Dudley Council is planning to withdraw funding from a group that represents thousands of tenants in the borough. The Dudley Federation of Tenants and Residents Association (DfTRA) currently receives a grant of £40,000 per year, but the council's director of housing has recommended that the payment cease at the end of the current financial year.
Documents seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service reveal that, following a review, the council concluded that DfTRA does not deliver the outcomes required by new regulatory standards. The decision, if approved, would end a funding relationship that has existed for decades, though it would not prevent DfTRA volunteers from continuing their activities.
Council says funding does not deliver required outcomes
Kathy Jones, Dudley group director of housing and assets, explained the rationale behind the recommendation. She said: "The council has reviewed its current arrangements for engaging tenants as part of the wider ongoing work to ensure compliance with each of the Regulatory Standards set out by the Regulator of Social Housing (RoSH)."
She added: "To be clear this recommendation is a funding recommendation only, having identified that the service level agreement (SLA) with DfTRA does not deliver the required outcomes to support with regulatory compliance and, as such, does not demonstrate value for money when considering appropriate use of our tenant's money."
Ms Jones stressed that the funding decision would not prevent DfTRA volunteers from continuing to operate, nor does it impact directly on any individual tenants and residents associations in the borough.
Tenants' group chair calls decision 'appalling'
DfTRA was established in 1991 and supports individual tenants as well as 13 tenants and residents associations. Its work includes engagement with the council, providing advice and guidance for groups, small discretionary grants, lobbying for improvements and resolving issues. The council funding pays for an administrator for DfTRA and covers expenses such as insurance and compliance with data protection regulations.
Martin Smith, chairperson of DfTRA, strongly criticised the proposal. He said: "It is appalling the way we have been treated, nobody has ever challenged the SLA and said it doesn't work, but now apparently it's not working and we are not meeting regulations."
He added: "It's not our job to meet the regulations, that's them as in housing standards and things of that sort, it's not Dudley federation's job to meet the regulations. The question needs to be asked, what are you replacing this with? If you talk to your councillors they cannot tell you what is going to replace it."
Political opposition grows over funding cut
The decision has yet to be approved by the council's political leadership, but opposition is already building. Cllr Ryan Priest, leader of Dudley's Liberal Democrats, said: "This is a short-sighted decision and tenants deserve far more honesty about what is really happening."
He cited an example from his own ward: "In Wollescote I have seen our local TRA work proactively with the council to get things done and host regular events for young people. They deliver real community value that doesn't show up on council spreadsheets."
Cllr Priest called for scrutiny of the decision: "We are calling on the Chair of the Housing and Assets Scrutiny Committee to bring this decision to his committee and allow for a debate rather than a rubber stamp."
Ms Jones responded to concerns about tenant engagement: "The council absolutely values the time and commitment of our tenants and volunteers, and the ongoing work to widen opportunities to get involved is designed to ensure that we hear tenant voice in breadth and depth and that this informs our service development and delivery."
Mr Smith warned of the consequences if the funding is withdrawn: "If they are going to take the money away from us and something is going to replace it, they don't know at this stage what that is. I think the tenants' voice is going to be gone."
