Tenant involvement opportunities

On this page you can find:

• How you can get involved
• Join the Mears Customer Scrutiny and Advisory Board
• Policy review panel 
• Tenant satisfaction measures and performance panel 
• Contract review panel 
• Housing engagement board 
• Your current elected tenant representatives 
• Housing areas 

Become a tenant representative

We need tenants like you who can help us focus on tenants’ priorities, to make sure that your rent and service charges are being well spent, council homes are maintained, and your neighbourhood is a safe and nice place to live.

The Housing Engagement Board, comprising of six tenants and one residential leaseholder, three councillors, and the head of housing, oversee and scrutinise the performance of your housing service.

The four-year term is coming to an end in March 2025 for our current members and we are conducting elections for tenant representatives for the board.

Apply now

Apply to become a tenant representative

Closing date for applications is 16 February 2025

Relevant documents: 

• Role Description [PDF, 0.9MB]
• Code of Conduct [PDF, 0.6MB]
• Terms of Reference [PDF, 0.1MB]

You will be our eyes and ears in the local area, bringing forward issues which might need to be addressed and ideas for improved services across all our homes. You do not need any prior experience or formal education.

We will provide support and free training for all representatives. The training will give you skills for work, or as a volunteer, and enable you to grow and develop your confidence to make a contribution, as well as understand more about national housing policy and how this impacts on your housing service, which you will help us shape into delivery for all tenants.

We will pay any expenses related to your work on the Board. This includes travel and child / adult care (if required).

If you would like a paper version of the application form, email us at resident.involvement@scambs.gov.uk 

 

The requirements

You can apply to become a member of the Housing Engagement Board if:

• you are a council tenant or residential leaseholder of South Cambridgeshire District Council
• you are aged 18 years or over
• you do not work for South Cambridgeshire District Council Housing Service or are related to a member of staff
• you agree to represent the interests of all tenants
• your rent and any service charges are paid up to date
• you agree to follow the Code of Conduct
• you do not have a criminal record or charges pending
• you are not subject to any tenancy issues as set out in Schedule 3 of the Housing Act (1985) and within Schedule 14 of the Localism Act (2011)

 

What happens next

Once you have read the documents and submitted your application we will contact you to confirm your application, discuss the election process and answer any questions. All candidates will be asked to attend a workshop the week of 24^th February 2025. The workshop is to provide more information about the role and how the Housing Engagement Board meetings are conducted.

After the workshop, we will ask you to confirm that you would like to stand in the election.

If you have any questions or want to find out more about the role, please contact the Resident Involvement team.

Apply to become a tenant representative

How you can get involved

We want to hear from as many tenants as possible and make sure tenants views and perspectives are represented in all our services.   

Getting involved can also benefit you as it can help build confidence, skills and meeting new people.   

Ways you can get involved include:  

• looking at our performance and ask questions or make suggestions
• reviewing our policies and influence changes
• checking our contracts to see whether they best serve tenants 
• joining us on our estate inspections and report any issues.   

Get in touch to find out more at resident.invovlement@scambs.gov.uk  

Join the Mears Customer Scrutiny and Advisory Board

Mears is recruiting additional Customer Representatives to the national Mears Customer
Scrutiny & Advisory Board.

Mears Customer Scrutiny & Advisory Board is made up of customers representatives from around the UK to scrutinise, support and hold Mears to account as they seek raise service standards for all customers.

If you would like to apply, please send an email to communications@mearsgroup.co.uk  (or a letter by email). Please include:

1. Who you are – please tell us all about you – who you are, where you live,
including a summary of your experience as a tenant or resident in a home
supported by Mears.
2. Why you would like to be part of the Customer Scrutiny Board
3. What skills, experience and personal qualities you would bring to the board
4. Any other information you feel we should be aware of that would help your
application
5. How to reach you - we need contact details including your full name, address,
contact telephone number, and email if you have one. If you know the name of your
housing association or council provider, please also tell us that.

Please limit your information to 2 pages, and type or write clearly in black ink.

The deadline for applications is 5pm on Friday 31 January 2025.

Find out more on their website.

Policy review panel 

We have a panel that reviews our policies and strategies and makes sure they are written with tenant’s interests in mind. Some of the recently reviewed policies include our mutual exchange policy and our disabled adaptations policy.   

Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) and performance panel 

Join us in reviewing our performance on things such as our repairs service, how we deal with complaints, how long we take to re-let homes and more. This group checks our performance numbers and asks questions if there are any changes in the performance of certain areas and recommends further investigation if there is a service that is not performing as it should be. 

Find out more about our performance and tenant satisfaction measures. 

Contract review panel

This panel monitors our contracts to make sure they are performing as they should and are providing the services in a way that tenants want as well as participating in the awarding of new contracts. 

Housing Engagement Board

The role of the Housing Engagement Board is to work with the head of housing and councillors to prioritise budgets, work, resources and policies to deliver a service that focuses on tenants needs.