Our Board

The Board of Dumfries and Galloway Housing Partnership (DGHP) is made up of a mixture of tenants and independent members from across Dumfries and Galloway.

Our Board is very active in all work undertaken by DGHP, often out and about at events ranging from the handover of new homes to presentations of money to local groups and organisations.

Our Board’s main responsibilities:

To provide leadership to DGHP and decide its strategy
To exercise control over DGHP’s affairs and make sure it meets all of its legal and other obligations
To ensure that DGHP achieves its overall purpose on behalf of tenants, other service users and the wider community

We recruit new Board members annually – for more information on how to get involved, contact the Customer Service Centre on 0800 011 3447.

Robert Higgins (Chair) - independent member

Robert was involved with DGHP at the transfer of stock from the council and has a number of years of experience with the company. He has been a local councillor for 20 years and is interested in making DGHP homes the very best they can be.

Robert lives in Stranraer and spends his spare time at Wigtownshire County Golf Club or with his grandchildren.

Robert was elected vice-chair in October 2016 and was elected as the 2017/2018 chair in October 2017.

Bill Robertson (Vice-chair) - tenant member

Tenant member, Bill, is from New Abbey and spent much of his career working as an engineer in central and northern Scotland. He has been involved in local housing for the past 20 years in various locations. Bill joined the Board in September 2013 having previously served on the Nithsdale DMC.

Bill has always had a keen interest in the welfare of people and he is keen to take this interest one step further with the DGHP Board. He was elected vice-chair for 2017/2018 in October 2017.

Annie Murray - tenant member

Annie joined the Board in September 2015 and was re-elected in 2017. She has previously served on the Wigtown District Management Committee, of which she was also chair.

Annie lives in Port William and enjoys spending time with her grandchildren in her spare time.

Elaine Tyler - tenant member

Elaine Tyler, from Dumfries, was elected as a board member in September 2017.

Beryl Castle - independent member

Beryl has now retired from a career that included senior Finance and Business Strategy roles in both the private and public sectors, motivating large teams that experienced difficult changes. She hopes that she can help DGHP deliver excellent, cost effective homes for current and future tenants.

Beryl’s hobbies include hill-walking and she enjoys classical music.

David McMillan - independent member

David was born in Drummore and has spent his working life in this region. He spent 25 years with Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary, retiring in 1991 as Detective Inspector.

Since his retirement he has been involved in voluntary work with the Scottish Health Council, he is currently a Justice of the Peace and, for the last seven years, he has been Chairman of the Children’s Panel. David, who lives in Stranraer, has served as Chair of DGHP’s Audit committee for four years. He is married with one son and two grandchildren.

David has previously served as Vice-Chair of DGHP and was re-elected as Chairman of the Board in October 2016. David stood down as chairman in September 2017 after five years.

Fred Murray - independent member

Fred is a well know figure in the West of the region and has been an avid supporter of DGHP since its inception back in 2003.

Having retired from local government, Fred has been on DGHP’s Board for three years. Fred, who lives in Glenluce, is also Chair of his local community council and has also been involved with local issues for most of his life.

George McBurnie - independent member

George was a chartered civil engineer for 40 years and, before retiring, held the position of operations manager with the then West of Scotland Water.

As a former local authority elected member for many years, George campaigned relentlessly for the regeneration of North West Dumfries.

Jim Steen - independent member

Independent member Jim spent his working life in finance. He worked in the construction industry for most of his career and has lived in Dumfries for 25 years. Jim looks forward to bringing his knowledge and experience to DGHP to help make a difference to the lives of tenants across the region.

Jim plays bridge in his spare time. He also enjoys travelling and is a keen photographer.

John Hay - independent member

Now retired, John was a fellow of the R.I.C.S. and during his career with both Dumfries and Galloway Council and Annandale and Eskdale District Council, he gained a wealth of knowledge about the now DGHP owned stock across Dumfries and Galloway.

John was responsible for the preparation and implementation of the capital investment and cyclical maintenance programmes.

Michael Greaves Mackintosh - tenant member

Michael Greaves Mackintosh, from Eaglesfield, was elected as a board member in September 2017.

Michael Lyons - tenant member

Michael Lyons, from Kirkcudbright, joined the board in 2016. Michael was a District Management Committee member in the Stewartry prior to being elected to the board.

Robert Carnochan - tenant member

Robert joined the Board in September 2016. He lives in Eaglesfield and has previously served on the Annandale and Eskdale District Management Committee.

Robert enjoys getting together with other tenants and walking his dog.

Rose Gowan - tenant member

Rose Gowan, from Glenluce, was elected as a tenant board member in September 2017. Rose has been involved with DGHP for many years going back as far as the transfer.

Rose has also been a District Management Committee member for many years and has been part of many working groups including the Open Door group.