Newsletter summer 2017

Tenants NewsleƩer | Summer 2017

ELECTIONS TO THE BOARD The Annual General Meeting of Ayrshire Housing will take place on Wednesday 6th September 2017. In due course, you will receive a formal agenda and a review of our activities and performance in the last year.

As you may know, the Board consists of five tenant directors, five directors from the community category and three directors appointed by South Ayrshire Council. All tenants are members of the company and can thus seek election to the Board. If you have a joint tenancy, both tenants are considered to be members.

There is 1 vacancy within the tenant category this year. If you are interested in this tenant position, please complete and return the form on the back page by Monday 31 July 2017. If there are more applications than vacancies, a postal ballot will be organised with the result being announced at the Annual General Meeting. Please provide a short statement of no more than 100 words in support of your application. You can find full details of what's involved at Ayrshirehousing.org.uk.

This is a real opportunity to influence the quality of service that you and your fellow tenant members receive. If you want to apply fill out the form on the back of this newsletter!

KING’S ARMS, DAILLY DEVELOPMENT PROGRESSES! Since work started in April, the new development at the old site of the King’s Arms in Dailly has come on leaps and bounds!

With the roof now on the first of two blocks, the development is now really taking shape. Completion of the four new flats is scheduled for January 2018. Clockwise from right shows the progress made.

We can supply this document in a print size to suit. It is also available in Braille, audio and other formats, and in other languages. Our website also has several accessibility features which you may find useful.

FIRE SAFETY REMINDER! Tenants will no doubt have been shocked by the recent tragic fire at Grenfell Tower in London. The cause of the fire and the reasons behind the rapid fire spread have yet to be identified and no conclusions should be drawn until the fire investigation is complete. However, it is understood that the tower block had been retro-fitted with a ‘rain screen’ curtain wall cladding system using Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cassette panels.

Ayrshire Housing would like to assure all tenants the we take fire safety extremely seriously and can confirm that none of our stock has the type of cladding understood to have been installed at Grenfell Tower. Once the detailed investigations into the fire are made public, Ayrshire Housing will take any action relevant to the styles of housing we own and manage.

In the meantime, we would remind all residents to check their smoke alarms are working. Residents in flatted properties are asked to ensure that landings and stairwells are kept clear to reduce the risk of fire. It is disappointing to note that there have been several issues with residents interfering with the smoke control windows. Where association flatted properties have been provided with fire-fighting equipment such as smoke control ventilation systems and dry risers we would ask residents to report incidents of tampering with the equipment.

NEWTON PRIMARY SCHOOL SCOTTISH POETRY COMPETITION

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A y r s h i r e H o u s i ng r e c e n t l y sponsored Newton Primary School’s Scottish Poetry Competition and provided each winner with a certificate and voucher for Waterstones at the schools prize giving ceremony on Monday 26 June. Congratulations to the winners pictured left with Ayrshire Housing Director, Jim Whiston. Back row; Louissa Robertson; Mackenzie Cameron; Martin Calder. Front row; Morgan McNeillie; Sally Hutchison; Analise Melvin and Kai McLean.

www.ayrshirehousing.org.uk Text Message - 07860 020459

TENANTS CORNER Do you like to cook or have a family member who does?

Why not enter our Tenants Cooking Competition! All you have to do is send in your favourite recipe for us to cook and try. We will cook the recipe and then have a tasting day in the office where staff can vote for the best recipe. The winning recipe will receive a prize and be mentioned in our next newsletter!

In the meantime why not try our seasonal healthy recipe below!

Cod with Lemon & Parsley Crust & Summer Greens INGREDIENTS 1 thick slice of white bread, crusts removed Large bunch of parsley Zest and juice of 1 lemon 1 tablespoon of olive oil 2 cod fillets about 175g each 260g of veg such as peas and runner beans or leek and spinach 1 tablespoon of wholegrain mustard 1.

2.

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METHOD Heat oven to 190C/Fan oven 170C/Gas 5.

Tear the bread into pieces and put in food processor/blender with parsley and lemon zest. Blitz to make crumbs.

Lightly oil a shallow baking dish, then add the cod in one layer. Lightly brush the fish with oil, then press on crumbs. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Meanwhile, steam the veg until just tender, then toss in the remaining oil, mustard and lemon juice. Serve alongside the fish!

Complete this form and attach your recipe. Send into AYRSHIRE HOUSING 119 Main Street, Ayr KA8 8BX. Closing date 31 August 2017.

NAME: ________________________________ ADDRESS: ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ EMAIL/PHONE:______________________________ RECIPE NAME:______________________________ 3

UNIVERSAL CREDIT What You Need To Know!

Universal Credit (UC) is currently in our area but only under the limited “Gateway Conditions� which means South Ayrshire only has a very small number of people claiming Universal Credit at present. That is all about to change and we all need to be ready for it. Universal Credit Full Service will be rolled out in South Ayrshire from February 2018 (October 2017 for our East Ayrshire tenants). This means that if you are currently getting any income related benefits whether it be from the DWP, HMRC or SAC then you are likely to be affected by the change. The rollout will concentrate on new claimants initially but will quickly incorporate changes of circumstances and then complete migration so the majority of people will be affected over the next few years.

Universal Credit is the new benefit that will include housing costs and other elements depending on your individual circumstances and will be paid in one lump sum to the claimant on a monthly basis. The claimant will then be responsible for paying Ayrshire Housing their rent costs. This will be a big change for many of our tenants and we will be working to ensure that we are all ready for it.

Over the next few months Ayrshire Housing will be contacting all residents and inviting them to complete a Tenant Household Composition Survey. This survey will be required to be filled in by all households and will give us up to date information to assist, identify and help households who are likely to be affected by Universal Credit. We will also be sending you a leaflet with current information and Key Facts on Universal Credit and how you can best prepare for when you have to make your Universal Credit claim.

Our Money Advice Team who specialise in all aspects of Welfare Benefits are here, as always, to help with any queries you have. They can provide Benefit Calculations on how Universal Credit is likely to affect you. Should you wish to meet with a member of the team in your home or in our office, or would just like to chat about your circumstances, please contact the team (Jacqueline and Wendy) on 01292 880120. We look forward to hearing from you.

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www.ayrshirehousing.org.uk Text Message - 07860 020459

KIDS CORNER!

It’s Summer time and school is finished! Everyone heads to the beach when the sun is shining! Colour in and name the objects below and return this page to AYRSHIRE HOUSING, 119 Main Street, Ayr KA8 8BX and you could be in for a chance of winning a £10 voucher for Toytown! Good luck!

NAME: ____________________________ ADDRESS: ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________ EMAIL: ____________________________ PHONE: ____________________________

STAFF NEWS Housing Officer Carla Grainge, pictured far left, will be finishing up for maternity leave this July and Housing Assistant Michelle Reid, pictured second from left, will be taking her place for the year.

Administration Assistant Amy Fowler, pictured middle, will take Michelle’s place as Housing Assistant for the maternity leave period. Congratulations to all! Our new Money Advice Assistant Wendy Smith, pictured right, started with us at the beginning of May and joins our Money Advice Officer, Jacqueline Dunlop, in helping provide our tenants with financial advice and services.

AYRSHIRE HOUSING KEY PERFORMANCE INFORMATION The following table shows how we are performing across a range of our Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s). With the exception of our relet times for January and February all other indicators show that we are performing within the targets set by the Board each year. We hope to be able to maintain that level of performance over the months ahead.

Activity Rent Arrears Time taken to relet empty houses Rent Lost on Void (empty) houses Time Taken to Add New Applicants to Waiting List Complete Emergency Repairs Within 4 Hours Average time to complete Emergency repairs Complete Nonemergency repairs within target timescales (3 working days for Urgent repairs, 15 days for Routine repairs) Average time to complete Nonemergency repairs

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Target

January

Ayrshire Housing Performance February March April

May

No more than 1.75% of rent due No more than 16 days No more than 0.8% of total rent due

1.03%

1.08%

0.96%

1.01%

0.93%

33 days

50 days

10 days

15 days

15 days

0.30%

0.08%

0.20%

0.31%

0.48%

Within 10 Days

8 days

5 days

6 days

4 days

4 days

At least 97% within target

99.3%

96.7%

97.5%

97.1%

96.0%

Within 3 hours

2 hours 7 mins

2 hours 5 mins

2 hours 8 mins

2 hours 4 mins

2 hours 7 mins

At least 96% within target

99.3%

98.9%

99.2%

99.2%

98.0%

Within 6 days

3.9 days

4.4 days

5.1 days

4.8 days

5.5 days

www.ayrshirehousing.org.uk Text Message - 07860 020 459

Needing Help with Welfare Benefits?

Our team are here to help you!

Our Money Advice team has just expanded and now has two dedicated members of staff, Jacqueline Dunlop and Wendy Smith. The Money Advice Team offers a full Welfare Benefits service to all our residents. We help with claiming benefits, filling in forms, challenging decisions and representing tenants at tribunals. We are also happy to act on your behalf and help you with telephone calls to DWP/HMRC/SAC etc.

Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) Claimants can find themselves failing Work Capability Assessments or having a repeat claim refused. Personal Independent Payment (PIP) Claimants can find themselves failing their medical WENDY SMITH assessments either for a new claim, transferring from Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or reviewing their initial claim. Claimants are left not knowing who to turn to. Our team can help you ask for a Mandatory Reconsideration as a first step in trying to get the decision overturned and if this is not successful we can prepare a case and accompany you to tribunal to present your case.

Often people of pension age are not claiming all the benefits they are entitled to.

We can look at your individual circumstances and income and identify if you are entitled to further benefits or services. We will help you with all stages of claiming any benefits or getting help with NHS costs etc.

If you are moving into a new tenancy, we can help you process your housing benefit claim and also a Community Care Grant (CCG) which can help you with basic essential items that you would not have resources to get yourself (there are eligibility criteria for CCGs).

With constant changes in the benefit system it can be daunting and frustrating for claimants. Whatever help you need, we can visit you at home or in our office and are always happy to take telephone calls if you just want to discuss your circumstances to see if we can help.

We offer a free confidential service and take a personal approach to your individual circumstances. We can act on your behalf and will help you to maximise your income. We are knowledgeable on other services in the area and are happy to provide details to you should they suit your personal circumstances. Jacqueline and Wendy look forward to hearing from you. They can be contacted at the office on 01292 880 120 or email j.dunlop@ayrshirehousing.org.uk or w.smith@ayrshirehousing.org.uk.

JACQUELINE DUNLOP

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GARDEN & PET COMPETITION REMINDER! There is still time to submit your entries to this year’s Garden and Pet Competitions! If you’ve got the perfect pet or if your neighbours are always complimenting your gardening skills be sure to get in to u c h ! Yo u c a n e n te r by e m a i l i n g : info@ayrshirehousing.org.uk or by letting your Housing Officer know you are interested in entering.

Entries can also be posted to Ayrshire Housing, 119 Main Street, Ayr KA8 8BX. Please remember to include your name and address.

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AS A TENANT I WISH TO STAND FOR ELECTION TO THE BOARD (please submit by Monday 31 July 2017)

Name:

............................................................................

Address:

............................................................................ ............................................................................

Tel:

............................................................................

Email:

............................................................................

STATEMENT (no more than 100 words please) :______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

Alternatively you can email us at info@ayrshirehousing.org.uk