Acting Upon Your Views

TOWER have reviewed the BCH Adaptations Policy and have made some recommendations for changes, including the draft of an easy read version that will be developed into a customer booklet.

The panel are now midway through the Neighbourhood Service Scrutiny exercise. Policy and performance information has been scrutinised and the panel have interviewed various members of staff from the Neighbourhoods Team at different levels. Benchmarking has been conducted with other organisations and Neighbourhood Satisfaction data has been reviewed and interviews have been arranged with customers who have used the Neighbourhood Service. Recommendations are being tracked in progress and the final report with recommendations will be finalised and presented at the July 2026 Board Meeting.

Panel Members held advertised drop in sessions at Grange Park and Mereside to provide an opportunity for customers to learn more about Tower and discuss any concerns. A new panel member joined up and is participating in the current scrutiny exercise.

The Complaint Panel scrutinised the complaint performance reports and noted that some customers weren’t getting a personal contact at Stage 1. It was agreed that this will now be a mandatory requirement for managers and the guidance has been updated.

The panel reviewed a selection of Stage 1 and Stage 2 complaint responses. The panel raised that some terminology such as ‘claim’ and ‘confusion’ inferred blame on the customers behalf or suggested a lack of belief. It was agreed that such terminology would not be used going forward and that the Involvement & Communications Manager will review all responses for quality and consistency. The panel also noted that some of the Stage 1 responses had less empathy and understanding than the Stage 2 responses and hoped that this would improve with the implementation of personal contact.

The panel also agreed the 2026/27 Complaint Satisfaction Survey content and noted that a question should be added about joining the panel to try and recruit new members. The panel also reviewed the current Service Standards in relation to complaints and agreed that the service standards that are covered by the TSM’s should be removed as these are already monitored and reported on separately. The panel agreed for Manager contact at Stage 1 to be introduced as a service standard to be reported on.

The Neighbourhood Panel reviewed the updated ASB risk assessment tool and the comments and feedback are being used to inform the new service/case management information guides. The panel also reviewed case studies of some complex cases and again, informed that this needs to be included in guidance about what to expect and the timescales some cases can take due to complexity.

As a result of including a question on interest in the panel on the Neighbourhood Satisfaction Surveys, 4 new members have joined. Due to this, Anti-Social Behaviour Training was provided in-house in March by Resolve, the UK’s leading expert organisation specialising in ASB. The 6 attendees provided positive feedback and agreed they now have a better understanding of ASB and BCH’s service which will support them in their role on the panel.

The Neighbourhood Panel reviewed the updated ASB risk assessment tool and the comments and feedback are being used to inform the new service/case management information guides. The panel also reviewed case studies of some complex cases and again, informed that this needs to be included in guidance about what to expect and the timescales some cases can take due to complexity.

As a result of including a question on interest in the panel on the Neighbourhood Satisfaction Surveys, 4 new members have joined. Due to this, Anti-Social Behaviour Training was provided in-house in March by Resolve, the UK’s leading expert organisation specialising in ASB. The 6 attendees provided positive feedback and agreed they now have a better understanding of ASB and BCH’s service which will support them in their role on the panel.

Our Reading Panel reviewed the Autumn Newsletter and updated tenant ‘Gas No Access’ letters and provided feedback to ensure the documents are clear, informative, worded appropriately and easy to understand.

They also reviewed the Spring 2026 newsletter, the Block Cleaning booklet and the Managing a Community Garden booklet. Changes were made to the information in the newsletter around the use of e-bikes and e-scooters prior to being published.

During the period 28 walkabouts took place across BCH managed areas. The walkabouts are advertised for customers to join and this resulted in 24 customers attending walkabouts with the officers to identify issues in their area. The customers who attend are then invited to a follow up review meeting to ensure issues identified are actioned. 1 customer attended a follow up meeting and stated ‘I feel appreciated to be part of the walkabout’.

Detailed feedback can be found in the 'My Neighbourhood' section of this website.

BCH has developed its new Customer Engagement Strategy using extensive feedback gathered from customers through surveys, door‑knocking activities, and a dedicated focus group. The aim was to understand customer priorities, identify barriers to involvement, and shape a more effective and inclusive approach to communication and engagement.

The Communications Survey sent to all customers in October 2025 highlighted key areas of importance for future content in newsletters and communications. This feedback has helped to inform the “Informing” section of the new strategy.

Feedback from involved customers through a targeted survey demonstrated that participation is primarily driven by a commitment to improving services and contributing positively to their community. Respondents recommended more opportunities for regular involvement, improved accessibility of meetings, increased training, and more consistent feedback from BCH.

The Door Knocking Engagement Survey targeted residents not formally involved and demonstrated that most customers understand how to share their views, and many feel no major barriers to engaging. However, some residents identified challenges such as health issues, childcare responsibilities, and being new to the organisation.

A mixed Engagement Strategy Focus Group provided further insights, stressing the importance of being kept informed, offering local and ad‑hoc opportunities to engage, tailoring communication to community demographics, and improving transparency around services such as grounds maintenance. Participants also highlighted the potential role of local community champions and frontline staff, including Sheltered Housing Officers, in supporting better two‑way communication.

Across all engagement activities, several barriers consistently emerged: perceptions of poor communication, a belief that involvement will not lead to meaningful change, lack of interest, inconvenient meeting times due to work or caring commitments, and reluctance to complain directly.

From these findings, clear strategic priorities have been agreed:

• Strengthen communication and feedback so customers feel informed and heard.
• Develop localised, targeted engagement opportunities tailored to community needs and demographics.

These insights provide a strong foundation for a customer‑led engagement strategy that improves transparency, increases participation, and ensures BCH’s services continue to reflect the needs and expectations of its customers.

The Neighbourhood Satisfaction Surveys results from Quarter 4 provided the following feedback:

Positive highlights	Negative highlights
75% of respondents were satisfied that their Neighbourhood Officer was polite and respectful	50% of respondents stated that they were satisfied that their report to the Neighbourhoods Team was taken seriously
35% of respondents stated they would be interested in joining the Neighbourhood Panel	45% of respondents were satisfied with the way they were kept informed about the actions taken in response to their report

In response to the results, BCH's Neighbourhoods Manager said:

"35% of respondents were not satisfied with the explanation provided on what action would be taken to deal with the report.

This once again highlights the importance of completing an action plan with your Neighbourhood Officer. Whilst some reporters decline to complete an action plan, it is an opportunity for us to discuss how we will deal with a case and the actions we are able to take.

Our actions need to be reasonable and proportionate. We also need to have regards for equalities legislation, ensuring that the subject is fully aware of the impact of their actions. Initially we need to give the subject opportunity to change their behaviour and need to use non-legal actions such as warnings, making referrals and requesting Community Protection Warnings from our colleagues in Community Safety. If these interventions fail, we will move to more formal actions and consider injunctions, serving of notices and lodging at Court."

What can be improved:

Customers have fed back that conditions around gardens have not improved when they have made reports about neighbouring properties. These details have been passed to a Neighbourhoods Team Leader to contact the reporters and get more information. If it is appropriate cases will be re-opened

The Repairs Satisfaction Surveys results from Quarter 4 provided the following highlights:

Positive Highlights	Negative Highlights
82% of respondents were satisfied with the Repairs service overall and 80% were satisfied with the experience of reporting the repair.  93% of respondents were satisfied that the tradesperson was polite and respectful	31% of respondents stated that the tradesperson who attended did not show their identification.

In response to the results, BCH's Interim Director of Asset Management said:

"The satisfaction figures for repair reporting and time to complete the works are still very good. There was also some very positive feedback with regards to individual Operatives performing well and going above and beyond which will be fed back to them.

After a discussion process with the repairs software company we utilise, they now have a ‘neither’ option on the automated satisfaction survey on their system.

Previously we had been undertaking our own satisfaction surveys, with a ‘neither’ option to allow us to benchmark accurately with our peers.

The automated system will allow satisfaction questionnaires to be sent to residents immediately that a job is completed by an operative. However, the most important benefit of this is that this method will allow us to identify who attended and when, and also what repair was undertaken. This will be particularly beneficial when we receive negative feedback and identify training needs or issues that need to be raised with a member of staff/ contractor. Similarly if a compliment is received without naming who attended we will have this info readily to hand."

What can be improved:

Previous reports have noted that operatives or contractors not presenting their ID badges when attending to carry out a repair has been an ongoing issue. Numerous tool box talks and meetings with operatives have taken place to address this issue, but the latest satisfaction returns show that 30% are still not doing this according to residents.

The advent of the new method of undertaking repairs questionnaires as described above will allow us to pinpoint exactly who attended a property where it is claimed ID wasn’t shown and address this with the individual directly.

Customers noted politeness and respect:

• The Neighbourhood Officer was polite and made me aware of the next steps - Neighbourhood Satisfaction Survey
• The Rents Officer provides great customer service and is caring in their approach - Compliment
• Office staff absolutely amazing and very helpful - Repairs Satisfaction Survey
• The Cleaning Operative is very willing and helpful - Clean Warden scoresheet
• Very respectful and cheerful work person - Repairs Satisfaction Survey
• The Repairs Inspector was extremely polite and gave an excellent service, he is a credit to BCH - Compliment
• The gentleman was polite and professional. He talked me through everything - Repairs Satisfaction Survey
• The Repair Team were very polite and helpful - Repairs Satisfaction Survey
• Both the Complaint Officer and the Manager were polite and helpful to me every step of the way and very understanding too, which resulted in me feeling supported and calmer in the light of what was quite an ordeal for me - Complaint Satisfaction Survey

Customers feel listened to and their reports dealt with efficiently:

• All the team members are very helpful from phoning to the workers - Repairs Satisfaction Survey
• All repairs done to a high standard & a very professional & well-mannered tradesman who is a credit to BCH - Repairs Satisfaction Survey
• Felt listened to and was dealt with quickly - Neighbourhood Satisfaction Survey
• Very good, quick and sorted the problem - Neighbourhood Satisfaction Survey
• He was very efficient and knew exactly what the problem was - Repairs Satisfaction Survey
• From the first call through to completion I found everyone polite, friendly & efficient - Repairs Satisfaction Survey
• The request was dealt with quickly and the tradesman knew exactly what he was doing - Repairs Satisfaction Survey

Customers feel BCH is making a positive contribution to their neighbourhood:

• A resident asked for privets to be reduced in height during the winter grounds maintenance works. The privet was being trimmed by the ground maintenance contractor at the time and so the request was dealt with immediately and the resident was pleased - Neighbourhood Walkabout
• The Drying Area at Stronsay Place is looking good, it’ll be great when it’s finished - Bispham Consultation Event