Resident Review Panel

Our Resident Review Panel helps keep our housing services focused on delivering excellent services by providing an independent view of our processes and performance, highlighting what works well and what needs improvement.

The panel makes evidence-based recommendations for service improvements, helps identify ways to achieve the best possible value for money, and shapes and influences the delivery of our services to increase satisfaction among our residents.

We want to hear your ideas on how we can enhance our online services or support our communities. Any resident can suggest an areas to be scrutinised, and the panel decides which to take forward. If you would like to submit a suggestion, contact the Community Relations team.

Join the panel

Joining our Resident Review Panel will enable you to work alongside other residents as a team. You will provide us with an independent view of our performance and offer feedback on how we can improve our services for our residents.

You can dedicate any amount of time you’re able to. No previous experience is required, but we want enthusiastic people who can effectively express their views and constructively challenge, understand and analyse information. You will also need to work effectively independently and as part of a team.

What support or training will be available?

You will receive support from our Community Relations team and an independent mentor, as well as ongoing training to help you achieve your potential. You also have the option to gain an accredited qualification delivered by tenant engagement experts at the Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS).

Benefits

In addition to influencing and shaping services and gaining in-depth insight into our work, there are several significant benefits to being part of the Resident Review Panel. From gaining an accredited qualification to learning new skills and boosting your CV, being a committee member can help enhance your personal and professional development.

The role is voluntary, and members receive no payment. However, we will cover reasonable expenses, such as the cost of transport to and from meetings or childminding and other support costs.

Are you eligible?

We welcome applications from all Lewisham Council tenants and leaseholders. If you are enthusiastic and want to collaborate with us in driving forward continuous improvements to our housing services, contact the Community Relations team.

You said, we did

Examples of how the Council implements Resident Review Panel recommendations.

Housing Officers

The panel reviewed how residents experience the Housing Officer (HO) service, focusing on communication, visibility of the role, satisfaction levels, ‘Homecheck’ pilots, resourcing, and internal processes. Lewisham Council has welcomed the findings and committed to a number of improvements.

The Panel found that

• It’s not always clear who their Housing Officer is or what they do
• Communication can sometimes be slow or unclear
• Large patch sizes and staff shortages can affect the level of service
• The new Homecheck visits are helpful, but the process needs to be simpler

What we’re doing in response

We’ve welcomed the RRP’s recommendations and are already making improvements, including:

• Adding clearer Housing Officer information to the new resident portal
• Updating our website and sharing ‘Day in the life’ features to explain the Housing Officer role
• Monitoring inbox response times to make sure residents receive timely replies
• Continuing to improve the Homecheck process and building new digital tools to support it
• Supporting our staff with training, development opportunities and regular briefings

Read the Resident Review Panel's report on the Housing Officer role along with Lewisham Council's responses

Repairs complaints

Lettings standard

Independent Living (sheltered housing)