Each time we engage or consult, we record the feedback and share it with service managers to feed into improvement plans. Key themes and priorities are also shared with senior leaders, Customer Voice and Group Board so they can hear what our residents are telling us.
On this page you can read some of the feedback that we’ve received and how we’re responding to it. We update this page every three months, with outcomes from our most recent engagement activities.
For more information about our involvement activities, visit our main customer involvement pages.
Activities from July-September 2026
Customer Voice meeting – September 2026
Customer Voice met with members of Hyde’s Group Housing Services Committee – the most senior Committee overseeing housing services at Hyde. The purpose of the meeting was to strengthen relationships and create opportunities for collaboration.
The agenda included:
- Customer strategy development: shaping strategic priorities and looking at how we can improve opportunities for genuine and meaningful resident influence
- Trust, accountability and transparency: how we can build trust, improve on accountability and transparency, and the development of a new staff code of conduct
- Customer scrutiny: Looking to the year ahead and making sure that our scrutiny framework is effective and fit for purpose
- Improving and strengthening our approach to equality & diversity
Customer Voice and GHSC members developed a better understanding of the different perspectives each committee brings and agreed opportunities for collaboration. This ensures that communication and engagement between the two committees will be more effective in future, and that the views of residents continue to influence decision making at Hyde.
The two committees used the meeting to discuss their roles in governance, and to agree service improvement ambitions and strategic plans for customer influence.
The groups discussed the new draft Code of Conduct for staff, Board members and Involved residents, and agreed that it would be shared with all residents to improve transparency and accountability.
Homeowners Panel
In the last quarter we’ve focused on developing the homeownership group; to bring more homeowners into the group and make it more representative of our homes and communities. We held information sessions so homeowners can find out more and had 1-1 meetings with prospective new members.
We have now welcomed 6 new members onto the group which takes membership to 9 in total.
The new panel held its first formal meeting on 16 September. Terms of Reference were discussed and members identified priorities for the forward agenda, which include:
- Service charges, including clearer explanations of estimated and actual charges, affordability, sinking funds and value for money.
- Major works, including Section 20 communications.
- The homeowner journey, including clearer information and guidance on responsibilities and support for new homeowners or people buying from an existing owner.
A strong theme for the group to focus on is the need for clearer communication and greater understanding of how Hyde makes decisions, alongside how the Panel can work in partnership with Hyde to influence service improvements in homeownership services.
You’ll be able to keep updated about the work of the group via the Homeowners Panel webpage.
Parking services consultation
We used a range of evidence to understand residents’ experiences and how the parking service works in practice. This included:
- A resident and staff survey: 674 responses from residents and feedback from colleagues.
- A resident steering group: carried out interviews, reviewed findings and shaped recommendations.
- Resident interviews: to explore experiences in more detail.
- A review of enquiries, complaints and customer journeys.
- Benchmarking, policy review and Housing Ombudsman decisions: to identify learning for the service.
Residents shared a wide variety of feedback about the service. This included:
- Issues with communication and consultation, including residents not always being told or consulted about parking changes and receiving inconsistent advice.
- A lack of flexibility and accessibility in processes for carers, visitors and residents with different parking needs.
- Enforcement and appeals processes can feel stressful and may not always seem reasonable.
- It was not always clear how to get help or support.
As a result, we’re taking forward these improvements:
- A new process will be introduced for parking changes at existing and new sites, including resident consultation before changes go live.
- Parking information will be improved, so colleagues can give residents clearer and more consistent support.
- We’ll review the permit renewal process, including whether online resident permits need to expire and whether the same vehicle documents need to be provided again.
- Carer permit guidance will be improved, including how to apply, what evidence is needed and where to get help.
- Sites without visitor permits will be reviewed to check if changes can be made, or if the current approach is still right.
- A fairer and more accessible appeals process will be introduced, supported by monthly checks.
- Website information will be updated so residents know who to contact and what support is available from Hyde, our parking contractor UKCPM, and Sippi, the online permit system.
Communications consultation
248 residents responded to a survey included in our summer Involving You bulletin, and 9 joined follow up focus groups to share their views about different aspects of Hyde’s communications.
Residents told us about their preferences for communication methods, channels, frequency and content. They highlighted areas for improvement, which included:
- reliability and accountability in communication e.g. Hyde staff calling back and responding to emails when they say they will, and providing consistent information
- a more organised approach so residents know how we’re going to communicate and when
- for communication to be more relevant to where people live, their specific buildings and communities
- for Hyde communications to be clearer and more succinct, with less jargon and a kinder tone.
Hyde’s Communications Team is using the feedback to design a new approach to communications at Hyde. This will include:
- a new communications strategy to guide our approach
- more local and tailored communications
- a new standard to set the tone and style that Hyde communications should follow
- more guidance for teams sending out complex, technical or challenging information including complaints
- reviewing certain key communications with involved customers.
Trust and professionalism consultation
In our last ‘Involving You’ bulletin we invited residents to share their thoughts about trust and professionalism. 148 residents responded to the survey, and 3 joined a follow up focus groups to discuss the key themes of the findings in more detail.
Residents told us about what kinds of behaviours make them trust us more, and that they want to see from Hyde staff which included:
- reliability and accountability e.g. Hyde staff calling back and responding to emails when they say they will
- respecting residents as individuals, being empathetic and taking a person-centred approach to each issue and request
- taking resident feedback on board, listening and updating residents about how we’re going to use that feedback
- being more visible and accountable for our work, especially locally.
The feedback and insight from the survey and the focus group is being used to inform the following initiatives:
- A new code of conduct that will apply to all staff, contractors (TBC), board members and strategically involved residents. This is a draft version; you can read it here and provide comments to help us improve it further.
- Two new mandatory training courses are being developed. These cover:
- Being a Hyde housing professional - expected behaviours and conduct when talking to or engaging residents
- Improving our customers’ experience - why engaging residents in the right way is everyone’s role
- A new ‘Competence and Conduct’ policy has been drafted that explains how we will make sure staff are fully trained and competent for their roles. This was reviewed by members of our Customer Collective
- A new Customer Strategy is being developed, to create a more customer-focused service and culture at Hyde. Three of the main ‘pillars’ of this strategy will be communications, customer involvement and equality & diversity. This reflects the feedback we received about the importance of local, effective and consistent communication, more meaningful engagement and a more person-centred approach to how we treat and speak to our residents, regardless of their lifestyle, background or protected characteristic
- Finally, the results were discussed at an away day between Hyde’s Resident Board – Customer Voice – and the Group Housing Services Committee. This means that this feedback has been heard by some of the most senior representatives and decision-makers at Hyde.
Improving how we involve residents in choosing new suppliers or contracts
We were looking to design a new approach to scoring procurement tenders – an important part of choosing new suppliers or contractors. Where the service has an impact on residents, we want to involve residents in the process, but without them having to spend hours reading through detailed and complex tender packs.
Members of our Customer Collective were asked questions about what aspect of the tender information is most relevant to them when deciding who their favoured company is to provide a service.
24 members of the Customer Collective took part in the consultation, and each voted on their preferred question to be included in the tender process. They chose a question that asks the potential new supplier or contractor how they would plan and deliver works in a way that recognises the customer experience while still meeting statutory, regulatory and contractual obligations.
This means that more residents will be able to take part in choosing contractors, as the process will be quicker and more accessible. At the same time, suppliers will be required to answer a clear question that emphasises our expectation of them to deliver a customer-centred service.
LGBTQ+ housing pledge - pledge pioneer accreditation
We signed up to the LGBTQ+ Housing Pledge in 2025. The pledge was developed by HouseProud and is delivered by Stonewall Housing. It was created following research by the University of Surrey into the experiences of LGBTQ+ people living in social housing, which highlighted concerns about safety, exclusion and discrimination. It gives housing providers with clear steps to take to improve the experiences of LGBTQ+ people living in social housing.
Following Hyde’s evidence submission earlier this summer, Hyde has been awarded LGBTQ+ Housing Pledge Pioneer status until 2028.
The accreditation provides external recognition of Hyde’s commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion, demonstrating progress against the Housing Pledge and providing a platform for continued focus on inclusive services and customer involvement.
We’re now looking at how we can work towards the next level of accreditation, Pledge Plus. This means working more closely with customers on service improvement, holding a follow-up meeting with customers and allies about the Pioneer status and looking at where we can build more LGBTQ+ inclusion into future colleague training.
We’re keen to hear from LGBTQ+ customers and allies who want to help shape this future work and share their experiences with us. If you’d like to get involved, you can sign up to the resident group.