AnnualReport2011

Email: [email protected]: www.regenda.org.uk

illustrations

www.jimtheartist.co.uk

Customer Services

0344 736 0066 this is a local call rate number

VAT No: 787 4523 85Registered Office:

Regenda Limited, Regenda HouseEnterprise Business Park, Northgate Close

Horwich, Bolton, BL6 6PQ

Tel: 01204 814000Fax: 01204 814555

The Regenda Group comprises the following group members: Regenda Ltd. an exempt charity, I&P Society No. 31240R. Regenda Homes Ltd. I&P society No. 16213R. M&Y Joinery and Building Maintenance Ltd. Registered in England No. 03911918.

a year in the life of 2012

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Annual

ReportAnother year...

Bernard GallagherChief Executive

Our Money Advice Officers

from left: Vicky Lyle, Colette Gorst, Sue Thomas & Mark Roberts

M&Y team expansion

Keep an eye out for the team in your neighbourhood

*From April 2012, the TSA will transfer regulatory functions to an Independent Regulation Committee established within the Homes and Communities Agency.

Welcome to Regenda’s Annual Report. This year it takes the form of a wall

calendar. This was the idea of our Resident Communications Team, who felt it

would provide a useful and practical way for residents to digest Regenda’s annual

report information.

The Tenant Services Authority (TSA), the government body that regulates social

housing until April 2012*, advise housing associations (registered providers) such

as ourselves, to publish an annual report for residents. The TSA consider that these

reports are key to providing an open and accountable service to residents.

The TSA suggest the report should give details of what a registered provider’s policies,

performance and plans are across six standard areas which are:

We have worked to reflect these themes throughout the report.

This report covers the period from April 2010 to March 2011. During this period we

have accomplished a lot but we are not complacent and are committed to continually

improving the range and quality of services we offer our residents.

Each month of this calendar will provide you with more details of our successes and

challenges but highlights for me include:

I hope you enjoy reading this annual report and that it gives you confidence that we

continue to strive to deliver high quality housing services, whilst also bringing extra

benefits to your local communities. We are all working to ensure you are getting the

services and improvements you want and need as Regenda residents.

So without further ado, I hand you over to our Resident Communications Team to

introduce our Annual Report and explain how they have been involved putting it

together.

Wishing you a happy and healthy 2012,

Bernard Gallagher

Chief Executive

• tenant involvement and empowerment

• the home• the tenancy• neighbourhood and community• value for money• governance and financial viability.

Increasing our response to anti-social behaviour at a local level by employing

dedicated Anti-social Behaviour Officers in each region and working

successfully within each of our communities to reduce instances of anti-social

behaviour

Appointing three Money Advice Officers to help advise residents on how to

tackle debt, find employment and access the benefits they are entitled to

Aiming to improve your out-of-hours repairs service. We completed a full

review of this service, which resulted in one repairs provider, M&Y, being

appointed for the entire Regenda Group. This should ensure a consistent

out-of-hours service. We also aim to expand the services and activities

of M&Y further over the next two years, to provide its services to a wider

number of Regenda residents.

Tackling anti-social behaviour Local level support to successfully reduce anti-social behaviour

Tell us what you think of this annual report calendar and you could win £50 of shopping vouchers in our prize draw. (see back for details of how to enter)

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IntroducingReg & EndaWhen the Team met back in April 2011 to discuss what we would do for this

year’s annual report, we have to admit that we were quite daunted about

coming up with a concept that could rival the last year’s ‘R Factor’ report. It was

recognised as being one of the best designed annual reports in the country!

So as we started to throw around a few thoughts, Tony Hogan, one of our team

members suggested using an idea he had previously, of having two Regenda cartoon

character residents that could bring the annual report to life by adding a humorous

element to what can otherwise be a dry document to residents.

We all loved this idea and it was at this point that the two lead characters Reg

and Enda were born. Our animated discussions continued and by the end of

the meeting we had developed a whole cast of characters including friends,

neighbours and family members for Reg and Enda - lovingly brought to life by

illustrator Jim Fleming.

A note from the Resident Communications Team

Ann McQuinn

Bill McQuinn

Dot Moran

Sharon Lowe

Ron Ferguson

Tony Hogan

Sarah Walmsley

We also agreed that if the annual report came in the form of a calendar, then residents could keep it on their wall all year round, and it would be more useful to them than a printed brochure.

The idea of the calendar and the Reg and Enda characters were presented to the residents who attended the Shared Service Open Day in May, and they were very positive about these ideas.

Remember there are loads of ways you can get involved in Regenda’s activities, core and scrutiny groups or even join us on the Resident Communications Team. If you are interested please contact Tracy Walker, Resident Involvement Officer, on 01204 814144.

We really hope that you will like this year’s calendar report and our new Regenda characters including our star couple ‘Reg and Enda’!

Most of all - Have fun and enjoy the report all year round!

Residents were also asked to ‘Snap to it’ with the photographic competition and we are delighted to say we received over 30 fantastic entries. The range of images we received showcased our neighbourhoods beautifully and made us feel immensely proud of our local areas. It also became clear what a great number of talented photographers we have amongst us! The winning shots are displayed on each month of the calendar, so look out for any views which look familiar. Thank you to all residents who took part in the competition.

Send us your best digital snaps

and they could be featured in

our 2012 annual report calendar

The ResidentCommunicationsTeam x

Ron FergusonTony Hogan

Sharon Lowe Sarah Walmsley

Bill McQuinnAnn McQuinn

Dot Moran

Hoorah! we beat our target

It’s there!we are on target

Closebut no time for celebrations

Too lowwe need to try harder

Throughout the report you will find the ratings

system below. It’s a simple way to check on the

progress at Regenda.

Reg + Enda + Holmes the dog!

January

Repairs

Following a successful pilot exercise

in 2011 involving publishing planned

maintenance programmes in some

local newsletters, this will now

be a regular addition in all local

newsletters in 2012.

If you are thinking of carrying out any “do it yourself” projects, please call for advice to avoid damage to pipework or cables that could lead to a potential re-charge. 0344 736 0066

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things toremember...

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday SundayJanuary 2012

26 27 28 29 30 31 1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

30 31 1 2 3 4 5

Makar SankrantiHindu

Chinese New Year

Makar Sankranti Hindu festival

celebrating the sun’s journey into

the northern hemisphere.

Chinese New Year Often called

Chinese Lunar New Year, this is the

most important festival in the

Chinese calendar.

Responsive repair core groups are held

monthly.

These groups involve Regenda staff,

contractors and residents, who discuss

how property services can be

improved.

If you are interested in joining this

core group, please get in contact with

the Property Services team on:

0344 736 0066(local call rate)

Customer Services Core Group will be

held this month.

31st of January 2012 is the final date

for entries into the £50 worth of

shopping vouchers prize draw. See

back page for more details.

handy hints

Photo of the month winner:Thelma Culshaw Snowfall on Hesketh Green,

Rufford, Ormskirk.

Description 2011 Our target was

How did we do?

What we are doing about it?

% repairs completed on 1st visit

87% 80%Continue to hit our target.

Offering flexibility of appointments


Providing information on how long a repair will take


Resident satisfaction with the repairs service

94% 95%We are putting plans in place

to improve this in 2012.

Meet the government’s Decent Homes standard


you said... ...we didKeep us informed of when our

repairs will take place. Introduced a text service to remind you

of pre-booked appointments.

Clarify who is responsible for repairs. Are we responsible or Regenda?

Created a repairs information leaflet which clearly states whose responsibility the repairs are. This is available to download from our website.

Improve your out-of-hours service!

Completed a full review of our out-of-hours service, resulting in one provider being appointed for the entire Regenda Group. This should ensure an improved and consistent out-of-hours service.

Improve your stock condition

information.

Completed 98% of our stock condition surveys. This will enable us to provide accurate and targeted investment programmes in the future.

Monday to Friday AM8.30am-1.00pmMonday to Friday PM12.30pm-5.00pmMonday to Friday school time 9.30am-2.30pmThursday PM up to 8.00pmSaturday up to 1.00pm

During 2011 we invested heavily in our stock:

we replaced windows in 282 properties

we installed 401 new heating systems

we redecorated 1689 properties

we re-roofed 147 properties

Further improvements involved passenger lift refurbishments,

fencing replacements, pointing, re-rendering and property access

improvements.

We inspect and test every gas installation in

our properties every 12 months.

We now offer the following convenient repair appointment slots:

Margaret Stainsby

Liverpool resident

key fact

key fact

If I’ve had a repair it’s been carried out. I’ve forwarded my complaints and issues

back to them. They send you a form asking if you are satisfied with that. They’ve

done me a favour by doing repairs to the full standard when I thought they’d say

‘Oh that’s too much work, we can do half’. They have always given me great

pleasure in the repairs that they’ve done so I can’t fault them.

did you know?

Guess who?

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Give us an opportunity to see the Shared Service Centre in action.

Held an open day in May 2011 enabling over 60 customers to see the wide range of services on offer and help identify areas where we could improve. There will be another Open Day in April 2012, so please contact us if you would like to attend.

The Shared Service Centre won the Northwest Contact Centre of the Year award for 2010 in

recognition of our commitment to providing you with excellent customer services.

things toremember...Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

February 2012

530 31 1 2 3 4

126 7 8 9 10 11

1913 14 15 16 17 18

2620 21 22 23 24 25

427 28 29 1 2 3

115 6 7 8 9 10

Nirvana DayBuddhist

Shrove TuesdayChristian

St Valentine’s dayChristian

Nirvana Day Marks the anniversary of Buddha’s death.

St Valentine’s Day A time of year that is historically associated with love and fertility.

Shrove Tuesday Often known as ‘Pancake Day’.

The 2012 Shared Service Open Day will be held in April. We will inform you of the date and location as the time approaches.

FebruaryCustomerServices

Photo of the month winner:

Garnet ScottHistoric Hovis mill building and

Macclesfield canal wharf.

Regenda has a comprehensive set of Customer Service Standards. These standards are in place so that residents know exactly what level of service they can expect and to ensure consistently good standards across the organisation.


How did we do?


Treat customers fairly and with respect 98% 98%

We listen to customer calls to ensure we are treating customers fairly and with respect. We also ask customers to tell us how they ‘feel’ we have handled their calls. We use customer feedback to carry out training and coaching to ensure high standards are maintained.

Aim to answer as many enquiries as possible straight away

75% 80%

Where we are unable to answer queries straight away, we aim to ensure that we get back to the customer in 24 hours. We were able to resolve 92% of these cases in 2011.

Ensure when the Shared Service Centre is closed that you have access to the out-of-hours service

94% 95.5%

The out-of-hours service operates from 7pm - 8am Monday to Friday, weekends and during bank holidays. We contact a sample of customers who have contacted us out-of-hours, to find out how satisfied they are with the service.

you said... ...we didImprove the quality of the

contact we have with the Shared Service Centre.

Ten residents were recruited to join the Customer

Service Core Group in August 2011. Through this

group, residents scrutinise our services, help us

to improve our call quality monitoring and build

upon our current system.

We also introduced a quality monitoring system

which enables us to assess individual calls and

how well they were handled.

We consulted residents in 2010 about how they’d like to see our service improve. These are some of the things you told us mattered to you, and what we’ve done in response.

In the beginning I was against the Shared Service Centre. I wanted the services

to stay in the separate areas. It has proved us wrong. It seems to be working

fine.

Wendy BlowerCleveleys resident

key fact

did you know?

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We know the age profile of 87% of our residents

We know the ethnicity of 79% of our residents

We know the language spoken by 69% of our residents

We know the religion of 57% of our residents

We know the sexual orientation of 57% of our residents

87%

79%

69%

57%

57%


March 2012

27 28 29 1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9 10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

26 27 28 29 30 31 1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

HoliHindu

St. Patrick’s DayChristian

Holi The Hindu Spring Festival.St. Patrick’s Day Commemorating the Patron Saint of Ireland.

This is the distribution of age

groups within our properties.

This is the distribution of ethnicity

within our properties.

* Black and Minority Ethnic groups

MarchCustomerServices

did you know?

Our lines are open 8am – 7pm Monday to Friday

As well as using the translation service Language Line,

Regenda staff and residents can also act as interpreters.

We offer written documents in large print, your language

or audio format – just call us to request this service.

handy hints


Ian HoganCanal at Guys Thatched Hamlet,

Bilsborrow, Wyre.

you said...

...we did

Improve your customer profiling

information so that your services

can be tailored specifically to our

needs.

Age and disability information helped the

development of sheltered housing local offers.

Profiling information helped us to put together our

bid to the Homes and Community Agency for the

development of new homes.

We tailored our feedback mechanisms to suit the

age profile of our residents i.e. feedback via text and

website.

We will continue to improve our collection rates of

customer profiling data and our target for 2012 is to

hit 80%.

Regenda are improving. They are trying – that’s what’s

important. They’re trying to do their best. Kathleen Jean AlmondWirral resident

key fact

did you know?

52%age 60+

36%age 31-59

12%age 21-30

92%White/British

8%*BME

I just love springcleaning!

where’s everything gone?

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In 2010/11 we received

and responded to over

1,200 complaints.

Nearly 50% of

these were resolved

immediately over the

phone.


April 2012

29 30 31 1

5 6 7 8

12 13 14 15

19 20 21 22

26 27 28 29

3 4 5 6

2 3 4

9 10 11

16 17 18

23 24 25

30 1 2

26 27 28

Good FridayChristian

PassoverJewish

Easter SundayChristian

VaisakhiSikh

RidvanBaha’i

Your ‘Regenda Offer’ is due this month.

Customer Services Core Group will be held this month.

Good Friday Commemorating the execution of Jesus by crucifixion.

Passover Commemorating the liberation of the children of Israel who were led out of Egypt by Moses.

Easter Sunday Commemorating the resurrection of Jesus.

Vaisakhi The Sikh New Year festival.

Ridvan The start of the 12 day festival commemorating the commencement of Baha’u’llah’s prophethood.

AprilComplaints

did you know?

Photo of the month winner:Steven Radford ‘Tia’ the dog, enjoying a dip in the river at Scorton picnic site, Trough of Bowland.

you said...

...we did

We now contact all residents who have complained

to get your feedback about how well or how badly

we have dealt with your complaint.

We will then use your direct feedback to improve

the service and your comments will be reported to

our Board.

...we did

70% of what Regenda does is OK. There is room for improvement, mainly in

communication.

There needs to be more discussions. Regenda does take on board what

residents are saying but there can still be improvements.

Belinda ArmstrongFleetwood resident

Description 2010 2011Our

target was

How did we do?


Aim to resolve your complaints at the first stage

90% 94% 80%It’s good - but we can continue to work on further improving our target.

Increase customer satisfaction with our complaints service

49% 44% 65%We are working on a major project to improve the way that we deal with complaints.

Respond to and investigate your complaint within 10 working days

63% 69% 80%

We are speaking to other high performing organisations to see what we can learn from them.

The 3 main reasons that you

complained to Regenda are in

relation to:• not responding or calling you

back• the length of time taken to sort

out a problem

• the poor quality of work.

There are a variety of ways to complain.

You don’t have to just put it in writing.

You can phone, text, email or speak to our staff directly.

See the back cover for all the ways you can contact us.

handy hint

I wish we could complainabout the weather!

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did you know?

We offer training

programmes for residents

who want to become

involved with us, to help

improve our services.

We have a network

of other venues and

surgeries where you can

meet and speak to your

Neighbourhood Officer

without going into the

local office.

We have a brand new

Resident Involvement

Policy that was developed

with residents. approved


Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday SundayMay 2012

9 10

30 1 2 3 4

7 8 9 10 11

14 15 16 17 18

21 22 23 24 25

28 29 30 31 1

5 6

12 13

19 20

26 27

2 3

4 5 6 7 8

Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh

Declaration of the Báb

Baha’i

Baha’i

Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh

Anniversary of Bahá'u'lláh death.

Declaration of the Báb The Báb

was the forerunner of Bahá'u'lláh.

His mission was to prepare the

world for the coming of

Bahá'u'lláh and he declared it in

the evening of May 22 1844.

MayLocal Offers

‘The Regenda Offer’ will be launched during 2012. It combines

your Local Offer with the Service Standards so that you know what

services you can expect from us. Copies will be available from our

local offices, our website or by contacting Customer Services.

A local offer means landlords and residents working together

to design and deliver services to meet local needs.

In April 2011, we distributed 146 individually tailored local neighbourhood offers and 23

sheltered housing offers to you. These were developed from feedback gathered from over

500 residents at a number of consultation events held across our neighbourhoods during

the summer of 2010 and early 2011. Details of all local offers are available on the Regenda

website.

• A caretaking service has been introduced across Merseyside to help with litter and graffiti removal, amongst other things

• Increased visits from our gardening services in certain neighbourhoods

• Regular clean up days in all Wyre neighbourhoods• Joint anti-social behaviour and police neighbourhood surgeries

introduced in Fleetwood• Estate walkabouts are being held out-of-hours in Cheshire as

requested• Areas of derelict land in Limehurst, such as the Farm Road site, are

being dealt with as these were a concern.

Photo of the month winner:Tatjana Stolerova Peak District National Park.

What is a local offer?

How have local offers made a difference to you?

Improve the ways we can make

comments or feedback to you.

We will soon be conducting a review of all the

surveys we send out to you or ask you to complete

following an event.

Its aim is to establish if we are sending out the right

surveys and collecting the right information from

you.

We can then act upon this information in order

to improve our services to you. Part of this review

includes determining the right mechanisms for

feeding back to you and keeping you informed.

you said......we did

Tell us about resident involvement opportunities.

Give us specific local offers for sheltered schemes.

A specific resident involvement event was held in February 2011 to review the ways to get involved. The result is that there are now many more ways to get involved with Regenda – download our ‘Getting Involved’ leaflet from our website.

Launched 24 local offers specifically for our sheltered schemes.

Regenda is very good. Since I moved from Wardle I’ve been made very welcome, everybody did. I’ve been working with Joanne (Walsh) Regional Manager, helping to sort out the area.

Norman CastleRochdale resident

key fact

Reckon I’ve got the prize winner here George!

Sheltered housing residents wanted to see an annual calendar of events and activities at their sheltered housing scheme.

Established an annual calendar of events at all sheltered housing schemes based on suggestions received from residents.


June 2012

29 30 31 1 2 3

5 6 7 8 9 10

12 13 14 15 16 17

19 20 21 22 23 24

26 27 28 29 30 1

3 4 5 6 7 8

4

11

18

25

2

28

Summer Solstice

Summer Solstice The longest day of the year and the time when the sun is at its maximum elevation.Solstice, or Litha means a stopping or standing still of the sun.

Our local neighbourhood

staff now spend over

70% of their time in your

neighbourhoods carrying out

estate inspections, walkabouts

with residents and providing

support services.

We would like to see

more residents attending

walkabouts or just coming

out to talk to us when we do

them.

Residents can apply to Regenda to bid for a community grant of up to £500

from the Community Chest to improve their community. The Community Chest

funding is available in the West region (Merseyside and Wyre).

Last year we allocated a budget of £36,300 in total and found that residents

in Wyre made more applications than any other area. These grant applications

were considered and approved by the Wyre Tenants Forum.

key fact

JuneYourNeighbourhood

Residents in the Wyre area wanted to establish a Tenant Forum to discuss local neighbourhood issues.

Increase your support to older residents.

Set up the Wyre Tenant Forum which now meets four times per year with senior managers. They have established their own constitution and regularly consider and approve community grants. They have awarded grants to the value of over £7,000 for community events and projects in the area.


We gave additional support to our older residents. Some examples of support given in 2011 were:

• we permanently employed an older person support officer for our Cheshire neighbourhoods• free adult education classes are provided in our sheltered schemes in Lancashire• we secured a grant to install

computer and internet services at a sheltered scheme in Merseyside and trained residents at the scheme.

Page

9Photo of the month winner:

Will BoughDucks on Garstang

canal bank.

Description 2010 2011 Our target was

How did we do?

What we are doing about

it?Provide you with local newsletters featuring events, performance and issues for your neighbourhood

14,000 newsletters

We aimed to provide 10,000 residents with at least 1 local newsletter per year. For our 1,000

sheltered housing residents we aimed to provide 1

local newsletter per month.

We sent out 28,000 newsletters and did 464 local

editions.

Our target was met and feedback about the local newsletters remains very positive.

Carry out walkabouts with residents at least twice a year in all areas and four times a year in specific neighbourhoods

This was a new target

set for 2011

53 quarterly and 277 six monthly walkabouts were

carried out.

52 quarterly and 198 six monthly

walkabouts.

We now publish an annual calendar to all residents showing when and where walkabouts will take place.

We appointed a Project Officer in each region to develop community projects to address issues identified in local plans.

key fact

handy hint

We inspected 90%of all communal areas in our flats and land that we own, four times a year in 2011.

Our target of 100% was just missed due to bad weather in December preventing inspections on Merseyside.

did you know?

Thanks for doin’ your bitfor the community

you two!

It’s noProblem, Beryl. Hold on!

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During 2010/11 we provided

over 1,000 homes for

vulnerable residents with

complex care and support

needs. This was done by

successfully working in

partnership with a wide range

of charities, local authorities

and voluntary agencies.

During 2010/11 we found

out that almost nine out of

every ten supported housing

residents (88%) were happy

with the service Regenda

provides them with. To

build upon this a number of

projects have been set up

for 2011/12 to improve the

quality of the homes and

services we provide to these

vulnerable residents.

did you know?


July 2012

28 29 30 1

5 6 7 8

12 13 14 15

19 20 21 22

26 27 28 29

2 3 4 5

2 3 4

9 10 11

16 17 18

23 24 25

30 31 1

25 26 27

Birthday of Haile SelassieRastafarian

Ramadan (start)Muslim


Ramadan The ninth month of the Islamic calendar, when Muslims fast during daylight hours.

Birthday of Haile Selassie Rastas believe Haile Selassie is God, and that he will return to Africa members of the black community who are living in exile.

JulyYourNeighbourhood

Description 2010 2011 Our target wasHow did we

do?

What we are doing about

it?

Increase support

to current and new vulnerable

residents

This was a new target in 2011.

Support was provided

to 403 vulnerable

residents. All new

residents (656) were

assessed for support needs.

403 tenants provided

with extra support.

Support was given for

financial issues, help

to obtain adaptations

and help with

substance misuse.

We now have four

Tenancy Support

Officers – one dedicated to each

region.

Hold an annual

‘meet the chief’

event where you can talk directly to our senior managers

in certain neighbourhoods

and at all sheltered

schemes

21 specific events for

neighbourhoods and 29 for sheltered schemes.

19 events were

held across specific

neighbourhoods.

Events took place at

all of our 29 sheltered

scheme.

21 events for specific

neighbourhoods and

29 sheltered schemes.

We failed to complete 2 events

in the Tameside

region. These will

be re-scheduled.

you said... ...we didThat the alarms did not work

properly in certain schemes.Review all systems and will be replacing them with dispersed (telephone activated) systems in some areas.

Consult with us about service

charges, particularly at

sheltered housing schemes.

St Helens neighbourhood

staff should carry out local

surgeries closer to where

people live so they can

talk to staff about their

problems.

Senior managers and/or neighbourhood staff

visited sheltered schemes across Merseyside

and Lancashire to discuss service charge

proposals. As a result, we carried out a number

of changes in Merseyside including changing

the gardening service, re-tendering the laundry

service and reviewing the cost for supply relief

cover when the scheme manager is away.

Hold a range of surgeries at libraries ,

community centres , church halls and resident

meeting rooms across St Helens where residents

can talk to local staff. Residents in those areas

have been provided with dates, times and

venues.

Make changes to

the lettings policy

to make sure that

neighbourhoods are a

better place to live.

Introduced special local lettings policies in

Lancashire and Merseyside to tackle issues such

as anti-social behaviour, youth nuisance, high

turnover (tenants leaving) and complaints.

Examples of these new policies include:

• extra tenancy reference checks with the police

• new residents to have a local connection with

the area• new residents to be in work, in voluntary work

or attending a training scheme

• reduction in the number of children on

estates in some areas.

Don’t mind if I do!

The bangers are ready!Help yourselves...

Photo of the month winner:Alexander McErlain

Scout Green on the Stalybridge/Mossley border.

Margaret StainsbyLiverpool resident

I live in an area that has been a bit rough and I’ve been to a few

meetings where we’ve explained our grievances. We were called back to

meetings with Regenda where they explained what they were going to

do. At the next meeting they had done it. All the feedback we have been

given has been brilliantly carried out. I can’t fault them for what they

have done for me.

The Eden Project has been

developed on the Limehurst

estate in Oldham to help

combat youth nuisance. This

has now drastically reduced.

As part of the project, an

area of land on Farm Road

has been converted into

a community garden for

surrounding residents and the

adjacent ginnels closed. The

ginnels were previously crime

and litter hot spots as they

were being used for dumping

litter and were potential fire

hazards.


August 2012

9

30 31 1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30 31 1 2

3 4 5 6 7 8

JanmashtamiHindu

Eid-ul-FitrMuslim

Janmashtami The Janmashtami festival marks the birth of Krishna, the most highly venerated God in the Hindu pantheon.

Eid-ul-Fitr The end of Ramadan when Muslims celebrate the end of fasting and thank Allah for his help with their month-long act of self-control.

key fact We received 988 reports of anti-social behaviour during 2011.

10% of all cases were successfully resolved using mediation as a tool

for resolution. Please contact us if you feel you would benefit from

using the mediation service.

We now have Anti-social Behaviour Officers based at each local office.

The Oldham based officer dealt with 68 cases in the first 12 months.

Page

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Laura DeardenThe Mount, Fleetwood.


How did we do?


Ensure that people who report incidents of anti-social behaviour to us are satisfied with how quickly we respond

93% of people were satisfied with our response time.

90%Continue to dedicate resources to remain on target.

Remove all offensive graffiti within one working day and remove all other forms of graffiti within five working days from the date it is reported

100% 100%

The removal of all offensive graffiti is treated as an emergency repair and is usually removed in four hours.

you said... ...we didKeep your promises regarding a zero tolerance stance towards drugs and anti-social behaviour.

Publicise the work and successes in combating anti-social behaviour in the community.

Do more at a local level to reduce anti-social behaviour in our neighbourhoods.

Take legal action against perpetrators where we have sufficient evidence and we keenly promote a zero tolerance approach.

We have publicised numerous articles in local newspapers and specialist publications about our successes in dealing with anti-social behaviour and will continue to do so.

Continue to be a key partner within many multi-agency partnerships across the North West. We work with police, local authorities, other housing providers and community groups to support and fund a wide range of initiatives aimed at reducing anti-social behaviour in all our communities.

Examples include setting up Good Neighbour Agreements, implementing exclusion zones, supporting environmental projects, clean up campaigns, youth diversionary projects and employment schemes.

Do more to support victims of anti-social behaviour.

Respond to all anti-social behaviour complaints and agree an action to support complaints. We contact victims every five working days or within an agreed timescale to make sure they are happy with how their case is progressing. We also offer advice on giving evidence and attending court, and use of CCTV to collect evidence.

did you know?

AugustAnti-socialBehaviour

Terry RogersFleetwood resident

Over the past few years there have been some really good improvements,

especially over anti-social behaviour, which has been one of the bugbears

of communities across the country as a whole. Definitely one of the most

positive aspects was dedicating a job to an Anti-social Behaviour Officer

within our communities so that it was not dealt with at a central base but

was dealt with at a local level.

...yes, that’s right, the number for anti-social

behaviour please...

but Mum... it’sjust ‘Indie’ music!!!

Our in-house Tenancy Enforcement and Anti-social Behaviour Teams

took legal action to the

value of £57,000 in 2011 without the need

for solicitors.

This money will be reinvested to provide enhanced services to you.


September 2012

29 30 31 1 227 28

5 6 7 8 93 4

12 13 14 15 1610 11

19 20 21 22 2317 18

26 27 28 29 3024 25

3 4 5 6 71 2

Rosh HashanahJewish

Rosh Hashanah Jewish New Year festival and commemorates the creation of the world.

SeptemberValue for Money

Regenda’s repair

contractors, M&Y Ltd

achieved the Housing

Quality Award for

performance and value

for money in 2011

One of only 60

organisations across the

country to achieve such

an award.

Page

12


Derrick EllarbyWalkers walk out to Wyrelight assisted

by members of the Fleetwood RNLI.

What we achieved in 2011

Why would we do that? What we want to do in 2012

Restructured the GroupTo generate significant tax savings on

staffing and other back office administration

savings.

Deliver more tax and efficiency savings

through consolidating the Group restructure.

Repaid debt To generate savings.Manage our debt levels through the use

of operating cash flows.

Expanded M&Y services

To give a higher quality, more responsive

repairs service whilst simultaneously generating a more cost effective service.

In addition it enables us to control a vital,

quality service in economically uncertain

times when many other contractors are going

out of business.

Expand the services and activities of M&Y further to provide its services to a

wider number of Regenda residents.

Secured longer term utility contracts

To preserve current rates.Prevent the Group from having to absorb

future year on year increases.

Levered in funds from third parties and partners

To make our money go further to support

neighbourhood activity.

Our target was to attract 25p for every

£1 of neighbourhood funding spent. We

actually attracted match funding to the

value of £166,782 or £3 in every £1.

Delivered a repair and maintenance programme within budget

To deliver an efficient repair and maintenance service without compromise on

quality.

Retain adequate borrowing facilities to

support our development and repair and

maintenance programme as required.

Regenda is very informative, forward thinking, first with a lot of things,

but slow on the uptake on some things. There’s always room for

improvement. They do really listen though to both the positives and

negatives and I truly believe they act on them.

Maureen MossGarstang resident

key fact

did you know?

Last year we reduced the amount of rent owed by residents by over £110,000. This is reinvested to improve our services to you.

key fact

I think this constitutesa ‘rechargeable’ repair!

Reg - give M&Y a callfirst, next time - ok ?

Page

13

Our turnover is £48 million

and our total housing properties cost £439 million.Regenda’s net worth is £26 million.

The Group has 16 board

members and each member

sits on a board and two sub-

committees.

The Group has five sub-committees that look at

finance; risk; housing services;

new business; and governance.

These committees meet four

times per year in addition to

the board meetings that are

also held four times per year.

did you know?things toremember...

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

October 2012

SukkotJewish

Simchat TorahJewish

Birth of the BabBaha’i

9 10 11

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

29 30 31 1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8

Eid-ul-AdhaMuslim

All Hallows' EveChristian

Sukkot Commemorates the years that the Jews spent in the desert on their way to the promised land.Simchat Torah Marks the completion of the yearly cycle of weekly Torah readings.

Birth of the Bab Báb, which literally translates as 'the gate', was a prophet and forerunner of the Bahá'í revelation.

Eid-ul-Adha ‘Festival of Sacrifice’ commemorating the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son Ishmael as an act of obedience to God.

All Hallows' Eve The day before All Saints' Day. Christians traditionally hold a vigil on All Hallows' Eve when worshippers prepare themselves with prayers and fasting prior to the feast day itself.


Residents have now been invited to become representatives attending the Housing Services Committee meetings.

Photo of the month winner:Tina Spriggs Sunset over Regent Street, Earlestown, Newton-le-Willows.

What we achieved in 2011 Why would we do that? What we want to do in

2012

Retained the highest assessment with the regulator - the Tenant Services Authority

To meet the expectations set out in the governance and viability standard of the Regulatory Framework in relation to financial viability.

Maintain the regulator’s assessment during 2012. Review of our governance arrangements to ensure that it fits the new group structure and ensure we have the right skills and expertise on the board.

No issues were raised by the auditors on our 2011 set of accounts

To demonstrate our financial strength.

Continue to keep effective control of budgets to ensure financial strength is preserved. Our board and staff have adopted a code of conduct and probity policy to ensure the highest standards of governance are adopted and all our activities are open and transparent.

Met the loan covenants required by our lenders i.e. banks and building societies

To demonstrate effective financial viability and effective management.Continue to achieve the loan covenants required by lenders.

Our board members have undertaken training throughout 2011

to ensure their knowledge of the business and housing sector is

kept up to date.

They also undertake an individual annual review of their

performance.

We have adopted the National Housing

Federation (NHF) Code of Governance

Terry RogersFleetwood resident

There are terrible problems in demand for social housing within the

constraints of the financial situation at present, it needs to expand. A

mid-sized group like Regenda needs to get into business especially under

the new Localism Bills. It needs expansion and more affordable housing

in the North West.

OctoberGovernance& Financekey fact

did you know?

Trick or Treat!

The only one you’re scaring Reg, is the dog!

I’m not scared - that’s mydog blanket!

Page

14

It is much cheaper for us to

process your payments by

Direct Debit.

This means we are not

spending as much of the

income we get from rent on

administration and can re-

invest this income to provide

improved services to you.

did you know?things toremember...

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday SundayNovember 2012

Armistice Day

Birth of Bahá'u'lláhBaha’i

DiwaliMultifaith

Al-HijaraMuslim

29 30 31 1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9 10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

26 27 28 29 30 1 2

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Armistice Day Marks the end of the

First World War on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918.

Birth of Bahá'u'lláh Celebrates the

birth in 1817 of the founder of the

Baha'i faith.

Diwali The Festival of Lights – the

celebration of good over evil.

Al-Hijira Islamic New Year.

Your rent is extremely important, not only does it pay for your home but it also ensures

that we can provide a high standard of service to all of our residents.

Where you have difficulties or rely on benefit to pay some or all of your rent, we’ll assist

you in ensuring your rent remains up to date. Many people do not the claim the benefits

they are entitled to. Our Money Advice Officers can help and assist you with this. Call us to

make an appointment.

Why rent is important?November

Rent

Photo of the month winner:Stephen Windsor Dusk on Thurstaston Beach, Birkenhead.

Description 2011 What we are doing about it?

Act quickly to prevent tenants getting into debt with us

£265,720 additional income collected than forecast.

Accounts are reviewed weekly to ensure action

is taken promptly. The Income Generation Team

also refers residents to Money Advice Officers who

assist in maximising income and benefits and

reducing debt.

Only use court action or evictions when absolutely necessary

• 1,281 individual arrears actions taken

• 27 residents evicted• 251 residents taken to

court.

The Income Generation Team ensures the pre

court action protocol is followed at all times. As a

last resort legal action is taken to recover monies

owed.

Ron FergusonAshton resident


Provide more information

on the different methods of

payment.

Explain the different ways to pay your rent:• at sign up• on the website• on quarterly rent statements • in the new resident information

pack brochure ‘your rent’ which is available to download from the website.

Make more personal contact with us rather than just using letters.

Ensure that telephone contact is always the preferred option of communication with you. All of our letters now contain the direct dial for your Income Generation Officer.

Make it easy for us to contact our

Income Generation Officer through

email.

Include a strapline of ‘don’t lose your home’ on all our standard letters.

Provide our staff email addresses if you

request them. You can also send us an email

on [email protected]. We will respond to

your email within 24 hours.

Some letters do now include this line, whilst others are clearer about what may happen in future if there is a failure to respond.

handy hintVisit our Money Matters section on our website to access a whole host

of helpful information on saving money, benefit advice and finding

employment.

You can also ask at your local office, or any member of our

Neighbourhood Team for a copy of the ‘Money Matters Leaflet’.

Erm, Reg - Am I covered on your

TV licence?

To keep our rents low, it is essential to improve lettings times for void properties and to keep rent arrears under strict control.


How did we do? What we are doing about it?

Reduce the average number of days it takes to get a new resident into a Regenda home when the previous resident leaves

27days

25days

We will be conducting a review of our lettings policy and process to reduce these times.

Process application forms within 10 working days

90% 90%

We have reviewed our application processing procedures, ensuring that applications can be made on the same day, if all documents have been received.

Page

15

Our policies allocate properties in-line with legal obligations and give preference to those in

most need of housing. We are partners of several regional Choice Based Letting schemes

that follow the same principles. We will be expanding our partnerships to include two new

sub regional schemes during 2011/2012 with Merseyside and Fylde areas along with

joining two new Choice Based Lettings schemes in Oldham and Rochdale.

We have nomination agreements in place with 18 local authority partners and help them

to tackle various issues related to housing need including homelessness, overcrowding and under occupation.


Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

December 2012

Christmas DayChristian

New Year’s Eve

HanukkahJewish

28 29 30 1 2

5 6 7 8 9

12 13 14 15 16

19 20 21 22 23

26 27 28 29 30

2 3 4 5 6

3 4

10 11

17 18

24 25

31 1

26 27

Hanukkah The Festival of Lights that marks the restoration of the temple by the Maccabees in 164 BCE.

Christmas Day The celebration of the birth of Jesus.New Year’s Eve The celebration of the coming of the New Year.

Regenda subscribes to the web based Homeswapper service which enables you to register for free if you are looking for a move and find someone who is willing to swap with you in accordance with our Mutual Exchange Policy. This service enables you to search for a match with people all over the country.

At present there are nearly 400 Regenda residents registered on the site and we have facilitated 27 successful exchanges.

Go to www.homeswapper.co.ukto register.

We can offer the services of a tenancy support officer should you feel you need support to help you keep your tenancy going.

DecemberLettings

did you know?

Photo of the month winner:Richard Lowe The Vulcan Inn, Vulcan Village,

Newton le Willows.


Don’t re-house people who cause anti-social behaviour problems on estates.

Make more information available about transfers, our lettings and allocations procedures and other housing options.

Take references on residents before re-housing them to make sure we do not house those who may cause anti-social behaviour.

Begin reviewing our lettings and allocations procedures. We will provide information on our new allocations policy on our website in 2012.

The legal requirement of completing mutual exchanges within 42 days is not quick enough.

Put in place a commitment to complete our mutual exchanges within 30 days.

If a prospective resident is unsure whether a property is right for

them at the point of viewing, Regenda offers 48 hours thinking

time to help them decide.

Frances Surey

Wallasey resident

The sheltered accommodation is very good for older people. For one

thing it gives you security. Sometimes in the area where I live it is needed.

Regenda is very good in that respect. There are other things that need to

be improved.

key fact

handy hint

Wow, what a display!

it’ allEco-friendly

power!it’s not

exactly very‘pet’ friendly..

Page

16

contact us

By getting involved residents have helped to create this Annual Report. You too could have a direct influence on the way we do things, explain things and run things at Regenda. We hope this Annual Report gives you some idea of the changes you can make by getting involved. Even a little feedback goes a long way so let’s start here...

Firstly, you can help us by telling us what you thought of this year’s Annual Report:

You can give us this feedback anonymously if you wish. However if you want to get involved further, please give us some more details about you and how we can contact you below:

What, if anything did you like best about this edition?

What, if anything did you not like about this edition?

What would you change, or what would you like to see more of next time?

Full name:

Address

You can contact me on:(an email or phone number)

Tick whichever is appropriate for you (you can tick more than one choice if you like)I would like to be contacted: in the morning after 12 noon after 5pm

Post Code:

Yes - I am interested in getting involved: No thanks

Thanks for your time, how easy was that?Now simply tear off this perforated form, fold it and send it back using the pre-paid envelope. We will take your feedback on board and get in touch if you want to get involved further!

Head office and general contacts:Regenda House, Northgate Close, Enterprise

Business Park, Horwich, Bolton, BL6 6PQ.

Customer Services: 0344 736 0066(this is a local call rate number)

Our lines are open 8am - 7pm

Monday - Friday

Fax Number: 01204 814 555Minicom: 0844 736 0067Text: 07970 865865Email Address: [email protected]

Website: www.regenda.org.uk Regional contacts:Our regional offices all use the same customer services contact details above, apart from our gas maintenance and servicing which is regionally based. For these numbers please see ‘reporting a repair’ on the right.

Do you have an opinion you would like us to hear? Do you want to make a difference on behalf of all residents? Regenda is looking for people like you to come forward to help us shape the services we deliver. Interested in finding out more?

Complete and detach the form below and return to us using the enclosed pre-paid envelope to enter our prize draw to win £50 shopping vouchers.**All entries to be received by 31st January 2012. Winners of the prize draw will be notified by Friday 11th February 2012.

Got a good idea?Want to make a difference?Think something could be done better?

Don’t keep it to yourself -

Share your ideasJoin us in making Regenda

better for YOU...

You can report a repair to us in a number of ways:• By telephone: 0344 736 0066 (local call rate)

between the hours of 08.00 – 19.00• Fax: 0344 736 0068 (local call rate)• Email: [email protected]• Text message from mobile phone: 07970 865 865• Minicom: 0344 736 0067• Online: www.regenda.org.uk• Call into your local office or write to us at the address on the left• Inform your Scheme Manager if you live in sheltered housing.

Out-of-hours, please contact our emergency gas maintenance and servicing for your area:

Merseyside and Cheshire: M&Y 01204 814698Greater Manchester: Hadfield and Britain 0845 602 3621Lancashire: M&Y 01204 814638

Reporting a Repair

Get Involved!

Emergency Numbers

If you can smell gas, think you have a gas leak or

are concerned about gas safety, call National Grid on

0800 111 999 (24 hours a day)

Tear along this perforation

Fold across this line

Documents

AnnualReport2011