Our new THRIVE service, supporting Trafford’s 3rd Sector Page 18-19
Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour Page 25 Localities Partnership launch Page 36-37
We’re recruiting our
2013 Apprentices Could this be you? Page 6-8
Spring 2013
Contents
2
Welcome
3
A* performance in Trafford
40-41
Our Apprentice, Amy
4-5
Runway Conference
42-43
Join our 2013 Apprentice Scheme
6-8
Old Trafford Masterplan
44-46
Greenfingers
9
Rainbow Furniture
47
RIO comes to Trafford
10
Altrincham Foodbank
48
Cyber bullying
11
Leaseholders Together
49-51
Wig wam bam
12-13
Henshaws
52
Sheltered Scheme activities
14-15
Society for Abandoned Animals
53
Poetry competition
16
THT’s mobile app
54
Mile of mice
17
Community Centre event
55
Thrive services
18-19
Customer Hub survey
56
Our promises
20-23
Repair and appointments
24
Tackling ASB
25-27
Block Champions
28
Quality Insight Panel
29
Calendar of events
30-31
Community Reporters
32-33
Skills4you
34-35
Locality Partnerships
36-37
Trafford College development
38-39
Congratulations to the latest Gas Service Draw winner Miss Esdaille Lacy Street of Sretford.
Welcome to the Spring 2013 Issue of Pulse
T
his edition of Pulse arrives with you at the beginning of a very challenging time for many of our tenants and for the Trust. The ‘bedroom tax’ is with us from 1st April and for some of our tenants this means a reduction in their Housing Benefit. They will have to find the money to fund the gap between their Housing Benefit and their rent. At a time when other costs are rising this is going to mean some lifestyle changes for many. From a Trust perspective, it makes our task of collecting rent a little more challenging. We must collect full rent from everyone in order to ensure the security of the business for the benefit of all our customers. We can only continue to provide high quality housing, improve our neighbourhoods and invest in the future by protecting our income. There is no doubt Welfare Reform will have an impact in our communities, but by working together we can make the best of it for everyone. We have included a Money Supplement in this edition. This is not just for those on benefits - we hope the information, particularly the section on budgeting and useful tips, can help everyone. It is also an exciting time for the borough of Trafford. The Trafford Partnership, a strong collaboration of the Council, Police, Health, the College, Leisure Trust, THT and other statutory agencies, are setting up four Locality Partnerships to bring decision making closer to the people of Trafford. We will be playing a full and active role in these partnerships, as will our Community Panels. They will launched at the Trafford Partnership event on 25th April.
You can read all about this on pages 36-37 and I am sure you will hear a lot about them in the future. In a similar vein I am excited about the development of Thrive, our partnership with Pulse Regeneration which is providing help and support to local community and voluntary groups. Thrive launched its work in March and is now on the ground, making a difference to these groups. They are featured on pages 18-19. I am also really pleased to be able to recruit some more Apprentices to our staff team this year. Following the success of last year’s Award Winning ‘You are Hired!’ recruitment initiative, we have had seven bright, enthusiastic young people working around our business. I am looking forward to repeating the experience. Do you know anyone who might be interested? The details are on pages 6-8. I hope you enjoy this edition of Pulse and that it gives you valuable information about your Trust and the things that are happening in your neighbourhood. May I take this opportunity of wishing you a Happy Easter.
Matthew Gardiner Chief Executive, Trafford Housing Trust
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Pictured: Matthew Gardiner with Amy Nield, Customer Involvement Apprentice
OUR APPRENTICE Amy spills the beans Back in July 2012, I applied for the Trust’s Apprentice Programme which was based on the BBC1 TV show ‘The Apprentice’. This was a 3 week process where we were split into 2 teams and asked to complete 6 different tasks. At the end of every task, both teams were invited to the board room where the winning team was revealed. I was fortunate enough to be one of the young people to take on an Apprenticeship role with Trafford Housing Trust. My current role is with the Community, Partnerships and Engagement Team, working with both the Youth Team and Community, Partnerships and Engagement Officers. These roles are based in the Head Office at Sale Point but more often than not I am out and about in the Trust’s neighbourhoods. Some of the projects I have been involved in are delivering MEND sessions, which is a healthy lifestyle programme for children and 4
their families, RIO sporting project which you can read more about on page 10 and I’m also Project Manager for this year’s Apprentice Programme! After completing my 2 years of the Apprentice Programme, I am hoping to go into a permanent role within The Trust. I’ve been given the opportunity to go to Manchester College for half a day every week, studying Youth Work at NVQ Level 3.
I have chosen to go down this path as I have always wanted to work with children and young people and I have just completed a level 3 Diploma in Childcare and Education. Within the Apprentice role, I have been able to put the information I’ve learnt at college into practice. Through being in this role I have gained so much experience from both community and engagement and from the Youth Team. My advice to anybody that is considering their options, is to take this or any opportunity available to go into a company which is offering an apprenticeship in an area of the business that you think you will be interested in. It also opens many paths in which you may want to go down. Apply now for the THT Apprentice Programme. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Written by Amy Nield
Pictured: Amy with proud mum and dad, Lynn and Bob
To find out more about joining our 2013 apprentice scheme, please see page 6.
Amy Nield with other successful Apprentices now employed at THT. Pictured: Carly Bothwell - Money Support Apprentice, Carrie Lenegan - Communication and Event Management Apprentice, Amy Nield and Macaulay Stephenson - Business Support Apprentice with Salford City College’s Mascot
5
Have you got what it takes? Are you aged 16-19 and would you like to be the next Trafford Housing Trust Apprentice for 2013? Following on from last year’s successful ‘Apprentice Recruitment Programme’ Trafford Housing Trust is going to repeat the programme and are looking for Apprentices for 2013. Unlike the BBC show ‘The Apprentice’, none of the applicants who go through the process will be ‘fired’ after tasks. How long will the Recruitment Programme last for?
Executive, Matthew Gardiner will be playing the role of Lord Sugar, to reveal the winning team.
This year’s Apprentice Programme will run from 8th July–26th July from Monday to Friday. If you would like to apply for this opportunity you must be: • Committed to attending every day for the 3 weeks • Be involved and willing to take part in every task set
What will I be doing if I am successful?
Will I be given training and guidance throughout the Recruitment Programme? Before the tasks begin, the first day will be an introduction day, to help you gain and understand skills which will help you on your way to being a successful Apprentice. Each team will then be assigned to a team mentor who will give some guidance along the way. How does the Recruitment Programme work? At the beginning of each new task, the candidates will be split into 2 teams and each team assigned to a mentor. The tasks will be fully explained and at the end of each task the candidates will come together to the board room where Trafford Housing Trust’s Chief
6
The Apprentice posts are for a two year fixed period. During this time you will gain experience in housing and develop fantastic transferable skills which we hope will prepare you to secure Preparing food at a Sheltered Scheme a permanent position within the Trust. Trafford Housing Trust is in the Sunday Times Best 100 Not for Profit Companies to work for, for the fourth year running. We are also very proud of our IiP Gold “ The THT Apprentice programme was one of the best experiences” Macaulay Stephenson, IT Apprentice 2012
Youth Board After weeks of planning, the day finally arrived for our Youth Board members to meet our official Board Members alongside Matthew Gardiner and Senior Management. The Apprentice’s planning a staff event
and IiP Wellbeing Champion Status. We encourage a healthy work/life balance and offer an attractive benefits package for employees. As well as a competitive system of pay and reward, benefits include excellent training and development opportunities, cycle to work scheme, child care voucher scheme, access to a contributory pension scheme, health care plan and free access to leisure facilities in the borough. How do I apply? In order to be considered for this year’s exciting Apprentice Programme you must be aged 16-19 and live in the Trafford area. To download an application form you can simply go to www.traffordhousingtrust.co.uk/thtapprentice and email the form to jobs@traffordhousingtrust.co.uk or write to Human Resources, Sale Point, 126-150 Washway Road, Sale, M33 6AG Please send applications back by Tuesday 30th April. We will let candidates know if they have been accepted onto the programme in May. See our video for more information about what you’ll be doing www.traffordhousingtrust.co.uk/thtapprentice
The evening was creatively put together and started with fun ice breakers, for all to take part, followed by a presentation from the Youth Board on their journey so far and their hopes for the future. Our official Board Members were quizzed by the Youth Board and when the evening came to a close, both sides left enthused and excited about the future. The Youth Board have agreed two priorities to focus on including sustainable youth activities and youth unemployment. Jordon Gill, aged 15 from Sale Moor said: “ At the start of the evening I was quite nervous because I didn’t want to mess up in front of The Board, but as the evening got going my confidence boosted and I felt at ease. I am excited and looking forward to future projects.” Alan Smith THT Board Member commented: “It was good to hear what they have achieved in such a short time after a relatively long gestation. I hope that communication and effective co-operation between our two Boards continues.”
John Verbickas, THT Board Member Olivia Sparkes THT Youth Board Member Jordon Gill THT Youth Board Member Alan Smith THT Board Member
7
THT APPRENTICE 2013
? ? ?? ? YOU’RE HIRED!!
Apply for your chance of an Apprenticeship at THT Successful candidates will take part in a series of tasks in the style of the BBC TV Programme ‘The Apprentice’ 2 year Apprenticeships within the Trust will be available to the most outstanding candidates Salary starts at £12,602 Qualifications provided as part of the Apprenticeships Go to www.traffordhousingtrust.co.uk/thtapprentice for more information and to download the application form
Closing date for applications: Tuesday 30th April 2013 Recruitment Programme will run from 8th-26th July 2013 Roles start August-September 2013 8
9
Rio de Janeiro 2016 COMES TO TRAFFORD RIO (Race into Old Trafford Sporting Academy and Roadshows) will focus on giving the young people of Trafford an opportunity to access quality afterschool and holiday period sporting sessions, based on London 2012 Olympic Legacy themed activities.
This project has a number of partners; Comic Relief, School Walk and Cornbrook Way Residents Association Old Trafford, Woodsend Community Group, Abbotsfield Parkies Group Urmston, Trafford Housing Trust, Tuf* C Urban Fitness, Sport Trafford, Trafford Council Travel Awareness Team, CYPS, Youth Service and Education. All these partners are committed to the project and looking at building an Olympic legacy in 10
Old Trafford, Urmston and Trafford. The sessions are active, fun and are designed to informally educate and introduce young people to the sporting journey to the city of Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics. This is being done by presenting the children with Olympic themed sporting and health awareness sessions. This project will benefit in particular, the Trafford Housing Trust neighourhoods situated in and around Old Trafford, Seymour Park and in Urmston, Woodsend and Flixton as the project develops Trafford wide. RIO has been made possible by School Walk and Cornbrook Way Residents Association who have supported a number of key partners in obtaining funding for this fantastic project. Leading on this project is Leon Pietrzak, Trafford Housing Trust Youth Involvement Officer for Old Trafford and Urmston, who has supported partners in the bid that has secured funding for 12 months from Comic Relief and the Old Trafford Panel. This project will provide young people with opportunities to access activities on their door step and have access to sports coaching and a comprehensive programme that allows choice and positive influences to enter into their lives through the Olympic motto of
“It’s the taking part that counts”
STOP, BLOCK & TELL PROJECT As a result of the sessions ‘Who Are We and What Do We Do’, which is being delivered by Leon Pietrzak, Youth Involvement Officer for Trafford Housing Trust in Old Trafford and Urmston, we have been looking at interactive ways to work with schools to tackle issues that affect young people. As a pilot session Trafford Housing Trust worked with St Michaels C of E Primary School in Flixton, on a workshop that built on PHSE lessons regarding anti bullying and reinforced key messages around types of bullying and how to deal with it. The workshop’s key theme was technological bullying, so we split the young people up into small groups and looked at the types of bullying, the consequences of bullying
and the impact of bullying on people.
BULLY
As a result, Trafford Housing Trust is supporting further workshops that are to be carried out by Freedom Personal Safety who has obtained funding from the Urmston Panel following a successful series of sessions in Altrincham as a result of Panel funding. As parents and teachers, we can’t be with our children all the time so we owe it to them to give them the skills, knowledge and confidence to stop anyone hurting them.
UPCOMING GARRICK PLAYHOUSE SHOWS, ALTRINCHAM Acorn Antiques The Musical
Enlightenment
Monday 27th May - Saturday 1st June 2013
Twenty-year-old backpacker Adam disappears on a round the world trip, in Shelagh Stevenson’s darkly disturbing thriller.
A side-splitting, toe-tapping musical version of Victoria Wood’s much loved soap opera parody. Tickets: £14.50 (£12.50 concessions)
Monday 22nd - Saturday 27th April 2013
Tickets £11.50-£12.50 (£9.50-£10.50 concessions) Two-for-one on Monday. Book now on 0161 928 1677 11
WIG WAM BAM!
12 young people from Sale Moor went ‘WIGWAMMING’ to the North East in February to take part in an exciting weekend residential. These youngsters have shown leadership skills and attended sessions for over 9 months. More recently, the Youth Service have offered funding to paint the bowling green building and make it usable for the young people of Sale Moor. Youth Workers from Genesis, Trafford Youth Service and Trafford Housing Trust have been working with the group of youngsters for over 9 months which has, undoubtedly, had a positive effect on the young people. They are excited about revamping the building and have already started using it to meet on a Wednesday evening.
12
Illustrations
Vicki Duncan,Youth Officer at Trafford Housing Trust commented: “The group of young people turn up every week and have been positively engaging with us for many months. They’re keen to decorate the building and Janet Green, of Trafford Youth Service, has been key in this project as she had useful contacts to use the building as well as the bowling green.” Vicki added, “we’ve chosen the 12 young people from our register of attendees who have attended the sessions the most, which was the fairest way of choosing who went on the residential.” The youngsters chose what they wanted to eat and helped staff cook and prepare the meal. They took part in abseiling and archery as well as enjoying the great outdoors! The young people particularly enjoyed the campfire which the staff helped get going. The camp site had fire pits and the owners left us logs to burn which was lovely of them. For anyone interested in Wigwamming, you can find all details on www.wigwamholidays.com
13
Sheltered Scheme Activities A warm welcome awaits you at any of our 20 sheltered schemes across the Borough. Activities take place daily in the schemes ranging from healthy hips and hearts exercise classes, luncheon clubs and art and crafts. If you are interested in joining in please contact the scheme for further details. Schemes also have special events and coming up we have: • Monthly Luncheon Club going from Sale Moor to various restaurants • St George’s Day celebrations on 23rd April Also if you have any talents you would like to share with our schemes please get in touch.
14
Scheme
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday Thursday
Friday
Bramhall Close, Sale Moor Tel: 973 8494
Stamp Club
Evening Bingo
Manor Court, Ashton on Mersey Tel: 973 2286
Breakfast Club
Knit n Natter
Bingo Afternoon
Exercise Class
Townscroft Lodge, Sale Tel: 962 1025
Arts and Crafts
Exercise Class
Coffee Morning
Whist Club Bingo Evening
Afternoon Tea
Newhey Court, Sale Tel: 962 0106
Arts and Crafts
Bingo Afternoon Exercise Class
Film Club
Lunch Club
Knit n Natter
Scheme
Monday
Clyne Court, Stretford Tel: 872 8840
Chit n Chat
Lostock Court, Stretford Tel: 748 2624
Bingo
Pavillion Lodge, Stretford Tel: 860 7914
Luncheon Club
Victoria Court, Stretford Tel: 865 7363
Wednesday Thursday
Friday
Coffee Morning
Bingo
Breakfast Morning
Craft Club
Exercise Class
Evening Bingo
Breakfast Club
Craft Night
Bingo Afternoon
Coffee Morning Luncheon Club
Bingo Afternoon Breakfast Club
Card Afternoon
Bingo Afternoon
Vine Court, Stretford Tel: 865 7806
Coffee Morning
Exercise Class
Bingo Afternoon
Chit n Chat Afternoon
Lowry Lodge, Old Trafford Tele: 848 9481
Chit n Chat
Hoy Bingo Afternoon
Exercise Class
Music Afternoon
Marlfield Court, Flixton Tel: 747 5358
Tuesday
Bingo Afternoon Coffee Morning
Art Group
Exercise Class
Bingo Afternoon
Arts and Crafts
Craft Afternoon
Bingo Afternoon
Ormeston Lodge, Urmston Tel: 748 8103
Coffee Morning
Royle Higginson, Urmston Tel: 747 7677
Bingo Afternoon Luncheon Club
Bingo Afternoon
Coffee Morning
Millom Court, Broomwood Tel: 980 3670
Exercise Class
Arts and Crafts
Lunch Club
Hoy Bingo
Treadmill Exercises
Orchard Court, Timperley Tel: 980 4741
Egg/Bacon Brunch
Dominoes Afternoon
Bingo Afternoon
Exercise Class
Coffee Mornings
New Haven Extra Care, Timperley Tel: 980 7563
Arts and Crafts
Afternoon Tea
Games Afternoon Exercise Class
Coffee Morning
Leverett Court, Oldfield Brow Arts and Crafts Tel: 941 1506
Afternoon Tea
Hoy Bingo
Afternoon Tea
Exercise Class
Lyngarth House, Altrincham Tel: 928 3074
Exercise Class
Lunch Club
Coffee Morning
Bingo Afternoon Breakfast Club
Wellgreen Lodge, Hale Tel: 980 4743
Hoy Bingo Afternoon
Games Afternoon
Craft / Bingo
Bacon Butties
Games
Film Club Monthly
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Are you a poet but you just don’t know it? If you’re a budding poet, here’s your chance to get your work published in the next edition of Pulse. We’d love to hear your story so please email any entries to carrie.lenegan@traffordhousingtrust.co.uk. As a starter for ten, here’s a fab poem that made the residents of Millom Close Sheltered Scheme laugh. They say I should go in a home They say I can’t cope on me own ‘Cos I’m losing me grip Me house is a tip And I don’t ever answer me phone.
They say I must do as I’m told And me semi-detached must be sold And on top of all that I can’t keep me cat ‘Cos it’s smelly like me and too old.
They say that me memory is shot And me eyesight is going to pot Me legs are like jelly Me underwear’s smelly And I seem to be breathin’ a lot.
So here I am sat all alone Surrounded by all that I own I’ve packed all me frocks Me cat’s in a box And I’m saying goodbye to me home.
That say that me hearing is bad And I’m losing what brain cells I had I’m getting contrary My armpits are hairy And I’m beginning to look like me Dad.
And now me new life will begin But I think I’m upsetting me Kin ‘Cos i’m moving next door With the man I adore And I’m going to be living in sin!
They’ve found me a nice little place With plenty of fresh air and space But I have to be brave And I have to behave And I’m not to break wind during Grace. 16
MILE OF MICE FUNDRAISING FOR THE ALZHEIMER’S SOCIETy 2013 Do you fancy getting involved with raising money and being part of a Guinness Book of Records attempt? You may well remember our quilt and teddy bear challenge that we advertised in previous issues of Pulse. Well, now we’ve moved on to mice! The Wellgreen Craft and Create group will be knitting mice this year to hopefully make a mile of mice to raise money through sponsorship. We will need as many people as possible to knit the mice (we need 10,600) and we need sponsors. All money raised will go to the Alzheimer’s Society and after the challenge is complete we will be selling the mice to raise yet more money.
If you require any more information please contact Libby on 0161 980 4743. 17
Working together in Trafford Trafford’s community and third sector organisations are set for a major boost with the launch of a new support and advice service. Thrive’s aim is to help Trafford Council and the Trafford Partnership deliver their vision for a ‘thriving third sector’. A joint venture between Pulse Regeneration and Trafford Housing Trust, Thrive Trafford offers guidance, information and support to third sector organisations. The new service helps with capacity building for organisations, accessing and increasing the success of funding, helping people become more engaged with decision making in their local community and assessing community needs. It draws on the support of the private sector to support groups and volunteering activity. Thrive will also be managing the voluntary sector grants on behalf of Trafford Council through a series of budgeting events. 18
Thrive celebrated it’s launch in March at Sale Point and the event provided access to taster workshops on a number of subjects that respond to the findings of the Trafford Third Sector Needs survey completed at the end of last year. This gave everyone a flavour of the services on offer from Thrive and partners in the near future.
Thrive Trafford is a partnership between Pulse Regeneration and Trafford Housing Trust delivering infrastructure support to third sector organisations and communities in Trafford.
Chris Hart, Managing Director at Pulse Regeneration and Contract Manager for Thrive Trafford:
Matthew Gardiner, Chief Executive at Trafford Housing Trust:
Roger Sutton, Chair of Stronger Communities Board:
“We received responses from over a hundred third sector organisations in Trafford to the survey which was undertaken to find out what sort of support is needed – and we’ve been able to tailor our service accordingly. Our approach is to work in partnership with all those organisations that are supporting the third sector, including making links with the public and private sector. Our approach is strategic and will have a focus on supporting organisations to become sustainable. We’re excited to be launching Thrive Trafford.”
“We are delighted to be part of the Thrive Trafford Partnership. It presents an exciting opportunity for Trafford Housing Trust to expand our work in supporting communities. We are particularly looking forward to bringing together successful businesses and the third sector for the benefit of the people in Trafford.”
“The Stronger Communities Board will oversee Thrive Trafford in their delivery of the infrastructure service, which will work towards supporting the development of a thriving third sector in Trafford. We appointed Pulse Regeneration because of their track record of delivery, who with the local knowledge of their partner, Trafford Housing Trust, brings a valuable resource to the area. We want to support the development of the third sector by ensuring access to an infrastructure service that is tailored to local needs.”
For more information, please visit: www.thrivetrafford.org.uk/services/ #thrivetrafford 19
Our Promises Are we living up to them? Following on from our last update about how we are doing with delivering Our Promise to you, we have continued to work hard to improve our performance. The figures below are based on the period from October to the end of December 2012.
Access
On the Customer Hub 94.2% of the 29,223 incoming calls were answered. Our target is to answer 95% of calls therefore we failed to keep our promise. We missed 1,696 calls but we managed to call back 97.4% of those customers back on the same day. Of the calls the Hub dealt with, 78.2% were resolved at the first point of contact without the caller having to wait for a call back from another part of the Trust. This exceeds our target of 77%. However, we failed on this promise both in terms of the speed in which complaints have been dealt with and the percentage of tenants who were called back inside 48 hours when a call could not be answered by the Hub. Only 65% of customers were called back within the 48 hour period. We value your opinion. See page 56 to have your say. 20
100% of all emergency repairs were completed within one day
5.8%
of the 29,223 incoming calls were not answered. This is an area we’re aiming to improve on further.
Repairs
In our Repairs Service all emergency repairs were completed within one day of reporting and 100% were completed in 8 hours. Also in repairs, we promised that 95.6% of jobs would be completed ‘right first time’ and we exceeded this target by 2.54%. See page 24 to review the impact of missed appointments.
Allocations and Lettings
In rental income, we lost only 0.76% of income from empty property. We had promised this would be no more than 1%. We advertised 82% of our vacant properties via HOST, the property letting service, and the remaining properties were offered to tenants moving from our high rise tower blocks in Old Trafford or to tenants who needed to move due to exceptional circumstances. We were unfortunately late in carrying out a new tenancy visit to 8 of our 86 new tenants but all visits have now been completed. Appointments for these visits are now made when the new tenant signs for the property wherever possible.
Money Support
In the Money Support Service, we have improved the way in which you can make payments to us. See our Money Advice leaet enclosed with your copy of Pulse.
Neighbourhoods
In our neighbourhoods, we met all our promises in relation to our estate services. We maintained the bi-weekly grounds maintenance visits and dealt with dangerous trees in communal areas. Where concern was raised, about the condition of a tenants garden, we visited the customer and agreed a plan to resolve any issues. We met our promise to customers in our low rise blocks with regards to the caretaking services they receive. We also improved the information we provide on the block notice boards about how the promise is being met. In our high rise tower blocks, we met our promises to clean the communal areas, service the lifts and carry out advertised block inspections with customers and partners. 21
See our Promises video on the website www.traffordhousingtrust.co.uk/Promises
Older People’s Services
Our promise in Sheltered Schemes is to ensure 4 activities per week in each scheme which we achieved in December. From January to March 2013 we held 1,527 activities, an increase of 89, which was achieved by promoting the use of volunteers and working closely with Trafford Leisure Trust. See page 14 for Sheltered Scheme activities
TrustCall
97.5%
TrustCall attended all emergency calls they received within 40 minutes. They actually arrived within 20 minutes for 97.5% of the calls. Contact TrustCall on 0300 777 2777
Tenancy
In line with our Tenancy promise, we visited all those with an introductory tenancy at 6 months and 9 months to ensure they were conducting their tenancy in a satisfactory manner. We achieved our target of 700 customer visits completed for the year ahead of time and have almost reached our target to gather customer profiling information for 95% of our tenancies by the end of the year. We have 94.56% so far.
700
22
Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Our ASB service was carried out as per our promise, with action plans and support plans being developed for all complainants. We responded to all ASB reports within 24 hours for urgent cases and within 48 hours for medium level cases. We exceeded our target to successfully resolve 85% of cases by achieving 94%. See page 25 for examples of how we’re tackling ASB.
Leaseholders
Five year works plans have been discussed with Leaseholders and their quarterly meetings have been held. See page 49 for further information.
Investment In relation to our promise, We missed our overall satisfaction investment target by with works is at 95.2% but our target is to hit 98.5% satisfaction by the time you’re reading this. Whilst undertaking the work we have completed plans for Tamworth tower blocks in Old Trafford, improving kitchens, bathrooms, heating and undertaking external cladding to ensure the blocks are energy efficient and tackle issues of ‘fuel’ poverty for local residents. Two further indicators which are showing strong performance include Gas Servicing where 99.8% of our homes have valid certificates in place, and Decent Homes where now only 194 of our homes fail to meet this standard.
3.3%
Involving You
Key Priority
Customers are invited to give their views in a variety of ways. Our Youth Board have launched and meetings take place on the first Thursday of every month.
We know how important it is that the Trust answers your queries quickly and it is for this reason that our key priority is to improve our call backs to you within 48 hours if the Hub have been unable to resolve your enquiry at the first point of contact. To do this, we have improved our internal reporting systems and increased the level of attention that our Managers give to this area of work.
From April 2012 to the end of January 2013, we ran 205 hours of training for customers including a huge variety of topics from First Aid, Food Hygiene, Committee Skills, to using Social Media and many more. See pages 10-13 for youth stories.
205 hours of training
We will report our results in the next issue of Pulse
If you have any feedback or comments on our evaluation, please let us know. you can tweet us @talktrafford or comment on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/traffordhousingtrust Alternatively, please call 0300 777 7777
23
Repairs Access Trafford Housing Trust spends a portion of its budget carrying out repairs which require access to properties. Often, in around 10% of cases, operatives are unable to gain access.
Missed appointments
Appointment reminders
Missed appointment slots could be used by other customers and reduce the waiting time for their repairs.
To ensure someone is at home for a repairs appointment, our automated SMS system will confirm by text the day the appointment is made and send a reminder the day before the operative attends.
Customers that failed to be at home for their arranged appointments in the last 12 months cost the Trust £63,000. Please don’t waste money and resources and make sure you are in for your appointment! £63,000 could have provided:
• 140 new front doors • 233 electric showers • 2,100 fence panels Returning to a property for a second time also increases the impact on the environment with vehicle miles accumulating.
Where only a landline number is available, appointment reminders will be sent as an electronic voice message.
On the day To ensure you are in for an appointment, our operatives will ring first on route to your property. If you are not in when we arrive, we will post a note reminding you of the costs to the repairs service and the importance of notifying the Trust if you are not able to meet the appointment.
Need to re-arrange or cancel? Customers that are not able to make their allocated appointment slot, for whatever reason should please call the Trust on 0300 777 7777 to re-arrange or cancel, giving at least 48 hours notice before the appointment date. 24
COMMUNITY OFFICERS
TACKLING Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Old Trafford Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) have dedicated time, in addition to their core duties, to assist Trafford Housing Trust staff when tackling issues in the community relating to Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) and breach of tenancy. So far, this has had a really positive impact in the neighbourhood, using the community funding from 2011. Greater Manchester Police have since applied for further funding following the success.
Trafford Office. PCSOs positively continue carrying out joint ‘MOT’ visits, attend appointments to interview perpetrators, identify possible vulnerable residents and assist in referrals to external agencies. Home Living Advisors and PCSOs continue to build a positive relationship with repeat offenders who cause nuisance in the neighbourhood, to prevent further ASB cases and Trafford Housing Trust continues to work with PCSOs to assist them where possible. One of our customers commented:
ASB cases have substantially reduced since the Police “ I think Trafford Housing Trust officers Community Support Officers were introduced. They should make visits regularly with GMP have been tackling, addressing and resolving issues to to properties to ensure tenants are not avoid conflict in our neighbourhoods and in the Old abusing properties.”
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Report in confidence Partnership working is very important to the neighbourhood housing teams and the Sale and Altrincham team have recently been working alongside Trafford Council and the Neighbourhood Police team with positive results for all parties. The examples below show that information can be given and action taken which leads to Anti-Social Behaviour or crime ceasing, even when the complainant remains anonymous. It is important that we promote this as we want to build the trust and confidence of our tenants and show them they can report incidents to us but remain anonymous to the perpetrator.
Our recent successes include: • A ‘Knock Knock’ was carried out on the Ashton-on-Mersey estate by Trafford Council officers which highlighted some areas where there were problems within the neighbourhood. Unfortunately nobody wanted to come forward to report their concerns due to fear of causing problems. As the problems were being caused by a Trafford Housing Trust tenant we carried out a joint visit with Trafford Council’s Community Safety Officers and issued a warning. Since the joint visit and warning, there have been no further complaints and although the complainant was kept anonymous there was still a positive outcome.
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• Not long after a new tenant moved into a property in Sale, both the Trust and Trafford Council started receiving complaints regarding large numbers of people coming and going from the property at all hours of the day and night. These complaints were passed to the Police and following their investigations, Sale Neighbourhood Policing Team carried out a warrant resulting in drugs being seized and arrests made. The best part of this however, was that the local residents felt that we had listened to their information and acted on it. Again their identities were kept anonymous.
Convictions Sale Woman Convicted
Benefit Fraud Conviction
Donna Tingle was convicted in January of benefit fraud following investigation by Trafford Council as she failed to inform them of changes to her circumstances. It was found that she dishonestly received Council Tax Benefit totaling £6,744.02, from March 2009 to December 2010. Council Counter Fraud Officers were informed that she had failed to declare that she had started work. She has been found guilty and ordered to pay back all the money she owes.
Edwina Ellis aged 52 who lives at Pickford Court, Old Trafford, was convicted of benefit fraud for dishonestly claiming £26,558.53. She failed to inform the authorities that she had been working as a carer and therefore was over paid between the period of 4th August 2003 and 9th October 2011. Ms Ellis was ordered to carry out 130 hours of unpaid work and received a suspended prison sentence for 12 months for an 18 week period. She was fined £250 and she must also pay back the full amount which was wrongfully obtained to the Department for Work and Pensions and Trafford Council.
Sean Anstee, Executive Councillor stated: “The Council regularly conducts data matching exercises with other agencies meaning it is not too difficult to find discrepancies in information. Let this serve as a warning to those who are committing this Sean Anstee, Executive Councillor stated: type of crime that you will eventually be caught out.” “This case once again highlights to benefit cheats that the council and its partners will take whatever steps available to bring them to justice. Fraudulently claiming benefit she was not entitled to was in effect taking money away from people who really need this support, something which will not be tolerated.”
If you suspect anyone of benefit fraud contact Trafford Council on 0161 912 2852 or via their free phone number on 0800 328 6340.
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BLOCK D WANTE CHAMPIONS
You can make a difference to where you live! Are you living in a block of flats? Do you want to learn new skills? Be heard?
Would you like to have a say in the services Trafford Housing Trust provides to you or get more involved in your community?
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and as a Block Champion you will be representing your local community who live in the block. It’s also important to understand you are speaking on behalf of the block and not on an individual or personal issue. As a Block Champion, you would work closely with Trafford Housing Trust, keeping us informed of any problems you and your neighbours have, such as estate cleaning, lighting or graffiti.
If your answer is ‘yes’ then why not become a Block Champion?
Why? Because you live there.
Block Champions can be from high rise or low rise blocks
The benefit of becoming a Block Champion is that you, the customer, is in the best position
to know what issues arise in your block and can take part in the decision making process to improve your block, making it a better place to live. Block Champions will work closely with the Neighbourhood Partners and Caretakers who will monitor the services which are being provided in your block. In return, we will give you training when required and out of pocket expenses for your time. For further details please contact Audra Brandy, Community and Partnership Engagement Officer on 0300 777 7777.
THE QUALITy AND INSIGHT PANEL
PROUD TO BE A MEMBER We are a small but growing group of tenants who look at THT in detail. Currently we are scrutinising certain aspects of THT’s Repairs Service. This scrutiny is well underway and we will soon present our report to the Board.
Quality ty Insig Panel t and Insight
As QIP members, we have a great opportunity to learn how THT serves its customers in our community.
We had the chance to watch THT’s skilled and dedicated staff in action and to be reassured about what the Trust does well.
We feel that good communication between tenants and the Trust is vital. The more tenants and leaseholders we have on our panel, the better we can appreciate the diverse needs within the Borough. QIP receives fantastic support from the Trust itself, you won’t be out of pocket, so it’s an ideal way of influencing the growth and development of your neighbourhood.
It’s way better than Sudoku – join us! Stan Foulkes, QIP member
Just as importantly, we are also empowered to speak for our fellow tenants and leaseholders about improvements. For a few hours each month, we get together to find ways of helping THT deliver an even better customer experience.
For more information, please contact Fay Jackson on 0300 777 7777 or email fay.jackson@traffordhousingtrust.co.uk
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS your input is invaluable to us to help improve the services we offer. We invite you to get involved and have your say. Feel free to come along to any of the listed events. Name of meeting
Quality tty and Insight Insig Panel
Customer Action Group (CAG)
QIP: Quality and Insight Panel
Places Customer Action Group
Property Customer Action Group
Community Panel
Leaseholders
Date Tuesday 2nd April 2013
People CAG Tuesday 7th May 2013 Tuesday 4th June 2013
Time
Venue
What’s it about?
We need your customer perspective to help improve our services. This meeting focuses on policies and service improvements for how 5.30pm 5th floor Customers Access our Services, Customer – 8pm Sale Point Involvement and Community Engagement, Older People’s Services and Rents and financial inclusion.
Wednesday 3rd April 2013 Wednesday 17th April 2013
QIP
This is a scrutiny panel of tenants and leaseholders whose role is to examine the Wednesday 1st May 2013 5.30pm 5th floor services provided by Trafford Housing Trust. – 8pm Sale Point The QIP analyses current practice to make Wednesday 15th May 2013 suggestions for improvements on specific services. Wednesday 5th June 2013 Wednesday 19th June 2013
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Name of meeting
Date
Time
Venue
What’s it about?
Wednesday 10th April 2013
We need your customer perspective to help improve our services. This meeting focuses 5.30pm 5th floor on policies and service improvements for Places CAG Wednesday 8th May 2013 – 8pm Sale Point Grounds Maintenance, Caretaking, Anti-Social Behaviour, Lettings and Estate Management. Wednesday 12th June 2013 Monday 15th April 2013 Property CAG
Monday 20th May 2013 Monday 17th June 2013
Old Trafford Community Thursday 28th March 2013 Panel
We need your customer perspective to help 5.30pm 5th floor improve our services. This meeting focuses – 8pm Sale Point on policies and service improvements for Regenerations and Repairs.
6pm – 8pm
Leaseholders Wednesday 29th May 2013 5pm – Meeting 7pm
Lowry Lodge
Panels are set up to involve residents and other stakeholders in creating sustainable neighbourhoods and places where people want to live.
The Leaseholders Together meeting is a forum for leaseholders that provides the opportunity to get together, network and share experiences. At these meetings, the 5th floor Trust often consults with leaseholders Sale Point regarding service improvements. We also hold a surgery at the meetings so that leaseholders can discuss matters with us individually and privately.
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COMMUNITY REPORTERS PROJECT Wednesday 16th January 2013 saw the first day of training for Trafford Housing Trust’s pilot; Community Reporters Scheme. The trainees spent a day each week learning different interview skills and techniques, how to carry out audio and video interviews, how to use all the equipment and how to review and edit the footage.
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Coming from a wide range of backgrounds, including Sheltered Housing Scheme tenants, Youth Work Assistants, Council Apprentices and Community Centre Managers, as well as a member of our deaf community, the Community Reporters went out into different areas of Trafford to interview Trafford residents about their views on their community.
The Community Reporters are now fully trained and will be spending the next few weeks going out into Trafford undertaking interviews and ‘Vox-popping’ with the general public, so if you see them in your neighbourhoods don’t be shy, get involved and let them know what your concerns are!
The interviews will be fed into Community Needs Assessment and help identify issues that may not be represented through usual consultation and the relevant statistics. It will also provide data to help shape the priorities for funding in different localities of Trafford for the Participatory Budget events scheduled to take place in each locality throughout June 2013.
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skills4you
HOME & HOBBY
At Trafford Housing Trust we are always looking at ways to help you develop your skills and knowledge, whether this is through formal training or more practical skills. We are pleased to launch our new Customer Skills Calendar and hope that you will find something of interest here for you.
CONFERENCES
COMMITTEE SKILLS
A small charge may apply to individuals who are not tenants or leaseholders of THT. There are a number of ways to book on our courses: • Visit a member of the Community & Partnerships Team or drop in at any of our offices or customer access points. • Telephone: 0300 777 7777 and ask to be put through to a member of the Community and Partnerships team.
Transport can be provided and arranged by The Trust for all our courses. Alternatively if you make your own way to the venue, we will reimburse public • Email: gettinginvolved@traffordhousingtrust.co.uk transport costs or your car mileage costs. • For further information please contact our website: Please note, all courses are subject to change or www.traffordhousingtrust.co.uk/yourcancellation at Trafford Housing Trust’s discretion. community/skills-4-you
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COURSE
DATE (2013)
TIME
LOCATION
COURSE DETAILS
First Aid Training (Accredited to Level 2)
Wednesday 3rd April
10am – 4pm Lunch provided
Sale Point, 126-150 Washway Road, Sale, M33 6AG
Do you know what to do in an emergency? This accredited course will give you the knowledge and skills you need to help someone in an emergency situation.
Treasurer Training
Monday 15th April
10am – 4pm Lunch provided
Sale Point, 126-150 Washway Road, Sale, M33 6AG
If you are or intend to become a Treasurer, this course will teach you everything you need to know including how to keep a record of your income and outgoings and how to balance your books.
Committee Member Training
Tuesday 16th April
10 am – 2pm Lunch provided
Sale Point, 126-150 Washway Road, Sale, M33 6AG
This course is for committee members or people who would like to find out what being on a committee involves. This course will explain the roles of different members of the committee and how general committee members can assist in the effective running of meetings.
IT Training
Tuesday 23rd April
5-7pm
Sale Point, 126-150 Washway Road, Sale, M33 6AG
PowerPoint Session 1 • Creating a new presentation • Opening an existing presentation
• Viewing presentations • Editing presentations • Insert objects/clipart • Saving presentations
IT Training
Wednesday 8th May
5-7pm
Sale Point, 126-150 Washway Road, Sale, M33 6AG
PowerPoint Session 2 • Moving slides • Deleting slides • Using animation and special effects
• Rehearse timings • Running a presentation continuously • Presentation tools
IT Training
Tuesday 21st May
5-7pm
Sale Point, 126-150 Washway Road, Sale, M33 6AG
Introduction to Email Session 1 On completion of this workshop, you will be able to create and use an email account, including knowing how to send and reply to emails, use your contact address book and save and delete emails.
IT Training
Wednesday 12th June
5-7pm Drinks and biscuits provided
Sale Point, 126-150 Washway Road, Sale, M33 6AG
Introduction to Email Session 2 On completion of this workshop, you will be able to create and use an email account, including knowing how to send and reply to emails, use your contact address book and save and delete emails.
IT Training
Tuesday 25th June
5-7pm
Sale Point, 126-150 Washway Road, Sale, M33 6AG
IT Training
Wednesday 10th July
5-7pm
Sale Point, 126-150 Washway Road, Sale, M33 6AG
Introduction to Word Session 1 • Open/close documents • Navigation and text selection • Save and save as • Formatting/editing/ • Screen layout views inserting text and zoom • Cut, copy and paste • Ribbon tools Introduction to Word Session 2 • Indents and spacing • Spell/grammar check • Bullets and numbering • Print and print preview • Page numbering • Page orientation • Special characters and symbols
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Background to the Locality Partnerships Councils and public services are changing. Driven by budget cuts and the rising demand for services, public services are likely to look very different by 2020.
The Trafford Partnership is about to embark on a very exciting and ambitious project. It is to establish 4 Locality Partnerships These groups will be made up of: • Councillors
In addition, the Government is committed to ensuring that citizens and communities have much greater control over decision making by finding different ways in which they can influence and shape the way that public services are delivered. This will strengthen local democracy and ensure that the best possible services are delivered in our localities. Locality working is not new to Trafford. Already partnership work exists to deliver children’s health and social care services at the locality level. It is envisaged that the role of Locality Partnerships will evolve and mature over time and some examples of the types of initial activity that the Partnership will undertake includes:
• Partners including the police, health services, • Creating one understanding of the locality through THT and the Council the production of a Locality Neighbourhood Plan • Community Ambassadors • Acting as the first port of call for engaging with They will have the responsibility of deciding local the wider community over important issues, for priorities and shaping local services – in short, really example, how local services will be delivered bringing decision making to local people. • Devolved decision making over Neighbourhood Locality Partnerships will be launched at the Trafford Voluntary Sector Grants schemes and Partnership annual event on 25th April 2013. commissioned budgets 36
Membership There will be four Locality Partnerships that will comprise of the following ward groupings: • North Gorse Hill, Longford, Stretford, Clifford • South Altrincham, Bowdon, Broadheath, Hale Barns, Hale Central,Timperley Village • West *Bucklow St Martins (Partington), Davyhulme East, Davyhulme West, Flixton, Urmston • Central *Bucklow St Martins (Sale), Ashton upon Mersey, Brooklands, Priory, Sale Moor, St Marys *NB Bucklow St Martins covers a small but significant area of the Sale West estate which will be included within Central area for Locality Partnership purposes To ensure that the Locality Partnerships are effective, membership will be limited to a maximum of 25, which will probably be a three way split between the three groupings: Councillors, partners and Community Ambassadors.
The role of Community Ambassadors The recruitment of the Community Ambassadors took place between February and March 2013 by members of the Strong Communities Partnership, which is the governing body for Locality Partnerships. In making their recruitment decisions, they were keen to ensure the Community Ambassadors were reflective of the communities that they will serve, both geographically and in terms of interest or identity. Their role will be to: • Champion the area where they live or work • Engage their neighbours and friends to influence local decision making by actively encouraging local people to attend events where the public decides on funding opportunities • Increase resident involvement in the community, such as recruiting local volunteers for projects • Ensure service delivery by the organisations involved in the Trafford Partnership fully reflects local needs • Help develop Locality Plans that reflect the needs and aspirations of the community • Be fully involved in making decisions on behalf of the area where they live or work
Further information about the Locality Partnerships and the event on 25th April 2013 is available on the Trafford Partnership website www.traffordpartnership.org
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Trafford College Moving forward The first phase of work is now complete at the Trafford College Talbot Road campus. This included a newly refurbished front of house Main Reception and Customer Services areas which also house interview rooms, security facilities and toilets. A new kitchen with extensive facilities including a servery counter now supports the refurbished refectory, plus a separate coffee bar has also been created with its own food counter and seating area. Communal areas have now been opened up to provide increased circulation space and natural light to be enjoyed by staff and students. Science Labs have also been built within the existing building to provide tuition for physics, biology, chemistry and electronics. Works now continue to create facilities for electronic workshops, plumbing, bricklaying, engineering and car maintenance facilities.
Considerate constructor ISG construction services, takes considerate construction very seriously and work hard to minimise the impact of works on local residents. Their hard work was recognised with 18 awards in the 2012 Considerate Constructors Awards. They have had their first visit from the Considerate Constructors Scheme for this project and received a score of 35 out of 40 with the assessor offering thanks for the warm welcome received and noting that the site shows a good, positive approach in achieving the aims of the scheme.
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started on site in January along with Tom Sherlock, who is working for the sub-contractor, Ameon, as an Apprentice Electrician. Natasha Swain is studying for a BTEC in The Built Environment and this is her first work placement. She will be working on site with us for 12 weeks and said:
Apprenticeship Scheme launch ISG are proud to be supporting the new Trafford Apprenticeship Scheme. The £32 million construction programme in November 2012 has provided training opportunities for 12 new apprentices. The programmes combine academic study and practical work experience with some of Manchester’s top construction firms. They are providing the opportunity for some of the new recruits to kick start their professional portfolios by working on the £9million redevelopment of Trafford College’s Talbot Road Campus. Natasha Swain, Trainee Quantity Surveyor,
“I have enjoyed my first couple of days on site and have already been involved in a number of site team meetings. There is real variety on this project with the new build and the renovation elements and I have started at a good time as it’s a busy stage in the construction process. I’m looking forward to working with the ISG team and everyone has been very nice and patient with me.”
Christmas charity raffle To support the College’s Christmas charity raffle in aid of Cancer Research UK, ISG donated a number of prizes and over £2,000 was raised at the event which will help to support the development of a new research facility in Manchester. To date the College has raised over £24,000 for the charity and in 2013, they hope to reach their £30,000 milestone.
View the site progress A series of progress shots has been taken during the build, which the College has been displaying on a special project website and updating monthly. Visit the website now for a visual story so far: www.trafford.ac.uk/talbot-road
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Trafford is still the safest place to be in Greater Manchester!
A* Performance in Trafford Schools! Great news: Trafford’s Children and Young People’s Service has recently been rated as ‘Performing Excellently’ by OFSTED. In fact, Trafford is the joint best authority in the country for secondary education with all secondary school students in Trafford being taught in a good or outstanding school. This has led to exceptional educational attainment with Trafford recording the second highest national ‘A’ Level results and the fourth highest GCSE attainment. Trafford also has one of the lowest rates of young people Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET). Under-pinning all this is one other key statistic school attendance rates in Trafford are the best in the North West!
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Crime continues to reduce in Trafford. Total crime in the borough is down by 15%, Anti-Social Behaviour has reduced by 33% and Trafford has the highest ‘solved crime’ rate in Greater Manchester, consolidating Trafford’s position as the safest place in the area. This reduction is really making a difference to how people feel. People living in Trafford have the lowest fear of crime and records the highest levels of public confidence and satisfaction in policing across Greater Manchester.
Some significant successes recently include • I ntensive Community Orders (formerly known as Intensive Alternatives to Custody) launched in Trafford • 2 ,500 Year 6 school pupils have received Crucial Crew personal safety information •O peration Griffin has targeted almost 100 offenders to date this year and this has contributed to a significant reduction in crime and anti-social behaviour •O peration Bank which targets the profits of crime has continued to perform strongly seizing assets
and disrupting individuals involved in serious and organised Crime • Operation Alloy stopped 375 vehicles and 75 people in February in an operation to disrupt motorists suspected of transporting stolen metal, driving without tax or insurance or using the roads to commit criminality. 15 vehicles were seized for having no insurance, tax or being driven anti-socially, two people were arrested on suspicion of theft and 22 stolen Calor Gas bottles were recovered. 243 traffic offence reports (replacement for fixed penalty notice) were issued for road traffic offences.
Getting Greener in Sale West Over in Sale West there is an exciting programme of environmental works. This includes projects to re-connect the area to Carrington Moss, including Firs and Firsway, Dainewell Park and a Community Orchard, support the Sale West Community Cycle Hub, bring alive the Sale West Woods Play Area, develop Little Green Roofs and Green Streets. Re-connecting to the Moss is the part of the project that is concentrating on Firs and Firsway, Dainewell Park, opening up Carrington Moss and creating a new community orchard. This will be fantastic for the area. The Cycle Hub lives in a container with a very special roof – a green roof. It has planting on the top which protects it from the rain and water.
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Runway Conference 2013 87 tenants from across a 50 mile radius The aim of the group is to improve the lives of tenants and discuss good practice in Trafford. the communities in which they live and share ideas and best practice. On 23rd January, Trafford Housing Trust hosted one of their four annual conferences which was held at St Matthews Church Hall, Stretford.
The Runway Group is made up of tenants who represent 14 stock-transfer housing associations, which are all located within 50 miles of Manchester Airport.
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The event covered two main areas ‘Investing in Communities and Value for Money’ and ‘Future Challenges for Supporting Vulnerable Tenants’ with presentations, case studies and table discussions.
Pitched at the right level by being sharp and pithy not like a lecture
Good to see some real examples and great to have members of the community presenting
Social enterprise was a very interesting idea and something worth looking at in our area
Excellent presentations and discussion
A day well spent, thank you
Food for thought best practice
The morning session was opened by Matthew Gardiner • Sharon White, Manager - Social who gave a brief history to The Trust and introduced three case studies of Community Investment in Trafford. Inclusion at THT who talked about Pictured: Aine Graven • ‘Businesses Investing in Communities’ presented how Trafford by Aine Graven, Business Engagement Officer Housing Trust were from Thrive adapting their services due to Welfare Reform • Social Enterprise: ‘Clean Start and Rainbow’ presented by Deborah Elgar, Senior Manager, Social Enterprise • Fran Gudger, TrustCall Manager at THT explained how the Independent Living Service was The Trust’s at THT way of responding to cuts in social care provision, • ‘Community Allotments’ presented by Sally Holt giving people a one stop shop for support services from the Community Allotments of Broadheath The afternoon session concentrated on the Future Challenges for supporting vulnerable tenants with information provided by:
Overall over 87% of attendees said they had enjoyed the day.
BE SAFE WITH CANDLES Serious fire at Kingsway Park A very unfortunate incident occurred in January when a house fire started at 64 Kingsway Park, Stretford, caused by candles. You will be relieved to hear that no one was seriously hurt, although it was a very distressing situation for all those affected. THT are doing everything they can to assess the ongoing needs of our affected customers and properties and we urge our tenants to be viligant when using candles. Always remember to blow them out when you leave the house or go to bed, and keep them away from pets and children.
If you have any concerns about fire safety within your home, please contact your local Fire Station or visit www.manchesterfire.gov.uk/ my-area You are entitled to a free home fire assesment. 43
THE OLD TRAFFORD MASTERPLAN Tamworth towers standing proud In the last article of Pulse we updated you on the work that was being carried out as part of the Old Trafford Masterplan to fulfil the legacy that started in the 1960s and deliver on the Promise to make Old Trafford ‘an ultra modern estate.’ The first phase of this work is now complete as the Trust has come to the end of the external work to the Tamworth Estate. The finished scheme provides each block with its own unique, although subtle identity, achieved through the careful choice of
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contemporary materials and colours, creating a family of towers which complement, rather than replicate its neighbours. These blocks are now real showpieces as you can see from the pictures. Initial satisfaction is very positive with most residents stating that it has been worth the effort and that they are very pleased with their new homes. The estate is due to be finished later this year with all communal and environmental works completed.
Consultation with residents has now started and the aim is to ensure that the environmental works really finish off the estate and reflect the diverse community who live there whilst also providing residents with more generous amenity spaces which can be used year round.
• Applicants who work or undertake training in Old Trafford
However, this project has been about more than just the physical work. As a result of the work the contractors have been able to offer 9 Apprentice opportunities. All 9 of these people have completed at least an NVQ Level 2 and all have been successful in securing full time employment.
These properties are now being advertised via HOST and anyone interested in letting one of these properties will need to register with HOST in order to be provided with a bidding reference number.
And as for the new build…. Things are really moving along at Essex Way and Cruden Construction is making great progress building the first new homes as part of the Old Trafford Masterplan. These homes will be completed in July 2013 and will really make a big difference for some local people in Old Trafford. Trafford Housing Trust has a ‘first lets’ policy in place for these properties and as such priority will be given to people who fall into the following categories:
• Applicants who have children at school in Old Trafford • Applicants who have a ‘Community Commitment’
Once a bidding reference number has been issued applicants can use this to bid on properties via the HOST website. The properties at Essex Way will be advertised via this system approximately every 2-3 weeks between now and May 2013. HOST can be contacted directly by phone on
0161 912 2230
or by email at HOST@salford.gov.uk
• Applicants who are living in Old Trafford and require bigger or smaller housing
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THE OLD TRAFFORD MASTERPLAN We’ve not finished yet... Trafford Housing Trust has secured Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) Funding to deliver more flats on the opposite side of Stretford Road (previously the Trafford and Rylands site). Consultation with the local community has now started.
‘Come and celebrate Old Trafford with us’ Saturday 27th April, 12pm – 3pm. We are planning an event to celebrate the completion of the works on Tamworth. The event will follow a ‘museum’ theme and will be held in the foyers at the 3 Tamworth tower blocks. Pickford Court will be used to celebrate ‘old’ Old Trafford and local residents will be telling Clifford Court will showcase the finished product. their stories. We’ll be looking back at pictures taken throughout We would love to see some of you on the day so the works within the foyer and we’ll also be using you can have a look at the finished blocks and see this block to provide residents with information on what is still to come. the next steps of the Masterplan. This will include The Trust have set up a mini project team feedback about the landscaping of Tamworth and made up of staff and local residents, but if the proposals for Stretford Road development. anyone would like to be involved in helping to Grafton Court will be used to carry out plan the event or is able to come along and consultation, promoting the work of the Old help on the day please get in touch. Email: Trafford Partnership, promoting training corinna.dale@traffordhousingtrust.co.uk or opportunities moving forward and ‘best of the best’. call 0300 777 7777. Each block will focus on a different topic:
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SOCIAL ENTERPRISE UPDATE Donations welcome It’s that time of year again when we’re all having a good old Spring clean! Any unwanted furniture would be very much appreciated and if you are looking to replace your settee we can remove your old one. Please contact the shop on 0161 872 8998 to arrange a collection. Check out our website www.rainbowfurniturecentre.weebly.com
Come along and have a look! Our shop is located at: 3-4 Malvern Row Cornbrook Park Road Old Trafford Manchester M15 4FD
Our opening hours are: Monday – Friday 8am – 4pm
We collect and deliver anywhere in the Trafford area for a donation of £3.00
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ALTRINCHAM’S THRIVING
FOODBANK In December, Altrincham Foodbank approached THT to ask for support to make an additional storage area for donations, in turn helping them expand their operation. Through our business engagement programme, we worked closely with partners from the community and local businesses to re-fit the space. All materials for the project were kindly donated by the Altrincham branch of Travis Perkins and delivered free of charge.
The work was carried out by a local social enterprise, Community Building Support Services (CBSS), with their trainees who were THT tenants. CBSS offers a unique combination of vocational training and work experience for people in Trafford who want to get into work.
Learners gain experience of all areas of the building industry and benefit from hands-on work with community projects like the Foodbank. Hayley from the Altrincham Foodbank commented,
“ We are so proud to be part of the Trafford community where individuals and organisations will go the extra mile to help others.” If you are aged 18 and interested in accessing training through CBSS, please contact them via: Telephone: 0161 872 9880 Email: info@communitybuilding.biz
NEW MOSAIC FOR LOSTOCK COURT
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A new mosaic featuring the THT logo has been given pride of place at Lostock Court in Stretford. The mosaic was made for THT by Bethany, a tenant who is taking part in the Community Building Support Service training programme to gain experience and skills in the building trade. Bethany designed and made the mosaic which took two weeks to complete. The mosaic was donated to Lostock Court where it can be enjoyed by residents and visitors. We think it looks great!
Pictured (left to right) are Terry and Ashley from Community Builders, Bethany and Elaine Leary from THT.
LEASEHOLDERS TOGETHER Leaseholder Survey Results Thank you for completing the leaseholder survey. We are pleased to let you know that there has been an increase in the satisfaction rates, as shown below:
2012
2013
Service charges value for money
47.9%
53.7%
Clarity of service charge statement
60.4%
88.2%
Satisfaction in the way your most recent enquiry was dealt with
75.6%
78.9%
The information that we provide in major works consultations
57.9%
72.7%
Lease terms, conditions and obligations
57.8%
64.1%
Grounds maintenance
64.1%
69.4%
Repairs in communal areas
59.0%
78.6%
Leaseholders Service
59.4%
72.7%
We are happy with all the satisfaction improvement rates for the above but would like to highlight those that we are particularly pleased about, as these are the areas that we have concentrated on during the last financial year, on your behalf.
 Clarity of service charge statement A special thank you to those leaseholders who volunteered to work with us to improve the appearance of your service charge invoices. The leaseholders met with us and we considered sample invoices provided by other housing associations, until we found the perfect format for us. We listened to the feedback provided by
leaseholders and Joanne Cash, Service Charge Finance Lead worked hard to incorporate your suggestions into the service charge invoice. We hope that you found your September 2012 invoice clearer and easy to understand. We are pleased to see that 88% of leaseholders believe their service charge statement is clearer. 49
Repairs in communal areas Leaseholders service You have been receiving bi-monthly repair statements which show whether we have carried out any communal repairs to your block within the last 3 months. This is because we have listened to your views where you have stated that you were unhappy that the only time you could query the day to day repairs is when you received your annual service charge invoice, which was, in some cases, almost 18 months after the communal repair has been carried out. We hope you find the bi-monthly repair statements helpful and we are glad that satisfaction in this area has increased by 19%.
Major works consultation In the last edition of the Pulse magazine, we included an article about the formal S20 Consultation procedure that we have to follow when we carry out any repairs and/or improvements to your block which exceeds £250 per resident. Frank Lee, Assets Regeneration Manager and Mia James have been visiting leaseholders, where we are planning to carry out major works in the future. *This is an informal consultation and is intended to give as much notice as possible about the planned works. Frank and Mia have also carried out presentations at the Leaseholders Together meetings, advising leaseholders about the formal and informal process. Therefore, we are very pleased to see that satisfaction in this area has increased by 14%. *We are still meeting leaseholders and carrying out the informal consultation. If we have not contacted you and you would like to know if we have planned any major works to your block, please contact Mia and she will discuss any proposed major works with you. 50
In the past, leaseholder satisfaction levels were low and disappointing. Leaseholders felt neglected and ignored by the Trust and dissatisfied with the service we provided. We have been working hard to find the best solutions for you and find best practice for leaseholders, so that we could improve the quality of our services to you. We have some way to go but we are pleased to see that there has been an increase to 72% of leaseholders who are satisfied with the leaseholders service.
LEASEHOLDERS TOGETHER Room for Improvement There has been a reduction in the satisfaction levels in the following areas. We shall work to improve these services for you. 2012
2013
Overall services provided by THT
70%
66.7%
Cleaning and Maintenance of Communal Areas
75%
61.8%
Neighbourhood as a place to live
79.2%
73.8%
The way THT deals with Repairs and Maintenance
57.6%
51.5%
THT keeping leaseholders informed
81.3%
71.4%
What Next? We shall continue to try to improve all areas but we will concentrate on the areas where you have expressed dissatisfaction with the service. We will provide a written response to all leaseholders who have provided comments on the survey. This will form the basis of our annual service improvement plan which begins in April 2013.
Leaseholders Together Meeting - Wednesday 29th May, 5pm The next Leaseholders Together meeting will be held at our offices here at Sale Point at an earlier time of 5pm. We have listened to leaseholders who have asked for an earlier meeting to be held at least once a year, so we have arranged the meeting to be held at 5pm on 29th May, when we anticipate that we will still have daylight hours.
Please remember that you can contact us anytime to discuss leaseholder issues and you do not have to wait until the Leaseholders Together meeting.You can contact Mia on 0300 777 7777 or you can email mia.james@traffordhousingtrust.co.uk Mia James, Leaseholder Lead
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Help Henshaws in 2013 Charity of the Year We are very grateful to Trafford Housing Trust for choosing Henshaws to be their Charity of the Year 2013 and we look forward to fundraising with them to raise money for Henshaws vital services.
Get Involved If, like Trafford Housing Trust, you would like to get involved with Henshaws one of the best ways is to arrange a simple fundraising event to raise money for Henshaws. Organising an event is a brilliant way to get your community together as well as helping a good cause.
• Quiz Night • Bingo Night • Bake Sale/Bring & Buy Sale • Coffee Morning • Sports Activity
• Football Match • Clothes Swap • Karaoke Night • Talent Show
Get in touch and let us know what you’re planning, and we can provide collecting buckets, t-shirts and Here are some fun ideas that people have arranged stickers.The best ideas are the simplest, so be creative, in the past: get a group together and most importantly, have fun!
Please get in touch on 0161 872 1234 or email fundraising@henshaws.org.uk Visit www.henshaws.org.uk for more information or pop into their Centre at 52 Atherton House, 88-92 Talbot Road, Old Trafford M16 0GS.
SOCIETY FOR ABANDONED ANIMALS Purrrfect Plans... The Society for Abandoned Animals are looking for support to help assist with the hundreds of local cats who need homes. There are a greater number of cat owners struggling to take care of their pets in Manchester and the surrounding areas. Natasha Woest, Sanctuary Manager, stated, “Due to the current economic climate, we are experiencing a growing demand for cats that need to be rehomed. Some of the most common reasons for cats being abandoned are because of changes in financial circumstances or living arrangements. We have started to record the number of cats which we cannot take in on a monthly basis.” Currently the site consists of 13 re-homing pens, 7 quarantine pens in the units and 6 fosterers who take in sick cats or kittens. With all the funding in place, the Society can increase the size to 18 rehoming pens, 9 quarantine pens, 4 isolation pens and 13 cattery pens.
Faye Cryer, Fundraiser and Volunteer Coordinator, said, “We need to raise a much needed total of £80,000 to complete the renovations and improvements to our existing facilities. Any additional funds raised will go towards the running costs of the cat rehoming unit once it has opened.” The Society for Abandoned Animals is a local animal charity who care for and rehome unwanted cats, dogs and rabbits. Over a five year period they have successfully rehomed 1,058 Cats, 123 dogs and 341 rabbits. Please get in touch... Our sanctuary is situated along the canal tow path off Dane Road, Sale. We take in and re-home unwanted and abandoned cats, dogs and rabbits. For more information please contact Faye Cryer on 0161 973 5318 or email fundraising@saa.eclipse.co.uk
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THT’s mobile app
making liFe easier Our mobile app for smartphones is now available for customers of Trafford Housing Trust, which will make contacting the social landlord easier than ever for tenants. It’s packed full of useful features and can be downloaded via iTunes or Google Play.
✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Report a repair Pay your rent Report ASB cases Change contact details
Available on iPhones and Android
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Users will be invited to set up a personal profile on the App, which will remain confidential, to notify the Trust of their interests, preferred language and any other personal information that will help the Trust when dealing with their enquiry. That information will help tailor The Trust’s services to each individual household and also make the App easier to use. Customers will be able to order a Direct Debit form to fill in and pay their rent as well as updating their contact details and keeping up‑to‑date with any news and information from the Trust. Matthew Gardiner, Chief Executive of Trafford Housing Trust, said:
To download the app, visit the iTunes App Store or Google Play and search for ‘Trafford Housing Trust’
his App will make reporting problems and T keeping up-to-date with news from The Trust easier for customers and make it quicker for us to deal with any issues they might have.
The App also features a helpful money saving tool which will calculate your outgoings and draw up a handy income and expenditure table allowing you to keep track of your finances.
Customer service is a high priority to The Trust and the introduction of this new App shows that we are determined to deliver the best service at the convenience of our tenants and provide a number of ways for them to get in touch.
Broadheath Community Association (BCA)
Community Centre Event
We would like to invite you to take part in the BCA Community Centre Event at Broadheath Primary School on 21st April between 12pm and 4pm. The event will be packed to the brim with fun activities including: • Craft sessions for younger children by Hobbycraft • Face painting • Bouncy castle • Zumba taster sessions • Music sessions for older children • Refreshments • Balloons and giveaways
And much more!
Your chance to WIN
some great prizes... We will be having a HUGE raffle and tombola and ‘Name the Teddy’ competition.
The new centre, restaurant and nursery… We will be showing the latest plans and we’ll be on hand to answer any questions or concerns. When the centre is built, we’ll be recruiting and training leaders to run Brownie Packs, Rainbows, Guides, Scouts and Cubs. The entrance charge will be £1 per adult and 50p per child. For more details, contact: Tel: 0161 928 4748 Email: Broadheath.admin@trafford.gov.uk
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CUSTOMER HUB
We have made improvements to our service but we want to do more and need your suggestions We need your contribution to help us provide the service that you want. Can you please look at the following questions and let us know your comments by calling the Customer Hub on 0300 777 7777 or completing our online survey which can be found on our website at http://svy.mk/10NmjvD • What other services would you like us to provide? • When you call us, what else could we do to make our service an outstanding experience for you?
• Do you have any other comments or suggestions? We look forward to all your comments and suggestions and will let you know the results of our survey in the next edition of Pulse.
Customer Hub 0300 777 7777