Resident Involvement
Scrutiny & Co-Regulation
As a Unity tenant, you have the right to look closely at the services that Unity provides and to have an influence over the issues that affect you. We have a range of options if you want to have more of an impact on the services you receive. Joining our scrutiny group (also know as the scrutiny panel) is one example of how you can do this.
Scrutiny Group
Our Scrutiny Group is a fun friendly group of Unity residents that meets up monthly to discuss issues affecting the business, our homes and our tenants. Joining this group is a great opportunity for you to put across your views, share your ideas and help us shape the services that Unity tenants receive.
In addition to monthly meetings, members can also take part in
- Practical on-site inspections
- Joint inspections with tenants from other housing associations
- Interviewing and assessing contractors
- Community consultations with staff and residents
- Editing the quarterly newsletter and annual report to tenants
- Influencing the planned maintenance programme
You do not need to have had experience to be in the scrutiny group and you do not have to attend every meeting, or activity – you give as much of your time as you can afford.
We base meeting times around what works for our scrutiny group so they can be during the day or in the evening, we will reimburse what you pay for public transport so that you can attend the meetings.
If you can not make in person meetings we also offer the option to get involved via Teams online and ensure you can contribute effectively.
The purpose of the Scrutiny Group is to:
- Scrutinise the services Unity Housing provides, whilst promoting ‘Value for Money’
- Ensure our policies and procedures meet the diverse needs of our tenants
- Enable our tenants to challenge our performance and plans
- Provide the Board with a clearer understanding of tenants’ priorities and views in order to inform our business planning
- Drive improvements from a tenant’s perspective
- Make recommendations for service improvements
- Scrutinise the performance of individual contractors
The Panel is a great way to broaden your skills and interests and enhance your CV. If you are interested, please get in touch – we will tell you more about what is involved.
Board Membership
Unity is led by Board Members who are responsible for the governance of the organisation. The Association’s rules state that up to one third of the Board may be made up of tenants.
Being part of Unity’s board gives you the right to query our performance, challenge us if we are not meeting our targets and questions the decisions that we make.
If you have not yet had any experience in Resident Involvement activities, you may not be able to apply to be a Board Member right away. However, you can access the training, skills and expertise you need by joining one of Unity’s other Tenant Panel’s first.
If you’re interested in joining one of our Tenant Panels, please get in touch. Call Rhiannon on 0113 200 7751 or email rhiannon.oliver@unityha.co.uk
