Resident Involvement Strategy 2024 – 27

Why we’re developing this strategy

We are proud of the services we provide to our residents. However, we are always looking to improve those services and make sure that they meet all your needs.

Our residents are at the heart of everything we do, so we have refreshed this strategy to make it easier and more appealing for more residents to get involved and have their say.

We believe that including the opinions and thoughts of our residents within our decision-making process is key in building a successful housing service which works well for everyone. We need to know what matters to residents, and how the things we do in our capacity as landlord, impact them and their lives. When we understand this, we can change our services to improve their experience as residents of East Devon District Council housing. By giving residents more ways to make their voices heard, we can be sure that as many of their opinions as possible are included in the decisions we make.

The government also recognises how important it is that landlords listen to what their tenants have to say. This is why they have introduced new rules and regulations which we must follow. They will be checking that we are doing all that we can to listen to, and consider the views of as many, and as wide a range of our residents as we can.

Our existing Resident Involvement Strategy was produced in December 2019. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic started within weeks of the launch of that strategy. All face-to-face contact with our residents ended. Our tenant participation groups stopped running, and frontline staff were placed onto alternative duties. Our new strategy redefines our commitment to resident involvement and opens doors for more of you to get involved and have your voices heard.

We want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who took the time from your busy lives to make comments regarding our priorities and targets for 2023–27. Without all your support, co-operation, and contributions we would not have been successful in developing the priorities and targets to such a high standard.

Our vision

Our vision for the Housing Service is to ‘create better communities for all’.

To achieve our vision, we must listen to what our residents want. We have had conversations with some residents who are already involved, and some who are not. We have also spoken to councillors, housing managers and staff to find out what good resident involvement looks like to them. We have adopted their ideas in the development of this strategy.

Some of the key messages from our conversations were that:

• a more diverse mix of residents needs to be involved
• we need to increase the variety of ways for our residents to get involved (for example, implementing a digital inclusion programme)
• the focus of formal resident involvement groups needs to improve
• performance information and reports need to be presented to residents in a clear and concise format
• training needs for involved residents should be identified and met
• more attractive incentives should be offered to involved residents

Our aims

We have used these key messages from our conversations to help us create our five aims for resident involvement over the next three years. We have reviewed all the new and existing legislation, including:

• Tenant Involvement and Empowerment Standard
• The Charter for Social Housing Residents
• Equality Act 2010
• Regulator of Social Housings: regulatory standards
• The Housing Ombudsman Service: Complaint Handling Code 2024
• East Devon District Council’s privacy notices

We have researched current best practice advise and drawn ideas from other providers of social housing, including:

• Cambridge City Council: resident involvement strategy 2021–24
• Copperworks Housing Association: tenant participation strategy and action plan 2020–23
• Dartford Borough Council: tenant and leaseholder engagement strategy 2021–23
• East Ayrshire Council: participation and engagement strategy 2023–26
• Harrow Council Housing: resident engagement strategy 2021–24
• L&Q Group: resident involvement for better relationships, culture and services (May 2023)
• Southlakes Housing: resident engagement strategy
• Tpas: national tenant engagement standards
• Tpas: engaging and empowering tenants in council-owned housing
• Winchester City Council: resident engagement review
• Keynote speeches from the 2023 Tpas Resident Engagement Conference

How impact is measured and what success looks like

We have an action plan for each of our aims, to achieve by 2027. This shows all the things we need to do to bring this strategy to life. When we roll out these action plans, we will be recording information about each project and activity we carry out. We will be looking at which residents take part, the cost of the project, and what it achieves.

We will measure the effectiveness or impact of resident involvement and the difference it makes to our Housing Service through specially designed ‘key performance indicators’. These will help the Communities team to demonstrate the changes that have been made as a direct consequence of resident involvement. They will allow us to see which projects or activities lead to the greatest impacts, and which offer the best value. This helps us to plan our future projects and activities.

We will keep checking our progress against our action plans over the next three years, to make sure we stay on track to complete it. The Resident Involvement Monitoring Group will receive six-monthly reports and help us to monitor our progress.

Aim one: understanding more about our residents

We will:

• build a clearer picture of who our residents are and get a better understanding of their service needs through surveys, tenancy visits and partnership working
• find out how they prefer to be contacted, and the best ways for them to get in touch with us
• promote equality within our service delivery and remove any discrimination or barriers that we find

Our action plan

By 2027 we aim to:

• complete a resident ‘getting to know you’ survey
• undertake an analysis of our residents based around the area they live in, so we can develop community development in a way that’s best for them

Aim two: improving the value of our resident involvement

We will:

• make sure that the time our residents give to help us make changes and improvements is valued and impactful
• give them the training and skills they need to get the most from their experiences of working with us
• make the time spent with officers as productive and useful as possible so that best use is made of their time too
• make sure our involved residents understand what is expected of them, and what they can expect from us in return
• share information with residents in a clear, concise way, which is easily understood
• not expect them to read through pages of jargon and confusing figures
• tell our residents what happens or changes as a result of their input

Our action plan

By 2027 we aim to:

• to help with understanding and questioning reports and data
• create a clear training plan for each involved group
• review the terms of reference for each involved group
• develop and agree an annual scrutiny plan
• produce reports to the Housing Review Board each year for each of the involved resident groups (including their terms of reference, their plans for the next year, the training needs of their members, and a summary of their achievements from the previous year)
• develop key performance indicators for resident involvement
• share our performance against agreed key performance indicators with relevant resident groups
• have annual presentations to residents on performance information which are clear and easy to understand

Aim three: increasing the diversity of our involved residents

We will:

• identify which groups of residents are not currently sharing their ideas and experiences with us
• develop targeted plans to improve our relations with those residents and encourage more of them to become involved
• make greater use of social media and online methods to make it easier for younger and working residents to have their say

Our action plan

By 2027 we aim to:

• recruit new members to our involved groups through varied involvement activities
• investigate online and out-of-hours meeting options for our involved resident groups where needed
• adapt our communication with residents in line with the findings from our ‘getting to know you’ survey
• begin the process of recruiting resident ‘champions’
• use the results from our ‘getting to know you’ survey to identify groups and communities, and find the most relevant partnership agencies to work with to improve our communication and engagement with them
• develop a clear plan for recruiting residents onto our involved groups
• promote the positive outcomes of resident involvement on our website and social media
• include performance in Resident Involvement as part of the annual report to residents
• promote involvement to resident of all ages using the new residents’ welcome pack
• explore the use of incentives for getting other residents and young people involved

Aim four: improving our communication and consultation with residents

We will:

• find out how our residents would like us to contact them, and how they prefer to speak to us
• tailor our services to meet these preferences where possible
• make greater use of social media and online methods to consult with our residents, to make it easier for more of them to have their say
• not use jargon when we are talking to our residents

Our action plan

By 2027 we aim to:

• make sure reports submitted to the Housing Review Board include information about consultations with residents
• implement a digital inclusion program
• increase resident involvement through online surveys, online chat, WhatsApp and social media
• consider creating a Young Persons Resident Panel
• use the results of our ‘getting to know you’ survey to help develop a targeted plan to actively engage with younger residents and other under-represented groups, using their preferred communication methods
• provide information to residents which is relevant and easy to understand

Aim five: value our involved residents, volunteers and communities

We will:

• update our training and expenditure policies to make sure that our residents are suitably rewarded for their time and consider if more needs to be done in this area to encourage others to take part
• stage an annual Resident Connect event to highlight, appreciate and celebrate our involved residents
• look at the different regions within our district to check that all our represented, and included within our service delivery, including our more rural residents

Our action plan

By 2027 we aim to:

• work with residents to provide a Resident Connect event
• develop a plan to improve our community centres
• consider the inclusion of reward incentives to increase levels of resident involvement

Getting involved

Why residents should get involved

We want to provide the best service we can, and to do that we need help from residents. Residents living in East Devon have first-hand experience of our services. If they get involved and tell us what they think works well, or where we can improve, they are giving us the feedback we need to help improve services for everyone.

What experience residents need

They already have all the experience they need to get involved with us. Our residents are experiencing our services first-hand, and this experience is what we are looking for to make our services the best they can be.

What support residents will get

We can give training and support if residents feel they need it to get involved. This will be different for everyone. Residents can trial any of our groups or activities before they commit and if they just want to come along and watch to start with, that is okay with us.

Ways to get involved

We have lots of different ways for residents to find out more about the Housing Service and have their say. We have put together a choice of resident involvement activities for residents to choose from. Many options only ask for a small amount of your time, as and when. Others ask for larger and more regular time commitments. Whichever option is chosen, residents will be playing an important part in helping us make the Housing Service work for everyone.

Go to our website

Residents can view all our policies, strategies, and procedures on our website. These documents provide information about how our housing service runs and the way we manage what we do on a day-to-day basis. There are opportunities to participate.

Other choices

There are other ways that residents can get involved that have a low amount of time and commitment:

• Take part in surveys and focus groups
• Come to a Housing Service resident and leaseholder surgery
• Read our Housing Matters magazine three times a year
• Read our annual report
• Go to our social media
• Get our e-newsletter sent by email
• Contact us
• Look at noticeboards at community centres

Come to pop-up events and neighbourhood engagement days

From time to time, the Housing Service will put on events in the community. This gives residents the chance to come and have some fun and speak to us face-to-face. They can find out more about the services we deliver or get more information if there are major housing-related projects happening in their local area. Information about all our events are on Facebook, the community development pages on our website and in the Housing Matters magazine.

Other choices

There are other ways that residents can get involved that have a medium amount of time and commitment:

• Join estate walk-abouts
• Take part in mystery shopping
• Come to resident training events
• Join a resident association
• Join the Recruitment and Selection Panel
• Join the Editorial Panel
• Take part in an annual Resident Connect event

Join the Housing Review Board

This group meets four times a year and reviews new housing policies, procedures and budgets. This requires reading and research in own time and ongoing commitment. The Housing Review Board is one of the council’s formal governance committees, made up of five councillors, five residents or leaseholders, and two independent community representatives.

The Housing Review Board meet every three months to hear about and discuss the current and planned future work within the Housing Service. Their approval is needed before some changes can go ahead. Their views are taken into account on housing policy and practice where this affects residents and leaseholders. They also monitor how well we are performing against our targets.

Resident Involvement Monitoring Group

This group will meet every six months. They will monitor our progress against this strategy, making sure we are keeping to our performance targets. The group will review progress against the detailed action plan which has been drawn up alongside this strategy and hold the council accountable for achieving our aims. They will ensure that resident feedback is incorporated into our service planning.

Join a panel

Our panels are consulted on policies and procedures. They review feedback from residents and performance information, which they can question and query. They can make suggestions based on this information on improvements that can be made. The meetings are between two to four hours, four times a year. Preparation and reading in advance of meetings required. The Scrutiny Panel can meet or liaise as often as weekly when working on a project.

Resident and Leaseholder Panel

This group gives feedback about changes to their housing service that could affect them. This is the main way consultation happens. Members of this panel will have the chance to review things in detail, ask questions and shape the way the Housing Service works for them. Their feedback is considered with other types of resident feedback, like focus groups and surveys.

Repairs and Maintenance Panel

This group of residents meets regularly in a formal meeting environment. They look at the performance of the council and its contractors against its expected or target goals. They ask questions about any areas where performance is not where it should be making sure that they understand any issues and are happy with any measures being put in place to resolve those issues.

This group identifies areas for improvement in the provision of housing repairs and are included in decisions surrounding the selection and appointment of contractors. They look at the budgets for the various areas within the repairs service and check that the council and its contractors are providing value for money.

Resident Scrutiny Panel

This group meet regularly to investigate and review specific topics or areas within the Housing Service. They undertake detailed research and suggest improvements that can be made to the Housing review Board. They plan to complete three areas of scrutiny each year. They also regularly review previous scrutiny reports to ensure agreed recommendations are implemented and to measure the effectiveness and results of those improvements.

Housing Complaints Support Panel

This panel is working to improve the service residents receive if they need to make a complaint. They will do this by making quality checks on all aspects of complaint handling and performance. They also look at the big picture and look for common themes with the complaints received. This helps the Housing Service find the areas it needs to improve.

Have your voice heard

If you are someone who lives permanently in a property owned by East Devon District Council and would like the opportunity to get involved, contact us.