One of our valued PSP members is Aleks Ovcerenko, who joined the team a few months after becoming a Havebury tenant in 2019. “Throughout my life, I’ve always volunteered and taken part in events,” said Aleks, 37, who moved to Suffolk from his native Latvia 11 years ago. “The main reason for joining the panel was because I really like Bury St Edmunds. It’s such a nice place to live and we’ve got fantastic neighbours. It’s a very friendly community and I wanted to do something to help other people.”
Aleks, who is dad to four-year-old Milana, says he enjoys sharing his opinions as a tenant on the panel. “I look at things from a tenant
perspective,” he said. “My brother Dmitry is also a Havebury tenant so I can share his experiences too. It’s great that we can have our
voices heard.
“One interesting meeting was when we discussed Havebury News and social media; we talked about how we could involve tenants more and the kind of content we’d like to see. That was a really nice experience for me. “In another meeting, we discussed the tone of voice we thought should be used in communications from Havebury and the kind of language we prefer. I enjoy all the meetings.”
The future for Aleks
He added: “I’m now in the process of getting a role on the Operations Committee which will be the next step for me. I want to develop myself as well as help Havebury and represent tenants.”
Aleks says that joining one of our panels is something he would certainly recommend to others. “It’s doing something bigger than just
watching television in the evening,” he said. “Don’t be shy about giving your opinions; good ideas will always be listened to.”
He added: “It’s so interesting to see how much work goes on at Havebury – it’s not just that big building next to Asda. It’s a bunch of really good people who spend a lot of their own free time to help tenants.”
More about the Performance and Scrutiny Panel
The role of Havebury’s Performance and Scrutiny Panel (PSP) is to hold us to account for the performance and review areas of our work that matter most to tenants.
It’s a great opportunity to help improve services, learn new skills and gain understanding of the housing sector and the work Havebury does. The panel meets regularly to carry out scrutiny reviews and assess performance against targets they also help to set. Responsibilities include reviewing performance data, customer satisfaction information and feedback.
Members also liaise closely with other tenants, Havebury staff and contractors so that, where it is needed, they can make recommendations for future improvement. Some of the topics covered recently include anti-social behaviour, fire safety, and the new homes development programme.
If you are interested in becoming a PSP member, email performance@havebury.com.
