Tenant participation and consultation

Introduction

Woking Borough Council is committed to working in partnership with tenants and leaseholders to ensure you have opportunities to become involved, individually and as a group, in the decision making processes that affect the management of your home. This will be in a way that suits you and will be a benefit not only to you, but also to your community.

The information below gives you the answers to frequently questions about tenant and leaseholder participation.

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Why get involved?

The Council supports tenant and leaseholder involvement because it believes tenants should have a greater say in standards and quality of service provided.

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How can I participate?

If you would like to become involved, you can choose the level of involvement that suits you. There is more information about the choices available to you in the Tenant Participation Compact Summary.

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Tenant and Leaseholder Forum

Tenants and leaseholders meet with officers to review the Council's services in particular Housing and Local services. The Tenant and Leaseholder Forum family tree and information booklet will be available to all members from January 2008.  If you would like to know more about the Tenant and Leaseholder Forum and how you can join contact 01483 743828.

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Tenant Representatives

    

  

The Tenant Representatives are elected by the Tenant and Leaseholder Forum.

Tenant Representatives work with the Council to promote involvement at both Borough-wide and local level. Tenant Representatives can give you information about more formal tenant and leaseholder participation, for example, the Tenant and Leaseholder Forum and the Council's Committees and Task Groups.

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Tenants' Office

The Office is run by the Tenant Representatives for members of the Tenant and Leaseholder Forum and residents groups to use its facilities to publicise their activities and learn new skills to help them work in their areas and groups, with Housing Services and other services and to give you news about activities in your area.

If you would like to contact the Tenant Representatives at the Tenants' Office, please write to:

Tenants' Office
16a Princess Gardens
 Maybury
 Woking
 Surrey
 GU22 8EH

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Tenant participation and consultation

Tenant participation

We support tenant participation by:

  • Working with elected Tenant Representatives and Tenant and Leaseholder Forum members to discuss and review policies, procedures and issues of Borough-wide concern.
  • Helping to set up and encourage residents' groups in your area.
  • Encouraging individual tenants and leaseholders to give us their views on aspects of our service through panels and working groups.  Panels include telephone, building cleaning monitoring, grounds maintenance monitoring, repairs, sheltered and supported tenants.  

                

  •  Working groups review the Tenant Participation Compact and also the Respect Standard for Housing Management which is concerned with anti-social behaviour.
  • Encouraging tenants and leaseholders to join the Streetwise editorial team to promote ideas for the magazine.
  • Funding the Tenants' Office and supporting elected Tenant Representatives.
  •  Providing training and promoting inter-agency contacts with elected Tenant Representatives, the Tenant and Leaseholder Forum and residents' groups to enable them to work effectively with the Council and other bodies on your behalf.

For more information about the grounds maintenance (Serco) contracts, contact Local Services on 01483 743806.

For more information about the other aspects of participation and consultation mentioned above contact Tenant and Leaseholder Services on 01483 743828 or email tenatandleaseholderservices@woking.gov.uk

Consultation about improvements and satisfaction surveys

From time to time the Council will send out flyers or letters about proposals for improvements to homes or the environment and ask for your views.

Tenants are also encouraged to send cards back about how satisfied they are with a service such as repairs. These are valued responses and an informal way to tell us about our service. Keep the replies rolling in!

We will consult with you and take your views into consideration:

  • On environmental and home improvement issues, using flyers, letters or surveys, the Council will allow time for you to give your response.  If the consultation involves leaseholder charges the Council will respond to you within a month or and at least 10 working days in other instances.
  • On tenancy issues, rent or service charges within appropriate timescales.
  • Through one off groups who have raised a particular issue.

Focus groups

Tenants and leaseholders meet Officers to discuss specific issues.

Residents' Groups

Residents' groups (representing a minimum of 7 households) form to represent the people of their area. They meet with the Council to discuss the management of their homes and environment. Contact us for more information.

They meet with the Council to discuss the management of their homes and environment.

Residents' groups which are currently supported by the Council are listed below for your information:

Name of Group

Usual meeting place
   

Alpha Road

The Arch, Alpha Road Community Hall, Alpha Road, Maybury, Woking , Surrey GU22 8HF

Gloster Road and Priors Croft

Priors Croft Common Room

Lakeview General

Lakeview Hall, Tracious Close, Horsell, Woking, Surrey

Lakeview Sheltered and Supported

Lakeview Hall, Tracious Close, Horsell, Woking Surrey

Pares Close

Scout Hut, Horsell High Street, Horsell, Woking

Nottingham Court

Nottingham Court Common Room

Walton Court

The Maybury Centre, Board School Road, Woking, Surrey GU21 3AH

Wesco Court

Wesco Court Common Room
   

Tenant and Leaseholder Forum

Civic Offices, Woking Borough Council

For more information about these residents' groups please contact Tenant and Leaseholder Services, Woking Borough Council. Tel 01483743628 email tenantandleaseholderservices@woking.gov.uk

or

Tenant Representatives, Tenants' Office, 16a Princess Gardens, Maybury, Woking, Surrey GU22 8EH

One to one involvement

All tenants and leaseholders are welcome to arrange an appointment with officers and talk about any issues affecting them or their areas.

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Other ways we will work with you

In addition, we will:

  • Keep the Tenant Participation Compact up to date, working with interested tenants and agreeing how we deliver and plan to improve our service to you.
  • Strive to improve equality of access to, and information about, our services through our work with Tenant Representatives, the Tenant and Leaseholder Forum and in listening to what you have to say as individuals.
  • Use plain language and clear presentation in leaflets and literature.
  • Provide freepost addresses for tenants and leaseholders to use when their views are being sought by post.
  • Provide translations, tapes and large print documents on request.
  • Issue Streetwise magazine at least three times a year to keep you up to date and  publicise our service to you in a variety of different ways including road shows, conferences and the local press.
  • Carry out surveys about various aspects of our service so that you can give us your views on how to improve.

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How you can help us

You can help us by:

  • Letting us know if you have issues in your area that you would like us to deal with. 
  • Contacting us if you would like to set up a residents' group in your area.
  • Contacting your Tenant Representative or a member of the Tenant and Leaseholder Forum if you would like them to put forward any ideas for improvements in your area, or articles for Streetwise.
  • Replying to our surveys so that we can improve our service to you.

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Contact us

For further information contact Tenant and Leaseholder Services on 01483 743828 or email tenantandleaseholderservices@woking.gov.uk