Kingston council housing group gets lobbying (From Surrey Comet)

Kingston council housing group gets lobbying

1:40pm Friday 18th December 2009

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The organisation set up by residents to sort out Kingston’s crumbling council housing stock has taken its first step - employing a team of consultants to help them lobby Kingston Council.

Kingston Federation of Residents’ Associations (KingstonFed) believes experts from Open Communities will help it negotiate with Kingston Council and end years of bad blood.

Federation chairman Derrick Johnson said: “It will be a key factor in building stronger resident participation across Kingston, giving tenants far more influence in the discussions that will soon be taking place to resolve the borough’s growing housing problems.”

A spokesman for KingstonFed said: “It is no secret that relationships between council tenants and the council has been for many years very poor.

“Residents have felt decisions have been foisted on them. The experts will help us develop a more robust relationship with the council.”

Open Communities based in Liverpool said on its website it is an independent advice and training agency specialises in supporting tenants and landlords “through change”.

It will put more effort into focus groups finding out what tenants want and helping it draw up a residents’ agreement with the council on involving residents in decision making.

KingstonFed was set to publish deliver its first newsletter to Kingston’s 6,400 council tenants on Thursday, December 17.

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