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Social housing tenants to have their say

With the introduction of the Tenant Services Authority (TSA), RSLs are being encouraged to host sessions to give residents an opportunity to give honest feedback on their experiences and expectations of their landlords.

Promoted as the National Conversation, informal ‘Local Conversations’ will take place across the country. Each gathering will be a chance to consult with residents and gain feedback in order to provide a snapshot of services.

Birmingham based Mercian Housing Association, as a member of the Midland’s Network for Resident Involvement (MNRI) is hosting their Local Conversation on Wednesday 4 March. The MNRI anticipates attendance of up to 600 Midlands residents where they will hear presentations about the role of the new regulator and have the opportunity to ask questions and share their views by completing questionnaires which will be forwarded to the TSA.

The MNRI is a group of Resident Involvement Officers from 29 housing associations from across the Midlands. We meet on a bi-monthly basis to discuss best practice in resident involvement and produce cross-association services which bring together a diverse collection of resources and expertise from its members.

Being a member of the MNRI allows residents from across the Midlands greater access to resident involvement initiatives, like the Local Conversation, widening the range of activities and keeping costs to a minimum. As Customer Involvement Officer at Mercian, I believe that hosting these local events is an excellent way to consult with our residents and provides us with valuable feedback on which services they would like and how they would like to receive them.

The event highlights Mercian’s commitment to helping develop communities people take pride in, by providing opportunities for residents to have a say in how future services will be shaped.