Government announces £500,000 grant for training and support to social housing tenants

News item

Published

17th January 2023

Last updated

18th January 2023

Topic

Co-op development

The Confederation of Co-operative Housing, and its partner organisation, Public Participation, Consultation and Research, have received a £500,000 grant to roll out a new training package open to anyone living in social housing in England.

The national scheme aims to help residents engage effectively with their landlord to demand a higher quality of service.

Residents will learn how to take an active role in how their home is managed through a series of workshops, forums and online resources that will run over the next two and a half years.

The programme is designed drive a process of cultural change in the social housing sector, leading to a better balance of power between landlords and residents. It will also help improve residents’ awareness of their right to raise complaints and to access the services of the Housing Ombudsman.

It will focus on activities that achieve a maximised breadth and diversity of resident involvement through a tiered approach to raise awareness and provide access to information and resources.

“Our vision for this programme is for it to be a catalyst for change, complementing other government actions outlined in the Social Housing White Paper, helping to drive a process of cultural change in the social housing sector, and leading to a better balance of power between landlords and residents.”

– CCH Chief Executive Officer, Blase Lambert

"We want to make sure every resident is heard and has the opportunity to be actively involved in how their home is managed. This new government-backed scheme will help to do just that - empowering residents to challenge their landlord where needed and contribute to positive change in their homes and communities.”

– Minister for Social Housing, Baroness Scott

Programme activities will commence in spring 2023 with a series of training sessions across the country, monthly online webinars, and publication of a wide range of resources for residents through online social media and click to view platforms.

See the government's announcement here.

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