As a member of our South West Customer Panel, Peter helps make sure customers’ experiences are part of the conversation when decisions are being made about homes, neighbourhoods and services.
Peter brings a range of life experience to the role.
Over the years, he’s served as a Royal Marine, worked as a diver on North Sea oil rigs and built a career in engineering and IT, including time with Williams Grand Prix Engineering. He says those experiences have given him a practical approach to problem solving and a willingness to ask questions when needed.
For him, being on the panel is about listening to other customers, sharing honest views and helping colleagues understand what matters most to the people living in Abri homes.
Peter joined fellow panel members in a meeting with Jim Bruckel, Regional Assistant Director for the South West, to talk about priorities for local communities. The discussion covered a range of topics, including building stronger relationships between residents and local teams, sharing more positive community stories, improving communication, keeping customers informed about communal repairs and finding new ways to connect with younger residents.
One thing Peter particularly appreciated was being involved while ideas were still being developed, rather than being asked to comment on a finished plan. He felt it showed a genuine willingness to listen and work with customers from the start. Peter knows that not every suggestion can be put into practice straight away. Some ideas need more funding, planning or investigation. What matters most to him is knowing that customer feedback is taken seriously and considered as part of future decision-making.
He would also like to see more customers get involved. While he recognises that panels and meetings are not for everyone, he believes everyone has experiences and ideas that can help improve services and communities. Through his involvement, Peter and our other panel members play a part in helping Abri better understand what customers need and what is important to them.
How customers helped shape services over the past year
Over 2025/26, customers played an important role in shaping our services and communities. We spoke to 1,578 customers through our Big Door Knocks, heard from 2,540 customers about what matters most to them as we developed our corporate strategy, and 2,020 customers told us they’d like to get involved in future opportunities.
Our 24 Regional Customer Panel members have continued to bring customer views into local decision making. Ten of them joined stock tours to learn more about the areas they represent, and the panel made four recommendations to help improve tenancy standard compliance.
Customers have also influenced key projects, including our adaptations policy, rent setting, service charge review and how we learn from complaints.
We’ve also continued to work closely with local communities, regularly meeting with resident groups and associations, and speaking to 165 customers across 17 high-rise buildings about building and fire safety.
Our Resident Scrutiny Group has helped us improve how we work, too. Members reviewed our first Becoming an Abri Customer review to make sure it reflected the customer experience, refreshed the group’s Statement of Purpose, and helped make scrutiny information on our website clearer and easier to use.
