Customer Consultation
Some time ago Gateshead Council initiated a project to consider the possible ways tenants and residents of The Gateshead Housing Company can independently scrutinise, review and improve services. Since March 2010, Wood Holmes and Gentoo have been working on this project on their behalf, to help gather ideas and the views of tenants and residents to shape a possible new form of involvement.
The Gateshead Housing Company already has a number of opportunities for people to get involved and have their say in the way they deliver services. The Government has recently placed more importance on working with tenants and residents, to scrutinise, review and improve services. The project has looked at what type of structure would be best to deliver this, having spoken to a wide range of tenants, leaseholders and residents.
The information collected so far has been used to put together a proposal for how this could be achieved in Gateshead. The document attached below sets out the key points of the consultation and includes a diagram showing how this could link into the current structures. We would like to hear what your response is to the proposals.
Therefore we would be grateful if you could answer the questions following this information.
The Key Points
This sets out what the role of the panel could be, how this will link withexisting structures and organisations, the proposed membership of thepanel and how it will be supported.
Roles:
- Independent scrutiny and performance review of the Gateshead Housing Company and Gateshead Council against the regulatory standards. This would include:
- Tenant Involvement and Empowerment (this includes customer service, tenant involvement, accessing services and responding to people’s individual needs)
- Home (maintaining properties, repairs and maintenance and the health and safety of tenants and leaseholders)
- Tenancy (how properties are allocated and tenancyagreements)
- Neighbourhood and community (including keeping neighbourhoods clean and safe and antisocial behaviour)
- Value for money (including how resources are managed and services being delivered in a cost effective but high quality way)
- Governance (how the housing company is governed by Boards and Committees)
- Providing customer recommendations for improvement based on sound evidence gathered during service reviews
- Highlighting examples of good practice and quality service delivery
- Contributing to local and national consultations on policy and strategy issues affecting Gateshead
Key relationships: The panel would need to maintain relationships with the following individuals and groups to carry out its role effectively.
- Tenants and Residents
- Tenants and Residents Associations
- Service Improvement Groups
- Council Leaseholders
- Customers and Communities Committee at The Gateshead HousingCompany
- Service departments within Gateshead Council
The details of how these relationships will work in practice still need to be agreed.
Proposed Membership:
- 1 customer appointed from each of the 5 management areas within Gateshead (Central, East, Inner West, South and West).
- Customers appointed from existing Housing Company Service Improvement Groups. Support and Administration:The Panel will be provided with administrative, officer support and accommodation by The Gateshead Housing Company and Gateshead Council.
Proposed Framework
This sets out where the new structure is proposed to fit with existing mechanisms in Gateshead, where it would report to, and the membership.
