Decision

The
Cabinet Member for Council Homes approved the following:
 
1. 
The draft resident engagement strategy and the consultation
framework and roadmap.
 
2. 
The establishment of the tenants’ and
leaseholders’ led landlord service improvement boards to
actively support council tenants and leaseholders to influence and
embed the voice of residents in housing management strategies,
policies and the design and delivery of all landlord
services.
 
3. 
That officers collaborate with tenants and leaseholders to
determine the size of the various tenants’ and
leaseholders’ led landlord service improvement boards and
agree the terms of reference and the code of conduct for each
landlord service improvement board.
 
4. 
That officers work with the tenants’ and
leaseholders’ led landlord service improvement boards to
ensure the boards are diverse and inclusive in line with the
council’s public sector equality duty under s149 of the
Equality Act 2010 and the transparency, influence and
accountability standard set out in the social housing regulatory
framework.
 
5. 
That residents on the boards shall serve no more than three
consecutive years on each board and each resident is restricted to
serving on only one board in any given period. This is to widen
resident participation on the various boards and to bring fresh
perspectives on the various landlord service design and delivery
mechanisms.
 
6. 
That the appointment of an independent tenants’ and
leaseholders’ support and advice service provider to work
directly with council tenants and leaseholders’ and empower
them to be involved in the governance and accountability structures
of all landlord services and to develop a framework for
organisational strategy and policy reviews as well as local offers
for service delivery.
 
7. 
That a budget of £120K per annum be approved from the
resident participation fund of circa £900K for the
independent tenants’ and leaseholders’ advisory service
contract.
 
8. 
That a further budget of £100K per annum be approved
from the resident participation fund for remuneration payments to
tenants and leaseholders of the various landlord service
improvement boards. The proposed remuneration payment is in line
with current good practice for serving residents on social housing
boards. The remuneration payments further demonstrate respect for
the time of residents who are asked to give a considerable amount
of time helping to shape the design and delivery of a good landlord
service.