The Tenant and Leaseholder Association (TLA) is an umbrella group with a membership made up of tenants from across the borough who serve in partnership with Broxtowe Borough Council Housing Department.
The TLA's mission statement is as follows: -
'The TLA exists to ensure all tenants have an opportunity to influence and shape the decisions of the council on housing issues that affect them'.
We have involved tenants and leaseholders in our role as a landlord for over six years, beginning work on developing our Tenant Participation Compact in 1999. Following a series of Open Days for tenants in 1999 and a Tenant Compact Day in 2000, we produced our first Tenants Compact, which was then circulated to all tenants and leaseholders.
The current tenants compact was produced in 2008.
In 2005 our tenants and leaseholders voted to retain the Council as their landlord rather than transfer their housing to a Housing Association landlord. This decision followed extensive consultation with them on the future of council housing in Broxtowe – a process that looked at every aspect of housing and our performance as a landlord.
Participation by Tenants
The number of tenants participating with us in shaping our services has remained constant, with many current members of the TLA having joined when it was formed. There are four levels of involvement with nearly 200 tenants and leaseholders participating at one of these various levels.
The levels of involvement are: -
- Level One - Being kept informed on general housing issues
- Level Two - Being consulted on specific housing issues
- Level Three - In depth consultation with an opportunity to recommend changes to policy
- Level Four - Opportunity to make decisions on action and policy
Within these levels, a variety of methods are used to enable you to become involved at a level of your own choosing, both in terms of the commitment required and the amount of influence you can have. These methods combine formal and informal opportunities.
Formal opportunities include open meetings of the TLA and other specialist forums such as the Leaseholders Forum, Disability Focus Group and Older Persons Forum. More informal methods such as focus groups and surveys offer alternatives to these. A regular tenants conference is also being held to enable all tenants and leaseholders to have an opportunity to comment on the housing services and talk to officers at a more informal level.
New methods of involvement will be used as required, including the use of service review panels and mystery shopping exercises.
Current Groups in Broxtowe
The TLA organises and co-ordinates tenant involvement through an annually elected committee and all meetings are chaired by a tenant chair.
The TLA meets approximately every six weeks at the Town Hall in Beeston and is open to anyone who is a tenant or leaseholder of Broxtowe Borough Council and also to their family members living with them. The TLA committee meets before every TLA meeting to develop the agenda and identify issues to be looked at by the TLA.
The TLA has been involved in a number of initiatives including the publication of newsletters and calendars provided to all tenants. It is also represented on the East Midlands Regional Tenant Participation Forum Committee, which looks at housing related issues on a regional basis, and is involved in the Nottinghamshire County Forum.
Local Tenant Groups are encouraged to develop where tenants can concentrate on local concerns and issues relating to their housing and local environment. These groups are properly constituted and have elected committees, qualifying them for financial and administrative support. It is hoped that more local groups will become established throughout the borough.
There are two specialised forums. These are: -
i)Leaseholder's Forum – offers council leaseholders in the borough an opportunity to meet on a quarterly basis and discuss issues that are important to them. This developed out of the Open Days held in 2001 and although not open to tenants, a representative from the TLA is invited to attend, and leaseholders can still attend TLA meetings in addition to this Forum.
ii) Older People's Forum– this forum meets to offer residents of Sheltered Housing Schemes, and other elderly tenants, the opportunity to raise concerns about issues that affect them. This Forum developed following a review of the Sheltered Housing Service in 2001.
In 2008, the Council produced a sheltered housing handbook which is issued to all sheltered housing tenants
Other forums may be set up as required to look at issues relating to tenants living in flats, or addressing the needs of particular tenant groups such as families, etc.
Our officers attend TLA and local tenant group meetings to explain their work to tenants, who are then invited to respond. Tenants were invited to take part in Council Service Reviews on 'Repairs and Maintenance', 'Sheltered Housing' and the Best Value Reviews of Housing Services. The TLA is also provided with copies of policy documents and strategies on which they are invited to comment.
Tenant representatives also sit on the Contractor's Monitoring Group, looking at the work of the council's contractors as part of the modernisation programme being carried out on council housing and are also involved in monitoring an extensive heating replacement programme.
A Consultation Register offers an opportunity for tenants unable to, or choosing not to, participate at these levels to be consulted. This is open to tenants who are prepared to take part in surveys (postal, telephone and face to face) on specific issues once or twice a year.
Tenants are also involved in the Tenant Satisfaction Survey, (STATUS), carried out every three years. A selected sample of tenants are sent customer satisfaction survey forms in which they can comment on how they felt we dealt with them. This again is part of an on-going process.
Other opportunities for tenants to participate
We support all groups by offering financial and administrative assistance. The Tenant Participation Officer (TPO) provides guidance and help to the TLA and local tenant groups. Tenants are also offered opportunities to attend training and information courses to develop their capacity to participate at a meaningful level. Two skills audits have been carried out to identify these needs, around which training has been arranged. We have, in partnership with two neighbouring authorities (Gedling and Rushcliffe), and following consultation with tenants, produced the Brushling Pack, which is used as a 'toolkit' on how to set up and manage a local tenant group.
The TLA also hopes over time to establish, closer links with Housing Associations, Community Policing Initiatives, The Leaseholder Forum, National and International Tenant Bodies and any likeminded groups with common aims.
Tenants can also attend their local Community Action Team (CAT) meetings, held throughout the borough. These are based on wards and chaired by local councillors. CATs are held on a quarterly basis and are open to all members of the local community. The meetings concentrate on crime and disorder issues, including antisocial behaviour, and environmental issues (recycling, traffic safety etc). Information from these is used by the multi-agency Broxtowe Partnership, to help develop community initiatives. Neighbourhood Watch schemes also offer tenants an opportunity to comment on community safety and policing issues.
Tenant participation is being constantly developed to enable tenants and leaseholders to get involved at more complex and influential levels. The Council's commitment has been set out in its 'Tenant Empowerment Strategy' and the 'Tenants/Leaseholders Compact'.
Further information on how tenants/leaseholders can be involved can be obtained from the Tenant Participation Officer on 0115 917 3616.
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