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news Your NEW LOOK magazine from New Charter
Autumn Issue: Oct 2012 Created by New Charter tenants like you
Let us help you stay afloat
4-6 Young residents win silver medal at RHS Tatton
8 Emma gets ‘keys to her door’
The benefit changes are almost here Find out how you'll be affected on pages 4-6
ALSO INSIDE: Our SWAT team is here to help support you through the changes
11 Improving our telephone services
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Welcome to your new magazine! Residents like you come together to form the Customer Communications Group (CCG). The group has played a major role in improving this magazine for you and here they tell us about it… “Like you, we found the old newsletter corporate.We wanted it to be more interesting for us, so we decided to do something about it. “We’ve changed the newsletter into a magazine, which we hope you’ll agree is much brighter, friendlier and easier to read. “We’re all from different neighbourhoods and backgrounds, and have different things to bring to the group. “We’d love to know what you think of the new magazine. Contact us on 0161 331 2470 or email contact@newcharter.co.uk, or why not join us? We’d love to welcome some new faces to the group.” The Communications group meets with staff every few months to review the last issue of the magazine and get involved in creating the next issue.
Why not visit our website? We’ve developed the site with customers in mind and have listened to the feedback you’ve given us.
Find out more on page 13…
You can also contact us through your TV
We have just celebrated one year of Looking Local, our interactive digital TV service for customers. You can view available properties, find out about upcoming events and much more. Sky: Channel 539 Virgin: Channel 233 Online: www.lookinglocal.gov.uk/newcharterhousingtrust You can then access our pages through our Quick code 246 For more information, just give us a call.
Your Customer Communications Group Members of the group are involved in different things in their communities. Here Belinda and Lez tell you what they’ve been doing recently… Our neighbourhood put forward a bid to the ‘You Choose’ scheme run by the council. We were awarded £1,900 to provide us with Samba equipment and training so that we can perform in our Christmas lantern parade which ends up at Dukinfield Town Hall. As a local resident, I’ve offered some inspirational ideas for the Casablanca development site in Stalybridge.We hope it will be an exciting and uplifting new hub for the town. Architects are now coming up with some ideas, and we’ll tell you more soon. See page 18
Look for this icon: If you have a smartphone you can also find more information on our website by scanning this barcode with a QR code reader app.
2 The Communications team at New Charter writes your newsletter. You can contact them on 0161 331 2470.
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4-6
Contents Money matters
4-6
Customer survey results
9
14
Your gardening stories
7 8, 9 & 10
Emma gets keys to her door
11
Tenants say ‘bonjour’ to a new experience
11
Changes to our telephone services
12
Your new website
13
New Charter Academy news
14 & 15
Plans for your neighbourhoods 16 & 17
18
Animal welfare
17
Development news
18
Your Tenant Management Team
19
Food Glorious Food event
20
How we’re doing
21
A helping hand for you
22
Events and classes
23
New Charter’s offices will be closed on Tuesday 23rd October for staff training.
Development news p18
Don’t forget, you can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter
You can still report an emergency repair on the day by calling 0800 027 0828. Offices will be open as normal on Wednesday 24th October.
facebook.com/newchartergroup Twitter: @newchartergroup 3
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Money Ma££ers
There are lots of changes coming as part of the Government’s Welfare Reform programme… • Your Housing Benefit will be reduced if • You’ll no longer have the choice to have you have a spare bedroom in your home your Housing Benefit paid direct to and you are of working age.This is being New Charter (your landlord). Instead, referred to as the ‘bedroom tax.’ you will have to make sure you pay the rent yourself to New Charter. • Benefits will be capped at £500 a week for families and £350 per week for a • For most people, Universal Credit will single person. be paid monthly in arrears.This means if you claim at the beginning of the month, your benefit will be paid to you • Universal Credit is coming – a new at the end of the month. benefit combining Jobseekers Allowance (JSA), income based employment and support allowance, housing benefit, • There will also be changes to Council income support and tax credits - all into Tax Benefit locally.This is currently one payment. being debated by the council.
This may sound daunting, and it is… It’s going to be a difficult time for so many of us, but remember we’re here to help.
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So ‘SWAT’S’ it all about?
To help you through the changes, we have created a Specialist Welfare Reform Advice Team called SWAT. They are here to offer advice and support you, if you are affected by the changes.
The SWAT team are out and about in your neighbourhoods, helping people to address the impact of under-occupancy and look at ways we can help you.To find out when we are in your area, visit our website or ask in one of our Hubs. There may be some difficult times ahead, but remember SWAT’s only mission is to help you.
The SWAT Team
You may have received a personalised postcard like this from the team
Here are some common questions and answers which we hope will help you… The scheme aims to help tenants who will be affected by the bedroom tax and those underQuestion: What is underoccupying their homes. The occupancy? scheme is as flexible as possible and we will look at each case Answer: This is when you have more bedrooms in your home than individually. you need, based on the rules set by the Government. Question: What is Homeswapper?
DOWNSIZING
Question: What is downsizing? Answer: Moving to a smaller home (still suitable for you/your family). Question: What are the advantages of the downsizing scheme? Answer: Downsizing will offer you the opportunity to move to a home which is still suitable for you/your family, but will help you financially.
Answer: This is where a tenant exchanges their home with another tenant anywhere in the country. This service is free to our customers and Homeswapper can help you find the property you need.
TWO’S COMPANY Question: What is Two’s Company? Answer: An exciting new scheme to help people share a home with a friend and make bills more affordable. Question: What type of properties will be used for the Sharing Scheme? Answer: Two bedroom flats and maisonettes are ideal for sharing.
Question: What are the advantages of Two’s Company? Question: Why would I use Answer: Your bills will be shared Homeswapper? between you and your friend. Answer: We have long waiting lists The scheme is attractive to those for our homes. By using affected by the Government's Homeswapper you can sometimes changes and people on low find your dream home and move incomes. there more quickly. Continued on page 6 5
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Welfare Reform LODGING Question: If you will be affected by the bedroom tax, have you thought about taking in a lodger? Answer: You could be affected by the bedroom tax and could lose up to 25% of your Housing Benefit. For example, if your rent is £85 per week, it would mean you would lose £21.25 per week.The money you receive from a lodger could help you pay the difference for your spare bedroom and allow you to stay in your home. Question: Why take in a lodger? Answer: Lodging can be appealing if you work full or part time and have a spare bedroom.Tenants who pay full or part rent can gain extra income from lodgers, of which up to £4250 per year will be tax free. (Lodgers cannot be direct family members).
If you find the changes confusing and need help, contact the SWAT team on 0161 331 2000 or swat@newcharter.co.uk You can also visit one of our Hubs- we're here to help.
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Universal Credit ….it’s coming sooner than you may think Universal Credit is coming to Tameside in April 2013 - that’s only a few months away and it’ll soon be upon us. This is happening six months earlier than elsewhere in the country, for people claiming benefits for the first time. Claims will have to be made and managed on line. If you don't have access to the internet, there will be other ways to claim. We’ll let you know as soon as we know.
What you can do: • Post your views on our blog at www.newcharter.co.uk – sharing your story might help you and others in similar situations • Tell your friends and neighbours what is happening and support each other • Get yourself ready for the changes – don’t leave it too late. We’re here to help
There are many ways you can pay your rent to us: • Payment card at the Post Office, Payzone or Paypoint outlets • Direct debit • Standing order • Credit or debit card over the telephone 24 hours 7 days a week • Online (www.newcharter.co.uk) • Send a cheque to us
NEED HELP??? Need help applying for welfare benefits?
Contact the Welfare Benefit Team on:
0161 331 2200 welfare@newcharter.co.uk
Need debt advice?
Contact the Debt Advice Team on:
0161 331 2456 debtadvice@newcharter. co.uk
HAVE YOU EVER FALLEN BEHIND WITH YOUR RENT PAYMENTS? If you are experiencing difficulties paying your rent, you must contact your New Charter Account Manager immediately on 0161 331 2215. Your Account Manager will be able to help you resolve the problem before it escalates.We’re here for you. Please remember it’s your responsibility to ensure your rent is paid.
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Great results from you We’re pleased to tell you that once again your feedback has told us we’re delivery a great service for you. Each year, we ask a research company to carry out a telephone survey to ask you what you think of our services. This year we’ve been given an overall rating of
94% customer satisfaction
This means that we keep the same result from last year - our best ever rating!
A BIG thank you to all of you who took the time to answer the telephone survey- your feedback is really important to us as it tells us what we’re doing well and what we need to improve on. During this survey, you told us about a few things we need to look into, including neighbourhood services and listening to your views more.We’ll be working hard to improve things in these areas, and our neighbourhood plans work should help with this, (see pg 16). It’s good to hear that 90% of you who answered the survey are satisfied with the quality of our repairs and maintenance work. All tenants who completed the survey were entered into a prize draw to win £150 supermarket vouchers. Well done to our lucky winner, Ms Raggett of Denton!
News round up Tea party fun for 350 residents Around 350 people from our sheltered schemes came together for one of the biggest parties in town. Residents were invited to a special tea party hosted by us, to help them get to know each other and make new friends. You may have even been there yourself!
Residents enjoy their afternoon tea (from left, Jacqueline Mye rs and Brenda Knowles)
Everyone was treated to an afternoon tea and entertainment from The Kathleen Doherty School of Irish Dancing and singer Erick Erickson, to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year.
Everyone h great day ad a out!
The Victorian-themed event was held at New Charter Academy in August.
ll swing The party in fu
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Your gardening stories Young residents win well deserved silver medal at RHS Tatton! Not quite the Olympics, but nevertheless, it’s a silver medal to be really proud of. Young gardeners from our communities volunteered more than 200 hours of their time outside school to design and build their show garden which was exhibited at the RHS Flower Show at Tatton Park in July. The group of 50 children aged from 8 to 16 worked tirelessly for six months to create handcrafted mosaics, decorative pebbles and willow weaved animals for their masterpiece garden titled:‘A year in the life of DreamScheme.’ Designed and built by the youngsters, the 10m circular garden was divided into sections to represent the four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter.
Children celebrat e their
silver medal
The children presented their garden at the show and talked to hundreds of visitors, including the press and a famous face from Coronation Street! They received lots of brilliant comments including this one from soap star, Sue Nicholls:“I love to see what the children do.They work so hard and they are all so lovely.” The young people are members of ‘DreamScheme’, a youth project run by New Charter which allows young residents to take part in safe and organised out of school activities, by offering rewards in return. Many of the children have volunteered on gardening projects on their estates. They collect rewards for their work which they can exchange for fun days out as a group.
ation Street Star, Sue Young people with Coronottom, New Char ter’s Nicholls and Linda Sideb regeneration officer
Children wa tering 8
and prepari ng
their garden
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Your gardens were blooming as always! Once again, you didn’t fail to impress us with your beautiful gardens during this year’s New Charter garden competition. We saw many wonderful sights and heard some really inspiring tales. Judging took place during July and with so many entries this year, it took two days!
Garden competiti on news
“It’s an absolute delight to have the role of judging the competition, but deciding on our winners was a tough decision as each and every one of the entries was worthy. “Our overall winner was however so impressive, I have never seen anything like it - a real hidden gem!”
This year, the competition saw some regular faces entering, but it was great to see some new green fingers on the scene too.This great variety resulted in a really enjoyable and interesting competition. When judging, we took the bad weather into account as the heavy rain caused several blooms to suffer. The weather didn’t dampened your spirits though! It was great to see that everyone was still so enthusiastic and standards were just as high as usual. Senior judge, Emma Wilson, Director of communities said: “I was once again overwhelmed by the standard of gardens in our communities.
ed 14 Calvin Marchant, ag The winners this year were: Vick Ashworth for his ‘Individual Display’ on Central Estate. Ashurst Gardens won ‘Best communal garden’ and New Charter Academy student, Calvin Marchant, aged 14 , also caught the gardening bug scooping ‘Best Young Gardener’ for his work here. Irvin Chappel won ‘Best individual garden’ and was also crowned ‘Supreme Champion’ for his garden in Dukinfield.
Irvin Chappel in
Dukinfield
Well done and a big thank you to all who entered this year.We look forward to seeing you and your gardens again next year!
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More gardening news Green Charter update What have we been up to?
It's been rain, rain and more rain with the wettest May and June on record. But we haven't let that stop us! Grass cutting With the very wet conditions, our teams have struggled to cut all the grass to our standard, however we saw some better weather in August and September which helped the teams get up to date and cut all grass to high standards. You can see some more information on our performance on page 21.
Children learn to garden with our residents
Residents from Ashurst Gardens welcomed pupils from Broadoak and Hurst Knoll Schools to their communal garden. The children enjoyed an outdoor workshop where residents showed them how to create their own hanging baskets.They also enjoyed exploring the garden, watering the plants and learning about growing, recycling and the environment. The youngsters displayed their baskets in their school gardens and have invited the residents to visit them in their own green spaces.
You may have noticed the teams are in the process of pruning all hedges and shrubs. During the summer, we have done a ‘light prune’ to keep hedges and shrubs off footpaths, but we will follow this up with major pruning during winter, when the hedges and shrubs are dormant. The teams are also changing… We are pleased to tell you that a member of our summer seasonal staff, Shane Sandbach has now been promoted to a full time gardener in the Ashton area. We have also invested in more training and development for the team, so that we can keep improving the service for you. We are still a new service, so we know that we need to keep making improvements. Remember, you can play a big part in this by becoming one of our Green Charter monitors. Information from our monitors is reported back to management who make sure that any issues are looked into and that we are providing the best possible service. For more information about Green Charter or becoming a monitor, please contact Les Crowther, Green Charter Manager on 0161 331 3627 or email les.crowther@newchater.co.uk
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ith some Ashurst Gardens w om fr ne An d an n An ren of the school child
In Bloom n ews
Well done to e year’s North veryone who took pa rt West In Blo om competi in this There were ti on. some fanta stic entries with so ma this ny residents in your com year taking part. munities The bad we ather did p res challenges, but that did ent some n’t from lookin g bright and stop your gardens beautiful. W judging was e hear very difficu lt this year. All winning entries will be certificates and trophie awarded s at the aw ceremony in ard S is eagerly a outhport this month. Everyone waiting the results… We’ll tell you how e veryone d next mag id in the azine.
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Emma gets ‘Keys to her door’ 21-year-old Emma Wilde has been handed the keys to her first home after completing our ‘Keys to your door’ programme - a new course designed to help young people manage a tenancy. Emma was the first person to secure a home following the eight week course. The course is aimed at 18 to 25-year-olds who have never lived in their own home or held a tenancy before. People must complete at least five of the seven key sessions, two of which are compulsory and based on managing your money and being a good neighbour. Other sections are optional and involve training in first aid, cooking healthy meals and support with getting back into work. Emma has also been successful in getting part-time work at a nursing home and hopes to train to become a youth worker. She is also helping New Charter to set up a support group for new young
tenants and further develop the ‘Keys to your door’ programme. Emma said:“Keys to your door has really helped give me that step up to manage my own home. The budgeting sessions are helping me to manage my money and the practical sessions have helped me to learn new skills. I feel really Emma outside her home settled and would recommend the scheme to any young person who wants to get set up in their own home.” The course doesn’t guarantee a home at the end of it, but it is designed to make sure that when a suitable home becomes available, young tenants are ready to manage their home successfully.The second Keys to your door programme is now underway.
Tenants say ‘bonjour’ to a new experience In July, the New Charter was successful in gaining European funding for an exchange programme residents from with the Association Montigny International in Montigny visited us.They France. got involved in The project allowed tenants to share knowledge and planting days skills with residents in France on ‘healthy lifestyles and on estates and attractive neighbourhoods’.The project started in preparations November last year when six resident volunteers from our communities were chosen.They had weekly for In Bloom. They also Residents visitin lessons in French. g the mayor in Tameside attended In June this year they visited fellow residents in local events and visited our Montigny, (a town near Paris), where they had healthy young people’s garden at cooking lessons from a professional chef and also the RHS Tatton show. experienced French culture. Residents Our residents thoroughly also represented enjoyed the New Charter at programme and events with the made many new Mayor and friends.They friends. They are Deputy Mayors of continuing to keep Montigny, and in contact by email and Skype.The Skype. The presented experience has provided our residents information about with the confidence to share their ideas their volunteer with the wider community. work to large ther ge to l ea m l el w ng a fare audiences. Residents enjoyi 11
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Keeping in touch w Connect: Your New Customer Service Team If you have telephoned us in the last 12 months you may have noticed some changes in the way we deal with your calls - hopefully an improvement. We talked to many customers and you told us: 1) You want your calls to be answered the first time you ring 2) You didn’t want to ring lots of different numbers for different services 3) You want a great standard of customer service
So, what have we done?
We have brought together the teams who answered your calls on repairs, lettings, and general queries to form one big team called ‘Connect’. Connect now handles all your calls in one place.
The team can deal with all your different enquiries including repairs, antisocial behaviour, lettings and any other questions you may have. We now also have the facility to listen back to calls, so that we can learn from any mistakes and keep improving our service. Every month, our managers talk through feedback with the team to let them know what they’ve done well and what we need to improve on. We’re already seeing positive results with 30% more calls answered first time, and 9 out of 10 of your queries answered on the first attempt.
Single Number 0161 331 2000 Your feedback told us that having many different numbers is confusing and you would prefer to contact New Charter using just one number. We have listened to you and are moving services to a single number: 0161 331 2000.This is the existing number for our switchboard, which many of you already use.
New Out of Hours Emergency Service for you Sometimes things go wrong at home outside of our working hours, and you need ‘emergency help’ from us. It could be a serious water leak, power cut or another problem which puts you and your family at risk in your home. We gathered lots of feedback from you on this service and you told us that we needed to improve things.We listened to you and started making plans to change things. From the 28th August, New Charter is providing this service. Our own staff are now on call to help with your emergency calls 24 hours a day.
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The team answering your calls has access to all the information they need to help you.
Meet the team
To acces s 0800 027 the service, ring hours of: 0828 between th e - 6pm-8a m Mond and ay to Frid ay - All day Saturday and Ban k Holida and Sunday ys
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h with us Your new website is here! In August, we launched our brand new website and we hope you like it!
It is much brighter, easier to use and quick to find information. The main area for customers is the 'Customer Zone', where you can easily pay your rent, request a repair, find a home and much more. We'd love to know what you think. Here’s some information on the new site…
This is the new home page for www.newcharter.co.uk Click on ‘Customer zone’ – this is where you’ll find pretty much everything you need. Customer zone
This is the home page for the Customer zone
It’s easy to view available properties on the new website. Click on the ‘Find a home’ tab, go to available properties and select ‘click to view what’s available.’ You can also log in to your account here to bid on properties. Remember – you can request a repair on the website by following the clear ‘Request a repair’ link. If you’re a leaseholder, there’s a section of the website with information for you - again follow the link from the Customer zone page. We also now have a calendar to show you the events and classes which are coming up. You can find this by clicking on the ‘Events’ tab. Hope you find this useful! Want more information or want to tell us what you think? Contact the Communications team on 0161 331 2131 or email contact@newcharter.co.uk
Find a home Request a repair
Calendar of Events
www.newcharter.co.uk 13
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Students take guests back in time on guided tour of Manchester theatre New Charter Academy students stepped into the shoes of Blue Badge tourist guides as they designed and performed an exclusive tour of the Royal Exchange theatre in Manchester for family and teachers. Pupils from the New Charter Academy took guests on their own journey through time called ‘Welcome To Our Space’. It took two months to create with support from experts at the theatre. The young people took to the main stage to act out scenes from the bustling trading markets of the old Cotton Exchange through to the day in 1996 when the IRA bomb hit Manchester. Guests were also treated to a behind-the-scenes look at the wigs, make-up and wardrobe departments as well as a talk on the theatre as it operates today - all presented by the students. The project is the first of many to come from a new three-year partnership set up between the theatre, the Academy and New Charter Homes. We set up the partnership to give residents in our communities more cultural experiences and raise aspirations among young people.
Students at th e theatre
Over the next three years the theatre will run arts-based projects at the school and in the wider community to bring different groups of people together and break down social barriers. The project will also give people more opportunities to experience the arts and help support residents get back into work through volunteering and valuable experiences. 14
Young people talk to guests about the theatre's wardrobe department
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Results to be proud of During August, New Charter Academy students celebrated achieveing a set of GCSE and A level results to be proud of. The results days marked the end of a successful academic year for New Charter Academy - its first in its £43m campus. In GCSEs, this year, 70% of students achieved five A* - C grades with 103 gaining five A* - C’s including English and Maths. Many students have now gone on to study A levels and an increasing number have enrolled at the Academy’s sixth form. The Academy also celebrated its first set of A level results with a 100% pass rate achieved by its very first group of sixth formers. Many of these students have now go on to study degrees at university, including Pharmacy, English and even Aerospace Engineering. The academy opened its doors to sixth form students just two years ago to support local young people to continue their studies beyond GCSE level. It currently offers 17 A level courses ranging from English, Maths and Science through to Classical Civilisation and Film and TV Studies.
Back on Neighbourhood Watched
New Charter’s work has featured again in the BBC One documentary,‘Neighbourhood Watched.’ The programme showed the work of New Charter and another North West landlord. The cameras followed our day-to-day work for nine months to film the TV programme which aims to show people the ordinary, and extraordinary work of housing officers. This third series was on TV during August and September. We hope you saw it, but if you didn’t, you can catch up on BBC iPlayer!
(Credit Staff out and about in a neighbourhood for photo: Matt Squires)
Kajal Khilosia, the Academy's highest A level achiever this year with 2 A's and 1 B
GCSE students achieved one A - between them, these stude n * All four will co , 22 A’s, 12 B’s and four C’s ts ntinue their ed . u Charter Acade my’s A level ce cation at New ntre
Residents visit parliament
Andrew Gwynne (MP for Denton) invited the Yew Tree & Pendle residents group to visit Parliament, to see him in action – a once in a lifetime opportunity. Councillor Claire Francis and New Charter’s neighbourhood officer, Dolores Lewis went with the residents to London, where they visited Mr Gwynne at the House of Commons. It was a really exciting opportunity for the residents as they were able to watch their MP ask the Chancellor, George Osbourne a question about the economy. Afterwards, the residents enjoyed lunch in Parliament and finished the day with an open-top bus tour.
From left: MP A ndre with the residen w Gwynne and Dolores Lewis ts in London
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Your neighbourhoods
Your Neighbourhood Plans are coming soon! You may remember that we told you we are developing new ‘Neighbourhood Plans’ for each of your neighbourhoods. Director of Communities, Emma Wilson tells you what it’s all about… Why are we doing this?
What are we doing?
We want all your neighbourhoods to be great places to live in.We want them to look great, have great services and feel safe.Your neighbourhoods should be a place for both work and enjoyment.
We are producing a ‘Neighbourhood Plan’ for each of our 32 neighbourhoods.
As you know, we already do a lot of work in your neighbourhoods, but we want to build on this.To make your neighbourhoods even better, we want everyone to work together as a community to decide how their area could develop and grow. We also want your help to tell us which services need improving and keep those that you like and use.
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Each plan will include action points of things we need to address in that area. Each plan will run for three years and will be reviewed every year with residents like you, to check how we’re doing. We are setting up a tenant group who will work with managers to monitor progress and ensure we are on track with everything. The plans will highlight the main issues for your neighbourhoods and explain what needs to be done by us and our partners, to make things better for you.We will be working closely with other organisations on some of the wider issues in our communities, such as employment and crime.
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Some of the plans are shown below: Action
Aim
By when?
Direct customers and families to other services for employment and money advice as much as possible Work with partners to offer work experience placements for people who have been unemployed for long periods
To increase people’s opportunities of gaining employment and maximising income
Jan 2013
Increase the council’s To reduce the level of April 2013 activity in tackling dog fouling in dog fouling neighbourhoods Work with partners (e.g NHS) to help more people get health advice and access services CleanCare caretaking team to target fly tipping and litter problems more, in certain areas
Animal Welfare
To improve the health June 2013 of people in our neighbourhoods and provide more support To improve the look and feel of neighbourhoods which have problems with litter
Nov 2013
What next? We will be launching the plans before Christmas and we will be sending you more information about what’s in the plan for your area. Remember, you are the best people to tell us what it’s like to live in your neighbourhood and you can play an important role in helping us to make things better. It’s your chance to tell us what you want to see. We are launching a customer group which you can be part of.This group of tenants will be developing the neighbourhood plans based on what you, as residents want to see.Why not represent your neighbourhood and make a difference? Please contact Sue Cox on 0161 331 2416 if you’re interested in joining. Emma says: “On behalf of my team, I’d like to
thank all residents who have helped us so far with completing surveys, taking part in tours of neighbourhoods and helping us to prepare the plans. “Your feedback and ideas have had a massive impact on the action points in the plans. Thank you.”
We believe that all pets deserve a good home.They should be treated properly and not cause a nuisance to neighbours.
If you are thinking about getting a pet, especially a dog or cat, you must check your Tenancy Agreement first to make sure you are allowed to do so. You also need to make sure that your property is suitable for a pet, and that you have
the time to care for a pet properly and give it the love and attention it deserves. If you already have a dog, remember to keep it on a lead and don’t let it out on its own. You should supervise it at all times. Please also remember to consider others, by picking up your dog’s waste.This also makes
it easier for Green Charter to cut the grass in your communal areas. If you have any queries about pets, please contact your Housing Officer.
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Development news
We've been busy creating more homes in your neighbourhoods In the struggling climate, we are fortunate to have gained funding to help us build new homes in our communities. New Charter’s director of development and investment, Sean Stafford tells us more: “The past few months have been extremely busy for the team. When building new homes, it takes a lot of time from the planning stages with Government to actually starting to build.You’ll now be able to see our hard work pay off, with building happening on a number of sites in your neighbourhoods.”
Here’s an update on what’s ‘developing’: Wellington Road,Ashton; Wakefield Road, Stalybridge; and Birch Lane, Dukinfield We are building 59 new homes across these three sites.
Work is well underway and families will be living in them by February next year. Buckley Street, Uppermill; Owl Mill, Lees; and Whitely Street, Chadderton Here, we are building 29 new homes.The ones at Uppermill should be available by Christmas. Whiteacre Road,Ashton We are doing structural works and major improvements to three derelict terrace houses.Work will be complete by March 2013. Casablanca site, Stalybridge This site has been an eyesore for many years.We’re delighted to now be making plans to develop a multipurpose facility including housing and commercial units.
Full details of the final design are not yet known, but we’ll be talking to local traders and people to decide what the area really needs. We’ll keep you updated with progress. Brookdale, St Petersfield, Ashton In August, our new Brookdale development was officially opened by Councillor Vincent Ricci, Deputy Mayor of Tameside, and we had a fun day for local residents to mark the occasion. Families are now enjoying living in the 31 new homes.
Marking Casblan New Char ter’s Jonathanca site. Pictured purchase of th Councillo Reynolds, Sean left to right: MPe r David Sweeton Stafford and
ad ellington Ro W n o t n e Developm
Mr Sanni and family have moved into one of the new homes at Brookdale 18
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Your Tenant Management Team (TMT)
TMT plays a really important role at New Charter in making sure services are right for you and they help the company to develop.
Not everybody knows what TMT do, so we thought it'd be helpful to tell you more... TMT is a group of nine tenant volunteers and they carry out scrutiny projects. But what is ‘scrutiny’? Basically, a scrutiny project is an investigation into New Charter’s work or services. It involves: 1. Looking at New Charter’s service promises and checking if we do what we say 2. Looking at other companies for new ideas 3. Making suggestions for improvements and checking these are happening A scrutiny project includes research, interviewing residents and staff and carrying out mystery shopping exercises.
Why do they do this? The Tenant Management Team are an important friend of New Charter and are there to make sure you are getting the best possible service from us.The team works closely with senior managers and the Homes Board to make a real difference to tenants’ lives.
What have they looked at? Over the last year they have looked at different areas of New Charter, including rechargeable repairs and resident involvement.They also attend conferences to talk about their work and have helped another landlord develop a website for customers.
Why do people get involved? Personal reasons are endless.You can gain new skills and take part in training, build your confidence, meet new people or gain the experience you need to help you get back into work. However everyone who gets involved really cares about their communities and wants to make a real difference for New Charter residents like you.
What if I am interested? We’re always keen for new faces to join us. Contact the Resident Involvement team on 0161 331 2400 or email xtrafactorteam@newcharter.co.uk, we’d love to hear from you.
Tenants’ Annual Report The 2011/12 Tenants’ Annual Report has now been launched. This report is written for tenants, by tenants, and tells you everything New Charter has done over the last year involving residents like you. It is available on our website, at our Home and Community Hubs and also on request from the Resident Involvement Team.You can call the team on 0161 331 2400.
New Charter’s corporate Annual Report is also now available. To request a copy, contact us at any of our offices/hubs or call a member of the Communications team on 0161 331 2206. 19
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Food, Glorious Food Family Learning Day
At New Charter’s head office: Cavendish 249, Cavendish Street Ashton-Under-Lyne OL6 7AT
A FRE event fEor you
Saturday 27th October 11am - 2pm w to o h n r a e L Own r u o Y w Gro g with e v d n a fruit ening our Gardb Clu
Learn a about the ‘hll o bee’ and ouney plans for a N r Charter hive ew our rooftopon
Decorate a our n i e k a c p cu dly n e i r f y l i m fa workshops
Food th emed activitie s
Contact: Hannah on 0161 331 2583 for more information
We need a new name! As we've changed the design of your magazine to make it much brighter and friendlier, we'd also like to give it a new name.We're looking for something friendly, snappy and original. Do you have any ideas for us? We’d love to hear from you. 20
Please contact the Communications team on 0161 331 2470 or email contact@newcharter.co.uk with your suggestions.
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How we’re doing Performance
Our traffic light system tells you how we are doing.
On target, going well
Our performance matters at New Charter. We are proud of the service we offer you, our customers and regularly check that we’re on target.
OK, work in progress
We set goals for each area of the company and here we tell you how we’re doing in the areas which matter most to you. Performance areas
Our target
Below target, looking to improve Percentage of tenants satisfied with the service
Repairs service
95%
94.2%
Repairs completed within set timescales
98%
99.5%
Improvements to your homes
96%
92%
Customers very or fairly satisfied with the way their antisocial behaviour complaint was dealt with
87%
90%
Customers very or fairly satisfied with the outcome of their antisocial behaviour complaint
85%
84%
Telephone services
95%
97.2%
You told us that you’d also like to see performance results for Green Charter. Many residents have kindly given us their feedback, here’s the latest results… Green Charter service
Standard of grass cutting Left the site clean Areas left safe after work Grass/shrubs cut up to fences/boundaries Weeding done
% of tenants satisfied with the service 68% 66% 92%
82% 45%
Are we on target?
We know that we’ve still got improvements to make. Please bear with us, the service is still quite new and we’re working hard to make things better for you. Remember, your feedback is so important in helping us to make improvements. Contact Les Crowther, Green Charter manager if you’d like to give us your comments on 0161 331 3627. Read more about what Green Charter's been up to on page 10.
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A helping hand for you If you need help to carry out a range of small DIY jobs inside or outside your home, we can help! The New Charter Fix It service is here. Our dedicated Fix It workman has the tools, knowledge and skills to carry out a number of jobs safely for you in your home, at a reasonable cost. We can help you with putting up shelves, hanging baskets, changing toilet seats, building flat pack furniture and even changing light bulbs. The service costs just £17 per hour, whatever the job, and you have the security of knowing a member of New Charter staff is in your home not an unknown tradesperson. Our workman has the tools for the job, but tenants must provide the materials. Fix It is available to all New Charter tenants, but you must have a clear rent account to use the service.
For more information or to make an appointment, please contact Fix It on 0161 331 2000 or email Fixit@newcharter.co.uk
Important: Remember, there are still a lot of bogus callers out and about.
Recently we’ve heard of several gardening scams where unknown tradespeople pose as qualified gardeners.They often ask for money up front to start a job, but then leave a mess and your home unsafe. Please beware of other bogus callers/workers on the phone and on your door step.We know that many of you are very cautious but these people can be very creative and manipulative so do take care. You can always check if somebody is genuinely from New Charter by doing an ID check – call 0161 331 2000.
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Stay MINTED
The Money information Network Tameside (MiNT) is holding a conference to guide you on 'making the most of your money.' THE EVENT IS FREE TO EVERYONE AND INCLUDES A FREE LUNCH. You will be able to choose two workshops to attend, from: • Welfare reform • Affordable heating bills • Money skills • Loan shark awareness • Healthy eating The conference is on Thursday 18th October from 9.30am to 3.00pm at Dukinfield Town Hall. To register your FREE place or for more information, call 01204 454 915 or email mint.conference@irwellvalleyha.co.uk
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October 2012 Tuesday 16th October 2pm - 4pm
Tame your computer demons Basic IT skills…continued Venue: Cavendish 249
Can you use a computer? If not, this is the course for you.This is the end of a six week programme helping you to use a computer to keep in touch and surf the internet.
Thursday 18th October 6pm - 8pm
Business Planning Venue: Cavendish 249
Have your say on New Charter's business plans for the year ahead.
Thursday 1st November 6pm onwards
Resident Awards Evening Venue: New Charter Academy, Broadoak Road,Ashton
A fun and glitzy evening where we recognise the hard work residents like you do in your communities.
Thursday 8th November 1pm-3pm
Tenant/ Resident Association Committee Skills Training Venue: Cavendish 249
Are you a member of a residents group? Are you new to a group or want to try a different role? We can help you with the training you need.
Saturday 10th November 9.30am-12pm
Resident Involvement Annual Review Venue: Cavendish 249
Each year, we review current events and classes and discuss future ideas. Please come and give your views…what would you like to see?
Thursday 15th November 6pm-8pm
Money Money Money! Venue: Crowswood Estate Office, 3 Crowhill, Stalybridge
Learn how to make your money go further, look at ways to save money and get help with budgeting.
Monday 26th November 2pm-4pm
Mystery Shopping/Resident Inspectors overview Venue: Cavendish 249
Are you a Poirot or Columbo? Do you like to investigate things? Why not come along and learn how to become a mystery shopper or resident inspector for New Charter – you can help us check if we’re doing a good job for you.
Tuesday 4th December 6pm-8pm
Jewellery Making Master Class Venue: Cavendish 249
Learn how to create beautiful pieces of jewellery, either for yourself or as a gift. (Run by a fellow resident).
Thursday 13th December 1.30pm-3.30pm
Sheltered Forum Meeting Venue: Richmond House, Stalybridge
Do you live in sheltered accommodation? Come along, have a brew and meet other residents. Discuss any issues affecting you.
November 2012
✃
✃
✃
✃
Events and classes
Why not tear this out and stick it on your fridge?
✃
December 2012
If you need transport for any of the events, we can arrange this for you. Contact the resident involvement team for more information and to book your place on 0161 331 2400.
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Contact us
HOMES LIMITED
Our Hubs • • • •
2 Henrietta Street, Ashton 9 Albert Street, Denton 12 Clarendon Street, Hyde 63 Grosvenor Street, Stalybridge
Our Hubs open at 9am Monday to Friday (except Tuesdays, when they open at 10.30am).
Main switchboard:
0161 331 2000 Emergency housing & repairs calls:
0800 027 0828
Operates during the following times: - Before 8am and after 6pm Monday to Friday - During weekends and Bank Holidays Antisocial behaviour helpline: 0800 027 0522 (24 hours a day)
Please note, Denton and Stalybridge Hubs close daily between 12.30-1.30pm. All Hubs close at 5pm Monday to Wednesday; 4.30pm on Thursday; and 4pm on Friday.
Email: contact@newcharter.co.uk www.newcharter.co.uk facebook.com/newchartergroup Twitter: @newchartergroup English
If you need help understanding this document, please call us on 0161 331 2261 and we will arrange for somebody to help you. Polish
Jeśli potrzebuje Pan/Pani pomocy w zrozumieniu tego dokumentu, prosimy o kontakt pod numerem 0161 331 2261, a my zorganizujemy kogoś do pomocy. Portuguese
Se necessitar de ajuda no que respeia à compreensão deste documento, queira por favor contactar-nos no nº. 0161 331 2261 e iremos colocar alguém à sua disposição para o ajudar French
Si vous avez besoin d’aide pour comprendre ce document, s’il vous plaît appelez-nous au 0161 331 2261 et nous nous chargerons de quelqu'un pour vous aider Bengali
Urdu
Head Office: New Charter Housing Trust Group, Cavendish 249, Cavendish Street, Ashton-under-Lyne, OL6 7AT