Housing News Autumn 2010

Autumn 2010

Sure Start fun! inside: ■ Need to talk?

■ How we’re doing ■ Leaseholders’ Corner ■ New Tenants’ Forum Members

editor’s note www.ashford.gov.uk

Welcome to the autumn edition of Housing News. I hope you will have a look at the feedback section in the middle pages, where we are reporting back on some of the surveys you have taken part in over the last three months.

council contacts

We hope it shows that we are listening to what you are telling us, and hopefully improving the housing service as a result.

Housing Services Team

In these times of belt tightening it is really important that we make the best use of limited resources and we need your feedback to help us do this.

Tel: 01233 330688 Email: housing@ashford.gov.uk Repairs Hotline: 01233 330366

Civic Centre Tannery Lane, Ashford, Kent TN23 1PL Open: 9am – 5pm Monday to Thursday 9am – 4.30pm Friday

Philippa Dale

For the 2011 calendar we are hoping to incorporate the new Annual Report for our tenants and leaseholders.

This will set out the standards you have told us you want us to achieve and the Ashford Borough Tenants’ Forum have suggested using the calendar as a way of giving headline dates of when promises are due to be met. We also aim to ensure a new style calendar will also give you more room to write down your appointments, something you have asked us for.

The pictures in the 2011 calendar will show the range of work we are doing with residents throughout the borough, and hopefully it reflects a ‘typical year’ - if there is such a thing!

Pat Pearman

Tel: 01233 331111 Typetalk: 01233 330744

Philippa Dale Editor

Lines Open: 8.30am-5.30pm Monday to Thursday 8.30am-5.30pm Friday

Sharing best practice

Out of Hours/Emergency: 01233 629911 24 Hour Payment Line: 01233 330625 Benefit Fraud Hotline: 0800 026245

The Ashford Gateway Centre 14 Park Mall, Ashford, Kent TN24 8RY Tel: 08458 247247 Typetalk: 08458 247905 Fax: 01233 638012

A conference in July saw representatives of resident groups from eight local authorities and housing associations in south east Kent come together to share best practice. Ashford was represented by Stella Cowland and Pat Pearman.

The main theme of the day was getting to grips with local offers which all social landlords are required to make with their tenants. This was

achieved very effectively thanks to facilitator Sheena Field, who provided tools and tips for resident groups to use in conjunction with their landlords.

There were lots of ideas which we can use in Ashford, and the Ashford Borough Tenants’ Forum can help with talking to other tenants on estates about what their priorities are and the standards they expect.

contents 4 3

Need to talk?

Ashford Borough Tenants’ Forum: TFG@ashford.gov.uk

4

Housing Surgeries

Housing News

6

Tell us how we’re doing

Ashford Borough Council, Civic Centre, Tannery Lane, Ashford, Kent, TN23 1PL

9

Development updates

10

Message from the Chair

8

Editor: Philippa Dale Telephone: 01233 330365 Fax: 01233 330610

Cover Picture: Tom and Jade Neal at Sure Start’s Teddy Bears’ Picnic.

9

Email: philippa.dale@ashford.gov.uk Housing News is printed on paper made from managed sustainable sources.

If you know someone who is blind or partially sighted who would like to listen to Housing News on cassette or CD, then please contact the Editor on 01233 330365.

2 HousingNEWS Autumn 2010 Contact the Housing Services Team on 01233 330688

Housing News has been designed and produced by Xi Design Tel: 01303 770729 www.dxin.co.uk Printed by: Headley Brothers Ltd, Ashford Tel: 01233 623131 www.headley.co.uk

housing news

Helping us to help you Our Help Us to Help You tenant questionnaire featured in the spring edition of Housing News will be hitting the streets of Hothfield and Biddenden in September so keep an eye on your letter box.

It’s important to complete your questionnaire and return it to us so that we can continue to tailor our services to best suit your needs – and you never know you could win a great prize too as all returned questionnaires will be entered into a prize draw.

Need to talk?

If you have a problem with your tenancy, neighbours, rent or other housing issues, the Housing Services team is here to help.

You can talk to an Area Manager by…

• Popping to the nearest Housing Surgery • Going along to your local Estate Inspection • Making an appointment for us to visit you in your home • Dropping us an email at housingservices@ashford.gov.uk • Or giving us a call on 01233 330688

Your friendly Area Manager team Rebecca Wilcox Housing Operations Manager Anthony Crossley Barry Moss Carole Winder Kat Aylward Paul Hills Ray Whitewood Sam Diggins

01233 330233 01233 330464 01233 330376 01233 330377 01233 330372 01233 330373 01233 330379 01233 330374

Making a clean sweep More local neighbourhoods have been cleaned up and made safer thanks to Operation Clean Sweep.

The initiative to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour, improve public safety and smarten up the local environment recently saw areas in Kennington reap the benefits.

Operation Clean Sweep, organised

by Ashford’s Community Safety Unit, is a joint venture which sees Ashford Borough Council, working with Ashford Police, Kent Fire and Rescue Service, local PCSOs and Community Wardens and many other organisations to make a difference to local neighbourhoods.

At Kennington, thanks to the Youth Offending Team Services young offenders helped to repaint a block of garages in Nine Acres while offenders on the Community Payback Clean Sweep and young people from Towers School helped kickstart a Housing Services pond project at Goteley Mere. Local construction company Denne provided a skip and the day was a great success.

Further Clean Sweeps are planned for this autumn starting with Shrubcote, Tenterden including Priory Way and Longfield on 29 September 2010.

Teddy Bears’ picnic success There was fun for all the family at this year’s Sure Start Ashford Children’s Centres’ Teddy Bears’ Picnic in June.

A decision to hold it at the weekend to enable more dads and male carers to join in the fun with their children proved a real success with more than 500 mums, dads, carers, grandparents and children coming along to the Ray Allen Centre in Stanhope. (See the front cover.)

There were lots of activities on offer including a mobile farm where the children could pat the pigs, stroke the goats and count the chickens plus arts and crafts, healthy cake tasting, sensory play, bouncy castles, dancing and banging on African drums to name but a few. And thankfully the occasional shower didn’t dampen the fun.

Adult Education came along and saw over 50 parents register interest for courses they have on offer. Other agencies joining in the fun included South Kent College, Ashford Police with their Hawkeye van, PCSOs and Community Wardens with Bike-it giving demonstrations on bike maintenance and safety.

The event coincided with National Breastfeeding Week. To help promote the week Breastmates, Sure Start’s Breastfeeding Peer Support Coordinator and a Sure Start midwife were on hand to offer breastfeeding support.

A huge thank you to all those who supported this year’s event.

Call the Racial Incident Hotline on 0800 138 1624 Autumn 2010 HousingNEWS 3

housing news

Housing Surgeries Take up at the surgeries has been mixed this summer. The Tenterden surgery is proving very popular, and as a result we intend to increase these from monthly to fortnightly.

But is this what you want?

If you live in Tenterden tell us what you think by ringing Philippa Dale on 01233 330688.

Mr Brind from Tenterden told us, “It’s good to have that personal contact and be able to put a face to a name. I think it will be useful to increase the frequency of the surgeries.”

However the surgeries at The Willow Centre, Brookfield Road, East Stour School, Willesborough, The Bluebell Centre, Hothfield, The Oaks, Oaktree Road, and Phoenix School, Kennington have not been so well used so we are reviewing them.

To do this we really need your help and would like you to let us know what you think about these and other surgeries – have we got the time of day, day of the week or venue wrong?

Is there anything else you think we could do to improve the service we provide. Please let us know.

Mobile Gateway Resident Roadshows During the summer Housing Services joined up with several other agencies to take the Mobile Gateway out to some of our more remote rural areas.

The aim was to discover which services people need to access, how they would normally do this, and whether having a periodic face to face service would be useful.

The roadshows visited Chilham, Old Wives Lees, Wye, Wittersham and Smarden seeing approximately 50 residents over the four days.

Local residents took the opportunity to meet staff from a variety of organisations using the roadshow to get information on a wide range of topics and discuss issues that affect their neighbourhoods and lives.

These included people needing help and advice on housing, employment, training and benefits with a number of referrals made to our Housing Plus service.

Housing Surgeries September – December 2010.

(Please note these are subject to change as we will be reviewing the times) Bluebell Children’s Centre Barry Moss

Monthly 3pm - 4pm 10 September, 8 October, 12 November, 10 December

Oaks School, Oak Tree Road, Ashford Kat Aylward

Monthly 16 September, 21 October, 18 November

9am - 10am

East Stour School, Earlsworth Road Anthony Crossley

Fortnightly 16 September, 30 September, 14 October, 28 October, 11 November, 25 November, 9 December

8.45am - 10am

Willow Centre, Brookfield Road Ray Whitewood and Kat Aylward

Fortnightly 14 September, 28 September, 12 October, 26 October, 9 November, 23 November, 7 December, 21 December

9am - 11am

Tenterden Gateway Sam Diggins

Monthly 6 October. 3 November, 1 December

9am -12 noon

Phoenix School, Belmont Road

Monthly 1 October, 5 November, 3 December

2.30pm - 3.30pm

There were opportunities to discuss and find out more about youth activities, services provided by Sure Start, the Carers Association and the county council’s rural warden service.

Residents could also report housing repairs, and they took the chance to talk to members of the Housing Service team about a range of issues including problems with landscaping and antisocial parking.

A potential Area Plan was identified in Wittersham, while in Wye informal discussions began with the Parish Council to have space in the ‘Hub’, a proposed project to bring services out to Wye on a regular basis.

You can also contact us by emailing housing@ashford.gov.uk, calling 01233 330688 or writing to Housing Services, Ashford Borough Council, Civic Centre, Tannery Lane, Ashford, TN23 1PL.

4 HousingNEWS Autumn 2010 Contact the Repairs Hotline on 01233 330366

Although it is difficult to take the Mobile Gateway out more than a few times a year, what we learnt was that residents welcome the opportunity to talk to Housing Officers in their own neighbourhoods and also that we need to continue to try to deliver services and offer help that fits in with our customers’ busy lives.

housing news

Ashford Neighbourhood Walkabouts AUTUMN 2010

During the summer we have completed 13 estate inspections.

As we explained in the last edition of Housing News there’s a scoring system based on the actions we carry out against the problems reported to us or spotted by Area Managers.

Each road or area that has been inspected is scored out of 100. The scoring system helps us highlight problems or areas that need more attention. Further inspections can then be carried out to ensure that issues have been addressed. For example, any repairs that had been requested have been completed; bulk rubbish cleared or graffiti that might have been noted has been removed.

We are pleased to report the average score for these 13 completed inspections is 92%.

We are also delighted to announce that play areas that are on Housing Services’ land are now included in our estate inspection programme. This is on top of the regular inspections carried out by qualified play

Date of inspection 6 September 13 September 20 September 27 September 4 October 11 October 18 October 25 October 1 November 8 November 15 November 22 November 29 November 6 December 13 December

equipment specialists.

Since August the Area Manager carrying out these inspections will check for any obvious defects or damage to play equipment, play area surface and boundary fencing. Any graffiti, litter, broken glass etc that’s noted will be reported and removed as soon as possible.

Once again, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you that have been able to spare the time to accompany your Area Manager on these inspections; your input is very much appreciated. If residents are only able to attend while their road or immediate neighbourhood is inspected that’s fine. If you wish to come along please contact your Area Manager to agree a time and location to meet.

Again thank you, your support is very much appreciated.

Barry Moss, Senior Area Manager

Area Covered Egerton/Pluckley/Smarden/Little Chart Newtown Green Twelve Acres Sevington/Mersham/Smeeth/Brabourne Repton Manor/Poet’s Corner South Willesborough Tenants Choice/Revisits Woodchurch/Bethersden Hampden Hillbrow/Clockhouse Aldington/Bilsington/Ruckinge/Hamstreet Bybrook/Bockhanger Woolreeds Warehorne/Kenardington/Appledore/Stone/Ebony Godfrey Walk

Stanhope

Andrew Brackley, Tracy Batten and Naureen Ullah You can reach Andrew, Tracy and Naureen on 01233 647396

Andrew’s routes: (Ring office for time & meeting place) Eastry, Sheldwich, Lynsted, Crundale & Sandling Close 24 September 28 October 25 November Leaveland, Brenchley, Frittenden, Newenden Close 24 September 29 October 26 November

Why not register to come along?

Simply call us on 01233 330688 and you will be contacted prior to the next estate inspection in your area.

Area Manager Sam Diggins Kat Aylward Paul Hills Ray Whitewood Anthony Crossley Sam Diggins Kat Aylward Paul Hills Ray Whitewood Anthony Crossley Sam Diggins Kat Aylward Paul Hills Ray Whitewood Anthony Crossley

Naureen’s routes: (Ring office for time & meeting place) Badlesmere & Kilndown 21 September 19 October 16 November

Tracy’s routes: (Ring office for time & meeting place) Bredgar & Luddenham 15 September 13 October 10 November

Otterden Close and Speldhurst Close 23 September 21 October 18 November

Contact the Housing Services Team on 01233 330688 Autumn 2010 HousingNEWS 5

housing news

You tell us how we’re doing Housing Services is constantly trying to improve and enhance the services it offers and how we deal with your enquiries. To help us do this we regularly ask our tenants and leaseholders what you think of the services you receive, how you prefer to be contacted and how well you think we dealt with your enquiry. We do this in a variety of ways.

Here are some examples of how we have been listening to you this year.

Contacting Housing Services In the last year we have had 59 mystery shopper forms returned. The information you have provided will help us tailor services now and in the future.

A sample group of respondents was contacted subsequently to find out if they felt what they commented on had improved.

Specific information you provided included how you contacted Housing Services, the reason why and how you thought we did.

How do you contact us?

Although we get good feedback, we don’t always get it right for our tenants. A Mystery Shopper from Challock said, “In this instance we were not very happy with the result from the Housing Department – the back of our kitchen unit had rotted, we were told they would get back to us in two weeks and they didn’t, and we have had to sort the problem out ourselves.”

Your top five reasons for contacting us

51 by phone

8 in person Repairs

No-one said they used email

Moving

Pay rent

Rent query

Garage

How you scored our response The ease of making contact with the Housing Services Team

1 2 1=very poor

3

4

5

6

The overall impression of the service you received

7

8

9 10 10=excellent

The courtesy and politeness of the people you spoke to

1 2 1=very poor

3

4

5

1 2 1=very poor

3

4

5

6

7

8

9 10 10=excellent

7

8

9 10 10=excellent

Your query was resolved to your satisfaction

6

7

8

9 10 10=excellent

1 2 1=very poor

6 HousingNEWS Autumn 2010 Contact the Repairs Hotline on 01233 330366

3

4

5

6

housing news

New tenant survey

Planned Maintenance work 2009/10

We also wanted to find out from new tenants about their experiences of moving in to their new homes.

The Planned Maintenance section completed a number of contracts during 2009/10 and the details of the main areas of work are shown in the chart below.

Over the last three months 28 new tenants agreed to speak to representatives from the Ashford Borough Tenants’ Forum and take part in a survey.

Questions included whether the property was in a good condition, whether appropriate information was provided, and what could have been done to improve their experience.

Here are results of some of the questions they were asked.

Was the property free of rubbish and swept through?

23 said “Yes” 5 said “No” Were the kitchen, bathroom and toilet clean?

Rewiring

Kitchens

Roofing

Bathrooms

Structural work

Common Areas

Heating

Environmental

Insulation

Other

As well as improving your homes, the majority of this work is also carried out in order to ensure that our properties continue to meet the government’s Decent Home Standard.

The Planned Maintenance section oversees the heating maintenance contract that ensures all gas, solid fuel and oil central heating systems are serviced and checked annually. The cost of this work is approximately £750,000 per year. It is a legal requirement that all properties with

gas heating are checked annually and have a valid Landlord’s Gas Safety Certificate in place. As at 31 March 2010, of the 3971 properties with gas installations only one property did not have a valid certificate due to access problems.

In addition the section carried out 289 adaptations for the disabled at a total cost of £161,000.

The section also looks after emergency lights, fire alarms, sewage treatment works, fire safety works and door entry systems.

Satisfaction statistics 2009/10 The Planned Maintenance section also updates kitchens and heating systems.

26 said “Yes”

Once again we wanted to know what you thought of the service you received so we asked tenants to give us feedback by completing a satisfaction survey.

2 said “No” Did you get advice as to where the stop cock is and how to operate the boiler and other appliances?

We asked people how they rated the overall end result and the service they receive.

Here are the results:

April to June ● Kitchens - Excellent 100% Comment from resident at Denness Road, Willesborough: “Everyone was polite, clean and helpful in every way, would recommend every one of the workmen.” ● Heating - Excellent 73% Satisfactory 18% Requires Improvement 9%

21 said “Yes” 7 said “No”

Comment from resident at Sackville Close, Hothfield: “The workman who worked in my home was very good and I feel it would be good to pass this on - I am unsure of the efficiency of the system, and the placement of the boiler in the airing cupboard.”

The resident’s comments were passed to our contactors who will be going back to visit the resident and answer their queries.

July to August Did the window locks work?

18 said “Yes”

6 said “No” N/A (4)

● Kitchens - Satisfactory 100% ● Heating - Excellent 80% Satisfactory 20% Comment from resident of School Road, Hothfield: “The company involved need to warn the residents of the amount of disturbance the work would involve.”

Comment from resident of Coach Drive, Hothfield: “Fantastic job, everything done to a high standard - hats off to the workmen!”

Every resident should be sent an information leaflet prior to work commencing detailing the extent of the work, and how long it should take.

Call the Racial Incident Hotline on 0800 138 1624 Autumn 2010 HousingNEWS 7

housing news

Thumbs up for street play days

Leaseholders’ Corner In this edition of Housing News we’ve put together some helpful information for leaseholders.

Leaseholders’ Handbook Leaseholders now have a handbook which includes information on the rights and obligations of leaseholders, explains how service and other charges are set, describes the requirement for statutory consultation, and explains the importance of building insurance.

The handbook is a working document and will be reviewed from time to time to reflect changes in the law, council procedures etc.

More than 250 children and young people have had the chance to enjoy traditional street games this summer thanks to a series of play days organised by the Go4Play project.

Youngsters in Bockhanger and the Shrubcote area of Tenterden tried out skipping ropes, jacks and chalk-drawing along with more modern fun including spray art, having a go at face painting, making juggling balls and balloon modelling, getting seriously messy with shaving foam, and jelly and enjoying skateboarding and scooters.

All leaseholders received a copy of the handbook. It can be downloaded at www.ashford.gov.uk/leaseholders.

Go4Play is a Big Lottery funded project delivered

by Kent Children's Network Fund in partnership with Ashford Borough Council. Each year they organise play days and a Family Play Festival for children, young people and families in Ashford and surrounding areas.

Leaseholders’ Forum

The Go4Play Street Play programme involved delivering 20 play sessions in four communities identified with low play provision. Each community received a week of play sessions.

A meeting of the Leaseholders’ Forum took place in June to enable leaseholders to discuss the Leaseholders Handbook.

For further information about upcoming play opportunities, contact the Play Team at Kent Children's Fund Network on 01233 632957.

Unfortunately the meeting was not well attended, although those who did attend ensured a proactive debate. Part of the discussion was about the format of the meeting and whether it is the appropriate method of coming together to discuss leaseholder issues. A further meeting has been arranged, when communication methods will form the main agenda item.

Town and Country Cleaning Services Matt Anderson and David Harris from Town and Country Cleaning Services attended the Leaseholder Forum in June to respond to any queries leaseholders may have about the cleaning service.

Matt urged residents to use the freephone number to report problems and concerns, and confirmed that all calls are logged. They agreed to add the email address to the contact details and are also carrying out a survey to get feedback on the service.

Play area make-over Bockhanger play area is set to have a vibrant make-over thanks to funding from Ashford Borough Council and the Kent Children’s Fund Network (KCFN).

A total of £3,000 has been put forward by Housing Services and KCFN’s Go4Play project to refurbish and repaint the existing equipment and fencing and add three new games for youngsters to enjoy.

The new games offer a combination of hide and seek and tag, a version of twister painted on the floor and the traditional family favourite “What’s the time Mr Wolf?”

The games, designed by Ashford-based company Hairyhand Graphic, were selected following consultation with the local community, particularly local children, and are intended to inspire youngsters to try similar activities at home or safely in their neighbourhoods.

The project is intended to be a lasting legacy of the successful Street Play project.

The refurbishment work is due to be completed by the end of September.

Out and about with Sure Start Sure Start have been out and about during the summer taking their services to the villages and making sure they reach as many young families as possible.

Trips to Rolvenden, High Halden, Stone, Hamstreet, Egerton and Biddenden brought out children and parents to make badges, get creative with play dough and chat about services available for them. Housing Services took the opportunity to join the events in order to engage with residents and ask about the issues and concerns experienced in these rural areas.

Local dad, Aaren, daughter Lisa and friend Elsie May with PCSO Christine Peel at Biddenden.

Community Safety Day Local people got the chance to learn more about staying safe in July thanks to a Community Safety Day at East Stour School organised by Ashford Police and Sure Start.

To contact Town and Country, email csm2@townandcountrycleaners.co.uk or call their freephone number 0800 3894825

8 HousingNEWS Autumn 2010 Contact the Housing Services Team on 01233 330688

Housing Services Area Manager Anthony Crossley joined colleagues from other agencies and organisations including Kent Highways.

The event, sponsored by Asda, offered advice on key safety issues including road safety. Sure Start and Ashford Salvation Army were able to promote their family services and youth clubs, and cycle organisation Bike It offered cycle marking.

With games and interactive activities to promote community safety youngsters and grown ups alike had a great time while learning some serious messages.

Development updates

housing news

New build Ashford Borough Council is one of just a handful of local authorities to begin building affordable homes once again.

It has been 30 years since the council built its last homes and work is now well under way on the council’s New Build project.

Housing News reports on progress to date Phase One The Council has appointed Denne Construction to build 25 new homes across the borough and to convert the former scheme manager’s house at Gerlach House into two self-contained flats.

Good progress has been made with the contractor to develop the detailed drawings to enable the foundation work to start that will enable the sites to reach completion in 2011.

Phase Two Housing Services continue to progress planning applications for the 11 sites which were agreed by Ashford Borough Council earlier this year. Five sites have already been approved by the Planning Committee with a further five applications to be considered in August and the remaining site in September.

As the design solutions for each site have been progressed there have been a number of changes to the original proposals for the sites including a reduction of the number of new homes in some locations and changes to the size of some homes in terms of bedroom numbers.

Six companies have been shortlisted to construct the 11 phase two sites. The project was put out to competitive tender in August.

The evaluation of the tenders will be undertaken, jointly by the Ashford Borough Tenants’ Forum and Housing Officers, with the aim to select the contractors by mid September and complete in early 2012.

Stanhope Decanting of the last block of flats on Stanhope was completed mid-July in preparation for demolition.

The development of new homes is progressing well with further new properties being completed during the summer.

Powerminster Gleeson Services, who provide the repairs service on Stanhope, have become part of the Morgan Sindall Group and are now trading as Lovell Respond. The repairs service provided on the estate continues as before with the same team of people.

The Stanhope Team, including Moat Housing and Lovell Respond, will be moving into the new legacy building in August. The new building will be known as The Stanhope Centre (pictured below).

Affordable housing A wide range of new affordable homes have been developed across the borough over recent months. Housing News brings you up to date with recent developments.

Latitude Walk, Ashford - This landmark development in the town centre (pictured above) is a mix of 29 shared ownership and 17 rented units. The scheme has been developed by Moat Housing and Affinity Sutton and consists of 24 x one bedroom flats, 16 x two bedroom flats, 2 x two bedroom maisonettes and 4 x three bedroom maisonettes. Handover of this development in Ashford town centre took place in June.

Bath Road and Canterbury Road, Willesborough - A development of 8 x two bedroom houses for rent has been completed by West Kent Housing Association at the old Crown and Anchor pub site.

Brookfield Court, South Ashford - 7 x three bedroom flats have been refurbished at Brookfield Court, four of which will be managed

by Ashford Borough Council. YMCA has recently signed a lease for the remaining three flats which will be used as shared accommodation for young people managed by YMCA. Glebe Field, Rolvenden – Housing Association English Rural completed the development of a local needs scheme at Glebe Field earlier this year. The development consists of 4 x one bedroom flats, 5 x two bedroom houses and 3 x three bedroom houses and is a mix of 8 x properties for rent and 4 x shared ownership. The scheme was officially opened by the Bishop of Dover in May. The Diocese sold the land to English Rural to enable this scheme to be built.

Shrimpton Close, Old Wives Lees – A development of local needs homes completed by Affinity Sutton (Downland Housing Association) in June. It has 11 homes for rent comprising 2 x 1 bed flats, 5 x 2 bed houses, 3 x 3 bed houses and 1 x 2 bed bungalow.

(Right) The Bishop of Dover, the Right Reverend Trevor Willmott, at the opening of Glebe Field.

Call the Racial Incident Hotline on 0800 138 1624 Autumn 2010 HousingNEWS 9

housing news

Message from the Chair The Tenants Services Authority (TSA) was created by the last government as the new regulator for social housing. After a lengthy consultation process involving many thousands of tenants it agreed certain standards by which registered providers of housing will be judged. A crucial part of these standards will be the “local offer”.

The local offer is an agreement made by the landlord with tenants over and above any national standards that reflect tenants’ views and wishes.

These could be age specific, or

geographical such as housing area plans or cleaning standards in blocks of flats.

to agree service standards and local offers.

Although the new coalition government has announced plans to scrap the TSA, here in Ashford we believe there is a great deal of good in us, as tenants, continuing to use the standards set by the TSA and working with the council to establish certain “local offers” that will see services tailored to our needs and continue to improve.

Although the TSA may disappear, and some regulation with it, ABTF and Ashford Borough Council are still keen to ensure the housing service in Ashford reflects what tenants in Ashford want, and for that reason we will continue to ensure the principles of close tenant involvement in the service are followed.

To meet these standards the Ashford Borough Tenants’ Forum (ABTF) is working with Ashford Borough Council

Stella Cowland Chair of Ashford Borough Tenants’ Forum 01233 334206

NEWS...NEWS...NEWS Council gets tough on antisocial behaviour

months before being given a secure tenancy. This means if there is any breach of tenancy during this period the process for seeking possession of the property is much quicker.

Ashford Borough Council has successfully evicted two tenants on the grounds of antisocial behaviour.

Cllr Neil Bell, portfolio holder for Housing says, “We are delighted that with these two cases we have been able to improve the lives of the other residents in these neighbourhoods and the wider community.”

The council’s Housing Service has been working closely with Kent Police and local residents to gather evidence which has resulted in the two evictions in Newtown Green and Bond Road, Ashford.

Housing Services takes antisocial behaviour very seriously and will always work with the police and local people to ensure these problems are dealt with in the most appropriate manner which can include mediation and acceptable behaviour agreements to housing injunctions and eviction.

The eviction at Newtown Green shows the success of their policy of having all new tenants granted introductory tenancies where they have a probationary period of 12

Employment advice available Have you been made redundant? Are you long term unemployed? Have you just left school?

If you are looking for work or training opportunities Housing Plus can help with free advice and information.

Housing Plus is an Ashford Borough Council initiative which aims to help local people with housing, employment and training, debt and benefit problems. With friendly advisers available at both the Ashford

10 HousingNEWS Autumn 2010 Contact the Repairs Hotline on 01233 330366

and Tenterden Gateways getting help has never been easier.

To find out more visit www.ashford.gov.uk/housingplus, pop into the Ashford or Tenterden Gateway, call 08458 247202 or email info@ashfordgateway.co.uk.

Stanhope jobs and advice fair If you’re looking for work or training, have money problems or are wondering if you are claiming the right benefits this is the event for you.

Talk to local employers, employment experts, debt and benefit advisers plus get help to write a CV, find out about local apprenticeships and volunteering opportunities and lots more.

Thursday 23 September Stanhope Parish Hall Otterden Close 11am – 4pm To find out more call the Stanhope Centre on 01233 647396.

housing news

Your Letters...

Dear Editor

New Tenants’ Forum members This year five tenants nominated themselves for the six available places on the Ashford Borough Tenants’ Forum.

This meant that there was no requirement for a ballot.

The new members were confirmed at the Annual General Meeting which took place on 23 August.

I’m the East Stour Court Seniors Forum representative and would like to introduce myself to Housing News readers.

Jennifer Shaw, Housing Strategy Officer, gave the Forum an overview of the new Housing Services presentation which it is proposed will provide case studies to demonstrate the different services the council provides to help improve local lives and communities. Jennifer also spoke about the draft Vulnerable Adult Strategy which aims to bring all relevant public services and the voluntary sector together to ensure a coordinated approach to providing services for this large and diverse group of people.

By representing the residents here at East Stour Court I am the liaison between my fellow tenants and the council.

The meetings I attend with the council enable me to state any current problems we might have here at East Stour Court and to encourage solutions to take place and I am always happy to hear from fellow tenants who would like something taken up on their behalf.

Correspondence of a general nature is always placed on the noticeboard for all to see so you can keep up to date with the latest information.

Eddie Clover

Dear Eddie Thanks for getting in touch and good luck with your work supporting your fellow tenants.

Wordsearch winner

search WITCH, d r o W n m u t u A OST, PUMPKIN, GH

The winner of the summer wordsearch was Mrs Beryl Floyd from Ashford

are: Words to find DRON, TRICK, TREAT, AUL BLACKCAT, C POOKY SKELETON, S , K IC T S M O O BR

Autumn’s here and the theme of this edition’s wordsearch is all things spooky for Halloween.

Entries received by 30 September 2010 will be entered into our prize draw for £20 in shopping vouchers.

win £20

Complete the wordsearch and entry form and send to: Housing News, Ashford Borough Council, Civic Centre, Tannery Lane, Ashford, Kent, TN23 1PL.

WORDSEARCH N N F T I H G K C I R T A M C

M T B R O O M S T I C K G O Q

D H Q F I J V J Q C E S G V H

X R I W H F N D K E B K O A Q

H B L A C K C A T L V C Q L J

C Y F G S B N Q O K S H K G C P U M L F P WK V I F P WX C L W I A U L R N Z R L T L Y L

K H O J Z P L B N H T D H A R

B S U M C K G I Y E C R D E O

The new Tenants’ Forum members are: •Deborah Dryland •Joyce Lewis •Julie O’Kane •Leigha Wilding •Mark Hogben Mayor of Ashford Cllr Allen Wells at the AGM

You can write to Eddie at: 21 East Stour Court, Willesborough.

X I Y K O O P S D X U P K Y D

The Forum welcomed a number of councillors to their meeting including Mayor of Ashford Cllr Allen Wells.

T B D V R I N Z J T H O V R X

B A D Z F N S I W B Q N M T V

V X O U X S K E L E T O N E H

V G P K F R J B Z K Q H N S S

Name:

Address:

Tel: Terms & Conditions: Please complete and return this entry form along with your completed wordsearch puzzle to: Housing News, Ashford Borough Council, Civic Centre, Tannery Lane, Ashford, Kent TN23 1PL. The decision of the editor is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Closing date for entries is 30 September 2010

Contact the Housing Services Team on 01233 330688 Autumn 2010 HousingNEWS11

Ashford Back Chat!

Calling all tenants and leaseholders...

We want to make it easier for more people to tell Ashford Borough Council Housing Services what they think, and to get involved in the management of their homes and neighbourhoods.

Most people have an opinion about the way the council does things. We want you to tell us where you think improvements are needed, and what you think we do well. To help you to do this, the council is introducing some new ways for you to talk to us and to make a difference.

We will be keeping a database or list of tenants from all over the borough who have told us how they want to get involved in improving the Housing Services.

Offering a range of options will mean that if you want to have a say, you can do so in the way that suits you best. We really want to attract more people from different age groups and backgrounds so that we get the broadest view possible, and may ask you to complete a Tenant Profile form if you have not already done so.

Here’s how you can get involved Monitoring Groups Discuss issues and ways to improve services that affect particular groups – these include the Seniors Forum, the Leaseholders Forum, the Repairs Monitoring Group, the Housing Options Monitoring Group, and the Housing Survey Monitoring Group [Commitment - one two hour meetings at the council offices every three months – training available] Tenants and Residents Groups Care and campaign for local communities.

[Commitment – regular meetings local to your home – training available] Focus Groups A small cross section of people brought together to provide feedback on a particular aspect of the service. [Commitment – one-off meetings approximately two hours at the council offices] Ashford Borough Tenants’ Forum Made up of elected representatives from throughout the borough. [Commitment – monthly two hour meetings at the council offices – training available] Editorial Board Write and approve newsletters, leaflets and entries on the website.

[Commitment - one two hour meetings at the council offices every three months – training available]

For some people, going to meetings and joining groups is not the way they want to participate. You may not have the time, may have other commitments or just not feel comfortable in that type of forum. But you may still want to have a say about what is happening in your local area and how Ashford Borough Council Housing Service works. If that person is you we can offer quick and easy ways for you to get involved and have your say, in the way that works best for you:Estate Inspections Officers, tenants and councillors identifying problems in the area [Commitment – walking around your neighbourhood approximately every six months] Mystery Shopping A chance to carry out ‘reality checks’ on service and standards.

[Commitment – complete and return a form whenever you contact the council] Postal Surveys We write to you for your opinion [Commitment - occasional contact] Telephone Surveys We telephone you for your opinion [Commitment - occasional contact] @ Email Surveys We email you for your opinion [Commitment - occasional contact] Online Feedback Give us your views at www.ashford.gov.uk/housing

Ashford Back Chat!

Name: Address:

We want to make it easier for more people to tell Ashford Borough Council Housing Services what they think, and to get involved in the management of their homes and neighbourhoods.

Estate Inspections

Monitoring Groups

Mystery Shopping

Tenants and Resident Groups

Postal Survey

Focus Groups

Telephone Survey

Ashford Borough Tenants’ Forum

Email Survey

Editorial Board

Online Feedback

Tel: Mobile: Email:

Terms & Conditions: All information supplied will be confidential and not shared with anyone unless permission is given to do so.

Please complete this form and return it in the pre-paid envelope with the contact details and chosen options identified. All completed forms will be entered into a monthly prize draw to receive £25 worth of high street vouchers.

✃

Please tick the way/s that you would like to get involved: