Housing Action Plan 2023
Tenant Involvement Strategy
| Action | Last updated April 2023
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1 | Accessibility: set up weekly surgeries where Housing Officer will guarantee to be available to take telephone calls from tenants | To provide greater flexibility, the ability to access Housing Officers calendar and book a Microsoft Teams/online meeting has been developed and is now in use. This allows tenants to make appointments at their convenience. |
2 | Recruitment: Increase the number of tenants and RL leaseholders involved in different TI activities | Freedom Leisure have been into a number of courts to offer taster sessions and with some additional activities for courts located near the Cuckoo Trail funded through the UK Prosperity Fund in 2022. A survey has been sent to residents to understand what they would like. Tenant Involvement Team working with residents to set up Resident Groups to run their own activities in a number of courts. In the future we plan to explore how we can use technology to deliver more activities. |
3 | Create Database of interested tenants: Use TP Tracker to create a data base of tenants and RL leaseholders who have expressed interest in involvement | TPTracker being used as our database. Work continues to recruit new tenants including at sign-up and through our publications. |
4 | Develop and implement regular tenant satisfaction surveys for all service areas: Identify service areas where satisfaction surveys and focus groups can be used | A range of surveys and opportunities to collect tenants and leaseholders’ feedback is in place. Including new feedback email inbox. New Tenant Satisfaction Measures will come in from 2023 and a perception survey containing the 12 perception measures will go out during the summer of 2023. |
5 | Develop and support Tenant and Retirement Living Leaseholder Representatives: Recruit, train and embed 3 or more elected Tenant and RL leaseholders Representatives | Court based Retirement Living Resident Groups are being set up where there is demand as there was no appetite for an umbrella Retirement Living Residents Group. |
6 | Remove Barriers to Involvement: Support all tenants and RL leaseholders to be involved regardless of any disability, financial status, care commitments etc.
| Tenant Involvement Recognition Scheme aims to provide support to enable all to engage, new scheme approved for 2022. The scheme will be reviewed again in 2024. We are in the process of contacting those tenants that have signed up to get involved but haven’t so far to find out if there are any barriers to their participation and if so how we can help to overcome these. |
7 | Training: Ensure that actively engaged tenants and RL leaseholders have access to relevant skills and training Promote other training and skills opportunities to wider tenant base | Promoting Street Learning. Working with google to introduce Google Certificates. In 2022 specific training was provided to tenants and leaseholders who want to be part of the scrutiny group. In 2022 we also held dementia awareness training. |
8 | Publicise Tpas membership and benefits for tenants and RL leaseholders | Periodically included in monthly newsletter, and Threshold. |
9 | Continuing to promote the Tenant Involvement brochure | We promote the brochure at new sign-ups and other opportunities as appropriate. The Brochure continues to be refined and developed. In January 202 a new editable form was created to allow tenants and leaseholders to tell us how they want to be involved and request. Autumn 2022 we introduced telephone consultation for those who aren’t online and are unable to access in-person options. |
10 | Improve Internal Communications To improve customer service to our tenants and leaseholders | Monthly meeting held with Housing Officers and Property Services and Retirement Court Managers (held as needed). Tenant Involvement attend bi-monthly Retirement Living Managers Meetings and all Housing Management Team Leader meetings. Housing Officers to attend AGM of Resident Group meetings. From April 2023 a weekly update will be sent to all housing staff with an update on what has been happening in the service. |
11 | Marketing & Promotion: Promote the ‘Tenant Involvement Offer’ to increase awareness of TI options available | Using monthly newsletter and Threshold to continue to promote. Also part of the sign-up process. |
12 | Set up new Involvement Options based on the Tenant Involvement Offer brochure | Terms now in place and issued to those who want to engage. All options are now being utilised. |
13 | Reading Group: Further expand and develop the role of the Reading Group to give feedback and influence all Housing Service draft reports, letters and documents | Reading Group are very active and being used to run all publications passed prior to including website prior to release. |
14 | Support and facilitate Residents Associations and Community Groups: Continue to support and work in partnership with existing groups. Work with RL Service to increase number of Residents Association in R.L Courts | Resident Groups are all up and running and supported by the Council. A number of new groups have been set-up in Retirement Living Courts and others are in the process of being set-up. |
15 | Tenant Portal Explore options to improve or replace the Tenant Portal to expand the amount of information available through it | Replacement options will be considered as part of the re-tender of our Housing Management IT system. |
16 | Tenant Scrutiny Panel (TSP) Continue and develop the Tenant Scrutiny Panel/s | Scrutiny Panel have been trained and attended Tpas events. Due to the longer -term commitment of the Scrutiny Panel we have had a number of members unable to complete the review. This was off, Information provided to tenants when they terminate their tenancy. Therefore in 2023 we will pilot a one-day scrutiny project. . |
17 | Decent Environments Work with tenants and RL leaseholders to explore ways to improve local areas and utilise funding opportunities
| In 2022-23 we delivered 9 projects ranging from arts materials, raised borders, water butts to a contribution towards a skate park. We spent just over £13,500 of the £15k budget. Working with contracts officer on HRA land to explore options such as wildlife gardens. |
18 | Drive to Digital: help those who aren’t online get online where they want to and ensure access to service for those not online | We have introduced a tablet loan to engage those not online to engage which included a SIM card preloaded with data if needed. basic training on how to use the device is also provided. Street Learning providers provides a range of IT support and we promote this via Threshold and monthly newsletter. |
19 | Annual review of TI Offer, Strategy and Action Plan: Review annually to ensure the T.I Offer, Strategy and Action Plan is still fit for purpose and meet best practice | Options Brochure regularly and last updated Autumn 2022. Strategy is still current and this action plan was last updated in April 2023. |
20 | Continue to be a member of Tpas and utilise benefits to ensure we are up-to-date with best practice | Tpas membership will continue in 2023. |
21 | Develop effective reporting of results and feedback: Agree format and produce quarterly report on results of feedback received from TI activities for HMT | Housing feedback email set-up and being promoted at the bottom of all housing staffs email signature. |
22 | Performance Management: Including recording and monitoring all Tenant Involvement Activities | TPTracker is being utilised more to ensure engagement activities are recorded. In 2023-23 we engaged with 960 tenants and leaseholders up from 858 in 2021-22. |
23 | Setup and embed Complaints Panel subject to demand from tenants and RL leaseholders: Form and support a complains panel consisting of tenants, RL leaseholder and lead member of Housing Staff | The panel has now meet 3 times (during 2022-23) and meets quarterly. It has reviewed performance, customer feedback and complaints as well as compliance against the Housing Ombudsman Complaints handling Code. |
24 | Ensure website is kept up to date Include information on service performance, feedback – compliments and complaints including formal complaints data as well as updates on action plans | Work to change Tenant Involvement pages and how they interlink is in place, making it more attractive and interactive. |
25 | Review information provided in Annual Report Responding to requirements of the White Paper | HQN event on annual report writing attended in 2022. In 2022 when we wrote the 21-22 report we recruited tenants to get involved. |
26 | Develop and implement Local Offers Work with and consult tenants and RL leaseholders to develop local offers that deliver improvements that are important to them | We have used our text forum to find out if the term Local Offers was understood, which it wasn’t so we are now calling them service standards/Local offers. Local offers for 23/24 have been agreed and published. Consulted tenants and leaseholders on draft local offers and ideas for other things that we could offer. We have also published what we achieved against last years Local Offers. |
27 | Actively encourage feedback for Compliments and dissatisfaction | New feedback email which we are promoting in publications and on the website. It is also on the bottom of all housing staff email signatures. |
28 | Develop and implement a Housing Communications Plan: Work with tenants and RL leaseholders on publication and benchmarking of our performance across Housing Services and ensure feedback on contributions of tenants and RL leaseholders | We have set one up for 2023. |
29 | Tenant Involvement Recognition Scheme | New enhanced scheme for 2022 in place, which also includes a pilot annual awards scheme. This will be reviewed at the end of 2023. |