Open door summer 2017

Stirling Council Summer 2017

Open Door Scottish Housing Day Information and Fun Day for Tenants!

To celebrate Scottish Housing Day, Stirling Tenants Assembly supported by the Housing Service are holding their own Information and Fun Day. You and your family are invited to come along, join in the fun and learn more about what is happening in housing.

The event will take place on Saturday 9 September at the Council Chambers, Old Viewforth between 10.30am and 2.30pm.

Tenants are invited to come along, have some refreshments, visit the various stalls and chat with Council staff and fellow tenants.

Stirling Tenants Assembly, Housing staff, Money Advice, Citizens Advice, Police Scotland and Scottish Fire and Rescue will be present and much more!

Meanwhile, not to be left out, there will be plenty to keep the kids occupied including the Playbus, balloon making, caricatures and a photo booth!

Stirling Tenants Assembly and the Housing Service look forward to seeing you on Saturday 9 September!

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Contents • Information and Fun Day • Universal Credit update • Stirling Tenants Assembly enjoy successful AGM • Join the Tool Library • Council new builds shortlisted at the Scottish Home Awards

CITY CHAMBERS, VIEWFORTH, STIRLING FK8 2ET

TO REGISTER - TEL: 01786 473205

Universal Credit Universal Credit (UC) rolled out across the Stirling Council area on 28 June. This means that anyone of working age who makes a NEW benefit claim or has a change in circumstances which affects any existing means tested benefits will be required to claim Universal Credit. Your claim for Universal Credit will include all means tested benefits. This means that any direct payments of Tax Credits or Housing Benefit will stop and be included within your Universal Credit claim which will be paid once a month.

Benefits such as Child Benefit, Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment and Attendance Allowance are not affected and will continue to be paid along with Universal Credit.

If you have any queries or problems in relation to UC, please phone 01786 404040 and ask to speak to an Income Maximisation Officer.

Remember you will be responsible for paying your rent from the monthly Universal Credit payment.

a Non-Profit Energy Company Our Power was established by Scottish social housing providers and local authorities including Stirling Council to offer great service and, most importantly, fairer prices for your gas and electricity.

This article has been provided by Our Power to outline what is on offer.

At Our Power, our focus is on you rather than on distributing profits to shareholders. This makes Our Power a different kind of energy supplier as we will use any surplus generated to support our mission. We’ll provide you with personal customer service and our best tariff to help you save money on your energy bills.

If you are worried about your energy bills you might be spending more than you need to. Our Power provides a brighter solution.

Our Power offers:

• Clear, simple and easy-to-understand tariffs • One price, whether you choose Pay As You Go or opt to pay via Direct Debit • A Fairer energy process – no lock-in fees • Smart meters that show how much you are using, as you use it • No estimated bills for customers paying by Direct Debit • Flexible ‘friendly credit’ for Pay As You Go customers. We’ll keep your supply going during evenings and weekends • •

until you’re able to top-up

Flexible ways to pay (online, by phone or over the counter) Excellent customer service. Helpful advisors, based in Scotland and free calls from landline or mobile

Helping you stay in control At Our Power, we are committed to helping you manage and reduce your fuel costs. We do this by installing smart meters, so that you can see how much energy you’re using.

For Pay As You Go customers, we make it easier for you to pay for your energy with our flexible ways to top up: online, on your mobile phone and over the counter at any PayPoint outlet. We also offer a Direct Debit option.

Welsh actor and community activist Michael Sheen recently visited Our Power’s Edinburgh headquarters to learn more about the innovative approach to supplying fairer and more affordable energy and to support the work of the social enterprise.

The star of Frost/Nixon and Damned United commented:

“ Spending time with the team at Our Power was a highlight of my trip visiting social enterprises in Scotland. Their team, their journey and their ambitious plans are a real inspiration. Their balance of commercial and social is really impressive and exactly what I think a social business model should be striving for in this area.

Taking risks and pushing for a fairer and more affordable energy provision. I hope to see this model scaled up across the U.K. and I look forward to supporting them on that journey.”

We’re based in Scotland and can be contacted by emailing customerservice@our-power.co.uk or you can call us free on 0808 168 4534. If you’d like more information, go to our-power.co.uk

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New builds shortlisted in national housing awards

In June, the Council’s new build development in Thornhill was shortlisted as a finalist at the Scottish Home Awards in the ‘Small Affordable Housing Development of the Year’ category.

The eight properties in ‘The Glebe’, which are the first new council houses in the village for a number of decades, include advanced storage heating and solar panels, as well as high levels of insulation to ensure they are very energy efficient.

“ Being shortlisted is a great

achievement. Everyone involved with these homes should feel very proud “

John MacMillan, Service Manager, Integrated Facilities Management, said: “We are delighted to have our development at Thornhill shortlisted as a finalist in the Scottish Home Awards. This rural project highlights Stirling Council’s commitment to providing affordable, high-quality and energy efficient homes in areas of greatest need. Being shortlisted is a great achievement in itself and everyone involved with these homes should feel very proud.”

New homes in Riverside under construction Following the demolition of the unused Riverside swimming pool, the Council are currently building new flats on the site. The flats will provide four 1-bedroom and four 2-bedroom, own door apartments which will all have off- street parking.

The flats will meet a very high standard of energy efficiency with solar panels and battery storage systems to ensure the running costs of the buildings are kept to a minimum. This is the first time since starting house building in-house that the Service has built this type of accommodation, however it will form part of our standard house types in future developments. The flats have been specifically designed to make best use of the limited site and retain the character of the old pool and surrounding boundary wall by including panels of red facing brick.

Stirling Tenants Assembly’s General Meeting: “A delightful success!”

Tenants enjoyed the AGM held at the Mayfield Centre in May. The Council’s Carol Hamilton and John MacMillan set out the Housing Service’s plans for 2017/18 and Anne Cooke from the Scottish Government enthusiastically spoke about the recent revised Scottish Social Housing Charter.

Closely developed with tenants from as far afield as Lerwick and Selkirk (and all points between) the Charter sets out what can expected by social housing tenants.

You can get a copy from the Scottish Housing Regulator’s website at www.scottishhousingregulator.gov.uk The Housing Service submitted its Annual Charter Return to the Scottish Housing Regulator at the end of May. Details of our performance and how Stirling compares

with other councils will be included in the next edition of Open Door.

With a busy year ahead, Stirling Tenants Assembly is keen to hear from Stirling Council tenants. Telephone: 01786 237661 or email: www.stirlingtenantsassembly.co.uk

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Tool Library If you have ever found yourself in the frustrating position of having to buy a tool or piece of equipment which you’ll only need once or twice, you can probably appreciate the benefits of borrowing instead of buying it. Transition Stirling, a local environmental charity, opened the Tool Library in the Stirling Arcade in 2016 and has recently received funding to continue for another year.

The Tool Library works just like an ordinary library, except that instead of borrowing books, you can borrow all sorts of tools and equipment. There are more than 300 which can be borrowed – from sewing machines, drills saws, lawnmowers and gardening tools to all sorts of household items and cooking equipment.

Wednesday 11am–1pm; 2–5pm

There is now a delivery service too. Transition Stirling are also running a series of workshops aimed at developing practical skills. Find out more about by visiting the website at www.transitionstirling.org.uk or contact the project officer Lyndsay Sutton on 01786 357171.

Local families for local children Stirling children need your help.

Monday 10am–1pm; 2–5pm Tuesday 10am–1pm; 2–5pm

You will need to register as a member to use the library but the service is free – an optional membership fee applies.

Could you foster me?

Opening hours

Thursday 10am–1pm; 2–7pm Friday 10am–1pm; 2–5pm Saturday 10am–1pm; 2–5pm Sunday Closed

Contact Information Rent: 01786 40 40 40 Repairs: 01786 40 40 40 Housing Options: 01786 237900 Antisocial Behaviour: 01786 233533 or 07717544926

Independent Housing Advice Shelter: 0808 800 4444 Citizens Advice Bureau: 01786 470239 Independent Money Advice Team: 01786 233520

We’re looking for foster carers across our area.

Opening times of local rural local offices

Can you make a difference in a child’s life?

Balfron / Callander / Dunblane: 9am - 1pm, 2pm - 5pm

To find out more, please get in touch.

Killin: - by appointment only, please phone 01786 404040

Aberfoyle: 9am - 1pm

01786 471177 adoption-fostering@stirling.gov.uk

Change a child’s future. Foster.

If you need help or this information supplied in an alternative format please call 01786 404040.