Tenant participation pop-up events hailed a success

The recent tenant participation pop-up events in Orkney have been hailed a success by the organisers – Orkney Islands Council (OIC) and Orkney Housing Association Ltd (OHAL).

Suzy Boardman from OHAL and Claire Pritchard from the Council hosted a number of the drop-in sessions in Kirkwall and Stromness to promote tenant participation and engagement.

They were delighted with the response.

Claire said: “It was great to meet and chat with so many of our tenants, we value their feedback, and these events were a great way for us engage with our tenants. There are so many benefits to tenant participation, including the increased sense of community it gives to tenants and other members of their local area.

Suzy added: “We want to encourage more tenants to get involved in tenant participation. We are hoping to recruit new members to our Residents’ Panel. The Panel is run as a joint venture between the Housing Association and the Council which gives members the opportunity to examine service areas and make recommendations for improvements.”

Tenant participation is a tenant-centred approach that includes informing, engaging, and consulting with tenants. It involves the collaboration between both landlord and tenants, with the aim of working together to continuously improve housing services.

Customer satisfaction is at the forefront of tenant participation, and it provides tenants with a means of sharing their thoughts and opinions with their landlord.

Feedback is then used towards making any necessary changes and is given due consideration during any decision-making process.

There are so many ways for tenants to get involved – from completing local housing surveys, to becoming a member of the Residents’ Panel in the county.

If any tenants and residents of OHAL or tenants of OIC would like to find out more, please contact:

Claire Pritchard – OIC Tenant Participation Officer on 01856 873 535 (extension 2179) or claire.pritchard@orkney.gov.uk or Suzy Boardman, OHAL on 01856 875253 (extension 205) suzy.boardman@ohal.org.uk.

Thanks to all who attended - please keep an eye out for similar events taking place in the future.