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Tenant Participation

By maximising the opportunity for you to influence housing policy, Housing Services can ensure that the service provided best meets the needs of the majority of its residents, and at the same time is sympathetic to the particular requirements of minority groups.

You have the right to have a say about the way your homes and communities are managed. Tenant Participation helps to achieve this.

To find out how you can become involved with one of the existing groups or even start a local group of your own, you can email Philippa Dale or telephone 01233 330365.

View our Tenant Participation Strategy.

Consulting You

We consult all tenants about changes that affect them directly. This would include improvement programmes and any major changes in the way we manage the housing service. We will also ask you what you think of the services we provide in a variety of ways including surveys, focus groups, and roadshows. For more information contact Philippa Dale (Tenant Participation Officer) 01233 330365 philippa.dale@ashford.gov.uk

Ashford Borough Tenants Forum

The Ashford Borough Tenants Forum is a group of 14 tenants and leaseholders who are elected for three years, and whose role is to meet with Housing staff and Councillors to agree housing strategies and policies.

 Forum members receive training and support and have a meeting room where they meet for informal discussions, and to access their emails etc.

All tenants, licensees, and leaseholders living in Ashford Borough Council owned houses, flats, maisonettes, bungalows, sheltered accommodation, and leased properties, are eligible to stand for election for a place on the Ashford Borough Tenants Forum.  This can include family members living with the tenant licensee or leaseholder.  However, all candidates must be over the age of 18.

You do not need any special skills or experience to stand for nomination, just a little time and a desire to talk to us about the way you would like your village, road, estate or community to be managed, and how you might influence the way your landlord works for the benefit of the borough as a whole as well as your particular area. Ashford Borough Council will pay your travelling and childcare costs whilst you are engaged on Ashford Borough Tenants Forum business.

Nominating yourself is really easy.  Just download, complete and return the 'get involved' nomination form, telling us, in 100 words or less, why you want to be a member of the Ashford Borough Tenants Forum.  Do you want to see better facilities for young people?  Does the thought of improving your neighbourhood really appeal to you?  Whatever the reason and whatever your views, we want to hear from you.

Current tenant monitoring groups

Repairs Monitoring Group

This is a group of tenants who meet regularly with the repairs and maintenance contractors and staff to discuss performance and standards. It has terms of reference, and feeds into the Ashford Borough Tenants Forum. For meeting details contact Philippa Dale (Tenant Participation Officer) 01233 330365 philippa.dale@ashford.gov.uk 

Seniors Forum

This is a group of residents improving the 12 sheltered schemes in the Borough who meet to discuss a range of issues relating to housing for older people For meeting details contact Philippa Dale (Tenant Participation Officer) 01233 330365 philippa.dale@ashford.gov.uk

Ashford Borough Tenants Forum and Monitoring Group Meeting Schedule

19 September 2011 Ashford Borough Tenants Forum annual general meeting minutes.

27 September 2011 Seniors Forum meeting minutes.

7 November 2011 Ashford Borough Tenants Forum meeting minutes.

1 December 2011 Repairs Monitoring Group meeting minutes.

5 December 2011 Ashford Borough Tenants Forum meeting minutes.

8 December 2011 Seniors Forum meeting minutes.

9 January 2012 Ashford Borough Tenants Forum meeting minutes

Estate Inspection Programme

Estate Inspections are carried out throughout the borough on a weekly rolling programme. Urban areas receive two visits and rural areas one visit per year and this is in addition to the day to day estate work being done by the Area Managers.

Estate inspections normally take between 2 and 4 hours depending on the size of the area and the issues identified.

Things picked up on estate inspections include:-

•  rubbish and cleanliness,
•  abandoned cars and parking,
•  landscaping, and
•  communal areas in flats.

You are actively encouraged to attend the estate inspection where you live, either for the whole inspection or for the bit around your home. The inspections normally take place on the Monday of the week in which they are advertised. Details of starting times and venues can be checked by phoning 01233 330688. Once you have attended your first estate inspection, you will be automatically contacted when the next one is due.

Estate Inspection Timetable

* Tenants choice means you can request your area receive an extra inspection, or the Area Manager revisits an area which has not been scored highly when inspected previously.

The estate inspection programme is advertised in both the Housing News and the tenants calendar.

We feedback on estate inspections through the web site in 'Outcomes and Impacts' and and in the Housing News

Surgeries

These are held in Children’s Centres and community centres around the borough and enable you to see Area Managers when you are dropping off or picking up your children. The programme of surgeries is advertised in the Housing News.  Kent Police are also represented at some of the surgeries.

Mystery Shopping

All Ashford Borough tenants and leaseholders can ‘mystery shop’ the Housing Service you receive from us. If you would like to do this, simply completing the Ashford Back Chat registration by following the link below to become a mystery shopper and you will be sent a batch of mystery shopping forms and prepaid envelopes. Alternatively you can download a mystery shopping form here.

Then whenever you have a reason to contact the Housing Department, you complete one of the forms telling us how you feel you were dealt with, and whether your problem was resolved, and return it in the prepaid envelope.

We record the results and provide feedback through the web site  and Housing News.

Ashford Back Chat

We want to make it easier for more people to tell Ashford Borough Council Housing Services what they think, and to get involved in the management of their homes and neighbourhoods. Find out more about Ashford Back Chat.

Tenant Participation Outcomes and Impacts

We want you to see the range of activities tenants and leaseholders are involved in, and hope this will persuade you to think about taking part in some of them.

Tenant Participation Outcomes and Impacts April 2010 - June 2010  to download this document

Tenant Participation Outcomes and Impacts July 2010 - September 2010  to download this document

Tenant Participation Outcomes and Impacts October 2010 - December 2010 to download this document

Tenant Participation Outcomes and Impacts January 2011 - March 2011 to download this document

Tenant Participation Outcomes and Impacts April 2011 - June 2011 to download this document

Tenant Participation Outcomes and Impacts July 2011 - September 2011 to download this document

Tenant Participation Outcomes and Impacts October 2011 - December 2011 to download this document

This webpage was updated on 2/3/2012

 

 

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