What is the Resident Scrutiny group?
The Resident Scrutiny Group reviews the services delivered by Abri.
They make sure we’re doing everything we should be. This includes monitoring our performance and decision-making process. They also use their findings to make recommendations for improvements and to provide support where it’s needed. The group follow the progress of changes and improvements through regular follow up reviews.
The Scrutiny Group is made up of Abri residents and is led by Andy Frost, who was appointed as Independent Chair of Scrutiny in October 2023.
How does it work?
There is a direct link between the Scrutiny Group and the Board
The work of the Group is vital and to ensure this is recognised by the organisation, the Chair is a co-opted member of the Audit and Risk Committee and the Customer Service and Performance Committee. This ensures there is a direct link between the Board and the Scrutiny Group which is further strengthened by twice yearly Co-Regulation events. This is when members of the Scrutiny Group are invited to meet with the Board and Executive Team and challenge them and hold them to account for the decisions made during that year.
Who are we?
We’re a dedicated group of residents who volunteer our time to ensure Abri’s services and policies meet the needs and expectations of our communities and residents. As residents, shared owners, and leaseholders ourselves, we bring firsthand experience and insight into how services impact daily life.
Coming from diverse backgrounds and varying walks of life enables us to offer views from different angles on how Abri can improve or maintain the services and conditions we all deserve within our homes.
We’re committed to ensuring the voice of residents is heard and understood - helping to influence and enhance the life of all residents in communities large and small. We want all residents to be proud of living in a safe, secure Abri home.
Our Purpose
Working independently and collaboratively, we scrutinise performance, policies and practices to promote transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement within Abri.
Our aim is to act as a constructive voice for residents, helping to better shape outcomes and drive forward positive change. We focus on the issues that matter most to residents - using evidence, lived experiences and service data to inform our work.
Our Values
We are:
- passionate - we always want to grow and evolve to carry out our role to the highest possible standard for both residents and our communities
- resident-led - our priorities are shaped by our residents
- independent - we challenge constructively and act without bias
- inclusive - we represent the diverse communities we live in
- transparent - we share our findings and decisions openly
- solution-focused - we aim to bring real, lasting improvements
What do we do?
- Work together to help improve the services that affect our homes and communities.
- Carry out in-depth, independent reviews of how Abri is performing.
- Gather a wide range of evidence - including resident feedback, data, and staff input - to understand what’s working and what needs improvement.
- Make clear, practical recommendations based on what we’ve found, aiming to improve service quality and home standard for all residents.
- Ensure the real voices and experiences of residents are central to decision making.
- Monitor how Abri responds to our recommendations and track progress on the agreed actions.
- Hold the organisation to account by following up on commitments and challenging where necessary.
- Ensure residents are not just listened to but actively involved in shaping services and influencing policies.
Our Impact
We help to create real, positive change for residents and communities. Through our reviews and recommendations, we’ve helped to improve the way services are delivered, from communication and repairs to resident involvement, and beyond.
The work we do is based on lived experience and solid evidence, meaning our input leads to practical changes that matter to people’s day-to-day lives.
We’ve strengthened the link between residents and Abri, ensuring accountability is more than a promise - it’s something that can be seen in action. By holding the organisation to account, we ensure that progress isn’t just talked about, but happens.
Just as importantly, we’re helping to establish a culture where resident voices are heard, valued, and acted on. We show that when residents come together, they can influence decisions, improve services and shape their homes and communities.
What have we been working on?
The Resident Scrutiny Group reviewed the approach used in the Becoming an Abri Customer project and found it thorough but sometimes difficult to navigate. They suggested clearer, simpler materials - including a one‑page summary, a glossary, and more visual, resident‑friendly content. They also highlighted the importance of strong first impressions through property listings. All five recommendations were accepted and completed on time.
The Resident Scrutiny Group recently refreshed its Statement of Purpose to make it clearer, more accessible, and more reflective of how the group works today. The update focused on using plain, easy‑to‑understand language, strengthening the group’s commitment to independence and transparency, and ensuring the document aligns with Abri’s wider approach to customer engagement and accountability.
Members contributed to improvements in the accessibility and presentation of scrutiny information on Abri’s website. This work focused on making digital content clearer, more resident friendly, and easier to navigate, supporting greater transparency and supporting residents to better understand the work and impact of the Resident Scrutiny Group.
Get in touch to get involved
Register your interest hereGet involved with the Resident Scrutiny Group
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Reviews - 2024/2025
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Reviews - 2023/2024
Leaseholder Charges
Members of the Resident Scrutiny Group were keen to explore the charges applied to Abri leaseholders, how decisions were taken in relation to charges, management versus service costs and how costs were explained and made transparent to leaseholders. They completed a mini review and made recommendations for Abri to take forward.
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Abri’s response to food poverty
Following the annual Resident Scrutiny Group customer survey in February 2023, the cost of living crisis was ranked by our customers as one of the top three priorities for the year. The subsequent review focused on the customer journey, highlighting the areas where customers may not have access to services and the impact this has on them. Eight recommendations were made, and RSG will be supporting the implementation of them over the coming months.
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Communal and Estate Services
The Group reviewed our new Estate Standard and have made recommendations around how these services are communicated with customers, and checking whether, once new estate walkabouts come into practice, they’re as effective as we hope they will be. For the first time, the RSG was involved in shaping these policies as they were developed, meaning that customers had influence from the very beginning of the process.