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Tenants and Residents Associations (TRAs)

Contents 

What are TRAs?
Find a TRA
Set up a TRA
Useful links for TRAs 
TRA halls
Funding for TRAs

What are TRAs? 

Tenants and Residents Associations (TRAs) are groups of residents who: 

  • volunteer to represent the views and interests of everyone living in their area 
  • work in partnership with us to help make their neighbourhood a better place to live 
  • give up some of their time to organise and attend committee meetings 

Some TRAs also organise social activities in their catchment area. 
 
A TRA committee consists of the following four key roles: 


Chair 

  • encourages discussions 
  • leads the meeting with the agenda ensuring everyone gets a chance to express their views and understands decisions

Vice Chair 

  • heads up the meetings when the Chair can’t attend, 
  • steps in when needed

Secretary 

  • helps prepare and distribute the agenda for meetings 
  • takes and circulates minutes

Treasurer 

Looks after the TRA’s finances, including: 

  • reporting the bank balance and recent transactions 
  • completing grant applications 
  • distributing copies of the financial report. 

Everybody who lives in the area as a legal tenant or homeowner is a member of the 
TRA. Anybody can choose to stand for a more involved position, such as the committee 
roles or block representatives. 

Training  

There are bespoke training courses area available through the Southwark Tenants Fund. These help TRA members to develop committee skills, such as Chairing, Secretary and Treasurer skills.These are currently being delivered virtually. There is also a selection of online courses on a variety of subjects to choose from. 

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Find a TRA 

We have a team of Resident Involvement Officers who can help you find and contact the TRA closest to you.  

The Southwark Group of Tenants Organisations (SGTO) is an independent voluntary organisation representing tenant and resident groups in Southwark. You can email the Southwark Group of Tenants Organisations or call 0207 639 6718.  

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Set up a TRA 

If there isn’t a TRA already covering your area, council officers can help you set one up. It's an easy process which officers will talk you through. There's also free training available if needed. 

Having a TRA gives you and your neighbours access to funding to cover running costs. It also allows you to apply for funding for local projects and other social activities. 

For more information on TRAs and how to set one up, email the Resident Participation team or call 020 525 3326. 

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Useful links for TRAs and local residents 

Search for training 

Visit our resident training pages to access free training for residents, including training for people running TRAs and Tenant Management Organisations. 

Get help with repairs and maintainance 

Report a housing repair (if it's an emergency, call 0800 952 4444 or 020 7525 2600) 
Report a communal housing repair 
Email us about damp and mould, or call 020 7525 2600 and choose option 1 and then option 5. 
View current planned and unplanned outages in Southwark estates 
Find out how our estates are cleaned and maintained, or Join one of our monthly estate inspections 
Report a pothole 
Search and comment on local planning applications  
Check your broadband speed or find out about broadband in your area

If you're a council housing resident looking to speak to someone about estate maintenance services in your area you can: 

The Resident Services Team can help you to: 

  • find your nearest Resident Services Officer 
  • join an upcoming estate inspection 
  • contact someone about cleaning and maintenance in your area 

Report crime or antisocial behaviour 

In an emergency call 999. To report a crime, visit the Met Police website, Call 101, tweet contact the Metropolitan police on Twitter.  

Find out ways to deal with noise and antisocial behaviour and: 

Environmental issues 

Report fly tipping 
Find out about Tree Preservation Orders or request a Tree Protection Order 
Find out about conservation areas near you by entering your postcode, then clicking Design and Conservation 

Health and wellbeing 

Find your nearest NHS healthcare services 
Read our health advice pages, including advice on mental health 
Check local air quality 
Find sports facilities near you: enter your postcode, then click Sport and Leisure tasks 

Councillors and council news 

Schools and childcare 

Find schools and childcare options near you by entering your postcode, then clicking Schools and Childcare. 

Set up online TRA meetings 

Please email our Tenant and Homeowner Team Leader, John McCormack, if: 

  • you're already a member of a TRA and would like help with meeting online 
  • you would like to form a TRA that meets online. 

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TRA Halls 

We're committed to working with TRAs to create strong and thriving communities. One way the council supports local community activity is by offering community spaces. These are run in partnership with the council by TRAs. 

The halls are independently managed by the TRAs that run them. They may have different hire prices and availability. 

You can: 

Please contact us with any queries. 

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TRA Health and safety 

Health and safety, and in particular fire safety, is our highest priority. Read our safety guide for community spaces (pdf, 751kb) to find out: 

  • what we're doing to ensure TRA Halls are safe 
  • how we can help to ensure halls are safely run 
  • how TRAs and community premises management committees help to ensure the halls are safe for all users 

You can also use a TRA hall management key information form to submit up to date details.  

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Apply to re-open a TRA hall 

With the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, TRAs can now apply to reopen their halls. 

As most TRA halls have been closed for a long time, we need to formally check them before they can reopen. The council’s priority has been to run compliance tests for the halls. One of our compliance officers will be in touch to arrange appointments to carry these out. Thank you for your co-operation with these essential checks during this difficult time. 

To reopen to the public, you must complete the simple application form: 

Apply to reopen a TRA Hall  

Please make sure you update the details of your designated contact or keyholder on the form. 

Once we receive your application form we will: 

  • check if all your compliance tests are complete 
  • contact you to make appointments for our contractors to visit as soon as possible 

TRAs need to complete a risk assessment and take actions based on it. This should be reviewed regularly by the committee. You should send a copy of each risk assessment review to the council for its records. 

We urge you to follow Public Health England's recommendations, including: 

  • good cleaning 
  • hand sanitiser 
  • face coverings (particularly when it's older or more vulnerable people using a space) 
  • social distancing where possible 

Find the latest government guidance on Coronavirus (last updated on 11 August). 

If you have any questions about re-opening a TRA hall, please email us. 

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Hire a community hall 

There are a wide range of community spaces across Southwark:

Other helpful links for people looking to hire community halls:

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Funding for TRAs  

TRAs core grants 

TRAs can receive a grant each year provided they meet some basic criteria. Email our resident participation team to find out more about core grants for TRAs.

Getting Involved Grants 2022/23

Following the success of last year's Getting Involved Grants funding programme, we are launching the new 2022/23 edition.

The local community and the Tenants Residents Associations will be informed accordingly.

Applications are welcome from Tenants & Residents Associations (TRAs) and Tenants Management Organisations (TMOs) to run local projects and activities aimed at improving the well-being of people who live in Council homes.

Apply for Getting Involved Grants now via the new funding portal 

If you want to find out more about these grants, please join our virtual workshop. The date will be announced in the near future. Please email us to register your interest in the Getting Involved Grants workshop.

The application period opens on 12 December 2022 and ends 31 March 2023.

Other funding opportunities 

We offer the following sources of funding to community groups: 

You can explore funding options in the Community Southwark Funding Database. 

TRAs can access funding through the National Lottery Community Fund (previously called Big Lottery Funding). 
 

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Page last updated: 09 February 2023

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