Agenda item

Report of the Executive Director of Community and Children’s Services.

The Committee received a report of the Executive Director of Community and Children’s Services, concerning the Resident Involvement Strategy 2025-29, that set out the approach to working with residents in the design, delivery, and scrutiny of housing services.

Members raised that the Strategy should not only concern engagement with residents, but also learning and unlearning ways of working with residents. Officers accepted that there needed to be a cultural change with resident involvement, and it was expected by the regulator and residents. This was illustrated in the culture change objective of the Strategy, which included creating the Resident Voice group. The group had received ten applications, and whilst there was no specific quota of members per estate, officers assured that there was a good mix from across the estates.

During the application process, the age of the respondents was not required to be provided, but officers were fully aware of need to involve those who were not digitally connected, such as the older population. Promotional material was posted through doors, and accommodations could be made for those without internet as part of the different ways of working with residents. 

It was queried whether the Strategy was for tenants and leaseholders of the City Corporation, or all residents living in the City. It was confirmed that the Strategy was for the former, and this would be made clear in communications.

A Member requested clarification on the development of KPIs and a risk matrix. The response was that the current KPIs were limited and mostly related to activity in community centres. To demonstrate the outcomes of the Strategy, a comprehensive suite of KPIs would be developed and reported regularly to the relevant Committee. The housing performance dashboard already provided an overview of risks, which was reported to Members as and when required.

RESOLVED: - That Members approve the draft Resident Involvement Strategy 2025-29 for implementation by the Housing Service.