Silencing the doubters

Tenant involvement is arguably the government's most distinctive housing policy. The minister gives it high priority, the DETR is producing a Tenants' Compact, and the Housing Corporation has issued its policy document, Making Consumers Count.

Housing organisations are searching for techniques to involve tenants. Yet attitude is more important than techniques: tenant involvement will not happen unless housing staff and committees or boards are determined that it should, and have faith in the capacity of tenants to make competent decisions. They must sustain this faith when the going is rough or tenants take an inconvenient line.

The experience at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (K&C) demonstrates that "it can be done". Here a tenant management organisation with an elected board on which tenants and leaseholders constitute a substantial majority has been overseeing managment of the housing stock since April 1996. Alongside the board is a tenants' consultative committee and below them a structure of area and estate level tenants' organisations, built up over twenty years.

Tenant power has started to make a real difference to the way the 10,000 homes are managed. A live example is rare and visitors have flocked to see for themselves: the TMO has had to restrict visits to four days a year. An independent study by the authors has concluded that tenants are genuinely taking the decisions - but we have encountered considerable disbelief when presenting these findings to outside audiences. Many people assume that tenants can easily be manipulated by officers. Here are some examples of sceptical comments, and our replies:

"It was all a ploy to avoid CCT."

It is true that by becoming a TMO the borough avoided the compulsion to tender the housing service. This decision was taken by tenants who not only were satisfied with service standards but already enjoyed a high level of involvement which could be put at risk by an outside contractor. The staff knew that preparing for tenant management and then working to tenants rather than to councillors would involve far more work than CCT.

"Tenants can't be in control because they depend on officers to write the report."

Reports are indeed written by officers but this is almost universal practice whether governance is by a housing committee, self-appointed board, or a board of elected tenants. Many of the reports are requested by tenants; they are setting agendas. The degree of control is defined by the way the committee or board treats decision-making, not by the authorship of reports. We have observed several occasions at K&C where officers' recommendations were overturned after thorough discussion. Staff know they cannot expect their reports to be rubber stamped but respect tenants' right to make independent decisions.

"Only a small unrepresentative proportion of tenants are involved."

The proportion involved is usually greater the smaller the organisation. For a body managing 10,000 homes, a few hundred post-holders, plus additional activists, occasional attenders or voters, is an impressive figure. The proportion of tenants who voted on the decision to become a TMO, 70 per cent (93 per cent of these in favour), is higher than the turnout at the general election.

Women activists are in the majority at estate level but a minority at board level - but still have a substantially greater presence than on most housing committees or RSL boards. The board includes ethnic minorities, disabled people and a range of age groups. Few organisations could boast a more representative governing body.

"Tenants at K&C aren*t typical of council tenants."

No evidence was found that K&C has a special breed of super-tenant. They have a similar profile to other London boroughs in social class, housing benefit claims, and other measures. Parts of the borough score very high on social deprivation indicators.

"Tenants will not observe good practice on equal opportunities."

The DoE required tenant board members to demonstrate competency in various areas, of which equal opportunities is one. The TMO has equal opportunities as a core value, and has been far more proactive in this area than the council, which supports the principle of equal opportunities but has little monitoring or specialised staff. The board has considered a range of equal opportunities issues including how to outreach to underrepresented groups.

"Tenants will put self interest first in rent setting or deciding spending priorities."

Tenants voted for zero rent increases in 1997 and 1998 but only after satisfying themselves that service standards could be maintained. They are scrupulously fair in allocating capital spending.

"Tenants cannot have sufficient competence."

Housing staff and councillors interviewed had no doubts of the tenants' competence, and our observations confirm this. Of course, participation must be supported by policies such as extensive training, mentoring, and a culture that recognises that participants are on a learning curve.

Given the will, there are no reasons why the lessons from K&C should not be transferable to other organisations.