And he has got hold of the wrong end of the stick when he says tenants should have the right to set rents or the budget.
Tenant forums, or in our case the resident participation panel, are interested not in setting rent but in value for money from the rent they have paid.
When tenant participation was brought in at our association, I initially thought it was to look good to the regulators in annual reports.
But three years later, my initial misgivings have been put to rest: we meet every two months and have gone from strength to strength. We have an excellent working relationship with all B&N staff and have made a difference to the policy of B&N. The agenda for meetings is set by the panel, and at the time of writing we have an overflow of ideas waiting to be discussed at later meetings. At board level we participate fully in the running of B&N and place items on the agenda that are not directly related to tenants.
If Soares needs to be shown how to do it, I'm sure our chairman will invite him to attend a proper tenants' meeting.
Peter Wilson, vice chair, B&N Group North-west OMB and member of B&N resident panel
Soares may be right to challenge the idea of tenant participation if he's talking about the old meetings in draughty church halls with small numbers attending. But that's why landlords and residents now think about new ways of working together. The "toolkit" for tenant auditors and inspectors that we have put together – find it at www.tpas.org.uk – is an example of such innovative thinking.
Soares is also right that a landlord's priorities may not be the same as those of the tenants. Fair enough – but how can landlords even know customers' opinions on whether they're spending rent income effectively if they don't let them have their say?
Soares would rather use the money for CCTV or new kitchen units. Well, maybe the residents would see things differently – but how will he know if he gets rid of tenant participation? It's a good system that helps ensure value for money and responsiveness to tenant priorities.
Phil Morgan, chief executive, Tenant Participation Advisory Services
If, as Soares says, tenants come to meetings only to complain and one tenant took up most of a meeting complaining about the TV aerial, he needs to educate the chairman on how to move tactfully on to the next agenda item. Lack of interest is not always an indication of apathy; it is often caused by boring and irrelevant subjects and a failure to ask tenants what they want on agendas. The fact that Soares' tenants turn up when rents are on the agenda bears out what I am saying.
The horse is not dead, just resting and in need of encouragement.
Alan Bridge, tenant board member, "Johnnie" Johnson Housing Association, Cheadle, Cheshire
Source
Housing Today
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