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This commitment is driven by a dedicated Tenant Participation Team who lead on the objectives and targets in the tenants compact, the Partnership Agreement. Please note that to access this service call the Tenant Participation Team free on 0800 389 7652.
The Tenant Participation Team will:
- Listen to concerns and views
- Provide information and training for you to get more involved
- Provide different methods for you to get involved in a way that suits
- Give practical guidence and support - help with producing minutes, preparing agendas, producing posters and leaflets etc.
- Pay reasonable travel, telephone and child care expenses
- Hold four Training and Consultation Events during the year
- Work hard and use imaginative ways to involve everyone
- Run a Community Involvement Fund in partnership with customers
- Provide grant funding to recognised Tenants & Residents Groups
- Increase and develop tenant participation by marketing opportunities
- Work in partnership with the Federation of Tenants and Residents Associations (FOTARA)
- Review the Partnership Agreement every year and set priorities with customers
In accordance with recent Government initiatives the T.P Team has moved forward in this specialist area. The T.P Team has taken on extra responsibilities in order to fulfil its role under the Government initiative. The T.P Team has done this by reviewing services that it offers and the team has identified both long and short-term improvements. In recent months the team have provided a very informative Starter Pack to aid new tenants groups. A review of the allocation of housing accommodation for use by Residents Associations has been completed. This will assist in the identification of council property available for Tenant Associations to use.
The T.P Team has identified a group of young people keen to become involved in participation and work is ongoing with this group.
Monitoring and evaluation systems have been put into place one example being the Mystery customer exercise, which will now be an annual event. Another example is the post-meeting memo which enables Officers to monitor and evaluate their achievements with the groups they work with.
The Tenant Participation Team has also continued to fulfil its duties to existing Tenants Associations by attending meetings and offering ongoing support and advice.
To support tenant involvement there are several resources that the Tenant Participation Team can utilise.
The main resources available are the Tenant Participation Team who are a team of well-trained staff, who are dedicated to tenant involvement and the tenant participation budget
A starter pack is a valuable source of information for tenants intending to start up Tenants and Residents Associations. This can be used in conjunction with the ongoing poster campaign at the Area Housing Offices.
The Tenant Participation Team assists in the production of Housing Matters, the tenants’ magazine, in association with tenants and ensures that all community initiatives are promoted. This magazine is sent to every tenants’ and leaseholders’ home and is also shared with residents.
The Tenant Participation Team also has a resource library available for quick reference information on a variety of subjects.
In addition to the above the T.P Team can also offer resources to tenants, they are able to offer assistance with poster design and printing, informal training and assistance with travel to meetings and other forms of participation for example, Bus Tour.
Finally where there is a break down between Tenants and Wigan and Leigh Housing, a well-trained T.P Officer can act as a mediator, reducing conflict and creating an atmosphere conducive to tenant participation.
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