetings and other tenant involvement activities. 

Rev James Olanipekun

Reverend James Olanipekun has lived in Poplar since 1991. He was once a member of Tower Hamlets Council’s overview and scrutiny committee, a trustee of Tower Hamlets Street Pastors, Raine’s Foundation Trust, and Christ Apostolic Church. He is also the immediate past vice-chair of Poplar housing and regeneration community association board in East London and is the current chair of one of the estate boards in Poplar Harca stock. Reverend James Olanipekun was a pioneer member of the Housing and Diversity Network London Region steering board. 

Reverend James Olanipekun is a trained teacher and an author of six published books on Christian topics. He has been a volunteer pastor for over twenty years for a diverse congregation and was a recipient of the 2015 LBTH Civic Award for Outstanding Services to the community. Reverend James Olanipekun is happily married to Jummy and blessed with children who are also involved in the community positively.

Janet Boston

Janet has been a tenant for nearly 11 years and came to social housing late in life, due to the sudden and catastrophic illness of her late husband, who needed 24-hour care when he eventually left hospital. Janet and her husband lost their home and she had to move whilst he was still seriously ill, and gave up her full time work to care for him.

Janet threw herself wholeheartedly into tenant involvement in order to keep her brain ticking over and to learn what it was all about. She has served on many tenant committees, including presently the scrutiny and independent complaints panel. She was also a board member for nine years.

Janet was a county councillor for four years, during which she served on the social services committee, and also the police authority and fire service authority. She is also a hospital volunteer.