Brierley Hill Area Housing Panel

 

Please use this sheet to feed back information to any Tenants & Residents Association or Community groups you work with within the Brierley Hill Area.

 

The following items were discussed at the Area Panel Meeting held on 24^th September 2008:

4 Tenant representatives, 4 Elected Members and 3 Officers attended the meeting.

 

The panel received an update on the roll out of Dudley at Home which is due to take place in October 2008. The following information days were due to be held and would be advertised in the press and Home Affairs.

 

Stourbridge Area Office 9^th October

Dudley Council Plus 10^th October

Halesowen Area Office 13^th October

Brierley Hill Area Office 16^th October

North Dudley Area Office 17^th October 

 

The panel were informed that Dudley MBC would be part of ‘’Home Swapper’’ as of 1^st October 2008 allowing Dudley tenants to use the service free of charge. Homeswapper is the UK’s only professional mutual exchange service operating nationally for both tenants and landlords and is only available to social housing tenants. Housing Options Advisors will be able to assist tenants with this service.

A report on the review of the Housing Allocations Scheme identifying that the Councils Cabinets had declared the existing point’s scheme should either be simplified or replaced. The current points system is hard to understand and not transparent by having a banding system, applicants would be able to identify how properties were being allocated and what chance they stood.

The panel were notified that the status survey would shortly be taking place. The survey would be going to a random selection of tenants and would be conducted by an independent company. A lot of effort is being put in to trying to encourage selected people to return their completed forms. The surveys not only used to measure tenant satisfaction but can also be used for research.

 

Also discussed by the panel were the rent arrears procedure and the building services performance figures.

 

The Area Panel has been elected to represent the views of all Tenants & Residents within the Brierley Hill Area. If you require further information about your area panel or would like a full set of minutes please contact Jo Gumus on 01384 815168 or at jo.gumus@dudley.gov.uk

 

Next meeting:

12^th November 2008. 6:30pm