Summer 2010

Summer 2010

www.tamworth.gov.uk

Housing Services

In thisissue:-

Finding aHome

Page2

RentArrears

Campaign

Page4

TenantsContentsInsurance

Page 5

A ‘plant a pot’ event took place at AnkermoorSheltered Scheme during May this year.Residents turned out to join forces with thetenant participation and caretaking teams in atidy up of the communal area.

Everyone got stuck in with planting pots, tidying upthe borders and generally giving the area a real face-lift for the summer. The event was an idea originallysubmitted by the Seniors United Group who thoughtthat it would be a good idea to try and engage withthose people that we don’t always hear from as wellas continuing to build on the hard work that residentsput in at the different schemes aroundthe borough.

During April, Morrison’s offered an open invitation formembers of the Seniors United and Tenant ConsultativeGroup to visit the call centre.

The idea of the visit was to enable tenants to gain a better understandingof how repair calls are processed. At a Seniors United meeting earlierin the year, a couple of members had commented that they wereunsure of how the appointment system worked and were alsouncertain of timescales attached to particular repairs. Bothtenant representatives and the tenant participation teamvisited the call centre for a whole morning and used theopportunity to sit with call centre staff, ask questionsabout the appointment process and gain an insight intohow repair calls are handled. The visit was extremelysuccessful, thoroughly worthwhile and enjoyed by all.

Tenants visit Morrison’s

All the participants (above)and Cllr Mary Oates with

the plant a potcompetition winner MrsRose Hemmings (right)

Reg Coombes

It was a very niceday and it made a

change from sitting in theflat all by myself.

Maura Gordon

I have never donegardening before and I have

really enjoyed it. It hasencouraged us all to go in thegarden and do something we

can all appreciate.

Isa Blunt

This was a veryinteresting visit. I was

particularly impressed by thesystem used in the call centre. Havingall the technicalities explained sowell by the friendly staff was a

real delight.

We had a questionand answer session with

Morrison’s staff where welearnt how the workforce are

allocated their jobs via hand heldPDA devices. This deviceenables the depot to keep

track of jobs.Iris Clements

How toavoid foodpoisoning

Page 6

Customer DashboardVisit online for the latest performance indicators in housingwww.tamworth.gov.uk/housing

‘Plant a pot’

Open House_Summer_10.qxd:Layout 1 14/7/10 17:05 Page 1

2

PEOPLE looking for a home inTamworth now have more choiceover where they live, thanks to theintroduction of Tamworth BoroughCouncil’s new `Finding a HomeChoice Based Housing AllocationScheme` which was launched onTuesday 11th May 2010.

The new scheme is designed to allowcustomers to make a decision about wherethey want to live and ensures a fairer wayof letting Tamworth Borough Council’sempty properties.

Tamworth Borough Council is now

advertising all empty properties on aweekly basis and all applicants on thehousing register can now express aninterest in up to 3 empty properties perweek which are suitable for their housingneeds. The applicant with the highestpriority under the scheme will be offeredthe property.

A special Open Day was held on Friday 7thMay 2010 at the Assembly Rooms, whereover 200 of our customers dropped in tofind out how the new Finding a HomeScheme works, see demonstrations of thenew web-based service and talk tomembers of the Housing team.

To help you understand how the New Finding a HomeScheme Works, here are 4 simple Steps to Remember

Complete a Housing Application formOnce registered you will be allocated a unique housing application number - keep this number safe asyou will need it to ‘express an interest’ on available properties

Search for propertiesVacant properties are advertised weekly:

Website: www.findingahometamworth.co.uk every Tuesday from midnight for one week.

Newspaper: every Thursday in Tamworth Herald

Posters: New properties every Wednesday at Tamworth Borough Council Offices

Express an InterestOn the Finding a Home website express your interest in up to 3 properties per week (if you are eligiblefor that type of property)

Find out if you have been successfulIf you have been successful we will contact you to view the property.

We will not contact you if you have been unsuccessful so you must continue to express your interest inother suitable properties. Results are available to view on the Finding a Home website

Allocations Team

Housing Advice Team


3

A Young Tenant Survey has been puttogether for the benefit of youngtenants aged between18 to 35 livingin Tamworth Borough Councilproperties. The aim is to gain anunderstanding of the issues andneeds of a target group that areoften seen as ‘hard to reach’.

The survey will hopefully provide us with anunderstanding as to why young tenants arereluctant or unable for whatever reason toget involved with Tamworth BoroughCouncil housing service for the benefit ofthemselves, their homes and community.

A draft survey was initially produced andthen taken for consultation with theTamYouth Group. The aim of this was tohave young peoples input into the actualsurvey. The colours and images used,wording and content of the actual questionswithin the survey was discussed. The youngpeople also suggested that an incentiveshould be included.

The consultation tookplace at TamworthYouth Centre andwas a very successfulexercise. The inputfrom the youngpeople was verypositive andbeneficial to theproduction of the survey.

If you are a young tenant between the ageof 18 and 35 then look out for a surveycoming your way. We would like to find outabout the issues that are important to you.

For any further information please contactthe tenant participation team on free phone0800 183 0454 or email us [email protected]

Your views matter!

To find what size of property you can express an interestin, please visit our websitewww.findingahometamworth.co.uk or contact theCouncils Housing Advice Department on 01827 709459.

To see a video of the new Finding a HomeScheme or to leave a comment, visithttp://tamworthcouncil.wordpress.com/ and clickon the ‘Finding a Home’ tab at the top of thepage.

People can also use our computers free of chargeat Tamworth Borough Council Office, MarmionHouse, Lichfield Street, Tamworth to express theirinterest for empty properties.

For more information on Finding a Home or tofind out your Housing Application number,please contact the Borough Council’s HousingAdvice Department on 01827 709459 or e-mail:[email protected]. Alternativelyvisit www.findingahometamworth.co.uk

Let us know what you think about the newhousing allocation system by completing theCustomer Satisfaction survey on the Finding aHome website.

Attention!!!Remember - Don’t apply forproperties that are notsuitable for your householdneeds i.e. either too big ortoo small, otherwise yourexpression of interests will bediscounted each time.

www.findingahometamworth.co.uk


4

During February this year, Tamworth Borough Councillaunched an early Easter campaign offering help andadvice to people facing difficulties paying their rent.

The campaign’s aim was to make tenants and business ownersaware of the options available to them in order to help takeaway the anxiety of debt, reduce the number of court actionsand evictions.

Tamworth Borough Council’s Income Team kicked off thecampaign by going out into the community to spread the word.The team manned a market stall on Tuesday 23 and Saturday 27February to talk to people and promote direct debit and the“Rent First” campaign.

Cards were handed out to tenants in arrears advising them howto make payments, where to get advice and information anddetails of the Council office’s opening times over the Easterperiod.

Running a stall created a tremendous amount of interestamongst market traders, locals and visitors to the area. A totalof 367 enquiries were received and the general feedback wasextremely positive.

A further direct debit payment promotion also took placeoutside shops within the Tamworth area and two “Rent First”campaign events were held where representatives from Age

Concern, Citizens Advice Bureau, Credit Union, Home Start,Housing Benefit, Bromford Support, Estates Team and IncomeTeam were on hand to talk to anyone requiring assistance andadvice.

If you need any help, advice or support then you can contactour financial Inclusion Officer:John Coombes,by email: [email protected] by telephone on 01857 709709.

Help is at hand with Council’s Rent ArrearsCampaign

Tenant Faith Shell with staffon the stall held in the town centre

In driving forward our approach to excellence, the Housing Service is continuing to assessthe work that it does and seek continuous feedback from customers so that we canmeasure what we are doing and how well we are doing it.

Every two years, each home receives a Status Satisfaction survey. This questionnaire asks what tenantsthink about the services offered by Tamworth Borough Council. The results are taken seriously with afocus on identifying and tackling dissatisfaction.

However, we want to challenge ourselves to evidence that we are delivering what our tenants wantand to do this we have introduced an annual programme of customer satisfaction into the views ofour tenants. We will carry out regular customer surveys and other specific surveys to help us get yourviews on a whole range of services to include repairs and maintenance, anti-social behaviour and ourrent and arrears service.

Included in each survey there is an ‘About You’ form that we are asking every tenant and joint tenant, if applicable, to complete. Wewant to make sure that everyone who uses our services is treated equally and the results will allow us to tailor our services to meetcustomer needs. Any information you give will be treated in the strictest confidence.

If you would like to take part in any of our surveys or perhaps join one of our occasional focus groups then we would love to hear fromyou. For further information please contact the tenant participation team on: freephone: 0800 183 0454 or [email protected]

How satisfied are you?


5

The “basic rent” for each council dwelling is calculatedusing the government’s national formula. This is based on acalculation using 30% of the estimated property value ofyour home and 70% of the average earnings forStaffordshire (adjusted by the number of bedrooms).

In addition to the basic rent, some tenants have a weekly service chargeif they receive a communal heating service or 24 hour access to theemergency call centre which is added to the basic rent. The combinedcharge of “basic rent” and service charge is known as the gross rent.

Rent charges are reviewed every year and tenants are given at least fourweeks notice of any rent increase.

Rent is charged weekly in accordance with your tenancy agreement. Therent debit is raised on a Monday of the forthcoming week and if rentremains unpaid by the Friday of that week it will become a rent arrear.

Rent is collected over 50 weeks.

If you would like any further information on how your rent is calculatedplease contact the Income team on 01827 709514.

We want to know how you feel about the ‘rent and arrears services’ youreceive at Tamworth Borough Council. When you receive your quarterlyrent statement in July we will be grateful if you can spend the time tocomplete the survey included. There is an opportunity for all completedquestionnaires to be entered into the free prize draw to win £20 ofhigh street vouchers. Alternatively any winnings can be used to reduceany rent arrears you may owe. There are 2 vouchers to be drawn.

How your rent charge is calculated

Tamworth Borough Council hasrecognised some of the problemsthat tenants face in obtaining‘Household Contents Insurance’ andhas therefore arranged a contentsinsurance scheme which has been produced aroundyour needs. The Tenants Contents Insurance isunderwritten by Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance plc.

You can give yourself peace of mind offered by this schemeknowing that you will have a contents insurance policy whichincludes the following benefits:

No excess payable on any claim

No Need for a bank account

� The insurance is available to all tenants subject to schemeacceptance criteria

� Fast and efficient claims service

� New for old cover (except clothing & household linen wherean allowance for wear & tear is deducted)

� Cover for fire, lightning, explosions, storm, and flood.

� Cover for the escape of water/oil from any fixed water orheating installation or domestic appliance

� Cover for theft or attempted theft

� Cover for accidental damage to televisions, video players &recorders, hi-fi systems, satellite decoders, DVD players &computer equipment & accidental breakage of mirrors,ceramic hobs in cookers & fixed glass in furniture

� Cover for personal money in the home

� Cover for theft & loss of keys

� Cover for damage to interior decorations.

There is also the option to extend the standard cover at an extrapremium to include the following:

� Full Accidental cover for household contents

There are reduced rates for tenants who are aged 60 and overand in receipt of state retirement benefit. Cover starts from£6,000 up to £40,000.

For all other tenants the cover starts at £9,000 up to £40,000.

Premiums are payable weekly, fortnightly, monthly or annually.For further information and an application form contact theincome or estate team on Tamworth 01827 709 709.

Alternatively you can pick up an application form from:Tamworth Borough Council,Marmion House,Lichfield Street,Tamworth,Staffs,B79 7BZ.

Tenants ContentsInsurance

During March this year, Wates completed their 750thkitchen at the Stoneydelph home of Mr and Mrs Millsand their son Matthew.

Mr Mills commented that whilst work had taken place around therefurbishment, particular consideration had been given by staff totheir son’s illness, which had resulted in Matthew having noimmune system. Workers were very considerate, had kept mess to aminimum and had worked very closely with the family to makeworks run as smoothly as possible.

Glen Currie, Tenant LiaisonOfficer for Wates, presentedMatthew with a football shirtand tickets for the UEFA cupmatch whilst Mr and MrsMills enjoyed their newrefurbished kitchen.

Wates complete their750th Kitchen

Mr and Mrs Mills with their sonMatthew in their new kitchen


Outdoor Events

29 Aug Summer Festival - Castle Grounds11 & 12 Sept Heritage Open Day - various

town centre locations18 Sept Stars and Stripes - Castle Grounds

Tamworth Assembly Rooms

9-11 Sept Tamworth Beer Festival14 Sept An Evening of Clairvoyance with

TV psychic Tony Stockwell19 Sept Moonlight Serenade Orchestra UK

Tamworth Castle “Living History” EventsEvery Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays inAugust.3,4 &5 August Meet the Civil War Soldiers10, 11 & 12 August Meet the Victorian

Housekeeper and her Servants17, 18 &19 August Meet the Regency

Household (1807)24, 25 & 26 August Meet Mrs Cooke and her Governess

18 & 25 Sept Even More Haunted Murder Mystery23 & 30 Oct Ghost Tours25 - 29 Oct Children’s Halloween Haunted Castle

Summer Events in Tamworth

BBooxx OOffffiiccee:: 0011882277 770099661188For more events and information telephone the box office or check the website: www.whatsontamworth.co.uk

6

To mark the start of Food Safety Week, Tamworth Borough Council isreminding people in Tamworth about the importance of good foodhygiene in the home. This is particularly important during the summermonths, when levels of food poisoning soar. There are around 120,000 extra cases ofillness recorded across the UK when the weather is warmest.

Take Simple Steps to Avoid Food Poisoning

Every Year around 90 people in Tamworth get illfrom food poisoning. We expect to see thenumber of cases increasing as the weather getswarmer and barbeques and eating outsidebecome more frequent.

To help people learn more about this, and thesimple things they can do to keep themselves andtheir families safe, we will be having a food safetydisplay in Ankerside Shopping Centre and theBorough Council reception area where informationwill be provided. In addition we are proposing tohold food safety talks in primary schools and localmother and toddler groups where information willbe given out to take home.

People should not worry unnecessarily aboutfood poisoning; there are some simple commonsense steps people can take to avoid getting ill.Just storing, handling, and cooking food properlywill minimise the risk.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) advises thatfollowing simple principles will help people tokeep food safe.

Proper cooking will kill food bugs. It’s especiallyimportant to make sure poultry, pork, burgersand sausages are cooked all the way through. Ifthere’s any pink meat or the juices have any pink

or red in them, germs could be lurking! Checkyour food is steaming hot all the way throughbefore serving.

Avoiding cross-contamination is also extremelyimportant, that is preventing bacteria fromspreading between foods and from contaminatedsurfaces or utensils. Make sure you store rawmeat covered at the bottom of the fridge, belowand away from ready-to-eat food. Never use thesame chopping board for raw meat and ready-to-eat foods without washing the board and knifethoroughly first.

The FSA also highlights that clean hands in thekitchen are vital in the fight against foodpoisoning; while food must also be kept at theright temperature. Food that needs to be chilledshould be kept in the fridge, and check that it’srunning at the right temperature – between 0˚Cand 5˚C.

Storage above this range can allow bacteria togrow or harmful toxins to form. Also, on a picnic,don’t take food out of the fridge until the lastminute and use a cool bag to keep it chilled untilready to eat.

For more advice on food safety go toeatwell.gov.uk/keepingfoodsafe


Est

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Man

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7

Many of our estates have rear alley ways thatenable residents to get access to the back of thereproperties and these are often gated, preventingthe public from gaining access.

The responsibility of ensuring the alleys are kept freefrom rubbish is that of the adjoining properties and canbe enforced by Law.

Please do not misuse your rear alley as a dumping groundor storage area as you may be charged for the removal ofitems that are causing a hazard or obstruction, under thePublic Health Act 1936 Section 78.

If you witness yourneighbours misusingyour alleyways, pleasereport it to AlanFreeman EnforcementOfficer on 01827709440 or the EstateManagement Teamon 01827 709491.

Keep your backalley clear!!!!

MAY

Following firesafety measuresthat have beenput in place byTamworth Borough Council, boththe Council and Staffordshire Fire andRescue Service have produced a handyadvice leaflet with your safety in mind. Itwill advise you on what to do in the eventof a fire in your flat or your block.

Every resident of the Riverside flats will havereceived a copy of this leaflet which should bedisplayed in a prominent position in your home soyou will know what action to take in the event of afire.

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service also offer freeHome Fire Safety checks. Anybody wishing to usethis service should call freephone: 0800 0241 999

For more fire safety information, visit the followingwebsite: www.staffordshire.gov.uk

High riseflatsafety

Tamworth Borough Council

Following fire safety measures that

have been put in place byTamworth Borough Council, both

the Council and Staffordshire Fire

and Rescue Service have produced

this handy advice leaflet with your

safety in mind. It will advise you on

what to do in the event of a fire in

your flat or your block.Staffordshire Fire and Rescue

Service also offer free Home Fire

Safety checks. Anybody wishing to

use this service should callfreephone: 0800 0241999

Fire safetyfor tenantsin highrise flats

For more fire safety information, visit our

website www.staffordshire.gov.uk

Stonydelph

Glascote

Coton Green

Belgrave/OldKettlebrook

all rubbish highlighted was cleared on

the inspection day and all other areas

were clear and well maintained

a lot of graffiti was highlighted

graffiti was the main issue highlighted

overgrown and unmaintained gardens

were well above the level of this time

last year

InspectionsBulky items: Amount of bulky

items collected following May inspection – 100% same week.

Graffiti: All offensive graffiti was removed within 48 hours.All non offensive graffiti was removed by 25 June.

We achieved 100% for both aspromised in our service standards.


If you would like this document in a different form, for exampleaudio cassette, large print or Braille, please contact the TenantParticipation team on 0800 1830454

8Designed and Produced by Tamworth Borough Council

If you would like to getinvolved then contactTamworth BoroughCouncil’s Tenant

Participation team:

Leanne AllwoodTenant Participation

Manager01827 709448

Helen RichCustomer Service

Assistant01827 709260

8

If you would find it easier to talk to us in your own language please ask an english-speaking friend or relative to contact 0800 183 0454. We can arrange for aninterpreter to contact you to discuss any translation you need.

email us:[email protected]

Diane HughesTenant Participation

Assistant01827 709374

Congratulations to Sue Harrison ofBalfour who was the lucky winnerof the Spot the Differencecompetition in the Spring 2010 issueof Open House.

Enjoy your prize!

Thanks to everybody who sent incompetition entries!

Spot the differencewinner!

Tamworth Borough CouncilMarmion House, Lichfield Street, Tamworth, Staffordshire B79 7BZ.

Enquiries: (01827) 709709Main Fax: (01827) 709271

Spot the difference to win!Tamworth Borough Council is offering you the chance to win £20 if your spot thedifference competition entry is selected from our prize draw. There are just two competition rules:

� You have to be a tenant of Tamworth Borough Council.� You have to circle 3 differences between these two photographs.

Once you think you’ve found all 3 differences, circle them clearly, fill in and cut out theentry form and then return it by 6 August 2010 to the following address: Diane Hughes, Tamworth Borough Council, Marmion House, Lichfield Street, TamworthStaffordshire B79 7BZ.

All correct entries will be entered into a prize draw and the winner notified soon afterthe deadline. The competition is open to Tamworth Borough Council tenants only. Good luck!

Name: ____________________________________________________________________________

Address: __________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

Telephone No: ____________________________________________________________________


Documents

Summer 2010