The Deputy Chief Executive for City and Citizen Services has submitted a report to recommend to Full Council to approve the new Resident Involvement & Engagement Strategy 25 – 28.

Recommendation: That Council resolves to:

1.    Approve and adopt the Resident Involvement & Engagement Strategy 25 – 28 and action plan attached to the strategy which outlines how the priorities for resident involvement and engagement will be taken forward

2.    Delegate authority to the Director of Housing, on approval of the strategy, to put in place the necessary governance and monitoring arrangements to oversee the implementation and delivery of the strategy   

Council resolved to:

1.       Approve and adopt the Resident Involvement & Engagement Strategy 25 – 28 and action plan attached to the strategy which outlines how the priorities for resident involvement and engagement will be taken forward.

2.       Delegate authority to the Director of Housing, on approval of the strategy, to put in place the necessary governance and monitoring arrangements to oversee the implementation and delivery of the strategy.

The Deputy Chief Executive for City and Citizen Services submitted a report to recommend to Full Council to approve the new Resident Involvement & Engagement Strategy 25 – 28.

Councillor Smith introduced the report, explaining the regulator of social housing expected transparency, fairness and respect to access services, raise concern, influence decisions and hold the landlord accountable. She acknowledged the need for improvement in this area. She further stated that a consultation with over 400 residents revealed that the relationship between residents and the Council as a landlord required more focus. Resident involvement ranked second only to building safety among priorities. The tenant satisfaction survey showed only 64% felt listened to by the council. The strategy marked a complete reset, addressing tougher regulatory demands and emphasised resident engagement as central to policy and service delivery. It proposed diverse engagement platforms and support for residents, detailed in the report. Furthermore, Councillor Smith added that strategy was built on four principles, resetting relationships, actively listening, responding to priorities and embedding engagement across the organisation. She stated that it outlined five strategic priorities with action plans such as establishing foundations for engagement, enhancing resident knowledge, co-designing inclusive platforms, improving communication and delivering high-quality landlord services. Initiatives included staff and resident training, improving complaint handling and ensuring services reflected resident input with transparent measurable outcomes. Councillor Smith noted that success would be tracked through participation rates, diversity of involvement and impact of resident feedback on services. Achievements and improvements in satisfaction and service quality would be communicated regularly with an annual strategy review.

On being seconded by Councillor Brown, the recommendations were put to the vote and agreed.

Council resolved to:

1.       Approve and adopt the Resident Involvement & Engagement Strategy 25 – 28 and action plan attached to the strategy which outlines how the priorities for resident involvement and engagement will be taken forward.

2.       Delegate authority to the Director of Housing, on approval of the strategy, to put in place the necessary governance and monitoring arrangements to oversee the implementation and delivery of the strategy.