Open House - Spring 2020

SPRING 2020 Housing Services

IN THIS ISSUE PAGE

2 10 YEAR CONTRACT AWARDED

6 EROSH

3 HELP PAYING YOUR RENT

7 CHANGES TO CCTV

4 ESTATE INSPECTIONS

8 CAPITAL WORKS PLAN

5 COMMUNITY WARDEN SCHEME

8 APPROACH TO HOMELESSNESS

GETTING READY FOR SPRING AT ERINGDEN On the 28 November 2019 the residents, along with the Resident Support OfďŹ cer Maria decided to replace the summer plants at the Eringden block for some winter bushes, along with some spring bulbs and bark chippings.

I would just like to say a big thank you to all involved Keith (resident), Lovell (contractors), Street Scene, Estates Cleaner Dawn, Housing Officer Claire & Sonja from Tamworth Borough Council for all their hard work. The plants outside the front and around the outside look amazing and look even better now they have begun to grow.

Eringden garden makeover team

Before

After

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10-YEAR CONTRACT AWARDED Council awards new 10-year contracts for maintenance and improvement of council houses Tamworth Borough Council has awarded new contracts worth more than £100million for the improvement, repair and maintenance of the town’s 4,200+ council houses over the next 10 years.

The out of hours service will be provided by ENGIE for an initial period of 12 months while the new contracts are embedded.

The new contracts take effect on April 1, but there will be no change to the way tenants report or raise repairs.

There will be no difference to the way tenants get in touch with the housing repairs service as all contact details will remain the same.

This significant investment is part of our ongoing commitment to provide a high standard of affordable housing, supported by an efficient repairs and maintenance service, while achieving the best possible value for money.

Cllr Michelle Cook, Tamworth Borough Council’s Cabinet member for Housing Services and Communities, said: “Providing decent affordable homes is one of our main priorities and represents a significant proportion of council spending. This means we have to achieve the best value for money possible, while ensuring our housing is of a high standard and that the service we provide to tenants is a good one.

The council’s current three-year contract with Wates Living Space ends on March 31, 2020, and the new 10-year agreement will be split into two parts.

From April 1, 2020, Wates Living Space will continue to undertake planned works to council houses in the borough, including new kitchens, new bathrooms, external work and any other planned improvement projects. The Wates Living Space contract will be in the region of £50million over the 10 years.

Day-to-day and out of hours emergency repairs, as well as repairs to void properties, aids and adaptations, planned maintenance, annual gas servicing and repairs to other council property, will be undertaken by ENGIE, in a 10-year contract worth around £67million.

“We were also keen to take control of the housing repairs call centre, so that future calls will be received and dealt with by Tamworth Borough Council. We’ll be extending the team to facilitate this so we can drive improvements in call handling, repair diagnostics, and scheduling and importantly, follow up after repairs have been carried out.

“We are now working closely with both contractors to ensure there is a smooth transition in April.”

Both contracts also have a strong focus on delivering a range of benefits to the wider community to ensure the ongoing work of both ENGIE and Wates has a positive impact on the lives of residents in the area.

These include vocational qualifications and apprenticeship opportunities for local people, the provision of digital training courses in construction, and improvements to a council-owned facility such as a play area or community building.

Other activities to be delivered as part of the contract include community DIY workshops, projects to provide enhanced and improved security for vulnerable residents and helping to tackle fuel poverty and causes of damp/condensation.

Alongside the new contracts, the council will be bringing the repairs call centre in-house to improve the overall customer experience. From April, a dedicated repairs line will be managed by specialist repairs call handlers at Tamworth Borough Council during working hours.

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OPEN HOUSE – SPRING 2020

(l-r) Justin Catton (Head of Operations, ENGIE), Paul Bingham (Regional Director, ENGIE), Cllr Michelle Cook (Tamworth Borough Council’s Cabinet member for Housing Services and Communities), om Langley (Divisional Director, Wates Living Space).

ARE YOU STRUGGLING TO PAY YOUR RENT AND NEED HELP? Keep the roof over your head and get in touch before it is too late 01827 709709 Not paying your rent can lead to losing your home How to make a claim for Universal Credit: www.gov.uk/universal-credit If you don’t have access to a digital service or cannot access due to a disability you can contact Universal Credit: Telephone: 0800 328 5644 NGT text relay: 18001 0800 328 5644 Textphone: 0800 328 1344 Tips to prepare for claiming Universal Credit: Budget Universal credit is paid a month in arrears so you must try to save some money so that you can pay your rent, buy groceries and pay other household bills while you are waiting for your first monthly payment. You will have to manage your income differently if you are not used to being paid monthly.

How can you pay your rent?

Tamworth Borough Council offer the following payment options and you are free to choose the most convenient way for you: Standing Order – you set this up with your bank or building society to pay your rent on a date and frequency of your choice Direct Debit - the payment dates available are weekly on a Friday or the 1st or 16th of every month, contact the council to set one up 24/7 Online – by debit or credit card at www.tamworth.gov.uk 24/7 Automated Telephone Payment Line, by debit or credit card Tel: 0345 2307 709 Pay Point or Post Office outlets – you can pay your rent at the post office or any store displaying the Pay Point sign, with an Allpay card. To order a card contact the council Don’t forget if you are struggling to pay your rent we are here to try and help you. Contact us!

The Tenancy Sustainment Team 01827 709709

Open a bank account If you don’t have a bank account already you must open one so that you can receive your Universal Credit payment. For advice on opening a bank account contact the Tamworth Advice Centre 0300 330 9002 who are based at the council offices.

Online access Universal Credit is applied for and managed online, so you must make sure you are able to access the internet and have an email address. If you need help to claim Universal Credit there is a help to claim service provided by the Citizens Advice Bureau, Telephone 0800 1448 444 or Textphone 18001 0800 1448 444 and they support you from the application to your first payment.

Help and advice Available and if you are experiencing financial difficulties and would like a referral to the Tamworth Advice Centre who offer a range of different services including budgeting and debt advice please contact the Tenancy Sustainment team on 01827 709709 or alternatively you can contact the Tamworth Advice Centre 0300 330 9002 to book an appointment.

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COMING… TO A STREET NEAR YOU, COME AND JOIN US PROGRAMME OF ESTATE INSPECTIONS

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Ward

Area – Streets/Roads

Inspection

Amington

Arden Close, Fairview Close, Florendine Street, Highfield Avenue, Kerria Road, Madrona, Magnolia, Monks Way, Nemesia, Quince, Ridgewood Rise, Robinia, Saffron, Sorbus, Sorrel, Spruce, Tilia Road, Trefoil, Woodhouse Lane.

April 2020

Belgrave

Allensmead, Barnbridge, Belgrave Road, Bright Crescent, Broadsmeath, Exley, Greatmead, Hamble, Hayle, Honeybourne, Irwell, Kennett, Lomita Crescent, Lower Park, Medina, Medway, Tarrant, Stonepit, Wandsbeck, Waveney, Thurne.

May 2020

Bolehall

Amington Road, Argyle Avenue, Aspbury Court, Bamford Street, Beech Avenue, Bridgewater Street, Canning Road, Dormer Avenue, East View, Ferrers Road, Goostry Road, Goostry Close, John Street, Leedham Avenue, Macgregor Crescent, Manor Road, Marshall Street, Neville Street, New Street, Rene Road, School Street, Sheepcote Lane, Summerfield Road, St. Georges Way, Thomas Street, Tudor Crescent.

June 2020

Castle

Balfour, Bitterscote Lane, Bradford Street, Colbourne Road, Crutchley Avenue, Devereux House, Fazeley Road, Halford Street, Lichfield Street, Harcourt House, Milo Crescent, Moor Street, Morgan Road, Orchard Street, Peel House, Richmond Close, Stanhope House, Strode House, Sunset Close, Sutton Avenue, Townshend House, Victoria Road, Weymouth House.

July 2020

Glascote

Calder, Caledonian, Cambrian, Camhouses, Carisbrooke, Carlcroft, Chapelon, Craven, Crossfell, Deeley, Dunedin, Engine Lane, Faringdon, Gresley, Hawksworth, Ivatt, Kirtley, Maitland, Pullman Close, Signal Walk.

August 2020

Mercian

Arnold Close, Bloomfield Way, Browning Close, Burns Road, Byron Road, September 2020 Campbell Close, Chaucer Close, Chesterton Way, Coleridge Close, Comberford Road, Dryden Road, Elizabeth Drive, Goldsmith Place, Keats Close, Keble Walk, Kingsley Close, Kipling Rise, Longfellow Walk, Masefield Drive, Milton Avenue, Shakespeare Close, Shelley Road, Spenser Close, St. Austell Close, Tennyson Avenue, Thackeray Drive, Wordsworth Avenue.

Spital

Alfred Street, Ashby Road, Beech Close, Beech Road, Borough Road, Calder Drive, October 2020 Cherry Tree Walk, Chestnut Avenue, Copes Drive, Edward Street, Gillway Lane, Hawthorne Avenue, Hazel Court, Hilltop Avenue, Holly Close, Laburnum Avenue, Lilac Road, Nevill Street, Prospect Street, Queensway, Salters Lane, Steere Avenue, Stevenson Road, Tempest Street, Wiggington Road, Willington Road.

Stonydelph

Craven, Crowden Road, Ealingham, Edale, Ellerbeck, Eringden, Garrigill, Gayle, November 2020 Holwick, Litton, Lothersdale, Milburn, Montley, Murton, Pennymoor Road, Rainscar, Ravenstone, Raygill, Ribblesdale.

Trinity

Greenhill Close, High Street, New Street, Orchard Close, Parkfield Close, Tamworth Road, Welford Road, Wigford Road

November 2020

Wilnecote

Admiral Close, Arden Road, Ash Grove, Bailey Avenue, Bakers Walk, Beauchamp Road, Brook Avenue, Butterfly Walk, Callis Walk, Castle Road, Ethelfleda Road, Gorsy Bank Road, Hockley Road, Jervis Road, Kilbye Close, Kimberley, Leisure Walk, Liberty Road, Linthouse Walk, New Road, Overwoods Road, Quarry Hill, Smithy Lane, Tinkers Green Road.

December 2020

OPEN HOUSE – SPRING 2020

CHANGES TO OUR COMMUNITY WARDEN SCHEME The Community Warden service is now managed under the Neighbourhoods Directorate.

In February 2020, a patch based patrol was introduced. The borough has been split into 4 areas or “patches” as set out on the map below.

• Patch 1 will be covered by Pete Watkins • Patch 2 will be covered by Pat Kavanagh

This new way of working is to support the Place Based Approach and will allow the Wardens to take ownership of the issues in their own area whilst engaging with Tenancy Sustainment Officers, PCSO’s, schools and other community initiatives.

Over the coming months, the wardens will relocate to the partnership office to maximise a multi-agency approach to the resolution of anti-social behaviour, environmental crime and neighbourhood issues across the Borough on a tenure neutral basis.

• Patch 3 will be covered by Brian Lees • Patch 4 will be covered by Dave Jones Whittington Wigginton

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2

Hints Polesworth

Fazeley

3 4 Dordon

Drayton Bassett

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EROSH - THE EMERGING ROLE OF SHELTERED HOUSING Neighbourhood Services has recently become a member of EROSH. EROSH is the national consortium for older people’s housing and support services and is an essential membership organisation for professionals in the sector.

EROSH provides practical expert advice and guidance, news and commentary for front line staff and service managers to help respond to the challenges and opportunities currently facing the sector. The aim is to enhance individual and organisational performance, to increase compliance with national standards and ultimately to maintain or improve the quality of housing related support services for older people.

• Addressing Loneliness & Social Isolation in older people • Fire safety in sheltered housing • Person centered support housing • Adult safeguarding • Dealing with hoarding • Mobility vehicles • Professional boundaries • Intergenerational projects Practical case studies demonstrating good practice are also used and include:

EROSH works with and on behalf of the older people’s housing sector in the UK to:

• Digital inclusion

• Raise awareness of the value and benefits of older people’s housing

• Working with people with dementia

• Celebrate housing with care and support for older people • Promote sheltered and retirement housing schemes as community hubs • Influence joint working at all levels • Disseminate good practice EROSH Membership offers invaluable, user-friendly good practice guides and checklists written by experts on a variety of topics.

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These include:

OPEN HOUSE – SPRING 2020

• Sheltered schemes as community hubs • Health and well-being projects Members in different parts of the UK regularly meet to share good practice, work together to resolve issues and to hear guest speakers. EROSH is committed to promoting good quality housing and support for older people and lobbying to provide a collective voice to influence government policy.

EROSH are committed to highlighting the preventative benefits of sheltered housing as well as its role in providing access to services and social activities for older people in the wider community and in saving money for health and social care.

CHANGES TO CCTV Tamworth Borough Council is to join forces with the West Midlands Combined Authority for the provision of CCTV services in the town Tamworth Borough Council is to join forces with the West Midlands Combined Authority for the provision of CCTV services in the town, as part of a plan to protect and enhance the vital community resource for the future.

Technology used by the town’s network of cameras and its control room is now obsolete and needs upgrading in the near future to ensure it remains an effective tool in the prevention and detection of crime.

A number of options for the future of the service have been explored as part of an in-depth review, involving consultation with a wide variety of partners and stakeholders.

Sharing the service with the West Midlands Combined Authority has been approved by the council’s Cabinet as the preferred option as it meets all the long-term goals for improving the service, and comes with a number of additional benefits resulting from working with partners across boundaries - and all at a reduced cost to the council over the long-term.

The shared service agreement allows for significant capital investment of £400,000 over the next five years to upgrade the network to the latest technology.

The new arrangement will start in April 2020 and there will be a full assessment of all individual cameras within the first six months, which will include replacing equipment and making sure coverage is still being targeted where it is most needed.

The CCTV system will be operated from the WMCA’s BS7958, state-of-the-art centre of excellence, which already houses over 1,500 cameras including those from Walsall Council, Solihull MBC and East Staffs BC, as well the transport network of the region. The partnership with WMCA will see the Tamworth system

upgraded to a fully digital HD system, benefiting from WMCA’s recent advancements of video analytics.

Tamworth Borough Council’s Cabinet member for Operational Services and Culture, Cllr John Chesworth, said: “Our CCTV system is now several years old and significant investment is required if it is to remain an effective crime prevention tool.

“While the provision of CCTV isn’t a statutory service, we know that ceasing it isn’t an option, and its importance was clear during consultation with stakeholders including the police, community partners and businesses.

“However, in the current climate, we do need to make sure we are delivering the best possible service by the most efficient means possible. The system desperately needs upgrading and we are committed to ensuring that happens. Following the review, it was clear that the best way of doing this would be to join forces with the West Midlands Combined Authority, which already operates a large CCTV network across the region, including through partnerships with a number of other councils.

“This way, we get to upgrade our system, and take advantage of cross-border working, which means looking at criminal behaviour and patterns across the whole region, rather than focusing on Tamworth as an isolated area, as we know there are many crimes which originate from outside the town.

“The system will be operated from the WMCA’s centre of excellence, rather than our CCTV control room which will soon no longer be fit for purpose.

“We will have access to police analysts within that centre and a digital link to the police is also proposed.

We get all that and still save money in the long run, so this option really did make the most sense in terms of providing the best value for money service possible.”

The long transition phase will enable teams from Tamworth and the WMCA to work together and learn from each-other in the coming months in order to ensure a smooth implementation this April.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO GET INVOLVED? Getting involved is a great way to know that you are contributing to improving the services you receive and your voice can empower you and other tenants to improve the council’s performance and development in areas that matter to you.

We believe in working together with tenants, in partnership, to improve the services we offer. If you are interested in getting involved please contact the Tenant Regulatory & Involvement Team on 01827 709709 or email tenantparticipation@tamworth.gov.uk

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SPOTLIGHT ON CAPITAL WORKS PLAN As part of the annual capital investment programme, Tamworth Borough Council, in partnership with Wates Living Space have successfully carried out refurbishment works through their sub-contractors Blyth Group across two sheltered housing schemes, Ankermoor Court & Glenfield.

This consisted of new flooring to communal lounges and corridors, anti-slip vinyl flooring to main reception areas along with painting and decorating throughout. Speaking to Brenda the scheme manager at Ankermoor Court she said “I and the residents are all extremely happy with the work carried out, the contractors were polite and courteous on site and the improvements will be beneficial to all”. The investment programme for 2020/2021 will include refurbishment works at Bright Crescent and Cheatle Court and eventually will be rolled out to all Sheltered Schemes.

Communal Lounge at Ankermoor Court

Communal Lounge at Glenfield

Corridor at Ankermoor

PRAISE FOR TAMWORTH’S APPROACH TO HOMELESSNESS In November 2019 the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government visited Tamworth to review the functions provided by Housing Solutions.

The feedback received was very positive and highlighted in particular the strengths of the new service structure that was implemented in April 2019 to include the unification of housing services. They commented that the new structure provides a one Council approach and focus on the customer journey. They observed that there was clear Corporate Commitment to delivering quality, joined up services in order to maximise the opportunities to prevent homelessness as well as to provide appropriate services and support to those

experiencing homelessness. They felt that the service design operates effectively and efficiently to deliver the aims and objectives of the Homelessness Reduction Act (HRA) introduced in April 2018 and that as a result the team had achieved a significant spend reduction in its usage of Bed and Breakfast temporary accommodation (TA) in the last 18 months which was extremely positive. Housing Solutions continues to work on its TA service offer for customers who need it with a range of temporary options mitigating crisis interventions. The Council continues to work with partners in the third sector and voluntary groups building on Community resilience to support those threatened with or experiencing homelessness in Tamworth.

If you require this document in an alternative format or language, please contact us on 01827 709709

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OPEN HOUSE – SPRING 2020

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