Update from the Engagement Panel meeting on 12 February 2025. The next meeting is on 18 March 2025.

Customer services training

Sarah White, a panel member and resident for over twenty years, talked about the customer service training session she’s put together for Ian Williams, the new repairs contractor who starts on 24 March.

The training is centred around putting the residents first. Asking the contractors to put themselves in the residents’ place and examine how they would feel in similar situations. The session will examine several real-life scenarios and will ask the question ‘how would you resolve this.’

The all-important issue of communication will also be a major part of the training, which will take place immediately as Ian Williams begins their time with Brighter Places.

Resident-led agendas

The second part of the meeting was for the Residents Panel only. Brighter Places colleagues left the room to allow the panel to discuss what we would like to put on the agenda.

We also discussed different ways the panel can engage and reach out to other residents. One suggestion was to organise a virtual meet-up run by residents, for residents, where they can communicate with the panel and discuss issues that they would like us to bring up in future meetings.

We agreed that in our next meeting, we would like to discuss how we can improve our relationships with housing officers. This is something we all felt is an area that needs looking at. It would be good to invite someone to the next panel meeting to talk with us about any problems/issues from their point of view.

If any Brighter Places resident is interested in the panel meetings and would like to attend a meeting as an observer, please email the Engagement team at engagement@brighterplaces.co.uk. All residents are welcome.

Jon Kent – Panel member