Issue - meetings

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet approve the current draft of the Tenant Engagement Strategy, before being presented to Council on 26 February for final approval and adoption by the Council.

KEY DECISION:

No

PORTFOLIO:

Housing and Homelessness.

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED/REJECTED:

As set out in the report.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST:

None.

DISCUSSION:

The Portfolio Holder for Housing and Homelessness introduced the report on the Tenant Engagement Strategy, restating the Council’s intention to engage with all tenants and to learn the needs and desires of tenants across the District. Unfortunately, the response rate to the consultation was low, however the feedback received was useful and it was acknowledged how the delivery of this strategy, and the wide-ranging commitments within it, was a key element in improving engagement across the district, over the course of the strategy period.

The Tenant Engagement Manager explained that the proposed strategy followed a stakeholder consultation and met the requirements of the Social Housing Regulation Act, proposed Consumer Standards and the expectations of the District’s Council Housing tenants. Referencing paragraphs 4 and 5 of the report, it was explained that a number of positive steps had been identified to increase engagement between tenants, other providers in our locality and the Council. It was stated that the proposed strategy was supported by Officers and Tenants of the Council.

A non-executive member expressed disappointment in the lack of response to the consultation. In the past, some tenants had found it hard to engage with the Council, but it was acknowledged that this strategy would seek to resolve this. Monitoring of the strategy’s effectiveness would take place via the new suite of 22 Tenant Satisfaction Measures, particularly the 12 new perception measures, which will measure tenants’ satisfaction with the Council on areas such as how well the Council listens to views and acts upon them. Of the 18 respondents to the consultation, feedback was positive on the proposed strategy. A Cabinet member expressed that low feedback was not always a negative and that it could reflect the fact that many are content with the current level of engagement and the Council’s offering.

It was explained that one of the actions within the strategy was to engage with other landlords who the Council work with locally in order for the benefits of community engagement to be wide reaching.

Feedback from housing tenants and those tenants of association housing would be collated and logged in a national league table, ranking landlords across the country.