1.    What’s the reason for setting up a Housing Board

Cannock Chase Council owns roughly 5030 council rented homes and 300 leasehold properties. These homes and the landlord services we provide are checked by a government regulator called the Regulator of Social Housing. Since April 2024 the Regulator has legal powers to inspect the Council to ensure it is meeting legal and regulatory standards for safe, decent council housing. The Regulator has a set of Consumer Standards we have to meet, just like all other stock owning councils and housing associations. We must have evidence about how we are meeting these standards and, more importantly, how the wide and diverse voice and experience of tenants and leaseholders is influencing the decisions the Council makes about housing services and investment in housing.

2.    Who will be on the Housing Board?

This is a brand-new Board and will have nine members.
•    Three elected members
•    Three independent members
•    Three tenants/leaseholders
The Board will work together, following the best practices in good governance, to ensure that Cannock Chase council tenants, prospective tenants, and leaseholders receive good quality services and live in healthy and safe homes, communal areas, and neighbourhoods. All members are equal, sharing the same responsibilities and ability to make recommendations and give assurance to the Council about housing services. An aim of the housing board is to ensure that it is a-political in practice and that it provides a focus on the council's responsibilities as a social housing landlord.

3.    What do mean when you talk about ‘assurance’?

The Council will always want and expect assurance on the many aspects of its business including, for example, health and safety, finances, employment practices AND that it is delivering housing services in the right way to all tenants and leaseholders. The Council seeks assurance from lots of different sources such as performance data, the executive team, external audits, specialist independent advisors and legal experts. The Housing Board will become one of the many ways the Council has of gaining assurance and, very specifically, assurance about the housing services across the district.

4.    Who will benefit the most from the work of the Housing Board – the Council or tenants and leaseholders?

The Council and its tenants and leaseholders will benefit because it will put the ‘tenant voice’ at the heart of the Council’s governance. It will ensure we meet all our commitments to all our tenants and leaseholders; and it will enable tenants and the Council to work on a shared vision of tenants and leaseholders receiving good quality services and live in healthy and safe homes, communal areas, and neighbourhoods.

5.    I’m confused! You use the term ‘tenant voice’ but what does this mean?

We regard anyone who has a tenancy agreement or a leasehold agreement with the Council as part of the ‘tenant voice.’ The term ‘tenant voice’ is one that the government regulator uses as they want to ensure that we know and understand the needs of all our tenants and leaseholders.

6.    What’s in it for me if I am selected to become a member of the Housing Board?

You will have the opportunity to influence housing services and policies at Cannock Chase Council on behalf of others. You will be given opportunities to develop your skills and knowledge of housing; and if you are motivated to improve lives and communities then you will see how good quality housing and housing services really do help to change individuals and communities.

7.    How much influence will the Housing Board really have?

It will have a substantial influence because it will have a reporting framework to and from the Cabinet and Council (the legal decision-making body).

8.    How is the Housing Board different from tenant groups and other forms of tenant involvement?

This role isn’t about involvement, it’s about governance and assurance. The formality of the Board makes it different as does the fact that it will have a direct reporting link to and from the Cabinet and the Council. The Terms of Reference for the Housing Board has more detail about its specific responsibilities, and this will be made available during the application process.

9.    Is this the same as the scrutiny?

No. In-depth scrutiny of our services will continue as a separate activity, carried out by other tenants and leaseholders, as part of the Housing Improvement Panel. We will be exploring new ways of involving more tenants and leaseholders in scrutiny activities and projects. The Housing Board would see the findings of scrutiny to ensure that recommendations and actions are followed through.

10.    Can I still be involved in local groups and activities if I become a member of the Housing Board?

Yes. Local involvement and work in your community will remain important and we would always encourage and support local involvement activities, where and when we can. Developing ways by which the ‘tenant voice’ can be heard locally and individually through targeted involvement activities will be another way to ensure we are gathering views and ideas from all our tenants and leaseholders. This means building upon the local involvement work we currently do and finding new ways to engage with more people. The Housing Board will use the local and targeted work to understand the wider ‘tenant voice.’
 

We are also seeking housing professionals to become members of the new Housing Board for Cannock Chase Council. Applicants need to currently work (or very recently have) for a registered provider that operates within the Cannock Chase District, and have a good knowledge of the housing sector and the Cannock Chase area.

Applications have now closed. We will update you on the successful appointments once these are approved by Cabinet in January 2025. 

Further details are available in the Information for Independent Members booklet, which can be viewed below.

Information for Independent Members