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ANNUAL REPORT
2011 - 2012
www.luminus.org.uk
Luminus aims to lead the way in working with others to provide the highest quality affordable homes and customer focused services in the communities we serve.
Luminus Annual Report 2011-2012
OurMission
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ContentsLuminus Annual Report 2011-2012
Welcome - Dr Chan Abraham Group Chief Executive
Awards
Working with residents to shape services
Knowing and responding to residents’ needs
How we look after our homes
Working in neighbourhoods
Providing cost effective quality services
How Luminus is led and managed
Providing excellent services
Ferry Project
HOPE Social Enterprises
Contact us
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Luminus Annual Report 2011-2012
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How far can we go to really make a difference? The answer seems to be “as far as we want!”
In this Annual Report you will see evidence of how Luminus staff and residents, as well as some of our partners, are helping make our communities stronger, our neighbourhoods places where people really want to live and everyone more positive if they want to be.
Many people are now familiar with the Luminus theme of our “2020 Vision” and “The Road to Renewal” We want all of our residents – and as many others as possible – to understand and embrace this approach. Although everyone knows that Luminus is not a “doom and gloom” organisation, we recognise that there are serious problems across the UK and that is what “broken Britain” means. Our hope is to continue working with others to help fix those problems and to create a better future.
The current economic recession has played havoc with people’s hopes and dreams. In Luminus we are seeking to rebuild aspirations, to encourage individuals, the communities they live in and the many partners with whom we work, to believe that positive change is a possibility that can become reality. This Performance Report gives some examples of that. However, the best way to see the results of our work is by talking to the people whose lives have been touched – our residents, our employees and the various people who come into contact with Luminus.
They will speak freely about how hopeful and inspired they now feel. They will not be shy about repeating our maxim, “Something good is going to happen to me today!” And, perhaps to sum it up, they respond without hesitation to our rallying call: “Can we do it? Yes, we can!”
It seems that people’s passion for positive change that transforms the future is alive and well.
2020 Vision: The Road to Renewal
Welcome - Dr Chan Abraham Group Chief ExecutivePositive change that transforms our communities
2012 A Year of...
Restoring Respect & Reinstating Values
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Luminus has been recognised for excellence through our successes in a number of local and national awards.
These awards are important as they are an external independent validation of our work, much like an exam.
WINNER
The Sunday Times 100 Best Not-for-Profit Organisations to Work For 2012Placed No.6 in the UK overall
Best Companies 2012 3 STAR (Extraordinary) Accreditation
RoSPA Occupational Health & Safety
Gold Award 2012
Fenland Enterprise Business AwardsEmployer of the Year (Ferry Project)
Housing Heroes 2012Leader of the Year (Keith Smith, Director, Ferry Project & HOPE Social Enterprises)
Best Employers Eastern RegionEmployee Values
Fenland Enterprise Business AwardsEmployer of the Year (Ferry Project)
Housing Excellence Awards 2012Best Regeneration Scheme(Joseph Rank House, Harlow)
FINALISTNational Business AwardsEmployer of the Year
UK Housing Awards 2012 Community Initiative of the Year (Ferry Project Night Shelter)
HCA Regeneration & Renewal AwardSkills Development (Ferry Project Education Programme)
Mixed Use Development (Octavia View)
Housing Excellence Awards 2012 Tenant of the Year (Georgina Corley)
Fenland Business Awards 2012Green Awards (HOPE Social Enterprises)
Business Person of the Year (Julia Prichard,Head of Homes & Neighbourhood Operations)
Housing Heroes 2012 Mentor of the Year (Kim Bryant, Neighbourhood Warden Team Leader)
ICS Customer Satisfaction AwardsCustomer Service Leadership (Dr Chan Abraham, Group Chief Executive)
Customer Communication Strategy
Luminus is an impressive housing organisation driven by pioneering leadership and great employee engagement.Simon Perryman, National Business AwardsEmployer of the Year Judge
Awards 2011-2012 Recognition for excellence
Ferry Project celebrate being named ‘Employer of the Year‘ at The Fenland Business Awards 2012
Luminus Annual Report 2011-2012
4 Working with residents to shape services 4
Our unique system of voting provides us with excellent feedback about what really matters in our communities, which drives the way we deliver services.
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Working with residents to shape services Building on strong foundations
We have a unique approach to engaging with residents. We are one team and one family and have established a great partnership in how we work together.
We invite residents to come together at our Residents Conferences. Since the beginning of 2011, over 800 have attended. At Conferences there is a real buzz in the atmosphere, and attendees have told us they are inspired and uplifted by the event. Recently, we have discussed working together to help restore respect and further improve our local communities. Our unique system of interactive voting allows residents to voice their opinions, which drives the way we deliver services.
Our Street Representatives scheme goes from strength to strength. Street Representatives are volunteers who we have provided with the opportunity to report problems and suggest solutions to us or partner agencies, tackling issues before they get too big. We are pleased to report they are achieving positive change in local neighbourhoods. Over
100 Street Representatives have been involved in over 40 meetings across Huntingdonshire since the beginning of the scheme. Together we can achieve our 2020 Vision of making Huntingdonshire a better and safer place to live.
The members of the Tenant Services Consultative Forum (TSCF) have a vital role to play. They are the link between the numerous resident involvement groups and the senior management team. During 2011-12 they made recommendations on our new Tenancy Policy and our Quality and Standards Manual for empty homes. They also scrutinised our business and investment plan and our approach to providing quality services that are also good value for money.
The Scrutiny Panel was established so that residents can assess customer-related service delivery. In December 2011, Panel members were provided with performance information in advance of their meeting. Key performance indicators as outlined in Luminus’ ‘Our Commitment to You’ leaflet were assessed to see whether we had achieved the promised standard.
Targets for these performance indicators were also evaluated and a summary of the Scrutiny Panel’s findings was reported to TSCF. Residents enjoy carrying out reality checks on our Service Standards, and will continue to play a prominent part in testing the effectiveness of our services.
438Luminus residents attended our Residents Conference during 2011-2012
Luminus Annual Report 2011-2012
6 Knowing and responding to residents’ needs 6
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Knowing and responding to residents’ needs Providing Premium Brand customer service
We aim to provide Premium Brand service. We achieve this in the vast majority of cases. Where this doesn’t happen, we want to make sure things are sorted out as quickly as possible. We have a robust and systematic approach for dealing with customer enquiries through our Customer Relations Officer.
We welcome customer enquiries and view them as an opportunity to learn and improve. If a resident is unhappy with the way their enquiry has been dealt with, they can request that their complaint is considered through the formal complaints process.
In 2011-12 we received 494 compliments for Luminus services and dealt with 718
enquiries. 347 of these were a request for a particular service, which we were able to deal with quickly.
The remaining 371 enquiries were resolved efficiently and to the customers’ satisfaction. We know this because we ask people to complete a customer satisfaction survey - 89% of residents were satisfied with the way the enquiry was handled. We compared this score with other housing providers and found that we are one of the best.
In November 2011, all residents were provided with a customer satisfaction survey. The survey enabled us to measure how satisfied customers are with housing services. The results put us among the top housing organisations and demonstrated that residents really appreciate the great service we are providing.
Here are some key results:
How satisfied are you with the service provided by Luminus?
94% Positive 90% Industry Average
How satisfied are you that Luminus listens to your views and acts upon them?
82% Positive 77% Industry Average
Luminus provides an effective and efficient service
92% Positive
Luminus is providing the service I expect from my landlord
92% Positive
When I contacted Luminus in the last 12 months, the staff were helpful
90% Positive
89%of residents satisfied with the way their enquiry was handled
494compliments received about Luminus services in 2011-2012
Luminus Annual Report 2011-2012
8 How we look after our homes 8
We are working hard to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our response repairs service. We are asking ourselves what needs to be done to provide a Premium Brand Service.
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How we look after our homes Satisfaction with our service is higher than ever
We are proud that all of our homes achieve the government’s Decent Homes Standard. We did this by investing £125 million since March 2000 in maintaining and improving our homes.
We will continue to enhance homes by installing new kitchens and bathrooms, replacing central heating systems, and carrying out external painting where necessary.
The system for managing day-to-day repairs appointments is working very well. Residents like being offered specific appointments. 98% of all appointments made last year were kept. We have reduced the wasted visits where residents do not keep to appointment times by contacting them in advance. This has reduced costs, improved efficiency and
delivered a more reliable service. You’ve told us you want repairs completed at the time of the first visit. So, 81% of all work is a ‘first time fix’, and we are committed to increasing this figure.
Satisfaction with the service is high, with 98% of people requesting a repair satisfied with the quality of work. Our excellent tradesmen continue to sign their work with pride.
Our new approach to getting materials for repairs has already seen us reduce our costs by £250,000 per year. We now work more closely with local merchants as well as national merchants.
We carried out a review of our out-of-hours service to improve its cost-effectiveness and efficiency. Our new arrangements see calls being answered by trained Ferry Project staff, who provide an excellent response and give
great advice to residents. This new approach will save around £30,000 a year.
We completed 100% gas safety checks in every home for the third year running. Our engineers also check smoke alarms.
98%of appointments made through response repairs were kept in 2011-2012
98%of residents who requested a repair said they were satisfied with the quality of work
Luminus Annual Report 2011-2012
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Working in neighbourhoods Improving quality of life in Huntingdonshire
As well as providing excellent landlord services, we are committed to engaging with individuals and communities to improve the quality of life for residents.
One of the ways in which we can make an immediate impact in our communities is through targeting specific towns or villages for a big ‘tidy up’. Our most recent initiative took place in Eaton Socon in August 2011, with local residents pitching in to help tidy up their community.
We will continue to carry out tidy ups to make neighbourhoods clean and tidy environments. We believe that this type of project helps restore pride within communities.
We continually demonstrate
our commitment to local communities by providing essential funding to many community-based groups. Since 2008, Luminus has distributed over £9,000 to 41 different organisations.
These organisations work alongside us on The Road to Renewal, sharing our 2020 Vision for making Cambridgeshire a better and safer place to live.
We promoted positive behaviour at Thongsley and The Whaddons, Huntingdon with a ‘Street Surgery’. This was an opportunity for agencies to listen to residents’ concerns and to discuss ideas for improving the area.
The children played an antisocial behaviour themed game, and exercised with hula hoops, while a number joined our Neighbourhood Warden
in carrying out a litter pick.In the current economic climate, Luminus is playing its full part in tackling worklessness. We have been providing hope for dozens of local people at a series of informative and helpful Back to Work Clubs in St Neots.
The Club aims to help unemployed people find work, and offers access to information on support services and local jobs.
It has been made possible due to successful partnership working between Luminus, Huntingdonshire District Council and Jobcentre Plus.
The Back to Work Club has proved so popular that we are spreading them to other parts of the district including St Ives, Yaxley and Ramsey.
80volunteers collected 30 sacks of rubbish at Luminus’ Big Tidy Up event in May 2011
£9000distributed to 41 different
organisations.
Luminus Annual Report 2011-2012
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Our Environmental Support Workers are leading the way in bringing significant environmental improvements in Huntingdonshire.
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Providing cost effective quality services Working hard to maximise our income
Luminus seeks to provide cost-effective quality services, while ensuring that we are efficiently managed.
We have continued to make increased year-on-year efficiency savings while maintaining an excellent service. In 2011-12, we saved over £4 million.
In 2011, our regulator said that they were satisfied we were maximising our income while minimising expenditure. They were happy that we met the requirements set out in the Financial Viability standard of the Regulatory Framework.
In December 2011, we took a new approach to value for money through our Business Excellence Strategy. We plan to see greater cash and efficiency savings and even higher levels of customer satisfaction.
We would be unable to provide excellent services if we were not committed to the effective collection of rent. Our proactive approach to encourage residents to pay rent in a timely fashion during 2011-12 meant that we collected almost 99% of the total rent payable. Through early intervention and giving advice, our Revenue team keep arrears
to a minimum. Indeed, following our Christmas rent arrears campaign, there was a £117,000 reduction in arrears – more than £30,000 more than the previous year.
We compare our results with other housing providers to see where we are doing well, and also where we could improve.
Some notable examples of efficiency savings:
A new way of buying materials
£250,000
Cutting down on broken appointments by calling ahead
£75,000
Doing more cleaning work and garden maintenance work ‘in house’
£85,000
Reducing levels of sickness absence among staff
£50,000
December rent arrears campaign
£117,000
Luminus Annual Report 2011-2012
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How Luminus is led and managedAn extensive range of skills and experience
During 2011-12 Luminus was well looked after by our Boards, who continue to deliver effective governance, supported by appropriate arrangements and comprehensive training. This work is at the heart of our success.
In February 2012, we welcomed representatives from the Homes and Communities Agency to assess our financial viability and the effectiveness of our governance arrangements. The regulator concluded that we fully comply with regulatory standards.
The regulator was also impressed that we had carried out a thorough assessment of our compliance against their regulatory standards framework. It was also satisfied that we comply with our Code of Governance.
Board effectiveness is reviewed through the appraisal of individual Board members as well as appraisal of the Board collectively. This ensures that it continues to achieve great results.
Training sessions and attendance at Luminus’ events help to increase members’ understanding and appreciation of our 2020 Vision and The Road to Renewal.
Boards are fully involved in our effective approach to risk management. Risk is considered in every report and every decision made. The Risk Map is maintained and reported in full to the Board annually and changes reported at each quarterly meeting.
Tenant board members play a vital part in shaping the strategic direction of Luminus. We currently have five tenant board members including David Vessey, Chairman of Luminus Homes and Oak Foundation Boards.
They actively participate in the process of enquiry and challenge, adding value to our culture of openness and transparency.
Luminus Annual Report 2011-2012
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Providing excellent services in 2011-2012Facts and figures on the Road to Renewal
87.6%White: British
0.3%White: Irish
7.9%White: Other
0.2%Chinese
0.5%Mixed: White & Black: Caribbean
0.3%Mixed: White & Black: African
0.5%Mixed: White & Black
0.8%Asian British / Asian: Indian
0.2%Asian British / Asian: Pakistani
0.2%Asian British / Asian: Other
0.2%Black British / Black: Caribbean
0.2%Black British / Black: Other
We provided new homes to 544 households.
We record the ethnicity of all new residents, and the breakdown is as follows:
Luminus owns and manages 7,135 homes.
The numbers of each type of home are as follows:
General needs 5591
Sheltered housing 535
Leaseholders 465
Shared ownership 221
Mobile home park plots 50
Supported housing 100
Travellers site plots 20
Non-social housing 42
Intermediate rent 111
We work hard to ensure that vacant homes are made available to new residents in the shortest period of time.
The average time it takes for a vacant Luminus home to be made ready for a new tenant to move in is just 15 days.
Once homes are ready, we advertise them through the sub-regional choice based lettings scheme.
On average new residents move in to empty homes after 29 days of the property being vacated. The national average is 25 days (source: HouseMark).
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Response Repairs 197
Neighbourhood 175 Management
Planned maintenance 131
Enquiry handling 18
Making homes 15 available to let
Anti-social Behaviour 29
HOPE and Ferry Project 12
Community Services 9
Buying homes 1
Collecting rent 12
Neighbourhood Wardens 19
Other 16
We deal effectively with customer enquires, by putting things right where necessary.
Here is a breakdown of the type of enquiries received during 2011-12, as recorded by our Customer Relations Officer:
We pride ourselves on providing high quality homes and we respond quickly to residents’ requests for repairs and maintenance.
Luminus has an excellent approach to Anti-social Behaviour (ASB) which has outstanding results.
93% of people are satisfied with the way we handled their ASB case.
97% of people were satisfied with the outcome of their ASB case.
We pride ourselves on providing high quality homes and we respond quickly to residents’ requests for repairs and maintenance.
in 2011-12 the first-time fix rate for all repairs was 81% for Luminus Homes, and 83% for Oak Foundation.
The energy efficiency of our homes has greatly improved as a consequence of investing £125 million on improving our homes.
The Energy Efficiency Rating (SAP) achieved in 2011-12 was 73 for Luminus Homes properties, and 76 for Oak Foundation properties.
These figures are better than the national average of 70 (source: HouseMark).
Luminus Annual Report 2011-2012
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Throughout this year we will establish what a superlative repairs service looks like.
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Ferry Project Helping the homeless with love and support in Wisbech
The Ferry Project delivers supported accommodation to people in Fenland. It does fantastic work helping the homeless with love and support towards independence, so that they can get on with their lives.
Octavia View hosts a hostel, an art gallery, Octavia’s shop and café and more besides. It’s also a place where courses are run for the local community.
We were especially proud when Keith Smith, Director of the Ferry Project, achieved the accolade of Inspirational Leader of the Year at the 2012 Housing Heroes Awards, in recognition of his dedication and commitment in developing the organisation.
The Ferry Project was thrilled to be awarded £250,000 from the government’s Homelessness Transition Fund, allowing it to expand its Night Shelter in Wisbech. The Shelter provides emergency accommodation for the migrant community. By offering a safe place for homeless migrants with support given through a partner agency, we believe we can break down the barriers in the community and give our clients a sense of purpose.
Ferry Project has been heralded as a ‘national beacon’ by homeless charities for the excellent services it provides, and was recently commended by Cambridgeshire Police for reducing antisocial behaviour in Wisbech.
NIGHT SHELTER
THE FACTSFROM START
OF THE SERVICE 17/01/2011 TO 31/12/2011
2,462 ACCUMULATED NIGHTS OF SHELTER PROVIDED OVER 327 NIGHTS
83 CLIENTS 79 MALES 4 FEMALES
72 FOUND EMPLOYMENT
4 SECURED BENEFITS
57 SUCCESSFULLY MOVED INTO ACCOMMODATION OR REPATRIATED
25 ENGAGED IN EDUCATION COURSES
7 ENGAGED WITH DRUG & ALCOHOL SUPPORT SERVICES
16 REGISTERED WITH GP’S
Luminus Annual Report 2011-2012
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HOPE Social EnterprisesHope for the individual, community and the environment
HOPE Social Enterprises is our re-use, repair and recycle company with the aim of providing high quality seconds goods at reasonable prices, whilst providing employment for vulnerable and long-term unemployed people.
HOPE offers placements to local volunteers on a number of initiatives including cleaning, gardening, retail and product testing. After items have been tested, they are made ready for sale at Octavia’s in Wisbech, local markets and shops.
We also use eBay for those wanting an online bargain. We have saved over 400 tonnes from going to landfill by doing this. In addition to the retail and volunteering
operations, HOPE continues to offer cleaning and grounds maintenance services as far afield as Milton Keynes and Cambridge.
We are delighted that working for HOPE has a positive impact on peoples’ lives. One of our volunteers gave this account of his time with us,
“My time at HOPE helped to boost my confidence both in looking for work and in my private life by helping prove to myself that I can stick at something if I put my mind to it and do it well. It was also nice to be trusted. My experience with HOPE has helped me to feel less nervous about meeting new people and is a good thing to add to my CV.”
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Contact us
Published by Luminus Group • Registered Office: Brook House, Ouse Walk, Huntingdon PE29 3QWTel No: 01480 428777 • Email: [email protected] Website: www.luminus.org.uk
If you have any comments about the Annual Report or would like a large print or audio version, please contact the Communications Team on 01480 428707/8 or send an email to [email protected]
For help to understand our Annual Report please ring 01480 428707/8
01480 428777General Enquiries -
Monday to Thursday 9am - 5pm and Fridays 9am - 4.30pm
01480 428333Service Centre
For reporting all repairs Monday to Thursday 9am - 5pm
and Fridays 9am - 4.30pm
01480 428522Rent Enquiries
01945 429300Luminus Ferry Project
01480 428314Leaseholder Enquiries
01480 428721Customer Relations Officer
Caroline Howard
01354 606740Hope Social Enterprises
01480 428333Out of Hours Emergencies
Monday to Thursday 5pm - 9amFriday 4.30pm - Monday 9am
01480 428521Income & Benefits Advisor
Sue Cargill
01480 428707/8Communications & Customer Relations
01480 428588Neighbourhood Services
You can use this number to report anti-social behaviour
01480 428541Tenant Involvement
FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN
Luminus Group • Brook House • Ouse Walk • Huntingdon • PE29 3QW T: 01480 428777 • F: 01480 428555 • [email protected] • www.luminus.org.uk
2012 a year of
Restoring Respect & reinstating Values
Our 2020 Vision: The Road to Renewal is a focus on positive change that transforms our communities to mend “broken Britain”. Since March 2000 we have been building a team of people who, daily inspired in their work, seek consistently
to give excellent service to our customers. This energises our residents, business partners and the wider community and helps us all find a sense of purpose, hope and fulfilment. As we change, transformation occurs and a brighter future becomes reality.
Dr Chan AbrahamLuminus Group Chief Executive
