So much of what tenants tell us comes down to the relationship that they have with their landlord; a relationship characterised by honesty, trust, openness and good communication. Scrutiny should be valued and tenants should feel they are helping to make their landlord a better landlord.

This demands organisational commitment in the form of high-quality officer support and the embedding of scrutiny in formal governance structures. It also demands an organisational culture in which senior staff champion and respect the work of scrutineers.

We hope that this report provides principles and examples to support both the council and wider social housing sector to develop effective scrutiny mechanisms in the light of the Social Housing White Paper and new regulatory environment.