Join a consultative group

Tenant inspectors make a real difference to the housing service. If you want to know more about what each department does and become part of a group that can make recommendations to improve the service tenants receive, then this could be the group for you.

Our tenant inspectors can inspect any part of the housing department. The areas they look at are often chosen by tenants at our summer conference. Inspectors look in real detail at their chosen subject by talking to staff, carrying out surveys, attending meetings and complete shadowing exercises as part of their inspections. The inspectors will write a report, make recommendations and report back to the manager of the department.

The inspectors also review their work after a period of time to ensure their recommendations have been put into place.

Recently the inspectors have been looking into the fly tipping on council estates.

You can read the Tenant Inspectors' Fly Tipping in Council Neighbourhoods Report showing the results from their inspection and their list of recommendations on how the issue could be reduced.

Their previous inspection was on the thorny subject of council housing stigma here in Southampton.

You can read the Tenant Inspectors' Council Housing Stigma Report showing what they found out and their list of recommendations on how the council can help better challenge stigma when it happens.

All tenants have to call on our repairs service from time to time and expect the best service possible. We need your help to ensure we are delivering that service in a world with ever changing priorities.

The tenant repairs panel are a group of tenants who work closely with the council looking at all aspects of the housing repairs service.

If you have ideas of how to improve the repairs service that tenants receive, then this could be the group for you.

In their bi-monthly meetings over the last few months the Repairs Panel have:

• Input information for the self-assessment on damp and mould
• Arranged for a tenant to accompany when a fire risk assessment is undertaken in a block
• Suggested changes for the “moving out” standards, to improve the experience for new tenants moving into their homes
• Reviewed the performance figures for repairs and challenged managers to improve, where appropriate

The group currently meet for two hours six times a year. If you are interested in joining, then get involved.

If you are a council tenant and interested in having a say in how the council spends its housing budget then this could be the group for you.

The group works with the housing department to ensure that capital and revenue expenditure reflects the priorities agreed with tenants. 

The group also keeps up to date with the impact of the government’s welfare reforms as well as the efforts made in collecting rent and dealing with arrears.

Recently, the group investigated the communal heating charge. You can see the presentation they gave to senior management.

When do we meet: Meetings take place on the first Tuesday of the month between 10am–12pm at Challis Court.

If you want to know how the housing department measures its performance or what happens when a target is not met, then the tenant scrutiny panel may be exactly the group for you.

The panel has four objectives:

1. To look at housing performance information and, where necessary, recommend areas for improvement
2. To look at all new housing policies and provide a customer perspective on them
3. To look at customer complaints as part of the council’s complaint procedure
4. To keep Southampton City Council tenants fully informed of its activities and findings

The Tenant Scrutiny Panel have been busy:

• Reviewing the complaints form, with changes implemented to make it readable and not so long and difficult to use
• Creating a new-style help agreement (Housing and Environmental Local Partnership Agreement)
• Undertaking a review into the paperwork given during sign up of a property and making recommendations for improvements and savings
• Implementing changes to the website information about the special decorating scheme
• Ensuring information about the decorating pack was clear and consistent on the website, in the moving out standards, and the accompanying viewing checklist

You can read the Tenant Scrutiny Panel review into the sign up paperwork showing what they found out and their list of recommendations.

When do we meet? The panel currently meets once a month, on a Thursday from 1-3pm. Meetings are hybrid, so you can join either face-to-face at Lordshill, or online via teams.

The group is made up of representatives from different tenant engagement panels. It helps to influence and challenge building health and safety policies and practices. This ensures tenants are safe and that we meet the legal requirements for residents’ safety.

This group gives members the opportunity to raise any concerns and questions on behalf of other tenants.

The panel meets every three months. Meetings last for 90 minutes.

View the Building Safety Tenant Group terms of reference.

Draft Building Safety Resident Engagement Strategy

Southampton City Council manages building safety in council-owned residential buildings. Building safety refers to the measures that are in place to protect tenants in buildings. Building safety measures reduce and mitigate risks, such as the spreading of a fire, structural failures and gas and electric hazards. The building safety measures aim to reduce the seriousness of an incident if one occurs.

As residents, and leaseholders in council-owned buildings, you have a say in building safety decisions. This strategy sets out how we will involve you in building safety decisions; this strategy is for you if you are a resident or leaseholder of a council-owned residential flat or maisonette.

View the Draft Building Safety Resident Engagement Strategy.

How to report a building or fire safety risk in your building

Emergency repairs

During officer hours if your repair meets the emergency criteria, please telephone us on 023 8083 3006 (and select option 2).

For emergency repairs outside of office hours, please call 023 8023 3344.

Fire safety risk

Email firesafety.works@southampton.gov.uk.

For more information, please check the fire safety webpage.

Housing management

For any housing management issues, please contact your local housing office:

• Telephone: 023 8083 3006 (option 7)
• Email: mytenancy@southampton.gov.uk

High rise buildings

Report safety concerns about a council high rise building.

Come along and meet with staff and other tenants living in the central area to discuss local issues; have your say on estate walkabouts and find out how the Local Central Housing Office is performing. The meetings are the opportunity for the tenants to share their experiences and Housing Officers share how they have been doing to continually improve the central area.

Areas covered by the forum

Northam, St. Mary’s, Wyndham Court, St Denys, Kingsland, Castle House, Newtown, Holyrood, Bassett, Hampton Park, Flowers Estate, Portswood

If you are a leaseholder in a council owned building find out about Leaseholder information sessions.

Meet with other neighbours from Dumbleton, Hightown and Meredith Towers, along with council staff, and local councillors to discuss local issues. These are informal and friendly meetings.

The group meets quarterly. Look out for posters in the block for the next meeting.

If you live in supported housing in Southampton and would like to have a say in the policies and procedures affecting supported housing tenants, then come along to the supported housing forum.

The forum is a group of likeminded supported housing tenants who come together to discuss housing issues in a lively and friendly atmosphere.

Meetings regularly feature invited guests giving presentations on a whole host of issues affecting supported housing in Southampton as well as more general issues affecting the lives of older people.

The list of the issues the group got involved in over the last year:

• The forum suggested the improvements to the online repairs reporting system
• Advice on home safety
• The forum suggested the improvement to disposal of unwanted house items in vacant properties
• Suggesting changes to improve communication
• Raised questions about vacant properties
• The forum has made an ongoing contribution in keeping supported housing tenants informed; for instance:
  • New tenants’ satisfaction measures explained
  • Clarified what support can they expect from their housing support workers
  • Housing adaptations process explained
  • Neighbourhood wardens’ service explained
  • Produced an information sheet and a leaflet explaining when they should/should not pull a cord
  • Changes to the emergency call system explained
  • Talked about Fire safety improvements
  • Raised the issues of water and heating bills
  • Questioned policies relating to supported housing
  • Produced an information sheet explaining about 60+ benefits entitlements and support they are eligible for if they need extra care
• Forum takes part in numerous consultations and policy updates - for instance:
  • Involved in the housing domestic abuse policy update
  • NHS Insights Prioritisation Programme (NIPP) consultation to understand how to shape our health and social care services to best meet the needs of older people with use of new technology
• Improved neighbourhoods
• Lobbying council for the solutions for the mobility scooters and for the electricity chargers for cars – and making the issues visible and talked about by the Housing Service
• Encouragement to one another to lead healthier lives especially during COVID-19

When do we meet: Meetings take place at Challis Court between 2-4pm on the last Tuesday of every other month (January, March, May, July, September and November).

Meet with other neighbours who care about making Weston a better place to live, along with council staff, tenant reps and other agencies, to discuss local issues. These are informal and friendly meetings. The meetings are held every couple of months on a Tuesday from 6.30pm –8.00pm at the Weston Court Community Room, off Kingsclere Avenue.

Areas covered by the forum

The Weston estate

Joining the forum

To join the forum look for the leaflets displayed in each block in the area or contact Tenant Engagement

The city wide block rep forum is a chance for the elected block reps across the city and the council to work together to improve the service for all. The forum enables block reps to:

• Obtain information about what is going on in council housing services, the city council and other organisations
• Communicate the views of the residents they represent to the city council and other organisations
• Act as consultative body when new or updated policies, procedures or working practices are proposed
• Share their experiences and spread good practice, especially about their role and how they can make a difference in their area

The forum is open to all officially elected block and street reps and those going through the process of becoming block or street reps.

The meetings are held four times a year on a Tuesday – please contact Tenant Engagement to find out more about the meetings and block rep election process.

Become a block or street rep

To attend the forum meetings, you need to be a street or a block rep. 

Some of the issues the group got involved in over the last year

• Contributed to the improvement of the online reporting repairs form
• Successfully argued the need for block reps to get the keys for block notice boards
• Improved the recycling system in the blocks as there were some faults in the way recycling collections were delivered: from missing bins, to regularly missed collections, broken glass etc.
• Improved housing service delivery – Block rep forum is an amazing platform for block reps to raise city wide issues directly with professionals: from fly tipping and parking issue to uncollected bins, uncut grass etc.
• Acted as a platform for professionals to hear what is important locally to tenants and what needs to be improved
• The City Wide Block Rep Forum Focus Group improved relationships between block reps and local housing offices
• The forum helped to keep tenants informed
• Improved neighbourhoods
• The forum asked for free green bins for blocks looking after their communal gardens; the tenants looking after the communal green area can now have FREE green bins