Agenda item

To receive and note questions asked and statements made from members of the public on matters which fall within the remit of the Committee

Members of the public and visiting councillors may speak at the Policy Committee, provided they have registered to speak three working days in advance.  Please contact Democratic Services by 5pm on Deadline(registertospeakdeadline) via democracy@winchester.gov.uk or (01962) 848 264 to register to speak and for further details.

Ian Tait addressed the committee regarding agenda item 6 - Draft Housing Tenant Engagement and Communication Plan and a summary of the matters he raised were as follows.

1. That he felt the paper should be discussed at the Cabinet Committee: Housing as he believed that it was a relevant matter for that committee.
2. That tenant engagement was essential and cited both the Grenfell tragedy and the Awaab Ishak case as examples of this.
3. That good housing management meant tenant concerns needed to be taken seriously.
4. That Tenants And Council Together (TACT) played a vital role in achieving excellent tenant engagement, but the council needed to vary the way it communicates and listens to its tenants; and whilst social media is important, a move away from only a corporate approach may be beneficial.
5. That the council went through a housing options process 12 years ago, which utilised the Tenants Participation Advisory Service (TPAS) who were expert in tenancy engagement.
6. That the officer report showed an excellent understanding of the challenges of ensuring good engagement.
7. That he felt that the changes to area housing officers had not been as beneficial as initially hoped.

Councillor Paula Ferguson, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Community and Housing thanked Mr Tait for his contribution and responded to his points, which could be summarised as follows.

1. She believed the committee’s discussion of the draft report this evening would address many of his points, particularly greater face-to-face engagement and listening better.
2. The issue of TPAS and the independent review is addressed in the draft report, and an independent review of the draft strategy is planned with feedback from tenants.
3. The issue of area managers was being addressed, with the recruitment of staff.
4. She agreed that the council needed to engage with tenants in a variety of ways.
5. The draft plan aimed to allow tenants to tell the council their thoughts and make sure they are listened to in all appropriate settings.

David Light, Chair of Tenants And Council Together (TACT) addressed the committee regarding agenda item 6 - Draft Housing Tenant Engagement and Communication Plan and a summary of the matters he raised is as follows.

1. He wanted to see more younger people and people from different ethnic minorities engaged with TACT.
2. He looked forward to the council providing all the items described in the engagement plan.
3. He believed that the council and TACT work together in a positive way to achieve these goals.

Councillor Paula Ferguson, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Community and Housing and Janette Palmer, Housing Policy and Projects Manager responded to his points, which could be summarised as follows.

1. That the plan did focus on underrepresented groups and how to specifically engage with them.
2. The council will need to allocate resources to reach currently underrepresented groups.
3. The draft report highlights the importance of feedback and involvement from all teams within the council's housing service.
4. That it was important to empower both tenants and staff to have conversations and bring back feedback for service improvement.
5. That the resources needed may not just come from the tenant involvement team, but from all teams within the housing service.