Housing Resident Engagement Strategy 2025 to 2028 - Vision and objectives

Vision

Supporting residents to hold their landlord to account, influence decision making and improve services.

Objectives

To deliver the vision for the Housing Resident Engagement Strategy, several objectives have been developed through resident workshops. These have been raised as three priority areas by residents.

1 – Communications

• ensure resident’s needs, vulnerabilities and communication preferences are known to the service
• improve communications with residents to ensure residents are informed and consulted on projects occurring
• embrace innovative engagement techniques to increase accessibility and diversify the resident voice

Action – consult on and implement housing service standards.

2 – Accountability

• establish a wealth of opportunities for residents to co-regulate and hold their landlord’s performance to account.
• support opportunities where residents can get involved based on their own interests, development opportunities and time commitments.
• ensure that engagement success is monitored and engagement is continuously improved 

Action – establish a structure of resident engagement opportunities.

3 – Culture

• develop a collaborative resident engagement culture in housing across all teams
• embed the resident voice across all areas of the housing service, ensuring that feedback leads to action
• challenge social housing stigma to ensure that all residents feel respected and listened to

Action – support the national social housing stigma campaign and create a local campaign. 

There is also an action across all 3 objectives to work with residents to self-assess against the TPAS National Engagement Standards 2024.

How will we achieve these objectives?

To achieve these objectives and the vision for the Housing Resident Engagement Strategy, the council will:

• strategic – work with residents to self-assess against the TPAS (Tenant Participation Advisory Service) National Engagement Standards 2024. This will result in an action plan
• communications – consult on and implement Housing Service Standards. This will also establish timescales and expectations for Housing Communications
• accountability – establish a structure of Resident Engagement opportunities. This will ensure that the Resident and Landlord Partnership (RLP) is within the hierarchy of decision making for the Housing Service. This will support the setting up of additional Resident Engagement Opportunities and resident groups to provide opportunities for resident voice
• culture – support the national Social Housing Stigma Campaign, and work with residents to create a local Woking Borough Council campaign for residents, staff and contractors

The self-assessment against the TPAS standards will provide a wide-ranging action plan that will sit alongside the Housing Resident Engagement Strategy and take into consideration the vision and objectives communicated.