Tenant Participation

Your participation is a vital part of how the Council makes decisions affecting housing, safety, property maintenance and estate management issues.

We have a Tenants Compact which was a government initiative to improve local services to local people, increase local democracy and strengthen communities. The compact was produced by members of the Tenants Consultation Panel (TCP) and Officers. The compact is an agreement between you and us.  It is designed to help you to decide how you wish to be involved in influencing the decisions taken on housing issues in a way that meets your needs, priorities and expectations .

To view the Tenants Compact, please use this link

Our vision is for tenants and residents to be consulted and involved in the decisions that affect their homes and communities in a meaningful way.

Here at Gedling Borough Council we believe that every tenant and leaseholder deserves the best possible home and environment to live in. The way forward is by consultation and involvement with both tenants and residents to achieve value for money in all aspects of the Housing Service.

A Tenants Consultation Panel (TCP), which is made up solely of tenants, was set up several years ago to enable tenants to have a say in how the Council manages their properties. The TCP actively encourages more tenants to join, and would like to see more younger members. The panel work with all different sections of the Council in steering groups and influencing new policies and procedures.  So far the group has been involved in reviewing the repairs and maintenance service, the allocations policy and has been consulted on improvements to the Tenants Handbook. TCP members also made up the majority of the Stock Transfer Working Party, which was considering the future ownership and management of the stock and currently, four members from the TCP are now members of the Shadow Board for the proposed new organisation (Gedling Homes), making up a third of the board.

Members of the group have been on training courses and gained guidance and advice from the Tenant Participation and Advisory Service and the Government Office for the East Midlands.

The group was also involved with the production of ‘Group Together’ which is an easy to understand guide to setting up and running a tenants and residents group.  The guide is the result of a lot of hard work undertaken by tenants and staff of three local Councils, Broxtowe, Gedling and Rushcliffe, called the ‘Brushlings Partnership’. The aim of the guide is to encourage more tenants to become involved with their communities.  The ‘Group Together’ pack includes a step by step guide on how to start a group, how to get it officially recognised by the Council and how to keep it going.

Finding out views about housing from tenants is easier if the Council can liaise with groups, which represent the local people.  The pack is one aspect of the range of help which tenants can receive from their Council.

There are various ways in which we communicate with you including:

a) Information for you

• Consultation
• Road shows
• Newsletters
• Performance Targets
• Possible’ Tenants Annual Conference

b) Information from you

• Complaints/ Compliments Scheme
• Satisfaction Surveys
• Letters
• Meetings / Presentations
• Consultation Events
• Conferences
• Focus Groups
• Tenants Compacts
• E mail

Housing Officers and the Tenant Participation Officer can offer support and advice to keep the group going, in addition to helping to organise meetings, publicity and find somewhere to meet. We can also help with access to both finances and training.

If you have something to say about our housing service, or would like to find out more about how to become involved, please contact our Tenant Participation Officer by either writing:

Tenant Participation Officer
Housing Services
Gedling Borough Council
Civic Centre
Arnot Hill Park
Arnold
Nottingham
NG5 6LU

Telephone: 0115 9013660
email: housingservices@gedling.gov.uk