Tenant participation newsletter: making a difference

Foreword

I want the social housing sector to continue to provide the types of homes, services and support that enhance the lives of current and future tenants and their families. Social landlords are at the core of the communities in which they operate. They are ideally placed to connect with local people and groups and can encourage and provide opportunities for tenants and residents to make a difference.

I recently launched the Democratic Society report “Improving Democratic Engagement in the Housing Sector: Democracy starts at Home” and I was encouraged to read in the report that a key benefit of giving tenants and residents a clear voice is that this voice leads to better services and stronger, more confident communities. The research, commissioned by Wheatley Group and CIH Scotland, was aimed at gathering the very best examples of customer engagement from across the world to help shape the way forward.

Tenant participation/resident engagement is well developed in Scotland and is based on transparency, mutual respect, partnership and trust. Our legislation, regulatory system and the Scottish Social Housing Charter all combine to ensure that social housing tenants get clear information on the services they receive and have the opportunity to get involved in their landlords’ decision-making.

Traditional forms of engaging with tenants and residents no longer suit everyone. Historically some people have been disconnected. Younger people in particular are harder to involve in committees and formal forums, but they still have a real interest in the services they receive. While digital exclusion remains a factor in disadvantaged communities, more people are increasingly online, and this presents real opportunities to do things in new and different ways and refocus on how we engage with people at a local level.

We are supporting landlords who need help in reviewing, improving and developing their current tenant participation and scrutiny arrangements by funding “Next Steps – Tenant participation support programme” and the next phase of this programme will be advertised in early summer of 2019.

True engagement is not just about solving problems but about working collaboratively with individuals, groups and organisations to deliver positive change over time. We must build on our successes both locally and nationally and the Scottish Government will continue to work closely with tenants and landlords in developing housing policy and practice.

Our approach to tenant participation in Scotland is based on a partnership and is embedded into the culture of both social landlords and the Scottish Government – it is simply what we do and do well.

Kevin Stewart

Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning