This year the council has seen a 35% increase in applications for its NL in Bloom Garden Awards, with nine new tenants and residents’ groups established and in a first for the team, a gold accreditation award for tenant participation best practice.

The council’s annual progress review of the Tenant Participation Strategy highlights how it is supporting and empowering tenants to get involved and play an active role in their housing service.

As part of its ‘Review, rebuild and reconnect’ focus for 2023/34, the council has carried out a full review of its tenant participation approach. This involved applying for formal tenant participation accreditation, in which it was successful in gaining a gold award.

There was also a notable increase in groups from underrepresented areas and in people from underrepresented population groups. It’s also been the council’s best year for re-forming previously established groups and establishing new ones, with the inception of nine new tenants and residents’ groups, one of which comprises a Ukrainian Tenants and Residents Association.

Other key achievements include:  

• Developing and facilitating digital support training sessions. 
• Launching a new tenant fund following a review of grants which provided support to 14 groups. 
• Supporting groups to apply for external funding. One successful example was Dundyvan Gardens Tenants and Residents Association which received a lottery award of £8,000 to help promote health and wellbeing and reduce isolation.  
• Developing and promoting a continuous programme of events for groups and individuals to take part in. 
• Hosting its Annual Tenants’ Conference, with record attendance and the launch of the new ‘Local Hero’ awards. 

Tracy Lennon, North Lanarkshire Council’s tenant participation manager, said: “Our five-year strategy ‘Involving Tenants, Improving Services’ is key to encouraging tenant participation across our communities by maximising a range of participation and engagement opportunities. And it’s really pleasing to see, year on year, more and more tenants playing a great role not just in housing services but across their communities. 

“By applying and achieving gold tenant participation accreditation we were able to reflect on service delivery and best practice, which allowed us to identify future actions and improvements which can be incorporated into our new Tenant Participation Strategy 2025-30. 

“With so many opportunities available we’re again appealing to tenants to take the first step and find out more about how they can have their voices heard and get involved. It’s not just about being involved in housing services; our Tenant Participation Team is the central contact between tenants and other council services. Be part of the TP movement!”