Welcome to Tenant Focus, your monthly newsletter
If you have stories that you'd like to share, or ideas for future articles, please let us know. You can email us at getinvolved@swindon.gov.uk, or respond to the survey at the bottom of this newsletter, after clicking on one of the smiley faces.
An option to unsubscribe is at the bottom of this newsletter. Read our Housing Privacy Notice in full.
|
|
|
|
How you could get a free slow cooker
The Tenant Academy is offering you a chance to get a slow cooker, and all you need to do is complete our 'Every Penny Counts' training session, either online or face-to-face.
The training covers ways you could save money on your food and utilities as well as a step-by-step guide on how to budget.
If you'd like to be in for a chance to receive a slow cooker please let us know by 14 March by emailing us at Tenantacademy@Swindon.gov.uk or by completing the online form.
|
|
|
|
Five per cent rent increase for 2023
While many other social landlords increased social rents by seven per cent this year, last week at Full Council, councillors decided to increase council rents by five per cent for 2023 to 2024.
Check these 19 things to see if you're accessing all the support you're entitled to.
|
|
|
|
Warm Homes Discount scheme
If you're eligible for the Warm Homes Discount scheme, you should have received a notification saying that you'll receive this year’s discount.
In most cases, if you don’t receive a notification, it means that you don’t meet the eligibility criteria set by the Government.
If you think you were eligible but didn’t receive a letter, you can check online or you can call the Government helpline on 0800 107 8002. The deadline for this is 28 February. You’ll need the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) information for your home which you can check here.
We don't have an EPC for all of our homes, as EPCs were required for newly tenanted properties from 2008. If your tenancy started prior to this, there may not be an EPC for your home.
|
|
|
|
Street rep cafe gets five stars for hygiene
|
|
|
|
The Penhill Street Reps are proud that their hard work to support the community café has paid off.
Environmental Health services have inspected and awarded the free café five stars for cleanliness and accurate paperwork. They inspected the following aspects of the café; food safety, health and safety, food standards, consumer risk, management of the café and food hygiene.
Why not pop along and see for yourselves, have a cuppa and a chat and say hello to the street reps and housing officers?
|
|
|
|
How we improve our service through feedback
If you have a complaint or a compliment about how we have delivered our service to you, we'd like you to let us know - we can only improve through your feedback.
You can find out more and raise a complaint on our website.
Your feedback
Since November, we've had two members of the Tenant Scrutiny Panel (TSP) sit on Housing’s complaint review group. They offer valuable feedback and challenge us where they think we could have done better. Below are some of the recent complaints that TSP has helped us review:
- Complaint from a customer about an outstanding repair. The customer was able to raise the job using incorrect technical information, so our officers are working on changing the system to prevent this happening again, and providing you with a simpler, accurate reporting system.
- Complaint from a customer that housing officers had damaged their property. A prompt response on the same day from the housing manager to inspect the damage meant a quick resolution to the situation.
- A customer raised a complaint about the damage left following a repair for a water leak. The current process is to prepare the damaged area so that the tenant can re-decorate. We're now reviewing this process.
- Complaint progressed from a Stage 1 to a Stage 2 complaint because housing officers failed to respond. This was due to lack of staffing in the repairs team, but this should not have happened. The backlog of complaints has now been dealt with and a new process set up in the repairs team so that all Stage 1 complaints will be acted upon within the timescales.
A change in the Housing Ombudsman's legislation
If you raise a complaint and you're not satisfied with the response to Stage 2, you can take your complaint to the Housing Ombudsman. You can take advice from them at any stage of the complaint process if your complaint is about the services we provide to you as a tenant or a leaseholder.
Complaints in numbers
From September to December, we received 132 Housing complaints and 113 were responded to within the time limits.
|
|
|
|
Get ready to vote in this year's local elections
|
|
|
|
If you’re heading to the polls on Thursday, 4 May, you’ll have to bring an accepted form of photo ID to cast your vote, but what ID is accepted?
There’s a full list on our website, but some of the more common types of ID include:
- a UK passport
- a UK driving licence or one issued by the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Isle of Man or any of the Channel Islands
- a blue badge
- an older or disabled person’s bus pass
Poll cards aren’t an accepted form of ID. If you don’t have an accepted form of ID, apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate.
|
|
|
|
Thames Water installs smart meters to properties
Thames Water is installing water meters to some of our homes. A meter isn’t compulsory but a water company can insist that one is installed if you live in an area determined by the Secretary of State as an ‘area of serious water stress’ which means it’s subject to a metering programme as part of a plan to maintain secure water supplies.
Since 2007, the Environment Agency has classed some areas of the country as being ‘water stressed’, including the Thames Water area. This gives Thames Water the right to suggest and enforce the installation of a water meter.
You have the right to refuse a water meter but Thames Water may then put you on a ‘no access’ higher charge scheme which could mean higher water bills.
Read more about these installations, or find out how you can reduce your water usage from Get Water Fit.
Also, households earning below £17,005 can apply for a 50 per cent discount on water bills through Thames Water’s WaterHelp scheme. Call their Extra Care Services Team on 0800 009 3652.
|
|
|
|
Wiltshire and Swindon Credit Union drop-in service
With several savings accounts available, Wiltshire and Swindon Credit Union are just like any of the high street banks, and are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).
Once you've started saving with them, you can speak to them if you need a small loan. They can also provide advice on managing your money and any debt you may have.
Find out more online, or go to their drop-in service at Cavendish Square (SN3 2GD) on Thursdays from 10am to 12pm.
|
|
|
|
Housing's Cabinet Member stands down
Cathy Martyn has stood down as Cabinet Member for Inequalities, Housing and Public Safety, and resigned as a councillor, for personal reasons. Our former Cabinet Member was a firm champion of the Housing service and always highly active on the key issues of the day.
Councillor Steve Heyes has been appointed as the new Cabinet Member, and is already getting up to speed with the Housing service.
|
|
|
|
Tenant Academy – unlocking your potential |
|
|
|
The Tenant Academy is running a number of courses to help you develop your skills and take positive steps towards your future.
If you'd like to register for any of the courses below or on our website, contact TenantAcademy@swindon.gov.uk
If you have any ideas for future courses you'd like us to run, get in touch using the email address above.
|
|
|
|
Join us at one of our community cafes
|
|
|
|
The community cafés are open every week (except bank holidays). Drop in for a free drink and biscuits as well as meeting up with your neighbours. Tenant Academy staff will be there to talk to you about the free training courses available to you as a tenant and are always happy to hear new ideas.
The cafés are at:
- John Moulton Hall, Penhill on a Tuesday, from 1pm to 3pm
- Bakers Café, the Railway Village on a Wednesday from 10am to 1pm
- Meadowcroft Community Centre on a Friday from 10am to 12pm
At the cafés, organisations like Citizens Advice Swindon may be there to offer their services, such as free, confidential advice covering many different topics, including benefits, debt, employment, housing, family and personal, immigration and discrimination.
If you'd like to speak to an adviser you can contact them free by calling 0808 2787813 (M-F, 10am - 4pm), emailing their Advice & Financial First Aid team for benefit advice at affa@swindon.cabnet.org.uk or using the contact form on their website.
You can also go along to their drop-in sessions at Sanford House (SN1 1HE) on Mondays and Thursdays from 10am to 1pm, or on Wednesdays from 2pm to 4pm.
|
|
|
|
A huge thank you to all volunteers
In January, you gave 217 hours of your time to help other tenants.
You supported in helping us to review how we dealt with tenant complaints and highlighting where we can do better, learning new crafts, environmental learning, litter picking, free community cafés, food and hygiene product give-aways, provision of hot soup and bread.
Thank you all for enthusiasm and continued support – you are a credit to your community.
Tenants also met with senior officers at the monthly Cabinet meeting to give their views on a variety of housing issues including, proposed rents and service charges, damp and mould, repairs and rebasing the Neighbourhood Wardens service.
Get involved by emailing getinvolved@swindon.gov.uk or going to our website.
|
|
|
|
Safe and sound
Safe and Sound is a focus group for tenants and looks into the safety aspects of your home or communal areas, as well as repairs and other concerns.
If you're interested in joining this group and having your say, contact housing officer Nick Brock on 07881 281 845 or by emailing nbrock@swindon.gov.uk.
|
|
|
|
Contribute and help us improve this newsletter |
|
|
|
Would you like to write an article for Tenant Focus about something happening where you live or to promote something that you feel passionate about? Please let us know by emailing getinvolved@swindon.gov.uk
|
|
|
|
What do you think of this newsletter? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Very unsatisfied |
|
Unsatisfied |
|
Neutral |
|
Satisfied |
|
Very satisfied |
|
|
|
Let us know if you have any suggestions |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thank you for your valuable feedback. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|