An open letter to Polly Neate at Shelter
3 years ago | 9 comments
Former Shelter CEO to become Peer in House of Lords
8:59 AM, 24th October 2025, 6 months ago
13
Categories:
Former Shelter chief executive Polly Neate has been nominated as a crossbench Peer in the House of Lords.
Ms Neate stood down from her role in March this year and has been a strong advocate for tenants’ rights and pushed for the abolition of Section 21.
The Independent House of Lords Appointments Commission which nominated Ms Neate as a Peer, described her as “an expert in social policy, specialising in housing, homelessness and violence against women and girls.”
Ms Neate developed Shelter’s long-term strategy
The Independent House of Lords Appointments Commission has announced that Ms Neate will be one of two non-party-political peers recommended for a peerage, alongside Clare Gerada, former president of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP).
The House of Lords Appointment Commission say Ms Neate has campaigned for social justice and equality throughout her career.
In a press release, the Commission said: “Ms Neate developed Shelter’s long-term strategy, focusing on increasing investment in social housing and enhancing community engagement. She also initiated significant organisational changes, including a strategic litigation project that addressed discrimination against benefit recipients in the housing sector.
“She has received recognition for her work, including a CBE in January 2020. She is also involved in various non-executive and voluntary roles, contributing to initiatives in civil society and related sectors.”
Strive for the causes I have believed in
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Ms Neate said she was honoured to start a new phase in her life.
She said: “I’m truly honoured to have been recommended as a cross-bench peer by the House of Lords Appointments Commission.
“In this new phase of my life, I will continue to strive for the causes I have believed in and championed throughout my career.”
Comments
Have Your Say
Every day, landlords who want to influence policy and share real-world experience add their voice here. Your perspective helps keep the debate balanced.
Not a member yet? Join In Seconds
Login with
or
Next Article
When will politicians ever listen to landlords?Related Articles
Will Shelter ever step up to help tenants AND landlords?
1 year ago | 23 comments
Shelter announces new CEO who aims to deliver change
12 months ago | 13 comments
Member Since October 2011 - Comments: 136
9:43 AM, 24th October 2025, About 6 months ago
colour me impressed – not!
Member Since May 2020 - Comments: 2
10:13 AM, 24th October 2025, About 6 months ago
O Dear we’re in trouble now!
Member Since March 2024 - Comments: 281
10:14 AM, 24th October 2025, About 6 months ago
Polly Neate inspired me to mention Shelter in a bequest in my Will.
I am leaving a sum to a regional housing charity that actually does good work, but with a clause allowing my Executor discretion to select an alternative in the event that they no longer exist at my demise.
With the specific provision that Shelter are excluded.
Member Since January 2024 - Comments: 24
10:34 AM, 24th October 2025, About 6 months ago
Then the establishment wonder why most people detest them
Member Since June 2018 - Comments: 17
11:22 AM, 24th October 2025, About 6 months ago
The Lords’ comments have been virtually ignored through the passage of the RRB, despite their forensic analysis of the detail.
It will be nice if she, too, may be largely ignored for once.
I used to promote Shelter, in a previous life, but see how it has been responsible for devastating the private rented sector, and more widely the rented sector as a whole.
Views have been far too polarised with both this and the previous government, and properties removed from the rented sector all together.
The old rent acts were replaced with the 1988 Housing Act for a reason.
We are going to run full circle, back to those dark days. Maybe in 20 years time they will see sense again, but I’ll be long out of the market by then.
Member Since January 2015 - Comments: 1435 - Articles: 1
12:50 PM, 24th October 2025, About 6 months ago
Make her a Peer for causing more homelessness is just ridiculous.
Grace and Favour Peers should be abolished, they have no place being the checks and balance of whatever government is in power, and the hereditary peers honestly should be brought back in. At least they had a stake in the physical land of this country.
Member Since March 2024 - Comments: 281
12:53 PM, 24th October 2025, About 6 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Wolfey at 24/10/2025 – 11:22
Exactly.
The following is a quote from the other article about Pennycook acknowledging input to the RRB “ He also thanked Generation Rent, Shelter, Crisis, Citizens Advice, the Renters’ Reform Coalition…”. Whilst he also acknowledged a couple of landlord organisations, that list that Polly Neate has been running with is Groupthink central over recent years and the Labour MPs are like sheep in accepting it as Gospel. I used to donate to Crisis but stopped when they started parroting Polly at every opportunity.
Hopefully it will be somewhat educational for Polly Neate to now be in an environment where people can think for themselves and show some wisdom as you rightly point out was the case with the RRB although they were ignored.
This will not be forgotten and when the truth is revealed that the RRB isn’t the panacea that has been promised to tenants and many will be in a worse situation, those responsible will be called out – all the better if they are in high positions at that future time.
Member Since May 2015 - Comments: 2188 - Articles: 2
1:13 PM, 24th October 2025, About 6 months ago
Neate in the lords is akin to Trump being awarded the Nobel Peace prize.
Member Since May 2014 - Comments: 616
1:42 PM, 24th October 2025, About 6 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Wolfey at 24/10/2025 – 11:22
Not only are we going full circle again like the old rent act days but we now have extras such as licensing, compliance, massive fines for everything and looming EPC ratings to worry about.
I used to support Crisis but stopped doing that when I discovered what they were really like.
I now support center Centerpoint but perhaps that is not a clever idea either.
Member Since May 2024 - Comments: 204
8:29 PM, 24th October 2025, About 6 months ago
Reply to the comment left by TheMaluka at 24/10/2025 – 13:13
If She is in the house of lords and thank god Mr T Didn’t get a noble peace award for threatening to take over Canada and Greenland by force.
Either way, I think that my days of being a landlord are over.
Sad as I would have liked to continue for maybe another 10 years, but plans change.
This is just another nail in the coffin. I’m foolishly waiting to see what happens after the 26 November.
I’d like tenants to leave so as I can sell up. I may have to change my plans and start selling sooner.
After Labour have finished taxing everyone to death, I can’t see them getting control of the UK for at least another 14 years. By then I will out of being a landlord.
Hopefully tonight I have finally opened my Swissquote account and the money that I had saved to buy and renovate 2 more houses will be heading its way to investments outside of the UK instead of buying anymore houses in the UK 🙂
Not having to pay stamp duty, capital gains and inheritance tax when I die is going to make me very happy. I’ve given up investing in the UK.