Category: Tenant Involvement

By the tenant involvement team

A group of twelve dedicated tenants have recently collaborated with Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council and Rotherfed to develop an Individual Needs Framework, aimed at revolutionising how council services are delivered. 

The individual needs framework will outline the Councils commitment to ensuring its landlord services are accessible to all tenants and prospective tenants, including those with diverse needs and vulnerabilities 

In a friendly and relaxed focus group setting, tenants shared their personal experiences and valuable insights, laying the groundwork for a comprehensive framework designed to address the diverse needs of Rotherham residents. This collaborative effort seeks to ensure RMBC services become more tailored, accessible, and responsive to individual circumstances. 

Rotherfed staff commended the tenants for their commitment and significant contributions. “The tenants’ willingness to openly share their experiences and work collaboratively has been absolutely crucial in shaping this framework,” a Rotherfed spokesperson stated. “Their input will undoubtedly have a lasting positive impact on how RMBC services are delivered in the future.” 

The Individual Needs Framework is anticipated to be implemented in the coming months, promising to significantly enhance the council’s ability to provide effective and equitable services across the entire borough. 

By The Tenant Involvement Team

As part of our new contract with RMBC we have to deliver two Building Safety sessions a year with a at least 8 tenants per session.  This was our first one.

The much publicised and improved Government legislation for high-rise buildings has led to the creation of the Building Safety Act 2022. RMBC wrote to all tenants, advising them of the increased communication for 2025. Letters were sent in December 2025, and the building safety session was set for Wednesday 19 February, from 6pm until 8pm in the ground floor meeting room. Food was provided. 

Rotherfed carried out two door knocks prior to the session. The first one was held in January, we knocked on all tenants’ doors to make sure they had received the letter and find out if they would be attending.  The second door knock was the evening before the meeting. From both door knocks we got the opportunity to chat to tenants in general about issues they might have about the flats, which including problem with damp and mould, homeless people access the building, lifts breaking down, drafty windows, corridor lights out, these were some of the issues highlighted. We had 23 tenants confirm that they would be attending. 

The session took place, and 19 residents attended which is a great turnout. RMBC Officers when through the agenda and spoke about the engagement strategy plus other important items and the session finished with a Q&A session. It was a successful first session where residents felt they had been listened to on the issues they raised.

In general, when it comes to fire safety the residents feel safe in their homes and don’t think fire safety is a real problem, the work RMBC have done regarding this has been brilliant. However, it’s the other issues that are making them feel unsafe in their homes.

Drop-in sessions will start taking place once a month for a couple of hours. RMBC staff and Rotherfed staff will attend these. These will be advertised to try and get more tenants at these.

By The Tenant Involvement Team

Members of the Fitzwilliam Estate’s TARA area are buzzing with anticipation for 2025, as their dedicated community group embarks on a new chapter of growth and service. After two years of operating informally and relying on self-funding, the group has taken a significant leap forward by becoming a constituted body, paving the way for a year of impactful community initiatives. 

Driven by a passion to support their neighbours, the TARA has been a beacon of community spirit since its inception. However, to truly expand their reach and address the needs of the estate, they recognised the need for formal structure and access to funding. 

With invaluable support from Rotherfed staff, the group successfully constituted in early January and swiftly opened a bank account in February, unlocking a wealth of funding opportunities. This pivotal move has allowed them to solidify their long-term vision of delivering more projects, events, and day trips to foster community cohesion and engagement. 

Recognizing the need for financial backing to realize their ambitious plans, the TARA, with continued assistance from Rotherfed, has submitted their first funding bid. This crucial application seeks support for two years’ worth of day trips and community events, as well as essential equipment to enhance their activities. 

The group’s ultimate goal is to break down the stigma often associated with living on the estate and create a thriving, supportive community. The outcome of their funding bid, expected in May, will be a major turning point. 

Regardless of the outcome, the TARA is already forging ahead with plans for a packed schedule of engagement events. Their dedication to improving the lives of Fitzwilliam Estate residents is undeniable, and 2025 promises to be a year of significant progress and positive change. 

Two members of the TARA signing the group’s constitution.  

By the tenant involvement team

The Kimberworth Park TARA group is currently undergoing a kitchen renovation at their resource centre. This centre has been the group’s home for many years, serving as the base for their three-day-a-week subsidised meal program, charity shop and for their community events and day trips.

Funds generated from these meals and the group’s charity shop are crucial for supporting many projects including community day trips and events. 

Thanks to successful funding from VAR through the Miss Penlington Community Chest Grant and the support of Rotherfed staff, the group is replacing outdated kitchen equipment with more energy-efficient models. This upgrade will not only allow the group to continue serving the community but also reduce utility costs and enhance the group’s sustainability for the future. Alongside the upgraded appliances the group have got new crockery, cutlery and pans to give the dining area an uplift. 

The first batch of new equipment arrived on Monday 27th January, marking the beginning of this exciting kitchen renovation. 

By The Tenant Involvement Team

Bridgette has been helping a gentleman for the past couple of months, who was concerned about the online safety of his personal information and bogus job offers on websites. This gentleman had been made redundant and was extremely competent in his field but lacked experience in using online tools to search for employment. 

Bridgette has been instrumental in building this gentleman’s confidence, helping him recognise whether a website is safe and check the privacy policies of sites such as Indeed, so that he feels confident his data and privacy are protected when applying for jobs. 

Bridgette was delighted to learn that this gentleman had secured a job interview and is now far more confident and knowledgeable about how his data is used when entered online.  

By the Tenant Involvement Team

Swinton Community Focus Group is a well-established group whose aims are to make Swinton a safer, connected, cleaner and healthier place to live. The group organises social events, litter picks and holds regular meetings. They also engage with the residents to tackle issues and find out what residents want in the area where they live.

This month, the group hosted a fantastic Winter Warmer event at the Civic Hall in partnership with the Honeypot Café. This was a free event where 55 residents from Swinton and Kilnhurst enjoyed pie and peas followed by trifle and refreshments. The event was a huge success and included two games of bingo, a quiz about the Swinton area and a raffle. There was also entertainment provided by Sarah Bush and Chantelle. Everyone had a fantastic afternoon and are already looking forward to the next one! The group applied for funding to make this a free event and open to all residents in the area.

The group also holds at least two litter picks a month covering all areas of Switon. This month’s litter picks were as productive as always and on the last one in January they collected 16 bags of rubbish, along with a mattress, number plate, clothes and a children’s slide. They will be having their first skip of the year on Tuesday 4 February at St John’s, we will attend this and support the group.

The group are also looking at and planning events for the upcoming summer months.

By the tenant Involvement Team

A group of young people from Rockingham Primary came and performed music from the Young Voices concert alongside 2 solos. One of the girls performed a track from the Big Hero 6 soundtrack while the other was Katy Perrys hit Roar. The young voices concert will take place at the arena with over 5000 other young people performing to a crowd filled with friends and family.

The residents of Dawsons Croft provided Wagon wheels, drinks, and a bookmark, alongside selection boxes that were donated by the Tenant Involvement team from Rotherfed.

Here’s what the young people had to say.

“Fantastic”

“Really Good”

“Delicious”

“Great”

“Spectacular”

11 of the residents came down to enjoy the entertainment along with one of the local elected members. A proper start to the Christmas celebrations for some of the residents of Greasborough.

“Enjoyed it. Takes a lot for them to get up and sing like that.”

“Absolutely fantastic”

“Loved it”

“Lovely afternoon”

By the tenant Involvement Team

Following on from the success of the summer event we delivered in August and after speaking to residents at a recent RMBC skip day, we thought it would be nice to hold the first ever Christmas Grotto on the estate for the residents to enjoy.

RMBC Councillors very kindly agreed to help fund this event and using some of our budget, we put the rest towards the grotto and purchased selection boxes, so every child visiting Santa would receive one free. 

Prior to the event we produced and delivered over 300 leaflets around the estate. We also met with the new TARA on the estate who said they would like to be involved and have a stall at the event to raise funds for their new group, the group now have a constitution, they are just awaiting their bank account being opened. The event took place on Tuesday 10 December from 4pm until 6pm and whilst it was extremely cold, the weather thankfully stayed dry.  DB Entertainment brought the inflatable grotto, and the TARA organised for Santa to attend the event.  Know Your Neighbour came along and promoted their services, and they took the opportunity to speak to the local residents about the area.  The TARA held a tombola and a refreshments stall.

It was a great event with a good turnout.  We had approximately 150 people attend the event, 95% of residents attending were council tenants.  The TARA were really happy with the interest in their stalls and managed to raise over £300 which will go towards future activities for the residents.  The TARA have lots of ideas for the estate moving forward, which is fantastic.  We will support them with these and also help them to look at and apply for funding.

Feedback from the residents about the event was really positive. 

“Thank you so much for organising and funding this, it has been a lovey treat for the children to enjoy”.

“This is just what the estate needs, more activities for residents to get involved in”.

By the tenant Involvement Team

On December 19th, the Peregrine Way TARA group held their annual Christmas dinner, bringing together 29 members to celebrate the end of a successful year.

Over the last few years this event has grown in popularity really bringing the community together to decorate the Neighbourhood centre ready for the event, and even spilling out into the garden area as the group now have a potted Christmas tree to decorate outside

The festive gathering featured a traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings, followed by mince pies and Christmas pudding with custard. Staff from the Dinnington Resource Centre graciously provided and served the delicious meal.

To enhance the holiday spirit, the group enjoyed a round of bingo, a prize draw, and a lively game of “Play Your Cards Right.”

This annual Christmas dinner serves as a joyful conclusion to the year for the members of the Peregrin Way Tara group.