Volunteers and staff from Edinburgh Tenants Federation (ETF) recently visited Newcastle City Council to meet with teams across the local authority and learn more about how tenants can be at the heart of housing decision-making.
During the visit, ETF met with staff from Newcastle City Council’s Housing Services, Safe Living, and Customer Insight and Engagement teams. Discussions focused on sharing processes in scrutiny groups, running tenants’ and residents’ groups, and improving communication between tenants and the council.
Tenants from both cities had the opportunity to exchange ideas, and share best practice around engagement strategies, and their experiences as council tenants in Edinburgh and Newcastle. These conversations highlighted common challenges as well as ideas for innovative approaches to tenant involvement.
The group also attended several estate walkabouts, where tenants and council staff were able to share examples of good practice and discuss how strong communities can be supported and developed.
Betty Stone, Convenor of Edinburgh Tenants Federation, said: “Tenants should get involved in their council’s engagement programmes to ensure their voices are heard. Having a space to be listened to is so important, especially when it comes to housing, which is a basic need and should always be delivered to a high standard.
“It’s been fascinating to compare the experiences of Newcastle City Council tenants with those of tenants in Edinburgh. One of the strongest themes from our discussions was the shared desire for tenants to be included and heard in shaping services across the sector.”
Edinburgh Tenants Federation membership is free. If you’d like to learn more about our work or to get involved, please get in touch at info@edinburghtenants.org.uk.