Influencing the system

Housing currently sits under the portfolio of a Cabinet Secretary (formerly a Minister), and they are supported by the civil service housing department.

Whilst the majority of collaboration we have is with the Housing Department, we also engage with other departments such as: Net Zero/Circular Economy, Communities, Equality, Education, Health and Local Government. When it comes to influence, The Cabinet Secretary takes a lot of advice from civil servants. TPAS Cymru engages with civil servants either directly, or via the opportunities we create for these colleagues to meet tenants and hear their views.

Through the relationships we have developed with civil servants, we have influenced legislation in Wales based on tenants’ views. In addition to TPAS Cymru hearing the tenant voice and taking that to influence Welsh Government, we create opportunities for tenants to meet and discuss issues with civil servants directly. We do this throughout the year, ensuring the tenant voice can reach Welsh Government and senior leaders.

White & Green consultation papers

When the Welsh Government issues consultation exercises, TPAS Cymru is committed to setting up briefing events and listening opportunities for tenants to understand the issues being discussed and provide their views. We take pride in facilitating these opportunities for tenant input.

Meeting The Cabinet Secretary

TPAS Cymru, along with other organisations, regularly collectively meets with the Cabinet Secretary to discuss specific policy matters. Such meetings create lots of debate and discussion, with TPAS Cymru always representing the voice of tenants and being requested to do so.

On occasion, TPAS Cymru will meet with the Cabinet Secretary on a one-to-one basis to discuss policy priorities such as rent settlement, regulation, and shared ownership. Some tenants want to meet the Cabinet Secretary. While we currently organise events where the Minister is present and delivers a speech, we are exploring new ways to facilitate more open and interactive discussions with tenants.

We regularly give written and oral evidence to formal Senedd committees - depending on what subjects are going through the Senedd each year or what evidence they are gathering – or where we are requested to provide the tenant voice. This helps shape politicians and policy makers thinking and influence legislation.

We have developed positive relationships with the Senedd committee staff and official clerks which has enabled us to arrange opportunities for tenants to meet with the Committees or the Committee staff when they have wanted tenant views on something being discussed in the Senedd. In more recent years, that has predominantly been within the private rental sector tenants due to specific legislation impacting them and the instance that they didn’t have other opportunities to have their voice be heard.