Tenant Engagement Strategy Consultation
The Housing Service is proud to work collaboratively with our tenants to provide a safe and comfortable home within the communities we serve. However, we want to do more. We need to know more about our tenants and their needs. We want to ensure our tenants can easily tell us what they think of the services they receive. We want our tenants to know they will be listened to, and their views taken account of.
To help deliver these aims we are proposing to publish a new Tenant Engagement Strategy with our key commitments to tenants. This new strategy has been co-produced with our Tenant Involvement Group and housing staff.
Before we go any further, we want to hear from you. We are seeking your views on the draft strategy by asking you 6 easy to answer questions. You have between 16 October 2023 and 20 November 2023 to tell us what you think.
Please take some time to read the Strategy attached below and then take the survey.
Phases
Consultation outcome and next steps
Thanks to everyone who took part in this consultation, both online here and in person.
Consultation ran from 16 October 2023 to 20 November 2023 (a total of 5 weeks) and was promoted via a mix of social media campaigning (3 rounds of posts on Facebook and LinkedIn); posters put up at schemes and distributed via the Tenancy Management Team and online promotion of the ways to take part via Citizen Lab. We also took the opportunity to actively speak with people at our hubs and encouraging participation via word of mouth.
Tenants, practitioners and stakeholders were all invited to take part in the consultation and were enabled to do so in person at each of our 5 hubs, digitally on Citizen Lab, by phone and email. A total of 18 people took part in the consultation (13 online & 5 in person).
The majority of those that took part in the consultation either strongly agreed or slightly agreed with each of the Council’s four proposed priorities, and 72% felt the Strategy would encourage more tenants to get involved with the Council’s Housing Services, as shown in the charts below:
General feedback via comments was either positive, or focused on existing performance dissatisfaction, which this Strategy aims to address. However, general comments noted:
· “I feel the tenants would engage more, as they would feel they are being listened to and especially if we put the strategy in place and do follows up and ask for feedback”.
· “More actual interactions face to face NFDC to be in attendance at events and carnivals and perhaps drop in options around the New Forest”.
· “This strategy is full of good ideas, but the practicalities will show if it works. It will need successful measurements and a want to build trust”.
· “Rubbish title - would prefer 'tenants have your say. Also need to make sure that individuals don’t dominate tenant involvement, and become overpowering”.
· “This will be good once in place but people struggle with online/zoom etc. so email or phone calls are better in my opinion. This is all very well in theory. It will be good to be implemented”.
· “Amazing strategy. Hopefully it gets into action so tenants can see and feel they are involved and listened to”.
The Tenant Engagement Strategy has now been formally adopted by the Council. We're continuing to work through our action plan and will have a number of exciting opportunities, events and information that will be shared over the coming months. If you'd like to be involved in shaping our services, please let us know - you can contact us via any of the following methods, and one of the team will always be happy to have a chat.
Telephone 02380 285222 and ask to speak to the Tenant Engagement Team
Email: RI@nfdc.gov.uk
Come and speak to any of us when you see us out and about - you can speak to the Tenant Engagement Team, or your local Neighbourhood and Tenancy Management Officer/Administrator.
If you just want to see how we're performing, we're working on a number of ways for you to hold us to account. Check out your next edition of Hometalk magazine, our website, our social media channels, or here for the latest updates.
Thanks again to all of our tenants.