Decision Details

The recommendations to Cabinet outline a strategic approach to tenant engagement, aimed at enhancing communication, collaboration, and empowerment within our housing / tenant communities. By approving the draft Tenant Engagement Strategy 2024-2027 and initiating a comprehensive 12-week consultation period, the Cabinet demonstrates a commitment to inclusivity and responsiveness to tenant needs and preferences.

The consultation period allows for valuable feedback from tenants, ensuring that their voices are heard, and their perspectives are considered in shaping the final version of the strategy. Any amendments resulting from the consultation will be carefully reviewed by key stakeholders, including Strategic Director, and Head of Housing, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing. This collaborative approach ensures that the final strategy reflects a community incorporated vision that aligns with the priorities and aspirations of both tenants and the council.

Option 1: Do Nothing - The council maintains the status quo regarding tenant engagement without implementing a formal strategy. The current ad-hoc approach may involve occasional interactions with tenants through routine communications, surveys, or ad-hoc feedback mechanisms. However, there is no structured framework or defined processes for consistent and meaningful engagement across all housing services.

The absence of a formal strategy may result in missed opportunities to proactively addressing tenant concerns, limited channels for gathering comprehensive feedback, and challenges in ensuring equitable participation from all tenant groups. 

While this option may require minimal immediate resources or changes, it will lead to non-compliance and a failure to meet tenant expectations of the legislative changes set out in the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, which mandates local authorities and Registered Providers to produce a tenant engagement strategy covering paths ways for, tenant involvement, access to information, tenant empowerment and obligations to promote transparency, accountability across Housing and broader ESC. 

Option 2: Implement a Tenant Engagement Strategy to enhance communication, collaboration, and responsiveness between the council and tenants. The strategy will yield long-term benefits in terms of tenant satisfaction, trust, transparency and the overall quality of housing services provided by the ESC.

That Cabinet: 

1. Approves the draft Tenant Engagement Strategy 2024-2027, subject to consultation.

2. Approves the commencement of a 12-week consultation period on the draft Tenant Engagement Strategy with any amendments proposed to the Strategy resulting from the consultation to be reviewed and, where considered appropriate, made by the Strategic Director with Responsibility for Housing and the Head of Housing, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing.