12 January 2022 meeting… Corporate strategy, rent setting, customer pledges, communal spaces…

The next engagement panel meeting is on Thursday 10 February, and we would welcome any observers.

In our first engagement panel meeting of 2022 we discussed the accessibility of the meetings. We decided the best way forward would be to create blog posts for our residents to stay up to date with the information we share and the topics we discuss. See below for the first meeting summary.

Corporate strategy document

The panel discussed the draft corporate strategy document, currently in production. Anna (Brighter Places CEO) explained that this document outlines the company’s plans and commitments for the next 5 years. It will be a formal document accessible on our website (much like resident newsletters, which you can find here). This is an ongoing project and will be a topic of discussion in future meetings until its completion. 

Pledges

Brighter Places Pledges are promises made by the company to Brighter Places residents. These were discussed and members provided with an update on recent developments. The panel discussed how information could be distributed to a wider audience and made more accessible. It was agreed that a blog entry should accompany each meeting with this being the first!

Rent setting review

We discussed rent setting and agreed that providing evidence that monies were spent appropriately, a rise in rents was necessary to cover costs. This discussion was held before the board consideration to ensure residents’ feedback was considered.

Communal space maintenance scheme

Finally, we were informed that a pilot scheme aimed at maintaining/improving communal spaces would begin early this year in Lockleaze and Lawrence Weston. We will be regularly discussing findings with the engagement team to help to shape the process for rolling this improvement project out, and any future schemes that may emerge as a result.

Angela Russell

Engagement panel co-chair