Housing Matters Magazine

We asked tenants and leaseholders who receive Housing Matters about their views on the magazine. We wanted to understand how many people read the magazine and find the content useful, as well as people’s views on its frequency and length.

We also asked residents their views on what topics are of interest to them and what methods of communication do they prefer when getting information and news from the Council.

The survey closed on 15 May 2022 and we received 360 responses.

Housing Matters magazine

•         Nine out of every ten read Housing Matters; nearly three-fifths read it thoroughly.

•         85 per cent of people said the length was just right and 63 per cent said the frequency was just right.

•         73 per cent of people said the content of the magazine was useful and relevant to them.

•         A fifth of people said they would prefer to receive Housing Matters digitally with two-thirds of those individuals indicating they would prefer this to be in a e-newsletter format delivered straight to their email inbox.

Sources of information and communication methods

•         Aside from Housing Matters, the top channel (20 per cent) used by residents as another source of information for news and information relating to Council housing was the internet.

•         Letter was the most popular option (64 per cent) that residents chose that they would prefer the Council’s Housing Management Team to use to communicate to them.

•         Just under half (45 per cent) would prefer email.

Topics of interest

•         Two-thirds of respondents agreed the Council is good at keeping them informed about things that may affect them.

•         The most popular topics that residents said they wanted to hear more about included major works and repairs, fire safety, local community events and services, and public health.

We found the results of this survey encouraging and were glad to see that many of those who responded had positive comments about the magazine and its content. There were some recurring themes in the responses, so we will:

•         Ensure each edition of the magazine has an overarching theme with articles included that focus specifically on topics of interest indicated by residents in the survey.

•         Keep distributing the paper magazine to households but make it easier for residents to opt out of receiving it to show we are listening to people’s concerns about cost and the environment.

•         Ensure there is a way for residents to obtain news and information about their homes, estates, and local area, online.

•         Discuss any potential delivery issues with our distribution team to explore why some residents reported not receiving the newsletter.

•         Take action to make the magazine more accessible for residents with specific needs such as partial sight and learning disabilities, and residents who don’t have English as their first language.

•         Moving forward, ensure the magazine has updates relevant to leaseholders as well as tenants as leaseholders reported being less engaged with the magazine.