Social housing tenants get cash so their voices ‘are heard’

Social housing tenants get cash so their voices ‘are heard’

0:02 AM, 15th December 2022, About A year ago 5

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A Government cash pot of £500,000 will help to train and support social housing tenants to have their ‘voices heard’, it has been announced.

The aim is to help tenants in England raise issues with their landlord.

The scheme will launch in the Spring as part of other reforms that see social housing tenants getting a ‘stronger voice’.

The cash is provided by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

Engage effectively with their landlord

Now a partnership of experts in the sector will roll out a training package open to anyone living in social housing so they can engage effectively with their landlord to demand a higher quality of service, where needed.

The training will see tenants learning how to take an active role in how their home is managed through workshops, forums and online resources.

The scheme will run over the next two and a half years and cover issues such as how to set up a residents panel or how to challenge a landlord if they fail to meet required standards.

The Social Housing Regulation Bill, currently making its way through Parliament, will also mean that tenants’ complaints are listened to and dealt with quickly and fairly, with stronger powers for the Regulator to hold landlords to account.

‘Giving tenants the decent home they deserve’

The minister for social housing, Baroness Scott, said: “Landlords are responsible for giving tenants the decent home they deserve and the government is taking action to ensure tough consequences for any who fall short.

“We also want to make sure every resident is heard and has the opportunity to be actively involved in how their home is managed.

“This new government-backed scheme will help to do just that – empowering residents to challenge their landlord where needed and contribute to positive change in their homes and communities.”

‘Promote resident empowerment and control’

The Confederation of Co-operative Housing’s chief executive, Blase Lambert, said: “We exist to promote resident empowerment and control and want all residents to understand their rights, be able to raise issues with their landlords and hold them to account and to be able to shape and improve the services they receive and the homes they live in.

“Our vision for this programme is for it to be a catalyst for change, complementing other government action outlined in the Social Housing White Paper and helping to drive a process of cultural change in the social housing sector leading to a better balance of power between landlords and residents.”

Last month, social housing residents from across the country came together to launch a new 250-strong panel, which will advise the government on its plans to raise social housing standards.

The new training scheme will now form part of the government’s work to address issues raised by the panel, such as the handling of repairs and maintenance, as well as landlord accountability.


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Comments

Susan Bradley

14:36 PM, 15th December 2022, About A year ago

What a total waste of money! What about insuring that the standards already in place are adhered to? There is no need for a "better balance of power". People want their housing to be well maintained rather than know how to put the point across that the housing is not being well maintained.

Raz

19:17 PM, 15th December 2022, About A year ago

Reply to the comment left by Susan Bradley at 15/12/2022 - 14:36
TOTALLY agree. Isn't this what Shelter/Crisis/Citizen's Advice are already supposedly doing???
Which MPs are getting a kick-back for this latest "innovation"?

Dennis Leverett

10:53 AM, 16th December 2022, About A year ago

You couldn't make it up could you. We've all seen the news about the terrible conditions in some social housing. They should be looking after their housing stock just like we have to in PRS, we get big fines for trivia they get big handouts for disgraceful conditions. No doubt just like Shelter the people at the top are highly overpaid for doing a terrible job. Again votes, votes, votes. All the billions that have been wasted over the last 10 years, which we only know half of, would go a very long way to reducing homelessness. Who the hell do we vote for at the next election, thinking of going for the Reform Party as a protest but that would cause a hung Parliament and absolutely nothing would get done even more than now. Now pulling out hair and banging my head against the wall. Mind you slipped over on ice a couple days ago with nasty fall, someone said should go to AE but 12 hour waiting time so didn't. Luckily seem to be OK.

Edward J Gaskell

11:56 AM, 19th December 2022, About A year ago

Reply to the comment left by Dennis Leverett at 16/12/2022 - 10:53Actually, though, is a hung parliament a bad thing? When either party gets a 'healthy' majority they always, always use it to enrich themselves and enrich their friends. This latest initiative is a prime example. They would be better to give the money to the tenants to pay their heating bill. I haven't looked yet at voting Reform but the idea of a hung parliament would certainly not put me off. What is certain is that at present I will not be voting for either of the two main parties: both of them are incurably corrupt and rotten to the core.

Dennis Leverett

13:32 PM, 19th December 2022, About A year ago

Reply to the comment left by Edward J Gaskell at 19/12/2022 - 11:56
Yes, I guess a good stir up by the Reform Party may help change the whole system. It definitely needs some major changes. At the risk of being shot down its a shame Nigel's not standing. I certainly won't be voting for either main party, they think us "ordinary" minions are idiots.

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