Feedback from Pennine Communities Federation Review held on Wednesday 22nd February 2006 at Central Library, Halifax
Purpose of the Review
Val Morris outlined the reason why the review was being held:
- The Federation has an agreement (contract) with Pennine Housing 2000, which sets out how both organisations will work in partnership. Each year this agreement is reviewed to look at the performance of the past year and to set targets for the next year. The review is usually carried out at a meeting with the Management Committee but this year we decided to start the review off with a questionnaire to all Federation delegates followed by a review meeting, which all member groups would be invited to.
- The Housing Corporation now requires all Housing Associations to carry out an annual Impact Assessment to measure the effectiveness of tenant involvement; the Federation review is part of the Impact Assessment.
- Finally, every organisation needs to take stock and take a good look at itself from time to time. The Federation has run in the same way for the past 10 years and during that time there's never really been an opportunity to think about the future.
The Role of the Federation
The meeting split up into four working groups to discuss what each thought the role of the Federation was:
Group 1
- The recognised body to represent the views of tenants to the landlord and to act as a consultative body
- Each TARA nominates two members to be on the Federation committee, each association has two votes
- Any tenant can attend Federation meetings
- The Federation can act as a mediator on behalf tenants to landlord
- Part of the Federations role is to provide training i.e. computer skills and education
- Information is accessed through conferences
Group 2
- To change unfair decisions made by PH2K
- Support Federation members on complaints
- Should fight wrong decisions made by PH2K officers
- To produce information through newsletters to member groups
Group 3
- Tenants Union
- Can air grievances
- Offer support to tenants
- Liaison between Pennine and tenants
- To report information back to tenants
Group 4
- Liase between PH2K and tenants
- Unite member groups across Calderdale
- Gain info and pass it on
- Advisory capacity for tenants/members
- Consultation body for Pennine - consultation means before decision is reached
- Watchdog
- Be unbiased
- Publicise
- Provide training
- Network - wider community involvement, services i.e. police/council
Feedback from the Delegates Survey and suggestions for strengthening the Federation
The survey results were circulated (copy attached) and discussed. It was agreed that the information would be very valuable in helping to identify the areas for future development and that it was important the survey findings were acted upon.
The meeting split into four discussion groups to think about ideas for strengthening the Federation, the feedback was as follows:
Group 4
- Start meetings earlier
- More Board contact including minutes
- Insist staff are more cooperative - publicity
- Regular minuted meetings with the Chief Executive
- More networking between members
- More interactive meetings (like tonight's) to exchange ideas and tell us what members needs are so we can support them greater
Group 3
- More training for delegates
- More publicity
- More communication between between Federation/Pennine
- More contact with senior management
- Things for agenda to be put to chair week/2 weeks before
- Restructure constitution
- Name change
- Feedback from tenants
- Federation to get together and go out to groups. Attend other meetings
- Follow things through
- Encourage new groups
Group 2
- Need to be more friendly
- Need a 10minute break to talk to each other
- Why do the Area Committees have more clout?
- More feedback Federation-Board-Federation
- Management Committee to meet new members for a friendly face and introductions before the meetings start
- More conferences; not just Federation conferences - networking
Group 1
- One person, in addition to the Chair, to identify people with their hands up waiting to speak on a particular item
- The survey makes some interesting points and needs to be looked at by the Management Committee or a sub committee to analyse and bring forward relevant suggestions
Where do we go from here?
The agreed way forward was to set up a working group to look at how the Federation could be improved using both the survey results and the suggestions made through the review meeting. The working group will report back to a full federation meeting as soon as possible with their suggested way forward.
Pennine Housing will be asking the Federation to put forward an Action Plan and a budget proposal outlining their 2006/07 funding requirements. Pennine will be setting a number of targets for the Federation to achieve during the forthcoming year; these will include being able to show an increase in the satisfaction levels of attendees at federation meetings and being in a position to demonstrate how they have had an impact on Pennine Housing decisions.