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Tenants First Housing
Co-operative
Tenant Participation
Strategy
1.
Introduction
The
Tenant Participation Strategy sets out how we will make sure that all our
tenant members have the opportunity to take part in the running of the
Co-operative. It will be a
working document which will evolve over time.
2.
Background
The
Housing (
Scotland
) Act 2001 gives
tenants new rights to be involved in the management of their homes and
also places a duty on landlords to produce tenant participation strategies
which set out how this will be done. Our
strategy has been prepared in response to this.
3.
Aims and
objectives
The
aim of our Tenant Participation Strategy is to allow as many tenants as
possible to take part in the running of the co-operative by offering a
range of ways for tenants to take part at a level which best suits them.
The strategy links in to the Co-operative’s Internal Management
Plan.
4.
The
development of the strategy
A
Task Force of tenants was set up to take the lead in developing our
strategy. We also consulted
with the six Tenant Management Boards as well as every individual
Co-operative tenant. We would
like to take this opportunity to thank all of our tenants who contributed
in any way to the production of our strategy.
5.
The
benefits of tenant participation
Tenants
First believes that the greater tenant involvement in the running of the
Co-operative will bring benefits to the individuals, the Co-operative, and
the community. We believe that
as well as good quality, well maintained homes, our tenants also need
strong and effective communities and we are committed to supporting them
in achieving this.
6.
Equal
opportunities
Tenants
First wants all tenants to be able to play a full and active role in the
running of the Co-operative. We
want to be sure that no groups are excluded because of ethnicity,
geographic location, special needs, language difficulties, age sexual
orientation or disability. We
will do all we can do remove barriers to any tenant becoming involved in
the running of the Co-operative.
7.
Methods
for consulting with tenants and keeping them informed
The
Co-operative aims to provide tenants with information they want and find
useful and to produce it in a clear, user-friendly way avoiding jargon or
technical language whenever possible.
We will consult with tenants in wider range of ways including:
 | Letters
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| Telephone
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| E
mails
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| Interviews
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| Quarterly
Newsletters
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| Website
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| Meetings
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| Surveys
and questionnaires
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We
will allow reasonable time scales for all consultation exercises and give
clear information as to these time scales.
8.
Issues
for consultation
The
following list of issues for consultation has been drawn up in
consultation with tenants. This
list will be reviewed annually and may change over time:
|
Allocations
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Rents
& Service Charges
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Environmental
issues
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Anti-Social
Behaviour
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Day
to Day Repairs
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Planned
Maintenance
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Customer
Satisfaction
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Rent
Payment
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|
Design
and Layout
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Equal
Opportunities
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Tenant
Participation
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Community
Development
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Tenancy
Conditions
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Local
Issues
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9.
Feedback
from consultation exercises
We
will provide feedback to tenants in a number of ways including
newsletters, individual letters and on our website.
We will make every effort to demonstrate how the views of tenants
obtained in consultation exercises have been taken into account and have
contributed towards the final outcome.
10.
Opportunities
to Take Part in the Running of the Co-operative
We
recognise that traditional methods of tenant participation, such as
membership of committees, take more time and energy than many tenants
have. The strategy aims to
develop a range of different ways to allow tenants to be involved at a
level they are comfortable with.
The
co-operative will offer the following opportunities for participation.
11.
Working
with registered tenant organisations (RTOs)
The
Co-operative will maintain a public register of registered tenant
organisations in accordance with the requirements of the Housing (
Scotland
) Act 2001.
These organisations will be included in the Co-operative’s
consultation process. The
register will be available to view at either of our offices or on our web
site.
We
will work and support new and existing Residents Associations with a range
of resources, including staff time, training, administrative support
advice and assistance.
12.
Resources
The
co-operative recognises that resources will be needed to put the strategy
into practice and ensure that it is effective.
We will provide the following resources to achieve the aims of the
strategy:
| Staff
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| Financial
Support
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| Administrative
Support
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| Publicity
through newsletters and web site
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| Help
in seeking additional funding from outside the Co-operative
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13.
Training
Tenants
First is committed to ensuring that tenants and staff
are able to do the training they need to make sure that our
strategy is successful. We
will work with tenants to help them identify training they need and make
sure they are able to get it.
14.
Reviewing the Strategy
When
reviewing the strategy we aim to involve as wide a range of tenants as
possible. The review of the
strategy will be led by the Tenant Participation Task Force and the
Customer Relations Sub Committee.
The
strategy will be reviewed annually and tenants will be kept informed about
its progress, development and effectiveness.
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