South Holland District Council launches a new Tenant Influence Panel

South Holland District Council has launched a new Tenant Influence Panel, giving tenants a bigger role in helping to shape and improve housing services across the district.

The Tenant Influence Panel is a tenant-led group made up of nine residents from communities across South Holland. Their role is to review housing services, look at performance, ask questions and make suggestions to help ensure services meet the needs of tenants.

The panel was created to strengthen the voice of tenants and give residents more opportunities to influence decisions that affect their homes and communities.

The nine members were recruited through SHDC's tenant engagement programme and have completed training to prepare them for their new role. The training covered how housing services are measured, how to review performance information and how to carry out effective scrutiny of council services.

The panel recently held its first meeting where they looked at housing service performance, reviewed tenant engagement achievements from the past 12 months and discussed priorities for the year ahead.

As its first scrutiny project, the panel has chosen to look at how the Council supports new tenants when they move into one of its homes.

The review will explore whether new tenants receive the right information and support at the start of their tenancy. Panel members will speak with tenants and council officers, examine the service and identify ways it could be improved for future customers.

Councillor Tracey Carter, Portfolio Holder for Strategic and Operational Housing at South Holland District Council, said: "We are delighted to welcome our new Tenant Influence Panel members.

“By giving their time and sharing their knowledge, experiences and views, they will help us better understand what matters most to our tenants and ensure their voices are heard.

“The launch of the panel is an important step in strengthening tenant influence, providing valuable insight into how our services are performing and where improvements can be made.

“We look forward to working with members as they begin their first review and help us shape housing services that meet the needs of tenants across South Holland.

“Their ideas and feedback will help us continue to improve and put tenants at the centre of what we do."

SHDC is encouraging more tenants to get involved and help shape housing services in the future.

Tenants interested in taking part can join the Council's Tenant Forum, which offers a variety of opportunities to share views and influence decisions.

To find out more, email get-involved@sholland.gov.uk. Register through the Tenant Engagement Registration page on the South Holland District Council website or call 01775 761161 and ask for the Housing Tenant Engagement Team.