Luminus Annual Report 2010-2011

ANNUAL REPORT

2010 - 2011

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 2010-2011

OurMission

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ContentsLuminus Annual Report 2010-2011

Contents

Introduction by our Group Chief Executive

Luminus Leadership Academy

Celebrating 11 years of changing the world

Awards

Developing special standards with our residents

Working with residents to shape services

Knowing and responding to residents’ needs

How we look after our homes

Your tenancy agreement

Providing cost effective quality services

Working in our neighbourhoods

Working with young people

Ensuring effective governance

Ferry Project

HOPE Social Enterprises

Developing homes and meeting housing needs

Building the Premium Brand team

Making a positive impact in communities and beyond

Providing excellent services

Creating the Annual Report

Contact us

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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.

Although we British tend to look on the bleak side, Luminus residents and employees have been showing how that bad habit can be broken.

This is very encouraging at a time when the UK continues to struggle. In the areas where Luminus operates we are seeing evidence that we are

making progress towards our 2020 Vision along The Road to Renewal.

This is a focus on positive change that transforms our communities to help mend “broken Britain.”

As examples, more and more people are coming to our Saturday morning residents conferences.

Even more customers keep telling us how pleased they have been with the service we give and the way we look after them.

We’re also building strong partnerships as The Hunts Post have joined with us

in our first Community Inspiration Awards.

And we’re inspiring many other businesses to believe that, if they can motivate and encourage their staff, they can also become more successful, with improved performance and satisfied customers. The Luminus story shows how much can be done by changing our hearts and minds.

How far can we go to really make a difference? We can go as far as we want!

2020 Vision: The Road to Renewal

How far can we go

to really make a

difference?

We can go as far

as we want!

Introduction from ourGroup Chief Executive Positive change that transforms our communities

2011 a year of

Rescuing dreams & reviving aspirations

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Luminus Leadership Academy

As a further example of the progress we are making on The Road to Renewal, Luminus has celebrated the graduation of its managers from a three year Champions of Success management training programme.

Twenty-one managers completed the course which combined intensive personal coaching and regular master classes as part of the company’s unique Leadership Academy.

The final assessment included a one-to-one with Group Chief Executive Chan Abraham. At the ceremony Chan explained the importance of having effective and competent leaders in modern organisations.

Chan talked about how the Luminus 2020 Vision and progress along The Road to Renewal to mend “broken Britain” could be achieved by having great leaders, saying, “Leaders more than anyone else have the potential to affect the lives of ordinary people.

Yet so many of the examples we see of leadership are not ones we respect.

The gradual development of our own managers has shown tremendous results in their own lives, in the people they lead and in the success of the Luminus business.”

Luminus Leadership AcademyBuilding effective and competent leaders on The Road to Renewal

2011 a year of



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Celebrating 11 years of changing the world A world-changing brand

The Sheltered Housing Manager:

• Welcomes and introduces new residents to their new home and tells them about all the facilities and services available.

• Maintains regular contact with all residents.

• Assists residents to access services such as ‘choices meals’ and home care.

• Responds to emergencies, calls for the necessary assistance, and liases with relatives and carers.

• Encourages social activities and resident involvement, both within and outside the accomodation.

• Provides day to day management of the accomodation.

• Ensures the security of the accomodation. Wh

at is

sh

elte

red

ho

usi

ng

?

Emergency Alarm System

Our Control Centre Care Line is staffed 24

hours a day. If an emergency alarm is activated,

the Care Line will respond to the emergency

immediately.

The Sheltered Housing Manager’s Role

The Sheltered Housing Managers role is to

support residents to enable them to live

independently in the community. When on-site

the Sheltered Housing Manager will always

respond to emergency calls. At all other times,

calls will be responded to by the Call Centre.

Sheltered Housing gives people the valuable opportunity to live somewhere with their own front door, maintain their independence, but have the security of knowing that help and advice is on hand when needed.

We want older people to be able to

choose where they live. The wider

community, family and friends are

actively encouraged to visit and be

involved in our sheltered housing.

Our sheltered housing has a range

of different facilities. Many have

residents lounges, hobby rooms, a

laundry, hair dressers and guest rooms.

Yo

ur Sh

eltered H

ou

sing

Man

ager

Good quality affordable homes Enthusiastic residents

Helping the homeless Caring for the elderly Developing new projects

We are the community anchor Supporting many local charities

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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.

Most helpful colleagues A world-changing team

Training and development Giving tenants a voice Excellence in all we do

A multi-award winning company Providing inspiration to the community


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Awards How we have been recognised externally in 2010-2011

WHY ARE AWARDS IMPORTANT?

There are many reasons why Luminus enters and wins so many awards. The prime reason is that they are an external independent validation of our work. Much like an exam. Exams are not set so that you can fail, but so that you can know what areas you can improve in.

Another reason is that awards give recognition for our work and what is really important is that awards help to inspire other people to do their best.

They set standards that people strive to match and exceed. They even change how people think.

When people hear that Luminus is No.1 in so many categories in The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For, it makes the best people want to work for us as an employer of choice.

Howard Shultz, CEO of Starbucks, said,

“You cannot exceed the expectations of your customers unless you can exceed the expectations of your people.”

Luminus is 100% committed to our employees and we are also 100% committed to our customers because inspired people = inspirational service.

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Awards 2010 - 2011

WINNER

The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies To Work For 2011Placed No.2 in the UK overall

UK No.1 for: Most Helpful Colleagues Wellbeing Giving Something Back Leadership Work Life Balance Strong Moral Principles

Special Award For Wellbeing

Best Companies 2011 3 STAR (Extraordinary) Accreditation

Crème de la Crème Business Awards Outstanding Achievement

RoSPA MORR Safety Gold Award 2011

Fenland Enterprise Business Awards 2010Business Person of the Year (Keith Smith)

FINALIST

National Business Awards 2010 Employer of the Year

Occupational Health Awards 2010 Award for Health Promotion and Wellbeing

Housing Heroes 2011 HR Team of the Year

MERIT

British Safety Council International Safety Award

HIGHLY COMMENDED

RoSPA Occupational Health & Safety Sector Award 2011

Fenland Enterprise Business Awards 2010 Social Enterprise Award (HOPE Social Enterprises)

When people hear that Luminus is No.1 in so many categories in The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For, it makes the best people want to work for us as an employer of choice.


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Developing special standards with our residents Inspiring local communities through our Special Standards

We launched the first of our two new Special Standards on ‘Gardens to Be Proud Of’ and ‘Promoting Good Behaviour’ in April 2011, created after close consultation with residents.

We did this because you told us you wanted us to focus on these two key issues. We discussed the main themes of the new Special Standards at our Residents Conference in January 2011 and at the Tenant Services Consultative Forum in February 2011.

Both documents have been warmly received and are an important step towards inspiring local communities to take positive actions. We want to encourage people to really care about their environment, especially through the upkeep of attractive gardens. The Special Standard ‘Gardens to Be Proud Of’ sets out actions we will take to help residents, and what we will do if standards are not met. We have said what we believe is a tidy garden, and explain what we will do if we find an untidy garden, including offering support.

We want to encourage communal garden schemes by bringing neglected areas back to life. A bank of gardening volunteers who are able to help their neighbours will be created, and we will provide further assistance through the supply of some tools and plants. The Standard clearly signals that we want to help you make a stand in your community for a

better environment.Our Special Standard ‘Promoting Good Behaviour’ sets out how we will reduce incidents of antisocial behaviour. We believe that residents can help us and other agencies tackle antisocial behaviour issues in neighbourhoods. We will encourage people to behave responsibly and ensure that all new tenants sign up to a Good Neighbour Agreement.

Action will be taken to deal with environmental anti-social behaviour, and a big clean up event will take place every year. Hotspot areas of bad behaviour will be targeted until an improvement is seen. We will put Community Agreements in place, which will set out agreed expectations of behaviour from residents

86%of our residents would like to see a Special Standard for the internal upkeep of homes

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Developing special standards with our residents

in a specific area.We now want to set out clearly how we expect our tenants to keep their homes in good condition, and a Special Standard about this will be published soon.

We want to promote a greater sense of responsibility among residents for keeping to the terms of their tenancy conditions. We are doing this because 86% of you wanted a

Special Standard for the internal upkeep of homes when we conducted our consultation survey in 2010. We will continue to create new Special Standards where you tell us there is a need.

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Both documents have been warmly received and are an important step towards inspiring local communities to take positive actions.


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Working with residents to shape services Building on strong foundations

Luminus has a unique approach to engaging with residents. We are one team and one family and have established a true partnership in how we work together.

We invite residents to come together at our Saturday Residents Conferences. These are uplifting and inspirational events, at which residents enthusiastically grasp the opportunity to have their say.

Recently, we discussed working together to make communities safer with

positive change that transforms our local communities. Our unique system of real-time voting provides us with excellent feedback about what really matters in our communities, which drives the way we deliver services.

Residents are really excited by the launch of our new Street Representative scheme. Street Representatives are volunteers who act as local champions. We will give them the opportunity to report problems and suggest solutions to us or partner agencies, tackling issues before they get too big.

At our Street Representatives Conference in July 2011, 60 residents immediately signed up. They received a starter pack and details about our new Street Representative Coordinator, who will oversee the scheme. We truly believe that by empowering residents across Huntingdonshire, Street Representatives will work hard to make the difference in their neighbourhoods.

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. They make recommendations on service reviews and scrutinise our business and investment plan.

170Luminus residents attended our Residents Conference in May 2011

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Working with residents to shape services 11

The vibrant discussions which take place at these regular quarterly meetings show how engaged our residents are.

Luminus’ Scrutiny Panel was established to provide residents with the opportunity to assess customer-related service delivery. In August 2010 Panel members were provided with performance information in advance of their meeting. 26 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 the TSCF. Residents are best placed to carry out reality checks on our Service Standards, and will

continue to play a role in testing the effectiveness of our services. Our Design Review Group has also been reinvigorated by an intense timetable of looking at a range of business related issues. Already in 2011 it has assessed our Premium Brand response repairs service, documentation provided at the start of your tenancy, and our standards manual used by tradesmen.

Our unique system of voting provides us with excellent feedback about what really matters in our communities, which drives the way we deliver services.

For more information please call:

01480 428570

WOULD YOU LIKE TO BECOME A STREET REPRESENTATIVE?

Did you know that you have the power to transform your street and your neighbourhood?

“At Luminus, we want to encourage local people to join us on The Road to Renewal and help change the world where we are. We believe that everyone should benefit from living in a neighbourhood that is happy, clean and welcoming and Street Representatives have the opportunity to help us make that happen.” Chan Abraham, Group Chief Executive2020

VISION:

THE

ROAD

TO

RENEWAL


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Knowing and responding to residents’ needs Providing Premium Brand customer service

We aim to provide Premium Brand service and we achieve this in the majority of cases. Where this doesn’t happen as we would like, 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 2010-11 we received 656 compliments for Luminus services and dealt with 752 enquiries. 435 of these were a request for a particular service, which we were able to deal

with quickly. With the remaining 317 enquiries, we were able to resolve outstanding matters efficiently and to the customers’ satisfaction. We know this because we ask people to complete a customer satisfaction survey and 90% of residents were satisfied with the way the enquiry was handled.

We met with Tenant Services Authority (TSA) staff in January 2011 for our “regulatory judgement” meeting. We discussed a variety of topics and the

meeting was very positive. Our regulator spoke very highly about the unique Luminus culture and the exceptional results being achieved. The TSA’s final report confirms our outstanding success, and that we have a strong performance management framework, and excellent opportunities for residents to get involved with Luminus.

We are committed to promoting good relations and equal opportunities for all residents. At all

times we aim to treat residents fairly, paying

due regard to individual needs

90%of residents satisfied with the way their enquiry was handled

656compliments received about Luminus services in 2010-11

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Knowing and responding to residents’ needs

and circumstances. We are confident that our services are geared to meet the requirement of customers with diverse needs. We have collected information which is used to identify particular requirements.

This information is readily available so that residents can benefit from services appropriate to their needs when they contact

Luminus for assistance. We have worked hard to ensure that our policies and procedures are fully compliant with all relevant parts of the Equality Act 2010.

We provided ten frontline employees with Deaf Awareness training in January 2011, giving them skills to communicate effectively with residents with hearing difficulties.

The training was delivered by a qualified teacher who herself is profoundly deaf. The course focused on the sign language alphabet and lip reading, especially on how to make it easier for people to lip read you.

We are pleased that this Deaf Awareness training has empowered employees to deliver the same great service to people who are hard of hearing.

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We have a strong performance management framework, and excellent opportunities for residents to get involved with Luminus.


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How we look after our homes Satisfaction with our service is higher than ever

We are proud that 100% of Luminus’ homes attained the government’s ‘Decent Homes Standard’ by the deadline of December 2010.

When we bought the homes from Huntingdonshire District Council only 40% of them met the standard. Since then we have invested around £119 million in maintaining and improving our homes.

We are now looking beyond the Decent Homes Standard by improving heating facilities, replacing kitchens and bathrooms where necessary and

carrying out external painting works on 800 properties as part of a long term programme.

The new system for managing the 50,000 response repairs appointments carried out every year is working very well. Residents are now benefitting from being offered specific appointments. 95% of all response repairs

appointments made last year were kept. We have reduced cost, improved overall efficiency and ensured a more reliable service. Residents have said that they would like repairs completed at the time of the first visit. So over three-quarters of all work is a ‘first time fix’, and we are committed to increasing this figure.

Satisfaction with the service is higher than ever, with 97% of residents who requested a repair saying they were satisfied with the quality of work.

Our dedicated tradesmen will continue to sign their work with pride.

95%of appointments made through response repairs were kept in 2010-11

97%of residents who requested a repair said they were satisfied with the quality of work

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How we look after our homes

But we are not resting on our laurels. We are working hard to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our response repairs service. To do this, we are considering what needs to be done to provide a Premium Brand Service. We are asking managers, Service Centre staff, tradesmen and residents to work together to redefine the purpose of our response

repairs service. From these discussions, we will set out the measures we will use to track performance and identify improvements to the service.

We successfully completed gas safety checks for every Luminus home for the second year running. By doing this, we are working to protect all residents from the potential dangers of faulty gas

appliances. Our engineers also check smoke alarms are operating correctly for further protection.

Many other landlords are unable to provide these assurances, as they do not meet the demanding target of visiting every home on an annual basis. Luminus works hard to ensure the same duty of care is extended to all.

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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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Your tenancy agreement Making Luminus your home

We are on The Road to Renewal. We have established five clear activities which will help us achieve our objectives. The core of our activity will continue to be excellent tenancy and property management. Alongside this will be the complimentary themes of tackling worklessness, health inequalities, bringing families together, improving conduct and reducing antisocial behaviour.

All new Luminus residents are given a 12-month ‘starter tenancy’. These tenancy agreements reinforce residents’ responsibilities in a positive way, and ensure that these new relationships start on a firm footing. We do not want there to be any confusion about what is expected from residents who move into our homes. Signing a ‘Good

Behaviour Agreement’ and regular contact during the crucial first year of the tenancy means that tenants’ responsibilities are reinforced in a positive way.

We send a clear message that residents’ first priority must be the regular payment of rent. We have robust procedures in place to ensure we maximise collection of rents, while providing support for residents who face difficulties making regular payments.

The Respect Standard was introduced by the government as a way of encouraging housing

providers to do more to tackle anti-social behaviour. We were one of the first organisations to sign up to the Standard. Since that time our approach to dealing with anti-social behaviour has

88%of residents were happy with the way their ASB complaint was dealt with compared to a HouseMark national average of only 77%

88%of residents were satisfied with the outcome of their ASB issue compared to a HouseMark national average of only 73%

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Your tenancy agreement

gone from strength to strength. When we heard that a new Respect charter for housing organisations had been published we had no hesitation in signing up again. We are proud to make public our commitment to provide a high quality service which deals swiftly and effectively with unacceptable

behaviour. We also believe that our new Special Standard ‘Promoting Good Behaviour’ will significantly help mend our broken society.We have employed a Family Intervention Officer to provide support to families to make positive changes and target families who are responsible for significant amounts of anti-social

behaviour, with the aim of reducing this conduct.

Our Family Intervention Officer challenges and supports families to address the root causes of poor behaviour. We have seen great results with the families we have worked with, so much so that we have decided to extend the project for a further two years.

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We send a clear message that residents’ first priority must be the regular payment of rent.


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Providing cost effective quality services Working hard to maximise our income

Luminus is always seeking to provide cost-effective quality services, while ensuring that we are efficiently managed. Our Value for Money Strategy, used throughout the organisation, explains how we achieve efficiency savings while continuing to offer residents a Premium Brand service.

In their “regulatory judgement” of March

2011, the Tenant Services Authority 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.

We are able to provide excellent services because of our effective collection of rent payments. Our proactive approach to encourage residents to pay rent in a timely fashion during 2010-11

meant that we were able to collect £27.5 million in rent payments. That’s almost 98% of the total rent collectable. Through early intervention and the provision of support and advice our Revenues team are keeping arrears to a minimum.

We are always exploring ways of doing things better. That’s why we have instigated our Premium Brand Response Repairs project. Throughout this year we will establish what a superlative repairs service looks like.

£27.5min rent payments collected in 2010-11, an improvement of £0.7m on the total collected in 2009-10

2009-10 2010-11 2009-10 2010-11

1.92% 2.15% 0.09% 0.56%

Rent arrears outstanding:

Luminus Homes Oak Foundation

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Providing cost effective quality services

We asked our residents for their opinions at a Design Review Group meeting in June 2011. Their comments were assessed and added to the project plan. At the end of this process we will offer a response repairs service of which we can be even more proud.

Through our new Environmental and Sustainability Policy and Action Plan we will minimise the negative impact and maximise the positive impact of our activities on the environment. Protecting the environment is good for the planet, and by

reducing the use of energy and making better use of resources we will reduce costs over the long term.

We will look at how residents can best contribute to our environmental impact, while making our homes ‘greener’ to help both tenants and the environment.

The work of our company HOPE Social Enterprises benefits the environment through reusing and recycling items that otherwise go into landfill.

Items are sourced from high street stores who often throw away goods because they have been replaced with new products, have sustained minor damage or need repairing.

They are then repaired, cleaned and tested to ensure they are safe and fit to use. The high quality items are then sold at a competitive price.

Throughout this year we will establish what a superlative repairs service looks like.


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Working in our 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.

Our Environmental Support Workers have made a huge impact in communities this past year. Previously unemployed, working at Luminus has improved their skills and confidence and provided them with a fresh start. Among their various tasks, the team has completed communal garden makeovers, aided local Parish Councils in tidying areas and cleared neglected land.

Working closely with our Neighbourhood Wardens and residents, our Environmental Support Workers are leading the way in bringing significant environmental improvements in Huntingdonshire.

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 Sawtry and Woodwalton in May 2011, as over 80 volunteers collected over 30 sacks of rubbish during one evening. We will continue to carry out specific big tidy ups to make

neighbourhoods clean and tidy environments, as we have found that this type of project helps restore civic pride within communities.

Luminus employees have embraced the idea of giving something back to the community by raising over £5,000 for local charities in the last year. We have been donating through our payroll and fundraising events to support organisations which really make a difference in Huntingdonshire. These charities are allies in our mission to change the world for the better where we are.

80volunteers collected 30 sacks of rubbish at Luminus’ Big Tidy Up event in May 2011

£5000+raised by Luminus employees to help local charites

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Working in our neighbourhoods

Working in partnership with the Hunts Post, we celebrated local unsung heroes at the first Luminus Community Inspiration Awards in July 2011. This was an opportunity to nominate local people who had gone the extra mile to serve their communities and make Huntingdonshire a better place to live. We have long believed that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things. Here we could celebrate the contribution of people,

where otherwise they might go unnoticed and unheralded. The awards ceremony was an uplifting and inspirational occasion, as the great work our finalists had achieved was brought to light.

In the current economic climate Luminus is playing its full part in tackling worklessness. We have been involved in the foundation of a ‘Back to Work Club’ in St Neots. The club aims to help unemployed people find

work, and offer access to information on support services and local jobs. Regular seminars and workshops also provide help and advice to those wanting to get back into the workplace. It has been made possible due to positive partnership working between Luminus, Huntingdonshire District Council and Jobcentre Plus. Job seekers have been very grateful and have thanked us for getting involved in this worthwhile initiative.

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Our Environmental Support Workers are leading the way in bringing significant environmental improvements in Huntingdonshire.


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Working with young peopleEncouraging outstanding results

We are very pleased to encourage talented local young people to seek to use their talents to move forward, contributing to our communities’ progress along The Road to Renewal. We hope that by doing this, they will build successful careers that have a positive impact. In this way, young people can achieve outstanding results.

Our Group Chief Executive, Chan Abraham inspired young people to change the world where

they are at the Health and Social Care Conference for Huntingdonshire secondary schools. We ran workshops which gave pupils a clear idea about a career in housing and how Luminus transforms lives and communities.

Chan encouraged the pupils to change the world for the better using the skills they already possess, to be prepared to stand out from the crowd and to see that serving others is the best way to be happy.

‘Team Luminus’, a group of four students from Hinchingbrooke School, triumphed in two categories of the Formula One In Schools competition. The students chose to work with Luminus, who provided them with inspiration, financial support and professional advice. The competition was designed to provide young people with an

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informed view about careers in engineering, science, marketing and technology. They were also encouraged to develop links with industry by raising sponsorship as part of their enterprise.

Our Interim Head of Operations, Julia Prichard, presented the Green Heart Awards, celebrating inspirational environmental projects run by community groups, individuals and schools. Luminus was proud to sponsor ‘Best Environmental School’ and ‘Young Green Achiever’ awards.

These categories recognised the outstanding achievements of young people going the extra mile and making a difference to their communities.

Best Environmental School was won by Westfield Junior School, who recently incorporated a wildlife garden and picnic area divided into a number of different habitats. The Young Green Achiever was Amy Hamlett who had developed and led on many environmental and fundraising initiatives.

Employees raised £600 so that children at Thongsley Fields School could go on a trip to the seaside. Some of the children had never been to the seaside before.

One Thongsley pupil described the trip as “the happiest day of my life.” Staff donated £2 each to make the trip possible and one employee said, “A trip to the seaside is something that many of us took for granted in our childhoods. I am so pleased to be able to help give the children a great day out.”

Chan encouraged the pupils to change the world for the better using the skills they already possess, to be prepared to stand out from the crowd and to see that serving others is the best way to be happy.

Working with young people


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Ensuring effective governance An extensive range of skills and experience

During 2010-11 Luminus maintained its successful governance framework. Our Boards continue to deliver effective governance, supported by appropriate arrangements and comprehensive training provision. In January 2011, we welcomed Tenant Services Authority staff to Brook House for a regulatory judgement meeting.

They were impressed by the unique Luminus culture and the outstanding results being achieved. They said:

”Board members demonstrate an extensive range of skills and experience appropriate to the size of the organisation. They are supported by an experienced and committed senior management team who work openly with the TSA.”

The TSA concluded that we are fully compliant with both the ‘National Housing Federation Excellence in Governance’ and ‘Excellence in Standards Codes of Conduct’. They were also impressed that we had carried out a thorough assessment of our compliance against their regulatory standards framework.

We asked David Vessey, Tenant Board member of Luminus Homes, Luminus Group and Oak Foundation, a few questions about the work

he does to ensure we are achieving great results. David has been a Board member with us since 2005.

Why did you become a Luminus tenant board member?

”In the early days of Luminus I attended Area Association meetings for tenants, and became interested in its Mission, Values and Goals. The opportunity then arose for me to increase my involvement by becoming a Tenant Board member. I was greatly inspired to move forward into this role.” How do you contribute to the decision-making process?

”As a Tenant Board member, I am an equal to my other Board colleagues and able to fully contribute to the debates and considerations relating to wide-ranging issues such as company policy and strategic matters.”

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Ensuring effective governance

What’s the best thing about being a board member?

“Being a Board member is a very important role and carries responsibilities in regard to the decisions taken by the Boards. A high level of personal satisfaction is achieved as a result of seeing many projects

move from inception to completion, with the knowledge that I have made a full contribution to the process.” What excites you most about the work Luminus is doing?

“My involvement with Luminus as a Tenant

Board Member gives me clear focus on just how much we care about the interests of our residents and stakeholders. It never ceases to impress me that we demonstrate so much concern not only for our customers, but also for the communities in which we serve.”

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The TSA were impressed by the unique Luminus culture and the outstanding results being achieved.


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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.

2010 saw Ferry Project move into Octavia View, a lovely 17th century building in the centre of Wisbech. The building hosts a hostel, an art gallery, Octavia’s shop and more besides. It’s also a place where courses are run for the local community, and we have recently opened a

community café. We were especially proud when Keith Smith, Director of the Ferry Project, achieved the accolade of Business Person of the Year award at the Fenland Business Awards 2010, in recognition of his dedication and commitment in founding the organisation.

A new Night Shelter opened in January 2011 to provide emergency shelter for up to 13 rough sleepers from the migrant community around Wisbech who have no access to benefits. The Night Shelter recognises that homeless migrants are part of our community.

By providing a safe place for homeless migrants with support provided through a partner agency, we believe that we can break down the barriers in the community and give our clients a sense of purpose. This approach has proved successful and the Night Shelter Team recently received written commendation from Wisbech Community Policing Team, stating there had been a reduction in antisocial behaviour, petty crime and rough sleeping.

The Night Shelter has proved to be a valuable resource for making the town a safer place.

The Night Shelter has proved to be a valuable resource for making the town a safer place.

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HOPE Social EnterprisesHope for the individual, community and the environment

HOPE Social Enterprises is a re-use, repair and recycle company with the aim of providing high quality seconds goods at a reasonable price, whilst providing employment to vulnerable and long-term unemployed people.

HOPE offers placements to local volunteers in 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 off site shops. We also use eBay for those wanting an online bargain. We have saved over 300 tonnes from going to landfill by doing this.

In addition to the retail and volunteering operations, HOPE continues to offer a premium brand 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. Claude Goldsworth, Driver Operator, gave this testimony;

“I have benefitted considerably during my two and a half years working at HOPE Social Enterprises. What I’ve found reassuring is that its values are similar to mine. Initially I was clearing houses as well as collecting and delivering furniture to our customers. I now test small electrical kitchen items for resale. This is done with the help of volunteers who work extremely hard. I find my job very rewarding especially because it serves the local community.”

HOPE Social Enterprises


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Developing homes and meeting housing needs Providing new homes in Huntingdonshire and beyond

We are making great progress in providing high quality affordable homes in Cambridgeshire and beyond, allowing people to fulfil their aspiration for high quality living. As the eastern region’s premier housing provider, we are committed to giving hope through homes, for today’s and for future generations. We will keep making this happen, with or without government grant money.

In April 2011, we welcomed residents to Park View in Huntingdon,

our newly built flagship extra care scheme. The development has 29 one bedroom and 5 two bedroom apartments where residents can enjoy independence and privacy. Among its contemporary facilities are a restaurant, hairdressers, library and physio room. We believe that Park View will be a haven of peace and hope right in the centre of Huntingdon.

We have succeeded in converting Harlow’s tallest office block into brand new town centre apartments. Joseph Rank House contains 132 homes, including social rented properties, affordable homes and apartments

for sale. All homes are carefully designed, sustainable and energy efficient. We anticipate that the development of Joseph Rank House will act as a catalyst for the overall regeneration of Harlow town centre.

We were excited to present a modern and valuable new asset to Ramsey with a brand new development of homes for social rent. Ramsey Grand will provide some much needed high quality housing for local people. The 22 apartments and

544familes provided with a new home through Luminus

97.4%of our customers were satisfied with their new home

98.8%of our customers were satisfied with the helpfulness of Luminus staff during letting period

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Developing homes and meeting housing needs

2 houses are designed to be highly energy efficient, benefitting the environment and the residents through lower energy bills. In addition, the development includes a new library learning centre and information centre which will make Ramsey Grand the hub of the community.

In addition to these exciting developments we have built new homes in Histon, Harston, Bury St

Edmunds and Huntingdon. We also have hundreds of new homes planned for the region. Last year we made 544 families’ dreams come true with the attainment of a new home. Through the local choice based lettings scheme, we are able to provide applicants with more choice and flexibility about where they would like to live.

Our lettings team works hard to ensure that

residents move into their new homes in a quick, efficient and stress-free way. We seek to minimise the time that our homes are left empty between each letting, and normally make a property available for reletting within two weeks of it being vacated.

We also subscribe to Homeswapper, which gives our residents an opportunity to move to another home away from the Cambridgeshire region.

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Our lettings team works hard to ensure that residents move into their new homes in a quick, efficient and stress-free way.


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Building the Premium Brand team Great attitude, clear focus and perseverance

We are building a Premium Brand team by providing an extensive training and development programme for all employees. We want to give good customer service and this requires a motivated and inspired team.

All employees attend our corporate induction programme ‘Understanding Luminus’ and Customer Service Training as well as monthly Luminus Conferences. Other training is tailored to the needs of each role, and employees can benefit from a range of training

including Telephone Skills, Lone Worker, and Deaf Awareness.

In addition, all managers are members of the Leadership Academy and attend Luminus’ Train the Trainer course. The intensive management training programme comprises of seminars and personal coaching which improve personal and professional skills.

The results have surpassed expectations. Our employees are motivated to continue improving themselves and the service they provide, which means residents are even more satisfied.

In May 2011 we celebrated the graduation of our managers from the management training programme. A special ceremony took place at Brook House to celebrate this milestone. For the final assessment, candidates had to complete a plan showing their personal development and goals, followed by a one-to-one presentation to Group Chief Executive, Chan Abraham.

We publicly recognised excellence among staff at a ceremony for all employees. Assisting disabled tenants, helping families whose houses

94%of employees agreeing that their manager does a good job, compared to an industry benchmark of 77%

97%believe Luminus is committed to customer satisfaction

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Building the Premium Brand team 31

have burnt down, and giving much needed support and advice to tenants and staff are just part of the work of staff here. Working hard behind the scenes, they ensure that residents are treated with the highest quality of care. Their efforts were recognised with Awards for Excellence in the categories of ‘Great Attitude’, ‘Clear Focus’, ‘Commitment and Perseverance’, ‘Best Kept Vehicle’ and ‘Yes We Can!’. The award for ‘Great Attitude’ went to employees who

demonstrated a positive and enthusiastic approach; ‘Clear Focus’ for reaching high standards and never deviating from their goals and ‘Commitment and Perseverance’ for showing tenacity, determination and patience.

Employees confirmed Luminus as an outstanding company to work for in the most recent staff survey. The results are the best yet and when compared to other housing providers we are well above the industry average in comparable

scores. Notable results include 94% of employees agreeing that their manager does a good job, compared to an industry benchmark of 77%; 97% believe that Luminus is committed to customer satisfaction; and 85% of employees feel that they are able to strike the right balance between their work and home life.

Our employees are motivated to continue improving themselves and the service they provide, which means residents are ever more satisfied.

I love working for an organisation that is passionate about making a change for the better.


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Making a positive impact in our communities and beyond Changing the world where we are

We are committed to changing the world where we are, and what better way to do that than through the selfless actions of staff who are seeking to make an impact in the communities we serve and beyond.

In winter we came to the rescue of shoppers after learning that no one had taken responsibility for gritting a dangerous slippery slope on the main pedestrian route in Huntingdon. Several elderly people had suffered bad falls.

Group Chief Executive, Chan Abraham was so concerned that he issued the order within moments of reading comments in The Hunts Post that the owner of the development and local councils all denied responsibility.

Mr Abraham sent Luminus employees with wheelbarrows, shovels and grit to help keep people safe in the icy conditions.

Our “Yes, we can!” approach is about accepting responsibility, and we see it as being part of our 2020 Vision in making progress along The

Road to Renewal for the mending of our society.

We invited our tenants to enter their gardens into Luminus in Bloom 2011, a competition that celebrates the hard work and dedication of green fingered residents.

In addition to the overall first and second prizes, there were awards for Best Sheltered Scheme and Best Window Box.

We take delight in recognising Luminus residents who create and maintain beautiful gardens for the enjoyment of friends, family and the community.

We believe that tidy and attractive gardens can help transform a

39gift boxes filled with presents by Luminus employees were donated to disadvantaged children in Swaziland for Christmas 2010

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Our homes

Luminus owns and manages 7,013 homes

The type of homes Luminus provides

General needs 5,561

Sheltered housing 568

Lease-holders 460

Shared ownership 207

Mobile home park plots 50

Supported housing 97

Travellers site plots 20

Non-social housing 50

Collecting rent

Rents are our main source of income and help repay loans we use to run a successful business with excellent services. A total of £27.5 million was collected during 2010-11.

Rent arrears outstanding 2010-11 2009-10

Luminus Homes 2.15% 1.92%

Luminus Oak Foundation 0.56% 0.09%

Letting homes

We let a total of 544 homes. The table shows the number of lettings and average letting performance.

Number of homes let

Luminus homes 418

Luminus Oak Foundation 126

About our customers

Making a positive impact in our communities and beyond

neighbourhood and give people pride in their community.

We sponsored the Huntingdon 10k Charity Run 2011 and encouraged local residents to get involved in raising money for a wide range of charitable causes. Held on Father’s Day, the race was billed as ‘The Daddy of all 10k runs’ and invited experienced runners as well as novices to run 10 kilometres through Huntingdonshire to raise money for charities.

This year, over £10,000 was raised on the day through sponsorship, with the local Rotary club raising an additional £6,000 through entrance fees to the race. This event really gave a whole new meaning to Luminus’ phrase of ‘going the extra mile’!

Luminus employees embraced the Samaritan’s Purse Shoebox Appeal and generously donated 39 beautifully wrapped boxes filled with presents for disadvantaged children at

Christmas. The shoeboxes were distributed in Swaziland, where seventy per cent of the population live below the poverty line.

The sweets, colouring books, hats, scarves, gloves and toys were distributed

to children aged 2 to 14 and brought joy to those in desperate need.

We think it’s fantastic that Luminus has been able to light up the lives of children in some of the poorest parts of the world.

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Our Environmental Support Workers are leading the way in bringing significant environmental improvements in Huntingdonshire.


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89.6%White: British

1.0%White: Irish

5.3%White: Other

0.2%Chinese

0.2%Mixed: White & Black: Caribbean

0.2%Mixed: White & Black: African

0.4%Mixed: White & Asian

0.8%Asian British / Asian: Indian

0.2%Asian British / Asian: Pakistani

0.2%Asian British / Asian: Other

0.4%Black British / Black: Caribbean

1.2%Black British / Black: African

0.4%Black British / Black: Other

During 2010-11, we provided new homes to 544 households.

We record the ethnicity of all new residents, and the breakdown is as follows:

Providing excellent services Facts and figures on the Road to Renewal

Luminus currently owns and manages 7,013 homes.

The amounts of each type of home are as follows:

General needs 5561

Sheltered housing 568

Lease-holders 460

Shared ownership 207

Mobile home park plots 50

Supported housing 97

Travellers site plots 20

Non-social housing 50

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 12 days.

Once homes are ready to be let, we advertise properties through the sub-regional choice based lettings scheme.

On average new residents move in to empty homes after 24 days of the property being vacated. The national average is 25 days (source: HouseMark).

Oak Foundation has an average relet time of 156 days, a figure that has been affected by our successful letting of several low demand homes. These have taken much longer to find a new tenant for than would normally be the case, pushing up the average.

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Providing excellent services

At the end of every financial year we measure how many of our homes are vacant.

0.9% of Luminus Homes were vacant and available on 31 March 2011.

12.9% of Oak Foundation homes were vacant and available

We pride ourselves on providing high quality homes and we respond quickly to residents’ requests for repairs and maintenance.

in 2010-11 the first-time fix rate for all repairs was 78% for Luminus Homes, and 82% for Oak Foundation

The energy efficiency of our homes has greatly improved as a consequence of our excellent response repairs service, and £119 million spent on improving our homes since transfer from the council in 2000:

The Energy Efficiency Rating (SAP) achieved in 2010-11 was 72.3 for Luminus Homes properties, and 75.8 for Oak Foundation properties. These figures are better than the national average of 69.0 (source: HouseMark).

Response Repairs 191

Neighbourhood 158

Management

Heating and electrical work 99

Surveying Services 94

Improvements to homes 44

Enquiry handling 33

Making homes 30

available to let

Anti-social Behaviour 23

HOPE and Ferry Project 9

Community Services 6

Buying homes 4

Collecting rent 4

Neighbourhood Wardens 3

Other 54

We have a robust and successful way of dealing with customer enquiries, and we endeavour to secure a satisfactory outcome for all cases.

Here is a breakdown of the type of enquiries received during 2010-11, 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.


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Creating the Annual Report Working with the Design Review Group

We work closely with residents in designing and publishing Luminus’ Annual Report. They tell us what they want us to write about, how to display the information, and what types of photographs to use.

This year’s Annual Report is closely based on the format of our Performance Review, which we had previously agreed with

residents on our Scrutiny Panel.

Residents told us they wanted the Annual Report to contain information about all aspects of the housing services we deliver as well as stories about staff and the culture at Luminus.

In August 2011, our Design Review Group scrutinised a draft copy of the Annual

Report. Residents felt that it was a useful, readable document, which was well presented. They agreed that this year’s Report was an improvement on last year’s document.

They suggested alterations and revisions to the document, and then signed off the Annual Report, expressing satisfaction with its content.

We invite residents to contact us if they have any comments or feedback regarding the Annual Report and all suggestions will be considered.

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Contact us

Contact us

Published by Luminus Group • Registered Office: Brook House, Ouse Walk, Huntingdon PE29 3QWTel No: 01480 428777 • Fax No: 01480 428555Email: [email protected] • Website: www.luminus.org.uk

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

020 7540 9820Out of Hours Emergencies

Weekday Evenings:Monday to Thursday

5pm - 9am

Weekends: Friday 4.30pm - Monday 9am

01480 428521Income & Benefits Advisor

Sue Cargill

01480 428707/8Communications & Marketing

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 428588Neighbourhood Services

You can use this number to report anti-social behaviour

01480 428541Tenant Involvement

2011 a year of


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.Chan Abraham

Group Chief Executive

Documents

Luminus Annual Report 2010-2011