Tenant Scrutiny Panel - previous Meeting Minutes
Tenant Scrutiny Panel Meeting - 7 April 2026 Minutes
Present:
- Julie Hood, Housing Equalities and Engagement Facilitator
- Nicki Simpson, Housing Registration Manager
- D. McLaren, tenant
- E. Middleton, tenant
- J. Proctor, tenant
- S. Scott, tenant
Apologies:
- J. Wormald, tenant
- M. Flintoft, tenant
Stephen opened the meeting and welcomed everybody. Introductions were made.
- Minutes and matters arising
- Registration Letters
- Full year satisfaction data
- Local Offer review
- Investigate representation of engaged tenants
- Survey of Independent Living Community communal areas
- Contractor Code of Conduct
- Housing Officer Code of Conduct
- Health Check
- Terms of Reference
- Tenant Satisfaction Survey data
- Mystery Shopping
- Damp Leaflet
- Conference
- Action Plan
- Any Other Business
- Next Meeting
Minutes and matters arising
The minutes were agreed as a true record of the meeting.
The following were actions at the last meeting:
- Fire safety leaflet feedback to be sent to the Officer responsible. Feedback sent
- Areas of concern regarding Communal Areas to be sent to the Head of Housing Services before the Conference so they can be discussed. Concerns sent to Head of Housing
- Housing Registration Manager to be invited to the next meeting. Invited and attended
- Health Check and Terms of Reference to be included on agenda for next meeting. Included on the agenda
- Both codes of Conduct to be included on the agenda. Included on the agenda
- Tenant Satisfaction Survey data to be sent with the papers for the next meeting. These were presented and discussed at the Conference
- Mystery shopping of reporting of repairs to be on the agenda for the next meeting. Item on the agenda
- Damp Leaflet to be sent and included on the agenda. Leaflet sent, item included on the agenda.
Registration Letters
Nicki Simpson, Housing Registration Manager
Nicki explained that the Housing Allocations Policy is on the website and can be found on this page: https://www.york.gov.uk/ApplyForCouncilProperty
Once an application has been fully assessed they will be told the type of property they will be eligible for e.g. number of bedrooms etc.
There are four bands:
Emergency Band
Applicants eligible may include care leavers, applicants who are unable to return home from hospital because their home is unsuitable (and adaptations are not feasible).
Gold Band
Applicants eligible may include those currently living in overcrowded accommodation who require a further 2 or more bedrooms, applicants who are under occupying a City of York Council or other Registered Social Landlord home with at least 2 fewer bedrooms needed.
Silver Band
Applicants eligible may include those who are overcrowded and need one more bedroom to relieve the overcrowding, those who are under occupying and need 1 bedroom fewer, applicants who share facilities (kitchen/bathroom) with non family members
Bronze Band
Applicants eligible may have an assessed support/care need for accommodation in an Independent Living Community who would otherwise be adequately housed. The lower age limit to live in an Independent Living Community is 60 years for City of York owned schemes.
Marjorie Waite Court and Glen Lodge are Independent Living Communities with Extra Care but with a different process to the above. A care referral needs to be submitted by an Adult Social Care Social Worker relating to the care needs.
Eviction for antisocial behaviour
If a tenant is evicted due to antisocial behaviour there is no timeframe after which they can reapply to the Housing Register. However usually they are homeless and follow the appropriate process.
The verification checks would include: when they were evicted, where they are now, were the police involved, has their behaviour changed.
Changed behaviour is difficult to prove but the resettlement procedure includes sessions about holding and sustaining a tenancy. If the applicant has not attended these sessions, the application could be declined.
Housing Register
This is not a waiting list.
Currently there are 1406 applicants on the register. From five to ten properties are advertised weekly, sometimes less than this.
The Housing Registration team advertise properties for other Social Housing providers along with City of York Council properties e.g Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust, Accent Housing, Yorkshire Housing.
Of the 1406 applicants on the register live today (07/04/26) 825 are waiting for a one bedroom property. One and four bedroom properties have the biggest demand at present.
The Housing Registration team do not work with homeless applicants or temporary accommodation. They are a small team of ten Officers who assess applications, verify the information given, advertise properties, allocate properties, masses applications for and allocate vacant pitches to the Traveller Community, and discounted sale affordable housing.
The Panel thanked Nicki for coming to the meeting and giving the above information.
Full year satisfaction data
These had been sent with the papers for the meeting:
- Home improvement programme
- External painting programme
- Window replacement programme
- Responsive repairs
- Minor damp work programme
- Roofing programme
It was agreed to hold a Task and Finish group meeting to discuss these data.
Local Offer review
It was agreed to include ‘complete any surveys you are sent’ under each of the areas.
Value for money, repairs and tenant engagement were agreed. Energy Efficiency may have changed, due to Government funding. Julie to check and bring the information to the next meeting.
Action: Julie to check for any changes to the energy efficiency section.
Investigate representation of engaged tenants
To be included on the agenda for the next meeting.
Survey of Independent Living Community communal areas
It was agreed to hold a Task and Finish group meeting to discuss this.
Contractor Code of Conduct
It was agreed to hold a Task and Finish group meeting to discuss this.
Housing Officer Code of Conduct
It was agreed to hold a Task and Finish group meeting to discuss this.
Health Check
To be included on the agenda for the next meeting.
Terms of Reference
To be included on the agenda for the next meeting.
Tenant Satisfaction Survey data
It was agreed to hold a Task & Finish group meeting to discuss this.
Mystery Shopping
It was agreed to hold a Task and Finish group meeting to discuss this.
Damp Leaflet
It was agreed that this is a good, very clear leaflet. The phone number and email at the end of each page is very helpful. It has been well put together.
It would be helpful for tenants and could be included in the Welcome pack
Action: Julie to pass this to the relevant Officer.
Conference
To be included on the agenda for the next meeting.
Action Plan
To be updated.
Any Other Business
Housing Inspection
The Housing Regulator has told us that it will publish our grade on April 29 on their Regulator of Social Housing website. It can be found on 'Regulator of social housing' page of GOV.UK website.
Policies
A plan to review policies is being produced. This will ensure all policies are reviewed at an appropriate time.
The Tenant Scrutiny Panel agreed these would be priority policies: tenant alterations, adaptations, communal areas, Housing Registration factsheets, succession information for tenants, the pets policy, a training policy.
They also suggested a mobility scooter policy which could cover other items of electric transport (not electric cars) e.g. scooters.
Action: Julie to feed this back to the relevant Officer
Electrical testing
Two issues were raised regarding the process of electrical testing.
Action: Julie to invite the Compliance Manager to the next meeting to explain the process.
Housing Management Officers
During the meeting with the Housing Inspectors the Panel members picked up several issues highlighted by tenants in regards to their Housing Management Officers. As the next conference will take place towards the end of the year and will focus on Building Services work areas it was agreed to invite a senior Housing Management Officer to a future meeting. Discussion will take place at the next meeting in regards to specific areas of work/questions to ask. The Neighbourhood Strategy would also be an area of discussion
Next Meeting
Tuesday 5 May 2026, 6.30pm via Microsoft Teams
Agenda items for the next meeting:
- Conference
- Task & Finish groups
- Health Check
- Terms of Reference
- Virtual Meeting Protocols
- Local Offer
- Investigate representation of involved tenants
Also see