Annual Tenants' Event 2024

The 2024 annual event was held on Monday 23 September at the Council offices on Cobalt Business Park.

This was an opportunity for Senior Managers and the Cabinet Member responsible for Housing to meet tenants, outline our plans for the future and gather views on how we can work together to continue to improve our homes, communities and services.

Forty-two tenants attended, and the agenda for the day was framed around what tenants have told us previously is important to them.


Service update: We began with a summary of how the service’s budget of around £75m is spent. Future challenges for the budget include contributions to providing affordable homes, increasing spend relating to damp and mould, and providing extra financial support for tenants. Last year’s Tenant Satisfaction Measures survey found that satisfaction with the service overall was 69% and with repairs it was 70%. Areas we need to focus on to improve were engagement and listening to tenants' views, communal area cleanliness and maintenance, making a positive contribution to neighbourhoods, and our approach to tackling anti-social behaviour.

Tenant involvement: Last year, tenants told us we needed to be better at keeping you up to date. The Our North Tyneside Voice website launched in July and is a big part of this. Text messages and emails were sent to all tenants we could reach with a link to the new site and encouraging them to register on the site. Updates on engagement opportunities are always included in the council magazine and promoted on social media too. Paper copies of all surveys and registration forms for Our North Tyneside Voice for those not online are always available at our main community venues. Some new tenant panels have launched this summer and several of their members were at the annual event. Linda, one of our panel members, then spoke about her many years of experience of being involved with our tenant engagement work.

Unified update: 'Unified’ is a new online system that will bring a number of different Housing and Property Service systems, doing different things, together. It will be easier for tenants to use, reduce duplication and speed up response times. Tenants will be able to manage all their housing needs in one place. Tenants discussed some specific questions on their tables around what they wanted to be able to do online, what features they would prioritise for Unified and how those who don't currently use online services could be supported. More detailed consultation on Unified will take place in 2025.

Estates and Communities update: The neighbourhoods team have carried out 546 communal block inspections as part of their quarterly programme, have carried out 810 Tenancy Reviews (since March) and increased the garden care scheme. Our Estate Walkabout programme has been redesigned and the Neat Streets programme is contributing to keeping our communities clean and tidy. There will be increased engagement with tenants via Tenancy Reviews, estate inspections and walkabouts; and the council’s Community and Public Spaces Protection Team – which tackles and prevents anti-social behaviour and environmental crime – is transferring into the Housing team shortly. Tenants then discussed some specific questions on their tables around whether they have noticed a difference yet, what else could be done to improve communal area cleanliness and maintenance, how they could be involved in making a positive contribution to improving our neighbourhoods, and how we can improve our approach to tackling anti-social behaviour.


The full event report is attached to this page. If you'd like a paper copy please call us on 0191 643 2828.

If you are interested in attending future tenant events, please register on this website and we'll be able to keep in touch with opportunities for you to get involved.

The 2024 annual event was held on Monday 23 September at the Council offices on Cobalt Business Park.

This was an opportunity for Senior Managers and the Cabinet Member responsible for Housing to meet tenants, outline our plans for the future and gather views on how we can work together to continue to improve our homes, communities and services.

Forty-two tenants attended, and the agenda for the day was framed around what tenants have told us previously is important to them.


Service update: We began with a summary of how the service’s budget of around £75m is spent. Future challenges for the budget include contributions to providing affordable homes, increasing spend relating to damp and mould, and providing extra financial support for tenants. Last year’s Tenant Satisfaction Measures survey found that satisfaction with the service overall was 69% and with repairs it was 70%. Areas we need to focus on to improve were engagement and listening to tenants' views, communal area cleanliness and maintenance, making a positive contribution to neighbourhoods, and our approach to tackling anti-social behaviour.

Tenant involvement: Last year, tenants told us we needed to be better at keeping you up to date. The Our North Tyneside Voice website launched in July and is a big part of this. Text messages and emails were sent to all tenants we could reach with a link to the new site and encouraging them to register on the site. Updates on engagement opportunities are always included in the council magazine and promoted on social media too. Paper copies of all surveys and registration forms for Our North Tyneside Voice for those not online are always available at our main community venues. Some new tenant panels have launched this summer and several of their members were at the annual event. Linda, one of our panel members, then spoke about her many years of experience of being involved with our tenant engagement work.

Unified update: 'Unified’ is a new online system that will bring a number of different Housing and Property Service systems, doing different things, together. It will be easier for tenants to use, reduce duplication and speed up response times. Tenants will be able to manage all their housing needs in one place. Tenants discussed some specific questions on their tables around what they wanted to be able to do online, what features they would prioritise for Unified and how those who don't currently use online services could be supported. More detailed consultation on Unified will take place in 2025.

Estates and Communities update: The neighbourhoods team have carried out 546 communal block inspections as part of their quarterly programme, have carried out 810 Tenancy Reviews (since March) and increased the garden care scheme. Our Estate Walkabout programme has been redesigned and the Neat Streets programme is contributing to keeping our communities clean and tidy. There will be increased engagement with tenants via Tenancy Reviews, estate inspections and walkabouts; and the council’s Community and Public Spaces Protection Team – which tackles and prevents anti-social behaviour and environmental crime – is transferring into the Housing team shortly. Tenants then discussed some specific questions on their tables around whether they have noticed a difference yet, what else could be done to improve communal area cleanliness and maintenance, how they could be involved in making a positive contribution to improving our neighbourhoods, and how we can improve our approach to tackling anti-social behaviour.


The full event report is attached to this page. If you'd like a paper copy please call us on 0191 643 2828.

If you are interested in attending future tenant events, please register on this website and we'll be able to keep in touch with opportunities for you to get involved.