Social housing residents are to team up with their landlords to trial innovative methods of communicating building safety matters to residents as part of a new Government-appointed group
A new group will see eight social landlords and their respective residents come together to ensure residents are given a stronger voice in communicating approaches to building safety within social housing.
The Social Sector Engagement Best Practice Group is a key measure of the Government’s Social Housing Green Paper and the Building a Safer Future implementation plan.
It will be independently chaired by Lease board member Victoria Elvidge with two fire and building safety experts − Tim Birchall, fire safety technical officer for Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service and Paul Everall, Chief Executive of the Local Authority Building Control – also signing up to the group.
Each social landlord represented in the group will be joined by a resident from their respective housing stock to help share best practice and challenge existing approaches towards ensuring resident safety.
The new group will include:
- New group will debate new ways to engage social housing residents on fire and building safety issues.
- Scheme will help to ensure social residents are given a stronger voice
- Government fulfils key commitment made in Social Housing Green Paper and Hackitt Implementation Plan
- Pilots will help drive culture change across the social housing sector
Group members will decide on and implement short-term pilots to be trialled over a six-month period covering a wide range of approaches to keeping residents informed on the safety of their building.
Following the six-month period, the panel will present its findings to the Government which will be used to inform and develop future policy.
Housing Minister, Kit Malthouse MP said: “Everyone deserves a safe and decent place to call home.
“As our Social Housing Green Paper and Implementation Plan set out, we are keen to pilot new and engaging options to ensure social housing residents are better informed on issues that matter most to them – none more so than their safety.
“This new group will see social landlords and their residents come together to explore new ways to trial this that will help inform wider reforms as we look to rebalance the relationship between landlord and residents.”
Social Sector (Building Safety) Engagement Best Practice Group members include:
- Victoria Elvidge (Chair)
- Chelmer Housing Partnership
- Clarion Housing Group
- Optivo
- Phoenix Community Housing
- Poole Housing Partnership
- Sheffield City Council
- Stockport Homes Group
- Your Homes Newcastle
- Tim Birchall, fire safety technical officer for Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service
- Paul Everall, Chief Executive of the Local Authority Building Control
