Issue - meetings

Mr Matt Gough, Director of Customer Services (East Kent Housing) introduced the item and made the following points:

·  The proposals for improving the engagement of residents were developed through the participation of tenants’ representatives in workshops that were facilitated by an independent tenant advisor;

·  The Internal EK Housing Improvement Board considered and agreed the proposals;

·  Residents wanted a cohesive approach for engaging them;

·  The proposed Residents Panel will have a strategic overview of processing views from residents and communicating these to management;

·  The would be a new method of escalation of issues through the organisational structure;

·  Once agreed there will be a need to make minor amendments to the current agreement with TDC.

In response to the presentation Members made comments and raised questions as follows:

·  The process used by East Kent Housing was transparent;

·  How was EK Housing going the monitor the new system;

·  How was the organisation going to manage the influence of dominant individuals who sit on the Panel;

·  Could the quorum of eight members of the Panel include at least one representative from each of the areas?

Responding to Member comments and questions Mr Gough said that:

·  The selection criteria for individuals to sit on the Panel would include among other attributes; the ability to represent the views of residents at Panel meetings;

·  EK Housing will provide skills training to the new Panel membership;

·  Each area will select its own representative to sit on the main Panel;

·  EK Housing would consider the suggestion from the Overview & Scrutiny Panel that ‘the quorum of eight members of the Panel should include at least one representative from each of the areas.’

The Panel agreed the following:

1.  To endorse the recommendation to invite an appropriate Councillor(s) to attend local group meetings to participate and observe, in relation to local council services;

2.  To note the proposed implementation timescales.