PART OF 2022 Annual Report
BoroEast TrustHousing ReportAnnual 2022 1
• To deliver East Boro’s development programme of 50 units per year from 22/23 and aim to increase its geographical area of operation to bring in West Hampshire, South Wiltshire, South Somerset and East Devon
The contents of this Annual Report will provide you with the many facts and figures relating to the Organisation’s performance for 21/22. However, there are a number of key points to emphasize, and these include:
• To try to attract one further small housing association to the Group (either directly or through East Boro) and approach small local Registered Providers to start this process in 22/23
• To focus on our core services and strengths, enhancing our customer experience and improving our customer satisfaction levels
Report from the Chairman & Chief Executive
• During the year we made 50 lettings to new tenants. We have developed new homes during the year but also sold one property in Weymouth totalling 8 units and returned 2 x leased properties to Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole (BCP) Council which totalled 7 units of accommodation. So, for the first time in many years, we have had a net reduction in unit numbers over the twelve month period
Kevin Hodder, Chief Executive Eileen ChairmanHayward,
Beneath these key strategic aims are further targets which enable each to be delivered. The Board will review and refresh these aims annually whilst being mindful of the economic and operating climate and our regulatory and legal Ourresponsibilities.Missionstatement is “Everyone has a home and the housing related support they need for their lifetime”. It is what we believe in passionately and we are extremely grateful to our Board and Staff Colleagues for the tremendous effort and commitment they have shown in what has been another abnormal and challenging year. We thank all of them and all our customers for their commitment and contribution over the past 12 months.
• Development during the year has seen units added in Ferndown, Weymouth and BCP. Considerable preparation work has been undertaken in the 21/22 year to build a development pipeline for the following two financial years. This work is enabling East Boro to aim to add in excess of 100 units of accommodation to its stock over this two-year period. So, whilst we have had a modest delivery programme in 21/22, a lot of the preparation work undertaken in this year will come to fruition over the next two financial years. So strong foundations built for our pipeline and exciting development times ahead. We thank our Local Authority and Development Partners
• Complete the integration works with the Aster Group in the areas identified by the start of Quarter 2, 22/23 and move to a “business as usual” position
• To continue to modernise our existing Care & Support Services across our Sheltered and Learning Disability Services, improving the services and support offered to our existing Customers
• A new member has joined our Board and as we welcome them, we have refreshed and set a new 5-year medium term strategy. The key aims include:
• Services to our existing tenants have been delivered in the most effective way possible whilst ensuring compliance with ever changing and adjusting requirements and advice. We have always complied with all Covid protocols, always keeping our customers and our staff colleagues safe by always applying appropriate procedures and Personal Protective Equipment. Our front-line delivery colleagues have been heroic again this year in delivering care, support, and re-assurance services alongside housing services across all of our housing schemes
Welcome to the East Boro Housing Trust 2022 Annual Report. April 2021 to March 2022 has again been anything but a normal year as we have lived through the second year of the Covid Pandemic. It is our second year since joining the Aster Group and a year that has seen East Boro move towards “normalising” with new ways of working and adapting to this due to the impact of both the pandemic and due to the way East Boro works with and as part of the Aster Group.
2 BoroEast TrustHousing ReportAnnual 2022 4 476 Total number of homes provided to our general needs and supported housing customers East Boro Highlights as at 31st March 2022 2 662 Customers used the Handyvan service over the last financial year (10 months due to Covid restrictions) 21 *Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Council **Dorset Council covering Weymouth & Portland, West Dorset, North Dorset, Purbeck, and East Dorset LeaseholdSocial Housing Non LeaseholdSocialPropertiesLeaseholdTotalHousing2 23 General Needs Housing 17 units (*BCP:1, **Dorset 16) Supported Housing 225 units (*BCP:91, **Dorset 134) Housing for Older People 234 units (*BCP:44, **Dorset: 190) 42,400 hours of combined daytime support, housing related support and individually funded care and support delivered by East Boro Staff Approximately 168 inspectionsmanagementestate carried out
Having a community that is close enough to walk to received the most points in the final question, with direct access to public transport second and having a community in the place where I live third. 65% of the tenants who responded to the survey feel that their lives are very good or good and 34% felt that their lives are OK
• Data on a user’s activity levels - Identifies and learns typical daily patterns of behaviour
• Data on the user’s health & wellness
Our Sheltered End of Lockdown celebrations were held in late July and early August and included Retro Rita being invited to housing schemes to entertain everyone with songs from the 50s and 60s. The redesigned Sheltered Housing Officer (SHO) service at Butts Mead, Spillers House and St Edwards Court in Shaftesbury went live in December 2021.
As part of the Aster Group, East Boro want to ensure that our homes can adapt so that people can enjoy each stage of their life. East Boro’s Director of Care & Independent Living Service and the Support & Wellness Manager are working with representatives from Central & Cecil and Aster on a new over 55’s, Living Life Strategy to look at innovative solutions and how we can adapt and provide our support services to assist people to live as independently as possible. Part of the strategy wants to find out about how tenants feel about four key areas of future development: technology, services, home design and community. The first stage of this plan, saw the distribution of a survey to all of East Boro’s Sheltered tenants. In all of the four questions, tenants were asked to rank their answers in order of priority.
Sheltered Housing
Looking forward The Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN) that currently powers landline telephones will switch to voice over internet protocol (VoIP) in 2025.
The Sheltered Housing Wellness Manager undertakes up to 8 face to face visits a week, providing support to residents in need of advice and assistance with correspondence. From April 2021 to March 2022, they successfully supported 13 tenants to apply for Attendance Allowance; 5 for Housing Benefit, 3 for Pension Credit and helped one person to complete their Universal Credit benefit claim.
East Boro continues to self-fund our Sheltered Housing support service and between April 2021 to March 2022, our Sheltered Housing Officers (SHO) carried out over 17,500 visits to tenants living in Sheltered accommodation: 9,000 to tenants living in East Dorset, Poole and Purbeck and 8,500 visits to customers living in North Dorset. To compliment these visits the SHOs made over 2,550 welfare phone calls. The service provides 336 weekly visits to all of our sheltered schemes, with 49 weekly phone calls to all sheltered schemes
• Data on the health of a home including temperature – with alerts if high levels of humidity are detected and therefore the property is at risk of damp/mould
Tenants want technology that will help them keep in contact with their friends and family and that will also keep them safe in their homes. They would also like technology to help them get out and about in the community. Transport was a long way ahead and Healthcare and Health & Care were second and third. Feeling safe was the top priority when it came to the thing that makes a difference as they get older, with access to garden, nature and outdoor space second and being close to shops and things to do very close behind in third position.
Key findings from the Survey
This means that integration and investment in technology is key to East Boro, ensuring that our services can adapt to these changes. As part of the 5G Rural Dorset project, we will be working with Dorset Council and the Internet of Things (IOT) Solutions Group on a 12 month pilot scheme monitoring 30 x Doris IOT units in homes within our sheltered housing schemes where the internet reception is either poor or non-existent. The IOT units do not require mains power, an internet connection, or WiFi, making them easy to install. The units emit a low frequency pulse which enables the unit to monitor:
BoroEast TrustHousing ReportAnnual 2022 3
The Handyvan service provides low level household repair jobs to people over the age of 60 who receive benefits and live in their own homes or rented accommodation in the BH1 to BH11 postcode areas of Bournemouth. Following Lockdown, the service commenced operating again in May 2021 and has carried out 717 safety repairs jobs to 662 customers Handyvan customer profile 268 customers were aged between 80 – 89 196 customers were aged between 70 – 79 92 customers were aged between 60 – 69 53 customers were aged between 90 – 99 52 declined to give their age but qualified for the service as they were over 60 1 exemption to the age criteria was made during this financial year 435 customers were Homeowners 115 lived in Local Authority accommodation 99 were Housing Association tenants 11 rented their accommodation privately 2 did not state their accommodation type forward We are working in partnership with Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council to develop this service across all three areas of BCP in the future.
Generally I am very happy were I am living - when I go away I feel the flat is Thesecurelaundry room is superb and the car parking is fine Phyllis Feistner House resident
Handyvan Service
4 BoroEast TrustHousing ReportAnnual 2022 4
Looking
• 100% of clients felt that staff had helped clients understand how to stay safe during lockdown
During the 2021/2022 financial year, our Supported Living service in Weymouth provided over 26,000 daytime support hours and in Poole our Floating Support staff delivered 11,000 hours of Housing Related support and over 4,900 hours of individually funded care and support. The care and support teams also provided sleep-in and overnight emergency on call services for our Supported Living clients.
67% of clients living in the Poole and Weymouth Supported Living Services responded to the annual Support Service Customer Satisfaction Survey:
• 89% are happy with their current support plans
• 85% said staff remind them to keep their distance from other people when they go out
•Overall:87%
• 84% of clients reported that staff wear PPE when they are working close to them
• 71% said support staff had spent enough time with them talking about the concerns they had about Covid-19
Care & Independent Living
• 85% of clients would know how to make a complaint
• 82% responded that staff remind them to wear a mask when they go out
• 91% said that staff wear masks when they support them in their homes
felt East Boro support services had improved or stayed the same over the last year
To keep our vulnerable clients safe, our staff ensured that individuals had their medication ordered and delivered and carried out shopping and other housing related tasks that could have put some people at risk if they had had to complete these tasks themselves. The staff also helped people cope with the isolation and anxiety that Lockdown and the ending of Lockdown brought. Going out and mixing with people was very frightening for a lot of our clients, who needed extra support and reassurance to understand and deal with the continued changes coming out of Government in the weeks following the lifting of the restrictions, especially as Supported Living clients and staff had different guidance to follow to the general public and what was published by the media.
• 91% of clients think that their support staff care about them
• 85% replied that staff helped them to understand why it is important for people to wear masks and other personal protective clothing
Throughout the pandemic all our staff continued to comply with Infection Control guidelines and Government guidelines and advice including undertaking the required PCR and Lateral Flow tests when delivering care and support services.
• 87% think that their support staff listen to them
• 100% of the responses replied that support staff treated them in a polite and respectful way
Care & Support Satisfaction Survey distributed May 2021
• 87% of client feel that the support team provides them with enough information
• 76% know how to get their support plan changed
If any member of East Boro frontline staff receive a positive result they are required to stay at home and refrain from attending any of our supported living schemes until they receive two negative results.
BoroEast TrustHousing ReportAnnual 2022 5
In April 2021, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Local Authority carried out Covid-19 quality Assurance checks and East Boro received Green in all of the following areas: Infection control, Health & Safety, Staffing, Wellbeing, Covid and Safeguarding/Quality Complaints
• 89% felt that East Boro support workers dealt with their needs quickly
• 75% of clients report that staff wear masks when they are outside
BoroEast TrustHousing ReportAnnual 2022 6 Where I live in supported living is my home and my second family - I’m very happy “ ” Resident of Longfleet Lodge, Poole
• We aim to reduce the average re-let times (days) by 10% Average re-let time (days) Highlights of 2021/22 • 50 properties were let. 13 new homes were first let, and 37 existing homes were re-let. 90% customer satisfaction with Lettings Service • Rent lost due to empty properties was 2.09% against a target of 3%
• 90% of customers feels that we treat them fairly and with respect Housing Type 2021/22 2020/21 2019/20 Housing for Older People 49 65* 42 Supported Housing 109** 79* 84 General Needs Housing 49 84* 40 * Impacted by Covid-19 ** impacted by legacy of Covid-19
• Embedded our new Lettings Service Standard • Embedded our new Relet Standard Looking forward
Highlights of 2021/22
trustingBuildingrelationshipsmeansthatweengageinmorepositiveandmeaningfulwayswithourcustomers
We aim to make the best use of all our properties and will let our homes as quickly as possible to avoid loss of rent, vandalism, or squatting and to promote settled communities. The legacy of the Covid-19 pandemic coupled with the difficulties faced by care providers in the recruitment of support/care staff had a major impact on the number of days it took to re-let our homes. We were unable to re-let homes as quickly as we would have wanted.
•
• Make greater use of data and digital technology to move from a process based on documents to a process driven by data
BoroEast TrustHousing ReportAnnual 2022 7
We aim to build trusting relationships with customers, treating them with respect, so we can engage in more positive and meaningful ways. This will help us shape efficient services, tailored to meet customers’ needs, as we continue on our journey to become truly customer-driven. This ambition will be supported by investment in digital services, increasing engagement and giving customers more control.
• Embedded our new Customer Service Standard • 100% of customers found it easy to report a repair • 92% of customers are satisfied with the overall service provided by East Boro (2020/21: 88%)
Letting our Homes
Supporting our Customers
Looking forward
The prevention and management of rent arrears will always be a priority for us. We fully recognise the stress and upset debt problems can cause our customers. We actively encourage customers to share their financial concerns with us as soon as possible to assist them in resolving and managing them effectively. We work closely in partnership with the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) to assist our customers with their welfare benefits. Last year, we helped around 120 customers with income and benefits advice and secured thousands of pounds of additional income for them.
• Embedded our new Income Management Service Standard
Looking forward
Highlights of 2021/22
• Working with DWP, 120 customers were helped with income and benefits advice and we secured thousands of pounds of additional income for them
Collecting Rent
The majority of customers pay their rent according to what is required. However, a number of customers unfortunately do fall into arrears for various reasons. We work closely with those customers in arrears to devise a manageable repayment plan, helping them sustain their tenancy. We work in partnership to support customers to take control of their finances and maximise their income through budgeting and welfare benefit support.
• We aim to achieve our target for current arrears
8 BoroEast TrustHousing ReportAnnual 2022
• The overall number of evictions for non-payment of rent: One Eviction is always as a last resort
Our Sheltered Housing customers all have a dedicated Sheltered Housing Officer who can help with claims for housing benefit. These officers work with customers, support providers, and third-party advocates to help customers access the support they need to pay their rent. We didn’t meet our performance target for minimising customer arrears last year, our target was to keep arrears at or below 3%. We achieved a performance of 3.89%. Due to non-payment of and lack of engagement, we evicted 1 customer. This is always as a last resort and our aim is to have zero evictions.
rent
Both the Housing Concierge and Sheltered Housing Officer are always so courteous and friendly when they visit and a joy to see around, their efforts are appreciated by other residents here and myself Resident of Bartley Court Average Weekly Rents 2021/22 2020/21 General Needs £108.16 £107.68 Studio Sheltered £81.10 £79.75 1 x bed Sheltered £90.52 £89.34 2 x bed Sheltered £107.66 £106.44 Room in shared house £84.80 £84.09 ** All figures exclude service charges
‘We are committed to working directly with residents to reduce rent arrears, supporting residents to stay out of debt and maximise their income.’
• Introduce
our new
BoroEast TrustHousing ReportAnnual 2022 9
Working to improve Complaints Handling
Highlights
• 69%
resolvedcomplaintscustomerwereat
• The
100%
• Set
• 100%
complaints
to complaints
Looking forward • Continue to
I feel East Boro generally provide a good service. Many thanks to the staff for their care and
ResidentconsiderationofEastBorough
We believe that a complaint is an opportunity that can actually result in the customer having a more positive view of our organisation after a complaint is resolved than before they ever had a problem. Being able to assess and address customer complaints efficiently is key to making this happen. We aim to ensure that complaints are dealt with promptly and fairly. Our new complaints policy responds to the Housing Ombudsman’s new Complaint Handling Code. Customers can use an informal or a formal process, with a 10 working day response target. of 2021/22 complaints policy of complaints were resolved at stage 1 of customers are satisfied with our approach to complaint handling publicise approach handling lessons we learn from complaints help us to improve our services. We will review our complaints and publish a new quarterly complaints review about the lessons we have learnt a transactional customer feedback survey to obtain information from customers about our complaints handling process a target for satisfaction with our handling of We received 4 compliments from customers most of which were positive feedback on our staff’s conduct and helpfulness. We received 6 formal complaints from customers and zero complaints were still open at year end. of our Stage 1
• Implemented a new
Listening to residents is at the heart of what we do. Residents help to shape our services and improve what we do as an Organisation. Our engagement with customers is more than a regulatory requirement, it’s deeply rooted in our history, and we are determined to put people first and remember that is what drives us as an Organisation. Our aim is to ensure that the customer’s voice is heard and to ensure that they have a range of opportunities to engage, all of which contributes to improving services. This engagement will be inclusive, have impact and be relevant. The pandemic has had an impact on face to face engagement, both one to one and in large groups; however, we have still managed to engage with our customers.
BoroEast TrustHousing ReportAnnual 2022 10
Looking forward • Refresh our engagement channels • Re-launch our Consultative Committee for our customers with a learning disability now that it is safe to do so following Covid 19 • We will review and refresh our knowledge of our customers and undertake customer profiling to ensure that the data we hold is accurate Highlights of 2021/22 • Embedded our new Tenant Participation Service Standard • Published East Boro News for customers (3 editions in the year) • 33% of customers responded to our annual satisfaction survey (2020/21: 24%) • Introduced an Easy Read version of our newsletter • Introduced a transactional Repairs Service Feedback Survey • Introduced a transactional Allocation Service Feedback Survey • Held 4 Consultative Meetings with customers where they scrutinised services including repairs, planned maintenance, ASB, gardening and grounds maintenance • Reviewed the Consultative Committee member application, role description, and terms of reference • Consulted customers on changes to the sheltered housing support service • More than 160 customers got involved in helping improve our services • 78% satisfaction that we listen and act on your behalf (2020/21: 74%) Above images: Resident’s entries in the annual East Boro in Bloom competition
Continue to improve Customer Engagement
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•
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We
The legacy of the Covid-19 pandemic with contractors struggling to deal with the demand for their services coupled with staff absences and difficulties in recruitment of new staff had a major impact on the number of days it took to repair our homes. We were unable to repair homes as quickly as we would have wanted during 2021/22. This is a key improvement target for us going forwards. forward We will continue to work with our contractors to improve on how quickly we repair our homes of 2021/22 2,281 repairs completed 91% overall satisfaction with repairs service against at target of 75% (2020/21: 85%) time to complete repairs: 17 days Introduced a transactional Repairs Customer Feedback Survey our new Repairs and Maintenance Service Standard thatunderstandrepairsareimportanttocustomers,andwewanttogetitrightfirsttime
Estate Management
We aim to deliver effective and pro-active estate management and provide safe, clean, and well-maintained environments. We have a dedicated team providing the gardening and cleaning to the communal areas at our schemes.
Routine
• Average
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Looking
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Urgent
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Maintaining our Homes
Repair
BoroEast TrustHousing ReportAnnual 2022 11
We aim to have good quality homes and ensure that they are maintained to the highest standards. forward We are looking to improve the standard of our communal services and will be making some changes to the management structure of our communal services team Increase estate health & safety inspections Introduce 6 monthly customer feedback survey for communal services Set targets for customer satisfaction with communal services of 2021/22 our new Estate ServiceManagementStandard 168 estate management inspections carried out and published the results in our customer newsletter (East Boro News) 83% customer satisfaction that we keep our communal areas clean, safe and well maintained Category Target Target 2021/22 2020/21 2019/20 92% 85% 91% 95% 95% 90% 95% 96% 90% 82% 97% 96% 90% 86% 88% 94%
• Embedded
Responsible Neighbourhood Management
Highlights
• Embedded
. Routine Repairs Service
•
•
We believe that our homes and estates should be where people like living and feel safe. No one should feel intimidated or harassed in the place where they live.
Looking
Emergency
Looking forward • We’re committed to tackling ASB in our communities and will develop relationships with external partners in areas where we have higher levels of ASB. We have contacted an ASB specialist to coach and develop our staff to ensure serious cases are managed swiftly and effectively • Introduce a transactional customer satisfaction survey to obtain feedback about experience of our ASB service • Set a target for satisfaction with ASB service Highlights of 2021/22 • Implemented a new ASB Policy • Embedded our new Antisocial Behaviour Service Standard • Zero evictions as a result of ASB • 93% of our customers (All needs categories) were satisfied with their neighbourhood as a place to live, against our 88% target BoroEast TrustHousing ReportAnnual 2022 12 Antisocial Behaviour (ASB) Anti-social behaviour (ASB) encompasses a wide range of behaviours that cause nuisance and harm to others. We encourage residents to be aware of how their behaviour can impact their neighbours. We work with Local Authorities and the Police and share responsibility for tackling ASB at a local level. As a social landlord, we play our part alongside other agencies in creating safe and sustainable communities. We can achieve this in partnership with other organisations and residents to deliver a comprehensive approach to local problems and priorities. ASB cases were dealt with this year in schemesour 15 CategoryofASB ImpactRating 2021/22 2020/21 2019/20 Category A High 1 0 0 Category B Medium 7 3 3 Category C Low 7 2 5 Total Cases 15 5 8
• 37 properties/schemes with total 49 items of lifts/lifting equipment installed had in-date annual service and inspection (100% compliant)
East
We aim to improve our homes by carrying out our planned component replacement programme. This year we have managed to complete improvement works in 102 properties. In the next 12 months we aim to complete outstanding work from this year in addition to completing the work programmed for next year. This will be a challenge for our Property Investment Team organising and supervising this programme of work.
Improving the Safety of our Homes
• We’ve commissioned 100% stock condition survey
Highlights of 2021/22 • 98 properties received completed improvement works, costing a total of £295,056
• 254 gas appliances had a valid landlord gas safety record (100% compliant)
• 84% satisfaction that communal areas are clean, safe and well-maintained Boro
• 454 properties had a valid electrical test report (100% compliant) • 57 schemes had an in-date fire risk assessment (100% compliant)
• 24 properties had asbestos management survey and in-date re-inspection (100% compliant)
• Introduce transactional customer feedback survey for capital improvement works
• Embedded our new Keeping You Safe In Your Home Service Standard
committedaretoprovidingsafehomesforall
• 33 properties had monthly water hygiene temperature check and tap flush (100% compliant)
• 89% customer satisfaction that we provide a home that is well-maintained and safe to live in • We carried out improvement works in our homes (shown opposite, page 14 )
• Use results of the stock condition survey to inform the future capital improvement programmes and financial plan
Looking forward • We will deliver the 2022/23 capital improvement programme • Implement PIMSS, a comprehensive Asset Management system
BoroEast TrustHousing ReportAnnual 2022 13Improving the Quality of our Homes
On the 31 March 2022, our properties were 100% compliant with building safety legislation in respect of gas, fire, electric, asbestos, water hygiene, lifts and lifting equipment.
• Set target for satisfaction with the delivery of capital improvement works Looking forward • East Boro will undertake a complete review of fire risk and safety across our housing portfolio - to identify whether any improvements are required Highlights from 2021/22
BoroEast TrustHousing ReportAnnual 2022 14 An excellent job was done by the men brought in to change our heating Resident of Cyril Wood Court Component No. propertiesschemes/of Spent£ Windows 7 4,704 External doors 6 3,871 Electrical upgrades 29 8,704 Gas supply pipe upgrades 8 33,715 Gas ElectricBoilers/heating 23 104,178 Kitchens 7 41,567 Bathrooms 1 6,960 Door entry systems 4 3,192 Fire alarm systems 4 14,766 Roofing 1 14,652 Balcony replacement 8 58,747 Total 98 295,056
15 BoroEast TrustHousing ReportAnnual 2022
• We will deliver our planned programme of thermal improvements • Audit
or
for
East Boro are committed to meeting the government’s
efficiency • We
of net-zero
date
Looking forward major sites to identify where there is potential for carbon reduction Highlights of 2021/22 of our housing stock met exceeded the government target energy agreed on a plan to improve the thermal performance of our existing homes target carbon emissions target
Helping to Address Climate Change
We are committed to reducing the environmental impact of the services that we provide and we aim to ensure all of our homes have an EPC rating of C or above before the Government target date. In practical terms this means we have approximately 144 homes that we will need to improve the energy efficiency of before the Government target date. Our priority will be a fabric first approach to optimise the thermal efficiency of the external fabric and once this has been tackled consideration will be given to renewables and alternative fuel source conversions.
before the government
• 70%
The Waverley Community Hub provides a safe space where people can access a range of activities to help prevent loneliness and the impact issues that loneliness and isolation have on people’s health and wellbeing. We currently run a selection of activities throughout the week that are open to the community. As well as staff run activities, The Waverley is also used for private hire. The Snug is perfect for book clubs, chess or board games, small craft circles, support groups or for meet and greet groups (max capacity 10 people). For groups of up to 20, The Poppy Room offers light and airy space for pottery, knitting, and craft work.
The Nest Café in The Waverley is open Monday to Thursday for drinks, snacks and light lunches. Members of the Nest Community Shop also receive subsidised meals from the café.
East Boro are working in partnership with The Nest Community Shop (photo insert below) which is based at the Waverley. It is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, 10am to 2pm and members can visit once a week. The Nest is not a foodbank, it is a ‘Social Supermarket’ helping to combat the cost of living crisis by providing affordable food. Customers need to be members.
The Waverley Community Hub
BoroEast TrustHousing ReportAnnual 2022 16
The Art & Craft group will be working on various projects including birds of prey, with a visit by live birds to the studio arranged so the group can experience meeting the beautiful creatures. The group are also hoping to take part in more community projects and will be displaying their art work during future Open Days.
Art Group
Looking forward
The Arts & Craft Group provides a safe and friendly environment for adults with a Learning Disability and/or Autism who are encouraged to be creative with projects geared to their individual abilities. East Boro’s Arts & Craft Coordinator reopened the Art group at the end of April 2021. To keep everyone safe and comply with social distancing guidelines, sessions were offered to small groups and in November 2021 we were able to extend the sessions and have two groups running at the same time. For the period June 2021 to March 2022, East Boro have held 745 Art and Craft sessions for our customers. Art groups run each Tuesday and Thursday from 10am to 4pm.
BoroEast TrustHousing ReportAnnual 2022 17
This yearfinancial East Boro have delivered new homes and prepared strong foundations for our expanding development programme
• Sleight Lane, Corfe Mullen , where the purchase of the site has been completed and the reserved matters planning application granted paving the way for the development of nine new homes, a mix of social rented and shared ownership properties
As a member of the Aster Group, East Boro is part of the Homes England Strategic Partnership Programme. This has enabled us to expand our development programme to help to meet local housing needs in the communities throughout the areas in which we operate.
• Following completion of the Worth Matravers scheme, a number of additional rural exception site developments are being negotiated. We are working with local landowners to acquire sites near Wimborne and Wareham with option agreements agreed subject to planning permission in order to develop a further twenty homes. Tenure would be a mixture of affordable rented homes and shared ownership homes
• Developing Aster Group small vacant sites to obtain land enhancement for both Aster and East Boro. Planning permission has been achieved to develop two new houses on Portland on a site like this and further opportunities are being assessed
• Working to acquire the S106 quota component of developments across Dorset in partnership with Developers. The acquisition of over 38 homes on five sites across Dorset have been agreed, subject to contact. We specialise in smaller sites with under 20 units of affordable housing on them
We are working on a number of general needs and specialised housing schemes that will provide supported and general needs housing to people in need of good quality, affordable homes. We continue to actively seek development opportunities and much of the 21/22 year has been spent populating and forming our development programme for 22/23 and 23/24. East Boro anticipates a development programme of around 50 homes a year from 22/23 and some of our key opportunities include:
• A range of other land led opportunities are under consideration including partnership working with Community Land Trusts and the remodelling of a redundant commercial site in Weymouth Finally, East Boro is working in partnership with Aster Homes and Dorset Council to help to deliver a large extra care scheme and keyworker housing in Western Dorset. We thank our Local Authority and Developer Partners for their support throughout the 21/22 year and we look forward to working with and delivering many more homes in the future.
Developments in Development
Working within the Aster Group we are consolidating our established position as a respected developer of both general needs and specialised supported housing across Dorset, BCP and the surrounding area.
During the year we completed the remodelling of a former NHS property at Coburg Court, Dorchester. Phase two of the remodelling provided four self-contained 1 x bedroom flats and a shared house for adults with learning disabilities, providing each tenant with their own bedroom with ensuite and large shared internal and external areas. We also completed the construction of two self-contained homes as an extension to an existing housing scheme for adults with learning disabilities in Weymouth, also in partnership with NHS England.
The scheme has been extremely popular providing 4 homes for low-cost sale and 5 for affordable rent to local people/families in Purbeck. We provided five bungalows through our Transforming Care Programme partnership with Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Council (BCP), Dorset Council and NHS England . This overall partnership with NHS England over three financial years has so far resulted in NHSE grant funding of over £2.5million and the provision of seven bungalows for people with severe learning disabilities who, following the Winterbourne View scandal, might otherwise remain in long term hospital or residential care placements. 6 of these bungalows are in BCP with one in Weymouth. Work is continuing the final 3 homes in this programme and will see the provision of 2 further homes in BCP and one in West Moors, Dorset during 2022/23.
This year also saw the sale of the final low cost 75% in perpetuity home at Old Quarry Close, Worth Matravers.
One client required a kitchen using Tough Furniture, with all appliances integral and doors and cupboards lockable.
18
Another of our schemes at Cranford Avenue in Weymouth (shown above) was completed in February, 2022. It was constructed by Chris Norcott Building Ltd. and consists of 2, one x bedroom houses with carer’s accommodation between the two properties. At the viewing by a service user’s parents and the care providers they expressed how delighted they were with the properties and commented on the high quality of finish and spacious bedrooms and en-suites. The ground floors have cloakrooms and a well fitted kitchen with sliding doors to the lounge-diner.
The photo above left, shows the completed kitchen which we think looks great.
BoroEast TrustHousing ReportAnnual 2022 East Boro have worked closely with the NHS, Occupational Therapists, Social Workers and Care Providers in order to purchase bungalows in suitable locations for specific end users.
The photo on the right is of another bespoke refurbishment underway in the Bournemouth area.
297 Balance
interest
86
property, plant
Profit
2020 11,501
2022 2022 Profit & reserveloss£000 reserveMerger£000 reserveRestricted£000
303 Balance
Loss
297
reserves£000 Balance
2021 Profit & reserveloss£000 Merger reserve£000 reserveRestricted£000
Net finance expense
Balance
19
303
Interest receivable
98 Operating
2021 11,822 462 68 12,352 Transfer
Interest payable
/ profit
2021 11,822 462 68 12,352 Strong foundations on which we will build and exciting development times ahead! BoroEast TrustHousing ReportAnnual 2022
of Comprehensive Income for year ended 31 March 2022 2022 2021 £000 £000 Turnover 4,901
31
Profit
1
38
2022 12,157
Transfer
equipment
Profit
taxation 297 303 Tax on profit -Profit / Surplus for the year 297 303 Statement
30
Profit
income 1
Operating expenditure before impairment
property, plant
taxation 468
Changes in Reserves for year ended 31
Statement 5,481 (4,396) (5,043) (Loss) on disposal of housing and (10) profit 495 536 on disposal of other and (27) (4) before and 532 and similarand similar (172) (229) (171) (229) before of March Total at April from restricted reserve - (38)for the year -as of 31 March 462 12,649 Total reserves£000 at 1 April 462 12,049 from restricted reserve - (18)for the year -at March
equipment
charges
18
BoroEast TrustHousing ReportAnnual 2022 20 Statement of Financial Position as at 31 March 2022 2022 2021 £000 £000 Fixed assets Property, plant and equipment (social housing) 32,541 30,270 Property, plant and equipment (other assets) 360 144 Inventories 4 4 Investments in subsidiaries -32,905 30,418 Current assets Debtors: amounts falling due within one year 485 483 Properties held for sale 42 93 Cash and cash equivalents 5,434 6,574 5,961 7,150 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year (2,383) (800) Net current assets 3,578 6,350 Total assets less current liabilities 36,483 36,768 Non current liabilities Creditors: amounts falling due after more than one year (23,834) (24,416) Net assets 12,649 12,352 Capital and reserves Called up share capital -Profit and loss reserve 12,157 11,822 Merger reserve 462 462 Restricted reserve 30 68 Total capital and reserves 12,649 12,352
Comments: Reinvestment into our properties comparable to Aster group, relative to size of organisation. EBHT remains low geared and in good position. Increase in EBITDA of £45,000 combined with reduction of £57,000 in interest payable in the year has significantly improved level of interest cover. Social housing expenditure includes centralised costs which explains the low %. Increased operating profit due to increases in rental and service charge income combined with reduction in depreciation as a result of aligning with Aster’s deprecation policy.
2021/22 2020/21 2019/20 Efficiency Reinvestment % 8.2% 8.6% 11.1% Gearing % 12.3% 16.8% 19.5% Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation, Amortisation, Major Repairs Included (EBITDA MRI) Interest Cover % 308.1% 211.7% 14.8% Operating Margin % (Overall) 3.8% 1.5% 0.0% Operating Margin % (Social Housing Lettings Only) 10.1% 9.8% 3.5% Return on Capital Employed (ROCE) 1.3% 1.7% 0.6% Effectiveness New Supply Delivered % (Social Housing Units) 0.6% 1.5% 10.4% New Supply Delivered % (Non-Social Housing Units) 0.0% 0.0% 16.7% Economy Headline social housing cost per unit £8,088.18 £9,668.67 £8,461.87 Value for Money Metrics 2021/2022 BoroEast TrustHousing ReportAnnual 2022 21 Rent 45p Service Charge 18p Support & Care Contracts 23p Open Market Property sales 4p Other 10p Where each £ comes from Staff costs 43p Service Charge Costs 12p Repairs and Maintenance 9p Interest 4p Depreciation 11p Housing Management 17p Other 4p Where each £ is spent
ROCE: The £10 million funding from the Aster Group has increased current assets in Cash/Bank balance at year end and reduced current liabilities with the repayment of loans. Supply of new units is comparable year on year. FY19/20 included mergers with Cyril Wood Memorial Trust and King Alfred Housing Association, which increased unit numbers significantly. There were no Non-Social Housing units delivered in 2021/22. Cost per unit is performing as expected due to higher supported housing tenure.
During the 2021/2022 year our Senior Management Team has remained consistent with all colleagues in post throughout the year. However in April 2022 our Director of Finance, Sarah Ball, left East Boro after many years of first class service.
22
Mary DirectorStepinofCare & Independent Living
Sarah DirectorBallof Finance
The Board have continued to conduct the business of East Boro effectively and efficiently via Microsoft Teams. In November 2021 the Board was joined by Tracey Peters, who brings a wealth of Housing Association, business/ people and customer experience/tenant services knowledge to the Board. 2021 as also the first year of our East Boro Colleague Awards with categories including Colleague of the Year and Team of the Year as two key areas. Many nominations were made by colleague staff members and after a selection process, Donna Varley, (pictured top right) East Boro’s Letting Officer was selected as the Colleague of the Year for her excellent customer services efforts whilst undertaking her lettings duties despite the challenge of the Covid pandemic. Both the Weymouth Supported Living and Poole Supported Living staff teams were jointly selected as the Team of the Year due to their heroic efforts in providing personal care and support services and keeping our tenants with learning disabilities as safe as possible.
David Doyle Vice Chair of Finance Committee Cyril LanchRay Evans Donna Varley East Boro Colleague of the Year 2021
BoroEast TrustHousing ReportAnnual 2022
East Boro Housing Trust Board Members
BoroEast TrustHousing 2022
Val Bagnall Tracey Peters (appointed Nov 2021)
Cara Lewis PA to Chief Executive
East Boro Housing Trust Senior Management Team
Eileen Hayward Chair of Board Malcolm Baker Chair of CommitteeFinance Jacki O’Shea Vice Chair Gerald Duke Kate Dukes
Kevin Hodder Chief Executive Karen HousingDirectorAllanofServices
Senior Managent Team, Board Members and Colleague Awards
Again we have faced the challenge of remote working but have, at different times of the year, been able to meet in small groups. All Board meetings were again held remotely but we were able to hold our strategic Board Away Day in February 2022 as a face to face event in Dorchester, Dorset.
Everyone at East Boro thanks and wishes her every success for the future.
East Boro Head Office: Faulkner House, 31 West Street, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 1JS Tel: 01202 883 503 Email: info@ebht.org.uk Weymouth Office: No. 2, The Waverley, 121 Abbotsbury Road, Weymouth DT4 0JX Tel: 01305 750 403 Email: info@ebht.org.uk PART OF Registered Provider with the Regulator of Social Housing No. L0519 East Boro Housing Trust is a Charitable Registered Society under the Co operative and Community Benefits Societies Act 2014 No. 16946R
