Tenants’ new homes honour local soldiers READ MORE ON PAGE 3
tenants’ times News for tenants of Ipswich Borough Council
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Spring 2016
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Rents When the Council’s housing account became self-financing, Government required us to have a long-term Housing Business Plan. This would show how anticipated spending on items such as repairs, improvements, management costs and loan charges would be met by rental income. Rents were based on Government guidance figures which provided for yearly increases. This year we understand the Government intends to impose a reduction instead. While any rent reduction is welcome in principle, this will be small (insignificant for those on Housing Benefit) and year-on-year reductions of this kind would ultimately mean the Council has less money to look after your council home. Higher rents for some? The Government has proposed a ‘Pay to Stay’ policy for council tenants on higher incomes. Consultation is taking place and we await details, such as what level higher incomes would be taken into account, and the percentage of market rents that would be charged.
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housing matters
The Government is prioritising ‘starter homes for sale’. We want to see more truly affordable homes for sale and for rent. In present circumstances that makes the Council’s house-building programme essential. As I will not be seeking re-election to the Council when my term expires in May this will be my last contribution to Tenants’ Times as Housing portfolio-holder. It has been an honour and a privilege to hold that position, as housing has been my main interest during the whole of the time I’ve been a councillor. Good quality, well-maintained accommodation, affordability and secure tenancies make for stable and strong families and communities. That has always been my driving force and with the commitment and competence of Housing staff, backed-up by the support and involvement of our tenants, Ipswich Boroughh Council has a widely-held and well-earned reputation for being outstanding in the housing service it provides. Long may that continue.
Councillor John Mowles, Housing portfolio-holder
Don’t lose your vote A call is being made to Ipswich residents to make sure they are on the Electoral Register. The Borough Council carried out a comprehensive campaign with its 2015 Annual Canvass, where forms were sent to every house in Ipswich. There are still a large number of ‘Invitation to Register’ forms unreturned which must be completed to ensure registration. Everybody in the UK must be registered to be able to vote in local and national elections and referendums. Some people also register because they want to apply for credit because credit reference agencies use the register to confirm where somebody lives. It’s not too late to register for this year. You can register online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote or by contacting Ipswich Borough Council on 01473 432533.
Soldiers honoured at Barnes Square and McClure Way Ipswich Borough Council has built 22 flats on the site of derelict garages behind the shops in Ulster Avenue, totally transforming the area. The first tenants moved in in November
Before
The development honours two Ipswich soldiers who died in action - Private Gary Barnes, who was killed in Northern Ireland in 1979, and Private Aaron McClure, who died in Afghanistan in 2007. Both families and former colleagues in the Armed Services attended the official opening of the development by the Mayor of Ipswich. Aaron and Gary both attended Westbourne High School and representatives from the school were also in attendance. Pictured on the cover is new tenant Andrew Martin.
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Tenants’ new homes honour local soldiers
www.ipswich.gov.uk
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www.ipswich.gov.uk New photography festival for Ipswich: PhotoEast 24 May - 25 June 2016
The Ipswich Waterfront is set to come alive with photography this summer as a new visual arts festival, PhotoEast, is launched. A festival highlight is an Ipswich Borough Council funded project to create a photographic portrait of the town, taken from the top deck of an Ipswich bus. Photographer George Georgiou will be in residence on Ipswich Buses and the exhibition will feature on the Waterfront in May. PhotoEast will also see the launch of Julian Germain's 'Generations' project, with portraits of local families who can boast four or five living generations. Germain, originally from Ipswich, is one of the UK’s leading documentary photographers. We are looking for families who would like to be photographed. To qualify, family members should be direct descendants (i.e. grandparent, parent, child, grandchild) with some
or all of the family living in Ipswich and the surrounding area. If you know any families who would be interested in taking part, please get in contact. Send an email to ben@photoeast.co.uk or visit www.photoeast.co.uk
e
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t a e c n a n e t n i a Planned m
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all h n e id a M l, il H le t s a C Whitton, & The Triangle
We are pleased to report that planned maintenance is moving on to Whitton, Castle Hill, Maidenhall and The Triangle estates for 2016/17. Ipswich Borough Council’s Planned Maintenance Team is completing works around Nacton and parts of the Chantry estate. These works include: • new roofs • external painting/rendering to individual properties • new front doors • electrical rewires • general building work to communal areas If your property is to be included we will write to you shortly giving you details of the works to be undertaken.
Awards celebrate Ipswich Community In December the North West Ipswich Big Local Trust (BLT) celebrated the achievements of groups it has supported within Whitton, Whitehouse and Castle Hill over the past three years. The first annual celebration evening at the Meeting Place community centre showcased local projects, including the Skatepark in Whitehouse Park, and was attended by more than 30 organisations, schools and groups. Prizes were awarded to local people for their individual and group work including fundraising for sick children, creating nature areas, helping neighbours, improving facilities for football clubs and helping local groups to grow and thrive.
Entertainment was provided by Tommy Bradshaw, who, at 12 years old, is one of the country’s youngest puppeteers and youngest recipients of a BLT grant for his Punch and Judy booth. If you have a project to support the young or old, or have an exceptional skill to develop in North West Ipswich the BLT may be able to help. Visit www.nwipswichblt.co.uk for more information. Above: Rev Jutta Brueck presenting award to Leah Douglas Opposite: Invited guests at BLT celebration evening
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www.ipswich.gov.uk
Join the national tidy up The Palace has launched a national campaign of community pride in partnership with Keep Britain Tidy as part of Her Majesty’s 90th birthday celebrations. Ipswich Borough Council is supporting this national initiative and is encouraging its residents to join the Ipswich Clean for the Queen campaign on 4-6 March. For more information including how to arrange a litter picking kit for this event go to www.ipswich.gov.uk/cleanforthequeen or telephone 01473 432994.
Disposing of larger items
Is your garden ready for spring?
The Ipswich Furniture Project may be able to help Unwanted household electrical items i.e. fridges, freezers, microwaves and washing machines can be collected free of charge, whether they work or not. Last year 4,371 items (195 tonnes) of unwanted appliances were collected for recycling by Ipswich Furniture Project on behalf of Ipswich Borough Council. They may also be interested in your old furniture, if in reasonable condition (soft furnishings must have a relevant fire safety label attached). To arrange a collection ring 01473 404004 or email service@ipswichfp.org Please include a contact telephone number so they can call you back to arrange collection. If the Ipswich Furniture Project is not able to assist, the Council offers a collection for up to five large items (i.e. bedbase, mattress, roll of carpet, bookshelf, chair). To arrange a collection go to www.ipswich.gov.uk/ content/bulky-collection or telephone 01473 433090.
Gardeners may like to prepare for a busy spring clean by ordering an additional brown garden waste bin. For ÂŁ46.50 per year, per bin, the Council will deliver an additional bin to help with grass cuttings, light prunings, plant/flower tops, garden vegetables and fruit. No soil, stones, turf or animal waste of any kind please. To order a second brown bin go to www.ipswich.gov.uk or call 01473 433090.
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ActivLives
www.ipswich.gov.uk
Some 1,000 Ipswich residents are moving more with ActivIpswich The aim of the ActivIpswich project is to enable people aged 45+ (there is no upper age limit), who don’t currently play regular sport, to get involved in an activity they can enjoy in a social and friendly environment. “We have reached the 1,000 new participants target much sooner than we had expected”, said Mike McCarthy from ActivLives. “We are also closing in quickly on 10,000 attendances at ActivIpswich sports sessions since September 2014. These results are testimony to how much real interest there is amongst local people to get involved in playing sport.” ActivIpswich delivers fun, easily-accessible sports to suit all fitness levels including walkingfootball, kurling, boccia, short mat bowls, badminton, walking for fitness and table tennis. The partnership project between ActivLives and Ipswich Borough Council is funded by Sport England’s Community Sport Activation Fund.
ActivSheds ActivSheds - a new garden project based around carpentry, construction and DIY (rather than gardening) is part of an international movement Men in Sheds. Based at the CRESS Pavilion, the group has begun its first project renovating the shed with timber donated from B&Q. They plan to build a Selfie Station at the Suffolk Show with their funder, the East of England Co-op. The team has already made garden sofas from pallets and a greenhouse from plastic bottles. ActivShed’s participant Tony says he is enjoying working with others to problem-solve and overcome challenges. ActivSheds runs from 10am on Friday mornings at the CRESS Pavilion shed in Halifax Road. The grand opening will be on Friday 18 March. Just pop along or contact Jo at jo@activlives.org.uk or 07760 583950.
Kurling at Cumberland Towers
Owen ‘Mr Reliable’ Elvin, pictured here with his wife Sally and Mike McCarthy from ActivLives, received an award for 100% attendance at the scheme’s weekly Kurling sessions. Owen was also the first to sign up for the first ever Ipswich Kurling Competition last year. ActivIpswich held taster sessions in ten of our sheltered housing schemes and with its support, Stratford Court, Morecambe Court and Cumberland Towers now run their own weekly sessions. “I’ve never heard so much laughter, people are really enjoying themselves!” said a Cumberland Towers tenant at one session.
To get involved with ActivIpswich please call ActivLives on 01473 345350 or e: mike@activlives.org.uk
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e c i v r e s f l e s h t DIY wi
www.ipswich.gov.uk
Avoid queueing by using self-service: Do your own Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction scanning using the evidence upload form now available on the Ipswich Borough Council website. How it works: You can now upload evidence from home or on the move using your mobile, tablet, or PC. You can take pictures of your documents using your smartphone or camera. Simply go to www.ipswich.gov.uk/benefits Click on Online forms Select Evidence Submission Form Then just fill in the simple form and upload each document using the button “upload and attach file”. Review your documents by clicking Show/Hide Attachments then you are good to go. Also, reporting a change of address for Council Tax purposes is much easier online too. Simply go to www.ipswich.gov.uk and select on Council Tax change of address from the Top Tasks list.
The easy way to pay bills It’s now easier to make payments online. You can pay council tax, business rates, Business Improvement District (BID), housing rents, benefit overpayment, Parking Penalty Charge Notices and invoices. To save time and make life easier you can also use direct debit to pay council tax bills, housing rent, business rates and some regular invoices. Find out more at www.ipswich.gov.uk
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www.ipswich.gov.uk
SHOPMOBILITY offers FREE use of a wheelchair or battery
Limited mobility?
Call in and see us at IPSWICH SHOPMOBILITY at the Buttermarket shopping centre
powered scooter to
on the lower ground (LG)
get you around the
car park level*
town centre
Monday - Saturday 9.15am-4.15pm
All equipment to be returned by 4pm *two hours free parking for Shopmobility users
www.ipswich.gov.uk/shopmobility t: 01473 222225
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s n o i s s e s s t r o p s Free
www.ipswich.gov.uk
for young people
During the spring and summer term the Positive Futures project will be running free activities across Ipswich. Young people aged 10-19 can simply turn up and join in; there is no charge to take part. Football
Chantry Sports Centre
Tuesday
5-6pm
Football
Whitton Sports Centre
Wednesday
4-5pm
Boxing
YMCA
Wednesday
5-6pm
Girls Only
Chantry Sports Centre
Wednesday
6-7pm
The project is managed by national charity Catch22 and funded by the Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner. It also works in partnership with Suffolk County Council and Ipswich Borough Council. For further information please contact paul.knight@catch-22.org.uk
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www.ipswich.gov.uk
Please feed the garden birds not the rats Millions of people enjoy attracting birds to their gardens however it’s important the food you put out feeds the birds and not the rats. Anyone who has a bird table knows that birds are messy. They drop seeds and casings under every table or feeder, and this debris can attract rats. Not something anyone wants to tempt into their gardens. The risk is far greater when you throw out large quantities of unsuitable food.
Photo by Park Ranger Matt Berry
So do the right things and always: • feed with bird food • sweep up waste regularly • obtain permission from your landlord if your garden is shared by others • talk to your neighbours - they may enjoy more birds in the neighbourhood if mess is kept to a minimum
Never provide food waste! Birds eat seed, grain and small grubs bread, cake and table scraps can make birds ill.
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Holi at Holywells
www.ipswich.gov.uk
(The Festival of Colours) Holi, the Hindu festival welcoming spring, is symbolic of victory of good over evil. People celebrate by throwing coloured powder and water. Traditional bonfires are lit with roasting grains, popcorn, coconut and chickpeas thrown on. People gather around the bonfire and celebrate with singing and dancing. Bring family and friends for lots of fun! • Cover each other with paint and coloured powder • Enjoy the bonfire • Music, singing and dancing • Henna hand painting • Indian food stalls Coloured powder is provided. Feel free to bring coconut, popcorn or grains to throw on the bonfire. Please wear old clothes (or bring a change of clothing) if you are actively going to join in the spirit of Holi.
Myrtle Meadow Holywells Park Cliff Lane Ipswich, IP3 0PG Entrance via Myrtle Road Parking on Duke Street (Ipswich Waterfront) Admission FREE Sunday 3 April, 2016 1400-1600
Smoked pork sausage stew Total cost £3.64, equivalent of 61p per portion for 6 adults
INGREDIENTS:
METHOD: Heat water in your pan, add your veggies (but not potatoes) and chopped sausage. Stir. Add your stock cube, pearl barley (or alternative) and seasoning. Once this boils turn the temperature right down. Put the lid on and leave for an hour and a half. Add the chopped potato, cook for another half an hour. If you want to make dumplings then do this now and add to the pan. If you think the stew is too thin then thicken with cornflour and water, if it is too thick then add extra water. That’s all!
1 large or two small smoked pork sausages 500g vegetables (such as 3 carrots, 1 large potato, 2 celery stalks, garlic, 1 onion, 1 leek) a perfect recipe to use up those slightly soft specimens from the back of the fridge 1 handful of pearl barley (any pulse/bean even baked beans work) 1 stock cube 2 litres of liquid Salt, pepper, herbs to taste
Can you beat the £5 challenge? Email your recipes to: tenant.participation@ipswich.gov.uk
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Talking to your landlord www.ipswich.gov.uk
Recently we asked tenants online and by phone about our services and the ways to become involved in helping us improve them.
Most people (89.6%) we spoke to were happy or very happy with the service and said the Council listens to tenants and acts on their priorities (77.2%). The responses suggested we need to do more to promote opportunities to have a say in housing. We also talked to tenants who are already involved and asked what they would like us to do more of (or stop doing). They wanted to be more ‘hands on’, to be empowered to help their neighbourhoods and to be able to organise more events. The message from all tenants we surveyed was to make our involvement options more personal and less formal, either face to face or by telephone, or if more convenient, online or by email.
The Council in numbers Ipswich Borough Council delivers a wide range of services, from emptying bins to putting on hit shows at the Regent Theatre. Here’s a snapshot in numbers ...
We are improving how we work to reflect this feedback. To find out more about being involved contact Simon t: 01473 433291 or e: tenant.participation@ ipswich.gov.uk.
In the last 12 months, the Council has: •
emptied more than four million bins
•
sold nearly 300,000 tickets for shows at the Regent and Corn Exchange
•
kept us safe by monitoring 200 CCTV cameras
•
provided more than 500,000 swims at Crown Pools
•
built more than 100 new council homes
•
welcomed 30,000 visitors to a Constable exhibition at the Mansion
•
dealt with 1,257 planning applications
•
greeted around 200,000 customers at the Tourist Information Centre
•
cut 1,100 acres of grass in parks, open spaces and on verges
•
awarded £1 million in community and arts grants
•
made 122,000 personal visits to sheltered scheme residents
•
helped 46 organisations through our Area Committees with funding totalling £130,000 and generating another £500,000 in match funding.
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www.ipswich.gov.uk
Get the Olympic spirit with a new sport The 2016 Rio Olympics are just around the corner The 2012 Olympics inspired millions of people to take up new sports (or dust off old ones). Get ahead of the curve and take up badminton or short mat bowls with ActivIpswich. ActivBowls takes place every Tuesday (11am12.30pm) at Gainsborough Sports and Community Centre. This session is for complete beginners, with all equipment provided; just wear comfortable clothes and shoes. You need to be able to bend and stretch. ActivBadminton is held every Tuesday (2-3.30pm) at Whitton Sports and Community Centre. These sessions are also for beginners with all equipment provided. Wear non-marking indoor trainers and comfortable clothes. No need to book, just come along and give it a go. If you would like to find out more about any of the ActivIpswich programmes, please call 01473 345350 or e: mike@activilives.org.uk
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www.ipswich.gov.uk
p u g n i r u s a e M
Update on housing performance - period ending November 2015-January 2016 RENTS
At the end of January ÂŁ656,528 in rent payment was outstanding, which is 1.80% of the total due for the year. Target <1.95%
COMMUNITY CARETAKERS
96.7% pledge visits and 3,157 minor repairs in communal areas were completed so far this year. Target <95%
COMPLAINTS
4 complaints were received about Tenancy Services. All 4 received a full response within 20 working days deadline and none were upheld.
ALLOCATIONS
It took 20.33 working days to process a housing application. Target <20
GAS SERVICING
At each month end all our properties should have an up-to-date gas safety certificate, 2 services were overdue at the end of January 2016.
REPAIRS
5,201 repairs were raised of which 96.03% were completed on target. Target >98.5%
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Of 19,365 calls made to Housing and Repairs 86.8% got through to an agent before ending the call. Target >90%
TENANCY
We averaged 23.1 days between a tenancy ending and the next one starting. Target <15 days
ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR
There were 50 open anti-social behaviour cases at the end of January
USEFUL TELEPHONE NUMBERS You can contact Housing Services on
01473 433370
To report a repair or if you have a repair enquiry
01473 432100
(including out of hours emergency repairs) To order a gas repair or gas service
0800 533 5630 or 01473 835145
Environmental Health (for noise problems)
WANT TO BE MORE INVOLVED? JOIN THE TENANT FACEBOOK GROUP www.facebook.com/groups/IBCtenants/
01473 433015