We have been listening to feedback from our customers (whether through surveys, direct feedback or through one of our tenant involvement options)  and we are pleased to tell you about some changes we have made as a result.

Wording in letters used around converting Flexible Fixed Term Tenancies to Secure Tenancies 

You told us that the wording wasn’t clear and you didn’t understand what you needed to do. As a result we worked with a tenant who volunteered to help to review and reword the letter. this new version is now being used. 

Newsletters weren’t Accessible 

A customer told us that our monthly newsletter and Threshold weren’t accessible and didn’t meet their needs,  as they didn’t use online technology and needed a hard copy. As a result the team have had training and the monthly newsletter and Threshold is now produced as a fully accessible document. 

Woodland used as a dumping ground

Residents reported that Queens cottages Woodland area was being used to dump rubbish. Booker & Best one of our contractors as part of social value have installed a bridge and some steps to enable the unpaid worker team to clear years of rubbish that has accumulated in the woodland area making it a nicer place for the wildlife and for our residents to be able to use again.

Information on available homes

Housing Applications would like information on when searching for a property. Whilst we do not have the resources for redesigning the floor plans on older properties in a format appropriate for advertising, we do now provide pictures and plans on our new builds. In addition to this, since the launch of our new portal we include a link to maps which shows where the property is (postcode area rather than individual property). 

Database Input

Following feedback, we have added a gender neutral Title to our housing database system so that those individuals who wish to be known as something other than the standard titles (Mr, Miss, Mrs etc) can now use Mx followed by their first name and last name. We want to give individuals the opportunity to be known by what they wish to be known as, rather than what our computer system dictates.

Estate Walkabouts

You wanted other partners including highways to attend estate walkabouts as many issues come up that Wealden are not in control of. East Sussex Highways and the PCSO’s from East Sussex Police will now be invited and have confirmed they will attend, when they can. We can them work with them to deal with other estate issues that come up.

At the request of residents, we also did an estate walkabout in Polegate and have a further one planned for summer 2026.

Tenants and leaseholders who have attended an estate walkabout to raise concerns in the communal areas has resulted in issues being put right. This includes: removal of an abandoned skip full of rubbish; repair of path curbing; overgrown bushes and grass trimmed back; the removal of mould from external walls caused by a building project; repairing of fencing; removal of rotten fencing; fly tipping removed; clearance of an alleyway; and clearance of branches cut down and left on communal grass.

We were asked if other partners would come to estate walkabouts, particularly highways as often highways issues are raised. We now have contacts at highways and they have agreed to attend estate walkabout where they can. We will also be inviting the police and ward councillor. 

We were also contacted by one tenant and asked if we could do an estate walkabout where they lived. We did this late 2025 and contacted highways regarding the issues that were raised that were not on our land. 

Tenant Recognition Scheme

The scheme was reviewed in 2025 following request to issue vouchers twice and year, with one being in time for Christmas. Together with request to stop using One for All Vouchers. Both of these changes were introduced in our new policy.  

Litter on Town Farm

Following reports of litter around the estate we are currently working with our contractors to arrange a litter pick, which the contractors will do for free as part of their social value. 

Also see our learning from our formal complaints and link to: Housing Complaints

What is a scrutiny project?

A scrutiny project is a formal process where a committee or group examines, questions, and evaluates the actions, decisions, or policies within an organisation. At Wealden district council this means choosing and looking at a service area or policies in more depth, in order to evaluate the performance and make recommendations for service improvement.  

The scrutiny projects that we run are predominantly tenant led by volunteers who are tenants within Wealden, alongside the heads of the particular service being scrutinised, and is facilitated by the tenant involvement team. 

By running a different scrutiny project each year, it helps us to empower our tenants to be involved in decision making processes and also ensures accountability from the Council to make the necessary changes where needed. 

Scrutiny 2024/25

For 2024 Wealden residents decided they would like to scrutinise Antisocial behaviour, specifically looking at:  

• What the expectations are for our response times at key stages of an ASB complaint 
• The Initial contact; contact with the other party/parties; follow up; length of time to close a case  
• What is expected of the council, what is expected of residents and how this is communicated. 

Previous scrutiny sessions have been held in person; however, we trialed an online session for this project to try to encourage broader participation from our tenants. To ensure that it was truly tenant led, we consulted with our Complaints Panel who selected 3 top topics to review for scrutiny, based on our performance satisfaction statistics and the Tenant Satisfaction Measure results. We then put the three top topics out to the whole tenant and leaseholder community to choose from with the way in which the landlords handle Anti-Social Behaviour came out as the favourite topic.  

This was followed up with 2 further surveys. Results from the surveys showed strong themes around communication and expectations with ASB cases.  From these themes we set and offered 2 focused questions to choose from to scrutinise. Both questions went out to tenants and leaseholders, who selected the final scrutiny question focusing on response times and communication expectations. 

We then asked tenants and leaseholders who would like to be involved in the scrutiny session itself. 30 tenants were interested in taking part, with 12 tenants randomly selected to ensure a diverse representation; 4 attended on the day alongside 4 council officers. 

The session lasted 1.5 hours and included a review of the ASB guide, letters, and general discussion. 

In conclusion it was decided that the ASB guide overall was clear and helpful, especially the diagrams, however there were inconsistencies noted in response times for priority 2 cases (3 vs 5 days) which needed clarification, and the joint visit paragraph needed to be made clearer.  

The group suggested extending the monitoring time before ASB cases are to be closed, information on what happens if a tenant is experiencing ASB from a private tenant or homeowner, ASB letters to be reviewed for wording and titled differently, further reporting on ASB made available to tenants with more information on open/closed cases, and a review of the ASB role after a two year period.  

We are pleased to report that the recommendations have now been put in place as follows: 

• The contact the perpetrator (joint visit) part of the stage 1 diagram has been changed to ‘attempt to make contact with the perpetrator dependant on the situation’ 
• Monitoring after a case has been closed has been added to include a follow up of the case after it has been closed for 20 days 
• A paragraph has been added to the policy and procedure explaining how we can assist a tenant or leaseholder when they are experiencing Anti-social behaviour from a private tenant or homeowner 
• The ASB letters have been reviewed and are now worded differently 
• Further reporting will be made on our ASB cases twice yearly in our Spring and Autumn Threshold publication 
• A new scheme has been introduced called ‘the good neighbour agreement’ alongside ‘good neighbour cards’ which we hope will help empower residents to amicably come to a solution together 
• A review of the ASB officer role will be made towards the end of the 2-year contract. 

Scrutiny 2025/26

The topic of voids and understanding the reasons behind extended void times at Wealden District Council was decided by tenants.

The scrutiny panel agreed that the scope was to develop realistic recommendations that could help reduce void periods, improve property condition at tenancy end, and strengthen the council’s pre-void processes and reduce rent loss.

The group recognised that improving the condition of properties at tenancy end could significantly reduce repair requirements and associated costs. Strengthening communication with tenants, ensuring policies are applied consistently, and identifying issues earlier during tenancies were seen as important factors in improving outcomes.

A review of practices used by other social landlords found that many of the policies already in place at Wealden are consistent with sector standards. The key challenge therefore appears to be ensuring that existing procedures are applied consistently and supported by clear communication with tenants.

The panel made the following recommendations for consideration by the council.

1. Introduce a Tenant “Moving Out” Leaflet

Develop a clear tenant-facing leaflet outlining responsibilities when vacating a property. The leaflet should include expected property standards and examples of potential recharge costs.

2. Strengthen Communication About Recharges

Continue the reintroduction of the recharge policy and ensure tenants are made aware that charges may apply if properties are returned in poor condition. This information should be included in tenant communications such as the newsletters or Threshold and should include figures from recharges that have taken place over the year.

3. Review and Update Tenant Handbook

Review section 8 of the tenant handbook strengthening the section regarding recharges and ensure expectations relating to property condition and tenant responsibilities are clearly communicated.

4. Improve the Pre-Void Process

Review the current pre-void inspection process and consider whether joint visits involving housing officers and building surveyors could help identify issues earlier.

5. Increase Proactive Tenancy Engagement

Consider whether additional tenancy audit visits or targeted visits to properties with no recorded repairs or communication with the council over long periods could help identify potential issues with property condition.

6. Explore Additional Training for Housing Officers

Consider providing basic surveying or property condition training for housing officers to support earlier identification of maintenance issues during tenancy visits.

7. Explore Tenant Incentive Schemes

Investigate whether incentives, such as vouchers, cash or credits, could encourage tenants to return properties in good condition when vacating.

8. Continue Monitoring Compliance and Stock Condition

Maintain progress on stock condition surveys and electrical safety checks and continue improving compliance levels.

9. Balanced lettings plan in place

Make sure a limited number of new builds are offered to existing tenants, eliminating a large volume of voids during the same period.

10. An increase in housing officers

There are currently 4 housing officers divided between over 3000 properties. Creating another housing officer role would enable a higher level of tenancy audit visits to take place.

11. Face to face contact during intro period

The group recommends that during the introductory tenancy period there should be at least two of the three visits  in person and if thought applicable one of the three visits could be by video call so that the housing officer is able to view the condition of the property before committing to a secure tenancy

12. Support for tenants at an early stage

Although there is a dedicated Tenancy Sustainment Officer in place, it is recognised that not all tenants who may benefit from support are currently identified. Greater information sharing between teams would help identify tenancy issues relating to property condition and tenant support needs. The tenancy audit and stock condition processes should therefore be better aligned to ensure staff resources are used effectively and that relevant information is shared across services.

13. Refusals

The group would welcome confirmation that the refusals policy is being adhered to for general needs offers to ensure void times are minimised and would like to question why general needs offers entitled to one refusal, however retirement living offers three refusals before their band being lowered. The group would like to ask why this and believe refusals should be one offer only for both GN and RL.

The final report was only published in March 2026 and we are still working through the recommendations. However, the following are already on our work plan for 2026/27: creating a moving out leaflet, a review of the Tenant Handbook and the Allocations Policy (which covers lettings plans and refusals). We have already drafted a Recharges Policy which we will consult on shortly and the we can strengthen communication around recharges. 

We will update this information as things evolve. 

Find out about previous scrutiny projects. 

Moving into a Wealden Property – November 2022

We held a focus group with several tenants who had moved into a Wealden property over the past 12 months.  Wealden is currently looking at its entire current empty homes process with a view to making improvements to the service – for both the customer and the Council. 

This part of the empty homes process – before and when a tenant moves into a Wealden property, was discussed during the focus group.  We asked the group about their experiences with the housing register, how they felt the sign-up process went, bidding for properties and the stage of moving into a Wealden home.  The group provided us with a wealth of insight and first-hand experiences, information that will be used for the empty homes review. 

Customer Service Applicants from the Housing Register January 2023

A focus group meeting was held for those who have applied for housing with Wealden.  The group were very interactive and provided useful information, based on their own experiences of customer service.

They gave an insight into whether they felt they had received a good service by the Council in the past.

One of the main factors which will be investigated further was about giving customers reasons why we have reached the decision we have, to allow customers to understand why we may have said no to a particular request, for example.  Communication is key, and moving forward as a Department, we will look at how we can improve this further.

We are looking to hold another focus group for our Tenants and Leaseholders middle of March 2023.  

Customer Service for Tenants and Leaseholders March 2023

We looked at the Customer Service standards which are already in place at Wealden DC, to see whether Tenants and Leaseholders felt there was more we could do to enhance the customer experience.  Discussions with this group were insightful and the group was very interactive, sharing their own experiences with others.  More can be done in terms of communicating to our customers – whether this is internally or externally.  

Following both customer service focus groups, we will explore how we can take forward some of the issues highlighted to ensure we can deliver the 5 star customer service which the council seeks to achieve.

Consumer Panel

The purpose of the panel is to provide operational oversight of the activities of the Housing Service, including having oversight of compliance with the Regulator of Social Housing’s Consumer Standards and the Housing Ombudsman Complaints Handling Code. Monitoring compliance with the standards and overseeing performance, complaints and complaint learning.

Meeting on 29^th April 2026

The group discussed several items including:

• Quarter 4 performance – 1 January to 31 March 2026. The performance information discussed can be found: Housing Performance – How are we doing? – Wealden District Council
• Complaints and complaint learning for quarter 4 All of which can be found: Housing Complaints – Wealden District Council
• They discussed the voids scrutiny report and recommendations which can be fund here: What has changed due to Tenant Involvement? – Wealden District Council updates on the recommendations will be made as we work through these.
• The group discussed the recent consultancy work carried out by Inner Cycle to see how prepared we were for an inspection. Noting the positive feedback.
• The group discussed a proposal to set up umbrella resident groups for both the general needs and retirement living. The panel welcomed this as it will benefit all through greater working together. The draft Terms of Reference are now with our legal team to review and will then be sent to all resident groups for consultation.
• The group were updated on the new Competency and Conduct requirements that come into force in October 2026 and where Wealden were in terms of compliance. 3 papers were discussed: Wealden Competency and Conduct framework covering recruitment of staff, training and developing, managing of staff performance, ensuring staff have the skills. Knowledge and experience that they need for their roles and attitudes and behaviours of staff. The groups also discussed the Housing Qualifications Policy which sets out the detail in the regulation together with which roles are in scope. Also, the Code of Conduct for all Wealden employees. The group felt we should just consult on the Code of Conduct as this is the bit that impacts on tenants and the policy that they could help shape and influence. The Housing Qualifications policy because in the main was based upon the requirements did not allow tenants to meaningfully influence and the framework could not be read in isolation but required the reading of a large amount of HR policies which it was felt few tenants would have the time or interest in doing.

Meeting on 28 January 2026.

The group discussed several items including:

• The Help Us to Help You questionnaire. This is a new survey which will be coming out soon to understand the needs of our tenants and leaseholders. The group agreed what information will be collected.
• What information should be shared and when on your homes in relation to the Safety and Quality Standard ​Safety and Quality Standard – GOV.UK  
• Performance information for 1 October to 31 December 2025 – the times taken to get an empty home ready for its new occupants was highlighted but the group felt that the work currently going being undertaken by the Scrutiny project will address this. The performance information discussed can be found: Housing Performance – How are we doing? – Wealden District Council
• Complaints numbers, complaints details and learning for 1 October to 31 December 2025. All of which can be found: Housing Complaints – Wealden District Council
• The group received feedback on the recent consultations on the Visiting & Inspections Policy and the Repairs Policy. Which then went to the Housing Board and were approved and have now been adopted.
• The group received updates on the proposed rent increase from 1^st April 2026 and Social Housing innovation Fund (both of which were in the January 2026 newsletter).

Meeting on 15 October 2025.

The group received feedback from the work of the Housing Board. They also looked and Quarter 2  complaints and performance data. The group discussed the draft annual report and gave feedback including the recommendation to add details on how tenants and leaseholders can get involved. The group discussed social value and were asked to consider what more we could do. The group received an update on responses so far on the TSM 25-26 survey and our outreach work and discussions with Eastbourne and Lewes on how we can work together more closely. The main part of the meeting focused on the scope of the void scrutiny project, with the whole process being explained and photos of void properties being shared. The group based on the information presented agreed that it should look at pre void visits/early identification of property condition and how we communicate/work with tenants.

Meeting on 16 July 2025.

The group received feedback on the Housing Board’s first meeting on 19 May. There was an update following the Antisocial Behaviour Scrutiny project and where we were in terms of implementing all the recommendations from the project. Following on from this work the use of good Neighbourhood agreements were discussed and agreed as a good idea. The group received information on complaints performance and trends from 2024-25 and went through complaints from Quarter 1.They also looked at Quarter 1 performance data and the TSM results. Using the information presented to them the group explore options for the next scrutiny project and agreed it should be on voids performance.

Meeting on 22 April 2025.

The group received feedback on the recruitment of the Housing Board Independent Members. The panel reviewed following the Tenant & Leaseholders Involvement Recognition scheme to ensure it reflected the value that tenants and leaseholders bring by getting involved. They also received feedback on the Estate Management policy following consultation. The annual report was discussed and feedback sort before this years was started. The standing items on complaints and performance were covered.

The Consumer Panel meet for the first time in its new form (previously Complaints, Performance and Customer Feedback Panel) on 22 January 2025.

The group discussed and agreed the terms of reference for the group which is to cover everything within the scope of the consumer standards: ranging from safety and quality of homes, tenancy issues, Neighbourhood and community and transparency, influence and accountability. The group also discussed and agreed to the Code of Conduct for the group. An update was provided on the formation of the Housing Board. The Tenant Satisfaction Measures performance was discussed. The group also heard feedback on the work and recommendations of the scrutiny project on ASB. The group also covered standard items on complaints cases and performance across the service. 

Complaints, Performance and Customer Feedback Panel

The panel have looked at our Complaints Handling Code, which the Housing Ombudsman Service requires all social housing landlords to self-assess against.  We discussed the areas of the assessment where we currently do and don’t comply and our intentions to meet these standards. An overview of complaints received between 2021-2022 were provided along with the outcome of the complaints giving details of any learning outcomes.

The performance and satisfaction reports were also discussed with the panel.  Throughout the meeting participants had the opportunity to ask questions and come up with ideas and suggestions for the council to examine.

July 2022 – We gave an introduction to the Housing Ombudsmen and social housing regulator – who they are and what they do.  We also introduced the Tenant Satisfaction Measures that the social housing regulator wanted to bring in that all social housing landlords will need to report on and results published. This will be happening in the second half of this year. We ran through an overview of all formal complaints (2021/22) raised and handled, and also ran through our quarterly Performance and Satisfaction report and highlighted where we are doing well and not so well.  The meeting gave the group an opportunity to ask questions on each topic – many questions were asked – and to offer suggestions for improvements. One suggestion made on our satisfaction surveys, concerned ‘survey fatigue’ and to prevent this by adding information on the survey about the number of questions that will be asked and how long this will take to complete. The majority of surveys created since this meeting now include this information.

October 2022 – the meeting was attended by a senior member of our Information Governance department, who gave an update with key changes on our complaints policy and procedure.  The panel conveyed their feedback and opinions on our formal complaint response letters (for Stage 1 and Stage 2 of a complaint).  They asserted that the tone and language used in letters needed to change as they read too formal and neither user or customer friendly. As a result, Information Governance will be changing the tone where appropriate and are also looking at the wording on a case-by-case basis so that the letters are considered accessible. It is important to add that our own statutory obligations, the housing ombudsmen, and the local government ombudsmen expect us to cover certain points in our letters. The issue of our complaint’s letters being signed off by ‘Information Governance’ and not by an individual was also raised.  Formal complaint letters are a formal response from the Council and not an individual, we are looking to make changes going forward.

January 2023 – We discussed our current housing feedback option for customers which is vastly underused and asked the panel their thoughts on this.  We also discussed our average response rates for surveys and asked the panel for ideas on how to make asking for feedback more appealing. The panel came up with several points and ideas which we will be looking to work on and explore further with.  The panel were updated with our quarterly overview of formal complaints, outcomes and also any learning outcomes. 

May 2023 – we discussed annual performance data with the group, annual customer feedback data and quarter 4 complaints data. The group were given the opportunity to ask questions on all data presented.

November 2023 – we discussed the quarter 1 formal complaint statistics.  During a discussion on one of the complaints, the group made suggestions on tackling loneliness and in particular within our own neighbourhoods. As a result, information was added to our December newsletter on volunteering with the east Sussex good neighbourhood schemes – that includes practical support such as supporting people in your local area who need a helping hand.

A couple of the members of the panel raised a concern around understanding why multi-visits, sometimes involving different contractors might be needed to resolve a repair and the impact this would have on cost. As a result, we are looking at how we can improve communications with tenants and contractors when this is necessary and more generally a newsletter article to raise general awareness of why this might be necessary. However, we can assure tenants that multiple visits has no impact on the costs as our pricing mechanism is based on a yearly price per property cost, not on individual jobs.

April 2024 – we discussed quarter 3 formal complaint statistics. Out of this came a discussion on how the Council communicates with vulnerable tenants and that all staff have completed ‘trauma informed’ training.  Subsequently staff are more equipped with an understanding of how trauma influences and shapes the lives of those it touches. We were asked by the group how the impact of this training can be measured. Widespread training takes time to filter down as part of this is about cultural change. We will also be carrying out refresher training so that this practice becomes ingrained in our everyday communication.

Tenant Satisfaction Measures survey

We discussed the Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSM) 2023 survey and the current response rate at the time (final data was due June 2024). It was noted that there had been a better response rate by post over online. Hardcopy surveys were sent in the post to anyone we have on record without an email address. The group asked whether there was an option to have either paper or online. Subsequently, for our TSM 2024 survey email reminders to tenants, we have offered the option of a survey to be sent out by post as per request. As a result, we have had a number of requests for hardcopies that have since been sent in the post.

We also discussed the question within the survey on satisfaction with the landlord’s approach to handling anti-social behaviour. Corporate are moving towards a different recruitment process in recruiting the right people who are in line with WDC values.

September 2024 – During this meeting we discussed the Housing Regulation Update and the new powers that were implemented from the 1st April 2024, that includes the introduction of four revised consumer standards and more proactive regulation. Within the four revised standards that relates directly to tenant involvement are the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standards.  These  will ensure that tenants have greater influence in how services are developed and delivered.

As a result of these changes, we discussed the future of the group and moving forward.  We are proposing that the group become the Consumer Standards panel with the role as a sounding board on ideas and plans. They will be involved in the development of new policies, projects or procedures.

We will also be creating a Housing Board that will be made up of 2 recruited tenant representatives and 2 recruited independent board members. They will have the opportunity to influence strategic housing decisions prior to onward approval at Cabinet. The Consumer Standards panel will give updates to the Housing Board. Subject to cabinet approval on 9th October we will be recruiting to the tenant and independent board member posts.  In addition, subject to approval the current Complaints Group will become the Consumer Standards Panel.