Agenda item

The Board discussed and agreed at their October meeting recruitment to the Board and the need to make this a priority piece of work for the Board during this municipal year. This report gives an update on progress in this area of work since the last meeting.

KM updated the board members that the leaflet shown to them in a previous meeting advertising the various ways to become involved with the TSB had been circulated via email to over 1000 tenants who had expressed an interest in being involved during either their annual home visit or in response to the STAR survey. The leaflets circulated on Facebook had been seen by over 5,000 people, with approximately 300 engagements (likes/shares/comments etc.). KM advised he had received four responses from interested individuals, and is in the process of contacting them via phone and email to obtain further details having undertaken the appropriate checks to ensure the individuals are not in rent arrears, and have no antisocial behaviour/neighbour dispute issues. JG mentioned that he has heard from another potentially interested individual and will pass details on to KM.

SI enquired whether KM had spoken to the individuals, expressing that anybody who responded should receive a personal response and not a generic reply via email or telephone. KM confirmed he had spoken with two respondents and had left answerphone messages with the other two.

KM acknowledged that the global email that was sent out may have been deemed impersonal (as it was addressed form Tenant Engagement Team), but assured the members this was to manage responses noting that anyone contacting the office would be passed directly on to KM or contacted directly as soon as possible.

SB enquired about a letter she had received from a Tenant Engagement Officer (TEO) in the post, advertising the HAPs and other ways to be involved with LCC. SB asked whether the details of any respondents to that letter would also be passed on to KM. KM clarified that responses to targeted letters sent out to tenants in specific HAP areas would be passed to the appropriate TEO to follow up.

JG asked if SI wished to lead on issues of recruitment and provide future updates to the board, as he particularly had expressed concern in this area. SI agreed and there were no objections from any of the other board members. SI noted that following last month’s previous suggestion that current members of the HAPs should be able to join the TSB, advice from Legal Services confirmed this would be a conflict of interest and therefore not possible. DL added that this was an issue raised when the three ALMO tenant scrutiny panels became one, and that it was agreed that there would be a conflict of interest.

JG enquired about progress on his request to meet with Housing Leeds and Legal & Democratic Services (governance) to which KM advised he is putting together a briefing note for the head of service and will update the board when further details are confirmed.

JG informed the board that the recruitment flyer posted on Twitter had not displayed correctly and he advised the communications team to remove it. KM said he was unaware of this, and told the board as far as he knew the leaflet was displaying correctly as it was correct on Facebook, but he will seek clarification from the communications team.

SI mentioned he had recently been in Merrion House, and there were no leaflets or advertising materials promoting opportunities for tenant involvement displayed on the walls or notice board of the building, and also none in the Horsforth housing office.