ISSUE 97 • SPRING 2015
OpenHouse
The newsletter for Croydon Council tenants and leaseholders
New rent levels
announced
from April
The latest edition of 2Views
magazine inside
Council tenants in Croydon
find out their rent for 2015/16
On Tuesday 17 February, the council’s cabinet approved
proposals for the average rent in the borough’s council
properties to rise by £2.40 per week from £109.26 to £111.66.
The 2.2% is as low as a threshold set by government
that takes account of estimated private rent increases
and inflation.
Other London boroughs will increase the average
council rent from 2.9% to up to 9%.
Croydon is also set to spend more than £42m on
improving and maintaining council housing stock – as
well as £10m on increasing housing supply.
Winners announced in tenants'
awards see page 5
Tributes paid to long term community
stalwart Ken Coates see page 3
Take part with Housing ID
ign up to our new housing involvement database (Housing ID)
S
today. You’ll help make a difference to your local community
and help us improve housing services. It’s a great way to meet
new people and learn new things.
You can choose:
• what interests you
• how you want to take part, and
• t he times that are convenient for you.
It’s not just about going to meetings; there are other
ways to get involved too, such as checking services,
estate inspections and surveys. For example, you could
sign up to be a neighbourhood voice and feed back to
us each month on the standard of your neighbourhood
services, or you might want to just take part in
occasional telephone or online surveys. If you have
more time to give, you could apply to be a member of
the housing scrutiny panel and get involved in in-depth
reviews of housing services.
Any Croydon Council tenant or leaseholder, or resident of
a council-managed estate, can register on the scheme.
To register on the Housing ID or to find out more
about the many ways you can get involved visit
www.croydon.gov.uk/housinginvolvement or have a chat
with the resident involvement team on 020 8726 6100, or
email [email protected]
Housing ID is the new name for the housing sounding
board. If you are already registered on this there is no
need to reapply. If you are not sure if you are already
registered, or would like to check that your details are
up to date, please email [email protected]
Axis – A day in the life see page 7
'Like' the resident
involvement in Croydon
Facebook page to keep
up to date with the latest
news and views.
Get involved and get
talking about the council housing
services you receive. You can also find
out about events, consultations, training
and more. www.facebook.com/
croydonresidentinvolvement
Would you like
to contribute
to Open House?
[email protected]
Contact the editor
Sign up for My Account to access council services online 24-7 at croydon.gov.uk (see page 5 for more details)
Large print: to receive Open House and other housing information
in large print, please call % 020 8726 6100
I hope you enjoy reading Open House.
If you have any comments to make please email:
[email protected]
2
OpenHouse Spring 2015 | Issue 97
Council clampdown on empty properties
to help those needing homes
Hundreds of Croydon residents are set to
get help into a home through the council’s
drive to refurbish empty properties.
Croydon Council wants to bring at
least 670 privately-owned empty homes
across the borough back into use by
getting owners to do them up.
The council is keen to work with
landlords and owners, who will be
offered grants or loans to help refurbish
before
after
the properties. Those who refuse face
enforcement action.
With around 5,000 people on the
borough’s housing waiting list, which
does not include those in emergency
accommodation, the initiative aims to
tackle both a shortage of privately-rented
family properties and the environmental
impact of empty homes.
Abandoned properties can attract
piles of fly-tipped waste, vermin and
break-ins, and have a detrimental effect
on those living close by.
Landlords and owners who qualify
for a grant must refurbish the empty
property so it can be let to families on
the borough’s housing waiting list. Loans
must be paid back within two years.
There are many reasons why a
property could remain empty and
the council will work with owners
to address these issues. However, if
an owner refuses to co-operate, the
council has the power to buy the empty
property without their permission and
then find a suitable buyer who must
make it available for housing within an
agreed timescale.
The council estimates that the number
of empty flats or houses could be higher
than the official 678, and is encouraging
residents to report empty properties via
the My Croydon app, which is quick and
free to download from the Google Play
store for Android smartphones or Apple
iTunes store for iPhones. You can also
report empty homes online at
www.croydon.gov.uk or on the
dedicated hotline: 020 8760 5470.
Join the tenant & leaseholder panel
Are you interested in speaking on behalf of the residents in your
neighbourhood? Do you want to hear about future plans for
your housing services and have your say on these?
The tenant and leaseholder panel gives council tenants and leaseholders the chance
to let both senior officers and councillors know what you think and what’s important
to you and your neighbours.
The panel meets four times a year in the council chamber at the Town Hall. Meetings
can cover a range of topics including rents and service charge levels, repairs and
improvement priorities, dealing with anti-social behaviour and caretaking and cleaning.
This lead resident panel is now looking for new members. If you feel that you
could attend four evening meetings a year and speak up for your neighbourhood then
?? ?
why not apply to become a member now.
Further information about the panel and how to apply to join can be found at
www.croydon.gov.uk/housing/residents. Or you can find out more about what’s
involved by having a chat with the resident involvement team on
020 8726 6100 or emailing [email protected]
Agendas and minutes from previous meetings can be found here:
www.croydon.gov.uk/TLP-meeting
If you would like to get involved but feel that the tenant and leaseholder panel
is not right for you, why not join the housing involvement database (Housing ID) to
register your interest (see front page for more details). The next panel meeting is at
6:30pm at the Town Hall in Katharine Street, CR0 1NX, on Wednesday 20 May.
Fancy learning something new?
Fancy learning new job or life skills? Want help to get
back into work? Need a boost to your confidence?
Interested in getting involved in improving the council’s
housing services? – if you can say YES to any of these
questions then attending one of our free training
courses may just be for you.
If you are a council tenant or leaseholder who is,
or wants to be, involved in improving their community,
our courses can help you to develop the skills and
knowledge to confidently carry out any role you
choose, and ensure your involvement is both rewarding
and fun. And it’s a chance to meet other residents too.
We offer a range of training courses covering
a wide variety of topics to suit most levels - from
informal two-hour sessions through to longer,
nationally-recognised or accredited courses.
We can also provide advice, training and support
if you want to learn basic IT skills or need some help
with getting back into work.
And, for the DIY fan, at the free DIY workshops
run by Axis, our responsive repairs contractor, you can
learn basic skills such as fitting a door lock, removing
plumbing blockages, filling minor cracks in plaster, and
so much more. In fact, the workshop covers some of
the minor repairs and maintenance problems that are
your responsibility and shows you how you can safely
maintain and improve your home.
Courses are free to council tenants and leaseholders,
and reasonable transport and care costs to support you in
attending a course will be covered.
To see what you can learn take a look at the
residents training programme on our website
www.croydon.gov.uk/residentstraining and let
us know what takes your fancy.
For more details contact the resident involvement team
on 020 8726 6100 or email [email protected]
We’d love to move and buy our own home, but…
No more buts! If you’d like to move from where you
are and buy your own home somewhere else in the
UK, the council’s assisted private purchase scheme
(APPS) will pay a grant of up to £40,000 to help you
do just that.
To qualify for the APPS you must be a secure
tenant of Croydon Council with at least three
years' tenancy, and the grant paid depends on the
size (number of bedrooms) of the property you are
vacating.
• 1 bedroom - £25,000
• 2 bedrooms - £30,000
• 3 bedrooms - £35,000
• 4+ bedrooms - £40,000.
The grant is repayable (in full or part) if you sell
within three years of completing the purchase.
The property you buy must be big enough for your
family and can cost up to a maximum price of:
• 1 bedroom - £210,000
• 2 bedrooms - £250,000
• 3 bedrooms - £280,000
• 4+ bedrooms - £300,000.
To find out more visit:
www.croydon.gov.uk/appscheme or contact the
home ownership team by email:
[email protected], or call
020 8726 6100.
SOLD
OpenHouse
Spring 2015 | Issue 97
3
Tributes paid to long-serving community supporter
It is with sadness that Open House reports that long-serving community
supporter, Ken Coates, passed away on 17 January.
Ken was one of the first residents to join the new
network of customer panels (CPs) around 20
years ago. The CPs were set up to give residents
a chance to feed back about the council housing
services they were receiving and Ken was an
active member and chair of the Norbury and
Upper Norwood panel. He was then nominated
to represent residents in his area on the district
panel as well as the borough-wide tenant and
leaseholder panel.
Over two decades, Ken took part in a variety
of working groups and panels, considering issues
around the repairs service, tenancy conditions,
performance and more. Ken was always keen to
improve things for young people and when the
opportunity arose, needed little persuasion to
join the All Ages group, who have done so much
good work to improve understanding between
the younger and older generations, including the
production of the 2Views magazine (the latest
edition can be found in the centre pages of this
issue of Open House).
Well known for his good sense of humour, Ken was
reliable and committed. He regularly made positive
and useful suggestions during meetings based on his
broad range of knowledge and experience.
Young people who worked alongside Ken on the All
Ages group were saddened by the news of his passing
and paid tribute to his contribution to the group.
Shivam and Kashav said: “We are extremely
sorry to hear the sad news about Ken, our deepest
condolences go to his family, it was an honour
to have met him. He was a very lovely and cool
person and he inspired us each time we were
together at the All Ages meetings."
Rhee commented: “Ken enlightened me as he gave
me the same respect as I gave him. He was also such a
laugh to work with on 2Views.”
Ken will be greatly missed.
How safe are you? How safe is your neighbour?
Some adults are more likely to suffer
harm than others because of disability,
frailty or other reasons that mean they
are less able to protect themselves and
they may rely on others to care for
them. Croydon social services helps to
protect adults who may be at risk of
harm in Croydon.
Harm can be very broad-ranging and
include such things as stealing money or
forcing a person to lend money which
is never returned, hitting or hurting
someone, calling them names or being
abusive. It may also be that someone
who should be caring for them neglects
their needs. Sometimes people are not
able to look after themselves and they
neglect themselves, leading to real
concern for their safety.
If you are worried that you or a
family member, friend or neighbour is
at risk of harm you can phone social
services on 020 8726 6500. Lines are
open weekdays 9am to 5pm.
You can also report online:
www.croydon.gov.uk/adult-referral
or you can email your concern:
[email protected]
Remember, if there is an
emergency, call the police or
ambulance service on 999. If less
urgent, ring 101 for the police or
111 for health advice. Together we
can work to protect people who
may be suffering abuse.
100 council homes to be
redecorated for free
This year, we will be redecorating around 100 council
homes for free. Will your home be one of these?
Who can apply?
You can apply for the council’s supported
redecoration scheme if you are:
• a secure (permanent) Croydon council tenant
• receiving housing benefit, or are eligible for
housing benefit
• either you and anyone else living with you are 70
years of age or older or you are physically unable
to do the work yourself and there is no ablebodied person between the ages of 16 and 69
living with you (if you are applying for this scheme
because of a physical disability or chronic illness,
your professional carer will need to confirm that
you are unable to redecorate your home).
You will also need to meet the following criteria:
• you do not owe any outstanding rent or other
housing charges
• legal action is not being taken against you for a
breach of your tenancy conditions
• you are not currently subject to council action
for anti-social behaviour
• y ou have not received a second warning letter
about an outstanding gas safety inspection
• y ou have not had decoration vouchers for your
property in the last seven years
•a
ll or part of your home has not been redecorated
in the last seven years (or, if on our inspection,
your home is in good decorative order)
• y ou are not in the process of buying your current
home or a home on the open market through
one of the council’s home ownership schemes
(i.e. the Assisted Private Purchase Scheme, Right
to Buy or Social HomeBuy schemes).
When can I apply?
If you meet all of the scheme conditions then
apply between 1 July and 31 August 2015. Early
applications will not be considered and selections will
be made on a first-come first served basis.
To find out more details visit our website www.
croydon.gov.uk, or call us on 020 8726 6100 and
ask about the supported redecoration scheme.
Please contact us if you need help to complete an
application form. If you are housebound, we will visit
you in your home to help you fill in the form.
4
OpenHouse Spring 2015 | Issue 97
Housing garden competition entry form
Blooming prizes for
winning gardeners
I would like to enter or nominate:
First name
Surname
Address
If you’re proud of your plants then enter this year’s housing
garden competition and show us just how green-fingered
you are, and you’ll be in with a chance of winning a
whopping £150 gardening prize!
So whether you have a single hanging basket
outside your front door, a couple of tubs of
vegetables growing on your balcony, a pocket-sized
garden of flowers or you have been helping to
keep the communal gardens around your block in
tip top shape, you could win some fantastic prizes
sponsored by our repairs contractor, Axis Europe,
as well as seeing your efforts featured in an issue of
Open House.
Open to all council tenants and leaseholders,
the competition categories are:
• Best garden
• Best vegetable garden
•B
est communal garden around blocks of flats
• Best hanging basket.
…And new for 2015, for the budding young
Postcode
Tel. no.
Email
gardeners (under 18s only)
out there, we’ve added a "grow a sunflower"
category. We’re even supplying sunflower seeds to
the first 30 entrants.
Winners will each receive a £150 voucher,
a trophy and certificate, with prizes of £75
vouchers and certificates for the runners-up. So
don’t delay in completing the entry form online at
www.croydon.gov.uk/gardeningawards by 30
May 2015. Early entrants will also receive a free
packet of seeds. Please read the full competition
terms and conditions before entering.
Judging, by representatives from the tenants and
leaseholders panel will take place in July or August.
For more information contact Emeka Obiandu,
neighbourhood inspector, on 020 8726 6100 ext.
61587 or email [email protected]
My details (if different from above):
First Name
Surname
Address
Postcode
Tel. No.
Email
Please tick all that apply:
Best garden
Best vegetable garden
Best communal garden around a block of flats
Best hanging basket
Grow a sunflower
Web tech
used in battle
against blue
badge fraud
A smartphone app enabling on-the-spot checks is
being piloted by Croydon Council enforcement officers
as the authority steps up its fight against the misuse
of disabled drivers’ blue badge parking permits.
In addition to catching those who deprive disabled
motorists of the opportunity of parking close to shops and
other facilities, the pilot scheme will produce a cut in the
cost of prosecutions, and see an increase in parking revenue
as fraudsters realise that the risk is not worth taking.
The initiative, led by the council’s corporate antifraud team (Caft), means that officers can immediately
validate displayed blue badges and detect abuse by
viewing real-time records in the national database of
registered badge holders.
Officers can search the blue badge holder’s details
on their mobile device, check that the photograph
matches the person in the vehicle, and then take
appropriate action, such as seizing the car if the holder
Closing date for entries 30 May 2015
✂
Occupancy checks
is not in the vehicle.
Savings will follow as, in addition to aiding identity
misuse, the initiative will reduce spend on processing
prosecution cases.
Under the new system, Caft officers instead of
external lawyers will carry out some pre-court case
work, reducing the cost from £470 to £220.
For more information about what a blue badge is, visit
the council website at www.croydon.gov.uk/bluebadge
To report someone who is misusing a blue badge,
email [email protected] or
telephone 020 8760 5645, Monday to Friday between
8.30am and 5.30pm.
The housing standards team is continuing its
programme of occupancy check visits to all
our tenants. These visits ensure that we have
accurate and up to date information about
you and your needs and to check that our
properties are being occupied by the right
people. During these visits we can also offer
advice, support and information about a range
of services, such as access to work or help
getting online.
This is an ongoing, rolling programme so
we can’t say when you will be visited. So do
not worry if you are not in – the team will call
again. If after several visits we are unable to
make contact with you, we will leave a letter
asking you to contact us. If you receive a letter,
please contact us as we are asking all residents
to co-operate by letting officers complete the
audit checks which take about 20 minutes.
If you suspect someone of unlawfully
subletting their home you can contact your
tenancy officer, the housing standards team,
call the anti-fraud hotline on 0800 328 9270
or report it online at
www.croydon.gov.uk/housingfraud. We will
investigate and keep your identity confidential.
Smoke alarms save lives
Having a working smoke alarm
allows you that vital, precious time
to get your family and yourself to
safety when a fire occurs.
Every home should have at least
one working smoke alarm. Croydon
was one of the first authorities to
ensure that all council homes had a
working smoke alarm fitted. Croydon
continues to strive to achieve this
and is running a scheme to replace
these existing smoke alarms and
also fit them where not already
installed. These smoke alarms are
fitted free of charge in councilowned homes. To date, this new
scheme has resulted in just over
9,000 properties being fitted with
new smoke detectors with a 10-year
battery life. Though this scheme has
Non-council tenants who would like a free home safety visit from the fire
brigade should contact www.london-fire.gov.uk/HomeFireSafetyVisit.asp
and arrange for a fire advisor to visit and fit free smoke alarms.
proven popular it does mean that
4,000 council-owned properties have
yet to take up this offer.
If you are a council tenant and would
like to take this opportunity to have
alarms replaced or fitted, please call
the contractor working on the council’s
behalf WC Evans on 01342 833778
by 31 May.
When a
smoke alarm has
been fitted it is vital
that you test it regularly to ensure it
works when needed.
•O
nce a week – test your smoke
alarm using the test button.
• E very six months – gently vacuum
the device through the vents.
If fire breaks out in your home call 999 – evacuate the property and if
possible close doors and windows as you leave – don’t tackle the fire yourself.
OpenHouse
Spring 2015 | Issue 97
5
Resident Involvement Awards 2014
The hard work and achievements of council tenants and leaseholders was celebrated at the
resident involvement awards ceremony
The annual event, organised by the council’s
resident involvement team, recognises the effort
people put into making their communities better
places to live, whether that involves improving
services or housing estates.
A special buffet was laid on for residents at the
Clocktower Café in Katharine Street, Croydon, as
a thank you from the council to those who have
regularly taken part in activities organised by the
resident involvement team.
Residents were nominated for awards in four
categories by fellow residents, councillors and officers.
And the winners were…
★ EMBRACING
NEW WAYS OF
WORKING
★ RESIDENT OF
THE YEAR
Winner: Beverley Warner
Highly commended: Yusuf
Osman & Sue & Steve Errett
Beverley was nominated by
her local community in Shrublands
where she volunteers to support
the running of the community
coffee shop and organises events
for both older residents and children
throughout the year.
Winner: Yaw Boateng
Highly commended: John Piper &
Marilyn Smithies
Yaw is a very active member
of a number of residents’ groups
which work with the council to
improve housing services. He
uses his excellent IT skills to
communicate effectively with the
council and other residents.
★ OUTSTANDING RESIDENTS' GROUP
★ BEST PERSONAL
DEVELOPMENT
Winner: The Housing Scrutiny Panel
Gary Allen, Margaret Ashmead, Carol Bennet, Yaw Boateng, Rosalie Burke,
Christopher Crossdale, Guy Pile-Grey, Sheryl Read, Josephine Sackey &
Caroline Stembridge.
The Housing Scrutiny Panel worked extremely hard last year
scrutinising both the income and neighbourhood warden services. Their
reports produced over 40 recommendations for service improvements, the
majority of which have now been implemented.
Winner: Gary Allen
Highly commended: Yaw Boateng,
Chris Crossdale, Guy Pile-Grey, Kim
Wakely & Colin Wood
Gary joined the Housing Scrutiny
Panel a few years ago whilst studying
for a BA in Housing at university. The
experience gained in this role helped
him to obtain an excellent degree and
find a job as a housing officer.
More photos of the event can be seen on the resident
involvement facebook page:
www.facebook.com/croydonresidentinvolvement
Make life easier – sign up to My Account
The council’s dedicated online services and reporting facility saves you time and money.
My
CROYDON
Residents’ transactions with the
council – everything from paying
the rent to reporting a fly-tip –
are now easier than ever, and all
achievable from home.
Simply by logging on, residents
can open the council’s My Account
facility, designed with simplicity
and ease of use in mind.
Carrying out such tasks as
paying rent, requesting housing
repairs, and reporting a range
of issues can be done from the
comfort of the sofa, taking away
the need to travel to the council’s
offices – saving time and money.
To log onto My Account, go to
www.croydon.gov.uk/myaccount
If you need help, staff from
Learn Direct are available in Access
Croydon, Bernard Weatherill
House, Mint Walk, every Monday
between 11am and 3pm, offering
advice on tuition courses suitable
for individuals’ requirements.
And people can get online, free
of charge, at any borough library.
To find out more about basic IT
training for council tenants and
leaseholders, contact the resident
involvement team on
020 8726 6100 or email
[email protected]
My
CROYDON
sign up
To sign up for My Account
simply follow these 3 easy steps!
k on
Step 1 Go to my.croydon.gov.uk and clic
“create an account”
rd and click
Step 2 Enter your details, choose a passwo
“create an account”
ow the link to
Step 3 Open the email we send you andt!foll
verify and activate your accoun
w.croydon.gov.uk
Access our services online 24-7 at ww
pay it
apply for it
report it
14 09:05
6
OpenHouse Spring 2015 | Issue 97
Cash in the attic?
Maybe not, but money
for spare bedrooms …
There’s never been a better time to think about
downsizing. If your home has more bedrooms
than you and your family need, you can be paid
to move to somewhere smaller!
The special transfer payment scheme (STP) makes it
easier for people with spare bedrooms (under-occupiers)
to downsize to smaller homes. These moves help
everyone, because when someone downsizes, the larger
home can be offered to an overcrowded family who
need more bedrooms, and most Croydon Council underoccupiers and some housing association tenants now have
the chance to benefit from the much-improved scheme.
you don’t have access to a computer, we can send you
the form to fill in.
Once we’ve checked your application and confirmed
that you’re eligible, you’ll be given high priority for a move
to a smaller home. It’s not possible to say how quickly
you’ll be offered a transfer, but it helps if you’ll consider
moving to several different areas within Croydon.
To apply for an exchange, you can also register
online at www.HomeSwapper.co.uk. HomeSwapper is
a scheme that matches the requirements of people who
want to move to larger or smaller homes, or to different
areas either in or outside Croydon. You can find out more
about HomeSwapper on the council’s website
www.croydon.gov.uk.
A lot of under-occupiers have downsized through
an exchange. It’s a good way of finding a property
more suitable for your needs, and it can offer a quicker
solution than waiting for us to find you a transfer.
There’s lots more information about downsizing on
the council’s website at www.croydon.gov.uk or you
can e-mail [email protected] or call 020 8726
6100 to speak to the under-occupation officer or the
HomeSwapper team.
So why not go ahead and register to downsize?
There are conditions attached to the STP, and
you can find out if you’re eligible by visiting
the council’s website www.croydon.gov.uk. If you
qualify, you may be entitled to:
• payment of your removal costs
•a
£2,000 grant for each bedroom you give up.
The maximum amount you can receive is £8,000.
There are two ways of downsizing. You can be
offered a move by the council (a transfer), or you
can find someone with whom to exchange (swap)
tenancies. You need to register for each of these
options separately.
To be considered for a transfer, you need to join
the transfer register. This is the list of everyone
who wants to move to another home owned by
the council or a housing association. Some housing
associations own flats and bungalows located near
the coast in East or West Sussex, Hampshire, Kent,
Lincolnshire etc. You can also qualify for the STP
if you move into one of these properties through
the Seaside & Country Homes scheme. In certain
circumstances, you can qualify for the STP if you
downsize into the private rented sector.
The easiest way to apply for a transfer is via the
council’s website at www.croydon.gov.uk. However, if
Have a Big Lunch Party in 2015
With the days lengthening as the year moves into spring, many are looking forward to
the summer ahead – and what better way to enjoy it than by having a street party?
Once again, the council is encouraging everybody
to get involved in supporting their local Big Lunch
in Croydon on Sunday 7 June.
Every year, the Big Lunch sees communities
in all corners of the borough sitting down to eat
and chat with people they may see every day
but, because of today’s busy lives and hectic
schedules, never really get to know.
Sitting down to break bread is a simple, yet
profound, act of community that can have a real
impact – research shows that when people get
involved, they feel good, and it has a noticeable
effect on their area.
Show your support and register your event
at the national Big Lunch website, or talk to the
council if you’re planning to hold a street party.
All it takes is a 10-minute visit to
www.croydon.gov.uk/biglunch
You will need to say where the event is to be
held and what sort of facilities will be offered.
Alternatively, call the council’s customer
services advisers on 020 8726 6000, and the rest
will be done for you.
The application deadline for Big Lunch parties
requiring a road closure, or those planned to
be held in one of the borough’s parks or open
spaces, is 8 May.
To make it really simple to apply to hold a
party, the council will cover the costs of road
closures and provide appropriate signs – saving
each party more than £1,000.
Go to www.croydon.gov.uk/biglunch to
find the answers to frequently asked Big Lunch
questions, as well as:
• a list of available green spaces;
• how to safely stage events;
• how to arrange road closures; and
• how to arrange the use of land around
your estate.
Even if a Big Lunch does not involve a street
party, the council is keen that events are
registered, in order that the Big Lunch archive is
updated with this year’s events. Email
[email protected]
Organisers of past Big Lunches are invited
to offer photographs and stories from previous
events to display during the clinics. Email
[email protected] or bring them along
on the day.
Croydon Council is inviting groups to apply
for funds to provide community activities within
the borough. These activities could tackle
negative behaviour or build on positive qualities
within the community.
For information, go to
Useful Big Lunch links
• www.croydon.gov.uk/community/advice/tsfunding/
funding/active-communities-fund
• www.croydon.gov.uk/community/advice/tsfunding/
funding/comminvest
• Get your 2015 pack FREE from the national Big Lunch website now!
• Celebrate the Big Lunch in Croydon here: www.croydon.gov.uk/biglunch
• The Big Lunch on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thebiglunch
• The Big Lunch on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thebiglunch
OpenHouse
Spring 2015 | Issue 97
7
A day in the life . . .
The Croydon housing repairs service, provided by our contractor Axis Europe,
operates around the clock to ensure our residents' homes remain safe and
comfortable. Day-to-day repairs are carried out between 8am and 6pm with
emergency repairs made safe outside of working hours.
In this feature we join multi-trade operative Christian Bank to see what a typical
day delivering our repair service includes.
Christian’s day starts at 7.30 when his first job arrives on his handheld device, he
receives the property and resident details and as much information about the repair
as the resident has been able to provide. This is important so he can ensure he has the
right equipment for the job before he arrives.
When he arrives, he identifies himself with a unique hologram-bearing ID card (see
ID card below), offering the resident the chance to call the dedicated repairs line to
confirm the appointment is official. Vulnerable residents can also request a password at
the time of reporting the repair.
His first job is to fix pipes leaking under a sink; minor plumbing issues are a
common call-out for the repairs service, Christian is well prepared and replaces the
washer before running water through the pipes to check his fix has worked. Once
he has explained to the resident what the issue was and how he’s fixed it, the job is
marked as complete on his handheld device, which lets the scheduling system know
he’s moving onto the next home.
However, had he attended and not been able to repair the issue, he would have
liaised with the resident and call centre there and then to arrange a convenient return
appointment. Separate teams cover electric and gas related repairs.
When he is on his way to the next appointment the resident receives a text
message letting them know. Most appointments are in two-hour slots, although for
some more specialist repairs this may still be an AM or PM appointment.
Christian’s second job is a draughty front door, which he quickly resolves by fitting
new draught excluders, a simple yet effective way to help keep a home warm. Two
jobs complete and it’s only 10.45am, the rest of his day includes replacing a faulty lock,
repairing wall tiles in a wet-room and adjusting kitchen cabinets. As his shift finishes
the out of hours team takes over to deal with emergency repairs.
Reporting repairs
A reminder that the dedicated repairs telephone line (020 8726 6101) is open
24 hours a day, 7 days a week for reporting new repairs (including emergencies),
changing appointments or making enquiries about existing repairs.
Repairs can also be reported via email to croydonrepairs@axiseurope.
com or on the council’s website www.croydon.gov.uk, where you can login
or sign up for ‘My Account’.
Want to get on
the career ladder?
Need to get back
into work?
Axis work in partnership with Croydon Council, providing the
repairs and maintenance service to council properties in Croydon and the surrounding area.
We are offering exciting opportunities for Croydon residents who are interested in completing a work
placement or an apprenticeship in:
• Business administration
• Surveying
• Trades including plumbing, electrical and plastering.
The positions are open to all ages – you could be a school leaver, someone wishing to return to work
or wanting a career change.
Work placements will be available from April and recruitment days will be held in June and July.
Please send your CV to [email protected] for more details.
Taking control of your heating
Knowing how to use the heating controls properly
can help you to save money, energy and improve the
comfort of your home.
A room thermostat controls the general
temperature of your home and prevents it getting
warmer than it needs to be: it will turn the heating on
until the room reaches the temperature you have set,
and then off until the temperature drops.
Room thermostats are usually on the wall in the
hall or in a cool part of the home. To work, they need
a free flow of air, so don't block them with curtains or
furniture, or put near heat sources.
Your room thermostat should be at a comfortable
18°C – 21°C. Turning down your thermostat by one
degree (1°C) could save up to 10% off heating bills.
You don’t need to turn your thermostat up when
it is colder outside; your home will heat up to the set
temperature whatever the weather. It may take a
little longer on colder days, so you might want to set
your heating to come on earlier in the winter.
You may have thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs)
installed on each radiator – these are usually at the
bottom of one side the radiator. TRV allows you to
set different temperatures in individual rooms.
If you have electric storage heaters, these charge
at night and release heat during the day.
The storage heaters have two settings - usually on
the top right-hand side of the heater, or under a flap.
The output setting controls how much stored
heat the heater gives out – the higher the value, the
more heat is released. You’ll only be increasing how
much heat you get and you won’t be using any more
electricity. Around an hour before you go out or to
bed, you can turn the output dial to zero so you’re
not wasting energy overheating empty rooms.
The input control determines how much electricity
the heater will take from the grid during the coming
night, and hence how much stored heat will be
available the following day. The higher the input, the
more heat you’ll store and the more electricity you’ll
use. If a heater runs out of heat in the evening while
you still need it, or if the weather gets colder, you
may need to turn the input dial up. If the weather
gets warmer, or the heater never runs out of heat in
the evening, you can probably save money without
getting cold by turning the input dial down.
In hot weather turn heaters off at the wall, not
just by turning the dials to zero. You will need to turn
them on again the day before you need the heating
to come back on.
Housing
mystery
shoppers
wanted
At Croydon Council, we constantly strive to improve the services we
deliver to our tenants and leaseholders. As a mystery shopper you and
other residents carry out checks on some of our housing services. The
feedback from these checks will then help us to improve those services.
Mystery shopping is used by many organisations to
improve their services, especially the way that customers
are dealt with. Most commercial organisations pay market
research companies to act as customers, to do the shopping
for them. Our shoppers will be our own customers like you.
Mystery shopping is really quite easy but you will get plenty of
help and support from the resident involvement team. We are now
recruiting committed residents to join our pool of mystery shoppers.
You need to be able to:
• Attend briefing/training sessions prior to each shopping exercise
• Be willing to ring or visit the council offices to test
various housing services
• Complete monitoring forms and return these to the
council within the required timescales.
This is a voluntary role and you will not be paid. However,
expenses incurred in carrying out the role will be reimbursed.
Is it for you?
Do you want to be part of a group of residents who want
to help ensure that housing services are effective and meeting
the needs of all tenants and leaseholders?
Do you want the opportunity to improve your knowledge
and develop your life and work skills?
Are you looking to gain valuable work experience?
Training will be provided to assist you in your role.
Please note that this is an ongoing advert and applications
will be considered upon receipt.
If you are interested contact the resident involvement team
who will be pleased to answer any questions, by phone on
020 8726 6100, or by email at [email protected]
and we will send you details of how to apply.
8
OpenHouse Spring 2015 | Issue 97
Tenant satisfaction survey 2014
- what you told us
Satisfaction with the quality of your
home – 79% (up 4%)
Last summer, Acuity, a provider of resident satisfaction research for social
landlords, invited almost 5,000 Croydon Council tenants to take part in a
satisfaction survey about the housing services you receive.
We use the results to compare how we are doing with other social landlords
in outer London and present this information to different residents’ panels which
make recommendations on how we can improve services.
Here is a snapshot of what you told us, how we compare with the survey
carried out in 2012 and with other similar, outer London social landlords (see
tables on the right).
Satisfaction with the quality of your home 79% up 4%
This figure shows a marked improvement on the survey carried out in 2012.
We think this positive result reflects the increase in major works to your homes
each year. We spent £26.5m on things like new kitchens, bathrooms, boilers,
security doors, windows and roofs in 2013/4 compared to £22m in 2012/3.
Satisfaction with your neighbourhood as a place in which to live
compared to other landlords 77% up 4%
Croydon tenants were more satisfied with their local area than in 2012, with
Croydon comparing well with other landlords.
Ascham Homes (Waltham Forest)
83%
Hounslow Homes
82%
Hounslow Homes
82%
Sutton Housing Partnership
82%
LB Croydon
79%
LB Croydon
77%
Sutton Housing Partnership
77%
LB Harrow
76%
LB Enfield
74%
Ascham Homes (Waltham Forest)
75%
LB Harrow
71%
Barnet Homes
75%
Lewisham Homes
70%
Lewisham Homes
75%
LB Barking & Dagenham
69%
LB Enfield
73%
LB Haringey
65%
LB Barking & Dagenham
71%
Barnet Homes
N/A
LB Haringey
64%
Satisfaction with the housing
service – 72% (down from 76%)
Satisfaction with repairs 68% down 6%
This dip in performance, although disappointing, was expected with the change to a
new responsive repairs contractor, Axis Europe, in April 2014 and the time that it takes
time for a new contractor to take over such an intensive service, iron out any teething
problems and start working smoothly and efficiently. By doing this we saved £2m a
year and substantially improved the benefits to the council, the local area and the
whole community. For example, by including the contact centre as part of the contract,
Axis has been able to improve on the previous call handling targets and is on or near
target for the majority of the contract’s performance indicators. Axis has detailed
service plans to improve other areas of performance including, focussing on common
areas of complaints, and we think you will soon be seeing a positive difference.
Satisfaction with the housing service 72% down from 76%
This figure is down on the survey carried out in 2012. It is likely that the
decrease is related to the new responsive repairs service and we can expect
overall satisfaction to improve along with the upturn in the repairs service
(as detailed above).
Reporting anti-social behaviour
There is concern that a number of tenants who had made a complaint about
anti-social behaviour during the last 12 months were not satisfied about the way
it was dealt with. The housing scrutiny panel is currently reviewing this service
and will be making recommendations for service improvements in light of the
disappointing satisfaction rates.
•1
3% of tenants had made a complaint to Croydon in the last 12 months
(242 tenants)
•4
2% of the tenants said it was easy to contact a member of staff to report
anti-social behaviour (53% sheltered housing and 41% general needs tenants)
•5
9% of tenants said the speed with which they were initially interviewed
was good or fair (78% sheltered housing and 57% general needs tenants).
Satisfaction with your neighbourhood
as a place to live – 77% (up 4%)
Satisfaction with repairs – 68%
(down 6%)
Sutton Housing Partnership
85%
Sutton Housing Partnership
81%
Hounslow Homes
83%
LB Enfield
79%
Barnet Homes
78%
Barnet Homes
75%
Ascham Homes (Waltham Forest)
77%
Hounslow Homes
72%
LB Enfield
75%
Ascham Homes (Waltham Forest)
69%
LB Barking & Dagenham
74%
LB Croydon
68%
LB Croydon
72%
LB Harrow
67%
LB Harrow
72%
LB Barking & Dagenham
63%
Lewisham Homes
71%
LB Haringey
59%
LB Haringey
62%
Lewisham Homes
N/A
Conclusion
The survey results reveal that the majority of tenants are satisfied with the overall
housing service provided by the council. There were high rates of satisfaction for
quality of home, neighbourhood and being kept informed. A lot of work is under way
to get the new repairs contract running smoothly. However, it is clear that the council
needs to investigate service areas where satisfaction is low or has decreased. These
include repairs, anti-social behaviour and ease of contacting the council.
The full findings of Acuity’s survey of the 1,884 tenants who responded can be found on
the council’s website www.croydon.gov.uk/starsurvey
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY 2015
Housing services forum
13 May 2015
7pm - 9pm
Community Space, Bernard Weatherill House, 8 Mint Walk, Croydon CR0 1EA
(pre-meeting surgery 6.30 - 7pm)
Tenant and leaseholder panel
20 May 2015
7 July 2015
6.30pm
6.30pm
Housing disability panel
7 July 2015
2pm - 4pm
Bernard Weatherill House, 8 Mint Walk, Croydon CR0 1EA
(pre-meeting surgery 1.30 - 2pm)
Sheltered housing panel
16 July 2015
2pm - 4pm
Council Chamber, Town Hall, Katharine Street, Croydon CR0 1NX
(pre-meeting surgery 1.30 - 2pm)
Council Chamber, Town Hall, Katharine Street, Croydon CR0 1NX
Always check to confirm dates and venues, as these can change at short notice. You may also be able to reclaim travel costs to meetings by completing a claim
form (supported with receipts). For any further information, or to confirm meeting details, contact the resident involvement team on
% 020 8726 6100 ext. 62954 or visit www.croydon.gov.uk/housing/residents/whatsnew
To keep up to date with the latest news and information from the resident involvement and scrutiny team and to find out more about your housing
services and how to get involved and have your say, sign up to receive the e-newsletter - Involve at www.croydon.gov.uk/subscribe. You can also
subscribe to the Your Croydon eBulletin and receive a free monthly email that’s full of news and information about your borough.
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