Tenant Participation
Orkney Islands Council and Orkney Housing Association Ltd have duties in respect of tenant participation. This means involving our tenants in the decisions which affect them.
What is Tenant Participation?
Effective participation leads to better and more responsive management and this helps to inform decisions about improving service delivery and providing value for money. The benefits of tenant participation are improvements in service delivery, this will evolve over time as effective information, communication and participation structures strengthen.
Orkney’s Residents’ Associations
Constituted Residents’ Associations (or Groups) have the option to register with the Council if they wish - the Council is required to keep a record of these Groups in a document known as the ‘register’. There are currently two Residents’ Associations on Orkney, both of which are constituted and registered:
- Grieveship Residents’ Association
- Flotta Burnside Residents' Association.
Getting Involved
Why Get Involved?
- To be kept informed of housing related issues.
- To enable you to give your views on the Housing Service or any changes that may be made to it.
- Influence decisions relative to Housing Services.
- Encourage other tenants and residents to share views & promote action.
- Contribute to the continuous improvement of the Housing Service.
- Personal development and training opportunities.
How to Get Involved
Orkney Islands Council and Orkney Housing Association have a commitment to consult with you, our tenants and residents, and allow you to take part in the decision-making process. We do this by asking you to get involved and share your views in a variety of ways.
Ways you can get involved:
- Local Tenants Groups and Associations.
- Resident Issue based Focus Groups.
- Newsletter Article Submissions.
- Postal and Electronic Surveys and Questionnaires.
- The Resident Panel.
The Resident Panel was set up in May 2014 and is shared between Orkney Islands Council and Orkney Housing Association Ltd. That means tenants from both organisations will be on the panel. Its purpose being to drive forward improvements to the service tenants receive. The Panel meet to choose which service areas to examine and make recommendations for improvements. So far they have helped us to produce our first Annual Report.
Orkney Islands Council's Tenant Participation Strategy can be found in the related downloads section of this page.
For information regarding Orkney Housing Associations strategy please visit their website a link to which can be found in the 'Related Sites' section of this page.
Armchair Panel
The Armchair Panel gives tenants the opportunity to participate in consultation opportunities from the comfort of their own home. The Armchair Panel will help to promote engagement to wider groups of people and facilitate inclusion. The Panel will also help to provide more engagement opportunities for those on the Outer Isles. Members will have the ability to choose which consultations they participate in, and each exercise will be a ‘one off’ commitment. Tenants can register an interest in consultations surrounding subjects that are of an interest to them.
Members of the Panel will be informed of consultation opportunities in advance and will be offered the chance to take part. Examples of Armchair Panel consultation opportunities include:
- Online surveys
- Paper surveys via post
- Online events
- Telephone consultations
If you would like more information, or to become a member of the Armchair Panel, please get in touch with the Tenant Participation Officer at Orkney Islands Council. To become a member, you must be over the age of 18 and a tenant of Orkney Islands Council.
To find out more read our Armchair Panel leaflet or contact the Resident Participation Co-ordinator
Setting up your own group
Why have a Tenants’ Group or Association?
Many people are keen to improve the area they live in. It is certain that you are not alone in your concern and that other people living around you share your interest. This is the key to setting up a tenants’ group or association. When people get together to share their concerns and work together, they can help make positive changes happen in their area.
To find out more, become involved, start-up a group or association or be included in our consultation database then please contact the Resident Participation Co-ordinator.
How do I set up a residents' association?
Most residents' associations are set up by a few volunteers who want to make a difference in their local area. To find people in your area who may be interested, you can begin by putting up notices in your local shop and places such as the Post Office, School, GP's surgery or community centre.
Encouraging involvement
When organising your group, there are some basic things you should think about to encourage everybody to become involved. For example, you should try to:
- Arrange meetings to suit as many members as possible.
- Ensure that your group is fully inclusive; think about accessible venues and provisions for carers.
- Give everybody the right to express an opinion and respect their views.
You don't need to do all of these at your first meeting, but as a group you should agree on how you think you can deal with each of these issues.
Establishing the association
In order to launch your association, you'll need to call a public meeting for everyone in the area, and elect a chair, secretary and treasurer and other committee members. You'll also need to draw up a constitution outlining:
- Your aims.
- The geographic area you represent.
- How the committee will be run.
- When your meetings will be held.
Registering your association
All Councils and Housing Associations must keep a register of tenants' and residents' associations as part of their Tenant Participation Strategy. You can apply to register your organisation if any members of your organisation are council or housing association tenants.
Funding and Resources
As well as providing advice and assistance, help is available with practical matters such as arranging meetings, producing and copying letters, agendas and minutes. Please contact us for more information.
Orkney Islands Council provides grants to established groups with constitutions to cover costs such as printing, photocopying and postage. All Orkney Islands Council groups can apply for funding from Orkney Islands Council for basic administration costs.
Start Up Grant : Grants will be awarded to properly constituted Tenants’ and Residents’ Associations for establishment costs, training, surveys and research up to a maximum of £500 per Association.
Annual Grant : Payment of an additional revenue grant will be made at £12.00 per Council dwelling per annum, for the first 100 properties within an Association’s area, and £6.00 per annum for each additional Council dwelling.
The Council, at the discretion of the Executive Director of Education, Leisure and Housing, will make available one off grants to Tenants’ or Residents’ groups for such things as:
- Reimbursement for training expenses.
- Reimbursement for travel expenses.
- Costs for conducting surveys, questionnaires, feasibility studies, etc.
Please contact us for further details.
If you attend any conference, seminar or training we will ask you to complete a feedback form in order to access the effectiveness and suitability.
Our commitment to Tenant Participation
Tenant Participation is the way in which the Council and Orkney Housing Association involve tenants and residents in delivering and improving services. OIC and OHAL provide various services to their tenants, including repairs, advice on tenant rights and responsibilities and dealing with any breaches of tenancy agreement such as anti-social behaviour. Some of these services affect the whole community, for example maintenance of common ground in the area. Your views as a tenant or resident are very important to ensure that services are delivered effectively.
To achieve this both organisations have staff focussing on Tenant Participation. This is about developing, promoting and supporting Tenant Participation throughout the county by liaising with Council Services, Elected Members, Tenant Groups and Associations and external organisations to ensure effective organisation and delivery of Tenant Participation Initiatives.
We will:
- Provide support, guidance and assistance to existing Tenants Associations, Groups and Individuals such as regular attendance at meetings, help with producing posters and leaflets, accompanied estate visits.
- Support tenants who wish to explore the possibility of setting up a new Association or Group.
- Develop, promote and support Tenant Participation Initiatives in the housing and related services.
- Co-ordinate communication and joint working between the Tenants Associations, Groups and Individuals with relevant organisations.
- Aim to increase and develop tenant participation by marketing opportunities and providing different methods for tenants to get involved.
