Consultation is where we ask you for your views and comments and take these into account. Please see below for all relevant sections on consultation.

Feedback from Tenants

When you have received a service from us, for example a repair, we send out short questionnaires so that you can tell us how satisfied you were with what we did. We use the feedback that we get from these to monitor our performance and identify any areas for improvements.

Surveys

We carry out a range of surveys, either by post, phone or online to find out the views of our tenants and leaseholders on various issues. For example, what did they think about one of our publications or the service provided by our contractors. This information is used to help us check satisfaction with our services and make any necessary improvements to our service delivery in the future.

Focus Groups

A focus group normally brings together a few people to discuss specific issues, such as repairs or consultation. It aims to gather views about a particular subject that we can use alongside opinions we get from other methods. Focus group meetings are normally one-offs or held over a short period of time.

Customer Involvement Register

All of our tenants and leaseholders are able to join this register, which gives them the opportunity to choose how they want to be involved as well as the topics they want to be involved in.

Meetings

If we hold a public meeting it will normally be about a specific issue and it will be open to all residents who have an interest in or will be affected by a particular plan or policy. They provide an opportunity to share information with a wide range of people and get their views. At each of our sheltered housing schemes, we normally hold a meeting quarterly to give residents the opportunity to discuss issues about their homes and our services, and to consult them on new ideas.

Reality Checks

Some of our customers 'test' our services from a customer's viewpoint and give us feedback that we are able to use to improve services. For example, they may visit our office or make enquiries by telephone or the website. During this year, we will be developing this further so that tenants can have a bigger role in inspecting the services we deliver, for example by checking the standard of our properties before we re-let them.

Estate Walkabouts

Estate walkabouts are a vital part of the day to day management of our council estates and areas. They are primarily carried out by our Tenancy Management Officers and they walk the estate or area looking for anything which may make the estate look unsightly such as untidy gardens, cars parked on grass, litter, fly tipping or unreported repairs. Anything noted is reported immediately. Tenants are also encouraged to take part in estate walkabouts.

Resident Associations

Residents' associations are groups of people who live in the same area who get together to voice their opinion collectively. They might meet informally on an occasional basis or they could be elected, have a written constitution and meet regularly. Similarly, how much each group wants to be involved could vary from simply being kept informed to taking an active part in the decision-making process. How to run a residents' association is a guide we provide for groups considering setting up an association.

How to run a Residents' Association guide

Street, Area or Block Representatives

A street, area or block representative is an individual who represents the views of their street, area or block to us, as their landlord. We will also consult with these individuals about issues that affect their local area.

Suggestions/Complaints

We have a customer suggestion form for suggestions on ways of improving the services we provide. We aim to give you a high-quality and efficient housing service. To achieve this, it is important that we receive your views and comments about our performance. If you are unhappy about something we have done or not done, please tell us as this will allow us to put things right or give you a full explanation of why we acted in a particular way. By recording all complaints, we can note any common problems and change the way we do things, which improves the service for everyone. If you need to, go to the Council's Complaints Procedure.