@Home Issue 9 - Summer 2024

ISSUE NO.9 SUMMER 2024

TENANT SATISFACTION MEASURE RESULTS How well we’re performing on service delivery

MEET OUR NEW ASSISTANT DIRECTOR Peta Caine tells us her first impressions, and what she’s looking forward to achieving

FROM OUR LONGEST TENANT ...to some of our newest!

HOUSING REVIEW from...

LIAM GILLESPIE

Head of Housing Management

Dear Residents, Welcome to your summer edition of @Home, your magazine from the City of London Housing Division.

In this issue you will find results of our Tenant Satisfaction Measures survey, and our report on Complaints. We hear from one of our longest residing tenants, Dolly Wren, and from some of our newest tenants who have moved into the new flats on Isleden House.

Thank you to everyone who took part in the consultation to develop the draft housing strategy, which sets out the City of London Corporation’s vision for the successful delivery of housing services and future supply of new housing over the next 5 years.

We had 80 responses to the online questionnaire and were also pleased that residents were able to take part in the webinar sessions. The sessions provided an opportunity to highlight key housing issues and to give views on the proposed priorities and actions with

the final set of priorities agreed as below: • • • • •

Improve the quality of housing services Improve housing quality Engage and listen to residents Improve building safety Increase the supply of housing

Over the summer, the Assistant Director for Housing will be working with her senior management team to develop an action plan, with timescales, to deliver each of the priorities within the strategy, with the final strategy being approved for delivery in September.

The strategy provides a roadmap for our areas of focus over the next 5 years and we will be reporting on how we are delivering against each of the priorities annually.

I hope you enjoy this issue of @Home, if you have feedback, email home@cityoflondon.gov.uk.

WHAT’S INSIDE?

An interview Peta Caine, new Housing Assistant Director

3

Tenant Satisfaction Measures

4-5

Resident Focus Project

6

Annual Complaints Performance Report

7

Do I need contents insurance?

8-9

Growing Green: Estate gardens

10-11

Peta tells us her first impressions and what she’s looking forward to achieving 12 customer perception measures, and 10 performance measures What’s been done, what we’re working on and what to look out for Looking at how many complaints have been received last year Hear from the City Insurance Team

Check our the greenery on your estates

From our longest residing tenant Dolly Wren...

12

...To our newest Isleden tenants

13

Do you know someone who is being radicalised?

14

Olympics Crossword

14

Recipes on a budget

15

Key Contacts

16

We hear about Dolly’s life on Isleden House and her brushes with royalty Following the completion of three new flats, we hear from their new tenants Support from Prevent on intervening early Can you complete it?

Store cupboard staple, peanut butter chicken Helpful contact details for City of London Housing

2

MEET THE @HOME TEAM! Who are the people behind @Home magazine and newsletters?

Liane Coopey

Emily Grant Contact the team at home@cityoflondon.gov.uk

AN INTERVIEW WITH

PETA CAINE

3

TENANT SATISFACTION In April 2023 the Regulator of Social Housing introduced a new set of Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs). These measures track how well social landlords are doing at providing quality homes and services, with all social housing providers in England required to report on their performance.

66Ove.7rall%

67.0w% 66.2% ith Satisfied the repairs service

satisfaction

% .7 1 7 64.3% Satisfied Satisfied their home is well maintained

their home is safe

% 71sfi.6 ed they Sati are treated fairly and with respect

Sati views are listened to and acted on

complaints handling

Satisfied th landlord makes a positive contribution to their neighbourhood 4

% 4.0% 53sfi.2 7 ed their

% 3Sa8tisfi.3 ed with

69.6% eir

Satisfied with time taken to complete repairs

Satisfied they are kept informed

73.5% eir

Satisfied th communal areas are kept clean and well maintained

66.8%

Satisfied with handling of antisocial behaviour

MEASURES

8.4%not

Homes do meet the Decent Homes Standard

There are 22 Tenant Satisfaction Measures to report on, split into two parts: 12 customer perception measures: These show tenant satisfaction with the services we provide.

10 performance measures: These measures are based on our internal performance information.

1Fi0re0risk% 78.8% Emergency

99.5% Homes have gas safety checks completed

assessments completed

% 92.8 estos

Asb management surveys completed

complaints received (per 1000 homes)

21oc.2ial

Legionella risk assessments completed

1Li0ft0safe% ty

Anti-s behaviour cases (per 1000 homes)

checks complete

5 1 Stage Two

complaints received (per 1000 homes)

Non-e repairs completed within target timescale

repairs completed within target timescale

100%

5Stag6e.9 One

% 71m.9 ergency

1 volving

in hate crime

% 7St6ag.4 % .4 2 7 e One Stage Two plaints

com responded to within timescales

complaints responded to within timescales 5

6

7

Do I need contents insurance?

8

9

Growing Green: Estate Gardens

10

11

From our longest serving tenant...

12

...to some of our newest!

13

Olympics 2024 Across 4. Which Scottish tennis player withdrew from Wimbledon to prioritise the Olympics?

6. Olympic gold medals are made of gold and __?

8. Every Olympics ends with what kind of ceremony?

9. Which colour is missing from the Olympic rings; red, blue, yellow and green 10. The Athletics will be held in the Paris ‘Stade de __?’

Down 1. Where were the 2000 Olympics held?

2. Which Olympic sport involves wave riding?

3. Which Olympic sport requires paddles?

5. In the ancient Greek Olympics they were awarded an olive __?

7. How many rings are in the Olympics symbol?

14

1

OLYMPICS 2024 CROSSWORD Complete it online! Go to: https://crosswordlabs.com/ view/olympics-2024-3

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9

10

Across

Down

Recipes on a budget STRAWBERRY CRUMBLE BUNS

Celebrate strawberry season with these moreish crumble buns. This super simple recipe only calls for 7 ingredients, but makes an impressive sweet treat that will brighten up any summer table! You could even switch out the strawberries for another fruit of your choice.

Ingredients For the buns: • 70g room temperature butter • 300g plain flour • 2 eggs • 75g sugar • 7g dried fast action yeast • 100ml milk, lukewarm

For the topping: • 70g plain flour • 60g sugar • 50g chilled butter • 250g strawberries, halved • Icing sugar (for dusting)

1. Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.

2. Melt the 70g butter and let it cool.

3. Sift 300g flour into a bowl, add the eggs, 75g sugar and the yeast and mix everything with a spoon.

4. Slowly add the lukewarm milk and cooled butter. Mix until all ingredients are well combined into a very soft, sticky dough.

5. Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and put in a warm place to rise for 40–60 mins until doubled in volume.

6. To make the crumble, combine the 70g flour with the 60g sugar and 50g chilled butter. Rub the butter into the flour until you have a breadcrumb-like texture. Let it chill.

7. When the dough has risen, divide it into six portions, squashing it down slightly and then shape each into a ball on a floured worksurface – the dough may still be sticky, so dust it with flour and work quickly. Flatten the balls gently with your hand so that they look like buns. Put on a baking tray lined with baking parchment.

8. Divide the strawberries between the buns, putting them in the centre of each and sprinkle with crumble.

9. Bake the buns for 25 mins until puffed and cooked.

10. Cool and then dust with icing sugar.

If you would like to see your favourite recipe featured in a future edition, please email home@cityoflondon.gov.uk

15

USEFUL CONTACTS AT CITY OF LONDON HOUSING BENEFITS 020 7332 1343 | benefits@cityoflondon.gov.uk

ESTATE OFFICES Almshouses: 020 7274 1337 | almshouses@cityoflondon.gov.uk Avondale Square: 020 7237 3753 | AvondaleSquareEstate@cityoflondon.gov.uk Holloway: 020 7607 3207 Hollowayestateteam@cityoflondon.gov.uk Golden Lane: 020 7253 2556 | GoldenLane@cityoflondon.gov.uk Harman Close: 020 7237 1696 | Harman.Close@cityoflondon.gov.uk Isleden House: 0207 226 2892 | Isleden.House@cityoflondon.gov.uk Middlesex Street, Dron House, Spitalfields and Windsor House: 020 7247 4839 | Middlesex.Estate@cityoflondon.gov.uk • Southwark, Horace Jones and William Blake: 020 7620 3702 | Southwark@cityoflondon.gov.uk • Sydenham Hill: 020 7620 3702 | Sydenham.Hill@cityoflondon.gov.uk • York Way: 020 7607 3119 | Yorkway.EstateTeam@cityoflondon.gov.uk • • • • • • •

ESTATE SERVICES (CLEANING, CARETAKING AND GARDENING) You can report issues relating to cleaning and grounds maintenance on your estate by email: estateservices@cityoflondon.gov.uk If you would like to speak to someone instead, please call your local estate office

HOME OWNERSHIP 020 7332 1647 / 3208 | homeownership@cityoflondon.gov.uk

HOUSING NEEDS 020 7332 1237 / 3452 | hadvice@cityoflondon.gov.uk

REPAIRS 0800 035 0003 | propertyservices@cityoflondon.gov.uk

RENT ACCOUNTS/PAYMENTS 020 7332 3937 – (ask for housing rents) DCCS-rentsteam@cityoflondon.gov.uk

RENT ARREARS To contact us about rent arrears, please call your local estate office or email us at incomerecoverofficer@cityoflondon.gov.uk

OUT OF HOURS EMERGENCIES Repairs – between 5:00pm and 8:00am, emergencies only, call 0800 035 0003 For urgent estate matters outside normal office hours, other than repairs, please call 020 7256 6583