About our Customer Committee

Trent & Dove is supported by a Customer Committee, whose members are Trent & Dove customers. The committee takes customers’ views into account to shape and continuously improve the homes and services that Trent & Dove provides and the community investments it makes. 

Trent & Dove also has an  Executive Team and a Board that are responsible for the organisation's day-to-day running.

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Jacky Astle | Independent member

Jacky Astle | Independent member

‘ It's better to ask for forgiveness rather than to ask for permission’ 

How did you become involved with Trent & Dove?
I worked alongside Trent & Dove with older couples applying for houses or single parents, and the collaboration was great.
It was aspiring to work in everybody's best interests. So, when I retired, I wanted to do something to repay the community.

Why did you join the Customer Committee?
I saw the positivity while working alongside Trent & Dove. If I could advocate for those voices, I could have a different perspective, not as a client. Sometimes, it is easier to say things and observe things differently than when you're not in the mix.

What experience do you have that makes you an effective Customer Committee member?
I listen and empathise with the community. I embrace and acknowledge all the good work done. Because of my background in working in health and housing, there are many crossovers. You know about people's hierarchy of needs and about health and safety. This knowledge also helps you understand our organisation and how it runs effectively.

What was your knowledge of Trent & Dove?
I took part in Trent & Dove’s befriending project . Hearing from the customers who got that value was quite astounding. It was life-enhancing for some people to talk and make plans and generally not feel so lonely.
The Warm Spaces cafes, the gardening, the Community Fridge and the Men in Sheds are brilliant. The volunteering and the community input side is just second to none. It’s like the unsung hero.

What personalities do you have in the Customer Committee that makes it effective?
We all have different backgrounds and interests. There'll be one member who is interested in disabilities or mental health, and there'll be somebody who comes from a complaints background. I am from health; then there's another member who's heavily involved with community work. 

What has been your proudest moment on the Customer Committee?

I asked if we recorded all the volunteer hours. That has now changed, so we can evidence what we're doing. I also question what we are doing about falls and trips and safeguarding. I'm very open to questioning and asking what we are doing about that. 

What would you want to introduce at Trent & Dove?

How do we get to the unreachables? The reachables are the people who will ask for help.
But the unreachables are people who have two full-time jobs, but they can't afford to eat, and they wouldn't tell anybody. Trent & Dove fills some of those gaps, but I'm still conscious that there is another raft of people we don’t know about.

Do you have a favourite quote or philosophy that inspires you?

‘ It's better to ask for forgiveness rather than to ask for permission’. Rather than going back through all the red tape, you make your professional judgement. I feel that part of the ethos of Trent & Dove is to embrace new ideas and to think in and out-of-the-box.

The Customer Committee’s purpose is to:

1. To provide a diverse cross-section of views, insight and opinion to the board from a customer perspective to:

a) Influence the board’s decision-making on key customer-related issues relating to the organisation’s responsibilities as a landlord or its commitment to communities (“Place-shaping”)
b) Enable the customer voice to shape and, and continuously improve, the homes and services that Trent & Dove provides and the community investments it makes. 
 

2. To scrutinise operational service delivery to ensure that quality, performance and impact is in line with:

a) The expectations set by the board
b) The organisation’s customer service commitments.
 

3. To provide assurance to the board on the impact and operation of Trent & Dove’s community support and investment activities, including:

a) Approving the criteria for awarding community grants and priorities for funding
b) Providing assurance to the board that Value for Money and Social Return on Investment is being achieved as a result of community initiatives, activities and grants.
 

4. To provide assurance to the board that there are effective mechanisms in place:

a) For the organisation to gather and analyse customer opinion and insight on key customer-related issues
b) For the organisation to take customers’ views into account in a meaningful way before making decisions on important matters which affect them
c) For the organisation to respond to customer views and feedback and implement continuous improvement actions
d) To enable the quality of homes and services provided by T&D to be continuously improved in response to customer insight and feedback;
e) to effectively communicate to customers how their views and insight have influenced Trent & Dove’s actions and decision-making.