Decision details

The Cabinet Member with Health and Housing Portfolio introduced the report of the Director of Economic Growth and Neighbourhood Service (previously circulated) requesting that consideration be given to the Customer Engagement Strategy 2021/24 (also previously circulated).

The submitted report stated that the Council‘s Housing Services had a long and successful track record of engaging with and involving tenants in the delivery of housing services; a key strand of the new Social Housing Regulator’s Consumer Standards covered ‘Tenant Involvement and Empowerment’; those standards stated that the Council must consult its tenants at least once every three years on the best way of involving them in the governance and scrutiny of its housing service; and that the Customer Engagement Strategy for 2021/24 set out the process for how the Council would involve and empower its tenants, including how the engagement activities would be monitored and reported.

It was reported that the Customer Engagement Strategy focused on four specific themes; an annual Engagement Plan would support specific actions within the strategy; and where possible, opportunities for engagement would be promoted through digital channels, whilst always providing more traditional methods of engagement through surveys, telephone contact and face to face meetings. 

It was also reported that the Customer Engagement Strategy had already been considered by the Tenant’s Board and the Health and Housing Scrutiny Committee and that regular updates on the progress against the strategy would be provided to the Tenants Board and reported to the Health and Housing Scrutiny Committee.

RESOLVED ­– (a) That the contents of the submitted report, be noted.

(b) That the Customer Engagement Strategy 2021/24, as appended to the submitted report, be approved.

(c) That the Director of Economic Growth and Neighbourhood Services be authorised, in consultation with the Cabinet Member with the Health and Housing Portfolio, to make amendments to the Customer Engagement Strategy 2021/24 in respect of engagement with children and young people in Council properties.

REASONS – (a) The Social Housing Regulator’s Consumer Standards places a duty on social housing providers to involve and empower our tenants in the delivery of housing services. 

(b) The adoption of a formal Customer Engagement Strategy is the best way to demonstrate how we will achieve this and allows formal reporting and monitoring of engagement activities through the Health and Housing Scrutiny Committee.