Resident boards

Our resident-led groups help shape services, review performance and ensure resident voices influence decision-making.

Resident Engagement Board (REB)

Provides scrutiny, challenge and assurance across housing services. Members review performance, service quality and resident feedback to help drive improvements.

Meetings are held every six to eight weeks and are hosted by an independent chair from TPAS (Tenant Participation Advisory Service).

We are not currently recruiting new members to the board.

In the meantime, you may want to consider our Resident Sounding Board below.

Resident Engagement Board (REB) - Meeting summaries

• Residents raised concerns about service delivery, especially empty homes (voids), repairs, and staff presence on estates:
• Residents are worried about the number of empty homes, especially in some blocks where this is repeatedly being raised. Residents have requested a review of these homes and a clear plan to get them back into use more quickly. 
• Repairs were described as uncoordinated, with suggestions to complete works block by block or in grouped visits, rather than separate appointments. This approach could reduce repeated visits and minimise disruption for residents. There are also concerns about follow-up and how contractors are managed. These concerns have been recognised, and there are plans to involve residents in improving how repairs and estate inspections are organised moving forward. You can find more information on how to get involved here: Estate inspections | Arun District Council
• Residents feel that communication from staff could be improved. This includes making sure staff show understanding, are aware of different cultures, and give clear advice or direct people to the right support. Residents also said that written information should be easier to read and checked properly before publishing. Residents can get involved through the Resident Readers group, helping to review and improve communications before they are shared. You can find more information on how to get involved here: Opportunities to get involved | Arun District Council
• Residents would like to see a stronger staff presence in larger or more complex buildings. This would help with safety, quicker support, and better communication. 
• Residents are concerned about safety in their neighbourhoods. They would like to see improvements such as better lighting, more CCTV, and modern entry systems to help people feel safer. There were also concerns about how anti-social behaviour is dealt with, with a need for better coordination between teams so issues are handled more quickly and reliably.
• Residents have asked for better support to meet different needs. This includes things like more space for mobility scooters, home adaptations for people with disabilities, and information being available in different languages. There were also concerns about new residents not always receiving the same important information when they move in. These areas will be explored further through ongoing engagement work.

Accordion end

Residents want their lived experiences acknowledged, for the council to be more transparent with any limitations on service delivery and commit to following up with residents:

• Residents want to know what happens after they give feedback and see clear responses to what has been raised, highlighting the importance of feeling listened to, respected and treated with dignity. This forms part of the wider resident engagement work currently underway.
• Residents asked for more detailed information about how services are performing and how decisions are made to understand if services used are good value for money. Residents have asked for housing services performance results including complaints and lessons learned, use of consultants and temporary staff and the estate inspections process. 
• Residents feel that senior leadership and those in interim or temporary posts should visit neighbourhoods more regularly to support a greater understanding of lived experience and geography of the district. Concerns were raised that there is not enough investment in permanent staff development.
• Residents have asked for clearer information on the post inspection process including how decisions are made - including which properties get post inspected - and to have better access to the lettable standards.
• Over the next 12 months, residents shared that they would like to see better use of community hubs, honest communication about repairs timescales and better contractor communication. Residents also hope to have the Tenant Portal reinstated to have a reliable source of information and ability track services.
• Residents would also like to promote visibility of the REB's work to wider communities, sharing this by way of noticeboard updates, short newsletters and visits to other neighbourhoods. This will encourage a better understanding of wider issues affecting all residents, and to engage in feedback on local issues.

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Residents shared that it is positive to see progress and clear direction since the REB was formed but would like to see more engagement from different cultures and age groups. Residents would like to understand more about the wider population and how they feel we perform:

• Residents have requested a breakdown of Arun's property portfolio, to learn more about the number of properties per area, property types (e.g. flats, houses, bungalows) and to ensure fair representation on the REB.
• Residents describe concerns with repairs contractors, including poor behaviour such as untidy work, not presenting identification and impolite interactions. Residents believe that poor customer service is due to the stigma of living in social housing, especially in blocks of flats.
• Residents feel the ASB policy is not effective, and this needs further review. This is being addressed by the Acting Group Head of Wellbeing and Communities. 
• Residents learned about the Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSM's), and how Arun has performed each year, starting in 2023. This was important to show residents where Arun placed against national targets. Arun is currently scoring under average in seven areas, performing above average in four areas, with one area 'on target', which was 'Satisfaction with Communal Areas'. Unfortunately, Complaints continues to have the lowest satisfaction score from residents.
• One of the resident members shared insights from a recent event they attended, hosted by Worthing Homes on 29 April 2026. Other members are encouraged to join the Tenants Participation Advisory Service (TPAS) via Arun's membership and explore free learning and training resources for social housing residents.

Accordion end

• Residents expressed ongoing concerns about delays, communication, quality of completed works, and the accuracy of information available through housing systems.
• Some residents have experienced issues with the housing portal, and shared their concerns around inaccurate records, and repairs being marked as completed when work was still outstanding.
• Residents reported that some properties were re-let before all required works had been completed to a satisfactory standard and significant concerns were raised about repair and void turnaround times, with residents feeling current performance is not acceptable.
• Concerns were raised about contractor performance and the need for stronger oversight and accountability. Communication was highlighted as a major issue, with residents stating they would rather be given honest updates and realistic timescales than receive little or no information. 
• However, there were also positive discussion points, with residents welcoming the opportunity to discuss how they could play a more active role in shaping and improving repairs services. 
• There was strong support for increased resident involvement in activities such as estate inspections, service monitoring, satisfaction follow-ups, and mystery shopping exercises, helping to ensure services better reflect resident experiences and priorities.
• Residents also highlighted the importance of clear and accessible communication. Requests were made for a comprehensive 'Who to Contact' guide, including versions tailored for multi-lingual residents, and for those whose first language is not English, to make it easier to access the right support. 

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Members received a presentation on how the council manages complaints and the requirements set out in the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code.

• The Board discussed the difference between a service request and a formal complaint, noting that services are generally given the opportunity to resolve an issue before it progresses through the complaints process. Members highlighted the importance of timely communication and updates to residents, recognising that many complaints arise when residents feel uninformed about delays or ongoing actions.
• Members reviewed anonymised examples of Stage 1 and Stage 2 complaint response letters and overall, felt the responses were clear, easy to understand and provided transparent explanations of investigation findings and outcomes. 
• A suggestion was made that future responses should include more dates and timelines to help residents better understand the history of their case and track progress.
• When receiving complaints performance information, the Board noted positive improvements in complaints handling performance. Highlights included:
  1. A 32% reduction in Stage 1 complaints since 2023/24
  2. Significant reductions in complaints relating to repairs
  3. 91% of complaints responded to within target timescales, exceeding the 80% target
• Residents were advised that complaint trends continue to be monitored closely and that additional quality assurance measures and tracking systems are being introduced to support further improvements.
• The Board welcomed the efforts being made to strengthen communication and prevent issues from escalating, though recognise the most common reasons residents continue to raise complaints are namely:
  1. Communication issues
  2. Services not being delivered as expected
  3. Delays in service delivery
  4. Concerns regarding the application of policies and procedures.
• The Board reviewed the outcome of two recent Housing Ombudsman cases. One case resulted in findings of maladministration (improper management or execution of duties) relating to adaptations, and a service failure in complaints handling.
• The Board agreed that learning from Ombudsman decisions remains an important part of improving services for residents, and were advised that improvements have already been implemented, including:
  1. Stronger record keeping
  2. Clearer decision-making processes
  3. Improved consideration of equality impacts
  4. Better monitoring of actions and outcomes
• Members received an update on the new Competence and Conduct Standard, which comes into force in October 2026. The Council has identified staff who will require professional housing qualifications and has already begun enrolling colleagues onto the necessary courses. The Board welcomed the focus on developing staff knowledge, skills and professionalism across Housing Services.
• The Board received an update regarding staffing and recruitment within Housing Services. Members acknowledged that several key leadership positions are currently being covered by interim staff while permanent recruitment takes place. While recognising the value of interim arrangements to support continued service delivery, residents requested greater transparency regarding the use and cost of agency, interim and consultancy roles.
• Members also welcomed the successful recruitment of additional Tenancy Services Officers. The service now has its full establishment of eight officers, increasing capacity across the district and reducing neighbourhood patch sizes from approximately 1,000 properties per Officer, to around 400-500 each. Residents will soon receive information confirming who their Tenancy Services Officer and Income Officer are, together with their contact details.
• The Board received an update on the Council's work to address its C4 Regulatory Judgement. Members heard that work continues across governance, resident engagement, service delivery, assurance and compliance, with the aim of achieving full compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Members requested the opportunity to review and provide feedback on the proposed improvement plans before submission to the Regulator of Social Housing. An extraordinary REB meeting will therefore be arranged during October 2026 to review.
• Members agreed to continue with the existing programme of meeting topics through to March 2027 as published. The Board also agreed to extend future meetings from two hours to three hours to allow for more in-depth discussions.
• The Board has asked for the below information and these actions have been added to the Board's work programme
  1. Continued performance reporting on complaints, repairs, void properties (empty homes) and service improvements
  2. Compliment data to be reported alongside complaint information to provide a more balanced view of service performance
  3. Greater transparency regarding interim and consultancy arrangements within Housing Services.

Overall, Members felt the meeting was positively structured and productive, and the detailed agenda, open discussions and willingness of Officers to answer questions were all positively received. The Board agreed that the meeting demonstrated progress in improving transparency, strengthening resident involvement and supporting continuous improvement across Housing Services.

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The Resident Engagement Board will continue to meet every 6 - 8 weeks. A meeting schedule has been decided by the REB, and is as follows:

• 3 June 2026: Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs)
• 27 July 2026: Repairs, Maintenance and Voids 
• 17 September 2026: Complaints
• 3 November 2026: Tenancy Standards (including contracts)
• 14 December 2026: Service Charges and Rents
• 2 February 2027: Communications
• 24 March 2027: Allocation of Home and Additional Needs

Resident Sounding Board

Share your views on proposed changes, policies and service improvements before decisions are made.

Your input ensures that the things that matter most to residents are considered early - before they move into formal decision-making through groups like the Resident Engagement Board (REB). If you want to make an impact in a flexible and focused way, the RSB may be the group for you!

If you'd like to become an RSB member, or if you would like to observe a meeting to try it out, please get in touch by:

Email: residentengagement@arun.gov.uk 

Please include your name, address, and contact details. 

Phone: 01903 737763