Category: Tenant Involvement

By The Tenant Involvement Team

Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council (RMBC) and Rotherfed are once again showcasing their commitment to tenant involvement, as a group of 20 dedicated residents work to renew their prestigious Tpas Exemplar Award.

The Tpas Exemplar Award is a significant achievement in the world of social housing, recognising organisations that have consistently demonstrated outstanding tenant engagement over an extended period. With the accreditation lasting for three years, this effort marks a new cycle of proving Rotherham’s continued excellence in tenant-led decision-making.

RMBC first gained Exemplar status in 2022, becoming only the third housing provider in the country to achieve the top accolade. The renewal process is a rigorous one, involving a comprehensive self-assessment, and a ‘futureproofing’ session where tenants and staff work together to create an engagement plan for the coming years.

20 tenants attended a variety of Tpas reality checking sessions which were conducted in-person, online, hybrid and by telephone. These included tenants who are involved in our main panels, local involved tenants, ie group leaders, and tenants with minimum involvement, ie the tenant connectors pool.

We are grateful to all tenants who gave their time to attend these sessions and take part in the assessment.

The outcome of this year’s assessment will be announced in the coming months, but for the tenants and staff involved, the collaboration itself is a key victory, reinforcing a culture of strong partnership and ensuring the resident voice remains at the heart of Rotherham’s housing services.

By the Tenant Involvement Team

A new community group in Rotherham East is making big strides, with plans to launch regular coffee mornings and bingo sessions at the Swinburne Neighbourhood Centre. Led by an experienced community member who has been involved with Rotherfed for many years and, supported by a core of enthusiastic individuals, they want to add more inclusive activity to their local area.

Rotherfed staff recently met with the group for their first meeting, providing essential resources like a model constitution, safeguarding information, and handbooks on roles and responsibilities. The staff also helped the group book their first two weekly coffee sessions, which will be held every Monday and Friday.

In addition to the coffee mornings, the group is hoping to expand their offerings to include a mid-week bingo session on Wednesdays. This longer session will allow attendees to play bingo and then enjoy a shared meal, creating a welcoming and social atmosphere.

While there have been some initial booking challenges with a pre-existing group at the centre, Rotherfed and the housing team are actively working to clarify the situation with Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council (RMBC). Both parties are committed to finding a solution and will be meeting with the group again next month to provide an update.

Despite these hurdles, the new group is focused on a positive start. Group support will also be assisting them with new promotional materials to help spread the word and encourage new members to join.

By the tenant involvement team

Over the past year, Rotherfed has been providing invaluable support to the Deaf Futures community group through regular engagement sessions. These sessions have addressed a range of concerns, including housing issues, access to aids and adaptations, and even replacement bins, making a tangible difference in the lives of many.

A particularly impactful case emerged during the May 2024 session when a member approached Rotherfed staff for urgent assistance with his housing situation. His health had significantly deteriorated, rendering him wheelchair-bound and unable to access his kitchen or navigate other areas of his home.

Rotherfed staff quickly escalated the issue, collaborating with local councillors and Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council (RMBC) housing staff. Acting as a crucial link, Rotherfed bridged the gap between the tenant’s support team and RMBC services, ensuring his needs were communicated effectively and acted upon.

During our most recent engagement session in May 2025, Rotherfed staff were delighted to learn that the tenant has successfully been rehomed into a property that is fully adapted and better suited to his needs. This success story highlights the vital role Rotherfed plays in advocating for and supporting vulnerable members of the community.

By the tenant involvement team

During the past year, the residents’ group on this estate have gone from strength to strength.  Last Easter, we supported them to put some Easter crafts on the estate with the help of FLUX and Early Years Support. It was a great event with lots of families attending. Since this event the group have held other events including a Halloween event, Christmas event and they organised a coach trip to Cleethorpes, something that has not took place on the estate for many years. This coach trip was subsidised for residents by the group raising their own funds towards this.

However, the biggest achievement for this group to date is that in January 2025 they became constituted and opened their own back account. The group then decided they would like to hold their own Easter event this year. They applied to the Children’s Capital of Culture for a £250 grant to help them put the event on. They also contacted FLUX who put on some crafts and a pottery workshop and Early Years Help who brought some games and books where children could listen to stories. With the funding they received from Children’s Capital of Culture, the group organised an Easter egg hunt around the green space, free facepainting and a tombola and raffle to raise funds for the group.

The day before the event the group organised a litter pick around the park to make sure there was no rubbish on the green space for the following day. Along with tenants, Rotherfed, RMBC staff and Councillors also took part. Streetpride kindly provided the equipment and removed all the rubbish collected. They also did a litter pick stencil on the entrance to the green space. 

The day of the event, Friday 11 April, was a glorious sunny day, and everything went so well, and everyone had a great time. Over 100 residents attended and through the tombola and raffle the group raised over £200 which will go back into their funds to help towards future events and activities. The group said how pleased they were with how the event ran and are very much looking forward to the next event on the estate which is being planned for Monday 18 August. They will also be looking at other events/activities/depending on what funding they can secure moving forward.

After years of trying to get a group together on this estate it’s been amazing to see it happen. The group are so enthusiastic and have lots of plans for the future. I can’t wait to see what the next few years bring for them.

By the tenant involvement team

In early April, Debra received a call from a lady who had been signposted to our digital support service by a local Library. She shared that she had previously received support from Rotherham Digital and was eager to continue building her digital skills to increase her employability.

She was paired with our Digital Champion, Brigette, who was impressed by the learner’s motivation and foundational knowledge. Brigette committed to continuing their work together for as long as needed.

During a follow-up call to check on her experience and resource needs, I mentioned a vacancy at Rotherfed and offered to pass along her details if she was interested.

We’re thrilled to share that she was successful at interview and has now joined us as a colleague on the MOMGF project.

Welcome to the team, Sandra!

By the tenant involvement team

This month Rachel attended the TPAS Northeast Members event along with Nicola Harper and Jordan Hart, both council tenants, this was held and hosted by Connect Housing in Dewsbury. It was a good turnout with over 40 attendees from as far at Newcastle in the North to Hull in the East, it was a good mix of tenants and landlords. Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, Wakefield Metropolitan District Council and Hull City Council, who were also there, all have received the Exemplar TPAS Accreditation.

The event started with a TPAS Talk, this was news for their members and a roundup of what is happening nationally, and the training TPAS has to offer.

Sally Butterworth from Regulator of Social Housing then gave an informative and insightful presentation on the latest regulatory developments and people were given an opportunity to ask questions.

The landlord host, Connect Housing, gave us a unique insight their successful engagement practices. This included a “Boot Camp” session they held which expanded on their scrutiny panel and how they got other people involved. 

After lunch we participated in an interactive session where we shared success stories from different organisations and shared challenges i.e. engaging hard to reach communities, digital barriers etc. This session really made us realise the fabulous work we already do, the success of it and how it makes a difference.

Stop Social Housing Stigma then spoke about the latest progress and upcoming initiatives and explained how to get involved. They are working with other organisations including TPAS and have launched a Tackling Stigma Journey Planner. Many tenants feel like second class citizens and this needs to change.  They would like to get as many members as possible signed up to support this.

To finish the event there were some Engagement Heroes Recognition Awards to celebrate the incredible achievements of those volunteers making a different in tenant engagement.  It was fabulous to hear that both Nicola and Jordan had received an award, which was very much deserved for them both. 

It was great event very informative and beneficial; we were glad we had attended and look forward to the next one.

By the tenant involvement team

There is a memorial site in East Dene on Park Road, that marks a significant chapter in the town’s history. 

Over time this area has had little attention paid to it, has become a target for litter and has become obscured by overgrown weeds and vegetation. 

Volunteers at Rotherham District Civic society dedicate themselves to preserving local heritage and led the call to arms on social media asking for people to help out at the site.

The team that came together included the local RMBC neighbourhoods’ team, RotherFed, Volunteers from the Civic Society and a resident who was excited to be involved in a local initiative as he “usually misses these types of things on Facebook because I don’t see them”. Equipment for the clean-up was provided by the civic society volunteer and RMBC “Love Where You Live” initiative. 

Volunteers spent the afternoon clearing overgrown vegetation, remove debris, and restored the site’s dignity. The Cholera Burial Site was transformed from a neglected space into a clean and respectful memorial. 

The restoration of the Cholera Burial Site serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of preserving local history. The project demonstrates the positive impact of community collaboration and the power of social media to mobilize volunteers. It reinforces the value of civic engagement and the dedication of organizations like the Rotherham District Civic Society. 

The dedication of local organizations and individuals is essential for maintaining the historical and cultural fabric of a community, and even small amounts of community activity can have a significant impact.