INDEPENDENT TENANT ADVICE

Wythenshawe Community Housing Group (WCHG)

Independent advice for WCHG tenants, leaseholders and residents affected by the proposed regeneration of Tenterden Walk, Henfield Walk, Edwards Court, Birch Tree Court and Frank Price Court.

Hello and welcome to the Tpas Independent Tenant and Resident Advisor service for Wythenshawe Community Housing Group (WCHG) tenants and residents.

Our aim is to provide independent advice for all residents who may be affected by the proposals for the regeneration of Tenterden Walk, Henfield Walk, Edwards Court, Birch Tree Court and Frank Price Court. We recognise that people will have questions about these proposals, and we are here to help.

What is an ITA, what do we do, and why have one for Wythenshawe residents?

ITA stands for Independent Tenants' Advisor, but we advise all residents who are WCHG customers, which includes leaseholders (people who may have bought their own flat). An ITA provides independent advice to tenants and leaseholders who could be significantly affected by housing proposals on their estate or building.

In this case, WCHG are considering what to do about the regeneration of Tenterden Walk, Henfield Walk, Edwards Court, Birch Court and Frank Price Court. They are currently looking at options, but this could include major refurbishment or demolition. We understand that all residents of these buildings have been informed about these plans, and will be consulted on them over the next few months by WCHG.

It is seen as good practice in projects like this for the landlord to appoint an Independent Advisor, so that affected residents have somebody to talk to, other than their landlord, about the project. This gives residents someone to discuss their concerns with and to ask questions.

Tpas is a national organisation with over 35 years of experience providing independent advice on these kinds of projects. Tpas is a not-for-profit organisation, set up to support and improve resident consultation and engagement in social housing. Our team on this project are experienced housing professionals who have worked on many similar regeneration projects.

What will Tpas be doing on this project?

We are here to give advice and support to any affected WCHG resident who needs it, and to work with WCHG to make sure that consultation with residents is clear and accessible. This means:

• Giving advice to all affected residents individually on what the proposals may mean for them, what their rights are, what compensation they may get, and how the consultation process may work. We will also answer any questions you have and help you raise issues with WCHG if you think this would be helpful. Anything you discuss with us about your housing or circumstances is treated as confidential, and we will only discuss individual issues with WCHG if we have your permission.
• Advising and supporting your resident representatives when they discuss the redevelopment proposals with WCHG.
• Attending any consultation events that WCHG or other organisations are running for residents, so that people can talk to us there. We will also aim to run drop-in sessions on the estate so that people can come in for a chat.
• Working with your resident representatives to make sure that all the information given to affected residents is accessible, accurate, easy to understand, and covers everything it should.

What does this mean in practice?

• If you want to contact us, you can call our freephone number or email us. You can also leave a message on this website, or tell a member of staff at WCHG that you would like to speak to us, and we will get in touch.
• When residents first get in touch, we usually call them in the first instance. If you prefer, we can visit you at home, meet at the WCHG offices, or meet somewhere else on the estate, such as a Costa coffee or another convenient venue. We are also happy to meet by computer or phone using Zoom or a similar platform.
• If you call our freephone number during the day, one of our team will take your details and arrange to talk or meet with you. If you call in the evening or at the weekend, please leave a message with your name and number. You can also email us. We aim to respond the next working day.
• You will likely see us on the estate, knocking on doors to gather people's views or visiting them at home. We will be wearing name badges, so please stop and speak to us if you have any questions.
• You will see us at any WCHG consultation events on the estate, and we will occasionally run our own meetings or drop-in sessions.
• If you decide to get involved in more in-depth consultation with WCHG, through a residents' group or something similar, you will see us at those meetings too, along with the other support work we do with resident representatives.
• You will also see updates from us in the newsletters and social media channels normally used on the estate by WCHG.
• We will be posting regular information and briefings on this website, so please do check back for these.

How can you get in touch with us?

You can get in touch with us in the following ways:

We will be posting information about the project, answers to the questions residents ask us most often, and other useful information we think people may wish to know. We will also share how you can get involved in consultation activities.

If you see us out and about on the estate or at an event, just say hello. We will be happy to talk to you. So please do contact us if you want to discuss anything at all. We are here to help.