'Riff raff' excluded from consultations

Speaking at a National Housing Federation conference on Best Value this week Tenant Participation Advisory Service officer Laurie McCormack called for "new ground rules" in the tenant-landlord relationship.

She said the Housing Corporation’s RSL Best Value pilot programme had thrown up some disturbing problems.

"One landlord put its customer forum on ice when difficult questions started being asked and instead launched a focus group." she said. "There’s one landlord that won’t talk about issues important to them. We’ve heard of another that won’t let a tenants’ panel meet without an officer being present and we have even heard of officers of one landlord referring to tenants as ‘riff raff’."

She said Best Value would only be of use to tenants if landlords agreed to disclose the full picture about their activities and provide decipherable feedback to them when they are consulted.

TPAS north regional manager Jon Warnock bluntly criticised the culture of RSLs to an audience including RSL and Housing Corporation officers.

He said: "Despite the rhetoric about getting involved tenants do not have great expectations. Part of the problem is the culture of paternalism that still exists. A successful business knows what its customers want and need. I don’t believe housing associations and local authorities are in a position to know that."

Out of 70 delegates at a recent TPAS conference just five said they had a meaningful involvement in Best Value.

He added: "People are hand-picked: one, because it’s convenient and two, because you [RSLs] pick them because they are not going to say anything at all and that’s what you want."

Landlords and the Housing Corporation need to establish what is important for tenants and then be seen to act, he said.

McCormack said landlords should consult good practice guidance aimed at establishing an effective consultation process.