View publication - Chartered Institute of Housing

PART TWO: LEADING TOMORROW
growing feature. At the other end of the consumer scale, when things go wrong, the
private sector understands (mostly) that complaints can no longer be filed away as a
closed volley of written correspondence. If we make mistakes the world will now know
about them as social media trends #badservice.
Our journey to be the best landlord means that we’re constantly learning from others
and building new partnerships. We’re working on a resident exchange with a French
housing association, for example, to bring cutting edge sustainability improvements to
homes in Kent. The IFORE project focuses on reducing the environmental impact of
homes and centres on our residents. 50 We aim, for instance, to have 3,000 children
trained up as energy champions through the project. And we’re planning to work in
partnership with CIH to bring professional qualifications through our AmicusHorizon
Academy. The Academy will be, of course, for Board, staff and residents to learn and
gain skills together.
Getting skills, structure and culture right for great resident involvement are imperative.
This has paid dividends in tems of performance improvements. And making sure we’re
constantly looking to learn and build our involvement helps us future-proof. But to
return to my initial proposition around civic governance, it’s worth examining some of
the wider benefits of involvement. Our involved residents are building strong
communities and it’s interesting how this chimes with the idea of a smaller state and
greater personal responsibility. Through the power of volunteering to working with
other residents to improve life chances, we are creating confident ambassadors. There’s
something here about future-proofing communities too.
In conclusion, we arrived at resident involvement through a dual approach with
residents and staff which then culminated in a significant organisational structure
change. Our strategic approach has been to streamline and de-clutter the business to
focus on the things which are important to residents. And we’re learning together as
well as learning from others. Our aspiration – to be the best landlord – will be nothing
but a dream if residents aren’t at the centre of the business telling us what needs to
improve. But I can see a greater role which spreads to the communities in which we
work. Residents are building skills and leading local improvements. Our LAPs voice local
concerns and influence local politicians and local agencies. I think this should not be
overlooked by policymakers. Maybe the time has come to throw down another
gauntlet.
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