October 2017
REMEMBER... EBuzz is put together following John’s briefings every other month. This is your newsletter and it would be great to hear some of your stories! If you have anything you want to share, please get in touch with Louise Davies via In House, 01495 761104 or email: louise.davies@ monmouthshirehousing. co.uk We look forward to hearing from you and hope you enjoy this edition.
John’s Briefing Annual General Meeting (AGM)
The AGM was held on 27th September, its main purpose is to look back at the events of the previous year and to approve the financial accounts. This year we had an additional item which involved rule changes. In the past year or so the Office for National Statistics redefined RSL’s as Public Bodies on account for the amount of public money we receive for developments, having Councillors on our Boards and the fact we are regulated by the Welsh Government. This ruling could have had significant impacts on MHA lessening our ability to borrow more money for example, which we need to do to meet our development ambitions. In anticipation of this legislative change, MHA agreed to reduce the number of local authority elected
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members from 4 to 2 to emphasise the distinct nature of MHA and Monmouthshire County Council, and to increase the number of Independent Board Members from 2 to 4. The increase in Independent Members has enabled MHA to recruit members with the skills required to support MHA in taking risks going forward and to prevent MHA entering lines of business that it does not fully understand. The Independent Members have been selected in order to ask the “right” questions not just “intelligent” questions, ensuring good governance in accordance with standing orders and financial regulations through a period of “risk taking” See page 26 to find out more about our new Board Members.
Risk
MHA plans to build between 4 – 500 homes over the next 3 years and 750 homes over the next five years. This plan will require larger sites and more land exposing MHA to the potential for more problems, greater expense and less profit. The programme is part of MHA’s commitment to Welsh Government to build 20,000 homes by 2020.
Welfare Reform, Universal Credit and Brexit – the challenges
Unless the UK is successful in achieving a good Brexit deal and securing a stabilising transitional period then the effect of Brexit on the British economy could adversely impact MHA’s ability to make a profit on the sale of new homes. To meet the numbers in our development project it will be necessary for MHA to purchase land prior to Brexit, with an anticipated sale price for homes,
there is a high risk that MHA could achieve less than the anticipated profit should confidence be drained from the economy in the event of a poor Brexit deal. Universal Credit will be implemented on all new benefit cases from April 2018, the impact of which cannot be underestimated. Tenants will not receive any UC for a period of six weeks and will not be advised of their UC award until after this six week period, meaning that tenants cannot plan their budget, and will be without income. 44% tenants of MHA will be in receipt of Universal Credit by 2021. In MHA the average rent arrears across our whole stock is about 1.5%. But for those currently on Universal Credit its 9%. If we extrapolate those figures across 44% of tenancies by 2021 that will result in a massive increase in rent arrears. Currently those on UC have rent arrears close to £600, therefore MHA needs to build new homes for sale rather than rent and upgrade its housing stock to the best possible standard so that a tenant chooses to prioritise paying their rent over other spending. It is anticipated that there will be increasing dependence on food banks following the implementation of Universal Credit as well as the number of tenants experiencing “In Work Poverty.” MHA needs to invest and find ways of upskilling tenants so that they do not spend too long in low paid employment, helping to ensure that “work pays”. A massive thank you to all MHA staff for their generous food bank donations. The boxes are located in the staff forum and are a very clear demonstration of the generosity of our staff, this generosity may well be called on more in the coming years. The Bank of England is currently hinting that there will be a rise in interest rates shortly. A rise in interest rates will also impact on MHA. As home owners pay more for their
mortgages, there will be less money available to spend in the economy and home owners will be less able to pay mortgages on new homes. As MHA hopes to build many more for sale this could impact on sales forecasts and profitability. Low interest rates meanwhile mean that the yield on the MHA pension fund is less. Last year whilst MHA awarded a 1.5% pay increase to its staff, in real terms the increase was 5%, with 3.5% allocated to the pension fund plus an additional £50K per annum to close the pension deficit. These financial challenges mean that it is even more important to achieve anticipated sale values on the new homes MHA needs to provide.
What is going well!
All 13 performance indicators reported to Board are performing well and meeting target. We spent £80K less on bringing voids up to standard in the year to date and reduced turnaround times to between 22 – 24 days with an average spend of £3.1k. In Oakley Way, previously one of our least popular estates we are spending £18 – 19K per property, down from £22k just a few months ago. Feedback from tenants is very positive indeed. . Well done to the DLO and the Asset Management Team. Repairs spending reduced by 6 – 7% in the year to date. This year we are spending £6-7 million on capital works improving the quality of homes for tenants. We always hope this will result in less spend on repair and maintenance but it doesn’t or is minimal. Nevertheless, the upside is that tenants now demand we keep the properties in better condition and that will ultimately add to their life-span. The Homesearch service is performing very well. Of the waiting
list of 3000, 1000 applicants are in significant housing need. We expect to let in the region of 250 homes this year so we need to build more. One area we are watching closely is Monmouth, as a lot of new properties are being built there and what impact this will have on demand. We have done some figures this week and of the 2 properties recently let in Wyesham we have received 25 to 30 bids per property, this indicates that despite all the new build there is still quite a bit of demand in the area.. Initial results of the Tenant Satisfaction Survey show that tenants feel positive about MHA and believe that they are getting good value for money for their rent. We agreed a new Asset Management Strategy. MHA have successfully disposed of each void property in Llanelly Hill, Abergavenny for the past few years as demand for rented accommodation in the area is low. For every 1 property sold, 2-3 others can be purchased in areas of the County where demand is higher. MHA has plans to dispose of a further 70 to 80 properties.
A huge congratulations to...
...Kelly Bennett, apprentice decorator, who won “Apprentice of the Year”. Emma Gallo, New Homes Officer, for making the top 5 in the Leadership in Housing Awards in Birmingham. Emma really enjoyed the experience and learned that stress channelled in the right way builds resilience even if it was a bit scary. Tracey Riggs who won “Plasterer of the Year” for Coleg Gwent and also Apprentice of the Year. MHA is proud that more women are entering the housing industry and these achievements illustrate that MHA has the best people in the best jobs.
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Young Leaders Award By Emma Gallo
As most of you will know last week I was fortunate enough to make it to the final five of the Young Leader’s Award 2017, a competition managed by 24 housing magazine, and open to housing organisations from across the UK. When Cheryl Tracy and Amy Brine put me forward for the competition I never thought I would make it as far as I did; it has been a rollercoaster of emotions and experiences and was definitely worthwhile. The final of the competition was held in Birmingham at the National Housing Federation annual conference where the final five had to fight it out in the “Battle Royale” against housing’s present leaders. The final was a plenary session (on the main stage in front of around 2,500 people who attended the conference!), stepping on to that stage was one of the most nerve wracking things I have ever done, but also one of the best. I had to debate against Sean Anstee, Trafford Council Leader and was given the following topic- “accountability is rightly at the top of everyone’s agenda at the moment, how can we make sure that we really listen to tenants to ensure we are responsive and customer driven”. As part of my response to Sean I discussed the need to provide services tenants needed and not 4
what was convenient for us, the benefits of using technology to collate data to free up officer’s time to work with tenants where we need to be - on the ground in our community. I also spoke about the importance of driving forward tenant’s ideas, values and opinions into the business strategically and the need to cut red tape and be able to respond to and act on what tenants want, concluding it is better to say ‘oops’ than ‘what if’. I think I held my own and hope I did MHA proud. The other young leaders were all very inspiring and I certainly extended my professional network. Even though it is cliché to say it I truly believe we were all winners to have got where we did; I was happy for any of my fellow competitors to win and congratulations to the actual winner Molly Bishop. Although I was disappointed about not bringing home the trophy for MHA, I feel very fortunate and grateful, as I have been able to take away a lot of valuable lessons, and have made some lifelong friends on the way. Although I didn’t win the competition, it has been an amazing experience from start to finish and I would urge manager’s to put forward their staff for next year’s Young Leaders competition.
Civica CX Here are a selection of “Pickles” that you have awarded to your colleagues recently:
CX was planned to go live in November 2017. Unfortunately issues remain outstanding and some of the key features are not robust enough for us to start training staff.
We are now looking at May or June 2018 to go live! If you have any queries please contact a member of the Project Team; Mark Winstanley, Michael Harper, Tania O’Neil, Clayton Charles or Katie Needham.
Ceri Melhuish-Thomas has ‘pickled’ Emma Assender for… "filming, editing and putting together a case study for Dads Can in a mini movie!! Move over Spielberg and Jackson. Diolch!” Natasha Jones has ‘pickled’ Clare Thomas-Parr and Alex Caswell for… "their help at the Oakley Way consultation. Clare came to the rescue during a small hiccup with the power supply. Clare was also a keen archer! Alex was our sporting bod providing the children with a helping hand at the archery station and he was a great goalie – nothing to do with the tiny goalposts!! Thank you!!” Natasha Jones has ‘pickled’ Ben Hennessy for… "arranging a fantastic fishing project with Dads Can. They spent the afternoon at Grange Springs, near Trellech. He also managed to get free bait, fishing gear and gifts for the dads by encouraging local fishing tackle suppliers to donate lots of free equipment.” Elizabeth Jones has ‘pickled’ Anna White for… "being super-efficient and contacting Robert Price’s just to help out. Big thank you!” Do you think your colleagues should be recognised for their additional work efforts? Then award them a pickle via In House. A prize will be awarded to the employee with the most deserved pickles during the quarter. 5
E B Y L N O L L WI A I V E L B A L I A V A FROM R E B M E C E D 2017 Eric
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What’s on Wonastow COMPLIMENTS Mr Thomas would like to thank Matthew Taylor for... ”His help, he said that he has been fantastic and regardless of the outcome he is very grateful for all of Matt’s help!”
Mr Goward would like to thank the Repairs Team for... ”The response to his call at 9am. The repair was carried out by 10:15am. Well done!”
Mr Nelson would like to thank Claire Osman for...
”The help that she has given to him recently. He didn’t know where to turn, but thanks to Claire’s help, support and guidance he’s back on the right track. Claire made a very good impression on him and helped him out of a bad situation.”
Ms Norman would like to thank MHA staff for...
”The brilliant work done in the garden, what a brilliant new lawn it is, thank you to all staff involved. Also wanted to say thank you to all of the MHA staff that she has spoken to, everyone has been so helpful and informative. Thank you.” The King’s Wood Gate development on Wonastow Road, Monmouth has been steadily progressing over the summer. Phase 1 properties were handed over in mid-September and the first of the homes to be sold, plot 42 is nearing completion. With four other low cost homes sold, it will not be long until the first of the residents move in. It’s an exciting time for the development, which will see properties from phase 2 handed over in the next few months, and one of the properties turned into an open house so potential buyers can get a complete feel for the property.
Mrs Hancock would like to thank Martyn Lynch for...
”Doing an excellent job on her shed. What a lovely, smashing lad.”
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Canada By Katie Knill
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Athabasca Falls
My Canadian Adventure Two years ago I worked on a horse ranch in Canada for the summer and this year I decided that I wanted to go back. When working on the ranch I met Camille who is from France but spoke fluent English, we kept in touch and planned this year’s amazing 3 and a half week trip together. On 3rd August I flew to Calgary (where I left mum in tears at the airport) where I met Camille and we stayed at Wicked Hostel, it was my first hostel experience and I loved every minute of it. We met so many interesting people from all over the world and explored nearly all of the tourist attractions in the city. Calgary is such a friendly and clean city. We went up the Calgary Tower which has an amazing 360° panoramic view, visited the Glenbow museum – 5 floors of Canada’s history and culture, I particularly loved the section on indigenous Canadians. We walked for miles along the beautiful Bow River, went to loads of parks (which have black squirrels) and ate out at a range of lovely restaurants (it’s cheaper to eat out than it is to buy ingredients in Canada). The hostel organised nights out in the city where we went to full moon parties and country cowboy bars (tried to copy the locals at line dancing, failed every time). One of the best days in Calgary was when we hired a jeep with a couple of our new friends at the hostel and we travelled to Drumheller in the Badlands. We went to the Royal Tyrrell Museum which is a UNESCO World Heritage site famous for its dinosaur fossils and the surrounding landscape in the Midland Provincial Park was just stunning. I couldn’t believe the number of fossils and bones they had found in this area! We also visited Horseshoe Canyon which had a similar striking landscape with lots of Hoodoos (rock formations that look like mushrooms).
and Glacier, the colour of the water was turquoise and it just didn’t look real, it was so beautiful. Then we went to the Columbia Icefields which is the largest icefield in the Rocky Mountains which feeds 8 glaciers. We got a snow coach (have never seen such wide and tall tyres) up to the Athabasca glacier which was so cool and it’s one of the few places in the world with a hydrological apex (where water flows into three different oceans). Then we walked on the glacier skywalk, a glass-floored observation platform 918 feet over the Sunwapta Valley, it was slightly terrifying as I’m not the best with heights - but it had an amazing view. We then went to the Athabasca Falls as we entered Jasper National Park which again had amazing scenery with clear turquoise water. We only stayed one night in Jasper as we went there two years ago. From Jasper we headed to U Bar Ranch in Grande Cache (in the heart of the Rocky Mountains). It was so lovely to see everyone again and they treated us like part of the family. As part of our stay we would work for 4 hours each day with horses for 5 days a week in exchange for food and got to stay in a gorgeous cabin with a log fire. The weather was boiling for the first part of our trip but then it started to get colder and at night it got down to two degrees. It was so nice to ride the horses we rode two years ago as well as new ones and to ride western style again was amazing! They are reining horses so we
Next we travelled to Banff National Park where we stayed at Samesun Hostel. The scenery in Banff was so beautiful it looked like something off a postcard. The mountain ranges were incredible it makes ours look like little bumps! We did a lot of hiking and went canoeing up the Bow River which was one of my favourite memories, the water was so calm and clear. We canoed up to Vermillion Lakes where you could see 5 different mountains. From Banff we headed to Jasper National Park along one of the top 10 most scenic highways in the world and they were not wrong. Over 175 miles, we saw picturesque mountains, lakes, rivers, waterfalls: you name it, the whole way. My favourite place we visited was Peyto Lake
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Horseshoe Canyon got to learn how to do western tricks which was so much fun. We were also responsible for taking guests out on trail rides where we would ride across the forests and mountains for hours. In such a remote place you would think we would have seen plenty of wildlife…. we saw a few elk, deer, ospreys, one eagle and chipmunks but no bears or moose. Every night in the cabin you could hear the wolves and coyotes howling but we never saw any. We also got the chance to see the solar eclipse, well it was a partial eclipse but you could clearly see the moon passing over the sun in the middle of the day. On our days off we visited Sulphur Gates where the Smokey River and Sulphur River meet in a deep canyon, hiked around Grande Cache Lake, Victor Lake and Peavine Lake. We also took a trip to Pierre Greys Lakes Provincial Park where we hiked around 5 lakes. The scenery was beautiful and when we were on a hiking trail we had a huge thunderstorm, I have never seen lightning like it! I celebrated my 23rd birthday at the ranch where they made such an effort with banners, balloons and a cake. We would regularly light a fire and cook hotdogs which, washed down with a beer or two was bliss. They cooked nearly everything on the fire or BBQ, they cook a lot of meat which they have with salads, rice and vegetables but I hardly saw any fruit the whole time I was out there. On our last weekend we went to the city of Grande Prairie which was such a good laugh and had a very western feel
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as it was full of guys and girls in jeans, cowboy boots and cowboy hats. We had their national dish of poutine which is essentially fries, cheese and gravy but it isn’t like the gravy you get over here it was so tasty! I think we tried almost every Canadian beer and shot going so it was fair to say we enjoyed ourselves! On 27th August it was time to say an emotional goodbye to all at the ranch and my travel buddy Camille. It was a trip of a lifetime and I created amazing memories and made lots of new friends along the way. I can’t wait to start planning my next adventure!
The glacier skywalk
Fireworks Displays
Bonfire Night Events Abergavenny Fireworks Extravaganza
Fireworks at Caldicot Castle
Fireworks Spectacular at the Celtic Manor Resort
Sunday 5th November
Sunday 5th November
Saturday 4th November
Held every year at Belgrave Park, this spectacular event has grown to become the largest fireworks display in the area and is Abergavenny Round Table's biggest fund raiser of the year.
With our incredible castle walls as the backdrop, the display is no ordinary show with an astonishing amount of fireworks that will paint the night sky with colour.
Remember, remember this date for November! Our Fireworks Spectacular, sponsored by Fruit Shoot, will be back with a bang as we light up the sky above Celtic Manor with a dazzling display.
All the profits made go to charities and good causes in the local area.
There will be live music and entertainment from Capital FM, children's funfair rides, a licensed bar and performances from fire dancers. With lots of tasty winter treats to enjoy.
There will be live music and entertainment, children’s funfair rides, a licensed bar and even a special appearance from our resort mascots. With lots of tasty warming winter treats to enjoy including hot dogs, hog roast and burgers, wrap up warm and join us for what promises to be a truly memorable family night.
A fantastic night out for all the family with music, food and drinks stalls, a funfair for the kids.
Black Mountains Lions Bonfire & Firework Display at Hay-onWye/Y Gelli Gandryll Sunday 5 November th
The gates will open at 6pm, the bonfire will be lit at 6.45pm and the fireworks start at 7pm. Free Car-Parking. Variety of stalls including soup and hotdogs
Rotary Club of Monmouth Sunday 5th November The traditional Monmouth Rotary bonfire and firework display will take place in the field next to the Rowing Club. Get your burgers and hotdogs from 6:00 to 7:30pm. Bonfire lighting at 6:30pm and firework display from 7:00pm
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Why not say hello to all the new starters on
Mark Hayes Facilities & Compliance Officer My name is Mark and I’ve recently joined as a new facilities and compliance officer in the F & C team. I began my working career as an apprentice boilermaker/welder way back in 1984 with British Steel as it was called then. I finished with the company in 2016 after 32 years taking redundancy. I then worked as a health and safety officer for a Cardiff based charity for vulnerable people which I greatly enjoyed. My hobbies include metal detecting (nerd alert), gym sessions, listening to Radio 4 Extra (nerd alert x 2) and reading a good book. Musically I’m an 80s kid but I have a passion for classic house, trance and classical music particularly Richard Wagner.
Who would you like to be stuck in a lift with and why? Keith Richards. The stories he could tell.
Claire Freeman Benefits & Money Advisor Hi my name is Claire Freeman and I’m a Welfare Rights & Money Adviser – previously worked for the charity sector before MHA. Outside of work I enjoy looking after my animals, being a taxi for my daughter and studying towards my Social Work degree.
Who would you like to be stuck in a lift with and why? I would love to be stuck in a lift with David Attenborough, to listen to all of his stories on his career/wildlife and his voice is like chocolate I could listen to it all day and never be bored.
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Hannah Rowson Housing Management Trainee My name’s Hannah and I’m the new Housing Management Trainee at MHA. Before coming here I was working for Taff Housing Association at Ty Enfys, their mother and baby homeless hostel. Outside of work I enjoy swimming, reading and also like knitting!
Who would you like to be stuck in a lift with and why? Anyone I could have a good conversation with!
Lewis Harvey Carpenter
Jason Thomas Heating Engineer I am a 47 year old heating engineer who joined the team at Capsel two months ago. I am married with two boys. My hobbies are coaching and watching rugby, which takes up quite a bit of my free time.
Who would you like to be stuck in a lift with and why? If I was stuck in a lift it would be good to have someone in there to lighten the mood so maybe the comedian Peter Kay.
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We wish them the best for the future
Hannah Bourne Cleaning & Hygiene Operative
Tanya Brannigan Support Officer
Sarah Herbert Ziggies Co-ordinator
Andrew Jones Benefits & Money Advisor
Dean Phillips Income Officer
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Tracy Bartlett Admin Assistant (Active Inclusion)
Andrew Johnson Admin Assistant (Active Inclusion)
Susan Fletcher Admin Assistant (Active Inclusion)
Robert McCracken Tenancy Coach
Andrew Retallick Support Officer
Andrew Young Carpenter
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We wish them the best for the future
Lester Parry Planned Maintenance Project Manager
Alan Webber Community Safety Officer
Kelvin Mustow Heating Engineer
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The Team If you have a news story, if no one else can help, and if you can find them (you will!), maybe you can contact the EBuzz Team...
The EBuzz Team are: Graham Harvey
Emma Assender
Nathan Cook
Domini Barnes
Emma Gallo
Jessie O'Connell
Cath Murray
Vicky Ferris
Louise Davies 17
Time For a Change In light of the CX system being developed and tested, we feel that now would be the best time to give the tenant insight service a fresh new name and look before the new system launches. Over the past few years tenant insight has been known as ‘Helping us to Help You’, over the coming weeks we will need your help! We will be holding drop in sessions where we will be asking for your thoughts on:
• A new name for tenant insight • How you see tenant insight going forward • Any additional data you may need us to collect and opportunities for data collection • The challenges involved with collecting and updating information • How you would like summary information to be presented Further details will follow about the dates for the sessions. Keep an eye out for further blogs on In House for more information. In the meantime please carry on updating the information on Capita if a tenant tells you of any changes to their household’s circumstances or through question of the month. Remember the analysis we provide is only as good as the information that is stored on the system.
If you need any training on updating the information on Capita or you would like to discuss any information that you require please contact Claudia Blair or Nathan Cook in Corporate Services.
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news
Do you know who Eric is? Eric is your Electronic Resource Information Character who holds all the latest news on In House. Remember it’s YOUR intranet and we want to make it a platform of as much useful information as possible (this includes any non-work related messages). So if you missed out on getting your car washed this month, it’s because you were waiting for an email whilst this was on inhouse. Following an agreement at SMT back in July, all staff were advised that any non-work related messages you want to share need to be posted on In House. This gives staff the opportunity to view things like this should they wish.
You can blog or share on the 'What Are You Working On' section stuff like this: • Lost property (laminators, mugs!!) • Fundraising activities (cake sales, events, cinema screenings) • Social events • Items for sale • Football / Lunchtime walking
• Lottery / Bonus ball • Car wash • Anything else non-work related How to guides will be posted up around the building, posted on In House and available from the Corporate Services team. If you need some further training, we are more than happy to show you round In House – just ask. There’ll also be regular posts on In House to give you the latest tips and tricks, like how to find out who’s car has the lights left on. So, be sure to check in every so often and see what’s been going on! And if you have something to tell – Tell Eric! Remember – you can also tell everyone what projects you and your teams are working on so why not share some of the great work that you’re doing with your colleagues.
Remember it’s your intranet! 19
Summer success for Capsel made a big impact at the Usk Show, with over 100 people signing up to find out more about its services and enter a competition to win tea for two at the Angel Hotel, Abergavenny. Capsel hosted a stand in the busy trade area of the show, handing out flyers and talking to people about its gas and heating, home maintenance and estate agency services. Although not the best of weather, the day proved a great success with the tea for two giveaway. The Usk Show has been running annually since 1844 and is now one of the biggest one day agricultural shows in Wales, celebrating the very best of Monmouthshire farming and rural life. Capsel Finance and Administration Officer Louise attended the event. She said; “The Usk Show was a fantastic opportunity to highlight the quality work Capsel does in our local community.” 20
“It was great to see the local produce on offer and the giant vegetables were certainly a hit with the Capsel team.” “We will be looking forward to the other promotional events coming up including the stand at the Abergavenny Market.” Capsel has also seen success with the launch of its first social media competition. The competition, which offers the chance to win a hot air balloon ride for two over Monmouthshire, has gone from strength-to-strength and proved popular across all social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Capsel Manager Liz said: “Competitions like this offer a great chance to give back to our customers and the local community. The competition has been a huge success and the lucky winner was Kelly Thomas from Cardiff.”
Gas & heating services designed to suit you
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New boiler installation
Capsel boiler cover
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T: 0333 207 9000 • E: info@capsel.co.uk
www.capsel.co.uk
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3,492 Followers
Following 614
4,326 Tweets
2,045 Likes
@Mon_Housing Great to see so much interest in our new homes coming to #Abergavenny. Still time to visit coffee morning at St Michaels Centre today.
@mha_emma We're planning filming in #Abergavenny with @Mon_ Housing today #soexcited
@Mon_Housing Fantastic to see all the community groups across Monmouthshire at Pitch For Your Project this morning. Congratulations to all the winners.
On Twitter? Follow us @mon_housing 22
Paul's Charity
Headshave Last weekend, Capsel Painter Paul Carley and a number of locals from the Upper Cock pub in Cwmbran shaved their heads in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. Paul – who admits he’s missing his hair with the cooler weather recently – decided to take up the challenge after a group of locals from the pub agreed to take part in Macmillan’s annual ‘Brave The Shave’ challenge, which has raised over £2 million pounds this year. Paul said: “We wanted to do something for a good cause so decided this would be a fun thing to do. Cancer affects many of us in many ways, so doing this in support of Macmillan was really worthwhile.”
You can make a donation to Macmillan via Paul’s Just Giving page: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ paul-carley1
Before
Well Done to the Cardiff Half Runners Congratulations to the following members of staff who participated in Cardiff Half marathon which took place on Sunday 1st October.
Liz Jones After
Mark Parry Emma Gallo Ceri Melhuish -Thomas Chris York Sue kidd 23
Say hello to the new Homes & Regeneration Team The new Homes & Regeneration Team will replace the Neighbourhood Team The re-branding has been sought in order to drive forward a new proactive, more community focused service that aims to build on already good relationships with tenants, residents and our external stakeholders. The team will work in partnership with the Engagement Team and in consultation with tenants to deliver the Welsh Housing Quality Standard Environmental Works. The Homes and Regeneration Officers are responsible for ensuring successful and sustainable tenancies, including providing the management and guidance of the following: • Mutual exchange • Transferring to another home • Accessing additional support services • Grounds maintenance enquires • Home condition • Abandoned homes • Tenancy Health Checks • Untidy gardens • Successions • Low level anti-social behaviour, such as noise nuisance and pet nuisance • Abandoned vehicles • Other queries in relation to tenancy and the wider community
Unless there is a tenancy issue, we will no longer take queries such as: • Car parking • Welfare checks • Fly tipping or boundary disputes
These concerns can be directed to the Customer Service Team on 0345 677 2277. 24
The Homes and Regeneration Team is new but you’ll recognise some familiar faces!
Homes & Regeneration Managers
Geraint House Aileen Wallen
Homes & Regeneration Officers
Lauren Francis
Holly Doughton
Nicola Pocock Donna Mason
Anthony O’Connell
Alisa Price (Admin)
Come and meet us and find out more at the launch event coming soon! We will be holding a launch event during November for you to meet the team, take part in our quiz and ask any questions you might have!
Look forward to seeing you! From all in the Homes and Regeneration Team
GEMS Staff Suggestion Scheme
Suggestion Status If you have a suggestion and would like to be in with a chance of winning ÂŁ50, please complete a GEMS form via In House. Instead of offering chocolate and cake incentives for attendance when trying to promote something e.g. In House, for each person that attends MHA could make a charitable donation. Ideally, as happens in supermarkets, the person who attends should be given a counter to drop into a choice of charities. If the annual MHA charity was one, maybe another local charity could be the other or if a member of staff is currently doing some fund raising that could be the other charity. No doubt that person would encourage staff to come along! Accepted
Clear out the book shelves in the break out area on floor two and invite staff to fill the shelves with books they have used in work and found useful (particularly books that are purchased by MHA). Keep an electronic record of the books in the library so that people can see what is available. The shelves are currently filled with old Big Issue magazines, some finance books, some old housing books and a Jackie Collins novel. Accepted Breakdown cover for staff as a staff benefit. I think this is appropriate as the vast majority of staff in MHA use their vehicles for work and this would provide additional peace of mind and safety for staff especially if they are working on site after what would be considered normal working hours and particularly in the Winter months in our rural communities. It demonstrates MHA commitment to looking after their staff and this would be a benefit that would be appreciated by staff. Accepted
To have an Amazon Prime account, or a business account. This would save on orders coming from all different teams and would be easier to track the receipts and budgets. This would save hours of staff searching for the credit card, and then for directors searching for the receipts as it would be one central account. Accepted To have an area on In House where we can share details of what is going on in a specific area - i.e engagement activities in Caldicot. This way people could subscribe to get updates of stuff going on and we have a bank of activities to refer people too. Accepted
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Meet MHA’s New Board At our Annual General Meeting held on 27th September 2017, the following Board Members were appointed.
Tony Crowhurst Tony and his wife have lived in Cwmbran for over 35 years. Following his degree in Mathematics, Tony became a Chartered Surveyor only resigning from the RICS recently after 41 years. During this time he practiced initially as a quantity surveyor before developing his career by taking on roles as a software developer for building surveyors, a quality assurance officer, the office manager of an architects department, an asset manager and most recently, an access auditor. He has worked in local authorities in London, Coventry and Gwent. For the last 10 years he has worked primarily in a volunteering capacity with the Disability Advice Project as their access auditor and finance officer and has been on the Board of housing associations for the last 16 years, initially with Eastern Valley and latterly with Melin Homes.
Tony Deakin Tony has over 20 years’ experience of working in social housing, both as an Executive Director and Board Member with a number of different organisations. Since September 2008 he has been an executive director at Cartrefi Conwy – a stock transfer Housing Association based in North Wales. As Group Director of Resources for Cartrefi Conwy his main areas of responsibility include Business Planning, Financial Management, Governance, Human Resources, Insurance and Information Computer Technology. He is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy and is a member of the Institute’s Housing Panel. He is also a Member of the Gwynedd Pension Board.
Colin Lewis Colin was born in Trethomas and went to Bedwas Comprehensive. He studied sciences at university, obtaining a Joint Honours Degree in Chemistry and Biology, and a Masters in Chemistry. He is a Member of the Association of Project Management. Colin was Head of Business Change at Principality Building Society for 8 years. He left to set up the not for profit Tirion Group, created to deliver affordable homes. The companies first site (The Mill in Cardiff ) has started advertising its affordable rented properties, and more recently obtaining planning permission for its site at the former steel mill (Whiteheads) in Newport. Colin lives in Monmouth with his wife, and sometimes one or both of his grown up children. He is an active member of Monmouth Rowing Club, regularly taking part in races both in the UK and further afield. 26
d Members During the summer we also held elections for a new tenant Board Member with only a 16% response rate:
Gary Witcombe Re-elected with 246 votes
Zena Bierne 233 votes
Peter Daniel 189 votes
Peter Daniel was unsuccessful in the Tenant Board Member elections but has now become a member of our Tenants Scrutiny Panel and is looking forward to working with MHA and members of the panel.
Saying Goodbye to Board Members Board members leaving this year have been with us for the last 9 years and we’d like to thank them for their contribution and success of MHA.
Susan White
Alan Wintle
Barry Gallagher
Apprentice Awards Huge congratulations to MHA apprentices Kelly Bennet and Tracy Riggs, who’ve both scooped awards recently. Apprentice decorator Kelly picked up an award at the Yprentis Awards in Cardiff this week, while apprentice plasterer Tracy recently scooped two awards for her work from Coleg Gwent. 27
Send us a pic of your pet! The pets will be published in the next edition and you could win a £10 High Street Voucher. Email Louise Davies with a pic of your pet and tell us a little bit about them.
Visit the ‘Staff Room’ area on
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to vote for the cutest pet.
Alfie Scott Thomas
Pascal Sarah Jones
Sid Maria Williams
Millie Emma Assender
Daisy Claudia Blair
This is the Thomas familys’new puppy Alfie. Alfie is a Jack Russell/ Bichon Frisse cross. Alfie is 10 weeks old and we have got him to be a companion and guide to our blind Jack Russell Mack.
Pascal is my four year old Jack Russell, cross Lab, cross Husky.
Sid was discarded by his owners due to the fact he was the runt, had bow legs and didn’t fit in with their family. He was adopted by one of my neighbours and eventually came to us. Sid is a real character and is getting on really well with his new big brother – Badger! He can often be found curled up on my daughters pillow – much to my annoyance, but her delight!
Meet Millie. Or Millie-Moo. Or The Mooster (as I like to call her) - she will answer to most things especially if there are chicken pieces or belly rubs involved. She absolutely adores: every single person, ever; holidays with her Aunty Em; taking up a whole double bed to herself; cuddles; belly rubs / general fuss and jogging.
Daisy is 14 years old but still an enthusiastic mouser. She is quite shy and doesn't like dogs or children; unfortunately for her she lives with a dog and child and both show her much more attention that she wants. She loves me, as her primary food giver, and will reward me with cuddles, very loud purring and hitting random key strokes when I am trying to use my laptop.
She loves her food and can often be found eating scraps of left over chips, ice cream and crisps in the park! She loves chasing squirrels and moulting everywhere!
CuIsine Corner
Welcome to Cuisine Corner! We all love food and it’s always good to get some inspiration from others about what to cook and where to go. Each edition, we want some tantalisingly tasty, tried and tested recipes and reviews to feature in Cuisine Corner.
RECIPE
Restaurant Review The Bush Inn, Nr Hereford (famously known as the ‘Picnic Bench’) - By Kate FitzPatrick
Eggy French Bread Pizza Ingredients • 1 stick of French loaf • Tomato purée • Cheese • Ham • Egg • Chorizo • Pepper
Method
Looking for something a little different from the norm? Why don’t you try out this lovely pub/ restaurant located about 8 miles outside of Hereford. Famously known as the ‘Picnic Bench’ you are presented with a fabulous array of picnic foods (on a mini picnic bench!) such as fish ‘n’ chips, a burger and counted 7 different types of cake/desserts! Each! All for around £14.50/head.
Absolutely loved this birthday treat with my best buddy Jo Doughty, but you need to book in advance as it’s very popular. Well worth a visit and elasticated waistband essential! They have a winter menu too, check out their facebook page for more info: www.facebook.com/ pg/thebushinnhereford
• Put an egg on to boil. • Cut the French loaf to the size you want it then slice it through the middle (giving you 2 lengths for the base). • Spread the tomato purée on the pieces of French loaf. • Cover the base with some grated cheese. • Cut the ham and chorizo into small squares and add them to the pizza. • Once the egg is boiled, carefully remove the egg then peel and slice it. • Add the egg to the pizza. • Grate more cheese over the top and add pepper to taste. • Place under the grill until cheese is golden brown. • Serve with a good spoon of mayonnaise.
If you would like to share your ideas with us, then please get in touch with the Corporate Services Team. 29
Capita Clinic - Oct 2017 Digital Literacy With the launch of Universal Credit it is important that we have information about the digital literacy and internet access of tenants recorded on Capita. As the Universal Credit full service is claimed and managed online and in some cases all contact between the claimant and Job Centre is via an online ‘journal’, it is essential we know which tenants will need support and what support is required. We collect different information to gauge the level of digital literacy and access of tenants. All of the information is recorded in the circumstances tab in the person’s record on Capita.
How confident are you when using the internet?
What do you access on the internet?
Here’s the type of information that we collect: What device do you use to access the internet?
If you don’t access the internet, why is this?
The full codes are available on In House
How do you connect to the internet?
If a tenant tells you about any of the above during conversation or you find out the information through question of the month, please ensure that the information is updated in the record on Capita. We need up to date information to help us to identify anyone who may need help or support. If you would like any training on how to update the information on Capita or have any analysis requests, please contact Claudia Blair or Nathan Cook in Corporate Services.
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PRESS RELEASES
Unfortunately we are unable to include newspaper clippings in future editions of EBuzz. Corporate Services will continue to monitor the local papers and will advise teams if there is any coverage. You will then be able to view the article in the newspaper by visiting Corporate Services.
Fancy a game of football after work? Every Monday 17:00-18:00 at Cwmbran Stadium.
If you’re interested in joining up with colleagues for a friendly game of 5-a-side, drop Michael Harper or Dewi Parry an email. You don’t need to be Messi or Ronaldo, all welcome!
Just £4 to play!
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