How to take part and have your say about housing services

As a tenant, leaseholder, or shared owner with Oxford City Council, you have first-hand experience of living in our homes and using the housing services we provide. We want those services to be the best they can be, and your voice is essential in making that happen.

We need you to influence our decision making to improve the quality of the services you receive. We listen to you to understand what’s working well, what could be better, and your ideas for change.

By sharing your voice, you help us:

• improve the resident experience of our housing services
• make better decisions about your homes, communities and neighbourhoods
• shape policies to reflect the priorities of our diverse and vibrant community

Resident-led impact

Here's how we show that we involve and listen to residents:

• Our You Said, We Did reports show how resident feedback is changing the services you receive
• Your feedback from Tenant Satisfaction Measures helps identify priorities, improve services and strengthen resident influence
• The Tenant and Leaseholder annual report explains how Oxford City Council is performing as a landlord, what we have done to improve housing services, and how resident feedback has helped shape our work.

Choose how you want to get involved

We understand that everyone’s availability and interests are different. That’s why we offer flexible opportunities so you can take part at your own pace, in ways that match what matters most to you.

Most of our resident involvement work takes place online, by email, or via Microsoft Teams. We are developing more in-person opportunities in local community venues for the future.

Choose an option that suits your interests, the time you have available and how involved you would like to be. 

• Surveys and consultations: Share your views on housing services through short, surveys and questionnaires.
• Focus groups: Take part in one-off discussions that help shape specific services and decision-making.
• Estate walkabouts: Join visits to your neighbourhood to identify issues and suggest improvements.
• Community-based events: Come along to local community venues to talk with us, share your views, find out how your feedback helps and see what we do next.
• Digital and online engagement: Give feedback in a way that suits you through online meetings and digital channels.
• Task and finish projects: Work with us over a short period to help design and improve services, information, and resident experiences.
• Service oversight groups: Work with us over a longer period to scrutinise our performance and hold us to account.
• Policy and strategy review: Help review housing policies and strategies so they reflect real resident priorities.
• Local area and neighbourhood projects: Get involved in projects that focus on your local area, homes and neighborhoods.
• Resident-led board: Work with us to review housing services and influence decisions at the highest level within the Council.

Whether you want to share occasional feedback or be deeply involved, our team will support you every step of the way with all the guidance and training you need.

Current resident groups

• The Building Safety and Compliance Group helps us to review building safety and improve how we share safety information about your homes. 
• The Complaints panel helps us to improve how we handle complaints and use feedback to improve our service.
• The Policy Review Group helps review housing policies and procedures before they are finalised. This helps make sure policies are clearer, fairer and reflect resident priorities.
• The Resident Repairs Scrutiny Group gives tenants and leaseholders a direct role in reviewing performance and feedback, and shaping future repair priorities.
• The Tenant and Leaseholder Board reviews housing service updates and performance information to make sure views of tenants and leaseholders are heard in high-level decision making.