Housing Ombudsman Launches 600-Person Resident Panel

The Housing Ombudsman has recruited 600 individuals to serve on its new resident panel following significant interest from participants. The ombudsman said it had initially intended to have 100 members but the level of interest was so high that the panel has been expanded to 600 people. Members will advise the complaints arbitration service on how it works. There will be two full meetings each year which will focus on key areas of work, such as the ombudsman’s corporate plan and business plan. The panel membership represents all nine regions of England, spans ages from 16 to over 65 and has a strong social housing demographic split, the ombudsman said. Read more on the Housing Ombudsman website.

https://www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk/2021/04/08/new-resident-panel-appointed/

Housing Ombudsman To Set Up New Resident Panel

The Housing Ombudsman is recruiting for a new resident panel to advise the complaints arbitration service on how it approaches its work. Around 100 residents will be invited to join the panel, initially on a virtual basis. Panel members will be selected to reflect the different types, sizes and locations of the 2,500 landlords in the ombudsman’s scheme. It is hoped that the exercise will provide the ombudsman with greater input from tenants as it develops future plans for the service. Read full details on the Housing Ombudsman website.

https://www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk/2021/02/03/housing-ombudsman-creates-new-panel-for-a-stronger-resident-voice/

Tenants Leading Change

The CLG has issued guidance on a number of ways tenants can get involved in making their neighbourhood a better place to live. Suggestions are;

·         Tenant panels

·         Community cashback

·         Manage where you live

Together with examples of how the above have worked in practice and links to organisations which can provide assistance to tenants wishing to become more involved.  Read the guidance on the CLG website.

Setting Up Tenant Panels to Resolve Complaints

How should housing organisations go about setting up a tenant panel to help resolve complaints? Graham Sykes of Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing (KNH) shares the lessons learned by KNH so far on the CIH website.

Welfare Reform Sparks Sharp Rise in Complaints

Welfare reforms have contributed to a sharp increase in complaints and enquiries made to the housing ombudsman.  Mike Biles, the housing ombudsman, revealed there has been a 31 per cent increase in tenant enquiries and complaints in the first quarter of 2013/14 compared with the same period last year.  The ombudsman received 3,207 enquiries or complaints in April to June 2013/14, and 2,456 in the same period last year.

Since April the ombudsman has only been able to consider complaints that have first been referred by a ‘designated person’ - an MP, councillor or recognised tenant panel - or by the tenant themselves if eight weeks have passed since the completion of internal complaints processes. Read more on Inside Housing.

Shapps: £1.3m to Hand Power Back to Tenants

The Housing Minister has unveiled a new fund of £1.3m to help give more power to communities over their social homes. Grant Shapps hopes the scheme will help bring the passion of the Olympic volunteers to local communities by giving housing association and council tenants a voice to lead change in their area.  Mr Shapps said the Tenant Empowerment Programme would offer a "springboard for success" to communities across the country who want to see their local needs reflected in the services they receive. This could be by helping tenants learn the skills they need to engage and negotiate confidently with their landlords; forming tenant panels to come together to demand the best value-for-money services; or even to take control of local services themselves if they feel that they could deliver more for less.  The Minister also highlighted the benefits to landlords of getting their tenants involved, from community involvement in scrutinising new repairs contracts or tenants working together with local authorities to tackle anti-social behaviour.  Read more on the CLG website.

Tenant Panels and Empowerment: Training and Support Programme

The CLG has issued a prospectus inviting applications from eligible organisations for grant funding to deliver a national programme for social tenants living in social housing that will:

    *encourage more tenant panels to challenge landlords, shape services and get involved in local decision making; and

    *empower tenants to engage with their landlord and take control of local services.

Download a copy of the prospectus from the CLG website.

New Social Housing Regulation Standards Announced

The Tenant Services Authority has announced the new regulatory standards that will apply from 1 April 2012.  From next month, the TSA will be abolished through the Localism Act with its regulatory functions absorbed by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).   The new regulatory framework for registered providers reflects the future distinction between the regulator’s economic and consumer regulation roles.  The HCA's Social Housing Regulator will shy away from consumer regulation and only intervene in a service delivery matter "if there is evidence of actual or potential serious detriment to tenants".  It will now be for registered providers working with their tenant panels and with councillors and MPs to deal with "less serious breaches" of the consumer standards.  On economic regulation, the regulator’s top priority will still be to ensure that private providers are financially viable for the long term and that their Boards are providing effective direction and oversight to their organisations. The framework also includes a new Value for Money standard as one of the economic regulation standards. Download a copy of the new standards from the TSA website.

Localism Bill Receives Royal Assent

The Localism Bill received Royal Assent on 15 November, becoming the Localism Act 2011. The Act has wide implications for social landlords and includes measures on:
· local authority tenancy strategies - which will affect allocation of all social housing
· tenure reform - the introduction of flexible tenancies
· abolition of the HRA subsidy system
· abolition of the Tenant Services Authority
· a cross-sector housing ombudsman scheme
· complaints and tenant panels
There is a whole section on how housing is to be managed in London, setting out specific powers for the Greater London Authority. The Act also covers many local authority functions such as community rights, neighbourhood planning and empowering cities, as well as a 'general power of competence' giving them the legal capacity to do anything an individual can do that isn't specifically prohibited. Download a copy of the Plain English Guide to the Act from the CLG website.

TSA Failing To Spend Tenant Panel Budget

Money to set up new tenant panels has been underspent amid allegations that the government is not doing enough to promote the programme. The £8 million, four-year tenant empowerment programme is intended to fund panels of tenants who will hold landlords to account once the Tenant Services Authority is abolished in April. It is promoted by the Communities and Local Government department but administered by the TSA. TSA board papers reveal that the regulator had only spent £163,000 of the £500,000 it was expected to have spent on TEP by 31 July. TSA board members and tenant organisations believe the CLG has not done enough to promote the programme. Pauleen Lane, a TSA board member and university lecturer, said the performance of the TSA and CLG in terms of empowerment has been ‘abysmal’. Read more on Inside Housing.

Tenants to Be Trained To Take Control of Their Neighbourhoods Post-Riots

In a move designed to strengthen tenants’ say in the running of their local communities after the rioting earlier this summer, Housing Minister Grant Shapps has announced new training to give them the skills for running local 'tenant panels'. Mr Shapps said that the recent riots showed that when communities come together to take a stand against those inflicting damage and disorder, they can have a real impact; the new training and creation of tenant panels would put powers back into the hands of tenants and give them a greater say on the running of their local community. And he highlighted how more people came out to clean up after the riots than participated in the riots themselves. He said that nobody knows their neighbourhoods better than tenants themselves and giving them real power to take control of local housing, could lead to services being better shaped around individual and local needs, benefiting everyone. New powers in the Localism Bill propose to give tenants the opportunity to lead their local communities and be given a direct say on how the issues that matter most to local people - such as repairs, anti social behaviour and estate management - can be better tackled, by enabling tenant panels to consider complaints before referring them to the ombudsman. He announced that a registered charity The National Communities Resource Centre has been awarded £535,000 to deliver training and support to empower tenants to set up groups to lead on the management of their social housing. Read more on the CLG website.

Tenants to Produce Framework for Local Tenant Panels

A programme agreed between the National Tenant Organisations (NTOs) and Government will see tenants leading the development of a framework for local tenant panels working in partnership with landlords. The NTOs (CCH, TPAS, TAROE and NFTMO) have been funded through the DCLG’s Tenant Empowerment Grant programme to provide an outline framework:
*establishing a programme of front runners to test out approaches;
*considering relationships with councillors, MPs, the regulator and ombudsman; and
*developing a user friendly document aimed at tenants setting out options derived from the above activity that tenants and landlords will be able to use in their development of tenant panels.
Along side this grant-funded project, the NTOs will also develop an “accreditation” system for Local Tenant Panels that will aim:
*to develop a tenant-led framework of principles and standards behind tenant panels;
*to ensure clarity for landlords regarding what is expected of them; and
*to generally drive up standards of tenant involvement and empowerment,
providing a basis for tenants and landlords to work together and learn from each other locally and nationally.
Find more information on the Confederation of Co-operative Housing website.

Tenant Panels

The National Tenant Organisations are carrying out two projects to develop a framework for local tenant panels. One is a project funded by Government to provide helpful information to tenants and landlords that might help in the setting up and development of tenant panels. The other is funded through the NTOs to develop an accreditation system for tenant panels. Find more details on the Confederation of Co-operative Housing website.

Shapps: Support for Tenants to Improve Their Neighbourhoods

Housing Minister Grant Shapps has launched plans to give tenants greater support to hold their landlords to account. The Minister argued that new locally-run tenant panels will put power back into the hands of residents, helping them to build the Big Society in their neighbourhoods. Mr Shapps announced plans for an £535,000 residential training programme, to give tenants the confidence and skills they need to sit on tenant panels so they can represent their neighbours and resolve local disputes such as making sure repairs are made efficiently, and that complaints against anti-social behaviour are dealt with quickly. Read more on the CLG website.