Residents Council
Terms of Reference
Purpose of the Residents Council
To provide residents’ feedback on Sussex Housing & Care’s housing services and
policies, with the aim of ensuring that:

residents’ views are taken into account in the development and delivery of
policies and services

services are open and transparent

services provide a secure environment in which views, diversity and
lifestyles are respected

services operate to the highest quality and as efficiently as possible within
financial constraints.
Membership

Membership of the Residents Council will comprise up to 24 resident
representatives from Sussex Housing & Care’s housing schemes.

Generally, each housing scheme will be entitled to elect one representative.
However, this will vary for particularly large or small schemes: see Appendix
(1).

Schemes can also nominate a deputy to attend a Resident Council meeting if
the Council Member is not available to attend.
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
Members will serve for a maximum of five years.

Resident Board Members will also be invited to attend Residents Council
meetings.
Election of Resident Council members

Every April, residents will be invited to put themselves forward (or nominate
another resident) to become their scheme’s representative on the Residents
Council.

Existing members of the Residents Council can put themselves forward
again, provided they have not served for the maximum five year term.

If only one resident comes forward, they will become the scheme’s
representative on the Residents Council for the following year.

If more than one resident is interested in becoming the scheme
representative, a ballot will be organised by the scheme manager for
residents of that scheme to vote for their representative.

If a ballot is held, the person with the second highest number of votes will
become the scheme’s deputy Resident Council member.

Where only one person comes forward to be the Resident Council member,
the scheme manager will work with them to encourage another resident to
come forward as deputy.
Role of the Resident Council member

To prepare for and attend Resident Council meetings and any sub-groups for
which they volunteer.

To provide comments and feedback on the topics discussed.

To gather other residents’ views in order to contribute to the discussions.

To share information about matters discussed at the Residents Council with
other residents.
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Operation of the Residents Council

The Residents Council will meet four times per year, usually from 11am 2.30pm, at venues to be agreed in advance.

The topics for discussion at the Residents Council will be agreed in advance.
These will be drawn from policies and procedures which are being reviewed,
issues arising from the residents‘ survey, topics identified by Resident
Council members or SHC staff, or delegated by the SHC Board.

A chairperson and a deputy-chair will be elected by the Residents Council at
the first meeting each year.

Other roles will be facilitated by SHC staff.

A maximum of six members will be elected as ‘quality consultants’ to be
involved in a programme of quality audits and/or mystery shopping of SHC’s
housing services.

A maximum of six members will be elected as members of the SHC
complaints panel, to review stage 3 complaints.

A maximum of six members will be elected to join a communications subgroup which will act as an editorial panel for the resident newsletter, New
Outlook and work with the communications team on other key resident
communications, such as the annual report to residents.

One other resident from each scheme may accompany the formal
representative(s) to each Residents’ Council meeting as an observer.

In order to ensure effective liaison with the SHC Board, the minutes of the
Residents Council meeting will be circulated to the Housing Management
Committee.

The Chair of the Housing Management Committee will attend one or two
meetings of the Residents Council per year and will act as the key link
between the Board and the Residents Council.
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Conduct of Residents Council members

All members commit to read reports and agendas and be prepared for
meetings in advance.

When requested, members will treat information confidentially and not share
with other residents or staff.

Members of the committee will respect the chair, who will make the final
decision about the conduct of the meeting.

No member should make defamatory, racist, sexist, or otherwise offensive
remarks about any person or any topic which is being discussed. Failure to
abide by this term will result in ejection from the meeting.

Members will alert the chair to any conflict of interest in any report or
agenda item tabled, and in discussion with SHC, the chair will decide
whether a resident should be excluded from the meeting for this item.
SHC support for Residents Council meetings and activity
To support the effective working of the Residents Council, SHC will:

Prepare and circulate papers and the minutes in a timely fashion.

Train and support Resident Council members elected for specialist roles,
such as chairing or quality audit.

Provide transport (where necessary), venue and refreshments, and
generally facilitate the meeting of the Residents Council and any subgroups.

Work with the Residents Council communications sub-group to promote the
Residents Council. For example, through a regular column in New Outlook.

Through its scheme managers, support every scheme to be represented on
the Residents Council, for example inviting residents to put themselves
forward to join the Residents Council and organising ballots within the
scheme when required.
Agreed by the Board, 26 March 2012
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Appendix 1
Residents Council representatives
The Residents Council will comprise 24 representatives as follows:
Rented schemes
Location
No of homes
Ashleigh Glegg House
The Cedars
Clevedown
Devonport House
Downash House
Seaford
Brighton
Lewes
Rye
31
25
70
18
flats
flats
flats
flats
No of
Representatives
to Residents
Council
1
1
2
1
Flimwell
Lewes
Brighton
Crowborough
11
14
35
30
flats
flats
flats
flats
1
1
1
1
Haywards Heath 53 flats
Cuckfield
24 flats
Mayfield
26 flats
2
1
1
Bexhill
1
Fairholme
Martlet Court
Nevill Court
Oakwood
Old Park Close
St Thomas Canterbury
Yvonne Robertson House
48 flats
Independent Living
Falfield
Buxton Lodge
Corner House
Honeycrag Close
Jackson Mews
Court Leet
The Rowans
Leasehold
Bourne Court
Church Bailey
Downash Court
Nevill Close
Sackville Court
flats
flats
flats
Bungalows
houses
house
2 representatives
between all
schemes
Seaford
Eastbourne
Eastbourne
Eastbourne
Newhaven
Seaford
9
7
4
9
4
1
Crowborough
16 flats + 3 bungalows
1
Hastings
Pevensey
30 flats
38 flats
1
1
Flimwell
Crowborough
20 flats
7 bungalows
1
1
Bexhill
19 flats
1
Bexhill
Heathfield
20 flats
23 flats
1
1
St Peters Mews
Waldron Court
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