Item 15 - Appendix 1
West Dunbartonshire Council · 20 November 2024
Back to Housing & Communities Committee — 20 November 2024 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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1 Involving You To Improve Housing Services West Dunbartonshire Council’s Draft Tenant Participation Strategy 2025-28 ITEM 15 - APPENDIX 1
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2 This document is also available in other languages, large print and audio format on request. Arabic British Sign Language users can contact us via contactSCOTLAND- BSL, the on-line British Sign Language interpreting service on 01389737198 Chinese (Cantonese) Gaelic Tha an sgrìobhainn seo cuideachd ri fhaighinn ann an cànanan eile, ann an clò mòr, agus ann an cruth claisneachd ma thèid iarraidh Hindi Polish Punjabi Ukrainian Цей документ також доступний іншими мовами, великим шрифтом та в аудіоформаті за запитом. Urdu West Dunbartonshire Council, 16 Church Street, Dumbarton, G82 1QL equalities@west-dunbarton.gov.uk 01389 737198
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3 Contents Foreword Councillor Gurpreet Singh Johal, Housing Convener and Frances McGonagle, Chairperson of the WDTRO Section 1 - Introduction – what is tenant participation? Section 2 - Background and key principles Section 3 - How can you get involved in West Dunbartonshire? Section 4 - Benefits of tenant participation – for you, your neighbourhood and for Housing Services Section 5 - Achievements Section 6 - How we developed the Strategy Section 7 - Aims of the Strategy Section 8 - Scottish Social Housing Charter and tenant scrutiny of performance Section 9 - Measuring Tenant Participation Section 10 - Consultation and feedback- seeking your views and influencing decisions Section 11 - Keeping you informed Section 12 - Resourcing and supporting tenant participation activity Section 13 - The Action Plan – what we will do to achieve the aims of this Strategy Appendices Appendix 1 - Who’s who in Housing Services Appendix 2 - List of current Tenants and Residents’ Associations Appendix 3 - Tenant Participation Strategy Consultation Summary
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4 Foreword Councillor Gurpreet Singh Johal, Convener of the Housing and Communities Committee. Welcome to Involving You to Improve Housing Services, our new Tenant Participation Strategy for the period 2025 to 2028. (to be included) Cllr Gurpreet Johal Convener, Housing and Communities Committee Frances McGonagle, WDTRO Chairperson Tenants have a stronger voice when they work together, and we welcome this Strategy as it sets out how we can continue to develop tenant participation in decision making and improving the housing services we receive. The WDTRO is the umbrella group for all Tenant & Resident Associations and tenants and we work to make our neighbourhoods better places to live. We appreciate that not everyone has the time or interest in getting involved and we work hard to be a representative organisation so that we can do that on peoples’ behalf. We want more tenants to get involved and this Strategy encourages that involvement and sets out the resources and support available for tenants getting involved, which can be very rewarding, either for yourself or in a group. One of the key things for us is that tenants need to be able to make a difference and be listened to. Through the Liaison meetings we have made sure that walkabouts are more effective, repair performance is improved and its good we have the opportunity to raise issues but we want all tenants to see improvements in their areas and know how to raise issues. Every tenant should know who their Housing officer is and they are key people to listen to tenants. The goal for tenant participation is to improve Housing Services so that is our focus. We also want to make sure that our rents are affordable and we get value for our rent money so there is still a long way to go but I’m grateful to all the tenants who do get involved as together we do make a difference.
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5 [Section One] Introduction – What is tenant participation? Welcome to our Tenant Participation Strategy 2025-28 which was produced in partnership with tenant representatives, tenants, staff and Councillors. This Strategy tells you how we will achieve effective tenant participation in housing services. You can find out about the range of ways you can get involved, how we are going to provide you with information, how we are going to consult with you and use your views and how we are going to work with you so that you can influence what we do and hold us to account. The aim is to improve housing services and tenant satisfaction. What is tenant participation? ‘It’s about tenants and tenants and residents groups taking part in decision making processes and influencing decisions about housing policies, conditions and related services. It is a two-way process, which involves the sharing of information, ideas and power. Its aim is to improve housing conditions and services’. (‘Partners in Participation, A National Strategy for Tenant Participation’ produced by the Scottish Executive in 1999.) This definition is useful because it tells us what tenant participation is, what needs to happen to make it work and what the outcome should be. Tenant representatives agreed that it is a good definition and emphasises the 2-way process - it doesn’t however emphasise the importance of local walkabouts as a way of participating which tenants value and although in a definition all aspects can’t be captured, the importance of walkabouts is emphasised in section 3. Being able to demonstrate outcomes achieved by tenant involvement is one of the best ways of encouraging more people to get involved and the main feedback from tenants is that they want to make a difference so it’s vital that we can make that happen. ‘Involving You’ is the name we have used for this Strategy and that is exactly what we want and need to do. For more information on this Strategy or if you are interested in getting involved, please contact our Tenant Participation Officers, Jane Mack, 0798 354 2993 or jane.mack@west-dunbarton.gov.uk Jennifer McKechnie 0782 366 247 or Jennifer.McKechnie@west-dunbarton.gov.uk
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6 [Section Two] Background and key principles At West Dunbartonshire we are committed to continually improving and the best way to do that is to listen and involve tenants in decision-making. We have a legal duty to involve tenants and service users, but more importantly we have a long history of active tenant involvement and are committed to ensuring that this continues. The Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 introduced the first legal framework for tenant participation by giving tenants the rights to participate and be consulted. The Act also put new duties on all Local Authorities and Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) in Scotland which all still apply. Your rights: to form independent representative organisations and apply for registration and funding; to access information about housing policies and related services; be consulted on issues that affect your homes; and participate in decisions that affect the services you receive and have enough time to consider draft proposals and put forward views The Council’s duties: to comply with equal opportunity legislation and involve often forgotten groups such as Gypsy Travellers and disabled tenants consult individual tenants as well as tenants and residents groups before making any decision that would change, - how we manage our housing properties - the standard of service we provide - any proposals to sell, transfer or demolish housing stock take on board tenants’ views before decisions are taken develop a Tenant Participation Strategy and put it into practice, ensuring that it complies with equality requirements put the Tenant Participation Strategy into practice and measure performance against the agreed action plan provide resources and support to make sure tenant participation is effective regularly review how well tenant participation is working set up arrangements for registering tenants groups
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7 We must also ensure we meet the standards set out in the Scottish Social Housing Charter which was introduced by the Housing (Scotland) Act 2010 and last reviewed in 2022. The Charter sets out the standards and outcomes that all tenants can expect from social landlords, in terms of the quality and value for money of the services they receive, the standard of their homes, and opportunities for communication and participation in the decisions that affect them. There are currently 16 outcomes and standards that all landlords need to achieve and publicise their performance against, every year. This means tenants can review their landlords performance and it is a useful tool for helping tenants hold their landlord to account. A full list of the Charter indicators are in Appendix 5. Of the 16 Charter outcomes there are four main ones that are particularly relevant to tenant participation: Outcome 2 – Communication Social landlords manage their businesses so that: Tenants and other customers (i.e. residents) find it easy to communicate with their landlord and get the information they need about their landlord, how and why it makes decisions and the services the landlord provides. Outcome 3 – Participation Social landlords manage their businesses so that: Tenants and other customers find it easy to participate in and influence their landlords’ decisions at a level they feel comfortable with. Outcome 14 & 15 - Rents and Service Charges Social landlords set rents and service charges in consultation with their tenants and other customers so that: A balance is struck between level of service provided, the costs of the services, and how far current and prospective tenants and service users can afford them. Tenants get clear information on how rents and other money is spent, including any details of individual items of expenditure above thresholds agreed between landlords and tenants. Equality and Inclusion We are committed to being inclusive, free from discrimination and prejudice and treating everyone equally. We will comply with all Equality and Human Right legislation and fulfil the three key elements of the general equality duty as defined in the Equality Act 2010: We want to get rid of discrimination, harassment and victimisation We want to encourage equal opportunities between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not We want to encourage good relations between all people. This includes challenging prejudice and building understanding. We will promote inclusive approaches and work in ways that are appropriate to different people and differing needs within our communities. We have also carried out an equality impact assessment on this Strategy to minimise any barriers that
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8 tenants may experience and identify opportunities for improving our approach that we have built into the Strategy. Our Tenants and Residents Associations also must show their commitment to equal opportunities to meet our registration conditions to become registered tenant organisations. We will continue to use a range of ways to give all tenants the opportunity to get involved and influence decisions about housing services, policies and standards. We will provide information in a range of formats (e.g. large print, BSL video and interpreting) and various languages to suit our tenants and prospective tenants’ needs on request. We also use “WDC Communicating Effectively”, the Council guide to inclusive communication. Public meetings and events will always be held in accessible buildings with hearing Loop system facilities. We will also provide transport or cover transport costs and cover reasonable care costs to support people attending meetings or to get involved. [Section 3] How you can get involved We want to encourage more tenants to get involved in shaping housing services and provide you with as many opportunities as possible to do this so you can pick something that suits your circumstances and interest. We have a long history of active tenant involvement through Tenants and Residents Associations (TRAs). While our Associations have an important part to play and we continue to support them, we recognise that not all tenants want to or have the time to get involved in this way. If you want to find out more about any of these options then please get in touch – phone or text 0798 354 2993 or email tenant.participation@west-dunbarton.gov.uk Walkabouts were identified in our consultation as an important way for tenants to get involved locally. A walkabout is a planned and publicised walk around your neighbourhood, street or block of flats. It is a good way to highlight what could be improved and can be done with housing staff so that issues are recorded and then actioned. The walkabout process has been improved to ensure actions are completed as quickly as possible or updates are given, and progress is now monitored at WDC/WDTRO Liaison meetings to ensure they get done well consistently. They are also a good way to identify proposals for the Tenant Priority Budget. Make a proposal for the Tenant Priority Budget The Tenant Priority Budget is an annual budget that tenants decide how it’s spent. Any tenant can put in a proposal and there are criteria for how it can be used, must benefit tenants.
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9 be on land owned by the Housing Revenue Account (we can help confirm that) the idea should be something that the Council, as the landlord, would not be responsible to carry out but it improves the area. (ie not repairs that the Council should already be doing). If you have an idea to improve your area, then the Tenant Priority Budget can help bring these ideas to life. Proposals are costed up and at a public meeting, tenants decide if it’s value for money (i.e. consider cost against how many tenants it will benefit) and if it should proceed. Successful proposals are varied from planters in Faifley to planned laundry facilities for multi-storey flats at Littleholm and Kilbowie Court. Read the Housing News We use the Housing News to provide you with information on what is happening in housing services, how to get involved in consultations and report the outcomes of consultations and Council decisions. We also promote community activities and showcase what impacts tenants are having in their area. It also includes regular performance information so all tenants can see how we are performing and question performance levels. It gets posted to all WDC tenants 4 times a year and also available online. We try to make the Housing News as interactive as possible, include a quiz and tenants can write or email Housing News (housing.news@west-dunbarton.gov.uk) if you have a question about Housing Services or if you would like to comment on the Housing News. Completing surveys or questionnaires We use a number of satisfaction surveys for your view about specific areas of housing services, for example you will be sent a survey from Building Services when they complete a repair or a survey from Housing Operations when you move into a new tenancy. These are used to gauge satisfaction and resolve any issues identified. The Council will also carry out a bi-annual tenant satisfaction survey to capture tenants’ views which are used to develop an action plan for improvements. Consultation surveys will also be carried out from time to time and we will promote them through the Housing News, our website and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/West-Dunbartonshire-Council-Tenant-Participation to make them available to individual tenants as well as TRA members. Most surveys are done online but paper copies of surveys are also available. New tenants Housing Officers advise new tenants on their rights to participate as part of the process of signing a tenancy agreement. They will use this, and the new tenant visit to explain the opportunities available for tenants to get involved in their particular area as well as an individual tenant. Tenant Participation Officers also send out a follow-up post card to encourage new tenants to get involved and provide their contact details.
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10 Interested Tenant Register Many tenants don’t want to be involved in a group or don’t have a group in their area but still want to get more involved, so we have an ‘Interested Tenant Register’. Tenants on the Register are given the same information shared with our Tenants and Residents Associations and receive direct invites to get involved in consultations and other events. They don’t have to attend regular meetings but can still keep up to date with what’s happening in Housing Services and get involved in topics that they are interested in. Any tenant can join our Interested Tenant Register by contacting the Tenant Participation Officers or through their Housing Officer. Attending conferences and events We host annual tenant events designed to encourage individual tenants to engage with Housing Services and to develop existing groups. These events aim to raise awareness about tenant participation activities, ask for views on different areas of the housing service and provide an opportunity for tenants to get together and share their ideas. Representatives from our registered tenant organisations are invited to be involved in planning these events with us. We also provide funding for tenants to attend conferences and events run by TIS, CIH or any other relevant organisation. Attending focus groups and public meetings From time to time, we will set up focus groups or public meetings to look at a particular part of the housing service, for example if we review our Allocations Policy or the Joint Rent Group which was set up to scrutinise the Housing Revenue Account (HRA). These will be open to all tenants and we will promote them widely. Sheltered Housing Forum Housing Services and the Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) have developed a joint approach to supporting the Sheltered Housing Forum. The Forum gives representatives from all nine sheltered complexes an opportunity to get together with Housing and HSCP staff to discuss the Sheltered Housing Service Standards, raise issues directly with staff and monitor developments. The Forum meets every 3 months and each complex takes a turn in hosting the meeting. Tenant Participation staff work with the Care at Home staff to provide minutes, agenda and transport for all Forum members. Scrutiny Panel Our Scrutiny Panel is open to all tenants or owners who receive a factoring service from the Council and they take an independent look at Housing performance. They choose what area they want to scrutinise and once they have reviewed performance and the processes involved, they make recommendations for improvements which Housing Services have committed to implementing. Thus, the Panel can directly influence improvements. Depending on what topic they look at, their work can be quite in-depth but they are supported by tenant participation staff, training, by each other and their work can be very rewarding.
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11 Tenants and Residents’ Associations Tenants and Residents’ Associations are made up of local tenants and residents who represent their area to bring about improvements in housing and other related services. We recognise the independence of these Associations and the contribution they make in improving services for all tenants and in representing the area they live in. A full list of all Tenants and Residents Associations is in Appendix three. Groups can apply for a Tenant Participation Grant if at least half of the elected committee (50%) are West Dunbartonshire Council tenants. This is because the grants are funded from the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) so needs to benefit tenants. The Tenant Participation Grant can be used to cover all the administration costs of running a TRA e.g. hall hire and printing costs etc. Groups that do not wish to apply for funding can still become a registered tenant organisation (RTO) with West Dunbartonshire Council. Registered Tenant Organisations Tenants and Residents’ Associations that meet the criteria set out by the Scottish Government can register with West Dunbartonshire Council as a registered tenant organisation. Registration is easy and doesn’t require the Associations to do much more than they are already required to do under their constitution. The key difference between an Association and a registered group is that by registering with the Council, Associations have a recognised role in decision-making processes. West Dunbartonshire Tenants and Tenants and Residents Organisation West Dunbartonshire Tenants and Residents Organisation (WDTRO) is an umbrella organisation which acts to co-ordinate the activities of all registered tenant organisations (RTOs). Their aim is to make sure that the RTOs work together to improve housing services and standards and raise issues that affect all tenants. You can contact the WDTRO by email (harrymccormack.wdtro@gmail.com) or by Facebook www.facebook.com/WestDunbartonshireTRO WDC/WDTRO Liaison Meetings The Council and the WDTRO have regular bi-monthly meetings so that tenant representatives, Councillors and senior housing staff can work together to improve the delivery of housing services. This ensures that our tenant representatives have direct access to those with decision making authority. Objectives are agreed and driven jointly by tenants and Council representatives with both being able to put items on the agenda. Minutes of these meetings are distributed to all RTOs and available on the Council’s website. The meetings are chaired alternatively by the Housing Convenor and the WDTRO chairperson, or their deputies, to reflect this key partnership approach.
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12 Pre-HACC Tenants Forum The Housing and Communities Committee (HACC) sets the policies and strategies for all services provided by Housing Services. It meets every 3 months and decisions are taken by the committee after Councillors consider and discuss reports by the Council’s officers. Prior to each of the quarterly HACC meetings, tenant representatives from tenant groups and individual tenants have an opportunity to meet with the Housing Convener and officers who wrote the reports. The purpose of the meeting is to exchange views on the reports going before the HACC and to allow tenants direct access to the Housing Convener. The Housing Convener then presents these views as part of the Committee’s discussion which forms part of the decision-making process, so this Forum gives real power to tenants to influence the HACC’s decisions. Representing all Tenants We are aware that there are groups of tenants that are often under-represented in tenant participation. For example, young people, travelling people, homeless service users, people with disabilities, black and minority ethnic groups and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender groups. We will look to develop different ways to involve tenants so that groups of people are not excluded and our action plans sets out more detail on what we will do to achieve inclusive participation. Local engagement Since 2016 Housing Services have been organised into 3 operational teams to focus housing management resources at a local area level. Housing Officers have a set area to manage and are involved in all aspects of tenancy management. This model allows them to build up relationships with the tenants within their patch. Our consultation has highlighted that more local engagement is needed to increase tenant satisfaction and involvement and several actions are included in our action plan to develop that positively. Complaints and compliments West Dunbartonshire Council is committed to providing the best quality services it can afford and aims to continually improve services. Our complaints procedure lets you tell us what you feel has gone wrong and helps us improve our services for everyone. Our complaints procedure is set out in Appendix Four. It is also good to hear when things work well and any compliments are passed onto the staff involved so they are aware of the difference they are making.
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13 [Section four] Benefits of tenant participation – for you, your neighbourhood and for Housing Services Ultimately, we want to improve Housing services but there is much to be gained personally and for your neighbourhood from tenant participation. Benefits for you: Tenant Participation has many benefits, both for you as an individual and for tenants in general: Improve the services you and all tenants receive Improve your home and neighbourhood Ensures tenants get good information about the Council’s Housing Services Gives tenants better knowledge and understanding of Housing processes Empowers tenants to influence decision-making on changes to Housing Services Gives tenants the opportunity to scrutinise performance and processes Helps people build confidence Develop new skills and knowledge Add volunteering experience to your CV Reduce social isolation and improve mental health Can give people a purpose and help them make a positive contribution to their community Make new friends and can even be fun! Benefits to Housing Services Improves performance through tenant insight, scrutiny and suggestions Helps ensure Housing Services are responsive to tenants’ needs and aspirations Tenants provide knowledge to officers about how things are working on the ground and helps them understand the problems tenants are facing Builds relationships between tenants and Council officers Can increase tenant satisfaction Tenant volunteers bring with them a lifetime of skills and experience, and can make a positive contribution to the work of the Council Allows for communications, policies and procedures to be considered and reviewed by tenants to ensure they meet tenants’ needs and are effective
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14 Benefits to the wider community Better neighbourhoods through improved services Offers a stronger voice to the wider community Provide the Council with an insight into how services work in the community Ensures the community is better informed about housing services Makes sure that tenants and other customers’ views are heard Valuing your time Without tenants who volunteer their time to get involved, we can’t have tenant participation and we value the time that tenants give to get involved with us. We hope that any involvement will be personally rewarding but we also provide transport or cover travelling expenses for any tenant attending a meeting arranged by Housing Services and our TP Grants cover out of pocket expenses for tenant and resident group members as well as the running costs of the group. We will provide support and training to help tenants get involved. Volunteering in any tenant participation activity can be a good way to help people get into or back into employment and we will provide references for any tenant who has been actively involved. [Section five] Achievements Since the last TP Strategy was agreed in 2022, we have made some key improvements in tenant participation, for example: TPAS accreditation is a national mark of excellence for participation activities and we were re-awarded a gold accreditation in 2023. We’ve increased tenant involvement in rent setting. Tenant involvement has consistently grown over the years - information provided has been made easier to understand and voting options promoted which has helped make tenants aware that they can influence the outcome of this vital decision. In the rent setting consultation for 24/25, 1724 tenants voted for their preferred option which equates to a healthy response rate of 17.3%. We’ve developed an annual performance report on TP activities to help evidence the positive impact tenant participation can have. The WDC/WDTRO Liaison meetings regularly resolve a range of issues brought up by tenants from improving communications when lifts are out of action to improving the consistency of walkabouts to ensure they were more effective and that updates are regularly provided. The regularity of the Liaison meetings also helps develop positive working partnerships to improve effectiveness. Our Joint Rent Group, made up of tenant volunteers, Housing and Finance staff as well as the Housing Convenor, jointly scrutinises the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) and the Council is now fully compliant with HRA Guidance. Their
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15 work has also helped increase transparency around the HRA, monitor how rent money is spent and help ensure tenants get value for money. The Tenant Priority Budget is an effective participatory budget that gives tenants the opportunity to decide how this annual budget is spent. Any tenant can make a proposal and tenants publicly decide which proposals are value for money and should go ahead. The Budget is promoted in the Housing News and gives tenants a great opportunity to see improvements happen in their neighbourhood. Our quarterly newsletter called ‘Housing News’ is an important way to communicate with all WDC tenants. In the tenant satisfaction survey carried out in October 2022, 85% said they read the Housing News to keep up to date. As well as housing updates, we include community news and the WDTRO have a regular column to help give a tenants’ point of view. We have developed clear, understandable performance information which we regularly include along with Housing News to increase tenant awareness around Housing Services’ performance and to help tenants scrutinise our performance. Our Scrutiny Panel independently scrutinise performance across the Housing Services and focus on areas that are most important to tenants or where improvements are most needed. For each of their scrutiny exercises, they make recommendations and then monitor action plans to ensure they are happy that their recommendations are implemented. All Scrutiny Panel recommendations have been implemented to date. TP Updates are distributed to Tenants and Residents Associations (TRAs), tenants on the Interested Tenants Register, Sheltered Housing Forum members, Scrutiny Panel members as well as housing staff and elected members to share information and raise awareness about tenant participation activities. We continue to support local TRAs and helped establish new TRAs where there was demand. We continually review the content of our TP webpages and update with meeting notes from the Joint Rent Group, WDC/WDTRO Liaison meetings, Sheltered Housing Forum and Pre-HACC Forum so that all tenants can get access to this information. Our number of followers on Facebook continue to increase and we post regularly with community information as well as housing and TP information. [Section Six] How we developed the Strategy This Strategy builds on previous TP Strategies and action plans. It has been developed in line with current housing legislation, the National Standards for Community Engagement and in consultation with staff, tenants and tenant groups. The following key stages formed our review process: We reviewed the previous Tenant Participation Strategy, what had been achieved, and what areas were still relevant and needed further development
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16 We reviewed other landlords’ strategies to learn from their objectives and achievements TPAS reviewed our 2017-2020 TP Strategy as part of our Accreditation and highly commended the style and use of clear language in the Strategy so that has been continued into this Strategy. In May and June 2024, we carried out workshops with staff and then tenants to review how TP was currently working and what needed to change and be improved. From 1 August to 24 September, we carried out a public consultation with a survey to all tenants to gauge awareness of tenant participation, satisfaction with opportunities to get involved, what information tenants use and how they rate it and awareness of consultations and feedback. A summary of the consultation and consultation results are included in Appendix 6. [Section seven] Aims of the strategy Our main aim is to improve Housing Services by working in partnership with tenants to develop and influence how these services are provided. We have amended the name of the strategy to ‘Involving You to improve Housing Services’ to help reinforce this key aim of tenant participation. Our aims reflect important legislative and regulatory requirements but also reflect the views of tenants collected during our consultation and the aims are listed in the order of importance that tenants gave them. We will: make sure that the resources and practices we put in place are sufficient to support and develop tenant involvement continue to promote a wide range of options for tenants to get involved in. This will include more interactive online networks and virtual meetings to help people be involved from home. Make sure tenants are aware of the opportunities and their rights to get involved. improve our feedback to tenants so that we can evidence where tenants and other service users have influenced or shaped housing services promote the difference tenants can make and the positive benefits of participation to them personally as well to their community continue to encourage involvement of under-represented groups such as young people, homeless people, people with disabilities and minority ethnic groups improve the culture and practice of involving tenants across housing services make sure that we communicate effectively with tenants and provide good quality, accessible information that tenants want
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17 continue to develop tenants’ involvement in monitoring and improving performance through our Scrutiny Panel as well as individual tenants holding us to account Our Action Plan in Section 13 sets out more detail of how we will meet these aims. [Section eight] Scottish Social Housing Charter and tenant scrutiny of performance The Scottish Social Housing Charter came into effect on 1st April 2012. Tenants across Scotland were involved in its creation and in its review every 5 years to ensure it is still focuses on performance that tenants are most interested in. The Charter aims to improve the quality and value of services provided by social landlords and sets out 16 outcomes and standards that all social landlords should aim to achieve. You can see the full list of Charter Outcomes in Appendix five. The Scottish Housing Regulator is an independent body responsible for monitoring, reporting and assessing how well social landlords, like West Dunbartonshire Council, are achieving the Charter’s outcomes and standards. Each year the Council must gather evidence to demonstrate to the Regulator and to tenants and service users how it is meeting the outcomes of the Charter. Tenants can also use the Regulator‘s website to compare how well the Council is performing against other social landlords. This helps tenants understand if their landlord is performing well or not. https://www.scottishhousingregulator.gov.uk/ How we monitor performance We monitor performance to make sure we are improving the services we provide and to identify where we can make improvements, for example we measure how long it takes to allocate a house when a tenant leaves and the number of repairs done right first time. We have a performance monitoring framework which makes sure that all the necessary performance information is being recorded and that authorised officers are monitoring and accountable for that performance. How tenants are involved in monitoring performance We have developed clear, understandable performance information which we include with each edition of the Housing News to increase tenant awareness around Housing Services’ performance and to help tenants scrutinise our performance. Tenants can raise any questions on the performance information and contact details are given on the reports. There is also a performance section on the Council’s website which all tenants can look at. How tenants are involved in Scrutiny Involving tenants in scrutinising our performance is essential for improvements to be made and to ensure we focus on tenants’ priorities. Tenant scrutiny is the name given to the activities that offer tenants an opportunity to get involved in assessing our performance.
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18 WD Scrutiny Panel Our Scrutiny Panel was set up in 2014. The Panel is open to all tenants or owners who receive a factoring service from the Council and training and out of pocket expenses are provided. The Panel developed their own terms of agreement and aims and are independent from the Council although supported by the Housing Development team to access information and assist with their meetings. A training tool called ‘Stepping up for Scrutiny’ was developed nationally and is used to introduce volunteers to scrutiny. On-going training and support is also available for Panel members as their involvement in tenant scrutiny activity develops. The Scrutiny Panel form part of the Council’s formal performance monitoring framework and there is a commitment to action all reasonable recommendations from the Panel’s scrutiny exercises. The Panel’s reports and recommendations are reported through the Housing News and made public on the TP webpages.– https://www.west -dunbarton.gov.uk/housing/council-housing/tenant-participation/west-dunbartonshire- scrutiny-panel/ They have carried out 7 scrutiny exercises so far: New tenant visit 2023 WDC Complaints Handling 2021 Medical adaptation process 2020 Scottish Social Housing Quality Standard (SHQS) Compliance 2019 New tenant visit process 2017 ‘Right First time’ repairs 2016 Anti-social behaviour complaint process 2015 The Panel monitor the implementation of their recommendations so they are assured that they are put in place. It is the Panel who decide what performance area they want to look at and focus on ensuring processes are improved from the tenants point of view. If you’d like to join the Scrutiny Panel or find out more, please contact them as they welcome new members. Email scrutinypanel2014@gmail.com or give the TP team a call or text on 0798 354 2993. How performance is reported to tenants In addition to submitting annual performance information to the Regulator, the Council is also required to produce a Tenants Report to show progress in meeting the Charter outcomes. Tenants played a key role in creating the look and content of our report to ensure that the performance information included is what they are interested in. Each year the report is reviewed involving tenants to ensure it continues to reflect tenant’s priorities. The tenants report also gives us an opportunity to encourage tenants to get involved in performance monitoring and ask questions about performance. We also have a regular performance insert that gets delivered to all tenants along with the Housing News and contact details are included to encourage contact.
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19 [Section nine] Measuring Tenant Participation We have created a range of actions to ensure that the aims of ‘Involving You to Improve Housing Services’ can be put into practice and tenant impact can be measured. Being able to demonstrate outcomes achieved by tenant involvement is one of the best ways of encouraging more people to get involved and to ensure that we are continually improving housing services. We will continue to provide regular progress reports to the WDTRO via the Liaison meetings as well as the Sheltered Housing Forum, through the Housing News and our TP webpages. We will also produce an annual tenant participation performance report and share it widely to help emphasise the outcomes achieved. Of the 16 Charter outcomes there are four main ones that are particularly relevant to tenant participation: Outcome 2 – Communication Social landlords manage their businesses so that: Tenants and other customers (i.e. residents) find it easy to communicate with their landlord and get the information they need about their landlord, how and why it makes decisions and the services the landlord provides. Outcome 3 – Participation Social landlords manage their businesses so that: Tenants and other customers find it easy to participate in and influence their landlords’ decisions at a level they feel comfortable with. Outcome 14 & 15 - Rents and Service Charges Social landlords set rents and service charges in consultation with their tenants and other customers so that: A balance is struck between level of service provided, the costs of the services, and how far current and prospective tenants and service users can afford them. Tenants get clear information on how rents and other money is spent, including any details of individual items of expenditure above thresholds agreed between landlords and tenants. We will report how well we are achieving these outcomes as well as measuring what we spend the TP Budget on, what we produce as a result and the outcomes for tenants. This will be reported to both the WDTRO and to the Housing and Communities Committee on an annual basis in the format of an annual committee report.
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20 [Section ten] Consultation and feedback- seeking your views and influencing decisions Consultation must be meaningful and the outcome of consultations must direct changes in policy or service delivery as a result. This distinguishes consultation from asking your views. We will always follow good practice and a consultation toolkit for staff has been developed to ensure all consultations conducted are meaningful and effectively deliver change. We will bring tenants and tenant organisations into the consultation process from the start We will use a number of approaches to consulting, for example, the Housing News, leaflets / posters, public meetings, open days, focus groups, surveys and through our website and social media to collect views from as wide a range of tenants possible The method of consultation will depend on the scale and significance of the issue or topic We will give detailed information on any proposals we are consulting on, including: - how the proposal will affect tenants, - how and within what timescales tenants can make their views known to us, - how and when the final decision will be taken, - the contact officer dealing with the consultation and, - information on how and where to complain. Where possible, individual tenants and tenant organisations will be given a minimum of 8 weeks to respond to any consultation If we want to do this in less than eight weeks, Council officers must seek permission from the Housing Development and Homelessness Manager. If permission is granted, we will explain why the consultation must be carried out within a shorter timescale. We will consult you on: 1. Annual Rent levels 2. Any changes to housing policies or housing services e.g. Allocation policy, relet standard for empty properties, repairs and maintenance services and standards. Feedback We use the views of tenants and service users to shape and improve the housing services you receive. It is important that we provide feedback so that you know we have listened to and acted on your feedback. Providing feedback is also important as it encourages others to get involved.
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21 [Section eleven] Keeping you informed We know how important it is that we provide you with good quality, up to date information which is accessible to everyone and free of jargon. Some of the methods we use include: Letters, phone, text and email surveys and questionnaires briefing notes and TP Updates face to face meetings home visits where a need is identified updates to Tenants and Residents Associations and registered tenant organisations through our Interested Tenants Register focus groups public meetings tenant handbook tenant events or other public events Housing News notice boards in our multi-storey blocks or tenement flats Council website https://www.west-dunbarton.gov.uk/housing/council- housing/tenant-participation/ and Social media https://www.facebook.com/WestDunbartonshireCouncilTenantParticipation We produce 4 editions of our tenant newsletter ‘Housing News’ each year and send it to all our Council tenants and those staying in temporary accommodation. Electronic copies are also sent to all housing staff and local Councillors and an accessible version is available on our webpage. We encourage tenants groups as well as staff to use Housing News as a way of communicating with all our tenants. To ensure we are as inclusive as possible, we provide all written information in a clear, accessible and easy to understand format, using plain language and where necessary in community languages. This includes making information available on request in other formats such as Braille, large print and audio format.
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22 Tenants Handbook Our tenant handbook provides essential information for tenants. An electronic version is available on the Council’s website and tenants can request a paper copy from their Housing Officer. We regularly review the handbook with the help of tenants to make sure that it is in a style and format which is useful, clear and easy to use. https://www.west-dunbarton.gov.uk/housing/council-housing/tenancy-and- allocations/tenant-handbook/ The Sheltered Housing Tenant Handbook Tenants in Sheltered Housing accommodation have a specific tenant handbook which set out their tenancy rights and responsibilities as well as support arrangements. The Sheltered Housing Forum members helped produce their tenant handbook and will be involved in its review. https://www.west- dunbarton.gov.uk/media/4318309/sheltered-housing-booklet.pdf Tenants and Residents Associations Handbook A Basic Guide designed to support new and existing TRAs has been developed to cover all aspects of running and managing a group. It also includes how to register with the Council as a registered tenant organisation. The TRA Handbook is available on our TP webpages along with useful forms to help TRAs be independent while still having the support of TP staff when needed. http://www.west-dunbarton.gov.uk/media/4307905/basic-guide-website- version.pdf TP Updates Tenant Participation Officers produce a quarterly TP Update for TRA members, and tenants in our Scrutiny Panel, Sheltered Housing Forum or on the Interested Tenants Register. The updates are also shared with staff and Councillors to help keep people informed on TP activities and developments. Digital Communication The Council invested in an Integrated Housing Management System (IHMS) in 2019 to help develop how we provide services to tenants. The Tenant Portal side of the system gives tenants greater access to check on their rent account, report repairs and monitor the progress of repairs. The system also provides options to send text reminders to tenants about appointments, consultations or to carry out short surveys. The reminders about consultations have already proven useful and helped increase response rates. There is more scope to develop this system further and could help improve communication with tenants so a specific action is included in the action plan to prioritise this. The Tenant Participation section on the Council’s website is kept up to date with information and minutes from meetings so they are available to any tenant at a time that suits them and to encourage involvement. https://www.west- dunbarton.gov.uk/housing/council-housing/tenant-participation/ The Council also has a Facebook page and X account which tenants can use to obtain information and provide comment. There is also a TP Facebook page which we use to promote consultations and share information about local events and group activities. Facebook
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23 [Section twelve] How we will resource and support tenant participation activity To make the process of involving tenants as effective as possible, we provide a range of resources which both individual tenants and TRAs can access. Housing Staff All housing staff are responsible for encouraging and supporting tenants to get involved. This can include practical support such as providing information about Council services, attendance at meetings, providing training or information sessions and delivering consultation events. Tenants should be advised of the opportunities to get involved when they sign up for a WDC tenancy but also at other times during their tenancy as people’s circumstances and interests change. Tenant Participation Officers Within the Housing Development Team there is a Senior Housing Development Officer (Tenant Participation) and a Housing Development Officer (Tenant Participation) who are responsible for supporting and developing tenant participation activity across West Dunbartonshire. The Senior Housing Development Officer is specifically responsible for developing, implementing and reporting on the aims of this Strategy. They also support the WDTRO, Scrutiny Panel, Joint Rent Group and Sheltered Housing Forum. The Housing Development Officer is responsible for promoting the Tenant Priority Budget, developing new ways to get involved, supporting existing TRA’s and help create and support new groups where there is a demand. They both also provide encouragement, training and support to individual tenants and tenants on our Interested Tenant Register to participate and develop. Funding Tenants and Residents Associations TRAs play a vital part in making sure our services reflect the needs of local communities. We are committed to providing support and resources to make sure Associations can function effectively and be representative. Start-up grants are available for new Associations and annual grants are available to existing Associations to cover their administration and running costs – e.g.to pay for photocopying, room hire for meetings or travelling expenses. One-off expenses to provide equipment to groups, such as laptops, printers are also made available to groups which are well established. Public Liability Insurance is also paid for each TRA. There are currently 5 Associations who have a community flat to base their activities from. The rent, insurance and utility charges are met by TP Grants given to groups. Their use of premises varies, but is primarily used as office and meeting space, Housing Officer and local Councillor Surgeries and can be used to provide meeting space for other community activities. We encourage these TRA’s to maximise the use of their community flat so that it is a valuable community asset e.g.
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24 Westbridgend TRA host a clothing bank in theirs and Tullichewan TRA host a regular Knit and Natter group and art classes. Information, training and support All TRAs are offered support and training from the Housing Development Team. Tenant Participation Officers usually attend meetings to support the committee until they are happy to proceed on their own. Formal training covering all aspects of running and managing an Association and guidance to become registered tenant organisations is offered. Our Associations will also be offered help to carry out action planning to assist them to achieve their goals and demonstrate their achievements. Tenant Participation training is also made available to all housing staff to ensure that we can put our tenant participation strategy into practice effectively. An ilearn course called ‘What is Tenant Participation?’ is available and should be part of all new staff’s induction training as well as a regular refresher for existing staff. Information sessions are arranged as and when required in response to developments, in support of consultation events or to discuss housing topics requested by TRAs. The Housing News is distributed to all tenants and TRAs four times a year and used as our main way of sharing information with all tenants. We also use regular TP Updates and briefing notes to share good practice and information. Training and encouragement are made available to all tenants to help them get involved. As an additional incentive to encourage more involvement, we also provide references for anyone who has volunteered to help them get into or back into, employment. Financial support is available to ensure that no one is out of pocket by getting involved and we can cover travelling expenses and reasonable care costs. We can arrange taxis to assist people getting to and from meetings. Conferences and events Tenants who are represented by a Tenants and Residents Association or who are on the Council’s list of interested tenants can attend annual conferences and events carried out by the Council, the Chartered Institute of Housing, the Tenants Information Service or the Tenant Participation Advisory Service. Costs for attending, transport and any other expenses are met through the tenant participation budget. Including everyone Our resources and support services are there for everyone to get involved. We use the principles set out in the National Standards for Community Engagement to ensure that where possible there are no practical barriers to any tenant being fully involved. This includes: suitable transport to attend meetings general assistance access to premises
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25 communication aids (such as loop systems, advocacy and interpreting services) opportunities to meet at a time and a place that suits Access to other sources of information, support and advice Scottish Government Social Housing Team Contact: 0300 244 4000 or email: ceu@gov.scot Tenants Information Service (TIS) - www.tis.org.uk Contact: 0141 248 1242 or email info@tis.org.uk Tenant Participation Advisory Service Scotland (TPAS Scotland) -TPAS - Your Friendly Engagement Experts (tpasscotland.org.uk) Contact: 0141 552 3633 or email enquiries@tpasscotland.org.uk www.tpasscotland.org.uk Equality Advisory and Support Service Contact: 0808 800 0082 or via FREEPOST EASS HELPLINE FPN6521 www.equalityadvisoryservice.com The Tenant Participation Budget All direct funding to support tenant participation activity comes from the rent and benefits tenants pay into the Housing Revenue Account. Therefore, we need to ensure that we spend our Budget effectively and for the benefit of tenants. In 2023/24 we spent £82,158.44 on tenant participation activities. Our Budget enables us to financially support 12 TRAs, the WDTRO, Sheltered Housing Forum, Pre-HACC Forum and Scrutiny Panel to help them function effectively and as independently as possible. The cost of producing the Housing News also comes out of our Tenant Participation Budget and this takes up most of our communication costs. We also have 5 TRAs who have community flats that they operate from and the running costs for these are included in the costs for supporting TRA’s, along with annual and top up grants to cover their running costs. Public liability insurance is also paid for each active TRA. Transport costs to and from meetings are also covered to ensure no-one is put off attending meetings by costs and that no tenant volunteer is out of pocket. Our postage costs are from providing pre-paid postage envelopes to encourage people to return surveys, vote in the rent setting consultation, return tenant priority budget proposal forms etc. if not doing so on-line. It also includes posting out meeting information so people have paper copies of information to be discussed. We report each year how the Tenant Participation Budget is spent in our annual TP performance report and make the details publicly available. The chart below splits up how the 23/24 Budget was spent.
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26
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27 The action plan [Section thirteen] This action plan sets out how we will meet the aims of this Strategy. What we will do How we will do it When we will do it Who is responsible 1. We will improve the culture and practice of tenant participation across housing services Ensure all new staff complete the TP ilearn course as well as existing staff completing course every 3 years Promote the benefits of involving tenants to staff and it’s direct link to improving housing services and tenant satisfaction produce quarterly TP updates for elected members, housing and related services staff to raise awareness of TP activities Improve inter team communication and provide TP updates for all housing and homelessness services. record outcomes from involving tenants and publicise them through the Housing News and other TP On-going August 2025 quarterly March 2025 ongoing annually November 2025 Service Managers TP Team (Housing Development) TP Team (Housing Development) TP Team (Housing Development) TP Team (Housing Development) TP Team (Housing Development) TP Team (Housing Development) TP Team (Housing Development) and Service Managers
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28 What we will do How we will do it When we will do it Who is responsible communication channels publish an Involving You annual report Develop better links between Housing Officers and local TRA’s and help develop positive relationships with TRA members. Promote to staff that walkabouts are a good way to identify issues and build relationships with tenants. November 2025 2. We will improve feedback to tenants so that we can demonstrate where our tenants and other service users have influenced or shaped the housing services Review the Consultation Toolkit with staff to ensure it is effective and easy to use outcomes from consultations will be communicated to participants and will be publicised via the Housing News, webpages and social media to ensure that tenants can see where they are November 2025 on-going on-going Housing Development Housing Development TP Team (Housing Development) TP Team (Housing Development)
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29 What we will do How we will do it When we will do it Who is responsible making a difference. support TRAs to demonstrate their achievements locally Promote the benefits of having a TRA and include practical examples. publish annual tenant involvement outcomes as part of TP performance report demonstrate the outcome(s) of tenant involvement in tenant scrutiny activities support tenants and TRA representatives to review papers going to the HAC Committee and encourage them to participate in the Pre-HACC Forum November 2025 annually on-going quarterly TP Team (Housing Development) TP Team (Housing Development) TP Team (Housing Development) 3. We will promote and provide a wide range of options for promote the range of options and support in place to encourage on-going June 2025 TP Team (Housing Development)
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30 What we will do How we will do it When we will do it Who is responsible tenants to get involved with us. tenants to get involved explore easy read option to produce a leaflet version of the TP Strategy 2025-2028 to make the TP Strategy more accessible and user-friendly Encourage more individual tenants to become involved in tenant participation . support TRAs to produce flyers, posters and create social media or websites promoting the work that they do and how to get involved continue to deliver an annual tenant conference or event explore new methods to provide information and obtain tenants’ views (e.g. social media, Tenant Portal) on-going on-going annual November 2025 ongoing ongoing TP Team (Housing Development) TP Team (Housing Development) TP Team (Housing Development) TP Team (Housing Development) TP Team (Housing Development) TP Team (Housing Development) TP Team (Housing Development) Housing Ops Building Services
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31 What we will do How we will do it When we will do it Who is responsible continue use of virtual meetings as option for people with limited time as well as for those with mobility issues as an attractive option to get involved from the comfort of own home. promote walkabouts to encourage tenants to get involved in their own neighbourhood. 4. We will encourage involvement of under- represented groups such as young people, homeless people, people with disabilities and minority ethnic groups. explore opportunities to develop Mightynetworks, a digital platform, as a more interactive and accessible option to increase tenant participation from young people Continue links with local youth groups like YSORTIT, Youth Council to raise awareness of participation opportunities and tenant rights explore opportunities to November 2025 ongoing November 2025 TP Team (Housing Development) TP Team (Housing Development) TP Team (Housing Development / Homelessness Team TP Team (Housing Development)
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32 What we will do How we will do it When we will do it Who is responsible develop a forum for people in or previously lived in temporary/supp orted accommodation Continue to support tenants at Dennystoun Forge to work with Housing Services and focus on their priorities. Continue membership of West Dunbartonshire Equality Forum and promote tenant participation to wider groups develop links with other agencies and projects that work with tenants who have disabilities and identify ways to improve involvement in TP Monthly quarterly ongoing TP Team (Housing Development) TP Team (Housing Development) 5. Ensure tenants are aware of the options available to them to shape housing produce and promote an annual consultation calendar so tenants know in advance opportunities they have to annually TP Team (Housing Development)
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33 What we will do How we will do it When we will do it Who is responsible service plans and budgets influence housing services and policies. carry out an annual consultation on rent setting and provide clear information for tenants to be able to make informed choices Continue to facilitate the Joint Rent Group to scrutinise the Housing Revenue Account to increase transparency and value for money. Support the Joint Rent Group to develop tenant involvement in the HRA budget decision making process Ensure new tenants are told at sign ups and new tenant visits about their rights to get involved and the opportunities available. Explore new opportunities to promote the annually on-going ongoing March 2025 ongoing Chief Officer, Housing and Employability/Housing Development TP Team (Housing Development)/Tenant representatives TP Team (Housing Development)/Finance/Tenant representatives Housing Operations Manager TP Team (Housing Development)
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34 What we will do How we will do it When we will do it Who is responsible range of options available to tenants to get involved. 6. Assess our performance in line with the Scottish Social Housing Charter and involve tenants in our annual Tenant Report. agree with tenants what Charter indicators they want included in the Tenant Report. review the best style to use to ensure the report is accessible and easy to understand Assist WD Scrutiny Panel to review and scrutinise performance data support scrutiny activity by offering formal training for staff and tenants taking part recruit new members onto the WD Scrutiny Panel June 2025 June 2025 on-going on-going on-going Housing Development Housing Development Housing Development TP Team (Housing Development) TP Team (Housing Development) 7. Ensure that the resources we put in place and practices we carry out are Assess training requirements of TRA members and create training plans for each group Annually ongoing TP Team (Housing Development)
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35 What we will do How we will do it When we will do it Who is responsible adequate to support and develop tenant participation activity Monitor TP Budget spending Housing Development Co- ordinator 8. We will ensure we communicate effectively with tenants and provide good quality, accessible information that tenants want review and improve the content on the TP web pages and use of social media. Ensure all Housing web pages remain up to date with relevant information Create a webpage to promote walkabouts and share updates on action plans continue to produce quarterly editions of the Housing News to keep all tenants up to date with housing investment, service developments, outcomes from consultations and local tenant activities. Share digital skills and access, to assist housing teams annually quarterly March 2025 quarterly ongoing June 2025 TP Team (Housing Development) All Housing Service Managers TP Team (Housing Development) TP Team (Housing Development) Housing Development TP Team (Housing Development)
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36 What we will do How we will do it When we will do it Who is responsible produce and promote improved information for tenants assess interest in creating an editorial group with tenants to develop content of the Housing News Ensure TP information is circulated directly to relevant staff November 2025 TP Team (Housing Development)
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37 Appendix One - Who’s Who in Housing Services Chief Officer Housing and Employability Peter Barry Housing Development and Homelessness Manager John Kerr Homelessness Co-ordinator Joanne Sutherland Housing Development Co-ordinator Stefan Kristmanns IHMS Project Co-ordinator Graham Watters Housing Development Co-ordinator Claire McKay Housing Operations Manager Nicola Pettigrew Area Co-ordinator Suzanne Marshall Area Co-ordinator Scott McLelland Area Co-ordinator David Lynch Area Co-ordinator Kevin McCrossan
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38 Appendix Two List of current registered tenant organisations (RTOs) and tenants and residents associations and federations Contact details are available on Council website or by contacting TP team Registered Tenant Organisations Central Alexandria Tenants and Residents Association Central Radnor Park Tenants and Residents Association Dalmuir Multi-Storey Flats Tenants and Residents Association Haldane Littleholm Tenants and Residents Association Old Whitecrook Tenants and Residents Association North & South Drumry Tenants and Residents Association Risk Street Tenants and Residents Association Tullichewan Tenants and Residents Association Westbridgend Tenants and Residents Association Willox Park Tenants Association Federation WDTRO- West Dunbartonshire Tenants and Residents Organisation (representing all groups across West Dunbartonshire) Contact details of all Tenants and Residents Associations can be obtained from the Tenant Participation Team by calling 07823 664247 or by email to tenant.participation@west-dunbarton.gov.uk
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39 Appendix Three Housing Services - Consultation Recording Sheet Housing Service …Housing Development Person responsible: Jane Mack, Snr Housing Development Officer (Tenant Participation) Consultation Start date:……28/5/24…….End Date……24/9/24…………………... 1. Title of consultation / participation exercise Review of Tenant Participation Strategy. 2. Aims and objectives Review current Strategy and develop a new strategy and action plan for 2025-28. 3. Invited to get involved: (e.g. all tenants, tenant from the interested tenants register, RTOs, staff) All tenants and members of the WDTRO, Tenant & Residents Associations, Scrutiny Panel, Sheltered Housing Forum, Interested Tenant Register, housing staff and TPAS. 4. Methods used to promote/invite stakeholders to get involved? (e.g. letters, posters, website) The Council’s website was used to advertise the consultation as well as social media, text and emails. The online survey was directly promoted to all TRA members, tenants on our Interested Tenant Register, through the WDTRO and TP Facebook page. We also sent text and emails to all tenants that we had contact details of through QL to promote the survey. Paper copies of the survey were made available, and tenants given a name and contact number to make this as easy as possible. 5. Who took part (Actual number of individuals and or number of tenant organisations represented) 5 members of staff took part in the workshop on 28/5/24 to give their views and those of their colleagues. 14 tenants attended the workshop on 1/6/24. 411 tenants responded to the tenant survey and 35 staff members responded to the staff survey. 6. Method(s) used to obtain views? (e.g. focus/working group, newsletter, survey) Staff and tenant workshops were used to get initial views on how TP was currently working and to identify key priorities.
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40 Why ? 2 surveys were used to collect further views and comments. Separate surveys were used for staff and tenants so that more specific questions could be used in each survey. These methods were chosen to gather a range of views and to develop effective actions to be included in the new Strategy. 7. What good practice or minimum standards can you evidence as part of your consultation? The tenant workshop took place at our annual tenant event which is well publicised and takes place in an accessible building. The survey was also well publicised and paper copies of the survey and free post envelopes were available and a contact name and number provided so they could be easily obtained. 8. Outcome of consultation? The views and comments collected have been included in the new Strategy and action plan. Staff identified that remote working has resulted in less collaboration within teams and between teams and so we need to do more to counter that. Information about issues that are raised at Liaison meetings don’t always get fed down to front-line staff and this was also reflected in the staff survey, where 40% of staff respondents didn’t think they received enough information about tenant participation activities. Actions have been included to improve communication and make sure that the information that is already shared, gets circulated to the right staff. When asked if the culture and practice of involving tenants across Housing Services had improved compared to 3 years ago, most staff said it was about the same (43%), 24% said it was better and 14% said it had got worse. Staff also identified that we need to do more to focus staff on their accountability to tenants so that all staff can play their role in tenant participation. This is key to the strategy being effective and linked to ensuring that there is a strong tenant participation culture throughout Housing services and there are a number of actions to tackle this in the action plan. The emphasis of tenant participation being about improving performance was also identified as needing more promotion through the workshop and also in the staff survey and is one of the key aims that unite tenants and staff so the name of the Strategy has been amended to recognise this, been put as the main aim of the Strategy and emphasised throughout the document. The tenants workshop identified that tenants get involved for a range of reasons so having a range of participation
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41 options was really important and also needs to be flexible as people’s circumstances can change. Actions are included in the action plan to support existing tenants and tenants groups and develop more digital options and increase engagement with under-represented groups so that all tenants can have their say. Tenants said they also wanted more face-to-face contact with housing staff and more commitment from officers so actions to improve the culture within Housing services and improving communication are included to address these issues. From the tenant survey in terms of awareness of tenant participation, the majority of respondents were aware of TRAs and getting involved through completing satisfaction surveys but less so of the rest of the range of options, so actions included to increase awareness and more promotion of the range of options available. Positive suggestions made include having an online forum and making it easier for people with disabilities to get involved so they have been included in action plan. The majority of respondents were satisfied with the opportunities to get involved. If dissatisfied, respondents were given opportunity to say what they thought needed to change and many comments made were negative about the Council in general and needing to improve service delivery, particularly repairs. Comments also referred to needing to listen to tenants more and this is key if tenants don’t think we do. Many comments were also about not knowing about the options mentioned so need to improve how we get information out to tenants and in a range of ways. Actions also been included to increase local engagement to help turnaround dissatisfaction. When asked what sources of information they used, the majority said it was the Housing News (71%) and did rate the content as good or very good. The website was also another important source. Other sources of information were rated indifferently so improving communication identified as a key priority in the action plan. Only 48% of respondents were aware of consultations and feedback provided so again improving communication is needed. 9. How did the consultation influence decision making? The views and comments collected have been used to create the new strategy and the action plan being put forward for committee approval. Tenants will also have an opportunity at the Pre- HACC Forum to add any final comments on the draft Strategy and they will be conveyed to the committee by the Housing Convenor.
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42 10. Are you able to demonstrate this? Yes - through the survey results, workshop notes and references in the TP Strategy and action plan. 11. How was feedback about the consultation and final decision given? An article will be included in the winter edition of the Housing News to feedback to all tenants on the consultation and the new strategy developed. We will also promote the new Strategy through our TP channels and update the Council’s website with a summary of the consultation and the new Strategy. 12. Was the eight week timescale observed? Yes If no please say why? 13. Was equal opportunities information collected? Yes 14. Did you check with participants that they were happy with the opportunities given to make their views known and that they felt that they were listened to and acted upon? The outcomes of the workshops and the survey were discussed with the WDTRO and their chairperson wrote an introduction in the Strategy document supporting it. The survey is anonymous to encourage people to participate and give their views but downside is that then can’t directly contact them to check their experience but no complaints about the consultation have been received. 15. What worked well, what didn’t work well – or any other comments. Using QL to send emails and text to those tenants we have up to date contact details helped promote the consultation and resulted in an increased response rate which is very welcome. It also meant we have been able to reach out further to tenants not already involved in participation and their views were really important in identifying that communication, local engagement and improving service delivery were key priorities.