How to get involved

The Resident Scrutiny Group is a group of council tenants and leaseholders.

The scrutiny group takes a close look at individual topics called 'reviews' and makes recommendations to us for improvements.

Each review involves attending three or four meetings to research our policies and procedures, and to hear directly from staff through presentations and meetings. You’ll then get the opportunity to put together recommendations to improve the service based on what you’ve found.

If you'd like to be involved, you can register your interest using the form below.

• Find out more about the Resident Scrutiny Group
• Register your interest (opens in new tab)

The Dover District Tenants' Consultative Group (DDTCG) is a group of council tenants and leaseholders.

They are a non-political group who represent the views and interests of tenants and leaseholders across the district. They are independent, however they work closely with us as a consultative body to resolve issues and recommend improvements to the service.

• Find out more about the Dover District Tenants' Consultative Group

Focus groups are small groups of tenants who meet with housing staff for a short series of sessions to help achieve a specific outcome or goal.

Focus groups:

• help make a difference and improve the housing service
• build connections by allowing you to get to know us better
• are an easy commitment as you only need to commit to a short number of sessions
• boost your CV as you'll use and prove your skills in listening, finding problems and coming up with solutions.

Tenants have already played a vital role in our previous focus groups.

In the Resident Engagement Strategy Focus Group, tenants helped shape our new engagement strategy by exploring best practice, identifying barriers to involvement and advising on how we could improve the service. All actions were agreed with tenants and the final strategy went to Cabinet for approval.

In the Repairs Focus Group, tenants had their say on the details of the updated repairs contract and decided what should be included and why. They also were on the procurement panel, scoring the applicants and helping decide the outcome.

Upcoming opportunities

We are looking for residents who are interested in joining the Cleaning Contract Focus Group, which will play an important part in helping shape the new Cleaning Contract.

• Register your interest in the Cleaning Contract Focus Group (opens in new tab)

To find out more information, please contact the strategic housing team at tenantinvolvement@dover.gov.uk.

Through regular surveys, tenants have helped us understand what’s working, what needs improving and where we should focus our efforts.

We’ve carried out surveys on:

• tenant satisfaction (our annual tenant survey)
• local housing need
• transactional surveys (including lettings and antisocial behaviour)
• estate conditions

These surveys have directly influenced:

• updates to the Tenancy Agreement
• improvements to the repairs contract
• development of new policies (for example tenancy strategy, anti-social behaviour, domestic abuse)

We’ve also used survey results to create action plans, compare our performance with other councils, and ensure your voice is reflected in everything we do.

• Read our annual Tenant Satisfaction Survey results

We regularly run consultations to make sure our housing service reflects the needs and priorities of our tenants.

Whether we’re planning improvements, updating policies or exploring new ways of working, your feedback helps shape the decisions that affect your home and community.

Get involved in our current consultations and help us build better housing services for everyone.

• Have your say
• See the results of our consultation on proposed changes to the housing management team

Estate walkabouts are regular visits to your area where we meet with tenants to review the condition of the estate, identify any issues and discuss potential improvements.

Walkabouts are community events designed to build our relationships with tenants, communities, councillors and contractors, providing an opportunity to see how our estates can be improved.

• Find out when we're next visiting your estate

We are holding biannual meetings specifically designed for our leaseholders to be able to discuss topics of their choice.

Our first meeting will be held on Tuesday 23 June 2026 between 1pm - 3pm, at the council offices in Whitfield, Dover. You can join via Microsoft Teams or in person.

• Find out more about the Leaseholder Forum and how to attend

We’re inviting our tenants to become ‘Armchair Assistants’ to help shape the services we provide.

As an Armchair Assistant, you’ll complete short surveys to share your thoughts on what’s working well and where we can improve. Your feedback will play an important role in helping us deliver better services for everyone.

If you’d like to take part, sign up using the form below.

• Sign up as an Armchair Assistant (opens in new tab)