Tenant Consultative Group
What is the Tenant Consultative Group
(TCG)?
The TCG was set up in 1994, at a
meeting held at Cranmer House, one of our sheltered schemes. It's a
district-wide group made up mainly from Canterbury City
Council (now East Kent Housing in
Canterbury) tenants and leaseholders.
Since the TCG was formed, it has
played a vital role in developing new housing policy and in
improving service standards. And now that we have joined with
the other councils to form East Kent Housing, the TCG will
also form Canterbury's Area Board, remaining at the centre of
what we do.
What are its aims and
objectives?
The TCG aims to...
- promote tenant participation and awareness within the
district;
- provide a means by which we consult with our tenants;
- influence decisions on, and suggest,housing policy (housing
policy is a function which still belongs to the council);
- work with us to agree service standards and to monitor
performance;
- promote a cost-effective housing service; and
- represent tenants at council meetings and any other meetings
that affect tenants' interests.
How do you become a member?
There are four routes to
membership:
1. Through your
tenant/resident association.
Each recognised association can
nominate one of their members to represent them at TCG
meetings. The association can also nominate a substitute if
their representative isn't able to come to a meeting.
2. By
invitation.
People living in areas not represented
by a tenant/resident association may be invited to join the TCG if
they can show they have a mandate from local people. This
route is only open to our tenants.
3.
Co-option.
The TCG may co-opt members who
represent minority interests, if they feel this will bring new
insights to the group.
4. Via one of our
special interest forums.
The following forums can each nominate
a member to represent them at TCG meetings:
When does the TCG meet?
The TCG meets monthly at Thanington
Resource Centre, usually on the last Wednesday of the month.
Can I come?
Members of the public are always very
welcome to come along and observe our meetings. However, you
cannot take part in the discussions without the Chair's
permission.
If you would like to come along and
see what goes on, contact Graham or Denise, our Tenant
Participation Officers, on 01227 862 106.
More about what the TCG does
Forms the Area Board for East Kent
Housing
Canterbury's Area Board is made up
from the existing TCG membership, with the addition of two local
councillors.
The Area Boards meet four times a year
and meetings are open to the public. Keep an eye on the
Canterbury Area Board homepage for forthcoming dates and other
news.
Attends council meetings
From its early days, the TCG has had
representatives on the council's decision making committees.
Two elected representatives attend meetings of the Council
Executive, as well as the Scrutiny Panel, to speak on behalf of
tenants. To help them to consider all issues from the
perspective of the tenants, they see and discuss all the relevant
committee papers before they go to Councillors.
Responsible for the environmental
improvements budget
Each year, we allocate money for
'environmental improvements' on housing estates. Since 1994,
the TCG has decided how and where to spend the money.
The TCG considers all the
recommendations and requests it receives. Often, these add up
to far more than the money available to spend, but anything that is
left out is then carried over for consideration the following
year.
Over the past few years, work paid for
by the environmental improvements budget has included extra car
parking, extra lighting, bin stores, landscaping and play
areas.
Plays a role in selecting our
contractors
We have contracts with outside
companies to provide services such as repairs, cleaning, and
grounds maintenance. The TCG plays an important role in helping to
draw up these contracts and selecting contractors.
The contractors also attend TCG
meetings regularly to report on their performance and answer any
questions. One member of the TCG meets regularly with the
contractors to gain more detailed information.
Finding out more
To find out more, or to ask to attend
one of the TCG's meetings at Thanington Resource Centre, you can
contact Graham Tidmarsh, Tenant Participation Officer by: