The G15 Residents’ Group has responded to the National Housing Federation’s (NHF) Inclusive Leadership Challenge, calling for residents and people with lived experience of social housing to have a stronger voice in housing association leadership and governance.
The response welcomes the NHF’s commitment to improving diversity and inclusion across the sector, while highlighting the need to recognise lived experience alongside professional expertise and other forms of diversity.
In its submission, the Group said:
“Inclusive leadership will be strongest when residents are not simply consulted but are actively involved in governance, leadership and decision-making.”
The Group calls for housing associations to aim for at least two resident or lived experience board members, alongside stronger accountability to residents and greater recognition of resident leadership in equality, diversity and inclusion reporting.
It also highlights the importance of removing financial barriers to participation, providing better support for resident board members and using more accessible language across the sector.
The response stresses that meaningful inclusion depends on residents having opportunities to shape decisions at the highest levels of housing association leadership.