It gives me great pleasure as Convenor of Place, Neighbourhood & Corporate Assets to introduce East Dunbartonshire Council’s Tenant Participation Strategy for 2023 to 2028. The Council’s new revised Strategy has been developed with the full and active participation of the Tenant Participation Working Group and tenants and service users of East Dunbartonshire. I would like to thank them for their input into the new Strategy.
Much has been achieved by working together and this Strategy aims to continue the successes achieved to date and to promote talking, listening and communicating with customers. The Council is committed to providing opportunities for tenants and service users to be involved and influence decisions at the highest possible level in relation to the development and monitoring of housing and services to Council tenants.
This document sets out a wide range of methods and support, which is available to all tenants to get involved. It also sets out how the Council will keep tenants informed, consult with them and listen to their views. The Housing service has taken on board the comments made by tenants, staff and a range of other key Stakeholders as part of the recent Tenant Participation Review and reflected these in the new aims of the Strategy.
I would like to thank all tenants and tenant representatives who have engaged with the Council by returning surveys, going to the Annual Tenant Event, giving up their time to represent their area, carrying out inspections and meeting with Council officers to discuss important housing issues. I look forward to working with you over the next few years.
I hope that more tenants will become involved and work with the Council through the opportunities available to assess its services. Together, we can demonstrate that involving our tenants is the way we work.
Councillor Paul Ferretti
Convenor of Place, Neighbourhood & Corporate Services
East Dunbartonshire Council
Jump to section:
- Tenant Participation Working Group (TPWG)
- Section 1 – Talking, Listening and Communicating
- Section 2 – Key Principles
- Section 3 – Equal Opportunities
- Section 4 – Legal Background
- Section 5 – Achievements
- Section 6 – Priorities
- Section 7 – Ways to Get Involved
- Section 8 – Information, Consultation and Feedback
- Section 9 – Tenant Scrutiny
- Section 10 – Support for Tenant Participation
- Section 11 – Measuring success
- Section 12 – Covid Recovery
- Section 13 – Getting in Touch
- Action Plan 2023 – 2028
- Jargon Explained
- Register of Tenant & Resident Organisations
Tenant Participation Working Group (TPWG)
The TPWG has worked in partnership with the Council to develop this Tenant Participation Strategy for 2023-28. The TPWG firmly believes that the revised Strategy provides a range of opportunities for tenants and other service users to get involved and communicate the benefits of working together to improve services. The TPWG is proud to have been involved in continuing the success of the previous Strategy by revising and updating this new Strategy which covers the next five year period.
The TPWG works alongside the Council to improve the way housing and other services to Council tenants are delivered in East Dunbartonshire. This is supported by the participation and involvement of service users talking, listening and communicating ideas and by having an opportunity to have their say.
The TPWG encourages tenants to take up the opportunities to get involved in whatever level they choose; be that attending a meeting, completing a questionnaire, being a Scrutineer an Interested Tenant or by joining a tenants group. The TPWG hopes that encouraging underrepresented groups and hard-to-reach groups to get involved can be further progressed during the next five years. Taking an opportunity to have a say and have communication with the Council is an opportunity to influence decisions concerning tenants’ homes and communities in East Dunbartonshire. TPWG members look forward to working with tenants in the years ahead.
Section 1 – Talking, Listening and Communicating
"Talking, Listening and Communicating" sets out the Council’s commitment to developing effective consultation and participation across East Dunbartonshire. This Strategy sets out the different ways that tenants and service users can get involved to influence and shape housing and other Council services. It also details how the Housing service will keep tenants and service users updated. This Strategy has been developed in partnership with tenant representatives from the TPWG and the Scrutineers.
Tenant Participation is about the Council communicating, consulting and taking on board the views of service users to improve our housing and services to Council tenants. The Council is fully committed to working closely with tenants and other service users to improve housing standards and services. Over the next five years, the Council will be developing even greater opportunities for tenants and service users to get involved
This latest Strategy builds on the many achievements already made by tenant representatives and staff working in partnership to improve the Housing service and tenant participation throughout East Dunbartonshire. The Strategy takes into account the legal framework for tenant participation in place within the Housing (Scotland) Acts 2001 and 2010. In line with the Scottish Social Housing Charter (SSHC), this Strategy outlines how tenants and service users can get involved in monitoring the performance of our housing services.
The Council and the TPWG welcomes the opportunity to publish this Strategy to increase opportunities for tenants and service users to work together to make a difference. By working together, the Council believes it can make a difference to our housing services and local communities. This Strategy sets out what actions and objectives the Tenant Participation team aims to achieve over 2023-28.
Section 2 – Key Principles
This Strategy makes clear that effective and meaningful participation requires partnership working between tenants, other service users, staff and Elected Members. The Council is committed to this partnership to ensure that tenants and other service users have real opportunities to shape and improve housing and services to Council tenants. The Council aims to put tenants and service users at the heart of its business and this Strategy is built upon the following principles:
| Trust, respect and partnership | |
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| Decision Making |
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| Sharing information and ideas |
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| Setting the agenda together |
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| Opportunities for All |
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| Supporting tenant participation |
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| Measuring success |
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Section 3 – Equal Opportunities
East Dunbartonshire Council is committed to encouraging equal opportunities in everything it does. The Council will work to actively remove any barriers that stop tenants and service users getting involved.
The Council will make sure all groups and individuals have equal access and an opportunity. to take part
The Council will continue to consult with representatives from potentially excluded groups to encourage involvement of groups such as black and minority ethnic groups, older people, people with disabilities and young people.
The Council will monitor the effectiveness of its equality measures as part of the process to monitor the Tenant Participation Strategy.
To ensure that tenants and other service users are treated fairly and are not disadvantaged in any way, an Equality Impact Assessment has been carried out on this Strategy.
Section 4 – Legal Background
Legal rights to participate
The Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 introduced the first legal framework for tenant participation in Scotland. It places a duty on all Councils and Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) to consult with tenants and service users on a range of housing issues including:
- The Tenant Participation Strategy
- Changes to rents and service charges
- Housing management, repairs and maintenance
- Standards of service to be provided
- And any proposal to change landlord.
All Councils and RSLs are required to produce a Tenant Participation Strategy in consultation with tenants.
The Scottish Social Housing Charter
The first Scottish Social Housing Charter (SSHC) was launched in 2012 and sets out the standards that
are expected of all Councils and RSLs. The Charter is used by the Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) to
assess and report on each landlord’s performance.
All Councils and RSLs are now required to carry out an annual self-assessment of how they are delivering
housing and repairs services. Each May, the Housing service produces an Annual Return on the Charter Report (ARC) to the SHR outlining our performance. Every August the SHR publishes a summary of the Council’s performance and this Report is available to the public on the SHR website [opens in a new window] This Report provides a useful way to compare our performance against that of other social housing landlords in Scotland.
Each October the Housing service produces an annual report entitled Your Housing News to provide tenants
and service users with information on its performance against the Charter. Tenants from the TPWG are involved in the drafting of this Report each year.
A copy of this Report can be found on the Council’s website or can be requested by contacting the Housing Policy Team on 0300 123 4510.
From February 2019 the SHR requires all Councils and RSLs to carry out a self-assessment exercise following publication of the ARC and to present this Annual Assurance to their Board, or, in the case of local authorities, to a relevant Committee. In East Dunbartonshire Council, this is the Place, Neighbourhood and Corporate Assets Committee. The Annual Assurance Statement is submitted to the SHR every October and made available on the SHR website [opens in a new window].
Section 5 – Achievements
Strategy review
Independent Review
A Working Group of tenant and staff representatives was formed to review how well tenant participation is working and to consider what improvements can be made to encourage tenant participation and create opportunities for talking, listening and communicating ideas to improve services. A comprehensive review was carried out that included:
- A review of the Tenant Participation Strategy and information sent out to tenants.
- Focus group meetings with tenants, service users and housing staff.
- A targeted survey of key Stakeholders and customers.
The review highlighted that a great deal of progress has been made to get more tenants and service users involved in order to influence change across East Dunbartonshire.
Achievements to date
Here are some key successes achieved over the last five years:
- The current tenant participation framework works well and provides a range of opportunities for tenants and service users to get involved and give their views.
- Registered Tenants Groups are working well in partnership with the Council and are actively working to improve local housing and wider community facilities and services.
- The TPWG, the main consultative body for tenants and service users throughout East Dunbartonshire, works closely with the Council and has been effective in influencing decisions, such as the annual rent increase, housing capital investment programme and asset management decisions.
- The annual rent setting consultation provides an excellent opportunity for tenants to have their say about future rent increases. This feedback is taken on board by the Council before decisions are reached.
- The TPWG annually reviews the Your Housing News annual tenant report to ensure that it is a useful and easy to read document.
- The Sheltered Housing Forum is actively working to develop and improve sheltered housing services.
- The Scrutineers is a group of tenants and residents which continues to independently scrutinise Council housing services to bring about an improvement in performance. These activities have included and influenced the right to repair standard, as well as improving the standard of temporary and emergency accommodation provided by the Council. The Scrutineers also recommended that the Council produce a specific Anti social Behaviour Policy for the Housing service instead of using the corporate one. Project 101 provides an excellent information and support service for young people.
- Project 101 held a job fayre open day for young people to attend which also promoted tenant participation activities to encourage more young people to get involved and have their say.
The Council is committed to funding and supporting tenant participation and has a dedicated Tenant Participation Officer post.- The Council has encouraged more tenants and service users to attend the Annual Tenant Event to give their views and priorities.
- Tenant Satisfaction Surveys have provided the Council with useful information about tenant’s views and priorities.
- The Council’s Taking Part newsletter is regarded as a useful way to provide tenants with information and to seek views and feedback.
- Estate walkabouts provide excellent opportunities to discuss ongoing issues within an area and agree solutions through working together.
- The Council in partnership with tenants developed a new Tenant Scrutiny Framework to outline how tenants can get involved in reviewing housing services.
The Housing service is proud of these achievements and plans to build on them over the next five years.
Section 6 – Priorities
In consultation with tenants and other service users, the Housing service identified a number of areas that will be developed in our Tenant Participation Strategy for 2023-28.
Tenant Participation Strategy and Action Plan
- The new Tenant Participation Strategy for 2023- 28 includes tenant participation initiatives and tenant scrutiny.
- The new Strategy links to the Council’s commitment to communication and digital inclusion.
- The new Strategy includes an Action Plan that is agreed with the TPWG and staff.
- The Action Plan is reviewed and developed annually by the TPWG and the Council.
- he Action Plan includes information on how progress against the Charter is being measured.
- The Council in partnership with the TPWG develop key performance indicators to access the outcomes of tenant participation and scrutiny.
- The Council develops a performance management framework for tenant participation and tenant scrutiny.
- The Council aims to embed tenant participation and scrutiny into how it plans, delivers and reviews its housing and other Council services.
- The TPWG is involved in the development, monitoring and evaluation of the Tenant Participation Strategy and an annual review of the TP budget.
- An annual training and support programme is in place to support Registered Tenants Organisations (RTOs), Forums and the TPWG
Getting more tenants involved
- The Council should develop social and networking events throughout East Dunbartonshire, to build up contact with tenants and other service users.
- The Council should be pro-active in identifying issues and engage with tenants who are underrepresented, whilst broadening activities to encourage engagement with harder to reach groups.
- The Council should encourage and support tenant involvement in areas where there is little to no tenant or community involvement.
- The Council should continue to develop the Interested Tenants List.
- The Council and TPWG will further develop and continue to publicise a Calendar of Tenant Participation Events.
- The Council will utilise the following methods to get tenants more involved:
- Focus Groups
- Social networking/Twitter/Facebook.
Tenants being involved in reviewing housing services
- The TPWG will be fully involved in reviewing repairs, allocations, Greenspace, rents and value for money.
- The Council will provide feedback to tenants following consultation exercises and make this information available on the Council’s website.
- A more systematic approach needs to be developed to take account of tenant’s views before policies are reviewed and decisions are taken.
- Tenants involvement in self assessment of the Housing service.
- The Council will encourage, support and resource tenant and customer involvement in the self-assessment of housing services.
- The Council will support the further development of the Scrutineers and scrutiny activities.
Improving communication
- The Council will continue to further develop its newsletter to tenants and other service users.
- The Council and TPWG will look at ways to utilise more fully the information collated from complaints, surveys and questionnaires.
- Operational, training and support needs to take tenant participation forward.
- Training and support will be provided to tenants, employees and Elected Members to understand the new Tenant Participation Strategy along with the requirements of the Charter and tenant scrutiny.
- Tenant participation is embedded into the planning and delivery of housing services. Employee training will take place to support housing staff to develop and promote tenant participation and scrutiny opportunities.
Section 7 – Ways to Get Involved
The Council want to use the experience of tenants and other service users and put this at the heart of decision making. There are a range of opportunities to get involved as part of our Tenant Participation Wheel.
Was to get involved
The Council provides a range of different ways in which tenants can get involved and give their views.
Registered Tenants and Residents Organisations (RTOs)
Tenants and Residents groups that are registered with East Dunbartonshire Council work in partnership with the Council and other agencies to highlight local housing issues and find solutions. RTOs are fully funded and supported by the Council and are recognised as independent groups.
Some Tenants and Residents groups choose not to register with the Council. These groups are supported and are also recognised as independent groups.
Sheltered Housing Forum
This Forum is made up of representatives from the Sheltered Housing areas across East Dunbartonshire. The Forum aims to meet with the Council four times each year to raise and address any issues arising with sheltered housing.
Tenant Participation Working Group
This Working Group is the main consultative body for tenants throughout East Dunbartonshire. It is made up of tenant representatives and service users, Elected Members along with officers from Housing and other Council services. The group meets five times per year to ensure there are a range of opportunities for tenants and service users to get involved. The TPWG has been effective in influencing decisions about housing services
Scrutineers – Tenant Scrutiny Group
The Scrutineers group is responsible for independently reviewing how good the Council is at delivering housing services. It is made up of tenants and other service users from across East Dunbartonshire. It works to ensure that the interests of tenants and service users are at the heart of how housing is delivered in East Dunbartonshire. The group meets monthly and is funded and supported by the Council.
Community Events and Open Days
The tenant participation team attends community events and open days, to provide more information about the housing service, as well as promoting tenant and customer involvement.
Tenants Conference
The Tenant Participation Team organises an annual Tenants Conference to provide an update on current housing issues, as well as seeking the views and priorities of tenants and other service users.
Surveys and Questionnaires
At certain times of the year, the Council will send out surveys or questionnaires for its customers to take part in. This helps staff to gather customer views on how well the Council is delivering housing services as well as determining future priorities.
Focus Groups
The Council invites groups of service users to one-off focus group meetings to find out about specific service delivery issues. These meetings also give staff the opportunity to keep up-to-date with the opinions of service users.
Consultations
The Council holds consultation events during the year to seek the views of tenants, service users and Tenants and Residents Groups, on topics such as rents and changes to housing policies. The Council provides copies of consultation documents to local Tenants and residents Groups, the Tenant Participation Working Group, the Sheltered Housing Forum, tenants (via the Taking Part newsletter) and other forums while also providing these groups with enough time to respond. The Council is committed to taking all consultation feedback into account before a final decision is reached.
Interested Tenants List
If you are interested in giving your views but you haven’t got time to come along to meetings, then the Interested Tenants List may be the right thing for you. The Council keeps a list of tenants and service users who have told us they want to be consulted on service issues that interest them. This can be done by post, email or by telephone.
Training and development opportunities
The Council provides a training programme for tenants and service users to enable them to increase their skills, knowledge and understanding of how housing services work and what standards to expect. The Tenant Participation budget also covers the costs of attending conference and seminar events.
Local Groups
The Council can support you to set up a new group or introduce you to an existing group in your area. This is a great way to get to know more people and to improve your local community. The Council is happy to support and consult with formal and informal groups.
Estate Walkabouts
Local Housing staff can arrange estate walkabouts with tenants. Service users can also be invited to take part in these. Walkabouts provide a great opportunity to progress any communal issues.
Tell Us
Tenants and service users can complain, compliment or comment about a housing service. The Council listens and learns from all comments that it receives.
To help you be involved
Contact the Tenant Participation Officer or your local Housing Officer if you are interested in getting involved. To make things easier the Council can:
- Provide transport to get to meetings or events.
- Provide crèche or care arrangements to support your attendance.
- Make sure that meetings are held in locations and buildings that are accessible.
- Provide information, training and support to keep you involved and informed.
Section 8 – Information, Consultation and Feedback
Standards
The Council will use a range of ways to provide information to tenants and service users. This includes written and electronic communication as well as face-to-face meetings.
The Council will ensure that the information provided:
- Is accurate and up to date.
- Is in plain English and free of jargon
- Is available in a range of formats.
- Takes account of tenants and service users views.
- Gives tenants and service users enough time to understand the information and to respond.
The Council is aware that many people face barriers to communication because of language or disability and will use a variety of methods to ensure that information is accessible and clear to understand including:
- Large print versions.
- Audio versions.
- Braille.
- Translations or providing documents in community languages
At consultation or information events, you can request:
- Loop systems.
- Sign language or community language interpreters.
Information Methods
The Council will provide a range of information to suit the needs and priorities of its tenants and service users.
Newsletters
The Council will publish the tenant newsletter Taking Part, three times a year, to update you on key housing issues.
Annual Performance Report
Every year the Council will produce an annual performance report outlining our progress against the Scottish Social Housing Charter. The report, Your Housing News will be made available on the Council’s website and will be reviewed in partnership with the TPWG.
Text Messaging Service
The Council will promote the use of a text messaging service to update you about useful information and as a reminder of meetings and appointments.
Website
The Council will provide updated information on its website to keep people informed. The Council will use Twitter and Facebook to convey information and gather your views. The Council will work with Corporate Communications to review and improve the Housing information on its website to ensure it meets your needs.
Tenants Handbook
Every new tenant will receive a copy of the tenants Handbook. The Council will keep this Handbook updated.
RTO Database
The Council has a statutory responsibility to keep a public register of Registered Tenants Organisations in the East Dunbartonshire area. This is available on our Tenant Participation
webpage.
Improvements
The Council will send a letter to every household prior to any improvement, work such as kitchen and bathroom refits or, close painting, detailing the work that will be carried out. The Council will also provide tenants with the contact details of the staff member involved in the project.
Calendar of TP Activities (Diary of Events)
Three times each year the Tenant Participation team will produce a calendar of TP activities. The calendar will provide advance notice of events taking place for the next four-month period and will be included in the Council’s Taking Part newsletter, as well as on the EDC website.
Complaints Procedure
The Council publishes information on its website about the Corporate Complaints Procedure.
Rents
The Council will give every tenant at least four weeks’ notice in writing before increasing rents or any service charge. The Council will consult tenants on any proposal to increase rents.
Housing Policies
Tenants have the right to request information about the terms of the tenancy agreement, rent setting policies, housing allocations policy, repairs and maintenance policies, the Tenant Participation Strategy and decision-making structures.
This information can be requested from the Housing Policy team and is also available on the Council’s website. It will be issued within 10 working days following receipt of request.
The Council’s ten pledges when consulting with you
The Council is committed to consulting with tenants and service users and to listening to your views before decisions are made. These 10 pledges on consulting with you include:
| Number | Pledge |
|---|---|
| 1 | Tenants and service users will be involved in the consultation process from the beginning. |
| 2 | Consultation is a genuine process and not just a tick-box exercise. |
| 3 | The Council will provide information, support and training to support tenants and service users to get fully involved. |
| 4 | The Council will provide a name and contact details of staff member/department dealing with the consultation. |
| 5 | The Council will give people a reasonable time to consider and give their response. |
| 6 | The Council will listen carefully to what people have to say. |
| 7 | The Council will take feedback into account before a decision is reached. |
| 8 | The Council will keep tenants and service users updated on the result of any consultation |
| 9 | The Council aims to give tenants and service users up to two months to respond to housing consultations. |
| 10 | The Council will advise people of when they can expect changes to be implemented. |
Section 9 – Tenant Scrutiny
What is Tenant Scrutiny?
Tenant Scrutiny is about tenants and service users being actively involved in reviewing how housing services are being delivered and, even more importantly, how they can be improved. Changes to the regulation of housing in Scotland following the introduction of the Scottish Social Housing Charter and an independent Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR), means that landlords are required to be more pro-active in self-regulation, by involving tenants and services users in the scrutiny of housing services.
In Scotland, there is now an increased focus on housing organisations carrying out self-assessment and reviewing their housing services to evaluate how well they are doing and to plan improvements.
Tenant Scrutiny is the name given to tenants being involved in the self-assessment process where they independently scrutinise landlord performance.
"Tenant-led scrutiny enables tenants and service users to examine our services in a clear and open manner. Their findings help inform our business and operational decisions. Through the working partnership of Tenant Scrutiny, this has assisted us to deliver value for money services, increase customer satisfaction and improve services."
Grant Mackintosh, Executive Officer – Housing
Tenant Scrutiny and landlord self-assessment
are now key priorities for the Council’s housing department. Feedback from Tenant Scrutiny supports the Council to make service improvements based on talking, listening and communicating.
The Scrutineers
The Scrutineers is a Tenant and Service User Scrutiny Group. It was launched in April 2015 and is at the core of the Council’s scrutiny framework. The Group is made up of tenants and service users, who independently review how well Housing Services as well as other Council services, are performing against the Charter, while also making recommendations for further improvements.
Membership of the group is open to tenants and service users in mixed tenure housing areas across East Dunbartonshire. The group meets monthly to:
- Work on behalf of tenants and service users to ensure that housing services are developed to a high standard.
- Ensure service users are at the heart of the business.
- Continually review and improve housing services.
- Make recommendations to senior managers and Elected Members on how housing services can be improved.
The Council and the Tenant Participation Working Group has developed a Tenant Scrutiny Framework to outline the key role of tenants groups, the Scrutiny group and the decision making process. This is detailed below.
Section 10 – Support for Tenant Participation
The Council recognises that for tenant participation to be successful it has to be properly funded and supported. Each year the Council sets aside a budget for Tenant Participation.
Staffing
The Council recognises that for tenant participation to be successful it has to be properly funded and supported. Each year the Council sets aside a budget for Tenant Participation.
- Tenant Participation Officer within the Housing Department.
- Two Client Support Workers within the Project 101 Youth Housing Information Project.
The Tenant Participation Team can support you in the following ways:
- Provide information about Council housing services.
- Provide training as well as support to tenant and residents groups, forums, the TPWG and the scrutiny group.
- Support tenants and resident groups to access funding.
- Support the development of new and existing tenants and resident groups.
- Organise information and consultation events
- Support tenants to independently review housing services.
- Produce publications such as the Taking Part newsletter.
Funding
The annual tenant participation budget is around £24,000. The budget will ensure that there is sufficient funding to support tenant participation activities throughout East Dunbartonshire and to deliver the Tenant Participation Strategy. The Tenant Participation Team prepares an annual report on the Tenant Participation budget spend and provides this to the TPWG. The Tenant Participation budget covers
- Grants to RTOs (in line with registration requirements).
- Funding for non-registered tenants groups
- Running costs for forums, TPWG, scrutiny and other groups.
- Access to local and national training, conference and seminar events.
- Consultation groups and focus groups
- Annual Tenants Conference event
- Accommodation for meetings.
- Travel, crèche and care costs.
- Access to independent advice organisations such as TIS or TPAS.
- Taking Part newsletter publication and distribution.
Training
The Council is committed to ensuring that both tenants and employees have the necessary skills, training and support to work in partnership. This may include joint training and attendance at conferences run by national organisations such as TIS and TPAS. In addition, training will be available to tenants and groups new to the process. The Council will regularly review training needs to ensure that tenants and employees have the skills and confidence to develop effective partnership working.
Support in Kind
The Council can also support tenants and groups in the following ways:
- Provide meeting room spaces.
- Photocopy or type group’s minutes and paperwork.
- Employees from the Housing service will also be available to assist tenants and residents groups.
Section 11 – Measuring success
The Council has made a commitment to work with the TPWG to produce an Annual Tenant Participation Action Plan to assist with the delivery of the overall Strategy. The Action Plan will detail the key aims, tasks, responsibilities and timescales needed to deliver the tenant participation activities for the year ahead. The Council will work with the TPWG to agree realistic targets and methods to measure the impact of the Tenant Participation Action Plan annually.
The TPWG will meet annually to monitor progress of this Strategy.
Section 12 – Covid Recovery
The Covid-19 Pandemic
There will be an awareness of the restrictions put in place from March 2020 by the Scottish Government as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. These restrictions had a direct impact on tenant participation as the Council immediately suspended all activities that involved meetings, as did local Tenants and Residents Organisations.
Our Annual Tenant Event from 2020 to 2022 was postponed and the scrutiny group, The Scrutineers, was also put on hold.
Even though meetings were not taking place, tenant participation and keeping tenants informed continued. The Taking Part newsletter was successfully issued to tenants. The Housing Service also facilitated Tenant Participation Working Group meetings online via Microsoft Teams and supported TPWG members to take part.
Despite the restrictions, tenant participation evolved and limited activities took place during this period, which included:
- Assisting with the Council’s Helping Hands to help vulnerable tenants to get the advice and support needed during the Covid-19 pandemic
- Issuing three Taking Part newsletters each year during the months of April/August/December, including a special Covid specific related issue in August 2020.
- Annually issuing the Your Housing News annual performance report.
- Continuing direct tenant participation support to groups/interested tenants (via telephone, email, Microsoft teams).
- Carrying out a Covid Financial Survey with all EDC tenants which supported the development of a Hardship Fund for tenants.
- Producing a Repairs Safety Leaflet to outline to tenants what to expect when repairs were being carried out in their homes.
- Continuing to undertake the annual rent setting survey and collating the responses received from tenants.
- Continuing the growth and support of the TPWG which now meets online via Microsoft Teams.
- Continuing to support young people through Project 101 which continues to provide recipes in newsletters and advice and information via email, telephone, social media and video link.
Tenant Participation Post Pandemic
The Housing Service is committed to promoting and supporting tenant participation, as well as ensuring it evolves, adapts and utilises all opportunities for tenants as part of the post-pandemic recovery. This will be carried out sensitively to support people to take part in ways that they are comfortable with and at an appropriate pace. The Tenant Participation team will support the reintroduction of activities in line with the Council’s recovery programme, ensuring that any face-to-face meetings are risk-assessed and held in venues that are spacious, ventilated, as well as having room to socially distance. The Tenant Participation team will support the reintroduction of activities in line with the Council’s recovery programme, ensuring that any face-to-face meetings are risk-assessed and held in venues that are spacious, ventilated, as well as having room to socially distance. The team will support the use of face masks where this is a member’s preference and, if preferred, by hosting hybrid meetings. This list is not exhaustive and should the evolution of tenant participation require additional resources to fully support participation at all levels, this will be given full consideration as Council officers, tenants and other customers of the Council adjust to new ways of working going forward.
Section 13 – Getting in Touch
For further information about getting involved, please contact the Tenant Participation Team on 0300 123 4510.
Detailed below are some useful addresses.
Tenant Participation Team
William Patrick Library, 2/4 West High Street
Kirkintilloch, G66 1AD
Tel: 0300 123 4510
Email: tenantparticipation@eastdunbarton.gov.uk
Housing Operations Team
William Patrick Library, 2/4 West High Street
Kirkintilloch, G66 1AD
Tel: 0300 123 4510
Email: housing@eastdunbarton.gov.uk
Housing Policy Team
William Patrick Library, 2/4 West High Street
Kirkintilloch, G66 1AD
Tel: 0300 123 4510
Email: housing@eastdunbarton.gov.uk
Homelessness Team
William Patrick Library, 2/4 West High Street
Kirkintilloch, G66 1AD
Tel: 0300 123 4510
Email: homelessness@eastdunbarton.gov.uk
Project 101
101 Townhead
Kirkintilloch, G66 1NX
Tel: 0300 123 4510
Email: project101@eastdunbarton.gov.uk
Kirkintilloch Community Hub
William Patrick Library, 2/4 West High Street
Kirkintilloch, G66 1AD
Tel: 0300 123 4510
Email: customerservices@eastdunbarton.gov.uk
Bishopbriggs Community Hub
Bishopbriggs Library, 170 Kirkintilloch Road
Bishopbriggs, G64 2LX
Tel: 0300 123 4510
Email: customerservices@eastdunbarton.gov.uk
Bearsden Community Hub
Brookwood Library, 166 Drymen Road
Bearsden, G61 3RJ
Tel: 0300 123 4510
Email: customerservices@eastdunbarton.gov.uk
Lennoxtown Community Hub
Main Street,
Lennoxtown, G66 7JJ
Tel: 0300 123 4510
Email: customerservices@eastdunbarton.gov.uk
Action Plan 2023 – 2028
Aim 1: To improve our communication with tenants and other service users
| Action | Task | Timescale | Lead Person/Organisation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | To continue to produce the Council’s Taking Part newsletter to share information and seek views of tenants and other service users |
Council to produce Taking Part newsletter three times per year. Council and TPWG to annually review the content and format of the Taking Part Newsletter. |
Annually
Annually |
Housing
TPWG and Housing |
| 1.2 | To review methods to measure tenant satisfaction | Council to coordinate tenant and service user feedback from complaints, surveys and tenant satisfaction surveys and to share results with the TPWG and Scrutineers . | Annually | TPWG, Scrutineers and Housing |
| 1.3 | To review how we analyse and report back the results of consultations to tenants and service users |
Council and TPWG to meet to agree an annual consultation programme and methods to be used to give tenant feedback.
To produce a You Said we Did section annually and in the Taking Part Newsletter. |
Annually
Annually |
TPWG and Housing
Housing |
| 1.4 | To develop the use of social networking such as Twitter, Facebook and use of text messages |
Council to promote the use of text messaging and social networking to update and seek views. Council to review its website to ensure it meets the needs of tenants and service users. Council to promote access to IT technology and promote digital inclusion through the Council’s Community Hubs. |
2023-2028
Annually
2023-2028
|
Housing
Housing
Housing
|
| 1.5 | Council to produce an Annual Performance Report to tenants |
Council to work with the TPWG and Scrutineers to agree the content and format of the Annual Performance Report to tenants. Council to produce Annual Performance Report. |
August each year
October each year |
Housing , TPWG and Scrutineers
Housing
|
| 1.6 | To publicise the successes of Tenant Participation | To include case studies and examples of the impact that tenant participation and scrutiny activities are making cross East Dunbartonshire in the Taking Part newsletter and on the Council’s website. | Annually | Housing |
| 1.7 | Complaints Procedure | Council to publish information about the Council’s Complaints Procedure on its website. | 2023-2028 | Corporate Team |
Aim 2: To provide more opportunities for tenants and service users to get involved and give their views
| Action | Task | Timescale | Lead Person.Organisation | |
| 2.1 | Council to produce a Calendar of Tenant Participation Events to encourage more involvement by tenants and other service users |
Council to meet annually with the TPWG to agree a calendar of tenant participation events. Calendar to be published each year in the Taking Part newsletter and on the Council’s website. Council to hold Annual Tenants Conference. |
Annually
Annually |
Housing and TPWG |
| 2.2 | Council to further develop its Interested Tenants |
Council to review the current Interested Tenants list and coordinate a recruitment drive to encourage more involvement. Council to update on progress with TPWG and Scrutineers. |
2023-2028
Annually |
Housing, TPWG and Scrutineers |
| 2.3 | To encourage and support tenant involvement in areas where there is little or no activity |
Council to identify areas where there is little tenant involvement. Develop a strategy to get more tenants involved. |
2023-2028
2023-2028 |
Housing
Housing |
| 2.4 | Promote the Community Hubs | Provide information on the Council’s website and Taking Part newsletter about the role of the Community Hubs as part of the Click, Call, Come in service which allows residents to pay for an increasing number of services online while still retaining the option of speaking to a customer service agent on the phone or by appointment at the Hubs. | 2023-2028 | Housing |
| 2.5 | Update Tenant Participation Leaflet |
Council and TPWG to update and supply leaflet to get tenants more involved. Leaflet to be made available to new tenants, local Community Hubs, to tenants and residents groups/Forums and on Council’s Website. |
2023-2028
2023-2028 |
Housing
Housing |
| 2.6 | Council will encourage more tenant and service user involvement in reviewing housing services |
Council will agree an annual consultation programme with the TPWG to look at issues such as:
|
2023-2028 | Housing |
Aim 3: To continue to remove barriers to encourage opportunities for all tenants and service users to get involved
| Action | Task | Timescale | Lead Person/Organisation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | Council and TPWG to review consultation and develop an Action Plan to Involve the harder-to-reach groups |
Review current methods of consultation with harder-to-reach groups Update Action Plan Report progress to TPWG and Scrutineers |
Annually Annually Annualty |
Housing Housing Housing |
| 3.2 | Develop links with other agencies and projects that work with tenants who are harder to reach |
Create contact database of other key agencies and partners who work with harder to reach Link into other events being held Publicise this work on the Council’s website and in the Taking Part Newsletter |
2023 - 2028
|
Housing
|
| 3.3 | Deliver more social events to seek the views of younger tenants |
Liaise with Project 101 to develop a plan for this Report progress to the TPWG |
2023 - 2028 2023 - 2028 |
Housing Housing, TPWG |
Aim 4: To support tenant and other service user involvement in the scrutiny of housing services
| Action | Task | Timescale | Lead Person/Organisation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.1 | Council to highlight the work of the Scrutineers and role of tenant scrutiny |
Council will keep staff and Elected Council will keep tenants updated The Council will agree and develop a The Council will develop a more |
2023-2028
2023-2028
2023-2028
2023-2028 |
Housing
Housing
Housing
Housing |
| 4.2 | The Council will support the work of the Scrutineers |
The Council will continue to resource The Scrutineers will develop The Scrutineers will work closely The Council will agree its wider |
Annually
Annually
Annually
Annually
|
Housing
Scrutineers
Scrutineers and TPWG
Housing and Scrutineers
|
Aim 5: To continue to resource and support tenant participation
| Action | Task | Timescale | Lead Person/Organisation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.1 | Council to ensure that the Tenant Participation Strategy is well understood and implemented |
Staff and Elected Members to be briefed on the strategy and scrutiny framework TP Strategy to be circulated to all Tenant Participation Strategy to be |
Annually
2023 - 2028
Ongoing |
Housing
Housing
Housing |
| 5.2 | Annually review the Tenant Participation Strategy and update the Action Plan |
To review Tenant Participation To review tenant participation To develop the Action Plan annually Publish results within the Taking |
Annually
Annually |
Housing and TPWG Housing and TPWG
Housing and TPWG |
| 5.3 | Develop a systematic approach to take account of tenants’ views before policies are reviewed and decisions are taken |
Work with TPWG to build a |
Ongoing | Housing Policy Team |
Jargon Explained
| Wording | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Accountable | Required to justify actions or decisions. |
| Action Plan | list of things a landlord or tenant’s organisation must do in order to achieve an objective. |
| Aims | Things an organisation wants to achieve. |
| Allocation | Preparing and offering a house to a prospective tenant. |
| Antisocial Behaviour | A person acting in a manner that causes or is likely to cause alarm or distress. |
| Budget | An estimate of all income and expenditure over a set period. |
| Community | Any group of people living or working on cooperation |
| Consultation | A landlord produces draft proposals, talks and listens to people affected before taking a decision |
| Elected Member | Councillors that have been elected in local government elections. |
| Estate Walkabout | Estate walkabouts are joint inspections of a local area by tenants and housing organisation staff to identify issues and find joint solutions. |
| Focus Group | A method of gaining opinion from a group of people that may have an issue in common. |
| Forum | Tenant representatives joining together to form an organisation that will promote things of common interest to influence service providers. |
| Framework | An outline of a process, not including the detail. |
| Housing (Scotland) Act | A document written in legal language agreed by the Scottish Parliament. It sets out the law regarding specific aspects of future housing. |
| Housing Management | A wide term meaning anything to do with a landlord providing a housing service |
| Landlord | An Individual or organisation who lets a property to someone on the basis of a legal agreement. |
| Objectives | Targets a landlord or tenants’ organisation wants to achieve. |
| Performance Indicator | A measurement used to show how well a housing service is being delivered, for example, the number of repairs carried out within a set timescale. |
| Registered Tenants Organisations (RTOs) |
RTOs were introduced in Scotland as part of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001. A tenants’ organisation can apply to their landlord for registration if it meets certain criteria. |
| Satisfaction Survey | A survey of a number of tenants by the landlord to see what they think of the housing management service. |
| Scrutineers | East Dunbartonshire’s tenant Scrutiny Group that is responsible for independently reviewing how well the Council is delivering housing services. |
| Social Housing | Housing at an affordable rent provided by registered social landlords. |
| Standard | A measure to which a landlord should seek to reach for delivering its service to tenants. |
| Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) |
The SHR regulated registered social landlords and has the responsibility to monitor, report and assess how well landlords are doing to achieve the Charter’s outcomes and standards |
| Scottish Social Housing Charter (The Charter) |
The Charter took effect in 2012 and sets outcomes and standards which landlords have to meet to be more proactive in self-regulation and to involve tenants in the scrutiny process. |
| Strategy | An organisation assesses its work and decides how to change this over a period of time. The Strategy is the means of going from the current period to the future desirable position. |
| Tenant Participation | A process providing ongoing opportunities for tenants to influence the decision taken by their landlords before the decisions are made. |
| Tenant Participation Strategy |
Tenant Participation Strategies promote the influence of tenants in landlords’ services and show how that landlord will obtain and take account of tenants’ views. |
| Tenant Scrutiny | Tenant Scrutiny aims to give tenants more power in holding their landlord to account for their decisions, performance and conduct. |
| Tenants Information Service (TIS) |
The leading independent organisation, managed by tenants, that provides information, training, development support and advice to tenants throughout Scotland. |
Register of Tenant & Resident Organisations
| Name | Twechar Tenants & Residents Association |
|---|---|
| Area of Operation | Twechar |
| Additional Information | The group meets on the second Monday of every month at 7pm at Twechar Healthy Living & Enterprise Centre, Twechar. These meetings are accessible to people with special needs. |
| Name | Oxford Street Residents Association |
|---|---|
| Area of Operation | Oxford Street, Kirkintilloch |
| Additional Information | The group meets every six weeks at 7pm at Members’ homes. |
| Name | Harestanes Tenants and Residents Association |
|---|---|
| Area of Operation | Langmuir Road (South of Langmuir Road defined streets are Fossil Grove, Glenconner Way, David Gray Drive, 16-70 Langmuir Road (even numbers only) |
| Additional Information | The group meets on the last Tuesday of every month (except June, July and December) at 7:30pm in Harestanes Primary School huts. These meetings are accessible to people with special needs. |
| Name | Stockiemuir & Buccleuch Tenants Association |
|---|---|
| Area of Operation | Stockiemuir & Buccleuch Court Sheltered Housing Complex |
| Additional Information | The group meet bi-monthly on a Friday in the tenants’ lounge within the complex. These meetings are accessible to people with special needs. |
For more information or to get in touch with one of the above associations please contact:
Tenant Participation Team
William Patrick Library
2-4 West High Street
Kirkintilloch
G66 1AD
Tel: 0141 777 3171
Email: tenantparticipation@eastdunbarton.gov.uk