The resident involvement team continues to be busy organising meetings with residents like you to ensure that you have a say in shaping our new organisation as we develop.
This is a commitment that we gave in our Resident Promise.
Here are some significant events that took place during the last two months.
Service Charge working group established
Some of you took part in an initial discussion about how we deal with service charges.
Some of you took part in an initial discussion about how we deal with service charges.
Those invited included residents from those schemes that will form part of a pilot project to develop and test new ways of working, along with resident association representatives and other residents who have previously voiced concerns about service charges.
The discussion involved staff from different teams (including business improvement, leasehold and financial services) led by Emma Turay, who was recently appointed as Head of Rents and Service Charges across NHG.
The discussion involved staff from different teams (including business improvement, leasehold and financial services) led by Emma Turay, who was recently appointed as Head of Rents and Service Charges across NHG.
The group considered possible quick wins and further medium and long term changes that could be made. We were also honest about the things that we cannot change for legal or other compliance reasons.
The Service Charge working group will continue to meet quarterly, to help us review processes, correspondence etc. before we subject these to wider consultation and testing.
Local forums and open meetings
Local forums and scrutiny panels are currently underway. All local forum meetings will receive: an update on integration and the new service roll-out, a demonstration of our new digital service platform (in the areas that have not previously had this), and a progress update against the Resident Promise.
Local forums and scrutiny panels are currently underway. All local forum meetings will receive: an update on integration and the new service roll-out, a demonstration of our new digital service platform (in the areas that have not previously had this), and a progress update against the Resident Promise.
In addition, all of the newly appointed gas contractors will be there to introduce themselves and participate in a question and answer session with residents.
So far, an open meeting has been held in the Kensington and Chelsea area which was well attended by residents (approximately 30 people) from a range of tenures, including three residents who are currently in temporary accommodation. There was good discussion and engagement, and residents welcomed the opportunity to meet with local staff and managers and discuss issues of concern with other residents.
Open meetings are taking place in September and October in Hammersmith; Westminster, Brent, Hounslow, South London and Bolney Meadow (now fully booked).
Oversight and Scrutiny Group
The Oversight and Scrutiny Group met in August to consider complaints handling. The Group was given an overview of NHG’s complaints performance, and of the plans to establish a new team which should lead to improvements in the service going forward.
The Oversight and Scrutiny Group met in August to consider complaints handling. The Group was given an overview of NHG’s complaints performance, and of the plans to establish a new team which should lead to improvements in the service going forward.
Group members were told about the complaints backlog and asked to receive a further update on progress at the next meeting which will take place at the end of October.
The Group is also planning to do a formal review of complaints handling in a year’s time.
Resident Services Committee
A subcommittee of the Group Board, the Resident Services Committee met in July and again in September.
A subcommittee of the Group Board, the Resident Services Committee met in July and again in September.
The Committee considers all landlord service performance and feedback from resident meetings. Summary minutes of their meetings are posted on the website here.