24housing magazine announced the successful five candidates who have been shortlised for this year's Young Leaders Award, sponsored by Sovereign Business Integration.
For the past month, 24housing readers have been voting on the 24dash website for their Young Leader of the Year.
Over the coming months, the five finalists will all be interviewed in the pages of the magazine. A judging panel will decide a winner - to be unveiled later in the year.
The winner will receive the Young Leader of the Year trophy and a place on a leadership course worth up to £1,500 provided by Reed Learning.
The five finalists are:
Housing Heroes Awards Shortlist
The shortlist has been announced for the Housing Heroes awards, which recognise the unsung heroes of the social housing sector. The awards are organised by Inside Housing and the Chartered Institute of Housing.
Nearly ninety individuals and organisations will vie for the awards across 15 categories. The winners will be named at a ceremony in London on 20 May.
This year. the Awards will be presented by BBC news presenter George Alagiah. Organisers expect the 2011 awards to be just as well attended as last year, when they attracted more than 800 people.
For a full list of categories and finalists and more information about the awards click here.
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Minister and Shadow Clash Over New Homes Policy
Housing Minister Grant Shapps and the Labour Shadow Housing Minister clashed in Parliament, with both accusing the other of not understanding the new homes bonus policy.
Shadow Housing Minister Alison Seabeck said the policy, which rewards councils for approving developments by matching council tax income from new properties for six years, would result in greater payments for affluent areas.
Quoting figures from the House of Commons library, she said Kensington and Chelsea, for example, would receive 91% home than Hull. She said this would result in a transfer of funding from affluent to deprived areas as formula grant is cut to pay for the scheme.
The Housing Minister responded and said she 'may have misunderstood the way this policy operates, despite the fact that it was published the week before last'.
The Minister further said the payments would be based on a countrywide average according to Council Tax band, and that £1 billion has been provided for the new homes bonus that will not be top sliced from formula grant.
Ms Seabeck's office said the figures she quoted took into account the averaging of payments by band, and were based on the number of homes in the various bands in the two areas.
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CIH Makes Two key Appointments
The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) announced that it has secured the services of two of the sector's leading experts.
Karen Doran is moving to the CIH from her role as lead adviser on affordable housing funding at the Council of Mortgage Lenders to become Director of Housing Services.
She is well known in the sector for the role she has taken in responding to policy changes impacting on housing lending and affordable homeownership mortgage finance.
Karen also has extensive experience in working with housing organisations, providing advice and support and helping to improve services.
Domini Gunn is moving from her role as National Lead for Vulnerable Communities at the Audit Commission to become Director of Public Health and Vulnerable Communities.
Domini is one of the country's leading experts in Supporting People and other services for vulnerable people. During her 10 years with the Commission she took part in, and managed, inspections of a wide range of housing providers and services.
She has worked with local authorities, ALMOs and housing associations to help them improve their services.