Never been mistaken for Nigel Dempster
In the wrong place
Staff setting up Shelter's fringe session at the Labour conference last week were flummoxed when an "iN" sign appeared from one of their bags 鈥� and not just because of the unusual arrangement of capital letters.

Evidently, some eager beaver from the National Housing Federation had hoped to get some free publicity for the rebranding. It was not to be, however: Labour councillors soon got in on the act and slapped party logos onto the placard.

It cost a mint, you know
The NHF's subtle plugging of its new image also involved the distribution of In Business for Neighbourhoods mints. They were apparently chosen because they contain the word "in", which leads one to wonder what gifts the NHF may dole out in future. A pint for each member might be popular.

I'll be missing you
Poor Tony McNulty. The ex-ODPM junior minister seems to be missing his housing brief. Now a transport minister, he asked Social animal if things had gone "a bit quiet in housing" since he decamped. "I'm still quite keen on it," he added. "Maybe you might see me back there some time."

You heard it here first 鈥�

Who's that giving you Xtra?
After last week's confusion of the home secretary with hungry magic man David Blaine comes news of another lookie-likey. Commission for Racial Equality chair Trevor Phillips, already well used to being mistaken for ITN newsman Sir Trevor McDonald, was asked by a conference delegate: "Are you Trevor Phillips 鈥� or Howard from the Halifax ads?"

Running for government
Spotted at the same event: deputy prime minister John Prescott breaking into a sprint outside the conference centre, seemingly in pursuit of the seaside fun train.

Passengers beckoned him aboard but Two Jabs politely declined their offers and steamed on 鈥� to who knows where.

Nuisance neighbours
Disturbed by van drivers unloading next door to his fringe session, Local Government Association chairman Sir Jeremy Beecham suggested slapping them with an antisocial behaviour order. "Good idea," came the cry from a councillor in the audience, "but it'll take you six months to get it 鈥�"

Monk-ey business
Life coaches are so pass茅. The latest way to help staff deal with stress is to hire a Buddhist monk. Lancashire's Progress Housing Group brought in Kelsang Pagpa, a monk from the Vajravarahi centre in Preston, to show employees how to meditate. Kelsang Pagpa also provides relaxation classes for British Aerospace.

No puns about astral planes please.

Pets and the city

British social housing has its fair share of horses-in-flats stories, but across the pond the stakes went up a few notches this week with the discovery of a 160kg Bengal tiger and a 1.5m long Caiman alligator in a 鈥減ublic housing鈥� flat in New York 鈥� 鈥減ublic house鈥� evidently means something rather different over there. Apparently, there are more than 10,000 tigers kept as private pets across the USA 鈥� more than remain in the wild. No figures are available on the ratio of fingers to housing officers, however.

Source

Housing Today