The following is a message from the Housing Ombudsman

Recruitment for our new Resident Panel has opened. The aim is to create a stronger resident voice by seeking input and feedback from residents as we develop our plans.

It will be a virtual panel initially, made up of around 100 residents from a cross-section of landlords in the Housing Ombudsman Scheme. There will be a mix of residents reflecting the different types, size and location of landlords in the scheme.

Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, said: “This is an exciting new initiative to draw on the vast experience of residents and provide valuable input to inform our plans. We want to promote excellence as well as provide more insight and learning from the complaints we see. Alongside our engagement with landlords, the panel will be important in helping us further develop these areas of our work.”

The whole panel will meet online twice a year to discuss key areas of work such as the development of our annual business plan and three-year corporate plan. In addition, there will be opportunities to take part in smaller group activities. These would not look at individual complaints but could include discussions on topics such as residents’ experience of using our service or the thematic reports investigating issues arising through complaints.

Setting up the panel is part of our overall aim to be open and accessible, and to engage widely with both residents and landlords to share knowledge and learning.

You can find out more, and apply here.