Draft Resident Participation and Consultation Strategy 2023

Overview

The Council would like to hear your views on its draft Resident Participation and Consultation Strategy.

The draft Strategy sets out the different ways that residents can get involved with the Housing and Regeneration Department. The aim of the Strategy is to offer a range of participation activities which allow residents to be involved at the level of their choosing, including those who do not want to be involved in the more formal structures.

Following the Building Safety Act (2022) and the Social Housing (Regulation) Act (2023), the Council has committed to completing a bespoke resident engagement strategy for all high-rise buildings of 7 storeys and/or above 18 metres in height in line with the requirement of this Act. The draft Strategy introduces the Council's responsibilities on building safety and outlines the next steps the Council will be taking.

The draft Strategy is split into four main sections: Formal Participation, Informal Participation, Engaging the Wider Community, and Consultation Arrangements, with each section containing a set of objectives that the Council will work towards over the course of the Strategy. 

• Formal Participation: this section sets out how the Council formally consults with residents on performance and decisions affecting their housing, including Resident Management Organisations (Co-ops), Residents’ Associations, Area Housing Panels and the Borough Residents’ Forum.
• Informal Participation: this section sets out a package of informal involvement opportunities that are run by the Council, including focus groups, readers’ panels and the housing community champions scheme.
• Engaging the Wider Community: this section looks at how the Council engages the wider community, for example through its programme of resident satisfaction surveys as well as community gardens, inclusion activities for older and younger people and involvement at local community events.  This section also provides examples of how the Council works with a range of local organisations to encourage activities on its estates, from one off events to regular sessions. 
• Consultation Arrangements: this section sets out consultation arrangements that are separate to the Council’s resident participation structure as they require a specialist approach.  This includes how the Council consults on major works, regeneration and council led development.

Please read the draft strategy document here and give your views using the online survey below. Your feedback will help shape the development of the final Strategy.  You can read the draft Equality Impact and Needs Analysis here.

If you need a paper copy of the strategy document or the questionnaire please contact Alex Jones on 020 8871 6792, or Alex.Jones@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk

What happens next

All feedback will be considered before a decision is made.