Working together to make progress

At Somerset Council, we take your feedback seriously. We want to listen to your views and involve you in some of the key decisions that we, as your landlord, make. These decisions affect you so why not become more involved and have your say?

The last couple of months have been really busy for the Tenant Engagement team and our involved tenants. We have enjoyed training on the Consumer Standards, a couple of our involved tenants attended the Association of Retained Council Housing (ARCH) conference in Lincoln and 3 tenants went to the Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS) conference in Loughborough. They all enjoyed the conferences and came away more knowledgeable about the housing sector.

We also organised 4 meetings for tenants and leaseholders which was chaired by Savills, who are undertaking an independent review on our behalf. The meetings were to inform a decision on how our housing management service should be delivered in future and which model could best work for tenants and leaseholders across the county. All options will lead to a single housing service being created. Julian Paine from Savills came along to talk to those who attended and answered their questions. Overall, 32 tenants attended, and all came away more informed about what is happening. We expect a final decision in early 2026 once Savills’ recommendations and stakeholder views have been considered.

We have held 8 focus group meetings: Damp and Mould, Scrutiny and Building Safety to name a few. These meetings were held with the senior managers of the services who listened to what the involved tenants had to say. Collaboratively they work together and help solve issues in a way that suits both the landlord and the tenant. We find working with our tenants invaluable because you help us identify unintended impacts.

We also held our first Joint Policy Group meeting. The group is made up of 3 tenants from Homes in Somerset and 3 tenants from Somerset Council, along with a policy officer and tenant engagement staff from both organisations. The purpose of the group is to create and amend policies so that they are aligned with both organisations, making transition to one operating model in the future easier. It was great to hear from tenants from both organisations, share experiences and formulate a way of working together now, and in the future. Our policies will be so much better with the input from tenants like yourselves.

We’re always looking for more involved tenants to join our groups and widen the feedback we receive. You can engage with us by joining a group or simply providing feedback on ideas/documents we email to you.

If you’re interested in joining us and having your voice heard, please telephone 0300 123 2224 and ask for Sharon Yarde or Sharon Sloan, or email us on housingperformance@somerset.gov.uk.

We look forward to hearing from you!