Stafford and Rural Homes

February 14, 2007

The much-awaited Partnership Agreement between Stafford and Rural Homes and its tenants and Residents Federation was launched at a high profile event at The Rurals on Wednesday 14 February 2007.

Phil Morgan, Chief Executive of the national Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS), spoke at the event, along with Julie Fawcett, a tenant board member at the Housing Corporation.

Phil commented "TPAS's slogan is working in partnership and I'm pleased to see that principle being enacted today by Stafford and Rural Homes with their tenants. Tenants and staff have worked together to put shared objectives into a practical plan of action that supports diverse ways for tenants to get involved and ultimately drive up service delivery. I'm pleased to lend the support of TPAS to the launch of the Partnership Agreement."

The agreement, posted on the website and to be presented at all Tenant and Resident groups over the next few weeks, was written following months of hard work by a working group of residents and staff and approved at the meeting of the Tenants and Residents Federation in January 2007.

Hailing the agreement as a real step towards real partnership working, Pat Evans-Nixon, Chair of the Federation said “I am very pleased that we now have a firm base from which to develop our relationship with Stafford and Rural Homes for the good of our residents. This agreement is the way forward for our meaningful involvement in the design and delivery of services and I am confident that Stafford and Rural Homes is committed to it.”

Karen Armitage, Chief Executive of Stafford and Rural Homes added “This is our commitment to partnership with our tenants and residents.  The Partnership Agreement is now a reality after a lot of hard work by residents and staff. This is a real achievement for us as part of our drive to fully involve our customers in delivering a Three Star Excellent service. We look forward to working with the Tenants and Residents Federation and see it firmly established as a truly representative organisation.”