Brackla meadows news issue 2 april 2015

Brackla Meadows News

Issue 2 April 2015

Welcome to edition two of Brackla Meadows News Following on from edition one, Wales & West Housing continues to be committed to working with our residents and listening to your views. In phase 2 (Heol Bryn Glas, Heol Y Coed Rise, Heol Y Rhos and Dan Y Coed Rise) of the ‘Have we listened’ consultation, the overall majority of residents wanted to be kept updated via newsletter. Therefore, Brackla Meadows News will now cover the whole of the Meadows.

‘Have we listened’ update Staff carried out a consultation and of the 119 residents, 36 responded and we would like to thank those who shared their views with us. In total, 72 residents gave their views across the Meadows (30%).

You said:

The main issues you raised were:

31

said you feel safe in your home

27

said you feel safe on the estate

23

said the estate is well kept

• • • • • •

Rubbish across the estate Lack of recycling Youth annoyance / drugs Better communal areas Extra lighting Improve properties

8/10

The average score you gave for the area as a place to live was 8 out of 10.

8.43

The average score you gave for the condition of your homes was 8.43 out of 10.

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Brackla Meadows News | Issue 1 | November 2014

What we are doing about these issues Lack of recycling

Stay green in 2015!

Staff have met with Bridgend County Borough Council’s waste and recycling team to develop links and partnership working.

If you are planning a Spring clean, don’t forget that you can recycle lots of items at the local household recycling centres, including:

BCBC will now be working in partnership with WWH to work with residents to improve the amount of recycling from within Brackla.

• bikes • fridges and freezers • books • scrap metal

Staff from BCBC will be attending parenting groups and other events held at the NCH. The first date planned is the 21st of April, between 9.30 - 11.00am, and will be to promote recycling.

Lighting Residents commented during consultation that certain areas of the scheme are dark at night and therefore answered ‘no’ to the question about feeling safe on the estate.

WWH staff have met on site to map out the dark spots and have agreed a pilot project for installing solar lights in certain areas of the scheme.

The first light will be fitted in the gulley between Heol y Coed Rise and Heol Bryn Glas. We are curently working with local suppliers to source the lights.

Rubbish/better communal areas WWH staff, and our contractor partners Green Futures, are carrying out more litter picks across the scheme. Green Futures are also carrying out groundwork improvements in certain areas of the scheme, and will include any tree works to ensure the whole of the Meadows is well maintained. Feedback to date from residents has been very positive.

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• cardboard • electrial and electronic items • textiles • wood

Household recycling centres can be found in Tythegston, Brynmenyn Industrial Estate and Heol Ty Gwyn, Maesteg.

Thank you for your continued support.

Remember, your efforts make a real difference.

Anti social behaviour / estate management This was a strong theme from the consultation in both phase 1 and 2.

Staff recently completed an estate agreement review for the whole of the Meadows.

There was a very good response rate from residents, with good feedback. Amendments have been made and the final agreement was sent out on the 3rd of March.

Other work taking place is looking at rear alleyways across the scheme. A plan is now in place and the first project will be taking place in Clos y Wern.

Works are currently being scheduled and will start in due course. This will remove areas for people to congregate and remove opportunities for fly tipping. Also, we encourage residents to report any general issues to the non-emergency Police number 101, or if it is a noise issue to report it to the environmental protection department within BCBC on 01656 643643.

Brackla Meadows News | Issue 1 | November 2014

Property condition New windows and doors have now been fitted to the majority of properties across the Meadows.

Keeping Brackla Meadows neat and tidy

alleyways will be removed by enlarging some gardens slightly.

This will take some time to complete as we’ll be doing the work a section at a time.

Meanwhile, if you notice any fly tipping then please call Bridgend Council on (01656) 643260 or email publicprotection@ bridgend.gov.uk to report it.

You’ve told us how important it is that your estate is kept tidy, litter free and in good order.

You’ve also said that many of the alleyways behind your gardens are not used by residents, but are attractive to fly-tippers and those who want to dispose of rubbish illegally.

We have agreed that, when we replace the fencing to your gardens, wherever possible the

Credit Union uptake WWH staff are working with the Credit Union, which offers much lower interest rates when lending to our residents, in order to promote the range of borrowing options available and to increase the uptake by residents across Brackla Meadows.

Money advice During consultations, and from the work that our Housing Officer and Tenancy Support Officer has been carrying out, there appear to be large numbers of residents borrowing from providers that charge high interest rates. These include Buy As You View, Bright House, and Provident, to name a few.

Stuart Lock, WWH Tenancy Support Officer, has been working in partnership with the Credit Union to produce a comparison leaflet for the purchase of typical household items such as a TV, cooker, washing machine etc.

We will be putting these packs together shortly and will be sending them out to residents for information.

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Brackla Meadows News | Issue 1 | November 2014

More activities for children Contact details In October the local community held a Grow Wild project. Over 20 local children helped plant bulbs on the scheme. There is also a community day arranged for April 2015 to paint the container on Clos y Wern.Staff have met with Brackla Events Committee (BEC) to improve activities within the Meadows.

Brackla Live continues to grow and WWH are very supportive of this project, which is a sports youth club held every Friday. Thirty five children attend each week, with 20 - 25 being children from the Meadows.

for the team

Here’s a reminder of the WWH staff who work at the scheme. All staff can be contacted via our Customer Service Centre on

0800 052 2526.

Jenny Williams

Housing Manager

Andrew Pritchard

Housing Officer

There are five events planned for 2015, which are all now being organised and run by Brackla Events Committee and WWH are working with BEC to relaunch the group with a new logo to continue to develop the work they do in the area. All events will be well publicised for all residents to attend.

Better use of NCH WWH staff have met with staff from NCH and are looking at projects that can be run from the centre. If there is any training or courses that residents would like to see carried out at the centre, please contact either Andrew Pritchard or Laura Allcott.

Andrew Lester

Asset Management Officer

Stuart Lock

Tenancy Support Officer

WWH have now installed wi-fi to the NCH to ensure more training courses can be provided. Take-up at the centre is at high levels for training and drop-in services.

WWH are working with NCH staff in a recycling scheme where items left in abandoned properties are used by NCH staff for families in need. The scheme has already helped three families.

Laura Allcott, Community Development Project Officer, and Stuart Lock, Tenancy Support Officer, have attended the Brackla Drop-In, which meets on Tuesday mornings, to talk about Universal Credit.

Laura Allcott

Community Development Project Officer

Gemma Kennedy

Tenancy Enforcement Officer

If there is anything else that you would like to see included in this newsletter, or you have any feedback / comments about this edition, please do not hesitate to contact us on 0800 052 2526 or email contactus@wwha.co.uk Page 4| www.wwha.co.uk | 0800 052 2526 | Twitter: @wwha