You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
Organisations with strong tenant engagement are seeing the impact in their consumer inspection and tenant satisfaction measures (TSMs), writes Alison Inman, chair of tenant engagement organisation Tpas
We are nearly a year into the new world of proactive consumer regulation, and it would be easy to think that it’s all doom and gloom in the local authority sector.
We must be honest, there have been some alarming governance failures. I’ll be the first to admit that my attention to detail isn’t great, but forgetting to collect TSM data isn’t a good look!
But look deeper and the picture is far more nuanced and rooted in policies going back decades.
The least surprising inspection outcome for me last year was Barnsley Council, where the stock is managed by Berneslai Homes, receiving the first C1 for a local authority.
The relationship between the council and the ALMO has always been mature. Berneslai was a three-star organisation under the old Audit Commission regime and, importantly, they have always lived and breathed genuine tenant engagement and involvement.
Neither was it unexpected to find Stockport Homes, another ALMO, reporting the highest overall satisfaction among the largest 200 landlords (91%).
I highlight these organisations because they have always been good. Their focus on delivery is sharp and clear. They have never rested on their laurels and have always challenged themselves to do more when it comes to putting tenants at the heart of their plans and decision-making.
“Our accreditation process sets a high bar for engagement, holding organisations to a standard that goes beyond what is set in regulation. The process is tough – as it should be – and the expectations rigorous, often taking a long time to achieve”
At Tpas, we have more than 300 landlord members – housing associations, local authorities and ALMOs –spread across the country and covering the majority of social housing.
Our accreditation process sets a high bar for engagement, holding organisations to a standard that goes beyond what is set in regulation. The process is tough – as it should be – and the expectations rigorous, often taking a long time to achieve.
We currently have three exemplar organisations that have been accredited three times, demonstrating a long-term commitment to meaningful engagement.
Two of these organisations, Hull City Council and Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, are large local authorities, showing it is more than possible for council housing to lead the way.
Why is the picture so varied across the country? Local authorities face many pressures and challenges, not least the absolute hollowing out of council finances in the past 15 years.
The management of the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) is, at worst, an exceedingly dark art resulting in very porous boundaries between it and the council’s general fund. The ever-imaginative recharges to the HRA can mean tenants, in effect, paying twice for services, and council rents being used to buy internal services that could be procured much more effectively on the open market.
The decision of the government in 2015 to end rent convergence means council rents are, on the whole, considerably lower than formula rents, and there is far less money available to spend on repairs and maintenance, tenancy sustainment and engagement.
There is also an unspoken political problem. I often hear local politicians say that they are accountable to the electorate, as if the Transparency, Involvement and Accountability Standard is somehow superseded by the electoral system.
Some local authorities are finding out the hard way that this is not the case. The new consumer standards set clear expectations and there is work to do in some councils to get the correct housing governance in place to meet the regulator’s expectations.
Add to the mix the fact that local authorities manage some of the oldest and most complex housing stock in the country and it is not surprising that some councils are struggling.
“The new consumer standards set clear expectations and there is work to do in some councils to get the correct housing governance in place to meet the regulator’s expectations”
At Tpas, we believe that putting meaningful engagement at the heart of all that a landlord does, rather than bolting it on afterwards, is the place to start.
Make decisions with tenants and leaseholders, understand their priorities and respect their expertise. Work with residents to understand and learn from complaints, and empower them to drive scrutiny of the areas they know can be better.
I visited Richmond Council recently to learn about their approach to tenant engagement. This may be a surprise to those who know that Richmond is not a stockholding authority, having transferred its housing stock some years ago.
Despite this, the council takes its responsibilities to all social housing tenants in the borough incredibly seriously, and I believe there is much to learn from this approach.
Its social housing improvement plan was developed in partnership with local housing associations and key partners in the community sector, and shaped by residents.
The council has a convening role and will work with landlords to improve services across the borough. In addition, the council’s community ambassadors project brings together residents from different landlords in the borough to strengthen connections and share insights, improvements and expertise.
The work highlighted that what most of us care about is community, not who our landlord might be, and it was great to see a local authority recognise the importance of the hyper-local and the power of joined-up working.
It’s clear to us at Tpas that good engagement is the key to great services. Local authorities undoubtedly have many pressures, but also a massive opportunity to work with their residents to create brilliant places to live.
Alison Inman, chair, Tpas
Already have an account? Click here to manage your newsletters