Get involved

Our Group Scrutiny Panel is another way customers can get involved; ‘scrutiny’ is all about reviewing performance, through a partnership approach, and working with officers to identify improvements for services.

We have enhanced our approach to our Group Scrutiny Panel, which includes Customer Voices from across the four social landlords that make up Wheatley Group.

We rotate meetings around our offices in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dumfries. This gives the Panel the opportunity to hear directly from and engage with staff. The Panel have met four times in this financial year; in May, August, December and February.

The Panel scrutinise our Group performance quarterly against Scottish Social Housing Charter indicators, choosing the performance priorities they wish to focus on. In the last year, the Panel have focussed on:

• Anti-social behaviour resolved
• Repairs timescales and satisfaction
• Complaints timescales
• Lettable houses that become void, average days to re-let, and tenancy sustainment

In December 2024, the Panel reviewed quarter two performance for their priority indicators and planned their areas of focus for 2025. At the August 2024 meeting, the Panel also fed back on our draft Annual Reports to Tenants.

The also Panel receives a spotlight focus at each meeting; at it's last meeting, the Panel looked at the Wheatley Foundation and welcomed our Foundation Manager to present an overview of the services this team offer. The Panel discussed this including the support we offer around fuel advice and welfare benefit advice.  In May 2024, the Panel's spotlight session focussed on Group Protection.

The next Panel meeting is in February 2025. Following the planning at the December meeting, the Panel has requested a spotlight on Tenancy Sustainment and will review performance for their updated performance priorities:

The Panel may also receive external support from the Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS) to help enable them to exercise their scrutiny role effectively, such as through additional training sessions.

In addition to quarterly performance meetings, members of the Panel can also undertake thematic reviews, which is a deeper dive into specific service areas. You can read more about recent reviews the Panel has undertaken, and the recommendations to improve, below.

The Panel is not currently recruiting for new members, however for further information, contact Morgan English by email at morgan.english@wheatley-group.com

Customers have told us how important our environmental service is to communities.

That’s why our Group Scrutiny Panel, which comprises around 25 customers from Wheatley communities across Scotland, chose to take a close look at this key service to find areas for improvement.

Members of the Panel interested in being involved in the review formed a thematic group that scrutinised the vast offering of our environmental services and decided to focus on Neighbourhood Environmental Teams (NETs) and waste management. Below are the highlights of the thematic review which took place between April and October 2024.

During the review the thematic group met with key staff from different parts of Wheatley, including our Director and Environmental Services and NETs leaders. They also reviewed information including process maps, performance reports, customer insight and satisfaction results, example work programmes and Keep Scotland Beautiful (KSB) information.

The group had the opportunity to visit three sites, in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dumfries, and chat with local NETs and a KSB assessor. This was followed up with a survey to Customer Voices and Lowther owners, which informed 4 focus groups to gain a better understanding of the customer view of our environmental services and their priorities.

Throughout the review the group was supported by Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS) – an independent national tenant and landlord participation advisory service

The group has now completed its review and produced its own independent report. That report includes 12 recommendations to help Wheatley Group improve our environmental services.

The group has now met with our key staff to discuss each recommendation and co-create solutions. Some of the key messages from the review that customers would like to highlight include:

• Clarity of information and communication are vital to ensure customers are kept informed and are aware, in advance, of upcoming NETs services and engagement; and
• Wheatley Group must support understanding for customers to be clear on their responsibilities for example, around waste management.

Thematic group members were pleased with the information provided by Wheatley Group during the review and with the free access to staff at all levels. The thematic group was impressed at the commitment, passion and enthusiasm shown by staff, and in particular, commented that the local NETs staff they engaged with at the site visits, including concierge and arborists, had a real sense of pride in their work.

Wheatley Group would like to thank the Panel members for their time and commitment in undertaking this review. At Wheatley, we are always looking to work with customers to improve our services, and this review will help us do that. Members of the Scrutiny Panel, and other customers, will be involved in monitoring our progress in actioning solutions to the recommendations.

Interested in finding out more? You can read the full report here.

You can also hear what the customers had to say here in our short video.

The Panel is not currently recruiting for new members, however for further information, contact Morgan English by email at morgan.english@wheatley-group.com

Members of the thematic group identified repairs communication as an area for review and commenced its work in July 2023, with an initial planning meeting taking place and then a visit to the Customer First Centre in August 2023.

Following the review, the repairs thematic group worked with TPAS to develop a report with recommendations.  The group then met with staff to discuss their report and its findings, co-creating solutions to the recommendations.  Members of the group have attended Board meetings to discuss their experience with board members.  The group met with staff in June 2024 to discuss progress and review the improvements made/underway.

Find a summary of the report here or read the full report here.

You can also hear what customers had to say by watching the video below.