Housing News
News for Bristol City Council tenants and leaseholders
Housing News
If English is not your first language and you need a translation, we can get one for you. If you would like this information in another language, Braille, audio tape, large print, easy English, BSL video or CD rom or plain text please contact: 0117 352 1444.
Where to get cost of living support
The council has taken a One City approach to addressing the cost of living crisis, working together as a city to support the communities most impacted. This edition of Housing News is a cost of living special to help provide council tenants and leaseholders with advice and contact information for agencies who can help. If there is further advice you need that is not in this newsletter, visit Bristol City Council’s cost of living support webpage, www.bristol.gov.uk/ costofliving It brings together organisations and agencies from across the city that can provide advice and guidance on topics
There are also links to useful websites and community organisations across the city.
financial help, employment and skills, mental health and wellbeing. There are also links to useful websites and community organisations across the city.
If there is further advice you need that is not in this newsletter, visit Bristol City Council’s cost of living support webpage, www.bristol.gov.uk/costofliving. It brings together organisations and agencies from across the city that provide advice and guidance on topics including housing, benefits and financial help, employment and skills, mental health and wellbeing.
Our Citizen Service Point, located at 100 Temple Street BS1 6AG, is also on hand if you need help using the council’s services.
Our Citizen Service Point, located at 100 Temple Street BS1 6AG, is also on hand if you need help using the council’s services.
The opening hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9am to 5pm, Wednesday 10am to 5pm. The service is closed on bank holidays. If you do not have access to the internet and want to find out where you can get help, you can also call the We Are Bristol helpline for free on 0800 694 0184, Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5pm.
The opening hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9am to 5pm, Wednesday 10am to 5pm. The service is closed on bank holidays. If you do not have access to the internet and want to find out where you can get help, you can also call the We Are Bristol helpline for free on 0800 694 0184, Monday to Friday
Housing advice
We know that rising household costs are making it difficult for you to pay rent, bills, and in some cases, mean some people could be facing homelessness.
There is guidance available on our cost of living support webpage www.bristol.gov.uk/ costofliving including advice on paying your rent and options for applying for housing benefit or Universal Credit.
You can also reach out to a number of agencies across the city for housing advice.
Tel: 0330 175 5121
Open Mon to Fri, 9am to 5pm, weekends and bank holidays or visit england.shelter.org.uk
Tel: 0117 924 8662
Open Mon to Fri, 9.30am – 4.30pm www.bristollawcentre.org.uk
Tel: 0808 800 4444
Open Mon to Fri, 8am to 8pm, weekends and bank holidays, 9am to 5pm, or visit www.housingmatters.co.uk
Hello from Councillor Barry Parsons
Welcome to your Winter 2024 edition of Housing News.
As the Chair for Homes and Housing Delivery Committee, I am delighted to take this opportunity to formally introduce myself to any of you I haven’t spoken to yet and bring you your latest edition of Housing News.
Bristol City Council is committed to providing the best possible service to everyone who lives in council homes. On behalf of the Homes and Housing Delivery Committee, I encourage you all to get involved with the new committee system, and there’s multiple ways you can do this. You could submit a statement or question for our committee meetings or come along to the committee meetings to hear what’s discussed and decided.
Committee Members, the Housing and Landlord Service teams, and I, are continuing to work hard to create a vibrant, inclusive, and more sustainable city, and want you all to be well-informed, and confident when it comes to the safety of your homes. Your home is important to us, and you all deserve a safe, warm, and decent home in a vibrant community.
Yours and your family’s safety will continue to be our number one priority. In September, we published an open letter to all council house residents which you can read on our website: bit.ly/CH_Open_Letter and I encourage you to read it. The council recognise that our communications approach can appear complicated and there have been occasions when you may not have received the answers you wanted about your homes and the block you live in. We are continuing to create more opportunities for tenant engagement and chances to have a two-way conversation with you about your experiences and needs.
This newsletter will provide you with further information about what the council is doing to improve social housing standards and reassure you that we are listening to your concerns and are keen to address them as quickly and efficiently as possible.
I hope you enjoy reading your copy of Housing News and look forward to hearing from you in the future.
Best
Wishes, Councillor Barry Parsons, Chair of the Homes and Housing Delivery Committee
Meet your Homes and Housing Delivery Committee
The new Policy Committee for housing, known as the Homes and Housing Delivery Committee, is responsible for housing delivery, landlord services, social housing and support services, HomeChoice Bristol, and lots more.
You can find full details of the committee’s responsibilities on the council’s website: Public Forum page (bit.ly/committee-decisions) The committee Chair is Councillor Barry Parsons, and the Vice-Chair is Councillor Richard Eddy. Other councillors sitting on the committee are Councillor Jos Clark, Councillor Al Al-Maghrabi, Councillor
Goggin, Councillor Zoë Peat, Councillor Lisa Stone, Councillor Jerome Thomas, and Councillor Sibusiso Tshabalala.
The meetings are held in the Council Chamber at City Hall and open to the public. You can submit a public statement or ask up to three questions of the committee (which will be answered in the meeting) via the Public Forum page (bit.ly/CH-get-involved) on our website. The meetings are held at City Hall every other month. The last meeting of 2025 is on Friday 13 December, 10am to 1pm.
Paul
Councillor Barry Parsons
Councillor Richard Eddy
Councillor Jos Clark
Councillor Al Al-Maghrabi
Councillor Paul Goggin
Councillor Zoë Peat
Councillor Lisa Stone
Councillor Jerome Thomas
Councillor Sibusiso Tshabalala
An update on our selfreferral to the Regulator of Social Housing
As part of the council’s commitment to deliver decent and safe homes for those living in council housing, we have been working with the Regulator of Social Housing to review our compliance with the recently adopted regulatory standards for landlords.
The Regulator of Social Housing oversees all social housing landlords to make sure that the housing provided is of a decent quality and meets required levels of safety.
In April 2024, the council made the decision to self-refer to the Regulator for potential noncompliance with the Safety and Quality Standard and other matters in relation to the authority’s duty as a landlord. Our decision to take this action was in response to a review of the arrangements in place to meet national standards which found shortfalls in the systems in place.
In July 2024, we wrote to all council tenants and leaseholders to let them know that the Regulator had completed its review and found that the council does
not currently meet the levels required and must do more to improve how council-owned homes are looked after.
We fully accept the Regulator’s findings and would like to offer our sincere apologies to all of our tenants. As our residents you should expect us, as a landlord, to deliver a high standard of housing and comply with national requirements, and this is the standard we want to provide to you.
We’re working hard to put things right quickly and improve our arrangements for the maintenance of council owned homes. This includes setting up our new Housing and Consumer Standards Programme. You can find more information on page 6 and page 7 or visit our website: bit.ly/RSH-referral
New standards for social housing
New consumer standards
Since April 2024, all social housing landlords, including Bristol City Council, must comply with the new housing consumer standards under the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023.
Here is a summary of the new four key standards:
1. The Safety and Quality Standard requires landlords to provide safe and good-quality homes and landlords services for their tenants.
2. The Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard requires landlords to be open with tenants and help tenants access services, raise concerns, influence decision making, and hold their landlord to account.
3. The Neighbourhood and Community Standard requires landlords to engage and work in partnership with local agencies and communities so that tenants can live in safe and wellmaintained neighbourhoods and feel safe in their homes.
4. The Tenancy Standard ensures the fair allocation and letting of homes and the way domestic abuse and anti-social behaviour is managed.
The Regulator of Social Housing can inspect landlords to make sure they are compliant with the new standards and will take strict action against landlords who fail to meet them.
If we identify areas for improvement, we will notify the regulator, notify residents, and work together to correct any issues.
New timescales and standards are also in place for responding to complaints, ensuring faster and more effective resolutions.
You can read about how the council is meeting the new standards on page 7 or visit: bit.ly/RSH-referral
New complaint handling code
On 1 April 2024, the Housing Ombudsman introduced a new statutory complaint handling code that local authorities have to comply with. The Housing Ombudsman are a national organisation that investigates complaints and resolves disputes involving the tenants and leaseholders of social landlords as well as with private landlords and letting agents.
The new Housing Ombudsman Code requires us to:
• Make it easier for council tenants and leaseholders to make a complaint.
• Have a positive and effective complaint handling culture.
• Provide a two stage complaints process, where we provide a written complaint acknowledgement within five working days and investigate and provide a written response within 10 working days from the date of acknowledgment.
• Ensure complaints that have escalated to stage 2 are acknowledged within five working days and a written response within 20 working days.
• Make sure that we make appropriate adjustments to ensure complaints are handled fairly.
• Have dedicated staff for handling complaints.
• Complete a self-assessment against the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code.
• Publish an annual report and service improvement report.
For more information, visit: bit.ly/B-Complaints
Responding to tenants complaints
We aim to deliver a good service to all our tenants and leaseholders, but we know that sometimes things go wrong and that you might not always be satisfied with our services. We want to listen to your feedback and welcome you contacting us.
If you do have a complaint, it will be treated impartially and in line with our corporate complaints policy and procedures as well as the standards set by the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code.
How to get in touch:
Visit our website: www.bristol.gov.uk/complaints
Email complaints.feedback@bristol.gov.uk
Visit: Citizen Service Point
www.bristol.gov.uk/contact/citizen-service-point
Write to Customer Relations (100 TS), PO Box 3399, Bristol, BS1 9NE
Social Housing Compliance Update
What we’re doing to improve the quality and safety of your home.
Following the Regulator of Social Housing’s judgement in July 2024, the Housing and Consumer Standards Programme has been set up to deliver improvements to council homes and make sure that we meet the regulatory consumer standards. The programme is focused on five key areas for improvement:
1. Safety and quality: how we inspect and survey homes, carry out important remedial works to ensure that homes are safe, and how we collect data.
2. Complaints and resident feedback: ensuring that we handle complaints correctly, act upon them, and give residents the opportunity to feedback and influence decision making.
3. Neighbourhood: improving the standards of communal spaces, responding to domestic abuse and antisocial behaviour effectively, and develop plans residents’ needs.
4. Tenancy: reviewing our approach to tenancy management and how we allocate and let our homes.
5. How we do things: a review of our housing services that includes our senior management structure, policy, data management, performance reporting, and IT systems.
We’re currently prioritising the most urgent health and safety related works, and we’re also carrying out surveys of homes to update our records and better understand where work is needed.
We report on the progress of this programme at each Homes and Housing Delivery Committee meeting. You can find the papers for these meetings on our website: bit.ly/homes-housing-delivery. We also provide updates and opportunities for residents to input on issues related to the programme at Housing Forum and Housing Scrutiny Panel meetings..
We want more people to get involved and are making plans for how we can make sure that your views and ideas are represented in our plans. This includes reviewing ideas on how we expand our existing resident groups and provide more opportunities for people to feedback and contribute.
Find out more about the Housing and Consumer Standards Programme on our website bristol.gov.uk/socialhousingreferral
Our annual report to tenants and leaseholders shows how we’re performing and helps hold us to account as their landlord. The 2023/2024 report includes resident satisfaction with housing services.
Read the 2024 annual report to tenants and leaseholders
Our annual report to tenants and leaseholders shows how we’re performing and helps the public hold us to account as their landlord. The 2023/2024 report covers the evacuation of Barton House, our self-referral to the Regulator of Social Housing and the new Housing and Consumer Standards Programme and Board. It includes forwards from our Interim Executive Director of Growth and Regeneration, Interim Director Homes and Landlord Services, and Councillor Barry Parsons, Chair of the Homes and Housing Delivery Committee. You can read this year’s Annual Tenants Report on our website: bit.ly/housing-performance
You will receive a printed copy if you receive a printed version of Housing News. If you would like this information in another language, Braille, audio tape, large print, easy English, BSL video or CD rom or plain text, please contact: 0117 3521444 (choose option 2 and then choose option 3).
How you can get involved
You have the power to shape and develop the council’s housing services. We are continuing to listen to tenants and leaseholders to understand what’s important to you and how we can improve our services.
Thank you to those who have already spoken to us at the recent Housing Forums or at the Housing Scrutiny Panel.
There’s plenty of ways to share your views and get involved:
Forums
The meetings, for tenants and leaseholders, are to discuss council housing issues and solutions with services managers. Find out more/get involved: bit.ly/Housing-Forums
Tenancy Services and the Repairs and Maintenance Service User Group
These two groups review the way housing services are delivered. You’ll have the opportunity to feedback on policies such as damp/mould and anti-social behaviour. Find out more/get involved: bit.ly/Service-User-Groups
Housing Scrutiny Panel
This panel is made up of tenants and leaseholders helps us to improve our performance and standards. This panel identifies where improvements are needed across housing services. Find out more/get involved: bit.ly/House-Scrut-Panel
Housing Management Board
Elected tenant and leaseholder representatives meet with senior housing managers and councillors to discuss the development of council housing services. It is currently under review and we are consulting with residents.
Keep up to date
Join our mailing list to receive information about consultations, resident meetings, questionnaires, focus groups, and other opportunities to shape and improve housing services. You can find out more about Tenant Participation on our website: www.bristol.gov.uk/ tenantparticipation, by calling 0117 352 1444, or emailing, tpu@bristol.gov.uk
Make it brighter. Make it happier.
Suggest improvements to communal areas
Do you have an idea for something that could improve the neighbourhood and the environment around where you live?
Our neighbourhood and environment improvement funds could turn it into reality and make it a brighter and happier place to live.
Perhaps some new outdoor signage, seating or lighting could improve where you live? All ideas are welcome and will be carefully considered.
For more information and to submit your idea, visit: www.bristol.gov.uk/makeitbrighter or ask your Housing Officer for a paper form and we will be in touch.
We can’t wait to hear your ideas!
These photos are of the communal garden at Rossiter Wood Court in Lawrence Weston. Staff from our Repairs and Maintenance Team gave it a makeover and built a pergola, laid a new patio and installed picnic tables and timber planters. The idea came from a resident.
The Crystal Insurance Scheme
Improvements to communal council housing area
When you are renting a home, your rent payment does not include insurance for your home contents. It is your responsibility to make sure the contents of your home and your personal belongings will be covered in the event of loss or damage.
The Crystal Insurance Scheme is designed for tenants and residents living in social housing, and provides cover for damage to, or loss of furniture, belongings, and decorations. This includes things that as a tenant you may be financially responsible for, such as damage to the council’s fixtures and fittings.
Having the right level of cover is almost as important as the cover itself. It means if you ever need to make a claim, you won’t find yourself at a loss.
To find out more about the Crystal Insurance Scheme and to get a quote you can call Thistle Tenant Risks on 0345 450 7286 or visit bit.ly/crystal-insurance where you can also request a call back.
An update: St Jude’s refurbishment plans
Five council housing blocks in St Jude’s, Charleton House, Haviland House, Langton House, John Cozens House, and Tyndall House, are part of a major refurbishment programme aimed at improving living standards for those living in these blocks. Contractors have been completing structural surveys in selected flats across these blocks. Residents whose homes were surveyed were provided with temporary serviced accommodation while the surveys took place and will be back in their homes by Christmas.
On Wednesday 4 September, we updated residents about some initial findings from the surveys. As a precaution, fire evacuation procedures have changed across these blocks and a Waking Watch service is now in place.
For more information, visit: www.bristol.gov.uk/stjudesrefurbishment
St Jude’s Housing Block
We know that parenting can be a real challenge and it’s ok if you need to ask for some help.
Bristol’s Family Hubs bring together lots of organisations and services in one place to help you with all the things your family might need.
They can give you information about:
• Health
• Education and childcare
• Wellbeing and mental health
• Peer support and play groups
• Relationships
You can get this support in a way that works for you and your family:
• Visit any of our Family Hubs located in north, south and east/central Bristol
• Get in touch with a Family Hubs Navigator if you want to talk to someone
• Go online to access useful tools and information at a time that suits you
For more information visit www.bristol.gov.uk/bristolfamilyhubs
Start volunteering in your local area
Find local volunteering opportunities with Can Do Bristol
Time on your hands? Need a reason to get outside more? Want to meet like-minded people in your area? Look no further than Can Do Bristol!
Can Do Bristol connect volunteers with organisations in need across Bristol. With nearly 300 diverse volunteer activities listed, there’s something for everyone, and new opportunities are added to the website daily.
Get outside, enjoy Bristol’s green spaces and help your community. To register as a volunteer, please visit bit.ly/can-do-bristol and find an opportunity near you.
Safer streets
28 residents from Hartcliffe and Bedminster have been involved in designing and delivering a Safer Streets initiative in their neighbourhoods with the council’s Community Development Team.
Residents and council officers held five community events with around 330 people participating and developed a grant funding pot that supported 23 community projects. These included activities for young people such as Hartcliffe BMX Club, coding sessions and a music studio. These community events were held in Wilmot Park, Hartcliffe and Dame Emily Park, Bedminster. There were also community activities for families in Hartcliffe and for older people in Bedminster. Helen, a resident in Bedminster resident, said: “Being part of Safer Streets gave me the opportunity to meet and work with people from my local community that I am unlikely to have met otherwise. I had a great sense of belonging and community as I worked with others to deliver the Safer Streets Bedminster and Southville project.”
A family in Hartcliffe, who took part in the Coderz project, said: “We’re blessed to finally find support for my son doing something he loves around likeminded people, we’ve really struggled as a family to find that so thank you x,”
To find out more about the Safer Street initiative and to read more resident stories, visit: Safer Streets - Bedminster bit.ly/safer-streets-bedminster Hartcliffe Safer Streets bit.ly/Safer-streets-Hartcliffe Safer Streets Hartcliffe - The Projects bit.ly/Hartcliffe-stories
Alternatively, please contact Sam Parker, Community Development Team at sam.parker@bristol.gov.uk or 07775 227285.
Residents take action to improve outdoor space
Residents from Middleford House, Hartcliffe came together to improve their communal garden, with the support of the council’s Community Development Team.
“When I first moved here, I was very isolated. I would come down into the garden for fresh air to make me feel better but, actually, I would dread coming down here as it felt so unloved. I wanted to improve the garden, but I didn’t know if I was allowed.”
The group successfully accessed funding, and with the involvement of their neighbours developed plans for the garden. The Community Development Team helped the group connect with the council’s community food growing scheme to get them up and running.
They also connected the group with Blaise Nursery and Highways, where they sourced six accessible planters for the garden, so that all residents can enjoy the space.
“I met with some neighbours and was put in contact with Hayley, we realised there was a lot we could do to make this a nicer space for everyone. It’s been a lot of hard work, but in the last few weeks, I’ve seen people using this garden that have never come down here before. Neighbours have been coming down on workdays offering to buy plants. It’s just the beginning, but it’s made a huge difference.”
Following on from Middleford House residents’ success, their next door neighbours at Hayleigh House are getting active in their communal garden space. They’ve already planted a pear tree and are talking about forming their own gardening group.
If you’d like to take part in a similar project, you can email communitydevelopment@bristol.gov.uk, or visit our website: bit.ly/community-join-in
Middleford House residents
Middleford House housing block
Welcoming Spaces are available this winter
Welcoming Spaces are still open and are a shared warm space for residents in Bristol to access for free.
You can use the space to connect with your local community by doing something fun and engaging, simply sit with your family or friends, and you can also get help and advice if needed.
You can find your local Welcome Space on this map: bit.ly/CH-Welcoming-Spaces
Seasonal Opening Hours
Call Centre
• Monday 23 December – Tuesday 24 December: 8:30am – 5:00pm
• Wednesay 25 December: Closed
• Thursday 26 December: Closed
• Friday 27 December: 8:30am – 5:00pm
• Monday 30 December – Tuesday 31 December: 8:30am – 5:00pm
• Wednesday 1 January: Closed
Repairs
Between Tuesday 24 December 2024 and Wednesday 1 January 2025, we will operate a reduced repairs service, focusing only on emergency repairs.
Citizen Service Point
• Monday 23 December – Tuesday 24 December: 9:00am – 5:00pm
• Wednesday 25 December –Thursday 26 December: Closed
• Friday 27 December: 9.00am – 5.00pm
• Monday 30 December – Tuesday 31 December: 9.00am - 5.00pm
• Wednesday 1 January: Closed
Contact details for our Call Centre, Citizen Service Point, and Emergency Repairs can be found on page 16.
Get in touch
You can contact us in several ways. Information about our services is available on our website 24 hours a day, seven days a week at: bristol.gov.uk/councilhousing
Caretaking
www.bristol.gov.uk/caretaking
Citizen Service Point
100 Temple Street, Bristol
Opening hours
Monday: 9am to 5pm
Tuesday: 9am to 5pm
Wednesday: 10am to 5pm
Thursday: 9am to 5pm
Friday: 9am to 5pm
We don’t deal with all housing services face-to-face at our citizen service point, but we will help you contact services online or by telephone.
Complaints or feedback
www.bristol.gov.uk/complaints
Email: complaints.feedback@ bristol.gov.uk
Tel: 0117 922 2723
(Monday to Friday,10am to 4pm)
Emergency repairs
Please call the Emergency Control Centre:
8.30am to 6pm (office hours):
Tel: 0117 922 2200 (option 1)
6pm to 8.30am (out of hours):
Tel: 0117 922 2050
Textphone: 0117 922 3892
Estate management
www.bristol.gov.uk/ counciltenants
Tel: 0117 922 2200 (Option 4)
Find it in Bristol
maps.bristol.gov.uk/pinpoint
Get involved
Have your say on how our housing service is run. www.bristol.gov.uk/ tenantparticipation
Grounds maintenance
Email: bristolparks@bristol.gov.uk
Tel: 0117 922 2100 (Option 4)
Housing benefit and council tax reduction
www.bristol.gov.uk/benefits
My account
Register for ‘My Account’
Using ‘My Account’ is quick and easy. Find out how you can manage your Council Tax, Rent, Housing Benefit and Landlords services all in one place!
Visit: www.bristol.gov.uk/sign-in
Rehousing
www.homechoicebristol.co.uk
Email: hcb.enquiries@bristol.gov.uk
Tel: 0117 922 2400
Rents and housing payments
www.bristol.gov.uk/payrent
If you are struggling to pay, call: Tel: 0117 922 2200 (Option 3) (Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 6pm)
Manage your tenancy online: www.bristol.gov.uk/tenantaccount
Report repairs
www.bristol.gov.uk/housing/repairs
Tel: 0117 922 2200 (Option 1)
Report street problems
www.bristol.gov.uk/report-astreet-issue
Social media
facebook.com/ bristolcouncilhousing
X.com/BristolCouncil instagram.com/ bristolcouncil
youtube.com/ bristolcitycouncil
Smell gas?
Report gas immediately to National Grid Gas Emergency Service. Tel: 0800 111 999
Tenants energy advice
www.cse.org.uk/my-home/adviceprojects/bristol-tenants-energyadvice
Tenancy fraud
Email: tenancy.fraud@bristol.gov.uk
Tel: 0117 922 2470
Tenant services online available 24/7 www.bristol.gov.uk/ councilhousing
Travel planning
journeyplanner.travelwest.info/ directions
www.betterbybike.info
What’s on
Bristol museums and galleries www.bristolmuseums.org.uk/ whats-on