Tenant involvement and empowerment
Every year we measure our performance, so we know where we are doing well and where we need to improve. These are the performance indicators for the regulator’s ‘tenant involvement and empowerment’ standards.
| Performance measure | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | Target 2023-24 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customer Service Centre – percentage of calls answered | 88.08% | 95.2% | >=95% |
| Number of new complaints received | 684 | 790 | - |
| Average number of working days to respond to a Stage One complaint | 10.1 | 10.7 | - |
| Tenant satisfaction measure | 2023-24 |
|---|---|
| Taking everything into account, how satisfied are you with the service provided by the Council’s Housing Management service? | 63.29% |
| Satisfaction with extent Kensington and Chelsea listens to views and acts upon them | 59.51% |
| Satisfaction with extent Kensington and Chelsea keeps tenants informed about things that matter to them | 78.3% |
| Satisfaction with extent Kensington and Chelsea gives tenants opportunities to get involved and influence decision making | 55.71% |
| Satisfaction with extent Kensington and Chelsea treats tenants fairly and with respect | 74.82% |
| Satisfaction with Kensington and Chelsea's approach to handling complaints | 29.17% |
How we are doing and what we need to work on
Customer service centre
The customer service centre’s performance has improved significantly since 2022/23, as a result of several changes and improvements to the service. These include an initiative to develop and empower staff to better serve our residents, as well as improved training for new starters. We have also improved communication between managers and staff, where success stories and best practice are shared, problems are aired, and solutions are sought collectively and effectively.
In Lancaster West, this year saw us receive our highest ever satisfaction rating for call handling, at 93.3 per cent. We will continue improving the service and work towards our target of 95 per cent customer satisfaction in the year ahead.
Our whole team completed At the Heart training which has improved communication skills and we also provided a variety of technical training to better upskill our staff.
Compensation and complaints
In 2023/24, 91.2 per cent of Stage 1 complaints were responded to within target (including authorised extensions), and our Rent Income, Assets and Health and Safety teams all managed 100 per cent. We continue to work towards achieving these targets across all our teams. We have adapted our compensation policy to reflect the challenges residents have been facing due to the cost-of-living crisis. We remain committed to reviewing processes and working with residents in resolving complaints and building on lessons learned.
We regularly reflect our complaints and ensure that we make improvements based on what we learn. Some examples of these changes in the last year are:
- improving the quality of our communication materials when consulting on capital works
- taking a more hands-on approach to managing damp and mould cases and ensuring that residents are updated on progress.
- undertaking planned inspections of drains, gullies and gutters to prevent leaks.
Resident involvement
Over the past year we launched several key initiatives, including:
- setting up food pantries for residents in North Kensington
- organising monthly cultural visits
- empowering residents with our resident training and scrutiny sessions to help them engage more effectively with our services
- holding our Resident Summit. Themed ‘Times They Are a-Changing’ this encouraged insightful discussions about the new regulations and consumer standards
- hosting boxing classes at World’s End
- celebrating the King’s Coronation with various activities
- organising monthly breakfast mornings aimed at creating better relationships between residents and staff
In January 2024, we ran an Employment and Training Fair in Kensington Leisure Centre, with 32 partners offering live vacancies as well as 'on the spot' support. More than 200 residents attended, with many securing training, interviews and jobs.
We will continue to develop our resident involvement initiatives. We will maintain our resident training and scrutiny sessions to ensure that residents are well-informed and actively participating in the decision-making process. We will establish a co-design group to collaborate with residents in improving the services we provide, ensuring they meet the community’s needs. We also plan to host community-specific events that emphasise inclusivity and partner with voluntary groups to reach and engage different demographics within our community. Through these efforts, we hope to build a more inclusive, supportive service for all our residents.
As part of our new procurement framework ‘Project Union’, mentioned in the Home section, we worked with a resident ‘task and finish group’ where residents evaluated tendering bids and spoke at various market engagement events with suppliers.
If you would like more information on getting involved in any of our resident involvement activities please visit the Get Involved page.
You can also contact our Resident Engagement team directly at [email protected].
On Lancaster West Estate
In May 2023, we launched the Lancaster West Employment and training hub in partnership with Lancaster West Residents' Association. This year has seen 19 workshops, courses and employment support opportunities delivered, with 174 residents engaged. On Lancaster West Estate the proportion of services we co-designed with residents rose from 61 per cent to 65 per cent.
In the upcoming year we hope to improve our levels of engagement across all blocks for refurbishment, to achieve our set targets. Over the next year we plan to deliver Phase 3 (final phase) of engagement on the refurbishment of the estate.
Communication
In 2023/24 we launched a new e-newsletter reaching 6,000 residents. The positive response to this new channel encourages us to continue expanding our email outreach.
We continued publishing our quarterly Housing Matters Magazine, building on the positive feedback received from the 2022/23 editions. This magazine is co-edited with the residents who make up our Editorial Panel.
In the coming year we will be revamping our website content to make it more accessible and user-friendly for residents. We’ll also be carrying out a detailed survey about our communications to make sure the channels we use are the best ones to reach residents. The results will feed into a new communication strategy for the department.
Digital and access to services
In 2023/24 we improved our digital offer to residents. The first iteration of the resident self-serve portal was launched, enabling residents to access their rent/service charge account and repairs information. We are upgrading the portal during the summer of 2024 to make it easier to use.
We improved our online engagement platforms for hybrid consultations and meetings with residents. We updated our SMS system to enable text message communications to residents in emergencies. We’re looking at expanding the use of text messages for more day-to-day communications.