Ways to get involved

Opportunities exist for tenants and leaseholders to be involved in influencing the delivery of housing services at an individual and local level through to a strategic level, from ad-hoc informal arrangements to more structured formal arrangements.

Tenant Participation Group

The Tenant Participation Group has a strategic role. It is responsible for monitoring and developing tenant participation and getting more involved in the decisions made by the council that affect homes and services. Members of the group should actively encourage other tenants to become involved and promote the different mechanisms available. Tenants are nominated to the TPG by the other recognized tenant participation groups within the district.

Sheltered Housing Forum

The Sheltered Housing Forum comprises three groups that will consider issues directly affecting the sheltered housing service. The groups represent the sheltered housing in the south, east and west areas of the district as each scheme nominates a representative to sit on the appropriate group within the forum and they provide feedback to other tenants and leaseholders on their scheme. Each of the three groups within the forum will have one representative on the TPG.

Leaseholder Forum

The Leaseholder Forum considers issues relating specifically to leaseholders, which includes Equity Share owners. Members of the forum can nominate two representatives on to the TPG.

Tenant and residents groups

The Council has some tenants and residents groups already established in some of its villages. Help can also be provided to set up new groups in areas where there are none at present. These groups look at issues relating to the estate/community where they live. A member of each group can be nominated as a representative on to the TPG.

Village voices

Where a village has less than 30 council properties, making it difficult to set up a tenant group, individual tenants can act as a village representative. Village voices can be representatives for their village on the TPG.

Disability Advisory Group

This group will look at disability issues affecting tenants. It will have representative(s) on the TPG nominated by the group.

Tenant e-say group

This group provides feedback on services, policies and documents via email. For example, as part of the development of the housing transfer proposal the group will be asked to comment on newsletters and information leaflets in terms of their language, presentation, style and general accessibility for tenants and leaseholders.

Transfer Advisory Group (TAG)

The development of a housing transfer proposal is a significant area of work. Whilst the TPG and other tenant groups and forums will all be encouraged to play a role in developing the offer to tenants the Council feel that a separate group is needed to help ensure that the views of tenants and leaseholders is properly represented.

The TAG will be set up to provide an opportunity for all tenants and leaseholders who wish to work on the various aspects of the housing
transfer proposal.

Tenants on this group will assist in the development of the offer being made by the Council to tenants. It is also expected that representatives will be drawn from this group to take part in a panel that will consider in detail the options for who the new landlord could be. This panel will also involve staff representatives and councillors. The tenant representatives on the panel will report back to the TPG and the TAG.

Details of the process for determining which members of the TAG, from those who express an interest, will be involved on a new landlord selection panel have yet to be agreed by Cabinet. The process will need to ensure that those who are part of the selection panel can represent the respective interests of sheltered, leaseholder and general needs housing tenants across the district.

Minutes of the TAG meeting held on 28 April 2008