Florrie has lived in Hammersmith & Fulham since 1967 when, as a ten-year-old, she moved to the Woodmans Mews Estate with her family. Today, she works hard to ensure that her long-term commitment to and knowledge of our borough benefits our residents.
"When you have lived in a community as long as I have, you can gain a great understanding of what makes it tick," she said.
I'm really concerned about how people are living, what they are going through, how things have changed since my family first moved here and what really matters to local residents. The work I do with the council is my way of giving things back and trying to build a better borough for us all."
Florrie was recently re-elected Vice-Chair of the Housing Representatives Forum (HRF). "I'm incredibly proud to have been re-elected as the HRF Vice-Chair. I'm looking forward to continuing our work with the council," added Florrie. She explained that she joined the HRF as a representative for her Tenants & Residents Association four years ago.
"I wanted to get residents' voices heard more, and help to make a real change," she said.
Florrie's achievements include developing a new easy-to-understand guide to help residents use our housing service effectively. She also updated guidance for Tenants & Residents Associations and how they hold their meetings.
"Tenants & Residents Associations are so important to our community," said Florrie. "They are here to help bring communities together and share views to help improve services. When these groups work properly, residents really can make change possible."
Compassionate care
As well as her work supporting the council, Florrie is pleased with the personal support she now receives from H&F. She is a big fan of the council's free home care service.
"I was recovering from surgery when I first got support from H&F's adult social care team. I live alone, so it was difficult to look after myself. The team asked me what my needs were and developed a home care package for me," she added.
"They have been a huge help, providing personal care and helping with my shopping too. Home care in H&F has been free to all residents since 2014. We are still the only council in the country to do so. I think this service is fantastic and I hope H&F continues to offer it for many years to come. I couldn't afford to pay for it myself."
Florrie says she is looking forward to working more with the housing department in 2025 especially in her role as Chair of the Fire, Building Safety and Repairs working group. She explained:
"This group has worked closely with the housing department to strive for improvements to the repairs service which residents are now much happier with. Being involved makes residents feel like changes are happening with us, not to us."
Want to get involved like Florrie? Please email getinvolved@lbhf.gov.uk or call 020 8753 6652.
