Linda has created a scrutiny discussion group on Linked in. This gives landlords and tenants the opportunity to discuss topics, make contacts and seek advice, without having to pay expensive membership fees.

You can join the Tenant Scrutiny Forum on Linked in (web address: www.linkedin.com) then click on Groups and enter Tenant Scrutiny Forum in the search facility at the top of the page.

Linda provides regular newsletters bringing you up to date with the latest in social housing regulation and good practices in tenant scrutiny.

If you would like a copy of the latest edition and if you want to join our circulation list (which includes over 150 landlords and tenants), please contact Linda at linda@lindalevin.co.uk

A friend of mine is involved in a fantastic initiative in Merseyside that helps homeless people to build skills and confidence through football. The initiative is called Liverpool Homeless Football Club.

In their words, "Football may be the focus but our ultimate goal is to promote inclusion, healthy living and providing help to re-build lives. The football is competitive but has a stronger emphasis on inclusion and encouraging fairplay, respect and team work."

Visit their website and find out more about LHFC's brilliant work and results. Link.

I am really looking forward to attending today's CIRCLE Group event for Customer Inspectors of six north west landlords.

The organisers have a packed programme covering local offers and annual reports. It's not the usual endless PowerPoint presentations! The topics are being covered using quiz style methods and towards the end of the day there is a live debate, along the lines of the debates we saw in the lead up to the last general election.

I am playing the role of a tenant scrutiny panel member and Phil Morgan has been invited to play the role of the 'regulator'. Promises to be a thought provoking day, with the opportunity for a lively debate!

About a year ago, the Tenant Services Authority invited landlords and tenants to apply to become co-regulatory champions. Over sixty applications were submitted and ten were chosen as champions for tenant scrutiny and empowerment. The ten champions are:

• Wirral Partnership Homes
• Soha
• Family HA
• AmicusHorizon
• Helena Partnerships
• New Charter Housing Group
• Salix Homes
• Wherry HA
• Riverside
• Community Gateway Housing

Each of the above organisations and their tenants has held a variety of events and other activities over the last year to pass on their experience and to inspire others to develop effective co-regulatory arrangements. I was delighted to speak at some of these events, most notably WPH's event, as I had had the pleasure of working with their Advisory and Scrutiny Panel in the early days and I helped them to complete their co-regulatory champion's application.

The Centre for Public Scrutiny, working closely with the ten co-regulatory champions, has now published a report setting out learning points, hints and tips about setting up and running effective tenant scrutiny arrangements. This is a very useful document which clearly spells out the benefits of co-regulation for tenants, landlords and Boards. The report and accompanying hints and tips document provide excellent examples of what tenant scrutiny can achieve and includes some really valuable learning points.

I had the pleasure of working with Jessica Crowe from Centre for Public Scrutiny, the co-regulatory champions and Yvonne Davies in gathering information for the report.

You can find the full report on Centre for Public Scrutiny’s website Link. (Type Co-regulatory Champions into the website’s search engine and it will take you to the report). A booklet setting out some of the key learning points is also available on the CfPS website. Again, use the search facility – type in co-regulatory champions and it will bring up a list of all of the documents associated with the research carried out.

Well done to Halton Housing Scrutiny Panel who completed their first scrutiny review. The panel, which was set up at the end of 2010, completed an intensive training programme before identifying repairs as their first major scrutiny topic.

An ambitious choice? Yes, but this panel is well organised and have an excellent understanding of scrutiny. I have worked with them from the time they were recruited, training and then mentoring them through their first review.

The panel members showed great promise from day one - the result of an effective recruitment process which made it clear what would be involved and how the panel would be supported, by the Trust as well as by me.

The excellent working relationships developed by the panel with all of the Trust's staff, senior managers and Board members, has greatly helped them to achieve amazing result. Just have a look at their first report which you can find on the Trust's website Link - it's a fantastic example of co-regulation at its best.

I have had a great time working with Cobalt Housing's Tenant Scrutiny Panel, training them to carry out a pilot scrutiny project. They completed their pilot at the end of last year and have presented it to Board. All of their recommendations have been accepted and Cobalt's officers are getting on with implementing the changes the Panel requested.

The Panel has not been resting on it's laurels! It is now moving onto the next scrutiny project and this week they have launched their own website, which they developed. Visit the site to see their first scrutiny report and to find out who is on the Panel. The website also includes a short film made by the Chair, Larry Shelbourne. Link

Another feature on the website is a 'quick question' facility, which seeks tenants' views about Cobalt's complaints process.

Well done, Cobalt Tenant's Scrutiny Panel!

The Government is expecting landlords to introduce a Tenant Cashback Scheme in consultation with their tenants from April 2012. The scheme will see tenants either carrying out or commissioning repairs to their homes and keeping any resultant savings.

Three landlords have been operating 'official' pilot schemes since April 2011; these are Home Group, Hastoe Housing Group and Green Vale Housing (part of Together Group). Other landlords such as Bromford and Wolverhampton Homes have been getting organised and have set up or are in the process of setting up Tenant Cashback schemes.

Are you ready for cashback?

At last, I have joined the fast moving world of social media! You can now follow me on Twitter...Link

As 2011 comes to a close, I am thinking about the tenant scrutiny panels and tenant inspectors I have worked with this year and the wonderful work they have produced.

Most of them were new to scrutiny, all took to it with breath taking enthusiasm and commitment.

Read on to find out more about just a few of the successes...

The Tenant Services Authority has released the awaited consultation paper about proposed revisions to the regulatory framework for social housing.

Full details can be found on the TSA's website Link

The deadline for responses is 10th February 2012, after which the TSA will publish a decision statement (March 2012) and the changes will be implemented on 1st April 2012.