Welwyn Hatfield Tenants' Panel
The Welwyn Hatfield Tenants' Panel is an independent, non-political organisation to represent the tenants and leaseholders of Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council.
It was formed in 1994 and has 24 tenant members and three leaseholder representatives. Panel members come from many different backgrounds. All council tenants and leaseholders are eligible to join. Panel members are elected every year and at the AGM they also elect a Chair and Vice Chair. The Panel meets every month to monitor the performance of the Housing Department and to discuss housing and other local issues. It takes minutes of all meetings, which are available for the public to read. Please see below to read them online.
The Tenants' Panel aims to:
- build an effective working partnership between the council and council tenants. This is for all areas of service delivery, policy and practice.
- raise standards and improve services. It monitors the work of the council and its contractors.
- act as council tenants' watchdog. It protects tenants' rights and ensures that the council fully informs and consults its tenants and leaseholders about changes to housing policy, priorities for improvements, and future plans.
- ensure that local services meet the needs of all the community. It makes sure services do not discriminate against anyone on the grounds of age, race, gender, sexuality, disability or religion.
The Work of the Panel
Tenant representatives act as an important point of contact for other tenants. They help to deal with problems and complaints and raise local concerns. They work in partnership with the council to ensure that it provides a quality service.
Help to set and monitor standards
- Each member of the Panel monitors standards on their estate. The borough is divided into areas and each tenant representative has their own patch. An estate checklist helps tenants to record any problems.
- Panel members visit empty properties before and after the council or its contractors carry out repairs. They assess the standard of workmanship and the speed and quality of repairs. They also visit planned maintenance schemes to check the quality of the work and assess tenant satisfaction.
Review standards, policy and practice
- Panel meetings have regular updates from Housing Department staff. These outline any new council proposals and changes to the law.
- Senior council staff give presentations to the Panel about issues of interest and concern to tenants. Recent topics include roads and traffic management, grounds maintenance and housing benefits. Tenant representatives can question staff, put forward suggestions for improvements and raise any concerns or comments they have.
- The Panel regularly reviews key performance statistics and monitors customer suggestions and complaints.
- The Panel has representatives who are co-opted onto two of the council's main Committees: the Cabinet Housing Panel and the Social Overview and Scrutiny Committee. Reports are discussed in advance by the Panel so members can talk through any concerns. In this way the Panel has a major say in helping to shape future policies and plans.
Tenants' Panel Membership
A list of the current members is available following the link below:
Want to know more?
Telephone:
Ian Haines on 01707 357 734
Write to:
The Tenants' Panel, c/o Ian Haines, Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, Housing Services, Welwyn Garden City, 51 Bridge Road East, Welwyn Garden City, FREEPOST SB 817, Herts, AL7 1BR
Email:
Meeting Dates and Minutes
Minutes from recent Panel meetings are available below, along with the schedule of meeting dates this year. For more information, or to request previous copies of meeting minutes please contact Ian Haines (see above).