1. Money, Money, Money – The challenges of involving tenants in financial decision making Nina Langrish TPAS Cymru Francis Bevan Merthyr Valleys Homes

2. Austere budgets Welfare reforms – rental income Increased demand Affordable rents Calls for transparency and accountability Regulation framework Tenant Scrutiny ‘customer’ expectations Competition Landlords doing more ‘non housing’ initiatives Drivers for involving tenants in the financial aspects of the landlord’s works

3. Priorities take account of tenants views Improved services Improved tenant satisfaction Better Value for Money Openness and transparency in financial decisions Benefits

4. What do we mean by Participatory Budgeting? Participatory budgeting directly involves tenants in making decisions on the spending and priorities of the social landlord This means engaging tenants (and residents) to discuss and vote on spending priorities, make spending proposals, and vote on them, as well giving tenants a role in the scrutiny and monitoring of the process and results to inform subsequent PB decisions.

5. A look at how Merthry Valleys Homes has involved its tenants in financial decisions Francis Bevan

6. What are the key challenges in involving tenants in financial decisions? Small Group Exercise

7. Tenants should: be involved in prioritising resource allocation, shaping services, identifying areas for improvement and the redirection of savings make informed choices between costed service options within available resources what services are developed and to what standard, and (by implication) what does not get done Role of tenant

8. Tenants should: Monitor financial performance, using a range of performance and benchmarking data, and hold the social landlord to account be involved in discussing and setting budgets for all departments Role of tenant

9. Organisation-wide agreement and support Agree approach (use the pyramid of involvement) Recruit for specific skills Provide training for tenants who wish to be involved Participatory Budgeting exercises for all departments What Needs to be in place?

10. Group Exercise How are tenants involved in financial descions in your organisation?