The Grapevine - spring 2016

The

A magazine for NPT Homes’ Tenants SPRING 2016 ISSUE 21

5 Years On...

Intensive Housing Management, Neighbourhood Support, Financial Inclusion, Tenant Liaison and Tenancy Support are new services which have been set up to benefit tenants.

We have offered 92 work placements, apprenticeships or work experience opportunities.

We have increased our workforce to 513 employees, 74% of these live locally.

Enhanced several of our teams including Tenant Empowerment and the Estate Rangers.

Our Tenancy Support Team has helped 752 households and received 696 referrals.

Our Intensive Housing Management service has helped 24 households to sustain their tenancies.

Our Financial Inclusion Team has helped nearly 6,000 tenants. They have raised £6,711,939.92 for tenants in previously unclaimed benefits.

They have helped tenants claim an additional £720,636.58 in discretionary housing payments (DHP’s).

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HELPED

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As part of our WHQS programme we have fitted 6238 kitchens, 5768 bathrooms, 3826 rewires and 4859 heating systems. In addition we have fitted 1504 roofs, 2231 windows and 1713 External Wall Insulations/ Renders.

Our Community Development Fund launched in 2014 and has invested £42,900 in 11 local schemes.

10 local projects have benefited from our Community Challenge since its launch in 2013.

Community Benefits Local Multiplier 3 (LM3) shows that for every £1 spent in the Borough £1.99 has been reinvested into the local economy.

NPT HOMES - FOR GENERAL ENQUIRIES CALL 0300 777 0000

In This Issue...

Competition Time and Winners

p2

5 Years On and Top 5 Moments

p3

Real Lives

p4-5

Get Involved

p6-7

Sheltered Housing’ Support Service Review – The Launch!

Competition Time...

WHAT’S ON IN THE CINEMA

p8-11

On the Board

p12

The Academy Launch

p13

Tenant Awards 2016

p14

Garden Competition and Save the Date

p15

Community Development Fund

p16

Kung Fu Panda 3 Release Date: Friday 11th March

To find out more about What’s On at the Gwyn Hall, scan this QR code on your smart phone.

The Huntsman: Winter’s War Release Date: Friday 8th April

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Release Date: Friday 25th March

The Jungle Book Release Date: Friday 15th April

Zootopia Release Date: Friday 25th March

Captain America: Civil War Release Date: Friday 29th April

Gwyn Hall, Orchard Street, Neath SA11 1DU

BOX OFFICE:

The Gwyn Hall Hall Courtesy of The Gwyn we have a £25 credit voucher 0300 365 6677

BOOK ONLINE:

@GwynHall

towww.gwynhall.com give away to one lucky reader. This voucher could be

Handy Person and Free First Aid Courses

p17

Meet the Team

p18

Handy Hints

p19

Changes to Welfare Benefits

p20

State Pension Changes 2016

p21

used to buy tickets for a show or a trip to the cinema for the family.

To be in with a chance of winning all you have to do is answer the following question:

What is the date of our AGM?

De-pooling, Pet Corner and Sudoku p22

Contact the Communications Team with your name, address, contact number and answer by:

Make Sure You’re Insured

p23

Calling: 01639 505855

Universal Credit

p24

Texting: 07772 912064

This publication can be made available in large print, braille or audio versions by contacting 0300 777 0000.

Emailing: media@npthomes.co.uk Deadline for entries is Friday 29th April 2016.

Winter Winners Gas Safety Check Winners e Nichols Mrs Watson and Mik Services. rgy Ene from Westward

Congratulations Mrs Watson from Baglan, Port Talbot who was the lucky winner of the £100 shopping voucher courtesy of our contractor Westward Energy Services.

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Carrying out an annual gas safety check is extremely important and it can save your life.

Tenants who keep their annual gas safety check appointment are entered into a monthly prize draw to win a £50 gift card, courtesy of our contractor Westward Energy Services.

Ms. Johns

tone from

Neath

m Neath

Mr Buckingham fro

Each month, one winner is chosen at random.

NPT HOMES - FOR GENERAL ENQUIRIES CALL 0300 777 0000

5 Years On – continued from front page We have donated over £10,000 to our chosen charities through staff activities.

£10,000

Over 200 of our employees are now based at Ty^ Gwyn, our purpose built head office in Baglan Energy Park.

We still have a presence in Pontardawe’s Hub two days a week and have also opened two satellite offices in Neath and Port Talbot.

We have launched our Furnished Let project helping those in need of affordable furnishings.

Introduced a wide range of payment methods such as any day Direct Debit, Pay Point, payment cards, online, by telephone, at our offices.

Developed a new housing allocation policy to make the system fairer for applicants, eliminating ‘points chasing’ and recognising waiting times.

Reduced the number of voids from a high of 706 to a low of 548.

548

We have completed 45,687 emergency repairs, 38,678 urgent repairs and 99,457 non urgent repairs. The overall repair service has received an average satisfaction rating of 9 out of 10.

Linda’s Top 5 Moments 9th September 2011 - Signing contracts with Jiscourt, Mi-Space, Mears and Warm Wales just six

1 months after transfer so that our improvement programme could start.

April 2012 - When Head of Specialist Services Clare Way was voted as the first Chartered Institute 2 of Housing Cymru Rising Star. Two years later Head of Corporate Services Lisa Evans achieved our second win! Fingers crossed for Community Housing Officer Donna Williams who has been shortlisted this year.

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October 2012 - Our first staff conference and the first opportunity for all staff to be in one place sharing experiences and hopefully having a bit of fun too.

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April 2013 - Moving into Ty^ Gwyn, the HQ built in a location chosen by our tenants, Board and staff, designed by our staff and project managed by our people too.

5 April 2015 - The opening of our first new build housing scheme at Furnace Place in Briton Ferry.

There are lots more memorable events but these come top of my list.

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From Vienna to Port Talbot – A Story of Love Anna Grace lives in Sandfields but came to live in the area after finding love.

Anna was born in Vienna and on her 11th birthday Adolf Hitler marched through the city to take control of Austria.

She attended commercial school during the Second World War and was evacuated to the north of Austria to live with her Granny.

When the war ended in 1945 Anna returned to Vienna and soon after The Allied Occupation of Austria took place and British troops arrived in the city.

By this time Anna was 18 and even though she was painfully shy, she was keen to work. She plucked up the courage to visit the British offices near the famous Schönbrunn Palace to ask for a job, using her best English.

She was given a paid cleaning job to clean the villas that had belonged to Jews before war and had been taken over by Nazis.

An added benefit was that workers were given a bowl of soup a day in a nearby hotel which was occupied by the British troops.

Anna reminisced about 12th October 1945, a day that will stay with her forever….

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“One day at lunch a man dressed in white was holding an ice cream tray with slices of white bread for us to eat with our soup.

He gave me two slices of bread instead of the usual one.

He then took my empty soup tin and gave it back filled with rice pudding. I was so taken aback I didn’t respond and took it home for my two nephews who were 4 and 21/2 at the time.

That night I told my parents I had met the man that I wanted to marry.”

Michael was her first boyfriend and she was on cloud 9. On their first date they went to see Going My Way, starring Bing Crosby, the first English film she had ever seen.

Soon after she introduced him to her parents and a few months later they were engaged.

It was a nervous time as Michael could have been posted out of Vienna at any time but on the 10th November 1946 the British Army gave them permission to wed at the famous Schönbrunn Palace.

Once Anna and Michael married she was regarded as British and both lived in the Astoria hotel in Vienna.

Soon after they decided to move to Wales, initially living with Michael’s parents before moving to Channel View Sandfields where they raised their 6 children.

Anna adapted to Welsh life quickly, juggling motherhood with work in a café on the beachfront of Aberavon. Mike worked initially in a leather shop in Port Talbot before working in the Steelworks, working together to share their parental responsibilities.

In the late 1970’s Anna studied English ‘O’ Level and German ‘A’ Level at Port Talbot College while juggling work at the Jersey Beach Hotel. She was delighted with her B grades, a reward for her hard work.

Anna was a volunteer for the Heilbronn Port Talbot twin town project as an interpreter. She travelled by coach with dignitaries from Port Talbot to Heilbronn and was honoured to greet the Lord Mayor of Heilbronn when he arrived at Port Talbot train station for the return trip.

Anna, now 89, is writing her memoirs of her life in Austria with the help of her grandson Rhys and son Richard.

Do you have an interesting story to tell?

Contact media@npthomes.co.uk or call us on 01639 505860.

NPT HOMES - TO REPORT A REPAIR CALL 0300 777 3000

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Get Involved We have recently launched our brand new getting involved leaflet which outlines all the fantastic volunteering opportunities we have here at NPT Homes.

Depending on your interests and the available time you have, we have a wide range of different volunteering opportunities for you to

Getting Involved

get stuck in to.

By getting involved, you are not only able to give something back to the community and share your knowledge but also add transferable skills to your CV and meet new people.

Head Office: Ty Gwyn, Brunel Way, Baglan Energy Park, Neath, SA11 2FP Tel: 0300 777 0000 Email: ask@npthomes.co.uk www.npthomes.co.uk NPT Homes Limited is a charitable Industrial and Provident Society (31041R) WG registration number No L154

For every hour that you volunteer, you will receive one time credit.

There are a range of options that people can get involved with which include:

• Sharing your views on our services and how we can improve • Helping others with IT and accessing the internet • Organising social events • Improving your community and local areas

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How the Scheme Works For every hour volunteered = 1 Time Credit is earned Volunteers can save their Time Credits and use these on various spend opportunities within Neath Port Talbot.

For example:

Activity

Cost

Swim, Gym or Class at Celtic Leisure

3 Time Credits

Gwyn Hall Cinema Ticket

3 Time Credits

NPT Homes are working in partnership with local organisations to deliver spend opportunities in the Borough.

Two of our tenant volunteers spent their well-earned Time Credits on beauty treatments at the beauty salon at Neath Port Talbot College.

Tenant Volunteer Pearl, said:

“Volunteering is such a rewarding experience.

I’ve volunteered on NPT Homes’ Sheltered Review project and recently used the four Time Credits I earned at Neath Port Talbot College’s beauty salon and treated myself to a free blow dry and a manicure. It was fabulous!”

We are continuously looking for new ways volunteers can spend their Time Credits. Here are some new additions

• At NPT Homes’ Big Sunday Lunch events - to pay for your lunch • On NPT Homes’ Big Trips - to pay for transport • Pontardawe Arts Centre

If you would like to find out more about getting involved and/or our Time Credits Scheme, please contact Tenant Empowerment Officer Lynsey Hargreaves on 01639 506662 or involved@npthomes.co.uk

NPT HOMES - TO REPORT A REPAIR CALL 0300 777 3000

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‘Sheltered Housing’ Support Service Review: The Launch!

Over the last year, tenants and staff have worked closely together to review the ‘sheltered service’.

After much hard work and many partnership meetings we are proud to announce the new service.

The new service will be introduced gradually and will start from Monday 4th April 2016. As part of this new service a member of staff will be on site at each scheme for half a day Monday to Friday.

The buildings will continue to provide independent living and those who live in the schemes and need support will still receive it.

Head of Specialist Services Clare Way, said:

“I would firstly like to thank every single tenant who helped us with this review and shared their knowledge, insight and ideas. Through working together we have been able to create a new support service and create a new identity for our older person accommodation.

It has been a fun, creative and valuable partnership and one we will continue.”

Bridge The rules about the way in which we spend the Supporting People Programme Grant changed and we were also facing cuts to the amount of grant we received.

This meant that we needed to review the service we provided to make sure those who needed support would still receive it.

To ensure we continue to provide support we have introduced a new team.

Pictured (top of the next page) is this team who will be providing housing related support for older residents based on clearly defined needs of the individual.

This team is funded through the Supporting People Programme Grant and the service will remain free for those people who receive it.

Each member of the team will have their own individual clients, these clients will have support needs as defined by grant regulations so therefore not everyone living in the schemes will receive this service.

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Samantha David, Dawn Robinson, Lynda Edwards and Carol Sarich.

New Name and Logo for ‘Sheltered’ During the review, tenants and staff worked closely together to discuss the term “sheltered housing”. They looked at the term sheltered and many thought that the term was outdated and didn’t reflect independent living or the people living inside the buildings.

Many discussions were held and it became clear that there is something different about these communities compared to a block of flats “just down the road”. So with this in mind it was decided that in order to differentiate these schemes from other housing a new name was needed.

Three names were shortlisted and tenants were given the choice to select one. We are pleased to announce that from April, the name will be Haven Housing.

Below are the team who will be based in the buildings.

David Thomas, Kirk Davies, Margaret Gaskins, Peter Williams, Christine Leonard, Mandy Davies, Naomi Evans, Lynda Morgan, Tania Hearne and Ellen Dargavel.

NPT HOMES - TO REPORT A REPAIR CALL 0300 777 3000

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It’s Party Time!

On Friday 12th February, 110 tenants joined our Ambassadors in celebrating the lives and talents of residents living in our schemes.

Ambassadors John, Emlyn and Peter entertained the crowd with music and a comedy puppet act while others showcased skills and shared key updates on the new service.

The event which was the first of its kind also celebrated the role of the Ambassadors who were involved in the ‘Sheltered Housing’ review, helped shape Bridge, NPT Homes’ new support service and organised the successful event.

Ambassador, Linda Brennan, said:

“This is our first ever celebration event and it was great to see so many tenants getting involved and enjoying themselves.

The group worked really hard on organising the afternoon and we were overwhelmed with the turn out and positive feedback it had.”

Tenant, Mrs Richards, said:

“I had a wonderful time at the celebration event. The live music was lovely and it was great spending the afternoon catching up with others from different schemes in the Borough.

It was so much fun and really useful to find out more about the new service and how this will enhance the lives of people living in NPT Homes’ schemes and the local community.”

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Ronnie’s Story Ronnie is one of the Ambassadors. The Ambassadors are a group of tenants who were involved in the ‘Sheltered Housing’ review and helped shape Bridge, NPT Homes’ new support service.

Here Ronnie shares with you his experience and how he found the whole process.

“The most enjoyable experience was learning from each other, a realisation that no matter which scheme we were from or what age we were, we all had the same concerns.

We had to learn to think differently and think outside the box to deal with the funding cuts and juggling money.

NPT Homes asked for our ideas and our opinions. They put their cards on the table, asked tenants to ‘come on – help us!’ and encouraged us to speak up.

“People enjoyed the experience, the laughter and sharing stories.”

We asked the right questions and we all came up with brilliant ideas!

Lots of people say that they want a ‘scheme manager’ when in fact some people just want some company, they are lonely. If we can help with that, there’s less pressure on ‘scheme managers’.

It was a great opportunity to socialise with tenants from other schemes. That is what we are building towards. In the future I envisage our scheme not just as a building but as a community, a flagship scheme to be proud of.

“We all had the same aim, to improve things for each other.”

I personally have been feeding back to tenants on many of the issues. The laundrette has become quite a hub. It’s nice and quiet. People must hear me going down the corridor and come in to ask questions, tell me their problems and ask advice or just chat. I think the sound of the tumble dryer drowns out our voices carrying. It’s like a drop-in session!

I have also been invited to work on the Social Group, they know where my strengths lie!

To be honest I was feeling quite low and the process has given me a purpose and a reason. It helped me to help others. There is already a good community here but we are looking to build on it. Looking out for our neighbours and helping those who need it. I am looking forward to a new scheme, the new model and new mind-set.

My motto is to ‘Help yourself to help each other.’

For the new service model to work, we will never get 100% participation but we need as many people on board as possible to move forward.”

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On the

Board

On Friday 4th March 2016 we celebrated our 5th birthday. Over the last 5 years we have achieved some fantastic things and continue to meet the promises set out in the Offer Document.

On the front cover and on page 3 we have outlined some of the great things we have achieved in the last 5 years and I look forward to continuing with the successes and watching the organisation develop even further.

Our Academy We launched our Academy last month, a new involvement opportunity which gives people the opportunity to strategically analyse and make suggestions to the Board on how we are performing and how we can improve. More about our Academy can be found on the next page.

Board Changes In other news, Councillor Ted Latham has stood down from Board due to a growing time requirement on his other commitments with various community groups and projects across the Borough.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ted for all of his hard work over the past seven years and along with the rest of the Board I wish him all the very best.

I would like you to join me in welcoming Councillor Carol Clement-Williams as a new Council representative as nominated by Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council. Caroline lives in Baglan and is the Councillor for the area.

She is committed to making a difference in the community and passionate about enhancing our Borough and the work that we do for our tenants.

Ted Latham

Roger Williams, Chair on behalf of the NPT Homes’ Board.

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The Launch In early February we launched The Academy.

This is a brand new opportunity for you to work with us to evaluate our performance, create stepping stones for improvement and build on progress.

The initial launch was held at our head office in Baglan Energy Park and over 16 eager people attended to find out more.

The group will work together to carry out research, analyse data and reect on our progress. Recommendations to Board will also be made and this group is a fantastic opportunity for those looking to become a Board member in the future.

To find out more about our new and exciting Academy, please get in touch on 01639 505896.

NPT HOMES - TO REPORT A REPAIR CALL 0300 777 3000

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Tenant Awards 2016 It’s time to start thinking about who you’d like to nominate for an NPT Homes Tenant Award. Tenants and staff are already busy working on making this the best awards yet!

The awards will be held as part of this year’s AGM on Tuesday 26th July.

This year, not only will staff be nominating outstanding volunteers that get involved, but we would also like to recognise and reward other tenants who do great work in the community.

If you know a tenant living in one of our properties that is making a difference, as an individual or part of a community group, please nominate them for one of the new awards below:

Community Group of the Year

Do you know a local community group which somebody living in one of our properties is involved with? Has that group shown commitment and had a positive impact on the community in which they live? Then nominate them now!

Example of community groups could be: • Community safety groups • Environmental groups • Arts or crafts groups • Social clubs • Resident or Neighbourhood action groups The above are just examples and could include many others.

Good Neighbour Award

Do you have a good neighbour who you feel deserves recognition? It may be something they do for you, for your neighbours or for the whole community. It could be as simple as calling in to check you’re ok, putting your bins out or perhaps they are committed to organising local clean-ups or representing the residents group.

The closing date for nominations is Thursday 30th June 2016.

Application forms will be available: • On the Get Involved section of our website www.npthomes.co.uk • By ringing the Tenant Empowerment Team on 01639 506662 • By email at involved@npthomes.co.uk If you • At one of our offi ces: would like further o Head Office, Ty^ Gwyn, Brunel Way, Baglan Energy Park, SA11 2FP o Neath, 23 Windsor Road, Neath, SA11 1NB o Port Talbot, 6 Forge Road, Port Talbot, SA13 1NU o Pontardawe One Stop Shop, Holly Street, Pontardawe, SA8 4ET (Tuesday and Thursday only)

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information, get in touch with Tenant Empowerment Officer, Lynsey Hargreaves on 01639 506662.

NPT HOMES - FOR GENERAL ENQUIRIES CALL 0300 777 0000

Garden Competition Do you have a prize winning garden or know someone else who does?

This year we will be holding our second annual garden competition, which is free to enter.

There are great prizes for the winners of each category.

Nominations are invited for the following:

• Best overall garden • Best communal garden

FOR W E N 016 2

• Best tubs and shrubs • Best miniature garden NEW If you don’t have a garden, you can still get in on the fun!

Create your own miniature garden in a vase or a shoebox or a plant pot and we’ll pick the best one.

• Best alternative garden NEW Looking at vegetable plots, allotments, herb gardens etc.

To enter, visits www.npthomes.co.uk or call 01639 506662.

Sunflower Competition Tenants’ children under the age of 16 are invited to collect a sunflower seed from any NPT Homes office and grow their own sunflower. The tallest sunflower will win!

Visit our website or pick up an application form from one of our offices and apply by Friday 29th April.

Seeds will be available to pick up Monday 2nd May and judging will take place in July.

Save the Date Our Annual General Members Meeting (AGM) is being held on Tuesday 26th July. If you would like to attend but you are not yet a member, contact 01639 508468 or visit our website www.npthomes.co.uk to find out more.

NPT HOMES - TO REPORT A REPAIR CALL 0300 777 3000

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Work is well underway on each of this year’s projects.

All four projects have been busy making fantastic progress despite the unpredictable Welsh weather.

Pupils from Tonnau Primary School and St Joseph Primary School have been busy clearing the project areas ready to plant flowers and lay some grass.

As the weather becomes milder, flowers will bloom and with help from the pupils, further improvements will be made.

Rhos Primary School and Community Group Forward 4 Fairyland have also been busy painting bright interactive games on floors and walls. Community gardens, weather stations and a notice board are next on their lists which will give their projects the finishing touches so pupils and members of the community can use the new open spaces to socialise, interact and learn.

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Handy Person Great news! Due to the fantastic feedback and on-going demand from tenants, the Handy Person Scheme has been extended until spring 2017. To date our Handy Person Melvyn has helped over 150 tenants.

Our handy person can help you with:

Gardening • Lawn cutting • Bush cutting • Planting/pruning • Weeding/weed spraying The Handy Person Scheme now includes painting and decorating!

Extra Handy Person Services • Changing light bulbs and strip lights • Furniture assembly/moving furniture • Take down/rehang curtains and blinds • Fixing pictures/mirrors to walls • Easing and planing doors • Install doorbells and change

If you would like a free quote, call Melvyn on 01639 508463.

Please note the following: • This is a chargeable service and cash payment must be made on the day the work is completed.

• Materials will need to be purchased by the tenant and have them ready for the Handy Person.

• The scheme will include painting and glossing work but does not include wall papering.

For decorating jobs, rooms will need to be ready i.e. take pictures off the wall, move furniture etc.

Free First Aid Courses

NPT Homes is offering another round of free first aid courses to help support children’s sports teams from across the Neath Port Talbot Borough.

Date: Monday 18th April Venue: NPT Homes’ Training Centre in Briton Ferry.

Interested?

Call 01639 505857 or email jordannah.britton@npthomes.co.uk.

NPT HOMES - TO REPORT A REPAIR CALL 0300 777 3000

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Repairs Helpline Team

Meet the Team Our Repairs Helpline Team is made up of 16 people who cover our 0300 777 3000 repairs helpline and our repairs@npthomes.co.uk email address between the hours of 8am – 6pm Monday – Friday. The team work on a shift basis to cover peak times and ensure calls and emails are answered.

The team are on hand to answer your calls and emails regarding: • General repairs • Enquiries on heating • The team also book appointments for inspections on larger repair requests.

After an in-depth review, the team have tailored the service to improve call waiting times and to ensure the needs of tenants are met.

Takes 1,200 calls a week

Rated 9/10 for service

99.9% of calls

answered in a reasonable time

97% satisfied

Deborah Williams:

“I have worked in the call centre since NPT Homes was formed and I love my job. I am now the team leader for the repairs helpline and I really enjoy speaking to tenants and helping them with their repair requests.”

with the outcome of the enquiry

99.1% happy with the manner of the call handler

Repair Opening Times 8am – 6pm Monday – Friday.

Outside of these hours an emergency team is in operation.

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Handy Hints Resetting A Trip Switch One of our most common queries – loss of power.

General Advice

What To Do

• If the electricity switches off in your home, check the trip switches on your consumer unit.

• Open the cover on the consumer unit to expose the trip switches.

• There are many reasons why a switch may trip, this may be because:

• Check which switches have tripped to the OFF position.

– A circuit has been overloaded – An appliance is faulty or misused – Leads to appliances such as TVs, hairdryers or stereo has a faulty connections – Water has leaked into a circuit – Light bulbs have blown – Immersion heaters are faulty.

• The consumer unit may be next to the electricity meter (unless the meter is in an outside cupboard).

• Put these switches back to the ON position.

If it trips again, it is probably being caused by a faulty appliance.

There is normally a marker on the trip switch identifying where the problem is e.g. ground floor sockets, first floor lights, etc.

To identify appliance: • Check all the rooms in the house and note which set of lights or sockets is not working.

• If an appliance is faulty, leave it unplugged and get a qualified electrician or engineer to check it.

• Unplug all appliances on that problem circuit and switch off the immersion heater.

• Make sure your hands are dry when you work with electricity.

• Switch the ‘tripped’ switch to the ON position.

If you have any questions, contact our Repairs Helpline on 0300 777 3000 or repairs@npthomes.co.uk

• Plug in appliances one at a time.

• Do not use double adaptors or extensions leads when testing appliances. Test one appliance per socket, until the trip goes.

NPT HOMES - TO REPORT A REPAIR CALL 0300 777 3000

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Changes to Welfare Benefits from April 2016 Most working age benefits will be frozen – This will cause benefit incomes to continue to reduce in real terms.

Housing Benefit

£

Backdating is being restricted to one month only – At the moment, up to 6 months backdating can be awarded but from April this will be stopped. If your Housing Benefit payment stops at any time, you must act immediately to address this.

Family Premiums Removed With new housing benefit claims, many families will have to pay more rent as family premiums will be removed. This affects new claimants only from April 2016.

Absence from Home Rules If you leave the UK for more than 4 weeks, your housing benefit will automatically stop. This currently only happens if you leave for 13 weeks.

Universal Credit The rules on work allowances are changing.

Currently Universal Credit claimants who are working can earn up to £111 a month without this effecting a claim. From April, this will only apply to claimants who are responsible for a child or somebody with a disability.

Pension Credit Assessed income periods have been removed.

Pension credit claimants need to let the Pension Service know of all changes of circumstances.

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NATIONAL LIVING WAGE From 1st April 2016 the National Living Wage will be £7.20 for over 25’s. This does not apply to those in their first year of an apprenticeship. The National Minimum Wage will continue for those aged 21 – 24.

You should see the increase in your pay automatically from April if you currently earn less than £7.20 per hour so check your payslip then.

If you don’t see the difference in April, you may want to speak to your employer about it to make sure that they are aware of the change in the law.

If you are having difficulty with claims or have any questions relating to your income, please contact our Financial Inclusion Team on 01639 506623.

NPT HOMES - FOR GENERAL ENQUIRIES CALL 0300 777 0000

State Pension Changes 2016 On 6th April 2016, the current State Pension scheme will be replaced by a new scheme. This means people will be able to know from a much younger age how much State Pension they’re likely to receive.

You can claim the new State Pension if you reach State Pension age on or after 6th April 2016.

You’ll be able to get the new State Pension if you’re eligible and: • A man born on or after 6th April 1951 • A woman born on or after 6th April 1953 If you reach State Pension Age before 6th April 2016 you’ll get the State Pension under the current scheme instead.

Key Changes to the State Pension The earnings-related part of the current system for people who are employed, called the Additional State Pension, is being abolished.

The new State Pension will be based on your National Insurance (NI) record alone. To receive the maximum new State Pension, you require 35 years NI record. From April 2016 the new State Pension will be £155.65 per week.

However, if you have been ‘contracted out’ of the state scheme at any time in your working life the amount you receive under the new state pension may be reduced.

Get a State Pension Statement You can get a State Pension Statement that can tell you how much new State Pension you may get and the number of qualifying years on your National Insurance record. You can apply for one online or by phone or post.

You can find further details at www.gov.uk/state-pension-statement

NPT HOMES - TO REPORT A REPAIR CALL 0300 777 3000

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Separation of Rent and Service Charges – De-pooling As a Registered Social Landlord in Wales, NPT Homes is required to follow and implement the guidance and policy issued by the Welsh Government.

From April 2016, The Welsh Government social rent policy sets out that when a Social Landlord combines rents and service charges, they must show these charges separately on a statement. This process is known as rent de-pooling.

How are we Doing?

Since July 2015 NPT Homes have consulted with over 1,500 tenants on rent de-pooling who have also provided us with some useful feedback on our services.

We have now met the Welsh Government’s requirement and will continue to work with tenants.

Tenants will be consulted with before any changes are made to rent or service charges from April 2016.

Tenant Assessors As part of this project we have also met tenants who are keen to be involved as a Tenant Assessor.

We are working together with these tenants to develop ways to monitor and assess services they pay for.

If you are living in one of our sheltered schemes or in a block of flats, it is not too late to get involved and become a Tenant Assessor.

For further information, please contact Tenant Empowerment Officer Lynsey Hargreaves on 01639 506662.

Pets Corner

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Nelly from Neath Age: 10 Owner: Laurence Sims Likes. Loads of walks cwtches and her toys.

Dislikes. Going out in the rain.

To feature your much loved pet, email media@npthomes.co.uk

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NPT HOMES - FOR GENERAL ENQUIRIES CALL 0300 777 0000

Make Sure You’re Insured Cover starts from £1.59 per week.

If you’re over 60, you could get cover from as little as £1.06 per week.

No “No Claims Discount” to worry about when claiming.

No “Excess” on claims.

Accidents happen and when they do, they can be very expensive to put right. Could you afford to replace all of your belongings?

As a tenant, you are responsible for any damage or loss to the contents of your home. NPT Homes does not insure your furniture or personal items against fire, theft, vandalism or burst pipes.

NPT Homes encourages all our tenants to take out contents insurance, either through our special scheme with Aviva or by arranging cover yourself.

Luckily Mrs Jones from Neath had home contents insurance with our scheme and when a boiler pipe burst in her home, all of her belongings in her airing cupboard were damaged and could no longer be used. This included gifts from abroad and other lifelong items she had collected over the years.

As soon as Mrs Jones contacted us we were able to assist her with a claims form and Aviva handled her case.

Due to having home contents insurance and after assistance from a claims assessor, Mrs Jones received a settlement of £2,500 to help her replace her damaged items.

Mrs Jones from Neath said:

“I woke up to find our boiler had leaked and it had ruined everything in our cupboard.

There was a lot of damage. Sentimental items were ruined.

I contacted the Insurance Team at NPT Homes straight away. The whole process was so easy and the claim was dealt with very quickly.

I would strongly recommend people to take out contents insurance as you never know when you may need it.”

To apply to join our insurance scheme with Aviva or to find out more information, contact our Insurance Team on 01639 505886/505865 or email insurance@npthomes.co.uk

NPT HOMES - TO REPORT A REPAIR CALL 0300 777 3000

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Currently Receiving Universal Credit?

Make sure you tell our dedicated team who can provide you with support and important information. 01639 315000 or universalcredit@npthomes.co.uk

Useful information if you are moving onto Universal Credit • Tell us about it – please let us know if your benefits have changed to Universal Credit. This is so that we can provide you with the correct information for your claim.

• Make sure you pay your rent first – it is very important that you arrange to pay your rent on time as failure may result in you losing your home.

• Set up an Email Account – an email account will help you manage your Universal Credit as the majority of paperwork will need to be done online.

• Get a Bank Account – Your Universal Credit will need to be paid directly into a bank account.

• Work out your Monthly Budget – As Universal Credit will change the amount of money you receive each month, it is a good idea to have a look at how you manage your money. If you need budgeting advice please contact our Universal Credit Team.

• If you are already in rent arrears – contact our Universal Credit Team straight away and we can work with you and agree a payment plan.

For more information please visit our website www.npthomes.co.uk and click on the Universal Credit link or alternatively visit www.gov.uk

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NPT HOMES - FOR GENERAL ENQUIRIES CALL 0300 777 0000