Tenant participation aims to improve the standard of housing conditions and service.
Tenant Participation with North Ayrshire Council Housing Services
Customer Participation Strategy
We want to involve customers in shaping housing and related services. Over several years we have made great steps in developing a service that involves and consults with our customers in a range of different ways and on a number of topics.
Our Customer Participation Strategy 2023-28 (PDF, 6mb) takes into account the requirements of the Scottish Social Housing Charter. It includes views of service users who are not tenants.
Please note: the Customer Connections Strategy may not be fully accessible. If you require an accessible version, please email the Tenant Participation Team or call them on 01294 324869.
Content, aims and objectives were agreed in consultation with:
- the North Ayrshire Network (NAN)
- tenants
- staff
- other customers
An action plan helps us take forward the strategy. This is reviewed annually.
Get involved
There are lots of benefits to getting involved in Tenant Participation:
- You will gain a better understanding of us and the services we provide
- Help Influence the services you receive and make a difference to your neighbourhood
- Meet new people
- Develop new skills
We'll keep you informed and consulted on changes to:
- housing policies
- conditions
- housing related services
Being part of a tenants' group gives you a greater voice and helps promote community involvement:
- Improve the way we deliver services to all customers
- Improve the way we work together
- Improve how we communicate with you
- Greater understanding with what we do
- Increase the power your community has
Would you like to be added to our Tenants Panel?
We'll keep you informed and consulted on changes to:
- housing policies
- conditions
- housing related services
Add your details to the Tenants' Panel
Other ways to get involved
We know that not all tenants want to join a formal tenant association. We have therefore developed a range of other ways you can get involved and have your say.
These include:
- Tenants forums
- Working groups
- Newsletters
- Social Media
- Tenant Satisfaction Surveys
- Fun days
This will allow us to work with and listen to our tenants so we can improve services and monitor and review our progress.
Our strategy aims to:
Engage and Inform
We ensure there is two-way communication with both our tenants and customers, and we provide opportunities for customers to take part in ways that meet their needs
We will:
- Provide good quality information that meets the needs of our customers and is clear and easy to understand
- Increase information online to customers and issue hard copies on request
- Develop our range of communication methods including digital participation
- Provide opportunities for customers to tell us types of information they are interested in receiving and preferred methods of contact
- Develop new methods of engagement and support engagement with seldom heard groups
- Ensure involvement methods are promoted and barriers removed
- Provide varied involvement opportunities and support a blended approach to participation
- Align our work with the Council’s Digital Strategy and the Tenant Information Service (TIS) digital service pledge
Empower and Influence
We aim to develop the skills and confidence of our tenants in order to shape the services we provide.
We will:
- Develop our approach to reporting feedback on customer views
- Improve information on customer feedback and how this has impacted service delivery
- Provide support to tenants to build their capacity and develop peer support
- Develop our training programme for tenants and other customers
- Encourage and support our customers to make the most of digital opportunities
- Support our customers to develop and increase their digital skills and confidence
Evolve and Innovate
We continually improve our services to meet our customers' needs.
We will:
- Develop and embed a ‘blended’ approach to Tenant Participation
- Review consultation undertaken across the service to identify good practice and areas for improvement
- Keep abreast of any legislative or policy changes relating to tenant participation and customer involvement
- Deliver in-house training on Tenant Participation
- Research good practice examples and consider their development in North Ayrshire
- Ensure engagement and consultation with tenants and other customers reviews their needs from the service
If you would like more information on ways to get involved, please contact the Tenant Participation Team for a copy of our Customer Participation Strategy 2023-2028.
Communicating with tenants
We will make sure when we are consulting with tenants that we:
- Give enough time to allow for proper consultation and discussion
- Provide relevant information at the earliest stage to allow full understanding of any proposals
- Provide notice of how and when decisions will be taken which affect providing, maintaining and managing housing.
Involving all our customers
Inclusion, equalities and overcoming barriers to involvement
We recognise the importance of customers helping us to improve our services. We rely heavily on the time and commitment of tenant and resident volunteers and we want to make sure that getting involved is easy, accessible to all and doesn’t cost anything.
We commit to treating people:
- respectfully
- fairly
- equally across all areas of our business
We're committed to tackling discrimination and harassment. We ensure that our services are accessible to all the protected characteristics within the Equality Act 2010.
North Ayrshire Council’s Equality Policy outlines how we'll put in place equality matters. This policy is available on request at area housing offices.
An equality impact assessment has been completed for this Strategy. This impact statement was developed and approved by the North Ayrshire Network.
We developed a targeted approach to gain views of hard to reach groups as follows:
- young people - our Youth Connections initiative works with other councils to engage with young people.
- LGBT Youth Charter - We are working towards achieving the LGBT charter
- Travelling People - We work with partners and residents to provide a quality service to gypsies and travellers
Tenants in Temporary Homeless Accommodation
Housing services seek the views of homeless Service Users. The hostel manager hosts Chips and Chat nights to gauge views. The service has developed a homeless service User consultation framework.
To help overcome barriers to participation we will ensure the following:
- family responsibilities - we'll provide a free crèche during meetings, or make available child minding allowances
- transport - where requested, we'll provide transport for customers to attend Housing events
- location - meetings will take place in community venues
- times - meeting times will take account of the preferences of local communities
- agenda programme - we'll provide training and specialist assistance as required
- accessibility of information - we'll make sure that information is accessible, providing documents in other languages and formats, if required. Interpreting facilities and hearing loops are available in all local area offices
- finance and level of resources - we'll make sure funds are provided to develop the agreed issues and enhance resources. A Freepost address is available for written communication
- attitude - we'll provide training to give staff, tenants and other service users an awareness of equality issues
Housing Service Standards
We have a range of service standards, which were developed in consultation with staff and tenant representatives, including tenants on our gypsy travellers’ site. These standards cover each area of service, including customer involvement. We report performance in these areas on a six monthly basis. A copy of these standards is available at north-ayrshire.gov.uk
Wider Involvement
National Engagement – Region 3 – West Strathclyde
Regional Networks build partnerships between the Scottish Government and Registered Tenant Organisations. North Ayrshire Council is part of region 3- West Strathclyde.
For more information contact:
- Tenant Participation Advisory Service: Telephone: 0141 552 3633
- Tenant Information Service: Telephone: 0141 248 1242
