Inspired Living - Autumn 16 by Great Places Housing Group

InspiredLiving

AUTUMN 2016

THE MAGAZINE FOR OLDHAM PFI RESIDENTS

AME p N R YOU e to kee N G I g S pled ys tidy s t n e Resid ir alleywa the

! N I W

g pin hop see s f o – £30 chers e! g vou ck pa ba

TEMPORARY ABSENCE CHANGES

CHANGES TO BIN COLLECTIONS

The length of time you can spend overseas has changed

Find out how your rubbish will be collected differently

Here’s how you can get in touch with us Call Great Places or Wates on 0300 123 2003 A full range of services is available between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday. An extra out-of-hours service, which is provided by Wates, can be reached by using the same number.

Press 1 – for Wates Living Space, who can help you with repairs, refurbishment and new-build enquiries.

Press 2 – for Great Places Housing Group, who can help you with housing management and information on sales units.

Need to email us?

Drop the Great Places team a line on oldhampfi@greatplaces.org.uk or contact the Wates team on infooldhampfi@wates.co.uk

Come and see us

We’re always happy to see you at the Great Places office, which you can find at 119 Union Street, Oldham, OL1 1TE. The office is staffed from Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm. You can also pop into the Crossley Centre, 323 Denton Lane, Chadderton, OL9 9GA or call the centre on 0161 652 1419. Alternatively, you can visit the Primrose Bank Centre, Magnolia Gardens, Primrose Bank which you can call on 0161 624 7202.

We’re online!

Visit www.greatplaces.org.uk and

search for Oldham PFI Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/OldhamPFI www.facebook.com/CrossleyCent re www.facebook.com/PrimroseCen tre Follow us on Twitter @CrossleyCentre @Primrose_C entre

Write to Inspired Living at: Communications Great Places Housing Group Southern Gate 729 Princess Road Manchester M20 2LT

Access for all

If you’re visually impaired and need a magnifying sheet, please let us know. An audio version of Inspired Living is also available. If you would like to read this magazine in a different language, please let us know.

Editor: James Bentley (james.bentley@greatplaces.org.uk) Designer: Tim Hanley (tim.hanley@greatplaces.org.uk )

Welcome to

InspiredLiving!

Welcome to your autumn edition of Inspired Living. As usual, we bring you the latest stories that matter to you in Oldham, including issues surrounding disabled car parking at our high-rise accommodation, the new heat meter replacement program and some excellent examples of local residents loving where they live.

they stay safe and secure.

The nights will start drawing in very soon and we’d like to make sure that as winter approaches we’re keeping our alleyways clean and tidy. On pages 10 and 11 you’ll see how some of our residents have signed a pledge to look after community spaces and continually make them look good, as well as make sure

It’s also important that you know about a couple of financial circumstances that have changed. The temporary absence period is for people who claim housing benefit when overseas. You can now only do this for four weeks instead of the old time period of 13 weeks. Similarly, the government has also

Linked to this, your bin collections will be changing in the week commencing 3 October. Have a look on page 14 to see what’s happening and make sure you know what you can throw out and when, as well as using the borough recycling facilities as much as possible.

introduced a cap on benefits. See page 15 for all the details as well as what to do if you have any questions. I’ll have completed the Westto-East 210 mile bike ride by the time you’re reading this. If you’d like to help me along with Great Places David Stewart, Inspirals’ Ricardo Tiano and Wates Tony Grundy raise money for the neonatal intensive care and Christies cancer unit at the Royal Oldham Hospital, simply text INSP51 £2 to 70070 to donate £2. Thank you!

Ryan Smith Oldham PFI manager

WHAT’S INSIDE? 6-7 Your local centres: What’s happening at the Crossley and Primrose Centres? 8 Fire safety: Be aware of the dangers of fire.

4-5

Bin collection changes

10-11

My Money page

pages

Neighbourhood news

Sign your name

pages

19 Unite and stop hate: We won’t tolerate hate crime.

page

16-17 Wider Borough News: What else is happening in Oldham?

Neighbourhood NEWS HIP-HIP-HOORAY, IT’S THE FUN DAY AT DEW WAY! Residents came together to celebrate all that was good about living on Dew Way in a fun day that was held in August. IFOldham were there and brought with them dahlias that residents were able to plant, as well as acting as guides in the arts and crafts that were enjoyed by our younger attendees. Residents brought food to the party while Great Places supplied cakes and drinks. We also experimented with body art for young and old, as kiddies with their faces painted rubbed shoulders with older residents using henna to express themselves. Great Places’ staff also consulted with residents over a proposed homework club – but we bet the kids didn’t want to think of that during the summer holidays!

LEARNING FROM NOTTINGHAM The Great Places management team, along with representatives from Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council, visited the land of Robin Hood in July when they dropped in on Nottingham City Homes to look at how how their award winning caretaking services were delivered.

could improve the delivery of services that we offer to residents like you.

It was an extremely useful day which gave our management team an insight into how their property types which are similar to ours, namely flatted accommodation, are managed by a different social housing landlord.

And we’re pleased to say that after the visit, it has been great to hear comments made by residents about how well our communal areas are looking in comparison. This is a credit to not only the caretakers, but also local residents, for taking such pride in their local areas.

We also shared best practice ways of working and other ideas in how we

TEAM GB’S STARS OF THE FUTURE SHINE AT MINI OLYMPICS

The management team left the East Midlands with some great ideas in how to improve our caretaking service, and in particular areas surrounding quality assurance.

Ash View in Nottingham

Youngsters and adults took part in a ‘MiniOlympics’ at Dew Way in August. You never know, we might be seeing some of them in the egg and spoon race at the 2032 or 2036 games!

HEAT METERING WORK IS NEARLY OVER Throughout August and September, we’ve been replacing the heat meters in our high-rise accommodation in Landsdowne Court and Stockfield Mount. These were originally installed by First Choice Homes Oldham in 2008 and should have lasted for the next ten to twelve years, but over the last 18 month more and more of the meters had started to fail. We could have replaced the batteries on them but because they’re sealed units, a full meter replacement was the only option. Another reason for replacing the meters was that we had to rely on a third party to read them for us, which made things difficult as we had to provide them with information when they needed it instead of us being able to read and record the information straight away at our convenience.

The work takes about an hour and involves a final reading being taken from your old meter before it is removed. We can then finalise your heating charges before fitting your new meter and refunding any overpayments appropriately. The work to replace meters has been vital because once engineers have left the site we won’t be able to renew any more meters, which means that future charges will be estimated and not as accurate. If your meter hasn’t been replaced yet, don’t worry – you’ll be on the list!

Your new heat meter looks like this

But now, we can read the new meters ourselves. This means that readings are current, accurate and that you’re only paying for what you’ve used. The majority of properties will now have had their meters replaced, but don’t worry if yours hasn’t.

WALK THIS WAY?

KEEP YOUR BLUE BADGE ON SHOW

We recently wrote to all residents asking for your opinion on the possibility of providing an access gate as part of the fencing that leads onto the fields at the bottom of Wainsford Walk.

We’d just like to remind you about the correct use of disabled parking bays in the car parks for the towers.

We’d like to say a big thank you to all those who have already sent in their replies, however we do need more feedback in order to gauge if this is something that the majority of residents would like to see. If you have not yet completed your survey, please do so, or if you need a new survey or would like to discuss the matter further, please contact your neighbourhood co-ordinator, Sheila Bishop, on 0300 123 2003.

We’ve written to all residents to say that if cars are persistently parked in a disabled bay and there is no valid blue badge on display, car park fobs will be deactivated. Please be mindful of your neighbours who might have mobility issues and rely on these bays being free.

LUNCH CLUB, CRAFT AND COFFEE AT THE PRIMROSE CENTRE The school summer holidays saw a weekly lunch club held at the Primrose Centre. Children played games, took part in lots of other activities like DJ-ing and made their own lunches too. The centre has also hosted weekly craft and coffee sessions, with the Primrose ladies trying their hand at flower-arranging, knitting, crocheting, button crafts and card-making. The ladies are keen to continue the weekly coffee mornings beyond the school summer holidays, so keep your eyes on the noticeboards at the centre for more information.

Primrose residents made pakoras with IFOldham – don’t they look delicious?

MR RI

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C MONDAY Children’s dance class 5:30pm–6:30pm Ages four to ten years Cost: £5 Be Fit class 7pm–8pm A combination of pure body tone and conditioning. Insanity, circuit training and stretch. Cost: £4 TUESDAY English as Second or Other Language classes, starting November 9:30am–11:30am Slimming World 7pm–9pm NEW! Tuesday class began on 27 September. Please see Saturday’s Slimming World entry for more information. Sewing classes Due to start again soon. Enrol now!

WHAT’S ON

WEDNESDAY Oak Tree Wood Carvers 9am–2pm Creative woodcarving Cost: A yearly membership fee of £20 and a weekly fee of £5. All wood and use of equipment is included in fees. Zumba Gold 4:30pm–5:30pm Cost: £3 Zumba Fitness 6:45pm-7:45pm Cost: £3

SATURDAY Slimming World 10am–12noon Slimming World has gone from strength to strength since opening at the Crossley Centre in June. The warm, welcoming group is full of support, tips and motivation for members. For more information please call consultant Jay on 07971 194060.

A discount applies if you attend both Zumba classes. THURSDAY Talk English classes 9:30am–11:30am Chair-based exercise 1pm–2pm Easy exercise class for those who want to take it slowly but keep those muscles moving. FRIDAY Pop-up Café 12noon–2pm Lovely home-cooked food at an affordable price Youth club 4:30pm–6:30pm Activities for children aged between

FORUMS AND WALKABOUTS

Find out what’s happening in your local community by attending a walkabout or forum. They’re held every month and give you the chance to have your say on how we can make your community a better place to live. There’s no need to register to attend them – just show up!

five and 13 Cost: 50p

SUNDAY Watch this space for forthcoming activities Why not enquire about booking the centre? Call 0161 652 1419 or find us on Facebook and Twitter

WALKABOUTS AT CROSSLEY CENTRE Wednesday 19 October at 10am Meet at Crossley Community Centre Wednesday 23 November at 4pm Meet at Crossley Community Centre Wednesday 14 December at 4pm Meet at Crossley Community Centre FORUM AT CROSSLEY CENTRE All forums are to be confirmed. Separate promotions such as leaflets and posters will be distributed before them. Keep your eyes peeled!

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WEEKLY ACTIVITIES AT PRIMROSE CENTRE SSLE RO

TUESDAY THE ENTRE Me & My Community 9:30am–11:30am Starting on Tuesday 27 September, this is a very basic 22-week course to give confidence in reading and speaking English. Please call into the centre to book a place.

enterprise. Participants will be assessed on what skills they need and given support with applying for funding.

- Starting soon on Thursdays, 10am–12 noon. Call into the centre for more information

Ballroom dancing with JM Dance Academy 7pm–9pm Call into the centre to check availability.

English as Second or Other Language (ESOL) class, higher level 1 accredited course 12:30pm–3pm, starting on Tuesday 20 September

Weekly coffee, cake and craft sessions. Time and date TBC – look out for more details.

Hospitality and catering course and Sewing class will be starting in the New Year. If you are interested in any of these courses please give your name to Jan at the Primrose Centre or call her on 0161 624 7202.

WEDNESDAY ESOL class, higher level accredited course 12:30pm–3pm, starting Wednesday 21 September Ballroom dancing with JM Dance Academy 7pm–9pm Call into the centre to check availability. THURSDAY Skills for Enterprise course 12:30pm–2:30pm Starting on Thursday 22 September, this is a ten-week course for anyone thinking of setting up a social

FRIDAY Ballroom dancing with JM Dance Academy 7pm–9pm Call into the centre to check availability. SATURDAY Ballroom dancing with JM Dance Academy 1:30pm–3:30pm Call into the centre to check availability. SUNDAY Maths and English tuition for children with Rising Stars 11am–1pm Call into the centre to check availability. Weekly coffee, cake and craft sessions

The Primrose management committee is interested in setting up a youth forum. If you’re aged between 13 and 18-years-old and would like more information, please call into the centre and speak to Jan. All activities for children during the October half-term holiday will be posted on the noticeboard outside the centre. The hall can be hired for private functions, with prices set at £25 per hour. Call into the centre or call Jan for more information or to make a booking. Volunteers are also required at the centre. Please contact Jan if you’re interested.

New activities are being added to both the community centre schedules on an on-going basis – pop into your local centre to find out what’s new or email crossleycentre@gmail.com or primrosecentre@gmail.com.

WALKABOUTS AT PRIMROSE BANK Tuesday 4 October at 10am Tuesday 1 November at 2pm Tuesday 6 December at 4pm FORUMS AT PRIMROSE CENTRE Tuesday 6 December at 5pm WALKABOUTS AT DEW WAY Monday 10 October at 2pm Monday 7 November at 4pm Monday 12 December at 10am

FORUMS AT DEW WAY Monday 10 October, on-site after walkabout WALKABOUTS AT FITTON HILL Tuesday 18 October at 4pm Tuesday 15 November at 10am Tuesday 20 December at 2pm FORUMS AT FITTON HILL Tuesday 16 August Tuesday 15 November at Hub after walkabout

The Primrose Centre will be holding its Annual General Meeting on Thursday 13 October from 6pm – 7pm. We will be electing the new management committee and are looking for people to help run the centre. If you are interested, please come along on the above date, or contact Jan on 07736 691 320 for more information.

Fire safety in the home Sadly, there’s recently been a number of serious fire-related incidents among Great Places residents. Here’s some top tips for keeping you and your loved ones fire safe.

Never smoke in bed!

If you’re feeling drowsy, have been drinking alcohol or are taking prescription drugs, take extra care when smoking. It’s really easy to fall asleep and not notice that a cigarette is still burning. Don’t light up if you need to lie down and never smoke in bed.

Chip pan fire safety

Around 16,000 domestic fires every year are started by chip pan fires. Use a deep-fat-fryer instead or, better still, use oven chips. If you have a chip pan fire never put water on it, don’t tackle the fire yourself. Turn off the heat if it is safe to do so. Get out, stay out and call 999.

Fit a smoke alarm

A smoke alarm could save the lives of you and your family in a fire. All Great Places homes are fitted with a fire alarm. Check the batteries regularly if you believe there is a problem with your alarm or call the CAT team on 0300 123 2003.

Don’t leave cooking unattended

More than half of accidental fires in the home are started in the kitchen. It is easy to be distracted while cooking and leave things unattended. Avoid cooking if you’re tired, have been drinking alcohol or taking medication that can make you drowsy.

Get a free home-fire-safety check

Did you know you can get a free home-fire-safety check? Call your local fire service on their general enquiries number and they will visit to fit smoke alarms and give safety advice on keeping your home and family as safe as possible.

TACKLING HUNGER IN SCHOOL HOLIDAYS Holiday breakfast clubs help solve the problem of nonterm time child hunger. The Holiday Hunger campaign was designed to help tackle the issue of hunger in the school holidays, as many children attend breakfast clubs at school and receive school meals that aren’t available in the holidays. At Great Places, we worked in partnership with the Crossley Centre’s youth club, Oldham Food Bank, Incredible Futures Oldham, MYFP and Oldham Athletic FC throughout the summer holidays to provide a free breakfast or lunch, as well as fun-filled activities at our community centres in Crossley and Primrose Bank.

GROW YOUR OWN – AND SEE THE BENEFITS! Get Oldham Growing works with people to improve their health, skills and environment through local food. The scheme recognises the impact of growing and eating local food on the health and wellbeing of communities and, in partnership with individual residents, community groups and local organisations, aims to encourage and facilitate food growing across the borough. The scheme’s ethos and way of thinking has already successfully helped projects get off the ground at Cashmere Walk and the Primrose Centre, Primrose Bank, and the Crossley Centre, Chadderton. From supporting access to land and schools grounds development to increasing the number of community garden sites and local food enterprises, Get Oldham Growing’s vision is to

further establish Oldham as a borough with a thriving local food culture and economy. For any enquiries or more information please contact your neighbouhood co-ordinator on 0300 123 2003 or contact Anne Fleming, the Programme Manager for Food and Health at Oldham Council, by the following methods: Post: Public Health, Oldham Council, Civic Centre, West Street, Oldham, OL1 1UG Tel: 0161 770 1876 Email: anne.fleming@oldham.gov.uk

Matt from the Get Oldham Growing blog

You can also learn some fantastic tips on growing your own food on the scheme’s blog. Simply search online for ‘Get Oldham Growing WordPress’.

PEDALLING OUR WAY TO HEALTHY EATING! The Great Places smoothie bike has been out and about over the summer. The bike whisks healthy drinks for its riders as its pedals power the food processor that’s positioned over the front wheel – so you can get fit on the bike and then eat healthily with your own creation! Look out for the smoothie bike at Great Places events in future.

PLEDGING TO LOOK AFTER OUR AVENUES AND ALLEYWAYS You might remember from the last issue of Inspired Living that we looked at proposed changes to alleyways in our communities, with the aim of making them safer and nicer to look at. Residents on Cashmere Walk, near the Primrose Community Centre, have taken these changes to heart by signing a pledge that they will look after the alleyway that runs behind their house. Their pledge is split into three separate sections. They’ve said that they will look after their community space by committing to the following, while Great Places will keep their side of the bargain to keep the alleyway looking spick and span too.

Keeping the alley gates locked Residents will lock the alley gates and encourage their fellow residents to do the same. Great Places and Wates will keep the gates maintained and lock the alley gates when members of staff are on-site. As you can see from the photographs, Cashmere Walk’s alleyway has benefited greatly from the residents signing up to this pledge. When further additions are completed and the alleyways has more greenery as well as a bench added to it, it will be the perfect place to relax while the children play on a summer’s night.

We pledge to look after our community space by:

Arrina Khatun and her husband will be doing just that next year, while Tawhid, Tamjid and Tehreem burn off the energy that comes with a six week school holiday.

Removing litter and rubbish Residents will litter pick, use bins appropriately (and put materials in their correct bins) and discourage littering by challenging those who drop it.

“It’s important to keep the environment clean and tidy, but it’s also important for the children. They can play here on nice days and even when it’s a little bit greyer like it is today,” she laughs.

Great Places will enforce tenancy conditions on people who litter and fly-tip, provide information on nearby recycling facilities and report fly-tipping to the appropriate authorities.

“We helped put the planters in and dug in to plant the plants that are in them. We water them too and generally just keep the area nice and tidy like we’ve said we would do in the pledge.

Maintaining and watering the planters Residents will remove weeds when they are growing, use the planters to plant healthy and pleasing plants and use water butts to collect rainwater for the plants.

“We’ve got the bench and once we have a new gate at the opposite end of the alleyway we’ll put it in place.

Great Places will provide and fit water butts for residents who say they will water the planters, gift tools to those who have said they will look after the planters and arrange an annual event for residents to weed and plant.

These are the kind of scenes we’d like to avoid

“It’s not nice to have litter like we have had over the road, and the children in the area have been great at helping us clear it up,” Arrina said. More and more areas will be signing pledges soon that will see their alleyways transformed. Be part of it, and be proud of where you live!

How the alleyway behind Cashmere Walk looks after its facelift

important to keep “It’s the environment clean and tidy ” - Arrina Khatun

Cover stars!

(From left) Tehreem, Tamjid and Tawhid enjoy the alleyway behind Cashmere Walk

NEW FORUMS PREVIEWED AT TANDLE VIEW We asked you what you thought of how we give our resident forums and after your feedback, we premiered the new way of presenting them to you at the Crossley Centre’s forum in July. You wanted the forums to be more purposeful, so we extended an open invite to all Crossley residents to join us at Tandle View Court. Tandle View is a Housing & Care 21 extra care scheme. Forum attendees were treated to a thought-provoking morning which included a tour of the apartments and a demonstration of the services that are provided there – not forgetting a fantastic lunch! If you’re interested in the thought of accessing housing like Tandle View Court, including the potential cost of rent and support packages, please contact our office using the contact details on page two of this magazine. The next forum we hold will be within the compounds of our high-rise towers and will feature some of our colleagues from our Financial Inclusion, Employment and Skills and Support Teams offering advice about the services that we offer. Look out for more information about when the forums will be held.

LOOKING FOR A CHRISTMAS JOB?

‘UNDER SCRUTINY’ UPDATE

The run-up to Christmas gets earlier every year – and if you’re looking for a temporary job for the festive period, that’s a very good thing!

In the previous two editions of Inspired Living, we called out for residents to help us review our services by joining our new residents’ scrutiny panel. We’re delighted to say that five residents took up the call and have been working alongside Great Places and Wates staff in reviewing the way our community safety service is delivered.

Park Cakes make tasty baked goods for all kinds of shops and they will be taking on up to 1500 people for their busiest time of the year. They recruit these staff from agencies. We’ve got application forms for these agencies at both the Primrose and Crossley Centres – so if you’re looking for some extra cash this Christmas, call in and fill in one of the forms!

The panel, which has been meeting for the two months since its members completed their scrutiny training, have been interviewing staff, reviewing satisfaction data, comparing policies and procedures and mystery shopping staff via the help desk. And now the panel is in the process of preparing its final report, which will be presented at the Residents’ Panel in September. The next service to be reviewed will be standard of properties when they are re-let. If you are interested in being involved in the scrutiny of Great Places and Wates services, please contact Jan Wade on 0300 123 2003.

MORE SECURE CAR PARKING AT PRIMROSE BANK AND FITTON HILL

Residents of Primrose Bank and Wainsford Walk on Fitton Hill will have noticed that the parking court gates have been improved to include a magnetic locking system. This replaces the previous latch and clasp mechanism, and we’re hopeful that the new system will further improve security as well as reduce the number of instances of the gates being damaged by being forced open. We would like to remind all residents to discourage anybody from riding on the gates as this not only is a health and safety issue, but it also damages the gates themselves. The cost of repairing this damage will be re-charged if it is traced to any individual.

WELCOME ‘HOME’ DANNY! Wates are pleased to announce that local lad Danny Gregg has returned to the area as he has secured a new role in their maintenance team. Danny, who secured employment following a period of volunteering during the refurbishment phase, has lived on the Crossley estate for his whole life. He said: “It’s been great to work so close to home as I’ve grown up on this estate and it was good to be involved during the refurbishment. “I’m now working on the day-to-day service delivery with the maintenance team, which has offered me the opportunity to be involved with the residents, some of whom I’ve known all my life, at grass roots level. Danny was offered the role after he volunteered his time cleaning a site cabin. He was offered a job with Wates as a multi-skilled operative, though Wates were keen to develop his skills and since volunteering in 2012 he has completed a range of construction training courses. These include: • • • • •

Site supervisor safety training HNC in Building Vehicle marshalling course Legionella management Asbestos awareness

Danny is now currently working towards his degree whilst working with Wates – we wish him the best of luck!

CHANGES TO YOUR RUBBISH COLLECTION From October, bin collections will switch from a two-weekly to a three-weekly cycle. Food and garden collections will stay weekly. The changes aim to improve the borough’s recycling rate by 12 per cent and reduce the amount spent on general rubbish disposal by as much as £3 million over the next two years.

“Over the next few years we want to see to our recycling rates increase so we don’t have to pay huge financial penalties. By cutting disposal costs we’ll be helping to save council tax payers’ money, which can be used on other essential public services.

The new scheme will begin on October 3.

“Over the next two years the council needs to make £37m worth of savings. Making these changes will help avoid further costs putting even more pressure on the Council’s budget. Doing nothing is not an option.

This simplified collection pattern will see grey bins for general rubbish collected one week; blue bins for paper and card the week after; and,brown bins for glass, plastics and tins the following week.

“We’d also like to remind residents that using their weekly collections for food waste and garden waste will eliminate the potential for bad smells and flies, particularly during warmer weather,” she added.

Food and garden waste will still be collected on a weekly basis and this service will be rolled out to a small remaining number of rural properties that don’t currently have it.

Collection days will stay the same. For example, if a household’s bins are currently collected on a Monday this will continue after the change.

The council is also providing residents with all of the recycling space they need for free.

Packs with information about the changes and a recycling guide were delivered to all households during July. Bin collection calendars specific to each area will be distributed to all residents in September to ensure people are ready and informed. There a very small number of properties in the borough that will be affected slightly differently - namely flats with communal bins and rural areas.

Households that don’t currently have recycling bins can order some and those with small recycling bins will be able to order larger ones. Any residents not currently using the food waste service can order free food caddies to ensure they have everything they need to start recycling food waste ready for their new collections. Councillor Barbara Brownridge, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Co-operatives, said: “Due to government funding cuts over the last few years Oldham Council has had to change the way our frontline services work. “These changes to our waste collection service are the latest but we are confident they will continue to provide value for money.

The council will communicate with these residents separately to ensure they are clear on how the changes affect them. Details of the new service can also be found on the council website at www.oldham.gov.uk/waste or by calling 0161 770 6644.

my money

Our Financial Inclusion team work hard to help residents save money. Last year, they helped put £1m back into your pockets!

GOING ABROAD? MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND TEMPORARY ABSENCE PERIOD CHANGES The government has made a change to the rules on claiming housing benefit when you are going abroad. From 28 July 2016 you can now usually only get housing benefit for up to FOUR weeks, instead of the current 13 weeks, if you are abroad. It counts as going abroad if you go anywhere outside England, Scotland and Wales. Staying in Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man ALL count as going abroad.

BENEFIT CAP INTRODUCED The government has also introduced a new benefit cap, which means that from the autumn you won’t be able to receive more than the amounts in this diagram:

With this in mind, you’ll need to be ready for the new rules when they’re introduced. How can I prepare for the changes?

All of the following benefits count towards the cap: • H ousing Benefit (unless you live in supported housing) • Income Support • Jobseekers’ Allowance • E mployment and Support Allowance (unless you are in the support group) • Incapacity Benefit • Child Benefit and Child Tax Credits • Guardian’s Allowance • Carer’s Allowance • M aternity benefits and Widows benefits paid by the Department for Work and Pensions • Severe disablement allowance • Universal Credit

• You can start to plan a budget for your new lower income o Write down all your outgoings and see if you can make any savings • You can start paid work o Great Places can help you with employment and training resources – please call 0300 123 1966 and ask for a GO referral. • You can apply for a discretionary housing payment o This is a short term additional payment made by housing benefit to help you with the transition. You need to apply and there is no guarantee it will be awarded. If you need help with this please contact your housing team. • Do you have a spare bedroom? You could consider downsizing to a smaller property. o Simply register with your local council and start bidding on suitable properties o Also inform your housing team if you wish to downsize

DISCRETIONARY HOUSING PAYMENTS AND YOU A Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) is an extra payment to help people who claim Housing Benefit and are struggling to pay their rent. The local council may award you a DHP if, for example, you’re affected by the Bedroom Tax or the benefit cap. You can also apply for a DHP if you receive Universal Credit to help you pay your rent. Who is it for? You must be receiving some Housing Benefit or housing element of Universal Credit to qualify for a DHP. The application process for a DHP looks at weekly income and outgoings (though it may not take into account

outgoings that are not essential or that you could have avoided), things you could do to reduce your outgoings and your family circumstances (such as the age of dependants, health problems or disabilities). Applying for a DHP If you wish to apply for a DHP, speak to your housing team or search for ‘discretionary housing payments’ on the Oldham Council website. Please note that you must have a shortfall in your rent before you apply for a DHP.

NEWS FROM THE Wider borough

REACH THE GOLD STANDARD BY KEEPING FIT Have you got the fitness and activity bug after watching the Rio Olympics? Have you been inspired by Oldham’s very own gold medal-winning hockey star Nicola White (pictured left or right or above or below, dependent on design), who scored the equaliser that led to the penalty shoot out which Team GB won? Being physically active is vital to staying healthy, with the recommended amount of moderate physical activity for an adult being around 150 minutes a week, while children should be active for around 60 minutes a day.

PARKRUN YOUR WAY TO FITNESS Parkrun is a free, safe and easy way to keep fit. There’s no pressure so it’s a great way to take up running or walking 5km. Parkruns are held every Saturday at Chadderton Hall and Alexandra Parks. Find out more at www.parkrun.org.uk/chaddertonhall and www.parkrun.org.uk/oldham

OLDHAM ACTIVE LEISURE CENTRES There are five fitness centres across Oldham. Each offers family sessions and clubs, modern gyms, exercise classes and swim facilities. Find your nearest club at www.oclactive.co.uk

Any physical activity that gets you warmer, makes you breathe harder and raises your heart rate is good. It can provide numerous health benefits and help prevent conditions such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and depression. Getting fit doesn’t have to cost anything. You can do it through everyday activities like walking, jogging and gardening.

USE YOUR PARK TO GET ACTIVE Have a wander around Alexandra Park (below) or have a game of tennis with friends. You can play football on the two pitches at Foxdenton Park, or kids can burn all their energy in the play areas in Oldham’s parks. Oldham MBC has also put together some routes for walking around the town’s parks. Why not take a closer look at how beautiful the borough is at www.oldham. gov.uk/parks

PARKS RETAIN GREEN FLAG STATUS Both Alexandra and Dunwood Parks have retained their prestigious Green Flag status, which means that they’re recognised as among the best green spaces in the country. A ‘mystery shopper’ from Keep Britain Tidy visited the parks and judged them to be well-managed and of a high quality. They were also praised for their heritage work, such as that at Alexandra Park, which was built during the cotton famine of the American Civil War.

COALSHAW GREEN PARK GETS NEW GAMES AREA More than £100,000 has been spent on upgrading the playing surface at Coalshaw Green Park. Football, basketball, tennis and netball players will all benefit from the new surface. The park also offers crown green bowling, a grassed football pitch, ornamental gardens, a café and toilets.

HOW ARE YOU? ‘One You’ is a new public health initiative that can help you make simple changes towards a healthier, happier and longer life. Take a look at www.nhs.uk/oneyou

DIGITAL ENTERPRISE HUB COMING TO INDEPENDENT QUARTER

Do you have an idea for a new business or enterprise, which could do with some digital assistance? Come along to the Digital Enterprise Hub, that’s due to open on the site of the old Wahoo Bar on Yorkshire Street in November. Its occupants will be Wayra UK Ltd and Hack Oldham. The hub will be a space where new enterprises and businesses can be encouraged and helped to grow across the digital, technology and creative sectors. Wayra will occupy the first and second floors of the building. The company is a ‘start-up accelerator’ which provides a work environment and support for new enterprises.

Hack Oldham will provide access to low-cost and flexible workspace, as well as equipment geared towards hosting individual entrepreneurs and small-to-medium enterprises, on the ground floor and in the basement. They will be relocating from their existing premises nearby to the hub.

HERITAGE AND ARTS CENTRE GETS GO-AHEAD

Plans to build a new heritage and arts centre have been given the green light after the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) approved a grant of £3.379million towards the project. Its total funding is now complete after local philanthropist Sir Norman Stoller’s charitable trust donated £4million too. The first phase of the project will see the Grade II-listed former library on Union Street undergo restoration work as it becomes home to the centre. It will showcase the story of Oldham’s past, from its time as the cotton-spinning capital of the world to the present day.

GALLERY OLDHAM

Greaves Street Revival, until Saturday 5 November Celebrate the past and future of Oldham Town Hall and the old Library, as they’re converted into a cinema and the new Heritage and Arts Centres respectively.

HACK THE LIBRARY! Every 4th Saturday of the month, 10am-4pm, Free Code, make tech and game the day away at Oldham Library For more information, visit www.hackoldham.com

SMALL CINEMA When Mamie Was There (U) Saturday 22 October, 2pm The Hunchback of Notre Dame Saturday 19 November, 2pm Miracle on 34th Street Saturday 10 December, 2pm

For more information visit www.thesmallcinema.com

Protecting our communities The community safety team work across Great Places neighbourhoods to tackle unacceptable behaviour. We work alongside our neighbourhood staff and other agencies to put you first. What do we do? We investigate incidents of: • Anti-social behaviour • Domestic abuse • Hate Crime • Crime and nuisance • Neighbour issues Safety first! It’s all about early intervention and prevention. We want to resolve issues and work with you. We know it’s important to you that appropriate action is taken against those responsible. We work closely with the police and other agencies to reduce crime and nuisance in your neighbourhoods. How to get help We want you to feel comfortable about approaching us. We’re a friendly team and we’re here to help. We will listen without judging you, and offer advice. Our staff are fully trained and you will be treated with complete discretion. If you need the help of an interpreter we will arrange this for you. If we visit you, we will always show an identity card and will respect your home, privacy, customs and culture.

REPORT IT To report anti-social behaviour or community safety concern please email cat@greatplaces.org.uk or call 0300 123 2003 (and press option 2). The option 2 ASB line is open 24 hours including bank holidays and weekends. Please only press option 2 if you are contacting us about an anti-social behaviour matter.

For more information about community safety visit: www.greatplaces.org.uk and search for ‘community safety’.

Unite and stop hate With a potential rise in hate crimes being reported in the media we’d like to remind tenants of our zero tolerance policy on hate and harassment and how to respond.

What is hate crime? If someone commits a criminal offence against you or your home that is motivated by a person’s hate or prejudice because of your: • Race, colour, ethnicity, nationality or national origin • Religion • Gender or gender identity (includes transphobia) • Sexual orientation • Disability

What should you do if it happens to you or someone you know? Don’t retaliate: you could risk violence or make the situation worse. By reporting it, you may be able to prevent these crimes from happening to someone else.

Asking for help and reporting incidents We know that sometimes this is the hardest part but the sooner you ask us for help and report an incident, the better. We promise to take all reports seriously.

Being a victim of this kind of crime can be a particularly frightening experience as you have been victimised because of who you are, or who, or what, your attacker thinks you are.

You can report any incident in confidence – you do not have to tell us who you are but if you can tell us the names of all the people involved, it may help us tackle the behavior. Unite and don’t let hate win.

It can take many forms including:

To report anti social behaviour or community safety concern please email cat@greatplaces.org.uk or call 0300 123 2003 (and press option 2).

• Physical assault • Damage to property or offensive graffiti • Arson • Verbal threats or abusive gestures • Offensive letters/leaflets/posters • Abusive or obscene phone calls • Abusive language • Intimidating groups/gangs

For more information about community safety visit: www.greatplaces.org.uk and search for ‘community safety’.

Competition time £30 in vouchers to be won!

You could be one of three winners of a £10 shopping voucher! Simply complete the wordsearch and spot the differences between the two pictures below, cut the page out and post it to us along with your full name and address. You’ll then be entered into the prize draw.

Send your entries by post to:

Deadline for entries: Monday 14 November 2016

Remember, you don’t need a stamp!

Wordsearch Words to find are: ALLEYWAY PRIMROSE METER SMOOTHIE CASHMERE PAKORAS

KESWICK BENEFIT PLEDGE UNITE CONSULTATION COLLECTIONS

NOTTINGHAM FIRE SAFETY ABSENCE

CONGRATULATIONS TO LAST ISSUE’S WINNERS:

xx– Oldham xx – Oldham xx– Oldham

FREEPOST, RLSC-HLLJ-EZRZ, Inspired Living, Great Places Housing Group, Southern Gate, 729 Princess Road, Manchester M20 2LT

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SPOT THE DIFFERENCE 1

There are five differences between the two pictures. Can you find them? Circle the differences you can see on picture 2.