Background and Context
On the 1st of October 2023, Lewisham Council took back the housing management function in-house from Lewisham Homes, its former Arm’s Length Management Organisation (ALMO). This meant that the Council took over the direct responsibility for managing and maintaining more than 13,500 social rent homes across the borough, along with managing relationships with leaseholders of over 5,000 homes. At the same time, a Scrutiny Task and Finish Group was established to explore how the Council could enhance its services for, and communication with, residents in the private rented sector in Lewisham.
As part of its broader effort to improve housing services and ensure better outcomes for residents, the Council also focused on strengthening oversight and accountability in housing policy decisions. A key aspect strengthening oversight has been enhancing resident engagement in the Council’s housing scrutiny process. Historically, a lack of direct resident participation in the Committee’s work has left resident voices under-represented in shaping housing governance.
The Housing Select Committee, which meets five times a year, is one of six scrutiny committees in Lewisham. Recognising the need to involve residents more directly, the Committee has established three informal co-optee positions on the committee. These positions are designated for a resident from Lewisham Council housing, one from Regenter B3 (social housing covered by a PFI contract that can’t be brought back in house until the contract ends) and another from Lewisham’s private rented sector.
Extensive resident engagement has also been facilitated through the Scrutiny Task and Finish Group, which organised surveys and focus group meetings to gather valuable insights directly from residents.
Although these initiatives have encountered their own set of challenges, they represent an essential step towards fostering stronger resident involvement. These efforts are just the beginning of a broader push to enhance engagement and explore more effective avenues for resident participation. Trial and error will inevitably play a crucial role in refining this process, with each experience providing valuable lessons to improve the resident participation system moving forward.
Challenges and Opportunities
The main challenge was the absence of resident voices in the Council’s housing scrutiny processes, particularly when discussing issues that directly affected them. An additional hurdle was finding representatives who could adequately reflect the diversity of resident perspectives. This was especially difficult when it came to private renters, who lacked established resident engagement structures like Tenants and Residents Associations (TRAs), making it harder to appoint individuals who could speak for such a varied group.
Another challenge was effectively promoting these resident engagement initiatives, such as the surveys, focus groups and expression of interest advert for the informal co-optee from the private rented sector. The efforts to promote these initiatives were impacted by the timing of several elections- the Lewisham Mayoral Election in March 2024, the GLA election in May 2024, and the General Election in July 2024. Pre-election publicity rules for local councils complicated efforts to maintain consistent engagement and communication with residents.
Despite these challenges, the initiatives presented significant opportunities, particularly in building trust with residents and demonstrating the Council’s commitment to resident involvement. Direct input from residents provided first-hand insights into the issues they face, while also raising awareness amongst the community about Council processes and challenges. Increased resident participation also has the potential to shape more informed and responsive policies that better reflect the true needs of the community.
Initiatives and actions taken to enhance resident engagement in housing scrutiny
Establishment of informal co-optee positions
Three informal co-optee positions have been created on the Housing Select Committee as described above. Currently, two of these positions are filled, with efforts underway to engage a representative from the private rented sector. The selection process for the filled positions involved outreach to Tenants and Residents Associations and the Residents’ Panel, who nominated representatives with the mandate to speak on behalf of their communities.
Surveys and focus groups
The Task and Finish Group conducted two comprehensive surveys– one targeting private renters and another for landlords – to gather data and insights that informed subsequent focus group sessions. These in-person focus groups allowed for deeper engagement and understanding of residents’ concerns. Attendance at these in-person sessions was low due to several rescheduling issues caused by the election cycle but written evidence was collected from residents unable to attend in person, ensuring their voices were still heard.
Outcomes and Impact
These initiatives led to several positive outcomes
The creation of the informal co-optee positions, coupled with data collection through surveys and focus group sessions, has significantly enhanced resident participation in the housing scrutiny process. Informal co-optees have recently asked for some training to gain a better understanding of the Council’s processes, indicating a commitment to more meaningful engagement and informed participation.
The Council’s commitment to engaging residents and its emphasis on incorporating resident feedback has contributed to its efforts towards building trust with the community. By providing residents with a formal platform to voice their concerns, the Council has hopefully created opportunities for more meaningful collaboration.
These resident engagement initiatives have offered, and continue to offer, valuable insights into the housing issues affecting residents in the borough. This has helped deepen the Committee’s understanding of issues from the residents’ perspective and will hopefully equip the Council with the knowledge necessary to develop policies that are more responsive to residents’ needs.
Lessons learned
These initiatives have been a significant step in engaging more residents in the housing scrutiny processes, highlighting several key lessons:
Flexibility is crucial in designing effective resident engagement arrangements. Formal meeting structures, such as the set 7pm timing for Committee meetings, can impact and limit the availability of informal co-optees. Additionally, the formal structure of Committee meetings often restricts the time available for meaningful contributions. After trialling this informal co-optee engagement method for a year, the Committee will evaluate whether adjustments are needed to improve engagement or if a different approach would be more effective in fostering resident participation.
Building and maintaining trust with residents requires a long-term commitment to engagement. This commitment must be demonstrated through consistent presence, responsiveness, and follow-through on resident input. While the launch of these initiatives marks a positive start, it is essential to maintain momentum by continuously offering new opportunities for engagement.
In addition to formal Committee settings, it has become clear that engaging residents in familiar and comfortable environments, rather than formal Council environments, is equally important. The Committee will explore ways to expand this approach, recognising that alternative engagement settings may be more effective in encouraging participation.
Top tips
- Be flexible with formats – Diversify engagement methods to accommodate different schedules and preferences. Use surveys, focus groups, formal meetings and more!
- Stay Committed – Build trust by consistently engaging with residents and following up on their feedback. Keep the momentum going with ongoing opportunities for participation.
- Utilise trial and error – Embrace a trial-and-error approach to refine engagement strategies. Assess what works, learn from challenges and continuously adapt methods to improve resident involvement.
Future directions
Here are few of the many actionsthat will be shaped by these resident engagement initiatives:
The Committee will explore plans to boost resident engagement beyond formal committee meetings, with focus on increasing involvement at a local level by going to places familiar to residents.
Once the third informal co-optee position is filled, Lewisham will explore providing some informal training to the three co-optees to deepen their understanding of Council processes and enhance their effectiveness in their roles.
The Committee is committed to maintaining a strong focus on resident involvement throughout its activities. It will continually assess and explore ways to integrate resident input into various aspects of this work.
Useful links
Looking ahead, the Scrutiny Task and Finish group is set to complete its report by October 2024, with recommendations to be presented to the Mayor and Cabinet in Lewisham. This report will be informed by resident views gathered via the surveys and focus groups. The Housing Select Committee is trialling the informal co-optee engagement method for a year and will then evaluate whether adjustments are needed to improve engagement.
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