Tel: 0800 4346289
Email: enquiries@mmha.org.uk
Web: www.shropshirehousing.org.uk
Meres News For all the local news about your community | Issue 16 – Christmas 2010
Merry Christ and a Happy m a s New Year to you a ll!
In this issue... Homeswapper/Homepoint • The Value of Board Members • Condensation Downsizing Read Pauline’s story... Page 3
Sponsored Football Kit TARCA sponsor Wem Town Under 9s... Page 11
Competition Winners Everyone’s a winner... Page 9
CONTENTS 2 Just Credit Union 3 Local Offers/Downsizing 4 Homeswapper/Homepoint 5 Group News 9 Condensation/Roofing/Cavity Wall Insulation 10 Board Member Pay Consultation 11 Competition Winners/TARCA Update 12 Competions Page If you require this document in audio, braille, large print or if English is not your first language then please contact us.
HOW TO CONTACT US
Si vous avez besoin de ce document en audio, braille, gros caractères, ou si l’anglais n’est pas votre langue première veuillez nous contacter. French Jeśli wymagasz tego dokumentu w audio, Braille’a, duże wydruku, lub jeśli angielski jest nie pierwszy język prosimy kontakt. Polish Если вам требуется этот документ в аудио, Брайля, крупных печатных, или если английский является не ваш первый язык напишите нам. Russian Os oes angen y dogfen hon mewn ffurf wahannol, er enghraifft Braille, llythrennau mawr, tâp audio neu iaith wahanol, gadewch i ni wybod os gwelwch yn dda. Welsh Se ha bisogno di questo documento in audio, Braille, grande stampa, o se inglese è la prima lingua contattaci. Italian
You can contact us in a number of ways: 1 P HONE 0300 303 1190 or FREEPHONE 0800 4346289 1 EMAIL enquiries@mmha.org.uk 1 IN WRITING by sending your letter to us at Meres and Mosses Housing Association, Talbot House, High Street Wem SY4 5AA 1 IN PERSON by coming along to the reception desk at Talbot House.
OFFICE OPENING HOURS
Our normal office opening hours are: 8.45am - 5.00pm Monday - Thursday 8.45am - 4.30pm Friday. See Christmas Opening Hours on page 8.
2 | Meres News Christmas 2010
Chris Mellings joined the Board as a Council nominee in September 2009 and is a member of the Group’s Performance Committee. Chris is the Chris M lings Shropshire MMHA Beeoa rd Member Councillor for Wem, Wem Rural & Whixall and has lived in Wem for 35 years. He has wide experience of local government having been a County Councillor for over 20 years. An active local Councillor, Chris serves on the Council’s Standards and Audit Committees. He is also a member of Shropshire & Wrekin Fire Authority, Wem Town Council and is Chair of Governors at St Peter’s Primary School in Wem. In his working life, Chris was a Revenues Manager with Powys Council.
has asked nts Services Authority Our regulator, the Tena rough six oduce ‘local offers’ th pr to s rd lo nd la l cia so . all pects of the work we do as l al r ve co at th s rd using standa u want Shropshire Ho yo s ice rv se e th e ar rs Local offe ice is set out ture. Our current serv Group to offer in the fu 2010. in the Tenants Report local offers in on how we are shaping the We will give you updates highlighted letter. The updates will be ws ne ur yo of ue iss ch ea er (see right) with the appropriate stick es to. for the standard it appli ops There are many worksh ut taking place througho you the coming months for you If . ion in to give your op d, lve vo would like to get in please contact us.
1 1 2 2 1 1 2 1 2 1 3333 4442 4 3 4 3 55 5 664 5 6 6 Tenant Involvement and Empowerment standard
Tenancy standard
Value for Money standard
Home standard
Neighbourhoods and Communities standard
Governance and Financial Viability standard
1 2 3 5
Pauline grant fo took up the off r £200 er of th 0 e
Tenancy standard
Meres News Christmas 2010 | 3
Do you want to move home? Is your home too small for your household? Too big now the kids have left home? Or do you need to move for work or training? Tenant Involvement
1 2 3 4 5 6
and Empowerment standard
HomeSwapper is the largest national mutual exchange service for council and housing association tenants wanting to swap homes. MMHA have signed up to the scheme which means that all our tenants can register free of charge. Simply add details of your home onto the site, post some photographs and decide on the type of property you want to move to and where.
Once you have registered, you will be able to go online and view suitable matches. If you do not have access to the internet you can choose to have details of suitable exchange partners via your mobile phone.
If you find another tenant to swap with, you must get MMHA’s permission before you move. Find out more and register at HomeSwapper.co.uk or contact our customer services team.
Shropshire Homepoint is a county wide Choice Based Lettings scheme, giving tenants more choice about where they want to live. Most of Shropshire’s housing providers use Shropshire Homepoint to advertise their empty homes. They include Shropshire Housing Group and Shropshire Council. 514 properties were advertised through Shropshire Homepoint between April and September 2010. You can apply for membership of Shropshire Homepoint by completing an application and returning it to Shropshire Homepoint, or by filling in an online form at www.shropshirehomepoint.co.uk. Percentage of new lettings in each band (April to September 2010) 22.8%
Your housing need will be assessed and put into one of the following bandings: Key
Priority Gold Silver Bronze Properties are advertised on the Shropshire Homepoint website, in a weekly property list, at housing offices and sheltered schemes, and at libraries.
You must then tell Homepoint that you are interested in a property by placing a bid on it. Applicants’ bedroom requirements
Makeup of waiting list 2%
37%
37%
11%
4 | Meres News Christmas 2010
4+ beds 7%
3 beds 18%
26.5%
46.5%
1 bed 41%
50%
2 beds 34%
Group News
The analogue TV signal in Shropshire will be turned off in April 2011. If you don’t have digital TV by the time of switchover you will lose your TV service. If you live in a home that shares its aerial (for example a flat or sheltered housing) you don’t need to do anything to your aerial. Shropshire Housing Group has completed its work to upgrade all these systems. If you live in a house you are responsible for your aerial and its upkeep, but most TV aerials do not need to be changed. Do not accept doorstep sellers trying to sell ‘digital’ aerials. If you do need to change your aerial and don’t qualify for help, use a Registered Digital Installer (RDI) who has been trained and security checked.
To find one in your area, go to www.rdi-lb.tv or call 08456 50 50 50. Installation of a standard rooftop aerial is likely to cost £60-£180.
switchover help scheme The Switchover Help Scheme helps eligible people convert one of their TV sets to digital. They will explain digital TV clearly and simply, tell you about all the options available, install the equipment needed and demonstrate how it works.
Who is eligible?
The Help Scheme will convert a TV set to digital for people who; Are aged 75 or over, or get (or could get) disability living allowance, or Attendance or constant attendance allowance Mobility supplement, or Are registered blind or partially sighted.
• • • Will you have to pay?
The Help Scheme will ask eligible people to pay £40 for the standard offer, which includes:
• Easy-to-use equipment that meets your needs • Help with installing the equipment a new dish or aerial, if it’s needed to make • Ftheitting new equipment work demonstration and someone to call for help while • Ayou’re getting used to things. This service is free for people who get pension credit, income support or income based job seeker’s allowance. There are other options available at an extra cost. The Help Scheme will write to people who are eligible for the scheme in plenty of time to ask if they want the help. They must have a valid TV licence (free for people aged over 75) to get the help.
To check what TV services will be available after switchover where you live, use Digital UK’s post code checker at digitaluk.co.uk or call
08456 50 50 50
Group News Christmas 2010 | 5
Hea David Challinor
Bernard Quin n
Investment Manager
Project Managers Administration Assistants
Eleanor Smith
Sam Andrews
Generally deal with planned works projects (general refurbishment works) and also manage and update the asset management data base.
Rob Banford
Clerk Of Works Overseeing contractors working on properties, an example would be kitchen and bathroom replacements, making sure work meets the agreed specifications and quality.
Daniel Warringto n Ron Edge
The Asset Management Team for Shropshire Housing Group is responsible for future investment in the Group’s housing stock. This investment will include planned improvements, estate improvements, tackling fuel poverty, stock condition surveys, and quality control.
6 | Group News Christmas 2010
Paul Blower
Dawn Lewis
John Bate
ad of Asset Management
Investment Manager
Estates Surveyor Includes estate improvements, inspection of the association’s housing estates and communal areas, taking part in estate walkabouts.
Chris Oliver
Property Surveyors Asset Management Admin Assistant
Carry out stock condition surveys, post inspections of any major works and carry out inspections to any major repair (i.e structural, damp etc).
Carry out inspection of garage sites, to be responsible for ordering of fencing works via the associations fencing contract.
Sarah Weaver
Simon Cookson
Claire Willets
Roger Mullard
STOCK CONDITION SURVEYS Shropshire Housing Group is carrying out stock condition surveys which will mean that we need to access all properties. Clare Willets will be visiting MMHA properties and Roger Mullard will be visiting SSHA properties. Clare and Roger are trying to arrange visits with the Community Housing Officers when they do their tenancy audits, to minimise our disruption to you.
Group News Christmas 2010 | 7
1 3 4 5 6
Tenant Involvement and Empowerment standard
We always try to deal with complaints promptly and fairly, but we accept that not everyone will agree that we have done this. We are registered with the national Housing Ombudsman Service, an independent service which provides a free and fair way of dealing with complaints against housing organisations. The Housing Ombudsman expects that anyone who has a complaint should try to get it resolved through their landlord’s complaints procedure. So, if you have a complaint about our service, please let us know. We will investigate the complaint and, where we agree we
have made a mistake we will apologise and try to put things right. In the past six months, four complaints about SSHA or MMHA have been sent to the Housing Ombudsman Service. In all four cases the Ombudsman has upheld our decision and has accepted that we handled the complaints fairly and appropriately. You can find out more about the Housing Ombudsman on www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk or by picking up a leaflet at one of our offices.
Shropshire Housing Group will be closing for Christmas on Friday 24th December and re-opening on Tuesday 4th January 2011. If you have an urgent repair please call our customer services number and the out of hours call centre will take your call.
This is a low cost phone number that will cost the same as calling an 01 or 02 number. It also brings together, and will eventually replace, the two separate 01588 and 01939 numbers that are used across the Group.
Shropshire Housing Group now has a new telephone number
8 | Group News Christmas 2010
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Meres News Christmas 2010 | 9
THE VALUE of BOARD MEM ALUE of BOARD MEMBERS
How much would they be paid? MMHA would not be paying board members lots of money. The payment would range between around £2600 for a board member to £5800 for the Chair of the Board. This cost would not be added to rents but would be met from existing budgets.
#Cut out here
What do you think about these plans? Please let us know your views about this by filling in the short form below.
Please give your name, address and telephone number:
Do you think Meres and Mosses Housing Association should pay its board members?
Yes
No
Please give the reasons for your answer: Please return your form to: Jen Hayball, Assistant Director – Performance & Governance, Shropshire Housing Group, The Gateway, Craven Arms, Shropshire SY7 9BW
Condensation occurs when moist air comes into contact with a colder surface. Here are some tip s to reduce condensation in your home: When cooking, use an extractor fan if you have one, or open a window slightly and shut the door between the kitchen and other rooms. Use the extractor fan if you have one when taking a bath or shower. Afterwards, ventila te the room by opening a window and closing the door. D ry clot hes outdoors or in a cool area of the hom e. It may take longer but less moistu re will be held in the air.
If possible open a window when drying clothes indoors. Hang wet coats outside the living are a to dry. Use the trickle vents on the tops of the window frames to increase ventilation. Open bedroom windows slightly dur ing the evening when safe to do so.
TARCA on the web TARCA are proud to be sponsoring Wem Town under 9s football team. The team is made up of local boys, from the local Wem area. The team train on a Wednesday night, 4.30-5.30, at Wem Sports and Social Club, and play in the Shropshire under 9s league each Sunday morning, from as far North as Whitchurch to as far South as Chirbury. The team are doing well this season under their manager Paul Glennerster.
TARCA now have their own dedicated website at www.tarca.org.uk. They also have a Facebook page. Search for Tarca Shropshire on Facebook to find us. Other contact details: Tel: 01630 652953 Mobile: 07530 002771 email: tarcashropshire@yahoo.com
The money used to sponsor Wem Town is money raised through delivering the tenants handbooks for Meres and Mosses Housing Association.
TARCA have recommended three projects to the MMHA Board, they are for: 1. Seating at Longlands School in Market Drayton, for their new reading area; parents and friends of Longlands have brought new books and shelving and they need new seats to enjoy reading in comfort. 2. A tenant from Duddleston Heath has asked if we would recommend to the board security lights for 28 bungalows and 5 houses, as the street lights do not light up their doors at night. All are MMHA properties.
Sponso Wem T red team Kit fo own und r er 9s
3. There is also another project in the pipeline for a conservatory at Millington Close Sheltered Housing Scheme in Baschurch. They are having the kitchen extended and this will make their community room a lot smaller. A conservatory would add some much needed space to a much used room.
Meres News Christmas 2010 | 11
Childrens Competition Christmas Quiz
Find the baubles!
Can you answer our Christmas Quiz questions below? Send in your answers to win a
£30 ‘love to shop’ voucher 1. In the carol ‘Once in Royal David’s City’, where is Royal David’s City? 2. Who wrote the novel ‘A Christmas Carol’? 3. What singer is most famous for singing ‘White Christmas’? 4. What name or names do we normally use when referring to St Nicholas? 5. Apart from frankincense and myrrh, what was the other gift brought by the three wise men? 6. What is the period leading up to Christmas known as? 7. What day of the week will Christmas fall on in 2011? Name
How many baubles can you find hidden throughout this edition of Meres News? Write your answer for a chance to win a
£30 toy voucher. Name Parent/Guardian Address
Postcode
Address
Telephone number
Please send all entries to: Vicki Coleman, Communications Officer, The Gateway, The Auction Yard, Craven Arms SY7 9BW by Friday 7th January.
Postcode Telephone number
57261:01/12/10
Shropshire Housing Group consists of the following organisations