TPAS eNetwork

In August the Prime Minister said that tenants should no longer have a tenancy for life. He said that tenancies perhaps should be limited to a “5 or 10 year period.”

TPAS does not believe that there is any evidence that reducing the right of new tenants to reside in a social housing property will address the challenge of workless households or increase the mobility of social housing tenants.

It’s useful to remind ourselves what Professor Hills said about security of tenure in the report ‘Ends and Means: The future roles of social housing in England’ :

“A threat to the security of tenure of existing tenants who have taken it for granted would be controversial, to say the least. It would also have some side-effects which could reinforce some of the key problems described are:

• The threat that a tenancy might end, or rent increase, if someone’s circumstances improved would be an unhelpful disincentive to moves towards economic independence (or at least to what was reported at the time of each review).
• If tenants who become better-off lose their right to a tenancy and have to move, the system could institutionalise polarisation.
• If the level of rental income depends on their tenants’ future incomes, landlords’ future finances become correspondingly uncertain, making it harder for them to borrow.

Unless parallel pressures were put on owner-occupiers who “under-occupy” property (such as through more steeply graduated council tax between bands or other charges that made occupying larger property more expensive), it would seem strange in equity terms to be concentrating on the relatively small number of social tenants with larger amounts of space, particularly as it is the owners who have benefited from the increases in value that housing market pressures have created.”

According to Inside Housing on the 24th September, the Government is considering a compromise on security of tenure.  They may allow different Local Authorities to offer different levels of security of tenure. So one council could offer secure tenancies the one next door could do something different. 

• TPAS is seeking the views of tenants and housing staff on security of tenure. Do you support security of tenure or do you think that there is a better approach?
• Should all tenancies for tenants, housing association, council or private sector tenancies be the same?

Nigel Long
TPAS Head of Policy.

A new dawn in tenant empowerment!

That was the slogan of the recent TPAS National Conference 2010, so…

How can TPAS eNetwork help empower tenants and residents?

Last weekend at the TPAS Conference, Dane and Christine from Make It Happen (TPAS’s e-learning partners) delivered two workshops to introduce TPAS eNetwork, the new social network for TPAS members, and to discuss how social networking on the internet can help empower communities. One of the main reasons for doing the workshops was to find out from TPAS members how they might want to use TPAS eNetwork and what features they’d like to see. Here are some of the ideas that came up – feel free to add more in the comments:

Some uses for TPAS eNetwork

• Good for tackling social isolation
• Good for connecting with young people
• Use it to address both providers and tenants
• Use photo & video evidence to ‘name & shame’ providers
• Put paperwork online instead – but think about security
• Slogan: ‘inclusive not exclusive’
• Useful for community cohesion
• Address disability access issues
• Buddy system
• Silver surfers
• Intergenerational – young and older users offering mutual help – e.g. adopt a granny/grandad
• Self-moderating groups will develop with tenant involvement in the TPAS eNetwork
• Make sample policies available for others to use/adapt to avoid ‘reinventing the wheel’

Features wish list

• Jargon buster
• Links to BBC security site/info, e.g. Staying Safe, and CEOP
• Web page (form) to assess users’ skill levels (computer/internet literacy)
• Functionality for iPhones & mobiles
• Make it clear: What’s private? What’s public?
• Site user policy – code of conduct
• Facebook plugin? – a possible future development?
• Creative commons – using copyright-free/open media – e.g. photos on Flickr
• What about Twitter feeds – tweeting?
• Linkedin network?
• Link to FixMyStreet.com – highlight this online service
• Link to TPAS Flickr group (plugin feeds from… install widget?)
• Link to TPAS YouTube channel (plugin feeds from… install widget?)
• Linking to many other relevant sites & organisations is very important
• Web conferencing – a future development
• Highlight useful web conferencing services/tools:
  • Skype
  • dimdim
  • Flash Meeting (online video conferencing), part of LearningSpace from the Open University
  • Moodle & TPAS e-learning

Other issues

• Training for newbies – face 2 face & online – e.g. BBC raw: Introducing the internet and BBC Webwise Guides
• How to involve those without computers?
• Moderating online conversations – how will this work?
• Open to non-members?
• Promote security of TPAS eNetwork site (i.e. compared to other big social networks which would be more attractive to hackers and scams)
• Change word ‘subscribe’ in TPAS eNetwork theme – implies payment required?

Thanks to TPAS e-learning @mbassadors for helping to facilitate the workshop and their great contributions to the lively discussions.

Anymore ideas?

Add them to the comments below…

Spent the morning at the e-learning workshop with Nigel, I learnt a lot more about how the e-learning will be introduced “LIVE” in October, and that lots more courses are in the pipeline. Delegates present had different levels of IT Skills, but even those with little experience are keen to learn to enhance their knowledge to help others.
As an @ambassodor, it was great to me tenants from all over the country,and discuss their involvement, and how they see the future. Networking is one of the best parts of the Conference.
I met Kevin Kay and his wife today who was on one of the pilot courses, we have been exchanging ideas and info by e-mail since the training. I haven’t managed to have lunch or breakfast with any @mbassadors today, when you enter the dining room it is a “Sea of Faces”, with over 800 delegates it is like finding a “Goldfish in a lake”
Looking forward to seeing you all at the Presentation dinner tonight

Well today has been a great mix of learning and networking and spreading the word about e-learning and the social networking site.  I’ve really enjoyed talking to people from so many different areas of the country. It’s really good to find out that we have many things in common  yet are living in such diverse locations from the busy inner city to the isolated rural out reaches. It feels to me that we  all want to improve the lot of tenants/residents and are all wanting to be involved in creating a service that reflects that.

TPAS e-learning @mbassadors Liz and Howard, at work on the TPAS e-learning exhibition stand at the end of a long first day at the TPAS National conference.

…and it’s of to work we go!!!!
What will our first real day as e-learning @mbassadors here at the 2010 TPAS conference bring? It will be really good to talk to people and spread the word on what e-learning and on-line communities are all about.

I am such a lucky girl……not only did I just spend a great evening with really nice people but I won a prize on the bingo at the end of the evening!!!!

I’m still in shock….I don’t normally win anything, a cliché I know but true for so many of us! I had to get up and be presented in front of all the other delegates by the time i got back I was shaking!!!

Winning a prize has I have to say put the icing on the cake for this conference for me…. now it’s down to the real work and letting as many people as possible know how great e-learning is and how social media in general can help us all to create sustainable, meaningful communities that can help reach those who feel left out and isolated

It’s great to be here in Birmingham.

So far I’ve met 2 other e-learning @mbassadors and am looking forward to meeting everyone else at dinner in a a little while.

The opening session and the keynote speakers were  relevant to current climate in social housing. They all spoke about the importance of giving tenants the tools to feel enpowered and I  think that social media is a great tool in that process!

Just arrived at the Hilton International Hotel after a good journey from Leeds and it was nice to find that the registration process and allocation of my room was quick and easy.

Have got settled into my room now, and plan to have a wander round to get my bearings and to see if I can find anyone I have met in previous years.

Really looking forward to meeting with my fellow ambassadors tonight at dinner, so we can get to know each other in a social setting and share our experiences of E-learning over a glass or two of wine…. Equally excited at the thought of being able to share those experiences tomorrow with others at the workshops and the E-Learning stand.

The TPAS Annual Conference is finally upon us!

Months and months of preparation are finally reaching their ultimate conclusion in what we hope will be an exciting and inspiring weekend for all attending.

One of the key themes for this year’s conference is ‘New Technologies’ and with this is mind we will be unleashing two exciting new websites. The first one is this, the TPAS E-Network. Our aspiration is that this will grow to become the leading portal for social housing tenants from all over England to communicate and discuss existing and emerging housing issues and policy. There are special interest forums where you can participate in housing debates and provide your own views on the issues affecting you. Our E-Network is secure and will be peer-moderated by specially trained tenants. In addition, our E-Learning @mbassadors will be ‘blogging’ on this site over the weekend about their conference experiences, so be sure to check back often.

On the subject of E-Learning, our pilot stage is now complete.  To say that we are delighted with the way things have gone would be somewhat of an understatement.  We think you’ll really enjoy our E-Learning courses and find them accessible, friendly, challenging and a great way to learn, especially if you find attending regular face-to-face courses difficult or impractical.

There are some workshops and an exhibition stand for TPAS E-Learning, so please stop by and say hello. Why not visit the website at TPAS E-Learning and have a look for yourself?

Our TPAS E-Learning @mbassadors are tenants who have already participated in our courses (including a special one to help them use social media) and will continue to work with us to make sure that tenants are at the heart of TPAS innovation.

There is a YouTube video at the bottom of this post that you might like to watch.  TPAS interviewed some tenants (many of whom are now @mbassadors) who took part in our E-Learning courses and asked them how they felt about their E-Learning experience.

Enjoy the videos and, on behalf of everyone here at TPAS, have a fantastic conference.

Nigel.