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Government urged to support official body for tenants
Ministers have been called upon to back a body that will formally represent social housing tenants’ views to government in the wake of the Grenfell tragedy.
Four tenant-led organisations wrote to communities secretary Sajid Javid to make a case for re-establishing the National Tenant Voice (NTV).
Tpas, the Confederation of Co-operative Housing, the Tenants’ and Residents’ Organisations of England and the National Federation of Tenant Management Organisations have set up an “interim” NTV board in anticipation the organisation will receive financial backing.
A letter signed by representatives from the agencies – including Jenny Osbourne, chief executive of Tpas – said it was now “critically important” that social housing tenants had a recognised way of representing their views to government and other agencies.
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Mr Javid was asked to provide resources to help NTV be set up, and to make a “commitment to consider resource implications in the long term”.
He was also called on to allow access to Department for Communities and Local Government civil servants and the social housing register.
The letter read: “The recent tragic events at Grenfell Tower and the subsequent work being done to ensure the safety of social housing tenants demonstrates the need for a coherent, legitimate and empowered voice for tenants so that they can communicate directly with government and other agencies about a wide range of issues.”
NTV was first set up around 10 years ago, but was a casualty of the so-called ‘bonfire of the quangos’ in 2010 as the coalition government took control.
Former housing minister Grant Shapps cut NTV’s entire funding of £1m, leaving it unable to continue. The body had appointed 15 board members and a 50-strong tenant council.
