Joyce Ward attends the Social Housing Resident Panel

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The Social Housing Resident Panel is a panel of 250 residents selected by the department of Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to represent residents rom across the social housing sector.

Joyce Ward is one of the representatives from SNG and here she updates us on the May meeting.



What was the purpose of May’s meeting?

The purpose of this meeting was for MHCLG to feedback initial findings from the Panel’s online community on anti-social behaviour (ASB) and focus groups on the forthcoming Long-Term Housing Strategy (LTHS). This was also an opportunity for the Panel to meet the Minister for Social Housing Regulation, Baroness Taylor, to reflect on the first year of the new consumer regulatory standards.

What did Baroness Taylor tell the panel?

She opened by reflecting on her extensive experience in social housing, including 17 years as a leader of Stevenage Borough Council. She appreciated the time the Panel members have given, as well as their honesty and openness in sharing their experiences - whether good or bad - as it’s only by doing this, we can improve the way things work.

She emphasised her commitment to improving the quality of social housing and highlighted the importance of the new consumer regulation regime introduced on 1 April 2024. This regime allows the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) to proactively inspect landlords and enforce standards. She explained that while some providers have performed well, others have failed to meet basic safety and service requirements. Baroness Taylor stressed that such failures are unacceptable and confirmed that the Regulator has powers to intervene, including issuing fines and requiring improvement plans.

She also discussed the first year of Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSM) data, which revealed widespread dissatisfaction with repairs and complaint handling. These findings are being used to guide further reforms, including Awaab’s Law, a new Decent Homes Standard (DHS), and Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES). Baroness Taylor acknowledged that change takes time but reaffirmed her commitment to accelerating progress wherever possible.

What were the findings from the ASB Online Community?

The findings showed that nearly half of participating Panel members had experienced ASB in the past 12 months. 43% encountered it once a day or at least once a week.

The most common form of ASB was noisy and abusive behaviour, with second being harassment and then drug-related activities such as illegal drug use and selling. These issues had a serious impact on victims’ wellbeing. Although 75% of those affected reported ASB, only 27% were satisfied with the outcome. Participants raised concerns about the fear of retaliation, complex reporting processes, and feeling dismissed by landlords.

The findings also showed that awareness of the ASB case review process was low, and those who had used it reported mixed results. Tenants called for clearer communication, greater accountability from landlords, and more respectful treatment. They also recommended anonymous reporting, streamlined procedures, and for landlords to take responsibility for evidence gathering.

What were the findings from long-term housing strategy (LTHS) focus groups?

The focus groups were held to find out if we’re heading in the right direction when describing what the problems are and the action the government is going take to address them. Participants were asked to consider government priorities, the qualities of an ideal landlord, experiences of stigma, and how tenant voice could be strengthened.

Participants’ top three priorities identified were building more social housing, maintaining and raising standards of existing social homes, and limiting the Right to Buy scheme. Tenants emphasised that new homes must be of the right type, in the right locations, and built to high standards. They also stressed that quality should not be compromised for quantity.

When discussing the qualities of ideal landlords, three key areas that the Panel put forward were that a landlord that works in partnership with their tenants, puts them first, and operates on an ethical foundation.

Stigma was a recurring issue, with tenants reporting negative treatment from both the public and housing staff. Participants highlighted the need for better training and professionalisation to address this, alongside a cultural shift in how social housing is perceived.

There was also strong support for an independent tenant voice organisation with broad, local representation and national influence. The Panel said this would be most valuable to have a tenant voice organisation that could directly feed into government and influence opinions.

The Social Housing Resident Panel is a panel of 250 residents selected by the department of Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to represent residents rom across the social housing sector.

Joyce Ward is one of the representatives from SNG and here she updates us on the May meeting.



What was the purpose of May’s meeting?

The purpose of this meeting was for MHCLG to feedback initial findings from the Panel’s online community on anti-social behaviour (ASB) and focus groups on the forthcoming Long-Term Housing Strategy (LTHS). This was also an opportunity for the Panel to meet the Minister for Social Housing Regulation, Baroness Taylor, to reflect on the first year of the new consumer regulatory standards.

What did Baroness Taylor tell the panel?

She opened by reflecting on her extensive experience in social housing, including 17 years as a leader of Stevenage Borough Council. She appreciated the time the Panel members have given, as well as their honesty and openness in sharing their experiences - whether good or bad - as it’s only by doing this, we can improve the way things work.

She emphasised her commitment to improving the quality of social housing and highlighted the importance of the new consumer regulation regime introduced on 1 April 2024. This regime allows the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) to proactively inspect landlords and enforce standards. She explained that while some providers have performed well, others have failed to meet basic safety and service requirements. Baroness Taylor stressed that such failures are unacceptable and confirmed that the Regulator has powers to intervene, including issuing fines and requiring improvement plans.

She also discussed the first year of Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSM) data, which revealed widespread dissatisfaction with repairs and complaint handling. These findings are being used to guide further reforms, including Awaab’s Law, a new Decent Homes Standard (DHS), and Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES). Baroness Taylor acknowledged that change takes time but reaffirmed her commitment to accelerating progress wherever possible.

What were the findings from the ASB Online Community?

The findings showed that nearly half of participating Panel members had experienced ASB in the past 12 months. 43% encountered it once a day or at least once a week.

The most common form of ASB was noisy and abusive behaviour, with second being harassment and then drug-related activities such as illegal drug use and selling. These issues had a serious impact on victims’ wellbeing. Although 75% of those affected reported ASB, only 27% were satisfied with the outcome. Participants raised concerns about the fear of retaliation, complex reporting processes, and feeling dismissed by landlords.

The findings also showed that awareness of the ASB case review process was low, and those who had used it reported mixed results. Tenants called for clearer communication, greater accountability from landlords, and more respectful treatment. They also recommended anonymous reporting, streamlined procedures, and for landlords to take responsibility for evidence gathering.

What were the findings from long-term housing strategy (LTHS) focus groups?

The focus groups were held to find out if we’re heading in the right direction when describing what the problems are and the action the government is going take to address them. Participants were asked to consider government priorities, the qualities of an ideal landlord, experiences of stigma, and how tenant voice could be strengthened.

Participants’ top three priorities identified were building more social housing, maintaining and raising standards of existing social homes, and limiting the Right to Buy scheme. Tenants emphasised that new homes must be of the right type, in the right locations, and built to high standards. They also stressed that quality should not be compromised for quantity.

When discussing the qualities of ideal landlords, three key areas that the Panel put forward were that a landlord that works in partnership with their tenants, puts them first, and operates on an ethical foundation.

Stigma was a recurring issue, with tenants reporting negative treatment from both the public and housing staff. Participants highlighted the need for better training and professionalisation to address this, alongside a cultural shift in how social housing is perceived.

There was also strong support for an independent tenant voice organisation with broad, local representation and national influence. The Panel said this would be most valuable to have a tenant voice organisation that could directly feed into government and influence opinions.

Page published: 03 Jul 2025, 03:58 PM