Social landlords should build a ‘partnership of equals’ with their tenants, a leading housing association has urged.
L&Q says they should look to the voluntary sector and ‘exercises in participatory democracy’ to build better relationships with residents and improve services and culture.
The association, which house around 250,000 people in more than 105,000 homes mainly in London, the South East and North West of England, says its ambition to ‘embed resident involvement at every level of the organisation and put residents at the heart of decisions that affect their lives and neighbourhoods.’
The comments are contained in a new report, A partnership of equals: resident involvement for better relationships, culture and services, published in advance of the Social Housing Regulation bill which is due to receive royal assent.
The charity says it wants to make resident involvement more accessible and meaningful by positioning residents as ‘equal and collaborative partners’.
Fayann Simpson, senior independent director at L&Q and chair of its resident services board said: ‘Ensuring tenants are listened to is at the heart of the Social Housing Regulation bill, and this is where resident involvement can have a real, tangible impact.
‘We hope this new model will be a powerful catalyst for change, and one that helps to re-build relationships and trust.’
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