Local Democracy Week is for us, too

This week has been the Local Government Association's Local Democracy Week (it runs until Sunday) and the message of the event is as relevant to the supported housing sector and other service providers as it is to councils.

For supported housing, the key to local democracy is the treatment of service users as participants, rather than recipients. Enabling tenants to become board members and setting up local structures so they can influence key decisions about their housing and support is a start, and these processes must be easy to access and user-friendly for everyone, including those who lack confidence or have limited basic skills.

These are just the first steps to building real ownership and involvement of tenants in the places in which they live and with the agencies that provide them with services. Local Democracy Week is an opportunity to reflect on how to turn participation from a principle into reality.