This Wednesday, the council cabinet will be asked to rubber-stamp a proposal that the Town Hall adopts the Croydon Residents’ Charter, drawn up by Yaw John Boateng, Les Parry and Kim Wakeley of the Croydon Council tenants and leaseholders panel.
Here is the charter…
The purpose of this charter is to foster good relationships between landlord and
residents of the London Borough of Croydon following the issues at Regina Road and
in conjunction with the ARK Report and recommendations.
1. To treat residents with respect
What does it look like?
- Listening to, empathising with, and acting on our customer’s feedback or concerns
- Challenging stigma about social housing wherever we encounter it, and positively promote of the contributions our residents
- Being considerate of residents’ availability by offering a range of appointments
- Keeping our residents informed about our services
- Communicating with them in a way that’s easy to understand and who to talk to when there’s a problem
2. We will respond quickly and efficiently to complaints and learn from
problems that lead to complaints
What does it look like?
- Making it easy for residents to raise complaints or concerns when things go wrong
- Responding to issues quickly so that problems do not escalate
- Learning from issues that have led to complaints to improve our services
- Introducing a dedicated housing complaints process
- Recognising residents’ rights in accordance with human rights legislation for housing and homes
3. We will be transparent with our residents about how we are performing
What does it look like?
- Ensuring performance reports are jargon-free and easy to understand
- Enabling residents to see how we are performing by sharing reports on our website and in accessible formats
- Publishing an Annual Report which details progress against the delivery of our commitments to residents
- Being honest and upfront with residents about variations or amendments to services
4. Provide safe homes and a clean environment which residents are proud to live in
What does it look like?
- To be safe in your home
- Maintaining our homes to the Decent Homes Standard
- Timely estate cleaning
- Well-maintained grounds and estates
5. Giving residents a voice and encouraging meaningful decision-making
activities
What does it look like?
- Working in partnership with a diverse range of residents to scrutinise and monitor our services
- Enabling our residents to get their voices heard in different ways including focus groups, regular surgeries, residents’ associations and a mix of digital and non-digital communications
- Listening to what our residents tell us and communicating what has changed as a result
- Fully involving our residents in decisions which impact their housing or housing services
- Involving residents in monitoring the services delivered by our partners and contractors
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It’s a decent attempt to produce a description of the Council’s role in this respect, but actually I think the mere EXISTENCE of this document and its formal acceptance by the Council is more important than the detailed content.
Well done to the people who produced the Charter – it’s a vital statement of intent, and one that I would be proud to support through increases in my Council Tax payments.