Last month, the UK government announced major plans to get social landlords to listen to and involve tenants in important decision-making. 

 

Throughout April, 20 new digital and on-the-ground projects received a share of £2 million from the government’s Social Housing Innovation Fund, with the aim of improving social housing providers’ engagement with their tenants and the ability to resolve problems faster.

 

These programmes have been introduced to address complaints around communication and service delivery, including ignored repairs and poor response times. 

 

Each project will begin operating in communities nationwide, running for an initial 12 months to test new ideas that give tenants more opportunities to communicate effectively with landlords. The trials involve thousands of tenants in targeted areas and, if successful, will be rolled out on a larger scale.

 

Specialised support will also be introduced to amplify the voices of tenants facing challenges such as disabilities, trauma or limited digital access, so residents of all ages and backgrounds are heard.  

 

Projects include new AI assistance for social housing, a ‘living room on wheels’ for chats with housing officers and a national online hub for shared ownership

 

Here are the 20 projects that will receive funding:

 

  • Belonging Begins Here (BBH): Connecting our Communities. Accent Group. £120,000.
  • Trusted Voices: A Council of Elders Model for Refugee Tenant Engagement. Ashley Community & Housing Ltd. £76,442.
  • Ermine Community Partnership. Lincoln City Council. £104,049.
  • Connected Neighbours: New Models for Tenant-Landlord Engagement. Clarion Housing Group. £119,110.
  • Our Homes. Leeds City Council.  £119.371.
  • Hidden Voices to be Heard. Loconomy Ltd. £120,000.
  • Amplifying Survivor Voices – Domestic Violence & Violence Against Women and Girls Residents. London Borough of Hillingdon.  £120,000.
  • Tenant Board Member Academy: Building Leadership from Within. Manningham House Association Limited. £70,000.
  • The Tenants’ Voice. National Communities Resource Centre Limited. £113,631.
  • Building Safety Resident Engagement at Scale. Newham Council. £120,000.
  • YouNG Networkers. Nottingham Community Housing Association. £98,889.
  • A National Voice for Shared Owners. The Places Foundation (led by Shared Ownership Resources). £120,000.
  • Richmond Community Ambassadors – Making a difference locally. London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. £102,316.
  • Virtual Voices: Enhancing Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Engagement Through Accessible Communication. Rooftop Housing Association. £75,500.
  • The G15 Residents’ Group: A Model for Strategic Resident Involvement. Southern Housing (led by G15 Resident Group). £70,000.
  • The LGBTQ+ Housing Pledge: tenant-led change in social housing. Stonewall Housing Association.  £95,250.
  • Improving resident scrutiny. Together Housing. £103,340.
  • Breaking the stigma: Stronger scrutiny in social housing. Vico Homes. £72,368.
  • Front room on wheels. Wigan Borough Council. £70,000.
  • Wythenshawe Enabled – Powered by Difference. Wythenshawe Community Housing Group. £95,900.

 

Source: GOV.UK

 

Lords Minister for Housing and Local Government, Baroness Taylor, said: “We’ve doubled this fund to £2 million so we can ramp up practical, real-world interventions that strengthen tenants’ voices and ensure they are respected and taken seriously. 

 

“The best ideas will be rolled out nationwide, and tenants will shape every step, so what we take forward genuinely works to transform tenants’ experiences.”

 

Commenting on the announcement, Peter Luck, Managing Director, ROCC, added: “Giving tenants a stronger voice is essential to building trust and improving standards across social housing. 

 

“These pilot projects show a real commitment to listening to residents and acting on their experiences in more practical and accessible ways. 

 

“Hopefully, this funding allows social housing providers to resolve issues more effectively and create services that genuinely reflect the needs of the tenants they serve.”

 

The Social Housing Innovation Fund was announced last October, supporting the government’s wider objective of improving tenants’ experiences in social housing and empowering them to speak up when they encounter issues. 

 

This coincides with other new legislation, such as Awaab’s Law, another measure aimed at improving tenant safety.

 

You can read more about the government’s wider £39 billion Social and Affordable Housing Programme here.

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