Vale
council tenants urged to 'have their say'
Helping ensure tenants become much more involved in the running
of its housing service is at the heart of a new Vale of Glamorgan
Council initiative.
Led by a tenant engagement team, the initiative comes at a time
when the council is planning a major programme of improvements to
bring all its homes up to the Welsh Housing Quality Standard.
As part of the process, all council tenants will be asked their
opinions on the services that matter the most to them, and this
will help set priorities and deliver a quality standard for the
Vale and a housing service tailored to meet tenants' needs.
The new team is headed by tenant development co-ordinator James
Penfold who said: "The team will aim to ensure that tenants are
able to have their say. They will develop a range of options to
encourage everybody who lives in a council property to get involved
in the decision-making process at a level that suits them
best."
Council tenants will be invited to join a new tenant
consultation network, and James said: "Members will have the
opportunity to take part in surveys, focus groups and public
meetings to help the housing service make sure we are providing the
services council tenants want. We need our tenants to stand up and
have their say.”
The council will continue to support the two existing tenants’
and residents’ associations in Barry and hope to help tenants from
other areas of the Vale start new representative groups. James
added: "Tenants need to be kept up-to-date on housing matters so,
as part of the initiative, we will be delivering a newsletter and
making sure the housing pages on the council’s website carry as
much information as possible.
"Tenants’ views must be heard at the highest level so a tenant
panel will review the results of consultation and provide an
official tenants’ viewpoint direct to the council cabinet.”
For further information, contact James on (01446) 709895.
11/01/2008