Kingston Residents' Independent Scrutiny Panel (KRiSP)

What’s in it for me?

• the chance to make a real difference to our housing services and to improve things for you and your neighbours
• the opportunity to develop your life and work skills, including leadership, interview, report writing and information analysis skills
• reimbursement of all out-of-pocket expenses including travel, child care, relief care (if you look after a family member or friend), and personal assistant or support worker costs if you are disabled and need help to carry out your panel responsibilities
• reward for KRiSP members of up to £400 worth of shopping vouchers for each year of involvement.

Full training and support is provided to all new members to carry out this role with confidence and existing members receive regular refresher training each year.

KRiSP panel members come from a variety of backgrounds and bring a mix of skills to the group. The main qualities we look for are an enquiring mind, the ability to work as part of a team and plenty of enthusiasm.

How much time do I need to commit?

Regular panel meetings take place every 2 months for approximately 2 hours.  

In addition, each KRiSP member will be expected to take part in a minimum of one scrutiny review each year. The reviews will usually last around 4 months and need an average commitment of a couple of hours a week by each of the 5 or 6 panel members involved. You and your scrutiny colleagues will be able to choose the most suitable times to do your investigations to fit in with your existing personal commitments.

KRiSP meetings are held locally in central Kingston and a lot of the investigation work will be done at Council offices. Occasionally, there may be a need to visit other housing providers to compare Kingston’s services. In such cases, panel members always travel in pairs and costs are reimbursed.

What are the main tasks for this role?

• Help to produce a work plan for each scrutiny investigation
• Go on visits to other housing services, interview staff and consult with residents
• Collect, check and put together information
• Help to prepare accurate and easy to read reports for each scrutiny review including the conclusions and recommendations for service improvements
• Take part in training and development activities that will help you do your work better

What skills do I need?

• Able to read working papers and reports
• Able to understand and use different types of information, weigh up issues and make decisions based on the facts
• Able to plan and order work and do things on time
• Able to work as part of a team and listen to other people’s views
• Able to express your own views and opinions and share your ideas whilst remaining independent of any party political or interest
• Able to be unbiased, open minded and even-handed, putting to one side any personal issues or concerns
• Able to voice tenants and leaseholders views on housing services and what matters most to them
• Have an understanding of the importance of treating different people fairly and respectfully
• Able to be tactful and sensitive to other people you will be working with
• Willing to support majority decisions even though you may have a different opinion on some issues
• Willing to abide by the KRiSP Code of Conduct and Confidentiality Agreement

You can email involvedinhousing@kingston.gov.uk to request the full Terms of Reference. 

If you express an interest in joining the panel you will be contacted by the panel Chair who will invite you to attend a short informal interview where your suitability for the role can be discussed.