Voice of the Resident Panel meeting update – November and December 2024
Our most recent Voice of the Resident (VoR) Panel meetings took place in November and December 2024.
Here is a summary of the areas of focus.
Overall performance
Colleagues presented an overview of service performance. Concerns highlighted by the panel included communication – not being clear on what we will do and when we will complete it by, or not meeting the timescales we set, follow-ups on repairs, complaint handling, and keeping residents better informed about what will happen next.
Suggested improvements included implementing more visible and understandable processes for complaints, repairs, and anti-social behaviour, with defined response times and escalation steps to help residents feel more informed.
The panel acknowledged the effectiveness of our gas safety processes and recommended adopting similar practices for repairs. Complaints handling remained a concern, low participation in surveys, particularly from dissatisfied residents, was noted as a limitation to performance data accuracy.
Sentiment Analysis & Priorities
The panel reviewed Settle’s top three priorities: efficient and timely repair services, complaint and query handling, and clean and green spaces, highlighting the importance of improving accessibility and responsiveness across these areas.
In addition to Settle’s top priorities, the panel identified anti-social behaviour as a key focus area. They highlighted the need to strengthen communication to address anti-social behaviour reports and neighbourhood management issues more effectively, moving beyond reliance solely on cases currently recorded under the heading of anti-social behaviour The panel also emphasised the importance of equipping the Hub to resolve low-level anti-social behaviour issues directly, with clearer signposting.
Digital ease was identified as another priority, with a focus on enhancing the resident self-service experience. The panel stressed the importance of understanding and addressing the reasons behind residents switching channels to ensure a more seamless and accessible process.
Complaints
As part of our review on how we carry out repairs in order to enhance the service – we are moving towards managing more repairs through our in-house services. This change aims to improve the quality of repairs and give us greater control over the process. The panel welcomed opportunities for career development and discussed initiatives like apprenticeships and expressed interest in contributing to future ideas.
Spotlight on Safety
During the November meeting, the panel agreed on the importance of ensuring homes meet safety and quality standards and agreed to focus on this topic at the December panel meeting. This also included reviewing the required outcomes for the Safety & Quality Standard and where safety plays a part across all four standards.
The December meeting followed a workshop format designed to identify specific outcomes and expectations related to health and safety that the panel wished to prioritise. Panel members independently reviewed the materials, discussed their key matters of interest, and collectively agreed on their focus areas.
These included anti-social behaviour, hate incidents, and domestic abuse, all of which fall under the Neighbourhood and Community Standard. This further affirmed the panel’s dedication to improving the safety and wellbeing of all communities, as noted under Sentiment Analysis & Priorities to add anti-social behaviour as a key priority.
The next step for the panel involves scoping their review and establishing clear, actionable criteria. This will ensure that the outcomes align with their commitment to enhancing safety and support for residents. We will share a summary of their scoping document early next year.
Update on Resident chair role
To strengthen resident leadership and accountability, a resident Chair and Co-Chair will lead the Voice of the Resident Panel. A resident has volunteered as Co-Chair, with a member of the Ops Committee considered for the Chair role to improve alignment and transparency between the groups.
Additionally, residents Alex and Chris have joined the Ops Committee and will attend a meeting early next year to introduce themselves and enhance collaboration with the resident panel.
Annual report for residents’ update
During the September panel meeting, we shared our plans to develop an Annual Report for residents. A copy of the Annual report was shared with the Panel and all feedback has been considered in the final document.
Early Messaging on Rents update
Following a request from the panel in May 2024 to preview messaging shared with residents about rents, early discussions began on the information planned for 2025. A draft document was provided for the panel’s review and input in November and a revised draft shared has been shared for further feedback.
Looking Ahead
In our next meeting on 28 January, the focus will be on agreeing the final scope for the anti-social beahviour review.
