People living in council homes across North Yorkshire have welcomed a new blueprint that will help to shape and improve the quality of service they receive as tenants.
A new housing improvement strategy that offers a five-year roadmap on how the authority will improve its services to help provide the best possible outcomes for tenants is due to be adopted by North Yorkshire Council.
The strategy, which has been supported by tenants, sets out the council’s ambition to be an outstanding social landlord and reaffirms its commitment to ensuring families’ voices are heard in decisions that affect their homes, safety and the wider community.
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for housing, Cllr Simon Myers, said: “We own and manage 8,500 properties across the county and providing a good quality, safe and secure home for our customers at an affordable rent is a priority.
“In doing so, it is crucial that we work with our tenants, understand and listen their concerns, and ensure that their voices have been heard when taking important decisions.
“We are also improving the way in which we deal with tenant feedback through quarterly satisfaction surveys and lessons learnt from complaints, making sure we have our finger on the pulse of their experiences.”
After North Yorkshire Council was launched in April 2023, a range of issues were identified within tenant services which led to a self-referral to the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH).
A subsequent inspection identified areas that required improvements including health and safety, governance, and providing opportunities for tenants to influence and scrutinise the service being delivered.
The council’s housing services team is continuing to work closely with RSH, while the authority’s chief executive Richard Flinton and Cllr Myers personally met with the regulator last month (June) to offer an update on the progress being made.
To improve the communication between residents and the council, a new Tenant Voice Forum has been established to help those living in social housing influence decisions that affect their homes, safety and the wider community.
A scrutiny panel has also been formed to help residents work more closely with the council to influence service delivery, while a new newsletter, ‘Open Door’, which is co-produced by a group of tenants, has also been launched.
The publication signposts people towards extra support that is available and offers updates on any issues that may affect them or their property.
The range of improvements have been welcomed by tenants including Kim McBride and Andy Davis, who rent their respective homes in Selby and are part of the scrutiny panel.
Mr McBride said: “It no longer feels like involving tenants is a chore that has to be done, it’s not just a tick box exercise or anything like that.
“It now feels like the council really is invested in tenant involvement – staff want to hear our views and take them on board.”
Mr Davis added: “I do think things have improved. It feels like there’s been a step change in attitude and we have positive discussions with a team that is now dedicated to and responsible for tenant involvement.”
In the most recent quarterly satisfaction survey conducted in February, seven out of 10 customers said they were satisfied with the overall services provided by the council.
The housing improvement strategy is due to be presented to senior officers and members of the council’s Executive at a meeting on Wednesday, July 9.
Anybody interested in joining the Tenant Voice Forum is asked to email myhousingvoice@northyorks.gov.uk.
For more tenant information and advice, including how to report housing repairs, visit North Yorkshire Council’s website at https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/housingtenants.
