Agenda item

1.       That the TACT Board be established.

2.       That the terms of reference for the TACT Board be agreed as set out in Appendix 6 of report CAB3434(H).

3.       That non-councillor TACT board members will receive compensation for attendance at the TACT board.

4.       That the draft Housing Engagement and Communication Plan be approved.

Councillor Westwood introduced the report highlighting that ensuring tenants views were heard and acted upon was a key element of the Social Housing Regulation Act 2023 that had been discussed under the previous item.  He confirmed that the report had been prepared in collaboration with TACT and expressed his thanks to members of TACT for all their work over previous years.  A report had been considered by the Economy and Housing Policy Committee on 28 February 2023 (report BHP40 refers) and the comments from that meeting had been take into consideration in drafting the plan.

Ian Tait spoke during public participation as summarised briefly below.

He recognised the ongoing discussions regarding the best way to engage with tenants and believed that using an independent body had worked well as part of the previous housing options process.  In relation to the proposed TACT board, he highlighted the benefits of appointing housing specialists to the two independent positions rather than councillors.

Councillor Westwood responded to the comments made including confirming that the “two independents” referred to in the proposed make-up of the TACT board would be two independent people with relevant housing experience, not councillors.

Councillor Westwood, the Strategic Director and the Corporate Head of Housing responded to questions and comments from members on the following:

a)    Confirming that the intention would be that the TACT board would evolve over time with a review structure built into the proposed model.  There would also be an annual report from the board to this committee.

b)    Noting that there would need to be some consistency between the different consumer service groups.

c)     The opportunity to broaden the engagement with tenants was welcomed, particularly with younger tenants.

d)    A suggestion that the engagement strategy should focus less on old mechanisms of engagement and place greater priority on informal methods of engagement.  It should also emphasise the specific responsibility to listen.

e)    How the success of the new proposals would be measured in terms of tenant satisfaction from different groups of tenants and areas and how this could be developed over time.

Mr Perkins (TACT) suggested that more tenants could be encouraged to participate by demonstrating how their comments could make a difference and providing a response when tenant satisfaction surveys were completed.  Other methods he suggested to encourage participation included TACT promoting the reform of residents’ associations, having a welcome pack for new tenants and also utilising tenant support funds to help a greater number of tenants.

Councillor Westwood and the Corporate Head of Housing welcomed the suggestions made which would be incorporated into the plan as it was developed further.

The Cabinet Committee agreed the following for the reasons set out above and outlined in the report.

RESOLVED

1.       That the TACT Board be established.

2.         That the terms of reference for the TACT Board be agreed as set out in Appendix 6 of report CAB3434(H).

3.         That non-councillor TACT board members will receive compensation for attendance at the TACT board.

4.         That the draft Housing Engagement and Communication Plan be approved.