Heart of the Matter - Newsletter 2

Winter 2010

Issue 2

Heart Matter of the

Mrs Priddy receives first kitchen refurbishment

Blooming marvellous gardens!

Paying your rent Helping to fund improvements

QDF: Design for the future

2 | Heart of the Matter

The QDF Which kitchen units do you like?

What has it achieved?

• Agreed the ‘most in need’ principle for the internal improvement programme • Involved in the selection of the contractors

• Selected the kitchen suppliers

• Selected the four choices of kitchens to be offered to tenants

• Developed a Code of Conduct for Contractors

Tenants from Briery Hill, Newtown, Waundeg and Waunheulog have been the first to receive new kitchens and bathrooms as part of the first wave of internal improvement works.

By the end of March 2011 approximately 250 homes throughout the County Borough will have received the upgrades as part of Tai Calon’s commitment to investing £111 million pounds in tenants’ homes.

Tenants have been able to choose kitchen door types, worktops, tiles and flooring.

The work is being carried out by three contractors, namely AP Waters, Ian Williams and Glanmor Developments.

John Wedlock Chair of Newtown Tenants and Residents said “the consultation with the tenants within the community of Newtown has been very good.

It is excellent that tenants now have a choice as to what finishes they prefer so you have a kitchen that is to your liking.

You can have your kitchen tailored to suit your specific needs”.

Tenants have been key to designing the initial improvements programme through participating in the Quality Design Forum (QDF) i.e. a representative group of tenants, staff and Board Members. A ‘most in need’ approach was adopted by the QDF as the rationale for selecting which kitchens and bathrooms needed replacement (on an estate basis) during the initial round of works. www.taicalon.org

• Prepared the satisfaction surveys for the repairs and improvement processes

What will it do in the future?

• Monitor how satisfied tenants are with Tai Calon, its contractors and the finished works • Be involved in the selection of any further contractors needed for the improvement works

If you would be interested in participating in the QDF please contact Natasha Jones on 0300 303 1717.

Heart of the Matter | 3

Join Tai Calon Do you know you can become a member of Tai Calon and have a real say in how Tai Calon is run.

The members are the legal owners of Tai Calon and are able to decide on the future of homes, housing services and local neighbourhoods.

Membership entitles tenants to elect tenant board members and attend member events to vote on key decisions.

Tenant and leaseholders who have already signed up as members have decided to hold elections for a Membership Scrutiny Committee. The role of the Scrutiny Committee is to hold the Board of Tai Calon to account on behalf of all its Members and to ensure that Tai Calon is delivering the commitments made in the Offer Document.

Elections for the Scrutiny Committee are going to be held in the new year. If you would like to put yourself forward for election to the Scrutiny Committee or would like to become a member please contact Natasha Jones on 0300 303 1717.

Contents Which Kitchen Units Do You Like?

2

Join Tai Calon

3

Competition Winner

4

Tenants Are Blooming After Win

4

Fire Fighters Offer Free Safety Check

5

Paying Your Rent

6

Rumour Busting...

6

Free Money Advice

7

Sign Up Sign Up

7

Get A Step Up To Work

8

Bogus Callers in Blaenau Gwent

9

Electrical Safety at Christmas

Blooming Tenants Page 4

www.taicalon.org

10

4 | Heart of the Matter

Competition Winner Congratulations to Mrs Joan Lewis who was the lucky winner in ‘Name Your Newsletter’ competition.

Joan said “I think it was an appropriate name, I was very pleased to be chosen. I was very delighted to receive the flowers and vouchers.

Joan’s entry of ‘Heart of the Matter’ was picked by the Communications Working Group consisting of staff and tenants, as the new name of the tenants newsletter.

Joan was presented with a bouquet of flowers and £50 worth of shopping vouchers.

Tenants are Blooming After Win Through all the excitement and anticipation of the 2010 Blaenau Gwent in Bloom Awards Mr Williams of Gwent Way and Mrs Love of Beaufort were amongst the lucky winners to pick up an award.

Mr Williams said “We were very pleased with the prize. I think the garden is lovely but it is really nice when someone else also notices it”.

Mrs Love said “Blaenau Gwent in Bloom is a hugely popular gardening competition that is free to enter for local people and local businesses. The harsh weather conditions did www.taicalon.org

not hinder the standard of entrants which again was very high.”

Tai Calon were one of the main sponsors at the awards and sponsored the Communities category.

Heart of the Matter | 5

Fire Fighters Offer Free Safety Check The South Wales Fire and Rescue Service is offering you the opportunity to have a FREE Fire Safety Check on your home, carried out by fire fighters from your local fire station. The check takes about 30 minutes.

On booking a Home Fire Safety Check Fire Fighters will arrange a convenient time to visit your home to carry out an inspection.

To arrange your FREE check phone FREE (from a landline) on 0800 169 1234 Or Complete the Online Registration Form at www.southwales-fire.gov.uk Or E-mail: Home Fire Safety to cfs@southwales-fire.gov.uk with your contact details.

www.taicalon.org

They will give life saving advice on how to identify fire hazards in your home, what do to in the event of a fire and how to make a fire escape plan.

6 | Heart of the Matter

Paying Your Rent When Tai Calon carries out its services such as repairs and improvements your rent helps to pay for these services.

It is important that everyone pays their rent on time and keeps up to date with payments.

Rent is charged over 48 weeks so you will have 4 rent free weeks throughout the year. We will send you a quarterly rent statement to let you know your rent balance.

You can pay your rent by: • Direct Debit • Post Office - Please use your new Tai Calon payment card • Pay Zone - Please use your new Tai Calon payment card • Telephone Payment • Internet Payment visit www.taicalon.org • Cash Desk at the Civic Centre - Opening hours are 8.30am to 5pm Monday to Friday • Rent Collector If you find it difficult to pay your rent please contact the Income Team on 0300 303 1717 who will help and discuss payment options with you.

For any other information please telephone Tai Calon on 0300 303 1717.

Teething Problems We are glad to tell you that the issues we have been having with our telephone lines are now sorted out.

We are very sorry to anyone who has tried to call us where it has appeared that we have just not answered the phone. It has taken us 3 weeks to locate the

source of the problem, and it turns out that the calls were not getting to us. Once again, we are very sorry that people have not always been able to talk to us when they wanted to over the last few weeks.

Jen Barfoot Chief Executive Officer

www.taicalon.org

Rumour busting...

We hear there is a rumour going around at the moment that Tai Calon have run out of money... weIl I can absolutely assure you that this is not true.

We have a funding arrangement in place for the next 30 years where we can borrow up to £125 million.

We will need this money over the next few years to carry out all of the works promised to tenant’s homes – so now you know, and if someone tells you that Tai Calon have run out of money – you’ll be able to tell them it’s not true!

Jen Barfoot CEO

David Lloyd Resources Director

Heart of the Matter | 7

Need help with your money?

Ever wanted completely free, impartial information and guidance to help you with your money, with absolutely no selling?

Moneymadeclear™ can help you with all sorts of concerns about money, for example: • I’m struggling to pay my rent and other bills – how am I going to manage?

• I’ve separated from my partner – what should I do about the finances?

• What benefits and tax credits am I entitled to?

• I’d like to borrow some money – what are my options and what does it cost?

• I’m worried about repaying my mortgage if interest rates go up. What can I do?

Moneymadeclear is a service to help everyone. Below is an example of how we were able to help a woman with debts:

A woman came to ask for advice on a number of debts. She has sought debt advice before through a private debt management company. They arranged for her to make token payments of £1 per month to 8 creditors. The woman pays £26 per month to this company which includes a £17 administration fee.

Moneymadeclear was able to help the woman find out about the free, impartial debt advice agencies and she can now reorganise her debts without paying a fee.

Sign Up, Sign Up! You should have by now received copies of your new Tai Calon Tenancy Agreement, this gives you all the rights that were promised in the Tai Calon offer document.

There will be two copies (or in the case of joint tenants three copies) of your tenancy agreement, in which you the named tenant(s) will need to sign all copies and return them all in the freepost envelope provided. We will sign all copies and return your copy(ies) to yourself. Please sign the forms and return them as

soon as possible to ensure that you have the rights that we have promised you.

In the package with the tenancy agreement you will find a Tenant Census questionnaire. The purpose of the Tenant Census questionnaire is to enable Tai Calon to fully understand the needs of its tenants and develop its services in line with those needs. For example if a member of your family is disabled and would take some time to get to the front door we would want to let our staff know in order that we wait longer. NB This information www.taicalon.org

Call our Moneymadeclear™ dedicated helpline on 0300 500 5000 or visit www.moneymadeclear.org.uk for a wide range of impartial information, tools and resources to help you get to grips with your money.”

Ceri Morgan is the Money Guide who works for the Consumer Financial Education Body (CFEB). His job is to improve your understanding of money matters and help you make informed decisions about your money. And, because CFEB is independent, you can rest assured they’re not selling anything. Tai Calon’s Income Team on call 0300 303 1717 to make an appointment.

will only be used by Tai Calon and its partners to shape or improve our services to tenants.

Both documents are very important to us so please complete them as soon as you can. All documents returned within the date on the questionnaire will be entered into a prize draw.

For more information please telephone Tai Calon on 0300 303 1717.

8 | Heart of the Matter

Get a step up to work Do you want to work but can’t get the experience for the jobs you would like or have the confidence to apply. Why not contact the Job match team?

Job match is an organisation funded by the Welsh Assembly Government that works with the long term unemployed, young people that are not in training, employment or education and groups such as lone parents.

Tai Calon is working with Job Match to provide training and paid placement opportunities.

For more information on Job Match and its work with Tai Calon contact:

Kim Whittington, who was unemployed, was accepted on to the JobMatch Community Apprenticeship Training Scheme (CATS) route, which has now kick started her new career.

Kerry Goodenough kerry.goodenough @blaenau-gwent.gov.uk Tel: 07855 233849

George Humphreys george.humphreys @blaenau-gwent.gov.uk Tel: 07813 638436

Lynne Rees lynne.rees @blaenau-gwent.gov.uk Tel: 07814 124216

www.taicalon.org

Heart of the Matter | 9

Bogus Callers in Blaenau Gwent Please be aware that Tai Calon has been informed that bogus callers have been operating in Blaenau Gwent.

All contractors used by Tai Calon and Tai Calon Officers must show you their identity badge prior to entering your home.

Meet Your Tenant Liaison Officers It is important to Tai Calon that when contractors are working in your home you have a point of contact.

Fernando Greco and Emma Ridout are the newly appointed Tenant Liaison Officers who are currently supporting tenants whose homes are receiving kitchen and bathroom upgrades, new roofs and central heating systems.

They will be responsible for ensuring tenants are fully informed as the work is ongoing, presenting tenants with kitchen choices and providing support to those who need assistance.

For more information contact Tai Calon on 0300 303 1717

www.taicalon.org

If you are not sure whether to allow someone into your home please telephone Tai Calon on 0300 303 1717 to check their details.

Remember – our staff and contractors will be happy to wait whilst you check.

10 | Heart of the Matter

Electrical Safety at Christmas To help prevent the most common electrical problems with Christmas lights the Electrical Safety Council recommends following these simple precautions and checks: Always

• Read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions, and retain instructions for future reference • Check that your Christmas lights are not damaged or broken before use and look out for loose wires • Use only replacement bulbs of the same type and rating as those originally supplied with the lights • Ensure all outdoor lights are connected via a 30mA RCD protected socket. An RCD will provide added protection against electric shock • Replace failed lamps immediately to prevent overheating – if lamps are not replaceable, the whole lighting product may need to be replaced • Ensure that plugs and transformers are plugged-in indoors, even if the lighting is suitable for outdoor use • Switch Christmas lights off and unplug them before you go to bed or go out - Even Christmas lights need a break!

• Keep lights away from flammable decorations and other materials that can burn easily • Keep the packaging for safe storage after use. Avoid storage in damp or excessively hot conditions

Never

• Use the lights outdoors unless specially designed for such use • Connect different lighting sets together • Connect lights to the supply while in the packaging • Remove or insert lamps while the chain is connected to the supply • Overload sockets and try to avoid the use of extension leads or adaptors • Allow children to play with Christmas lights • Attempt to repair faulty lights – replace them • Use lights that are damaged or faulty

The Electrical Safety Council recommends the use of “LED” over traditional “filament” Christmas lighting because:

• They operate at extra low voltage which significantly reduces the risk of electric shock • They use much less power, generating little heat and so reducing the risk of fire and burns. This makes them safer to use.

• They are estimated to use 80-90% less electricity than filament lamps so they are less expensive to run and typically last up to 60 times longer. www.taicalon.org

Contact Us If you would like to contact Tai Calon you must telephone 0300 303 1717.

Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council’s Housing Hotline telephone number ‘01495 354600’ will no longer divert your call to us.

If you wish to report a repair, enquire about your rent, or would like to speak to a member of staff from Tai Calon please telephone 0300 303 1717.

Or you can: Write to or visit us at: Solis One, Rising Sun Industrial Estate, Blaina NP13 3JW

Email us: info@taicalon.org

• They are more durable.

Because LED lights are made of a special plastic with no filament, there are no glass bulbs to break or flake.

• They are a great deal more efficient to run and good at saving energy so are more environmentally friendly.