Tenant Scrutiny Panel - previous Meeting Minutes
Tenant Scrutiny Panel Meeting Minutes - 4 March 2025.
Present:
- Julie Hood, Housing Equalities and Engagement Facilitator
- D. McLaren, tenant
- J. Wormald, tenant
- M. Flintoft, tenant
- E. Middleton, tenant
- E. Booth, tenant
Apologies:
- M. Hartman, tenant
- S. Scott, tenant
Julie opened the meeting and welcomed everybody. Introductions were made.
- Minutes and matters arising
- Tenant Satisfaction Survey data
- Domestic Abuse Factsheet
- Election of the Chair for the coming year
- Governing Documents
- Performance Panel
- Increasing membership of Tenant Scrutiny and Performance Panels
- Mystery Shopping
- Engagement Strategy Action Plan
- HEIP update
- Any Other Business
- Next meeting
Minutes and matters arising
The minutes were agreed as a true record of the meeting.
The following were actions at the last meeting:
- Fiona Brown, Change Manager to be asked to raise a mystery shopping topic at Senior Management Team. Senior Management Team are talking with their individual teams and will get back to us.
- Engagement Strategy Action Plan to be on the website. This is with the web team.
- A plan to be produced to identify where the profile of engaged tenants is not representative of the City of York Council Housing tenants. Plan produced and sent with the papers for this meeting. It is also on the agenda
- Whistle blowing policy to be sent with the papers for the next meeting. Policy sent with the papers for this meeting.
- Draft new code of conduct to be sent with the papers for the next meeting for discussion. Draft sent with the papers for this meeting.
- Identified amendments to the Virtual meeting protocol to be made. Amendments made.
- Updated Health Check to be sent with the papers for the next meeting for discussion. Draft sent with the papers for this meeting.
- Ian Cunningham, Head of the Business Intelligence Hub, to be invited to the next meeting to present the data. Invited and attending.
- Local Offers to be reviewed in April meeting. For discussion at the next meeting.
- The Chair of this meeting to be elected at the March meeting. Item on the agenda.
- Fiona Brown, Change Manager to be invited to the April meeting to discuss the action plan produced to address any issues identified by tenants in the Tenant Satisfaction Survey. Fiona is unable to attend due to a prior commitment. Julie could present the Action plan or Vicky Japes Head of Housing Strategy and Performance could be invited.
- To include a 5 minute comfort break for all future agendas. Included on the agenda.
Tenant Satisfaction Survey data
Ian Cunningham Head of Business Intelligence Hub.
This has been postponed. Ian Cunningham has requested to come to the next meeting. He will bring the data collected from the recent Tenant Satisfaction Survey.
All agreed.
Action: Julie to invite Ian to the next meeting.
Domestic Abuse Factsheet
Tiana Brown, Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance Co-ordinator
Tiana explained that the Domestic Abuse Policy (discussed at a previous Tenant Scrutiny Panel meeting) has now been agreed. She shared a factsheet that has been produced. The first page of the summary gives information about support services and how to contact them. The second page gives an overview of the policy.
There was a discussion about the support services and the order in which they are listed. It was agreed that the current order would be most appropriate.
It was felt that the factsheet would be useful and that it is a good summary of the document.
The recent Press article regarding the Domestic Abuse was discussed. Tiana explained that there has been no changes to the policy the Panel discussed, the wording within the press article could be misleading.
The policy is the first step towards changing cultures. Tiana will be rolling out training for relevant Officers.
A new Tenant Scrutiny Panel member asked for a copy of the Domestic Abuse Policy
Action: Julie to send the Policy to the new member. A copy of the factsheet to be sent with the papers for the next meeting.
Election of the Chair for the coming year
As several apologies had been received for this meeting it was agreed to postpone this agenda item to the next meeting.
A short break was taken.
Governing Documents
Code of conduct
This was felt to be a much better document.
‘Respect the decisions reached by the group and refrain from raising them again’ should have ‘unnecessarily’ added to the end of the sentence.
A typo was identified.
With the above amendments the code of conduct was agreed.
Action: to be put on the website.
Health Check
This was agreed.
A question about monitoring the Home Improvement Programme was raised. It was explained that, currently, all tenants who have had this work done receive a phone call to gather feedback.
Performance Panel
The split of satisfaction and performance information between the Tenant Scrutiny Panel and the Performance Panel was discussed. It was agreed that the Tenant Scrutiny Panel will receive tenant satisfaction information and the performance panel will receive Housing performance.
For example: Empty properties. The Performance Panel will receive information about how long a property has been empty, split between Building Services and Housing Management. The Tenant Scrutiny Panel would receive satisfaction information from the Focus Group meetings held every two months.
Satisfaction information will be split across the meetings so the Panel can more easily see any trends.
Action: Julie to bring a list of satisfaction levels gathered to the next meeting.
Increasing membership of Tenant Scrutiny and Performance Panels
The representation plan was agreed.
Currently the profiling information held is age, gender and ethnicity. More information is needed.
Action: Julie to find out if information regarding disabilities is available
Mystery Shopping
Awaiting Senior Management Team suggestion for the next topic.
Action: Julie chase Fiona to raise this at Senior Management Team
Engagement Strategy Action Plan
This is with the web team.
Action: Julie to chase.
HEIP update
Work is ongoing to identify a contractor with capacity to undertake work to improve drying areas.
Any Other Business
Antisocial Behaviour Policy
The consultation has now closed, the Business Change Manager is considering all the feedback.
30% of those contacted responded with their feedback.
More in depth feedback will be brought to a future meeting.
Action: Feedback from the consultation to be brought to a future meeting.
Assistant Director of Housing Interviews
There has recently been interviews for the post of Assistant Director of Housing. The interview process consisted of two panel interviews. A formal interview panel and a partner panel. Dianne was involved in the partner panel interviews.
The partner panel asked questions around housing, resident engagement, domestic abuse, performance and complaints amongst other specific areas.
The Panel gave their feedback to the formal panel to take into consideration when making the final decision.
Fairness and respect
Towards the end of last year a consultation took place around fairness and respect. Can the Panel have the information gathered?
Julie apologies for not brining them to the panel and will send the information with the papers for the next meeting.
Action: Julie to send the information with the papers for the next meeting.
Domestic Abuse Policy
The Domestic Abuse Policy does not focus on evidence being necessary more about understanding risk and working with partners. Is this way of working across all Local Authorities?
Action: Julie to find out.
Some individual items were discussed.
Next meeting
Tuesday 1 April 2025. 6.30pm via Microsoft Teams.
Agenda items:
- Tenant Satisfaction Survey data, Ian Cunningham, Head of Business Intelligence Hub
- Local Offers
- Representation of panel members
- Mystery Shopping
- HEIP update
Previous meeting minutes are available by contacting the Housing Equalities and Engagement Facilitator.
Also see