How we make decisions:
People have a right to understand how decisions are made when those decisions affect their homes, communities and lives. They should be able to see the reasons behind them and have confidence that those decisions can stand up to explanation.
- Being transparent means more than publishing information. It means explaining not just what we've decided, but why we've decided it, how people have been able to influence it and how we're accountable for the outcome.
People should be able to understand the reasons behind decisions and ask questions about the services we provide.
We’re part of a national system of social housing designed to provide safe, affordable homes and protect the interests of tenants and communities. The way we make decisions isn’t simply a matter of organisational choice. We work within laws, regulation and consumer standards that strengthen accountability, give customers a stronger voice and hold landlords to account.
We believe these expectations should shape how we work every day, not simply because they’re required, but because they’re fundamental to trusted public services.
Important decisions aren’t made by one person or one point of view. Before making them, we consider what they mean for customers and communities, our responsibilities as a social housing provider, the long-term future of our homes and neighbourhoods, and whether we’re making the best use of the money entrusted to us. These responsibilities must be considered together if decisions are to be fair, balanced and sustainable.
We know better decisions are made when the people affected by them have a genuine opportunity to influence them. That’s why we listen in many different ways, through resident engagement, scrutiny, feedback, complaints, Tenant Satisfaction Measures and everyday conversations. We use what we hear to shape services, understand what matters most and improve what we do.
Important decisions are discussed, challenged and carefully considered before they’re made. They are reviewed by colleagues, senior leaders, Board Members, Committees and resident scrutiny to help ensure they are fair, evidence-based and in the best interests of current and future customers and communities. We also believe people should have confidence that those delivering housing services have the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to make good decisions and provide high-quality services.
Being open also means being honest about our performance. We publish information about how we’re performing because we believe people should be able to see for themselves where we’re succeeding, where we need to improve and what we’re doing about it. We don’t believe openness is about presenting a perfect picture. It’s about being clear about what’s working, where we can do better and how we’re responding.
People won’t always agree with every decision we make, and that’s to be expected. What matters is that decisions are made fairly, for clear reasons and in the interests of the communities we serve.
Transparency should make it easier, not harder, for people to understand how we’re performing, what their rights are and how decisions are made. That’s why we publish information about our performance, customer feedback, regulation and the opportunities people have to influence our services. We want people to be able to see for themselves how we’re doing, what we’re learning and how we’re improving.
If you’d like to explore these topics in more detail, you’ll find information on our website about your rights, our performance, how we’re regulated and the ways you can influence our services.
- Our commitment is to listen well, communicate openly, welcome challenge and explain not just what we've decided, but why. By being open about our decisions and our performance, we aim to strengthen confidence in the way decisions are made and the services we provide.
