The Service Charge Panel is a customer panel dedicated to improving the customer experience and overall performance of Riverside service charge service.

The group purpose is to:

• Support Riverside to ensure service charges are reasonable, fair and transparent
• Monitor affordability of service charges
• Analyse and monitor national variation of service charges
• Support Riverside to continually improve its service to customers who make a service charge enquiry, by offering quality assurance feedback and scrutiny on Riverside’s
  responses to improve customer satisfaction.
• Undertake periodic reviews of the customer journey and highlight improvement
  actions
• Scrutinise performance against the relevant service charge sections of the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard and Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 and provide validation on the organisation self-assessment.
• Monitor compliance with the Housing Ombudsman Service code of practice in relation to service charge complaints and that core lessons from spotlight reports have been implemented.
• Support with co-creating policies, procedures and communications that will enhance the customer experience.

The group will aim to have up to twelve members and will aim to be representative of Riverside’s customer base in terms of geography, diversity and tenure.

One membership space will be reserved for a customer member of Customer Experience Committee and one further for a member of TRIP. Two spaces will be reserved for members of the Homeownership Group.

Members must be customers* of Riverside; although members have discretion to co-opt an independent member to bolster specialist knowledge, if required.

Membership will be for a two-year term with the option of a second one-year term, subject to a successful end of term membership review with the Customer Engagement team and, where appropriate, Service Charge Panel Chair.

Membership will be via a selection process of application and interview, co-designed by customers and managed by Riverside.

Membership will potentially be forfeited if two formal meetings are missed during the annual year, without offering apologies, subject to individual circumstances and review.

A quorum shall consist of a minimum of four members, including either the Chair or a nominated Vice Chair.

6 formal meetings per year (Mixed economy Teams/Face to Face – Location of face-to-face meetings will vary, taking into consideration geography and location of customer representatives).

Ad hoc meetings outside of the formal meetings may need to be added based on current priorities and projects, which members are encouraged to attend.

The Service Charge Panel is a resident-led group that offers the resident or customer perspective on Riverside’s service charge processes, offers improvement solutions and holds us to account for better performance. The Service Charge Panel will:

• recommend service improvements that improve the customer experience of the service charge processes
• review and monitor the Tenant Satisfaction Measures relating to services offering value for money
• advise on and support customer consultation on policies and procedures relating to service charges
• monitor and challenge relevant performance information
• ensure Ombudsman core lessons from Spotlight reports and recommendations have been implemented and that customers are satisfied with the outcomes
• review and analyse variations of service charge and affordability trends in service area, demographics and geography, reporting customer priorities to TRIP and other Panels, where relevant
• contribute to service reviews, improvement plans, and resident communications including S20, providing lived-experience insight into projects and programmes impacting customers
• review service charges across contracts for fairness and equity
• periodically undertake quality assurance exercises to ensure accuracy of service charges and sinking funds
• review service charge enquiry, S21 and S22 (Landlord and Tenant Act 1985) journeys and responses for quality assurance purposes and recommend and track improvements from lessons learned
• support training of Property Managers and relevant staff in identification and communication of service chargeable items and monitor processes
• be involved in procurement of service chargeable services to prioritise value for money
• communicate with the engagement groups within the Customer Influence and Accountability Framework and receive engaged customer feedback via reports from the Scrutiny Group, Accessibility Group, Customer Communications Group and
  Homeownership Group when relevant to service charges
• seek feedback from local engagement structures on shared space service scrutiny and trigger a national scrutiny of recurring issues across different geographical areas
• maintain open dialogue and two-way communication throughout the Customer Influence & Accountability Framework to gather insights and reports relevant to the
  service charge service to influence improvement plans.
• Work closely with the Repairs Panel and Complaints Panel to ensure joined up priorities

The Service Charge Panel plays a crucial role by incorporating lived experiences into influencing and providing quality assurance in relation to Riverside’s service charge service.

The Service Charge Panel will provide a report to the Tenant and Resident Influence Partnership (TRIP) on key highlights, findings and escalations from the Customer Influence and Accountability Framework, aligning to the Assure, Advise and Alert reporting framework.

This information will form part of TRIP’s reporting to Committees and Group Board.

A senior member (Head/Director/Chief Officer) of the Service Charge service will attend the Service Charge Panel as a regular member. Riverside staff from Complaints, Customer Service, Asset Service, Building Safety and Housing Services (others as necessary) will be requested to attend the Service Charge Panel as required, dependent on current priorities.

All Panel members are expected to adhere to Riverside’s Code of Conduct, which promotes respectful behaviour, confidentiality, and safeguarding.

Members must treat each other, staff, and guests with dignity and respect, and contribute to a safe and inclusive environment.

Breaches of the Code of Conduct may result in a review of membership, with outcomes determined by the Customer Engagement Team in consultation with relevant stakeholders.

New members will receive a structured induction by the Customer Engagement Team to support their understanding of Riverside’s Care and Support services, the Customer Influence and Accountability Framework, and their role within the Panel.

Ongoing training and development opportunities will be provided to ensure members are equipped to contribute effectively, including access to relevant resources, briefings, and mentoring where appropriate.

The Customer Engagement Team will provide administrative support to the group.

These terms of reference will be reviewed annually by the Customer Engagement team and every three years by the Customer Experience Committee.