This blogpost was written by Mary, Chair of the Customer Scrutiny Panel

The Customer Scrutiny Panel (CuSP) has enjoyed another busy and productive few months. 

The scrutiny work that we did in August 2025 with Alliance’s Home Repair Service has resulted in Andy Williams, Service Direct for Property Operations, putting forward a draft project plan to involve customers and Alliance Homes colleagues in work to deliver our recommendations. Our recommendations focused on:

·         improving the repairs appointment system

·         providing clearer communication about any further works to be undertaken

·         and how better to maintain the condition of older homes.

In December 2025, CuSP came together with key service leads to better understand how Building Safety and Home Improvements fit into the Property Standard (that does not involve day to day repairs). This gave the Panel insight that there is crossover between processes in different teams and an indication that a panel-led inquiry session involving all these services would be useful.

So, in January 2026, we held an Appreciative Inquiry scrutiny session with Building Safety, Housing Repair Service and Assets teams. In scrutiny, an Appreciative Inquiry looks at areas of improvement through a positive lens to “discover, dream and design” recommendations for improvements.

This process helped the group to work through what Alliance already does well; dream of what an ideal future could look like, and finally, to recommend how that could be possible in managing the quality of Alliance’s homes. From this work, eight recommendations were created, which CuSP will consolidate down into clear recommendations for consideration and delivery for the teams involved.

The group has also drafted its first report for Alliance’s Board members. As Chair of CuSP, I will attend the February Board meeting to present the work we have undertaken and the progress we have made so far.

As well as all this hard work, in December, we joined other customers for a visit to Tyntesfield house and grounds, to see the Christmas decorations that Alliance Homes helped create, in collaboration with Super Culture and the National Trust. It was a fabulous experience and was greatly enjoyed by members who went along.

Mary Adams
Chair of CuSP