1,500 residents appointed to Housing Ombudsman’s new panel

There will be various specialist sub groups throughout the year to give the ombudsman insight on a range of key topics from service development to Spotlight reports. 

Members will also be asked for their views through surveys and questionnaires, including responding to key consultations and our annual resident survey.

The panel sits alongside landlord engagement activities by the ombudsman service, including plans to develop a landlord sounding board as part of the forthcoming corporate plan period. 

Richard Blakeway, the housing ombudsman, said: “It is fantastic to see such an enthusiastic and broad response from residents to join the resident panel.

“The panel has been instrumental in helping us to improve access and awareness of the service and the establishment of a new Complaint Handling Code.

“This panel will have a unique opportunity to be part of all of that and more, with specialist discussion groups tackling some of the big topics we see in housing such as anti-social behaviour and shared ownership.

“By having a panel as large as this, we hope that the strength of resident voice will be apparent in our development alongside our engagement with landlords.”

Applications for the latest panel were opened in March. It hopes to build on the first one, which was appointed in March 2021 with 600 people for a three-year term. 

It provided feedback on the introduction of the complaint-handling code, annual business plans and projects to improve accessibility and raise awareness.

In February, Inside Housing interviewed Neal Wylde, a tenant who was on the first panel as well as several other social housing panels.

“The work we’ve done with the regulator and the Housing Ombudsman, they are listening to the tenants and all the stuff we do,” he said.

“And they are making changes from what the tenants say, which is, again, a wonderful thing to happen. I think that they are all making the right steps in the right direction.”

At the end of last month, more than a dozen senior figures from across the sector met to discuss the establishment of a new national tenant body.

At a round table event, a total of 16 representatives discussed future plans for A Voice for Tenants, a steering group aimed at establishing a permanent, independent body for tenants.

The national organisation would be led by social housing tenants to drive engagement with residents and represent their views to the government, landlords and other stakeholders on issues such as homelessness, the lack of social rented homes and concerns around welfare reform.