w e i v e R l a u Ann eholders for our stak
2014/15
Transforming lives, homes and communities
Building on solid foundations During the last 12 months as Chair of Bracknell Forest Homes it has been a pleasure to witness the scale of the association’s achievements. Whilst the environment in which we are operating has undoubtedly become more challenging, I am delighted to report a year of great success. Graeme Stanley, Chair of the Board Our business plan centred around four key themes; to provide more high quality housing, invest in the communities in which we are building, improve our already impressive service levels and invest inwardly in our systems and people to support future growth. Despite a backdrop of significant national policy change, our employees have displayed unwavering dedication, enabling us to meet our ambitious objectives. I would like to thank them for their efforts and I am confident that with the right team and a robust strategy we will continue to build on this year’s successes. In 2014/15, we achieved an operating surplus of £12.7 million, resulting in an accumulated surplus of
£78 million since our set up in 2008. Such surpluses have been reinvested to provide 91 new homes and improve services. Indeed, this year saw the launch of Clement House, Bracknell Forest’s first extra care scheme. We have also received handover of high quality, affordable properties at Rothwell Place, Crowthorne, and Church Crookham, near Fleet, which is our first development outside Bracknell Forest. This marks the beginning of an exciting phase, growing our existing stock in the local area and beyond, thereby strengthening our organisation because we are not solely dependent on one location.
In our efforts to develop sustainable communities I am very proud that our Community Investment plan, outlined in 2013, has seen significant advances. £400,000 and 11,500 volunteer hours have been invested in community initiatives, resulting in a wellbeing return of £16 for each £1 spent (calculated using the HACT social value impact calculator). Following extensive consultation with our staff, partners, and customers, five key themes were also developed which will shape the association’s community investment strategy for years to come.
It is this innovative approach which sees us celebrate a further year-on-year improvement in our performance levels. Customer feedback, in particular from Customer Scrutiny Reports, plays a vital role in continually improving the services we offer and our ability to provide cost efficiencies without compromising standards. So as we enter a new and more unpredictable future, it will be the consolidation of all we have already achieved which will enable us to continue to deliver the highest quality homes and best service possible, whilst strengthening the organisation’s infrastructure and creating additional capacity through efficiencies. We look forward to a positive future ahead of us and welcome our staff, partners and customers to join us during what is destined to be a challenging time for our sector.
Transforming homes During the last 12 months, we pursued a strong growth plan which added 91 new homes to our housing stock. This contributed to the delivery of 173 homes between 2011 and 2015, against a Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) target of 105. As part of this we are delighted to announce the launch of our first extra care housing scheme, a landmark building designed to meet the aspirations of older residents. The flagship scheme, Clement House, which represents an investment of more than ÂŁ12 million, was officially opened by HRH The Countess of Wessex GCVO on 3 June 2015, marking the culmination of two years of work by Bracknell Forest Homes, Bouyges UK and Bracknell Forest Council. The Countess was taken on a tour of the aspirational place to live, where she met residents, representatives from all development partners and unveiled a commemorative plaque to mark the official opening. Clement House, which represents the future of retirement living in Bracknell Forest, comprises 65 one and two bedroom apartments. The development boasts a light and spacious atrium lounge as well as a restaurant, hairdressing salon, computer room, library and beautifully landscaped gardens. To enable independent living in later life, support for residents is provided on site 365 days a year by Bracknell Forest Homes and care provider, Optalis, which operates an overnight care service.
Case study As part of the official opening of Clement House, HRH The Countess of Wessex GCVO met a number of Clement House residents, including Roger Ayres (72), the first person to move in, whose apartment The Countess personally viewed. Commenting on the event and his first few months enjoying life at Clement House Roger said:
“It was a privilege and honour to meet The Countess. I very much enjoyed the visit and opening event. Clement House is magnificent for me. It gives me more independence. I love the facilities, the space and the social activities which are growing in our new community. All of the staff have been A1 to me and I’m very excited to be living here.”
The great news about our new developments does not stop there, with the launch of two further schemes: Rothwell Place in Crowthorne, comprises nine much needed family homes for rent and shared ownership; and Crookham Park in Church Crookham, which will offer 116 homes on the former Queen Elizabeth Barracks. Rothwell Place has been designed around the needs of local families and includes two bedroom terraced homes for rent and three bedroom properties for shared ownership. This intimate community marks a welcome addition to the local area and we have been delighted to have received such positive feedback from our first residents. Crookham Park will be our first large scale development outside Bracknell Forest and comprises a mix of one and two bedroom homes and coach houses. We have seen the completion of two phases to date, with a further 24 properties expected before the end of 2015. In another first, and in partnership with Hart District Council, we organised a highly efficient, ‘group sign-up’, with members of our Income and Neighbourhood Management Teams on hand to offer advice and guidance.
Case study The satisfaction of our customers is paramount and it is fantastic to hear the work we have undertaken has been so well received. Cissie Allwright, a resident in Binfield commented:
“I had internal decorations done in my home and it was finished to a very high standard. I had been unwell in hospital and was anxious about the work but the staff were very calming and just got on with the job.� To ensure we maintain the very highest standards in home improvements, members of our Tenants and Leaseholders Panel were this year invited to scrutinise the work of the Property Investment Team. The review focused on customer communication, value for money and service quality. We are currently working through the recommendations, which will see changes to communication formats and content as well as the customer consultation processes.
Investing in homes, improving lives We continue to invest in and improve homes by carrying out valuable upgrades to a range of items. These included £581,000 inwards investment in green deal funding to support energy efficiency works on 250 homes, improving average SAP ratings from 67 to 74.
150
We have also carried out extensive programmes of:
and new installations
●● Window replacement
boiler upgrades
●● Flat roof replacement ●● Play area upgrades ●● Internal and external decorations ●● External wall insulation.
325
kitchen and
bathroom
replacements
Transforming lives Our role as a housing developer goes hand-in-hand with providing quality customer service. Whilst we have achieved just over £1 million in savings and efficiencies, including £334,000 of procurement savings and £686,000 of savings in operating costs, we have still achieved record results for many of our support services. •
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ith the implementation of a new phone system, we are W delighted to report a significant improvement in handling customer phone calls. The percentage of calls handled at the first point of contact has risen from 59% in March 2014 to 68% in March 2015 and the percentage of calls answered within the first 30 seconds has increased to 77% in March 2015. 014/15 marks the lowest rent arrears since the organisation 2 was established, reducing from 3.15% to 2.76% over the year, including a record low month of 2.53%. Our aim is to reduce arrears further during 2015/16 to 2.4%. To help us achieve our goal whilst aiding convenience for our customers, a range of payment options, including direct debit, an automated phone line and a mobile app, in addition to traditional methods, are now available. In line with our tenancy conditions, customers have built up credit on their accounts to avoid any potential breaks in payment resulting from the introduction of Universal Credit. art of our role is to ensure that our customers are living in P the most suitable properties for their needs and to support customers to move to a more suitable home if required.
We have therefore helped 33 households to downsize their property, releasing 52 bedrooms and reducing the financial stress on affected tenants. •
I n an expansion to our existing benefits support service we launched a dedicated benefits hour on our Facebook page when our specialist benefits advisors were online to offer private instant chat, benefit updates, money saving tips and advice on everything from travel discounts to fuel bill grants and energy efficiency.
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T o support those customers in extreme financial need, or during times of personal hardship, we are proud to have launched a year-long pilot for a new crisis fund. The fund has been designed to help people in extreme need to retain their tenancy with each case being reviewed by our Community Investment Manager and Income Recovery Manager and a maximum grant available of £200 per customer, per year.
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ur benefits and financial inclusion officers helped customers O claim over £488,000 in benefits including £36,792 in one-off lump sum payments.
Transforming communities Safe communities As part of our efforts to create vibrant and safe communities for families to live in, we have continued to work closely with Thames Valley Police and Bracknell Forest Council to combat anti-social behaviour. We have resolved 88 out of 90 cases closed in the year. We are increasingly using early intervention methods to support residents including using mediation in 13 cases and creating nine Acceptable Behaviour Contracts to improve the communities we live in.
Award winning Broadway House has won a prestigious gold in the National Housing for Older People awards, dedicated to celebrating the achievements of housing in later life. With nominations from residents themselves, we are delighted to have been recognised for our efforts, having scooped an Elderly Accommodation Counsel award in 2014.
The celebrations don’t stop there with Broadway House also receiving a Sandhurst Community award, recognising the work of this sheltered scheme as an inclusive part of the wider community.
Budgeting support Working with United Savings & Loans Credit Union, we are funding a service for affordable loans, banking and savings options, with the Jam Jar account enabling customers to have their bills paid automatically and help with budgeting.
Jobs help 31 people have found jobs via our employment programme and 87% of those who moved into work showed an improvement in their rent accounts as a result.
Case study Employment programme made a great impact on my life Lee Avery said:
“I was unemployed for a period of time for medical reasons and was finding it tough to get a way back into work, which was my ambition. I didn’t know what I wanted to do but I read about the employment programme Bracknell Forest Homes runs and thought it sounded like a good opportunity. The coaching and support really made a great impact on my life, and through the programme I got work experience and more recently a full time role, which I love.”
Environment The Jealott’s Hill Community Landshare has been honoured with prestigious awards including a certificate of distinction from the Royal Horticultural Society’s It’s Your Neighbourhood, and the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service - the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK and equivalent to an individual receiving an MBE. As an inspirational six acre multi-purpose garden for community use, the Landshare is enjoyed by residents, supporting each other on horticultural activities and creating a haven for local wildlife.
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Our performance
more homes
1.9
fewer days to get into
a home
9% more
calls resolved
0.4% more
repairs within target
Jobs Number of customers in work as a result of the employment project • 2013/14 – 24 • 2014/15 - 31
31
people into work
34.7%
Anti-social behaviour (ASB) % of closed ASB cases successfully resolved • 2013/14 – 64.2 • 2014/15 – 98.9
Rent arrears Current tenant arrears as a % of the annual rent debt • 2013/14 – 3.15 • 2014/15 – 2.76
Where our money comes from
more ASB
cases resolved
£
0.39% more rent
collected
How we spend our money 17% Housing management
87% Rents & service charges
6% Services 9% Responsive maintenance
3% Shared ownership first tranche sales
2% Planned maintenance 10% Interest paid 36% New properties 20% Major works -
Total income
£41,830,000
Total expenditure
£39,526,000
existing properties
Value for Money (VfM) highlights for 2014/15 We monitor our VfM progress throughout the year and this document summarises our key achievements in 2014/15, including: Achieving an operating surplus of £12.7m, out-performing the budget target by £1.3m and reinvesting surpluses to provide 91 new homes and improve services. Completing our first extra-care housing scheme, enabling 65 households to stay independent in their new homes, improving quality of life as their health deteriorates and saving health care costs. In-house construction and implementation of a comprehensive asset management database during 2014/15 enabling us to make better informed invest/disinvest decisions including £330,000 raised through sales. Just under £1m gained in savings and efficiencies, including £686,000 in operating costs, while maintaining key customer satisfaction measures. £581,000 inwards investment in green deal funding to support energy efficiency works on 250 homes improving average SAP ratings from 67 to 74. SAP is the method used by the Government to assess energy and environmental performance of housing. Exceeded our four year Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) building programme delivering 173 homes against a target of 105. Established a development subsidiary as a tool to ensure efficiency for our growth ambitions. Please see our 2014/15 Financial Statements for more information about our work on achieving value for money.
0800 692 3000 www.bracknellforesthomes.org.uk Berkshire Court, Western Road, Bracknell, Berkshire RG12 1RE. www.facebook.com/bracknell.foresthomes @BracknellFHomes
Bracknell Forest Homes Limited is a charitable registered society under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 registration number 30230R