Next Steps

Governance is about the structures and arrangements we have in place to make sure that customers’ views are heard and have influence throughout the business. 

A new Customer Committee will replace the existing Operations Committee. The new Committee will report directly to the Board, focusing on our role as a housing provider and community investment. The new Committee will have a majority of residents (tenants, leaseholders and shared owners) openly selected for their skills, qualities and experience.

The new Customer Committee will review all the relevant strategies, policies, projects, proposals and performance including our annual self-assessments of value for money and against the Regulatory Standards.

An annual joint review will also be conducted by the Board and Customer Committee of how well customers’ voices have been listened to and acted on.

Scrutiny means making all of our services, systems and business processes open to inspection and review by customers, and acting on their recommendations.

Our new scrutiny approach will:

• Be directed, commissioned and monitored by the Customer Committee
• Follow a new, flexible methodology covering a range of techniques based on a clear, agreed scope for each enquiry
• Include in-depth customer-led reviews and investigations into particular services or parts of the business to recommend improvements
• Reflect the diversity of our customers, homes and communities.

Housing providers can access large amounts of information about customers and communities. Insight is about making positive use of this data to design, target and improve services on the basis of hard evidence.

We want to:

• Find out more about customers and their needs, and use what we discover to tailor homes, services and support more effectively to groups and individuals
• Take full account of people’s needs and differences, including the protected characteristics set out in the 2010 Equalities Act
• Make more use of surveys, research, feedback and special interest groups to study complaints and promote the interests of different types of households.

When things go wrong or if we fail to meet the standards customers reasonably expect from us, we need to know about it and take action. We will:

• Resolve problems quickly and informally whenever possible, while also responding positively to formal complaints and cooperating with the Housing Ombudsman Service
• Learn from complaints with the help of a new special interest group.

Residents’ associations and other groups can make a huge difference to the long-term success of neighbourhoods by using their local knowledge and networks.

The new strategy will ensure we:

• Continue supporting and funding existing residents’ associations
• Offer help and advice for people to create new groups or local offers
• Consult with recognised local groups about priorities for their area.

High-quality involvement doesn’t happen by chance or come free. We offer a range of financial support to help people get their voices heard.

We promise to continue to make at least £30,000 of grants available each year to support local projects and initiatives, including money specifically for young people.

Listening and talking are important, but effective involvement is about doing practical things that make a difference to communities and people’s lives.

The new strategy will support:

• Local opportunities for people to volunteer their time, energy and talents to support the community (for example, gardening, home clearance and events)
• Activities that boost people’s skills, confidence and wellbeing
• Research into what people want most – fun, fitness, food, flowers or anything else that supports happy, healthy lives.