Resident Scrutiny Forum

Who are they?

The Resident Scrutiny Forum (RSF) is an independent group of Southend residents who scrutinise the services that South Essex Homes provides on behalf of the Council.

The RSF was formed in 2012 and was originally made up of six residents who were interviewed to ensure the candidates who were selected had the right kind of skills to scrutinise South Essex Homes’ performance and services.

On an ongoing basis the group are looking at how satisfied residents are with their housing services overall and whether South Essex Homes is meeting its targets.

Scrutiny Forum Reporting Process

When undertaking a review the Scrutiny Forum will engage with the relevant manager of that service area as well as undertaking other research such as benchmarking and identifying good practice. At the end of the review, the Scrutiny Forum will usually make a number of recommendations. The nature of these recommendations will govern at which level they should be considered and how the Scrutiny Forum and its work feed into South Essex Homes structure.

The table below provides clarity around this;

RSF Reporting Process
Recommendation type Description of recommendation Feeds in where at SEH

Level 1

Minor

Minor adjustments to procedures and approaches (e.g. amendments to standard letters, or some changes in sign up process)

Can be managed within existing budgets or resources

 Discussed and agreed with Service Manager

Level 2

Significant

Significant recommendations which;

  • Impact on budget
  • Have minor staff structural implications
  • Have significant amendments to procedures
 EMT (Executive Management Team)

Level 3

Major

Recommendations which would have;

  • Significant budget implications
  • Require a policy change
  • Require a restructure
 SEH Board

In addition the Scrutiny Forum will attend the SEH Management Board twice per year to give progress updates and raise and discuss matters it deems appropriate. The Scrutiny Forum will once per year provide an annual report giving a summary of its work, findings and recommendations.

What have the RSF looked at so far?

Recent reports created by the Resident Scrutiny Forum include:

Their most recent annual report can be downloaded here:

Sound interesting?

The RSF are looking to recruit new members to join them.

If you are a South Essex Homes resident or leaseholder and feel that you can work alongside others, are like minded and dedicated and you have some free time to spare then please contact them using the contact details below.

What areas need attention?

Do you feel there are services that South Essex Homes provides for you that could benefit from being reviewed, analysed or just looking at - to make sure those services are being delivered in the best way possible for both residents and staff?

If there are any departments or service areas you would like the RSF to look at you can, with confidence of confidentiality, contact any member of the RSF group using their details below.


Alternatively, for more information about the RSF, please get in contact by emailing sehcustomerservices@seh.southend.gov.uk or call 01702 212650.