Residents' Working Group
The Government’s Social Housing Green Paper which was released in 2018 emphasises the importance of empowering the voice of residents. This provided a good time to work with tenants and leaseholders to review participation structures to make sure they are fit for purpose and provide residents with the opportunity to participate at different levels.
In 2019, the Council carried out a review of its participation structures with the help of a Residents’ Working Group (RWG). The Council also sought the wider views of tenants and leaseholders through an online survey. The work of the RWG and the results from the online survey helped inform the Resident Participation and Consultation Strategy.
The Residents’ Working Group participated in five workshops to review all aspects of the Council’s participation structures and make recommendations for improvements. These covered the following topics:
1. Introduction and the Council's overall participation structures
- Read a summary of the first workshop
2. Constitutions and formal structures (e.g. Residents’ Associations, Area Housing Panels and Borough Residents’ Forum)
- Read a summary of the second workshop
3. Informal participation and how we can encourage wider participation
- Read a summary of the third workshop
4. Communication with residents, reporting performance and satisfaction surveys
- Read a summary of the fourth workshop
5. Recap of the process and the draft Resident and Consultation Participation Strategy
- Read a summary of the fifth workshop
Committee reports
An update on the first two workshops was presented to the Borough Residents Forum (BRF) and the Housing and Regeneration Overview and Scrutiny Committee (HROSC) on 12 June and 17 June 2019 respectively.
- Read the BRF report
- Read the HROSC report
A further update on the workshops was presented to BRF and HROSC in September along with a draft Resident Participation and Consultation Strategy which the RWG have helped to develop.
- Read the September BRF report
- Read the September HROSC report
Following a six-week public consultation period, the final Strategy was presented to BRF and HROSC in January 2020.
- Read the January BRF report
- Read the January HROSC report