CAMPAIGNER Alison Inman was awarded an OBE for her services to social housing tenants.

The 53-year-old former magistrate is vice-president of the Chartered Institute of Housing, former chairman of Colchester Borough Homes, and is a current board member of Colne housing association.

She said: “It is a real honour and it isn’t something I would have expected in a million years.

“Housing is the bedrock upon which people build their lives.

“When you look at the issues there are in health and other areas, housing [representatives] should be at that table too.

“I think it is fair to say social housing gets a really bad press.

“There are many people who live in the private rented sector who traditionally would be eligible for social housing and the key is building more, which local authorities haven’t really done for some time.

“I do think we would be better off building homes for people to live in than paying vast amounts of housing benefit to private landlords.”

Mum-of-one Mrs Inman, who is originally from Wigan but now lives in New Town, Colchester, added: “Being a home owner is seen as being, I suppose, better, but there are so many people who achieve from social housing. They are just people and they are leading incredibly productive lives.”

She added: “It is not what you do it for and not what you expect and I was really proud it was for services to tenants and not housing.

“There are wonderful people doing amazing things living in social housing and their stories are not often told or celebrated, and it is honour to be serving them.” They can’t do anything if they don’t have anywhere decent to live.”