Tenants Conference Success
20 Jun 2011 10:10:44
Council Chambers was the perfect venue for the recent eighth Annual Tenants Conference. The conference was well attended by Tenants and Residents Groups from across the area as well as individual tenants.
The main speech of the day was delivered by Elizabeth Morton, Depute Chief Executive/Executive Director of Neighbourhood Services which provided a comprehensive review of the Council’s responsibilities to our tenants with a particular focus on customer care. There were discussions on Housing Asset Service, which deals with housing repairs and improvements, with a progress report on the first year of this new service and what is planned for the future. Waste Management provided an interesting insight into what happens to all our household rubbish once it is collected and why it is so important to recycle as much as possible. Housing for older people was also discussed acknowledging that we have an ageing population and a responsibility to enable people to live in their own home for as long as is possible.
East Ayrshire Tenants and Residents Federation gave an update on their activities, highlighting their involvement in the Scottish Social Housing Charter, review of the Council’s Rent Structures and Housing Allocations Policy and celebrating the opening of their office premises at 19 Portland Road, Kilmarnock.
Councillor Jim Buchanan, Spokesperson for Delivering Community Regeneration, who opened the event, said: “This established event in the Council’s calendar provides an excellent opportunity for our tenants to learn about our services. It is a main door to tenant participation and many of the tenants who attend become regular participants working alongside us to review and influence the services we provide.”
Information and staff representatives were also on hand during the day from a number of agencies including Strathclyde Police, East Ayrshire Tenants and Residents Federation and East Ayrshire Credit Union as well as a number of Council services such as Housing Asset Services, Criminal Justice and Community Alarms.
Ends