Sedgemoor Tenants Assurance Committee Role Profile

Sedgemoor Tenants Assurance  Committee will support the Homes in Sedgemoor (HiS) Board by providing customer-based assurance that the consumer standards of the ‘Regulatory Framework for Social Housing in England’ are being met; that value for money is being achieved in service delivery to all HiS tenants and leaseholders and is in line with the organisation’s vision and values.

HiS expects every member of the Sedgemoor Tenants Assurance Committee to have, or be willing to work toward having, the following attributes:

• A commitment to customer involvement and scrutiny; and good governance
• A passion for the services provided by HiS
• A commitment to HiS’ vision and values
• The ability to think strategically about the services delivered by HiS to all its tenants and leaseholders
• To be objective in their approach to reviewing and monitoring services
• To have a good awareness of Equality and Diversity issues
• The ability to work with others to achieve shared aims
• The ability to see beyond their own experiences
• The ability to constructively challenge and probe
• A commitment to developing their skills and knowledge of the social housing sector

The Sedgemoor Tenants Assurance Committee will collectively have the following skills:

• A commitment to meaningful customer involvement and scrutiny with a focus on outcomes
• A commitment to improving services for all HiS tenants and leaseholders
• Ability and commitment to use customer insight to monitor service delivery in an objective way
• An understanding of or the ability to gain an understanding of housing tenure and landlord/tenant law
• An understanding of or the ability to gain an understanding of the regulatory regime for housing as it applies to HiS and its tenants
• An understanding of or the ability to gain an understanding of financial information in respect of housing services and the delivery of these services
• A commitment to work with HiS staff to ensure the service meets the strategic and business objectives of the organisation, and the Regulatory Standards for Social Housing sector

Eligibility for membership of the Sedgemoor Tenants Assurance Committee

All HiS tenants, leaseholders and shared owners are welcome to apply.  

Your application will not be eligible if:

• HiS has commenced legal action against you or a member of your household. This means you are not eligible if you have breached your tenancy and have a current Notice of Seeking Possession served against you, or a court order for breach of tenancy. This includes a possession order (or in breach of a suspended possession order) or court order (ASB order or injunction, demoted tenancy, or closure order) or any other judicial order which has an equivalent effect.
• HiS has court order for recovery of money against you
• You are in a legal dispute with HiS

Family members of a HiS tenant, leaseholder, or shared owner are also eligible to apply. Applicants must be over the age of 18 and will need to demonstrate that the HiS property is their ‘only or principal residence’. (For example, evidence such as a bank statement, drivers’ licence, letter from HMRC or DWP will be acceptable).

Your application will not be eligible if:

• The principal tenant (tenant, leaseholder, shared owner) or a member of the household is subject to legal action by HiS for breach of tenancy/occupancy. This includes a Notice of Seeking Possession served against them; or a court order for breach of tenancy such as a possession order (or in breach of a suspended possession order) or court order (ASB order or injunction, demoted tenancy, or closure order) or any other judicial order which has an equivalent effect.
• HiS has court order for recovery of money against the principal tenant
• The principal tenant is in a legal dispute with HiS

Time commitment requirements

We estimate that the time commitment is 15 to 20 days per year (1.5 days per month). This figure includes the formal Sedgemoor Tenants Assurance  Committee meetings; individual preparation time for meetings (reading of papers etc.); training; and working on ‘task and finish group’ activities. There may be other time commitments including attending strategy days.

There will be an induction programme for new members which will require an additional time commitment.

Remuneration

There is no monetary remuneration. However, payment of all out-of-pocket expenses, incurred as a result of carrying out the work of the Operations Committee, will be paid including but not limited to:

• Travel expenses (receipt/ticket to be provided)
• Care (for adults or children) costs; provided by a registered minder

Full training will be provided to the Sedgemoor Tenants Assurance  Committee to support its growth and development. Individual members may be given the opportunity to undertake and gain qualifications e.g., Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) certificate in professional practice. HiS will endeavour to actively support such applications (these may be subject to individual circumstances).

Meetings

Whilst Covid-19 restrictions remain in place we expect meetings will be held virtually. We will provide support to enable you to participate, including, if required, providing a device and technical support to enable participation.

Equality and Diversity

Equality laws prohibit discrimination on grounds including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation and impose positive duties to eliminate unlawful discrimination and promote equality. The Company’s policies give further guidance.

The Committee will identify obstacles that may prevent customers from contributing to its work and find the means to remove those obstacles.

The Committee will annually review membership with the aim of creating a body that is representative of the diverse communities in which HiS operates.