PCH InTouch Newsletter - Spring 2014

make it happen

InTouch Issue 18 Spring 2014

Lookour y after m ho oke ing to o We’re l future the Page 5

Warmer homes, cheaper bills Energy efficient homes are proving a success

Investing in Plymouth Help managing your money

Yo Letteur and c r omm s f

rom F ents a and T cebook witter Page 11

Inside this issue Devon Home Choice Page 4

News in brief All the latest on pages 4 - 5

Rent and service charges See page 10

Home insurance Page 12

Hello InTouch

Call us on 0800 694 3101

Hello!

ellaorwd P e n i a El f the Bo Chair

o

Hello and welcome to the first edition of In Touch in 2014. We’ve got a lot to tell you about.

Changes to the benefits system are getting closer, and although Universal Credit isn’t likely to come to Plymouth until 2016/17, we’ve got help, advice and a couple of case studies to help you make sure your finances are in good order.

team out and about, there’s a lot going on behind the scenes to make PCH more energy efficient and environmentally friendly. Kevin Pickup spent some time with Environmental Performance Officer Danny Shelton to find out more about the work he does.

Of course, having a job helps, and can also improve your outlook on life, so we’ve been helping some of our residents improve their skills and get back to work. Turn to page 7 to find out how they got on.

We’re always looking for ways to keep residents at the heart of PCH. I’m really pleased to be able to share more details with you on page 10 about how we’ve re-invigorated the Board.

While it’s easy to spot PCH vans across the city and see people like our Housing Officers and Repairs

This edition also has award winners, ways you can get involved and your comments – which you’ve told us

Inside 3 Top Story 4 News in Brief 6 Investing in Plymouth

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7 8 9

Work Experience Community in Cattedown Help Managing Your Money

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about by letter and via social media.

There are now lots of ways to get in touch with us, and it’s great to hear what you think.

I hope you enjoy the read,

Elaine Pellow Chair of the Board

10 Welcome on Board 11 Letters 12 Naval VIP 13 Day in the Life...

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14 Partnership working 15 Right Role, Right Person 16 Contacts

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Top Story InTouch

plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk

Warmer homes and cheaper bills this winter Work to drive down your heating bills this winter and make our homes more energy efficient is proving a success.

We’ve been insulating hundreds of our properties as part of our deal with British Gas to fit 10,000 homes with either external or cavity wall insulation.

Before

“We’ve noticed a difference already – we don’t have to have the heating on so high.”

The first homes have been completed and tenants are beginning to reap the benefits – with lower bills.

Last summer, we told you how David Walmsley, of Whitleigh, was eagerly awaiting the work.

David explained how he was hoping for a warmer winter after suffering damp.

The work was finished in October – you can see the improved look to his home on the right.

David said: “It looks really good. I am happy with the work they have done.

We’ve noticed a difference already – we don’t have to have the heating on so high.”

After

The work has been possible thanks to the Energy Companies Obligation (ECO) Deal, a government obligation on all energy companies to help residents of low income communities reduce heating bills by cutting carbon emissions.

We’re working with British Gas and their contractors SERS to improve our homes across the city over the next eight years.

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News In Brief InTouch

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Beacon Awards

You’ve nominated PCH members of staff who have gone the extra mile for

a Beacon Award.

informative when he carries out home visits.

Other winners included Housing Officer Clare Turner, Customer Services Administrator Liz Lawson, Neighbourhood Repairs Manager Keith Gaydon, Contracts Administration Manager Dave Bamber and Michael Hall, who is working on a Media Placement with IT.

The Beacon Awards are PCH’s internal awards which recognise when staff have offered a great service. They’re given out twice a year and anyone who works for PCH can make a nomination. This time we asked you for your nominations too.

Nominations for the next Beacon Awards will open in a couple of months – there’ll Winners of the Winter Beacon Awards be more details in the next edition of included Housing Officer Adam Stockman InTouch. who helped to make a tenant feel safe and secure in her home and PVCu Surveyor Alwyn Skyrme who is very helpful and

Devon Home Choice and the switch to Home Connections

Devon Home Choice has now been running for 4 years and some important changes are being made to make sure that Devon Home Choice continues to work as fairly and effectively as possible.

Most of the changes will be to IT behind the scenes, but people registered with Devon Home Choice will notice some changes.

The IT system behind Devon Home Choice will be taken over by a company called Home Connections in May. Home Connections have significant experience and expertise in providing the IT for similar schemes across the country.

The information held about people on the Devon Home Choice register will be securely transferred to Home Connections.

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TPAS Resident Involvement Accreditation We want to be a leading housing provider and to do this you need to be at the heart of everything we do. To help us with this, we’re working towards achieving TPAS (Tenant Participation Advisory Service) Landlord Accreditation in Resident Involvement, which is a national award. We’ve carried out a selfassessment which TPAS are looking at and will be reporting back on soon.

Once we get this report, we’ll put in place an improvement plan which will be put into practice throughout 2014. We’ll be asking you what you think about how we’re doing.

As we’ve just submitted our application, at the time of going to print we’re still waiting for TPAS to let us know what they think. We’ll put the details on our website and on social media as soon as we hear.

For more information please contact the Project Co-ordinator, Deborah Beadle on 01752 388359 or deborah.beadle@ plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk.

Changes will be made to the Devon Home Choice website (www.devonhomechoice. com) to make it easier to use. As part of this, we are reviewing what information people have to provide to login to their Devon Home Choice account online. We want to make this as easy as possible but secure enough to protect people’s personal details. Anyone registered with Devon Home Choice will be kept informed of any changes.

Interested in helping us improve our services?

Devon Home Choice will work to minimise any disruption these changes cause. Any dates when the service won’t be available will be clearly advertised in advance on the Devon Home Choice website.

Annual Report panel

Since April last year council and housing association tenants have been able to look for another tenant to swap homes with by advertising their properties on Devon Home Choice. This was a trial funded by central government with the aim of improving people’s chances of finding a new home. A review of the trial has found that a very small number of swaps have actually taken place. As tenants in Devon can use the alternative Homeswapper service it has been agreed to stop advertising homes for swap on Devon Home Choice.

If you need further information, contact the Housing Options Team at Plymouth City Council on 01752 305496 or housingoptions@plymouth.gov.uk.

We’ll soon be recruiting for residents to join our Customer Assurance Panel (CAP). If you’d like to know more please email jay.vickers@plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk.

What do you want to hear about in our Annual Report?

We want you to be a part of our Annual Report, and so we’re looking for some volunteers willing to attend a few meetings and help us make sure we tell you the things you want to know.

Your role will be to tell us what you’d like to hear about and give your opinion on the content and design of the Annual Report. You’ll be asked to go to 4 meetings between April and June and may have to do some reading in between.

Our Annual Report is for our residents, so we want to know what you find interesting.

If you’d like to help, email performance@ plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk or call Charlotte Edwards on 01752 388366.

News In Brief InTouch

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Plymouth Foodbank Plymouth Foodbank helps people in financial crisis by providing them with food and advice. Since April, PCH staff have given residents 79 vouchers for Plymouth Foodbank, helping 99 adults and 22 children. Eunice Halliday, Project Co-ordinator at the Stonehouse based Plymouth Foodbank was recently awarded an OBE for the work the project does. Plymouth Foodbank is one of PCH’s official charities for 2014.

Looking after your home in the future

We are fast approaching the end of our 5 year promise to provide you with Decent Homes. However, this doesn’t mean the work will stop, and we’re already looking at what we’ll need to do in the future.

We’re carrying out a Stock Condition Survey (SCS) which’ll help us gather information about the condition of our properties so we can plan what we’ll need to do to maintain them.

The information we collect will help us develop a programme for the next 30 years.

The surveys will start happening in August. We’ll appoint a contractor

Equalities Cafe

Around 45,000 people in Plymouth live in a PCH home. With that many people, there’s bound to be a broad range of lifestyles and beliefs.

We’ve been running Equalities Cafes over the past year to help our staff increase their knowledge about Plymouth’s diverse community - guest speakers have included police diversity officers, the Transgender Information Service, asylum seekers and Pride in the Past.

They’ve been such a success, we want to open them up to you too - if you’d be interested in hearing from different members of the Plymouth community at an informal talk with lunch provided, send your details to customerservices@ plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk,write to Liz Lawson, Plymouth Community Homes, Plumer House, Tailyour Road, Plymouth PL6 5DH or look out for details on our website and social media.

to visit 4,000 homes, covering all the types of property we own, over a period of about three months. If your home is one of those we’d like to look at, we’ll write to you in early summer.

first time we’ve assessed these, as up until now, we’ve focused on Decent Homes. However, we also want to create an environment in which our communities can thrive.

As well as our buildings, we’ll be looking at things like garages, landscaping and lighting to see how we can improve those. This will be the

We’ll keep you updated over the next six months – look out for more information in future editions of InTouch and online.

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InTouch

We’re investing in Plymouth You may have heard a bit about how we’re trying to help not just individuals but the Plymouth economy as well.

We want to help get people into work, support local business and contribute to the growth of the city. It’s one of our big priorities and we want you to know about it – there might even be opportunities for you, or your family, or someone you know where you live in future.

We work for Plymouth in a range of ways: from taking on apprentices in our manufacturing teams to offering professional experience to interns in our IT department. We’ve supported hundreds of local people into work through our contractors on kitchens and bathrooms, too.

In our regeneration projects, we’ve offered work placements to residents as well as offering apprenticeships – we know that some of these have gone on to become permanent jobs.

As well as transforming homes, we hope our ECO cladding work is going to create over 700 jobs in the future.

printing job or putting up scaffolding, a major contract or a one person job, we ‘go local’ as much as we can. Last year we invested £42 million in local We are active partners in the Get IT businesses - £34 million of this was Together project to help people across invested in small businesses who Plymouth get online and build their employ 50 people or less.. digital skills and confidence.

And perhaps most importantly, we are Research suggests that a non-profit making social enterprise, around 38,000 homes which means that everything we do in Plymouth are supports our communities, including not yet connected re-investing any financial surpluses. to the internet.

This is true of our manufacturing Without internet teams where surpluses from the access, people products sold are used to benefit the risk missing community. opportunities for education, The term ‘social enterprise’ is work and access important for Plymouth, as the city’s to council and health just been awarded ‘City of Social services.

Enterprise’ status. we’re keen to play our part, including the use of Credit PCH residents can also get basic IT Unions, who offer a vital alternative to training as part of our Learn for Free payday lenders. programme.

Sue Shaw, Director of Homes and Using local businesses to Neighbourhoods said: “A credit support PCH union offers a much more sensible alternative for people who need to We make sure whenever we need a borrow money as their interest rates professional service, whether a big are much lower. They are performing a vital role in difficult times. We know that many of our residents are often tempted to turn to ‘payday lenders’ for loans without realising the shockingly high rates of interest they are being charged. For families already in debt, this can make their situation even worse.”

We’re pleased to be contributing in all these ways, but we know there’s more we can do to play our part in working for Plymouth. Watch this space for more stories! Or if you have more ideas of how we can help individuals or businesses, why not get in touch?

For more information, email performance@ plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk

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Work experience Keepmoat, one of our biggest kitchen and bathroom contractors, has set up a number of work placements to provide local people with employment.

Carrie Anne Lavin of North Prospect, one of our residents, is on a placement from City College Plymouth.

Amie Brown, of Peverell, was taken on to work in the planning team at Keepmoat’s Plymouth office and has now been given a temporary paid position.

Amie said: “When I started work experience at Keepmoat I enjoyed the work that much that I didn’t want it to end so when I was offered the job I was over the moon.”

InTouch

Phillip’s story 38 year old Phillip McCaskie is a qualified carpenter who struggled to find work when he and his family moved to Plymouth. Phillip was out of work for over 12 months before attending Devonport Work Club. PCH runs work clubs across the city alongside other organisations.

Phillip said: “The club helped me update my CV and also provided me with contact details for people I could approach to get help. The club helped in purchasing my CSCS card which I needed to participate in a lot of jobs but didn’t have.”

Phillip is now in full time employment helping to refurbish kitchens and bathrooms across Plymouth with our contractor Keepmoat.

He added: “I would strongly recommend anyone who is struggling to find employment to consider approaching one of the work clubs. I did and can’t thank them enough for the help and it has now got me employed and able to provide again for my family.”

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InTouch

Community in Cattedown Clive Turner, our Chief Executive, made one of his regular visits to tenants to hear about their experience of living in our homes.

This time he decided to visit one of our estates in Cattedown. His choice was sparked by some disappointing criticism and negative comments about the area from the MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, Oliver Colvile.

Colvile, the MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, wrote in an email bulletin to constituents that he had visited PCH flats near the Barbican and found ‘litter all over the place and puddles of urine on the floor’. He also made allegations of drug misuse and said he had seen neglect of another estate in his constituency.

Clive said: “When I heard him say the area had been neglected and made an attack on housing associations I felt it was important to see for myself if there was any truth in his words. Thankfully I found there was not.”

was a problem with the rubbish being collected. Clive promised he would make sure both these issues were looked into.

He added: “I am very proud of what we do and of the staff we have working hard to improve homes and strengthen communities in Plymouth. Not only did this feel like a criticism of PCH, but also of the neighbourhood itself and those who live there, which I found very disappointing from someone in public office.”

Another mother with a young baby said she felt Cattedown was a very family oriented place and she had no problem with her flat and the block: “I am very happy here. My daughter is not yet one but when she is older I would be happy to let her play outside while I watch her from the window.”

One mother of four said she found the area very safe and was happy to let her children play outside the flat: “People said to me before I came here that it was rough but I don’t find it like that at all.

I am happier here than I have been in years and I don’t have any complaints.”

Clive Turner said afterwards: “It is helpful to hear from our customers about how they enjoy living here – and things they would like to change.

But I am pleased to say our tenants are happy and Cattedown flats are generally looking clean and tidy. I’ll be taking up any concerns I heard about and definitely talking to Mr Colvile about his extremely unhelpful and unfounded comments about our residents and our service to them.”

She added that perhaps the block could do with some updating on the outside to make a good first impression to visitors and passers-by and said the place was kept clean although sometimes there

Bedroom Tax

Diane Douglas has avoided paying the bedroom tax by moving to a smaller home.

Diane, formerly of Devonport, has relocated to Estover – and is saving some £20 a week in the under-occupancy charge.

Diane said: “My daughter was living with me for a bit but moved out in February. I was finding it too difficult paying the rent by myself.

“PCH helped me back in April to sort out bidding and moving.

“The housing officer got in touch with me. They knew my situation. They offered to help me move.

Everyone was really helpful.

“I’ve got a very nice bungalow. I am disabled so the stairs were getting too much as well.

“It was a bit tough moving as I had good neighbours and I was close to town but I live nearer my daughter, sister and brother now.”

If you would like help to move to a smaller home, please contact Sarah Peel on 01752 389768.

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plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk

InTouch

Help managing your money

If you don’t have a bank account yet, you have plenty of time to set one up.

Lots of things can affect the way you manage the day to day costs of living.

Universal Credit is due to replace a lot of existing benefits payments if you are of working age. These payments will go into your bank account each month and will include any support for housing costs.

At the moment, it looks like it won’t be introduced in Plymouth until 2016/17.

This means there’s plenty of time to prepare. Barclays are making it easy for PCH residents to set up a bank account by accepting a PCH tenancy agreement as a form of ID. This means you don’t have to have a passport or driving licence to set up an account. You can contact your local Barclays directly, or call us and we’ll set up an appointment for you. If you used to have a Barclays account and still have a debt outstanding, Barclays will still let you open an account with them.

Income Recovery & Financial Inclusion Manager Nicola Kingston says: “Universal Credit is going to be paid monthly, but at the moment most benefits are paid fortnightly. Because it’s not going to be introduced for a couple of years, there’s time to get used to using a bank account and budgeting. It’s worth thinking about putting some money aside too – when the changes come in, you’ll still be expected to pay your rent on time even though the days the benefits are paid will change, so you’ll need something to help cover this.”

The aim is to avoid a situation where Universal Credit is introduced and you don’t have a bank account for it to go into.

Once it’s introduced, it’ll be important to keep in touch with us about any changes to your benefit entitlement too.

Another way to manage your money is through a credit union. They offer savings and affordable loans which come with free life insurance, and they’re a more affordable alternative to payday loan companies.

The bedroom tax has affected a lot of people who are deemed to have one or more ‘spare’ rooms in their home. Some people are entitled to Discretionary Housing Payments to help cover this cost, but this is allocated on a case by case basis and is not guaranteed.

If you’re affected by the bedroom tax and don’t need the extra room, you could consider downsizing. We have already helped some of you do this (see Diane’s story) and can give you advice about moving or exchanging properties with someone else.

We know things like losing your job, your washing machine breaking down or a family emergency can all have an impact on your money. You may be forced to

cut back on some things and may find yourself falling behind with essential bills like your rent, council tax and TV Licence.

If this happens to you, let us know. There are lots of ways we can help (see Ms Smith’s story below). The earlier you tell us, the easier it is for us to help. Speak to your Housing Officer or call the Financial Inclusion Team on 0800 028 0350.

Useful contacts

PCH Financial Inclusion Team 0800 028 0350

City of Plymouth Credit Union 01752 201329

Plymouth Furniture Re-Use Project 01752 600277

Recycling Plymouth CIC (low cost electrical appliances) 01752 268 254

Turn2us (online benefits calculator) turn2us.org.uk

StepChange Debt Charity (free debt advice) 0800 138 1111

HOPE (Plymouth) Credit Union 01752 301871

Barclays 0845 555 555

Our Forever House

PCH resident Ms Smith* had been living in temporary accommodation. When she moved to a new home with her children, they had very little furniture and were not able to buy.

The PCH Financial Inclusion Team worked with Ms Smith to resolve some outstanding financial issues and contacted Recycling Plymouth CIC who were able to provide a cooker, washing machine, furniture, TV and even curtains.

Ms Smith said: “When we moved in I said to my children that this would be our ‘forever house’. Before long though I was getting depressed worrying about the bills and scared to open the door in case it was a TV Licence Inspector coming to check-up on me.

“I was worried that if I asked for help that people would judge me. PCH came in and helped out so much, they were unbelievable in how much they have helped. They have given me the confidence not to bury my head but to deal with the bills as they come in. I have now joined a jewellery making course, go for walks in the nearby woods with the children and enjoy life again.” *name changed to protect identity If you’re worried about paying your bills, contact the Financial Inclusion Team on 0800 028 0350.

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Board InTouch

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Welcome on Board!

Chair of the Board Elaine Pellow tells us about the two new board members.

We’re excited to welcome two new faces to our PCH Board: Graham Stirling CBE and Nigel Pitt. Their experience and skills are going to bring real value in helping shape our future for residents.

elsewhere. He has been a NonExecutive Director of PCH Regeneration Limited and is currently a Trustee of the Plymouth Drake Foundation, Director of a multi-academy trust and a Governor of a Plymouth secondary school.

Graham was for years the Managing Director of a global high-tech manufacturing business. He has chaired many local committees including for Devon and Cornwall Housing and is currently Chair of Plymouth Albion RFC and Plymouth City Council Employment and Skills Board. He also finds time to be a Patron of Shekinah Mission in this busy schedule.

As we look to the future of our role in Plymouth, we want to make sure that we always have residents at the heart of everything we do. We also need to know we’re attracting the right people with the right range of skills and experience to help steer PCH confidently. That’s the only way we can know if we’re getting it right and delivering impact for PCH communities.

Nigel has been Director of Development at Plymouth City Council and has wide experience in planning, development and regeneration in Plymouth and

The recruitment of Graham and Nigel is just one of the ways in which we’re refreshing our Governance. We will soon be introducing a whole range

of opportunities for residents to get involved with us whether you want to be a Board member or whether you could help us assess our services. We will also soon be offering remuneration for Board members. This was a decision based on the views of an independent panel. We fully support it given the amount of skill and experience we need, and the time and commitment such a responsibility demands. We have now held our first meeting in our new Head Office at Plumer House.

And some residents will know we’re now ‘paperless’ to cut down on the environmental impact of all the reports which are so critical to doing a good job.

I don’t think we’ve ever had a stronger Board at PCH. With so many individuals and communities across Plymouth struggling with the effects of the housing crisis and welfare reform, we’ve never been better placed to help make a difference.

Watch out for more stories from our Board in the Summer edition, but in the meantime use social media and our website to keep updated with any news.

If you have any queries about our Board or governance arrangements please contact jay.vickers@ plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk or call 01752 388480.

Your rent and service charges By now you will be aware of the changes to rents for 2014/15.

From 7 April 2014, the average weekly rent is £73.49. Individual amounts will vary, so your rent may be more or less than this. Your rent helps us to manage, maintain and improve your home and help us build strong communities.

homes for future generations – homes for your families. Your rent helps us to provide this.

service charge policy, which means we will only charge you the amount it costs us to provide a service.

Our rents continue to be amongst the lowest in the country, making them very good value for money.

If you pay a service charge, you will have received a statement letting you know how much the services cost over the past year compared to what we originally estimated.

Service charges cover services provided to your block or home – this could include One of the things our tenants have always things like lifts, grounds maintenance and told us is that you want more affordable laundry rooms. We operate a variable

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If you have any questions about your rent or service charges, call us on 0800 012 1474.

plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk

Dear PCH...

Thank you!

As well as letter and email, you’ve been letting us know what you think via social media…

I am writing to express my thanks to all the teams of workmen engaged in the refurbishment of my kitchen. They were always hard working, helpful and very polite.

Also thanks for Stacey and Tony, who dealt with any small hitches, and everyone else engaged in the planning of the project.

From Facebook (facebook.com/ plymouthcommunityhomes):

Mrs Tanner

Matthew Lang Can i just say thanks for the quick response by your workers fixing guttering next door to me

So pleased...

We are very pleased now to be able to use the new pathway created behind our 5 bungalows. It makes access to the back doors a great deal easier after having to cross lawns for years, especially in winter.

There is one resident having to use a wheelchair as there are steps at the front of the bungalows.

Thank you for this improvement.

Mr Davies, Estover

What have you got to say?

We always want to hear what you’ve got to say. If you’ve got something you’d like us to include, email news@ plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk or write to: InTouch Newsletter Plymouth Community Homes Plumer House Tailyour Road Plymouth PL6 5DH Please include your name and contact details. We will not print your details in full. We reserve the right to edit letter.

The views published are the views of the contributor and may not be those of Plymouth Community Homes.

Letters InTouch

On Twitter (@plymcommhomes):

Helpful guys To the Guys from Plymouth Community Homes who got out of their van and proceeded to direct the traffic around an accident in Budshead Road, Whitleigh, where a car went into the back of mine and blocked the road. This was on the 19th December.

Clive Turner @ClivePCH Visited a number of environmental projects today where @PlymCommHomes are making a difference.

I hope they will read this and know who they are. I am very grateful for their help also in pushing me into a safe place as due to a fuel safety cut out, my car would not start.

Although I was shocked, hurt and shaken, I will not forget the help you gave. Thank you!!

Ms Kirby Note from the Editor: We found the men who helped you that day. They are: Mike Lanfear, Matt Hoogwerf, John Doherty, Mark Preston, Barry Tyrell and Ryan Windsor. We made sure your thanks were passed on.

nick tasker @NickTasker70 @PlymCommHomes excellent service today getting our electric smoke alarms fixed #TopLandlord Dewerstone @dewerstoneUK Inner city tree planting in the heart of Plymouth. Nice work @PlymCommHomes 11

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PCH resident is naval VIP 90 year old PCH Housing with Support resident Tony Elliott BEM was a VIP at a celebration to mark 100 years since the launch of HMS Warspite, a Plymouth built warship which has the most battle honours of any Royal Navy ship and was operational during both World Wars.

Tony was in the Royal Marines for 12 years, of which two were spent on HMS Warspite. He is one of the last remaining servicemen to have served on the ship.

After leaving the Royal Marines, Tony went on to spend 25 years working at HMS Raleigh, for which he received a British Empire Medal for his services. Tony is also the standard-bearer for the HMS Warspite Association.

The event held at Devonport Naval Heritage Centre recently saw two hundred guests attend and they were treated to a ceremony designed to mirror the super dreadnought’s launch on November 26 1913.

Tony who lives in Weston Mill Drive and is still very fit and active said, “I was happy to be invited, it was nice to catchup with the HMS Warspite Association.

I am very pleased that the ship has been remembered as it was a very good warship.”

We’ve got it covered!

If your possessions were damaged by a flood or fire, could you afford to replace them?

We’ve just entered into a new agreement with A J Gallagher to provide our insurance services, which covers our Employer, Public and Property Liability cover, as well as our Leaseholder and Motor Fleet cover.

However, this doesn’t provide cover for the things in your home.

If you haven’t got any contents insurance, you can use the My Home contents insurance scheme which is backed by the National Housing Federation. If you want to find out more, look at the Home Contents Insurance page on our website, speak to your Housing Officer or call 383333 or 388336. It could cost as little as 56p a week.

If you’re a leaseholder, the charge for leasehold building insurance will be collected as part of your service charge as usual.

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InTouch

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InTouch

A Day in the Life of…

Danny Shelton, Environmental Performance Officer Communications Officer Kevin Pickup spent a day with Environmental Performance Officer Danny Shelton to find out what’s being done to make PCH more environmentally friendly and energy efficient.

Danny spends time speaking to a few residents and the Housing Officer to get some feedback from them. We then head outdoors to check up on a Money Tree Fund project which is seeing part of the Innes House garden landscaped and becoming more accessible. Although the work is not yet complete, it is taking shape and will be an area for all the residents of Innes House to enjoy. (You can read more about the Money Tree Fund on page 14).

It’s Thursday morning and the PCH Performance, Policy and Strategic Projects office is busy. Nestled within the team is Danny, the Environmental Performance Officer. It’s Danny’s job to look at ways to reduce our impact on the environment during the day to day running of the organisation and also supporting residents to reduce their own impact.

At 9am Danny is at his desk checking his emails and getting ready for some site visits. Danny shares with me a bit more about his job and how he is focused on looking at ways we can save money through being environmentally friendly: “The best solutions are always win-win scenarios.” Danny has a Masters Degree in Sustainable Environmental Management which he obtained from Plymouth University and he joined the team in July 2013.

First stop this morning is Innes House in the City Centre. 120 light bulbs in the communal areas have been replaced with LED lights as a pilot project. It’s hoped that these bulbs will reduce lighting bills for both PCH and Innes House residents.

The trial is ongoing until the end of June and if successful then Danny will make a case to start rolling LED lighting out to the communal areas in all of our sheltered blocks.

Danny commented: “Not only are these LED lights a good way to reduce CO2 but they also help towards keeping service charges as low as possible for our residents. Although green products are sometimes more expensive initially, the long term savings are far greater. For instance these LED lights have a five year guarantee but could last up to 15 years He’s aiming for the recycling rate throughout when in the right conditions.

PCH to be 70% by the end of 2015.

“Although these LED lights are not going Recycling reduces our environmental impact but it is also a cheaper option than in to residents’ properties, we have been looking at lots of ways of cutting our sending all of our waste to landfill – we’re even working towards getting money back residents’ energy costs. One example is Plymouth Energy Community – if people for some of our waste! The 70% target is already being achieved at our new building, get in touch with them, they may get a better rate on their gas and electric bills.”

Plumer House.

Next on Danny’s visits this morning is Prince Rock, home to PCH Manufacturing Services. This site collects a lot of the 200 tonnes of waste disposed of each month by PCH. Much of this waste comes from our Decent Homes improvement programme where we are removing heavy building materials such as old windows and doors.

Danny is actively looking at ways in which more of this waste can be recycled.

The purpose of this visit is to monitor how much waste is being recycled and make sure that the right waste is being put in the correct skips. With the large Decent Homes programme generating lots of waste material, Danny checks to make sure that as much of this is recycled as possible.

Danny points out that the only waste that we don’t manage in our operation is household waste – Plymouth City Council takes this away and is paid for through Council Tax. Danny’s keen to speak to a few of the workers onsite to make sure that the layout of the recycling skips suit their working needs, “I want to implement practical solutions, not cause issues in daily working life.”

After we finish at Prince Rock, we head back to the office so that Danny can write up his observations. During the afternoon Danny works on a Green Travel Plan for staff and researches how estates could be improved by introducing flower beds, community food growing areas and woodlands.

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Partnership working opens up Kinterbury Creek to all An under used nature reserve in Barne Barton is now easier to enjoy after PCH and other local agencies provided new fencing and improved access.

Access to the public green space was hindered by over grown bushes, brambles and trees, and the whole area was in need of some care and attention.

the boundary of the rear gardens that backed onto the park. By mid-December the fencing was complete, freeing up more garden space for the residents, providing better security, and improving Residents living in and around Foulston the appearance to the parkland Avenue liked to use the space for dog entrance on the public side. walks, playing and experiencing the wildlife, but couldn’t use it to its full Margaret Young, who lives at Foulston potential. When we spoke to them at Avenue, remarked: “Before the fence consultation events they told was just a bit of wire and some us that security of their poles. Now in the summer rear gardens was also you will be able to an issue as they sit in the garden in backed onto open privacy. My great public space. grandchildren will As part of our be able to play and neighbourhood I’m looking forward plan we promised to installing some that we would hanging baskets improve security with strawberries.” for those residents using our Money Stepping Stones To Tree Fund.

Nature (SS2N) are working in the area to Sheila Wickham, Estate encourage the use of the Housing Officer said: creek by the local community and “There’s lots of green space in Barne are planting native hedgerows to soften Barton, but accessing it can be an the appearance of the fencing and make issue. Tenants had also told us that the entrance even more welcoming. the fencing that backed onto the park Plymouth City Council also installed a was old and falling down due to the new metal bridge that makes it safer to overgrown vegetation.” cross the stream.

Our Money Tree Fund gives residents the opportunity to bid for money to fund projects that improve the local environment, making them look better, feel safer and bring people together. It can only be used for projects on land owned by PCH. Once the project was approved, the hedges, brambles and other vegetation along the rear boundaries were removed by our Environmental Services Team. Next, our Joinery Team installed a new two metre high fence at

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Andy Brettle, Area Housing Manager, said: “It’s great to be able to listen to residents and turn their ideas into reality. We worked closely with them and our partner agencies to find a solution that not only increased security, but also made the most out of the park for the wider community.”

To make an application to our Money Tree Fund contact your local Housing Officer and make the first step to transforming your local area.

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The right role for the right person As one of the South West’s largest housing associations, we require a wide range of skills to meet the changing needs and expectations of our residents. With over 600 members of staff working with us, there are lots of opportunities to join the team.

If you are interested in a career with us, the first step may be getting your head around the variety of work that is carried out by our staff on a daily basis.

Danielle Harper, who has been working as a Neighbourhood Ranger for over a year said: “After studying Agriculture and Horticulture at college, I knew I wanted a job that was outdoor based. When I joined PCH I was one of the first females in the Grounds Maintenance team

and found the work really fun and everyone to be really welcoming.”

In the past some roles or areas of work have been seen as traditionally male dominated and this has put off female applicants. As a firm believer in equality and investing in people we think that men and women should be fairly represented in roles if they have the skills, knowledge and ambition. Fortunately more and more women are getting involved in these traditionally male jobs.

Danielle is the only member of the team trained in weed spraying and said: “Personal progression and training is important to develop the skills to work safely and properly to deliver the best service. In my

first year I have received training on using a strimmer / brushcutter, hedge trimmer, manual handling, scag (industrial lawn mower), chipper, ride on lawn mower, weed sprayer as well as working at heights, Legionnaires, fire safety, Japanese knotweed, customer service, asbestos awareness and a NVQ level 2 in cleaning.”

To find out more about working for PCH visit our website or keep an eye on social media where all vacancies are advertised.

Danielle says: “I would like to see more women in similar roles and show that women can do just as well as men delivering the same great service.”

Danielle laying turf at King Street for one of our Money Tree Fund projects.

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Contact numbers

Plymouth City Council contacts

Repairs 0808 230 6500 Out of hours repairs: 0800 917 9459 (5pm to 7am)

Enquiries (including waste and out of hours) 01752 668000

Debit/Credit Card Payment Line 0844 557 8321

Report fly tipping 01752 304147

Head Office 0800 694 3101

Housing options 01752 305496

City Centre Shop 01752 389778 Estover Team 0800 917 9496 Devonport Team 0800 917 9497

Newsletter Translations

Whitleigh Team 0800 917 9498 North Prospect Team 0800 917 9499 Anti-social behaviour out of hours hotline 0800 075 6699 or text 80800 and start your message with ‘ASB’.

Housing with Support Team 0800 917 9452 Communities Team 0800 917 9457 Leaseholders 01752 388094 Environmental Services 0800 917 9455 Gas Servicing 01752 388028/388030

Plymouth Community Homes Plumer House Tailyour Road, Crownhill Plymouth PL6 5DH Tel 01752 388300 Email info@plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk

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