Cabinet Member for Housing
Decision:
It was RESOLVED: -
That Cabinet approved Option 1 - The strategy in its current form and acknowledge the changing landscape of social housing regulation in terms of the significance of good tenant engagement.
REASON FOR DECISION
The strategy has been co-designed with tenants through a consultation exercise with the Tenant Board, the wider tenant population, portfolio holding members and some key staff.
It is important for the councils to have a Tenant Engagement Strategy to set out how we, as a landlord, ensure that tenants are given a wide range of opportunities to influence and be involved in the formation of their landlord’s housing-related strategic priorities. This includes decision making about how services are delivered, performance scrutiny and the management of their homes as required in the Regulator’s Tenancy Involvement and Empowerment consumer standard.
Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:
1.1 Option 2 – To do nothing.
Any Declarations of Interests Declared: None
Any Dispensation Granted: Non
Minutes:
62.1 The Chair, Councillor Ward invited the Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Osborne to introduce the report.
62.2 Councillor Osborne provided an introduction to the report and moved the recommendations as detailed. This was seconded by Councillor Malvisi.
62.3 Councillor McCraw queried why postal and online responses had been separated in the presentation of data. The Housing Transformation Manager clarified that the separation was done for transparency purposes, and to highlight the similarities between online responses and postal responses.
62.4 Councillor McLaren questioned what form the 4-yearly routine inspection would take. The Housing Transformation Manager responded that the Regulator could carry out inspections, and that the new regulations had reduced the 28- days-notice to 48 hours. Whilst details on the format were not yet available it would involve consumer standards and evidencing that these standards were met, and the regulator would have a wider remit and punitive measures.
62.5 In response to Councillor McLaren’s questions regarding the memberships of the Tenancy Board Councillor Osborne detailed the arrangements for meetings memberships and the work undertaken to increase membership and to engage with younger people.
62.6 In a response to further questions from Councillor McLaren regarding the Tenancy Board the Housing Transformation Manager explained that a role profile had been developed as part of the strategy, and that the board currently operated as both a consultative body and a scrutiny body, which tenancy experts had stated should be separate. Therefore, the tenant board and terms of reference require further development.
62.7 Councillor McLaren questioned how tenants did not have digital literacy would be able to access the My Home Bulletin and retrieve reports. The Housing Transformation Manager explained that the My Home Bulletin was introduced in 2019 in a response to a tenant satisfactory survey. The bulletin was produced electronically on a monthly basis and paper copies were available upon request.
62.8 Members debated the issues surrounding the Tenancy Engagement Strategy including the dark colours on the heading of the dashboard and that the cost-of-living crisis might be a reason why some people disengage with online activities and that the government’s Social Housing White Paper, and the resulting legislation would feed into the strategy.
62.9 Councillor Osborne stated that the strategy strengthened communication with tenants, and whilst the strategy would not resolve the issues surrounding antisocial behaviour it would be a supporting factor in resolving these issues.
62.10 Members continued the debate on the issues including that tenants should not have ownership of the Councils performance and that it was for managers to know and mitigate performance targets, however the purpose and function of the Tenancy Board was to provide an opportunity for tenants to engage with the Council and to express their views and that public services needed the views of its users. Tenants had a lot to offer in contribution to the tenant service.
It was RESOLVED: -
That Cabinet approved Option 1 - The strategy in its current form and acknowledge the changing landscape of social housing regulation in terms of the significance of good tenant engagement.
REASON FOR DECISION
The strategy has been co-designed with tenants through a consultation exercise with the Tenant Board, the wider tenant population, portfolio holding members and some key staff.
It is important for the councils to have a Tenant Engagement Strategy to set out how we, as a landlord, ensure that tenants are given a wide range of opportunities to influence and be involved in the formation of their landlord’s housing-related strategic priorities. This includes decision making about how services are delivered, performance scrutiny and the management of their homes as required in the Regulator’s Tenancy Involvement and Empowerment consumer standard.
Supporting documents: