Council tenants from across Chesterfield and neighbouring districts came together recently for the second annual joint tenant conference.
Jointly delivered by Chesterfield Borough Council, Rykneld Homes and Bolsover District Council the event took place on Wednesday 14 May and provided a unique opportunity for tenants from three different local authorities to share ideas, hear from expert speakers, and participate in interactive workshops.
One of the standout sessions from the event was Chesterfield Borough Council’s workshop, ‘What Makes a Home’, which was co-designed and delivered by tenants themselves.
Using a case study of a fictional tenant at different stages in their life and their changing housing needs, attendees engaged in meaningful discussions about the challenges that individual tenants face and how social landlords can better support residents as their personal circumstances change.
At the end of the workshop, participants were encouraged to come up with an ‘ask or action’ to take back to their respective landlords, to make sure conversations sparked at the conference could continue beyond the event.
The tenant feedback following the conference was encouraging with one tenant commenting: “I was nervous at first but overall my experience was a very positive one and would love to continue next year.”
Another tenant added: “It was all excellent, lots of interesting things to talk about.”
The annual conference provides an opportunity for tenants to feel empowered and helps strengthens the relationship between residents and their landlord.
Councillor Jean Innes, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for housing, said: “It’s important that we give our tenants the opportunity to help shape our services and we provide lots of opportunities for Chesterfield Borough Council tenants to get involved.
“The Joint Tenants Conference is an event we have been looking forward to as it is a great opportunity for our tenants to get together with tenants from neighbouring local authorities and share their experiences.
“I hope all those that attended enjoyed the event and we are looking forward to continuing to work with our tenants to make sure our services can meet their needs.”
Tenants interested in learning more about tenant involvement at Chesterfield Borough Council can contact the housing service for further details:
