How the TRA works

Being part of a Tenants and Residents Association (TRA) is a great way to meet neighbours and be involved with improving our local community.

The TRA is made up of local residents (both tenants and leaseholders) who get together to represent the views and interests of everyone living in the Bells Gardens Estate.

We organise events and activities to bring people together and deal with challenges residents like yourself may be facing, including housing issues such as repairs and maintenance, or other community concerns such as the environment or crime.

We are independent from Southwark Council but work in partnership with them to help make the neighbourhood a better place to live.

We meet once a month and the Resident Services Officer attends meetings to give updates and look into any issues raised by residents.

The committee and their roles

The people who run the TRA are elected at the Annual General Meeting, which is usually held every January. Anyone who lives on the estate is entitled to stand for election at the meeting. We elect a chair, vice chair, secretary and treasurer.

We also elect a number of committee members. From the committee, we appoint delegates to attend other meetings like the Peckham Area Housing Forum, where the TRA's most pressing issues can be discussed in a wider forum with senior members of Southwark Council's Housing Department.

Southwark Council promote and support TRAs across the borough, although each TRA is independent from the council and run by the residents. You can read more about how Southwark Council supports TRAs here.

If you would like to know more about us or get involved, then get in touch!