Congratulations to involved customers David and Julia , who have been appointed to the Housing Ombudsman’s new national Resident Panel.
The panel will help develop the work of the ombudsman as well as ensuring a stronger voice for tenants. More than 600 tenants applied to join the panel, with 100 chosen to represent a cross-section of landlords in the Housing Ombudsman scheme.
David is deputy chair of our Scrutiny group, a panel of customers who review performance and propose improvements to the services delivered to our 18,000 tenants in Staffordshire and Shropshire.
“Housing Plus Group members have recognised the breadth of knowledge that exists among its tenants and through the My Voice platform provides opportunities for customer involvement at every level,” explained David. “My experience on the Scrutiny group has prepared me very well for this national role.
“The new Resident panel is about listening to customers, learning from each other and promoting excellence. It will also ensure that the voice of tenants is clearly heard in the response of the ombudsman to complaints received by housing associations across the country.”
Julia combines her role as an involved customer, with a demanding full-time job. She has been part of the Scrutiny group for the last six years and has also been appointed to the Housing Ombudsman’s new national Resident Panel.
“For me, it’s about doing something that helps other people,” she explains. “I’ve definitely gained a lot of confidence from being an involved customer and I know that we are helping to improve services. That was what encouraged me to apply for the new Housing Ombudsman panel, although I didn’t expect to get very far. I was surprised and delighted to hear that I’d been accepted.”
Les Clarke, Housing Plus Group executive director of housing and care said: “When our new Group came together in 2019 we promised to listen to customers and went on to launch My Voice. This provides a range of channels for feedback including the Scrutiny group where David and Julia have been doing such excellent work.
“We are delighted that they have both gained places on the new Resident Panel because it will give us a broader view of the national thinking around customer feedback and help us to reflect on some of the best practices in our sector.”
You can get involved in My Voice to share your views, support your community and help us improve our services. Find more information about how to do that here.