SUMMER / AUTUMN 2014
FOR TENANTS’ AND LEASEHOLDERS’
OF ASHFORD BOROUGH COUNCIL
Keep it clean!
Inside:
Meet the team
Garden competition results
New cleaning contractors
Council contacts
Strawberry Fayre in full swing
Housing services team
www.ashford.gov.uk/housing
Tel: 01233 330688
Email: [email protected]
Repairs hotline: 01233 330366
The Ashford
Gateway Plus
2 Manor Row, High Street, Tenterden,
Kent, TN30 6HP
Tel: 0845 8247905
Civic Centre
www.ashford.gov.uk
Tannery Lane, Ashford, Kent, TN23 1PL
Call Centre
Tel: 01233 331111
Typetalk: 01233 330744
Lines open:
8.30am – 4pm Monday to Friday
24 hour Payment Line 01233 330625
Benefit Fraud Line: 0800 021 3262
Housing News
Editor: Philippa Dale
Telephone: 01233 330365
Email: [email protected]
www.ashford.gov.uk
On Facebook:
facebook.com/
ashfordboroughcouncil
On Twitter:
@AshfordCouncil
Ashford tenants’ panel
www.ashfordstenantpanel.weebly.com
Search for Ashford Tenants’
Panel on Facebook
On Twitter:
@AshfordTenants
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Also present were Tracy Kerly, head of
community and housing at Ashford
Borough Council, and Rolvenden and
Tenterden West councillor Mike Bennett.
It took a lot of hard work and planning,
led by resident Ken Stickels, with help
and encouragement from Dave the
handyman and scheme manager Glen.
We even became part of the tourist trade
when four ladies from The Netherlands
arrived and said they had found the
event on the internet whilst looking for
something to see in Kent.
Despite the marquee being totally
demolished by the storm on Friday
night, with true British grit the fayre was
reassembled in the main building.
Fortunately the weather came good
so we were able to put up one or two
gazebos at the last minute.
Cream teas and cakes were enjoyed by
many including Cllr John Link, Mayor of
Ashford and his Mayoress Jill. Cllr Jenny
Crickmore Porter, Mayor of Tenterden
and her escort Major Alan O’ Hagan.
£1,400 was raised, some of which
will go towards improvements in the
communal lounge. This will enable more
local groups to make use of the room
for their events and help to bring the
communities closer together.
Christine Hickmott-Arnold,
Monypenny resident
You said we did
We use the ‘you said we did’ logo when we feed back
on something you have asked for and we have been
able to deliver.
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Housing news is printed on paper
made from managed sustainable
sources.
Friends and family joined residents
of Monypenny sheltered scheme
in Rolvenden to celebrate its 40th
anniversary with a strawberry fayre.
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The Tenterden
Gateway Centre
Strawberry fayre at Monypenny
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www.kent.gov.uk
Church Road, Ashford, Kent, TN23 1AS
Open: 9am – 4pm Monday to Friday
to see a customer service advisor
Tel: 0845 8247247
Typetalk: 0845 8247905
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Contents
8 Garden competition
9 Project purple
10 Tenants’ Panel news
13 New cleaning contractor
16 Calendar competition
Cover picture:
Calibre staff, Sir Litternot, and
residents of Elmcroft House
Housing News has been designed and produced by:
The Design Practice, Maidstone.
Tel: 01622 755599 www.thedesignpractice.co.uk
Housing News Summer / Autumn 2014
Printed by: Headley Brothers Ltd, Ashford,
Tel: 01233 623131 www.headley.co.uk
Contact the Housing Services Team on 01233 330688
Have you
heard about
the increased
Right to Buy
discounts?
see you sunday
Look out for
bogus callers
You could now be eligible for
a discount of up to £77,000.
Council officers on
official duty will always
have identification to
show they are who they
say they are. Do not let
anyone into your home
or onto your property
without confirming
their identification. If in
doubt, feel free to call the
council on 01233 331111
before admitting them.
Thousands of
tenants have become
homeowners
since the Right
to Buy discounts
were increased in
2012. Further increases to the top
discounts available have recently been
announced, helping more households
take the next step towards home
ownership. Now could be the ideal time
to consider whether buying your home
is the right choice for you.
1st Sunday of every month
10am-2pm Lower high street
FREE PARKING*
*in Edinburgh Road Car Park
Top tips for avoiding burglary
In light of the problems of burglaries in and around Ashford you are reminded of
the importance of securing your home:
Lock it up – be in the habit of locking windows and doors – this can be harder in the good weather!
Stay vigilant – be aware of your neighbourhood and note unusual behaviour.
Trick the thieves – leave a low energy light burning or a radio on low.
Spare keys – don’t leave spare keys where they can be found.
Avoid offering hiding places – think about whether the plants in your garden could offer cover for burglars.
Holidays – if you are away from home stop newspapers and milk deliveries.
If possible arrange for family friends or neighbours to pop in.
Know the neighbours – having a good reciprocal relationship with neighbours can be really helpful.
or email [email protected]
Your home could be a great investment
for you and your family – and the money
raised from extra sales is going towards
building new, affordable homes.
Remember, buying is a big decision, and
you should always get impartial financial
and legal advice before deciding
whether it’s the right choice for you.
Don’t advertise – avoid leaving
possessions on view in gardens or
on landings, even discarded packaging can give burglars
information about recent purchases.
Lock vehicles – and don’t leave valuables visible.
Secure the shed – go for a well
constructed and anchored shed with good locks. Consider marking
valuables and if you have a window
think about using perforated mesh to protect it.
If you’ve been a tenant for five years or
more, under Right to Buy you could now
get up to 70% off your house or flat. This
could mean tens of thousands of pounds
off the purchase price of your home,
up to a maximum discount of £77,000
(increasing every year in line with the
rate of inflation).
We’re here to help
If you want to find out more about
buying your home and whether you are
eligible for a large discount, have a look
at our website www.communities.gov.
uk/righttobuy or ring the right to buy
helpline on 0300 123 0913. You’ll find
lots of practical tips and there’s also
a handy online calculator to help you
work out if buying is affordable for you.
Alternatively contact Sue Major at
[email protected] or ring
01233 330531.
Housing News Summer / Autumn 2014
3
Welfare reform update
Change to Here to help you!
court fees
Court fees are now £250 so paying
your rent on time and making an
agreement to clear outstanding
arrears has never been more
important.
From April the fees for submitting
an application for possession of
a residential property due to rent
arrears has increased from £100 to
£250 (150% increase). These fees
are added to your outstanding
arrears if we have to take legal
action against you for failing to pay
your rent. Court applications can
be prevented if proactive action is
taken to resolve the outstanding
arrears.
If you fall into arrears or fail to pay
your rent you need to contact your
area manager (see pages 6 and 7) as
a matter of urgency so court action
can be prevented.
Paula Wright and Tracey James
Remember Paula and Tracey from our last
edition? They are our helpful welfare reform
intervention officers who are here to help you
if you are struggling to pay your rent or council
tax. They are on hand to help you if you’ve been
affected by the recent welfare reform changes
and can refer you to specialist organisations if
need be.
You don’t have to be approached by them to ask
for their help. Visit www.ashford.gov.uk/welfarereform-intervention-officers and complete the
new online self-referral form.
So don’t delay, get in touch with them today!
Universal credit
Universal credit is part of the
government’s welfare reforms. If
you are of working age and receive
income support, income-based job
seekers’ allowance or income-related
employment and support allowance,
housing benefit, child tax credit,
and working tax credit, then you will
be affected.
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benefit, claimants will receive one
payment that will be paid directly into
their bank account once a month at the
end of the month.
Universal credit is still very much in
‘pilot mode’ but it is coming and you
need to be prepared.
Therefore, if you receive benefit not
only will you need to have a bank
account into which it can be paid, but
you need to be aware that it will be up
to you to budget with this money each
month. You’ll need to make sure you do
not fall behind with your rent, council
tax and other household bills.
For the first time, rather than receiving
small amounts of different types of
If you haven’t got a bank account it’s
not too late to get one. A poor credit
Housing News Summer / Autumn 2014
history won’t exclude you from having
a basic bank account. They are provided
by all high street banks. You can store
money in them and set up direct debits
to pay your bills, but they won’t give
interest and have no overdraft facility.
The banks in the borough are
committed to helping you. They can
talk through your situation and tell you
what’s best for you. You don’t even have
to meet them in branch, as a session
is run in the Gateway on the fourth
Thursday of every month between
10am and 12noon from September.
Contact the Housing Services Team on 01233 330688
People Serving People:
Ashford’s Annual Report 2013-14
Over the last year we have been compiling
Ashford’s achievements and highlights
into an Annual Report. The report is called
People Serving People and reflects on the
positive work of the whole council, and
our partners, over the past year.
We are working to ensure we deliver on our
main priorities. These are:
Jobs and economic growth
As a growing borough we are attracting
new businesses, helping existing ones to
grow, creating a vibrant town centre and
our Portas Pilot work has been praised in
a report to government by retail expert
Mary Portas.
Ashford, Kent
people
serving
people
Quality homes...
Ashford Borough Council
Annual Report
April 2O13 - March 2O14
We all want quality homes. That is why
we are striving to deliver not just quality
homes but to ensure that we have the
right environment and infrastructure.
This is essential to create the ‘right’
atmosphere where people want to live
and enjoy life. We have successfully
introduced the new recycling service
and ensure homes are built to our
lifetime living standards. Work to make
Farrow Court truly dementia-friendly
accommodation will ensure that we are
prepared as we anticipate the needs of
an ageing population.
...and quality places to live
It is important to all of us that Ashford
is an exciting and welcoming place.
That is why we support cultural,
artistic and sporting events, including
those that create positive activities for young people.
These not only make the borough a better
place to live but bring the community together.
Value for money services
Just to make sure that our services remain right for
you, we need to concentrate on delivering effective
and efficient services which are responsive to your
needs and provide value for money. Our council tax
remains the lowest in Kent.
or email [email protected]
To read more visit
www.ashford.gov.uk/
our-performance
Housing News Summer / Autumn 2014
5
News from the team
Its all change in
the estates team
Operations manager Rebecca Wilcox is back from maternity leave.
Kat Aylward, sheltered housing area manager, has gone on maternity
leave, and former area manager Kay Devereaux is covering Kat’s post.
Kerena Hopkin has moved from the housing services team to cover
Kay’s post. (Are you keeping up?)
Meanwhile Barry Moss and Paul Hills have taken well earned
retirement. Former area manager Anthony Crossley has stepped in
to Barry’s shoes, and whereas before Paul used to deal with issues
relating to bungalows throughout the borough, these are now
covered by the area managers within their geographic patches.
Flo Lucas has been confirmed as a permanent member of the team,
and finally we are pleased to welcome two new trainee area
managers, Jeny Nevard and Rae Davies.
So, what does this mean for you?
Hopefully you will see no difference in service, but you might have
a new face to get used to.
Vikki Perry
[email protected]
01233 330894
Brook
Spearpoint
Wye
Hastingleigh
Hothfield
Woolreeds:
• Beaver Lane
Brookfield including:
• Cleves Way
• Cross Stiles
• Crownfield Road
• Flaxpond Road
• Fostall Green
• Gorse Mead
• Lewis Court
• Maypits
• Pollards Close
• Tournay Close
• Watercress Lane
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I caught up with
Kay Devereaux
and senior scheme
manager Wendy
Pole to ask how
Kay is settling in to
her new role.
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Sheltered
team
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Kay tells me she is enjoying working
with the scheme managers, attending
resident meetings, and getting ‘hands on’
including door knocking at 8.30 in the
morning and doing lock changes!
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Housing News Summer / Autumn 2014
Kay Devereaux and Wendy Pole
Contact the Housing Services Team on 01233 330688
News from the team
Kerena Hopkin
Rae Davies
Samantha Diggins
Claire Wood
kerena.hopkin
@ashford.gov.uk
[email protected]
sam.diggins
@ashford.gov.uk
[email protected]
01233 330373
Aldington
Appledore
Bilsington
Brabourne
Hamstreet
Henwood
Kenardington
Kingsnorth
Mersham
Ruckinge
Smeeth
Warehorne
Woodchurch
Woolreeds excluding
Beaver Lane
01233 330835
Boughton Aluph
Challock
Charing
Charing Heath
Chilham
Eastwell
Godmersham
Kennington: Goteley Mere
Little Chart
Molash
Old Wives Lees
Repton
Shottenden
Ashford Town
Westwell
01233 330374
Eastmead
Hampden
Musgrove including:
• Banks Road
• Barn Platt
• Bond Road
• Halstow Way
• Jemmett Road
• Kither Road
• Langholm Road
• Musgrove
01233 330379
Watercress
Musgrove including:
• Allen Field
• Barnett Field
• Harper Road
• Hillbrow Road
• Little Knoll
• Noakes Meadow
• Oak Tree Road
• Old Pond Road
• William Road
Brookfield including:
• Arlington
• Boxley
• Hillbrow Lane
Florence Lucas
Danny Regan
Jeny Nevard
Ollie Samways
florence.lucas
@ashford.gov.uk
danny.regan
@ashford.gov.uk
[email protected]
oliver.samways
@ashford.gov.uk
01233 330376
01233 330372
Wittersham
Newenden
Rolvenden
Tenterden
St Michaels
Stone
Newtown
Willesborough
Sevington
South Willesborough
or email [email protected]
01233 330377
Bethersden
Egerton
High Halden
Shadoxhurst
Singleton
Smarden
Biddenden
Great Chart
Pluckley
01233 330375
Kennington excluding
Goteley Mere
Housing News Summer / Autumn 2014
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GOLD
WINNER
Mrs Pennington
Garden
competition
On a beautiful sunny Wednesday myself and
Philippa spent the day travelling all over
the borough looking at some spectacular
gardens which had been entered in the
tenants’ gardening competition 2014. This is
the first year I have been one of the judges
of this popular competition and I was taken
aback by the sights that I saw from lovely
cultivated vegetable gardens to quirky chilled
out havens for both insects and humans alike.
No two gardens were the same, each one
showing me a different side to the world of
gardening giving me some lovely ideas for my
own garden (I am currently on the hunt for a bug hotel!).
I was amazed by the effort and obvious hard work and time each
and every person had put into their garden making the judging
extremely difficult. I am already looking forward to next year’s
competition.
This year we would like to recognise the contribution made by
Mr Leny from The Weavers in Biddenden, who sadly fell ill a few
weeks before the judging. This meant he was not able to finish
his entry to his usual high standard. He has been entering his
garden into competitions for many decades including 1966
when his garden was Highly Commended in the Best Kept
Garden category.
Rebecca Wilcox operations manager
SILVER
WINNER
Mrs Hurcombe
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Housing News Summer / Autumn 2014
GOLD
WINNER
Mr Baker
SILVER
WINNER
Mrs Dodson
SILVER
WINNER
Mr & Mrs Cake
Contact the Housing Services Team on 01233 330688
Jolly, Charlley and Siobhan
Ashford Oaks –
Project purple!
Over 60 year 5 pupils from Ashford
Oaks primary school in south Ashford
are about to start an exciting project
with each child giving 10 hours of
their time to help in their community.
They will be turning an area of rather
neglected land into a useful space to
benefit the whole area.
The project is supported by parents,
the police, Hang 10 and Ashford
Borough Council.
They have decided on a name and a
logo, so Project purple is about to hit
the ground running!
Dementia Friends
From helping someone to find the
right bus to spreading the word
about dementia, every action counts.
You could:
Spend more time with friends and relatives living with dementia
Encourage your friends and colleagues to become Dementia Friends
Train as a Dementia Friends Champion
Volunteer for a local organisation helping people with dementia via or email [email protected]
your local volunteer centre,
do-it.org.uk or Alzheimer’s Society
Tenants
leading change
Fundraise for a local dementia charity or Alzheimer’s Society
For information about dementia, go to
www.alzheimers.org.uk/factsheets or
contact the National Dementia Helpline
for information, support and guidance
on 0300 2221122.
The government is encouraging
tenants to challenge their
landlords to make sure they
have a say about the service they
receive. This might be by getting
more involved in your community,
or joining a tenants’ panel.
For more information search on
GOV.UK for ‘Tenants leading
change’.
Housing News Summer / Autumn 2014
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The Tenants’ Panel news!
News from the new build sub group
Cryol Road Ashford
Top awards for
Ashford tenants
Julie O’Kane Gill and Ken Stickels,
both long serving Ashford tenants
panel members received highly
commended certificates from
the Kent Housing Group for the
tireless work they do for resident
engagement in the borough. They
received their certificates at an
award ceremony and beat off stiff
competition to be shortlisted.
Recently the new build sub group had
the chance to visit eight of the new
sites where council housing is being
built in the Ashford area.
Some have only reached foundation
level so far. These are a mixture of
bungalows and two, three, four (and
even one six) bedroom houses.
Tenants’ training
Whether you are training to get into or
back into employment, you are trying
to improve your skills, or you just want
to learn for learnings sake there has
never been a better time to think about
training.
A number of organisations are offering a
range of cheap or free training, including
WEA (Workers Education Association),
West Kent College, Response (referral
education skills provision opportunities
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Housing News Summer / Autumn 2014
Some of the buildings at the Cryol
Road site are being designed for those
with special needs and disabilities,
the specifications of which were really
impressive.
The majority of the sites were former
garage blocks.
Ken Stickels Ashford Tenants’ Panel
networks sustainability engagement),
Catch 22, KEG (Kent Engagement Group),
and Progress! The go further programme.
You might need to meet age and or
income criteria depending on the
courses you are interested in.
For details of the Progress
Programme contact Kirsten Gower
at [email protected] or
ring 0173 2372 517, and for more
general advice contact Philippa Dale at
[email protected] or ring
01233 330365
Contact the Housing Services Team on 01233 330688
Kennington gets creative!
Organiser Linda Bishopp identified
Gerlach House sheltered scheme as a
perfect venue, and hoped to integrate
the ladies at Gerlach to join in, to learn a
new craft or to pass on their own skills.
The classes started with crochet and then
moved on to using sewing machines and
made pin cushions. Next they are going
to make bunting and then try jewellery
making, before learning about business
skills and how they can market what
they make.
Vera and Angela would definitely
recommend others to come along
and have a go - you get to meet your
neighbours from Gerlach House and the
wider community of Bockhanger - plus
it is good fun!
For more information contact Linda
Bishopp at lindab@joininghandskent.
co.uk or on 01233 879877.
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I caught up with Gerlach residents
Vera and Angela.
Vera always made curtains and did dress
making, and also made rugs. Angela
is used to sewing particularly for her
daughter and for her awaited grandchild,
who she is hoping will be a girl! Angela
pointed out that although making your
own clothes may not be cheaper than
buying them, your pieces will always
be original.
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Joining Hands has received funding
from the People’s Health Trust to run
a crafts project on the Bybrook Estate
which aims to teach isolated women
(and one man) craft and business skills.
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Gerlach residents and neighbours
Assertiveness skills
We had fun interacting with
other tenants.
The Kent Housing Engagement Group
has planned a programme of training
sessions, that some of the Ashford
Tenants’ Panel attended along with
other tenants from different areas.
A very nice lunch with a good selection
of rolls, fruit and cakes was supplied,
along with plenty of tea, coffee, and
soft drinks.
The course explained what
assertiveness is and importantly what
it isn’t. We also gained skills in listening
and confidence building.
Congratulations
to Dave Kirby
or email [email protected]
I came away understanding more
about assertiveness and feeling
more confident.
Stella Cowland Ashford Tenants’ Panel
Dave from Appledore came ‘top of the class’ to achieve his CSCS card. This is an
essential health and safety qualification which will help him when working on
building sites.
Housing News Summer / Autumn 2014
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Estate
inspections
Date of inspection
Area manager
Every estate is formerly inspected at least once each year. The
inspections usually start at 10am. Please come along to the next
one in your area – if it is not on the list below contact one of area
managers (see pages 6 and 7) who will be able to tell you when the
next one is happening and confirm exact start times and locations.
Contact details
Area covered
Tuesday 26 August
Ollie Samways
[email protected] 01233 330375
Sevington, Mersham, Smeeth
and Brabourne
Monday 1 September
Kerena Hopkin
[email protected] 01233 330373
Hillbrow and Clockhouse
Monday 8 September
Claire Wood
[email protected] 01233 330379 Bybrook and Bockhanger
Monday 15 September Danny Regan [email protected] 01233 330372
Woodchurch and Bethersden
Monday 22 September Sam Diggins
[email protected] 01233 330374
Woolreeds
Monday 29 September Vikki Perry
[email protected] 01233 330894
Godfrey Walk
Monday 6 October
Jeny Nevard
and Rae Davis
[email protected] [email protected]
01233 330377
01233 330835
Tenterden
Monday 13 October
Flo Lucas
[email protected] 01233 330376
Brookfield A (west)
Monday 20 October
Ollie Samways
[email protected] 01233 330375
Brookfield B (north)
Monday 27 October
Kerena Hopkin
[email protected] 01233 330373
Aldington, Bilsington, Ruckinge
and Hamstreet
Monday 3 November
Claire Wood
[email protected] 01233 330379
Brookfield C (east)
Monday 10 November
Danny Regan [email protected] 01233 330372
Kennington (Rothbrook Drive)
Warehourne, Kenardington
and Appledore
Monday 24 November
Vikki Perry
[email protected] 01233 330894
Newtown Green
Monday 1 December
Jeny Nevard
and Rae Davis
[email protected] [email protected]
01233 330377
01233 330835
Willesborough
Monday 8 December
Flo Lucas
[email protected] 01233 330376
Rolvenden, Newenden and Wittersham
Monday 15 December
Ollie Samways
[email protected] 01233 330375
Repton Manor and Poet’s Corner
Tuesday 22 December
Kerena Hopkin
[email protected] 01233 330373
South Willesborough
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Residents can contact the Stanhope Centre on 01233 647396
or email [email protected] if they wish to attend.
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Stanhope estate inspections
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Monday 17 November Sam Diggins
[email protected] 01233 330374
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Estate inspection dates and roads:
Tracy Batten
Jean Cumbers
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Badlesmere Close and Frittenden Close Tuesdays at 9am
2 September, 7 October, 4 November
and 2 December
Bredgar Close and Leaveland Close Thursdays at 9am
4 September, 9 October, 6 November
and 4 December
Brenchley Close and Kilndown Close Thursdays at 9am
11 September, 16 October, 13 November
and 11 December
Crundale Close, Lynsted Close Wednesdays at 9am
10 September, 15 October, 12 November
and 10 December
Eastry Close and Sheldwich Close Wednesdays at 9am
3 September, 8 October, 5 November
and 3 December
Newenden Close and Otterden Close Tuesdays at 9am
9 September, 14 October, 11 November
and 9 December
Speldhurst Close Fridays at 9am
5 September, 10 October, 7 November
and 5 December
Housing News Summer / Autumn 2014
Contact the Housing Services Team on 01233 330688
Calibre wins new block cleaning contract
Calibre Cleaning Limited, a local
company, is working with Ashford
Borough Council to clean the
communal areas in blocks of flats
and the windows in sheltered
accommodation across the borough.
Calibre Cleaning is based close to The
Orbital Business Park, and has been
established in the Ashford area for
over 15 years. We are pleased that the
existing team has agreed to stay on
with us, so cleaning will continue to be
carried out by familiar friendly faces,
as well as some new ones in their light
green and grey uniforms.
As part of the council’s commitment
to improving the cleaning service,
some blocks will now be cleaned
more frequently. This means that the
scheduled day for your clean may have
changed, and we have two cleaning
teams to make sure that all areas are
Food waste and
recycling in
communal blocks
Ashford Borough Council has now rolled
out its new recycling and refuse service
to most properties with communal
bins stores and collection areas, with
new recycling bins for your bin store.
We have also introduced a weekly food
waste collection to communal blocks.
You should have been supplied with an
indoor grey five-litre food kitchen
caddy along with a complimentary
starter roll of compostable sacks.
There is a separate large food bin in
your communal store for this waste,
which is emptied every week.
Recycling and refuse from your block
will be collected on alternate weeks –
recycling and food one week, refuse
and food the next. Your new collections
started from week commencing
18 August 2014, which was a refuse
and food collection week.
Further information including answers
to frequently asked questions, is also
available on our website
www.ashford.gov.uk/waste
or email [email protected]
covered. Each team will work from
our new fully equipped Berlingo vans,
which includes a state-of-the-art,
water heater, to enable them to clean
communal areas more effectively.
Our regular cleaning service includes
sweeping and mopping stairs and
hallways, polishing glass and lift mirrors,
sanitising bannisters and dusting stair
rails, as well as tidying and cleaning
around each main entrance. We really
hope you will notice the difference
when you step outside your front door!
Our window cleaning teams use
waterfed poles and pure water to clean
external windows to the sheltered
accommodation on a quarterly basis,
and communal windows to blocks of
flats six monthly. This system means that
the windows are left to dry naturally
and the pure water droplets evaporate
without leaving marks on the glass.
Calibre Cleaning focuses on providing
consistent cleaning standards, and
is always happy to receive feedback
from residents to help us improve our
service. If you have any suggestions,
or would like to comment on our
cleaning service, you can call us on
01233 503185.
Karen Thomas, Managing Director
Meet Sir Litternot!
A new anti-littering campaign has
launched in Ashford, with a little help
from the noble Sir Litternot.
You can help the Sir Litternot campaign
in the following ways:
The council is running a special
campaign over the summer to show
people of all ages the benefits of keeping
our borough beautiful, and how to
report littering offences.
The character of Sir Litternot has
been created by the council’s health,
parking and community safety team
to encourage people to use litterbins
and think about what they do with
their waste.
Report litter or flytipping ASAP at www.ashford.gov.uk/litter
Encourage all your friends and family to be litter conscious
Tweet us (@ashfordcouncil) with pictures of you using our
litter bins with the slogan “Use litterbins and everyone wins!”
For full details about Sir Litternot’s work,
visit www.ashford.gov.uk/sir-litternot
Sir Litternot will be visiting schools,
public events, and exhibitions to spread
the word about littering with his slogan:
“Use litterbins and everyone wins!”
The library at Ashford Gateway Plus has
also teamed up with Sir Litternot to run a
fun writing competition for the summer,
where youngsters can devise a new story
for the noble knight and possibly win a
fantastic prize.
How many Sir Litternots can you count in this edition of Housing News?
See page 15 to enter the competition.
Housing News Summer / Autumn 2014
13
NEWS ••• NEWS ••• NEWS ••• NEWS ••• NEWS
•••
Leaseholders
haveNEWS
a new
dedicated officer.
Hazel Tilden has taken on this
role and gave housing news
her first impressions. “There are
a lot of procedures to learn, as
information has to be captured
and imparted in specific ways,
and I need to get my head
round the many legal and
regulatory requirements. This
means attention to detail is
really important.
Financial factoid!
Between April 2013 and the end of March 2014 we spent £1.4million
on general repairs to our 4,729 dwellings and spent another £960,000
on work to 350 vacated properties to make them ready for new tenants.
During the same period, of the 2,194 satisfaction surveys completed by
our tenants, 96% rated our repair service as satisfactory or better.
Ashford Borough Council is looking for
young tenants (under 27) or children of
tenants (over 18) who are passionate
about the area in which you live and
want to make a positive difference to
your community. In return you can
expect to gain valuable training and CV
experience and also the knowledge that
you are making a difference to the area
that you live.
If you are interested and would like any
further details, please contact Florence
Lucas on 01233 330376 or via email on
[email protected].
14
Housing News Summer / Autumn 2014
Readers may like to know that
Sue Major, who has dealt with
leaseholder issues for many
years, is not leaving but will be
concentrating on other duties.
Hazel can be contacted at
[email protected]
or on 01233 330823.
Alternatively you can look at
the leaseholders Facebook
page which is called
Ashford Borough Council
Leaseholder Group.
Le
as
co eho
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er ers
’
Calling young
tenants!
“I am looking forward to
tackling leaseholders concerns
and queries, and recognise
that I will need to be able to
adapt in a constantly changing
environment.”
Contact the Housing Services Team on 01233 330688
NEWS ••• NEWS ••• NEWS ••• NEWS ••• NEWS ••• NEWS
Ashford
Chat to BSW
Promise
Heating contractor
BSW offer all
Ashford Borough
Council tenants the facility to contact
them via their On Line Support Chat.
This can be for anything from changing
appointments to questions about your
boiler, and you can expect a quick
response because their call centre
operatives are logged in to the system
and deal with queries as they come in.
In 2015 we plan to introduce
different service levels for tenants
based on the conduct of their
tenancy. Whilst still fulfilling all
our legal obligations to tenants,
those in full compliance with
their tenancy conditions will be
eligible for certain improvements
when they are due, and possibly
even additional services. Those
with some degree of breach of
their conditions will not get these
additional services.
This service is available between 8am
and 8pm seven days a week, and can be
found at www.BSW-heating.com.
Keep looking out for information
in Housing News as to how you
can help influence what this
Ashford Promise looks like and
what the ‘extras’ could be!
We are currently considering the possibility of supporting a contents
insurance service to tenants. If you would like to receive information
about this service when it is introduced, please contact Philippa Dale
at [email protected] or ring 01233 330365
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Win £20!
Sir Litternot word search:
RUBBISH, LITTER, GARBAGE, REFUSE, RECYCLING,
WASTE, DUSTBIN, WHEELYBIN, DEBRIS, TRASH
Complete the word search and entry form and return in the
prepaid envelope. Then count how many times Sir Litternot
appears in this issue of Housing News Correct puzzles
received by 26 September 2014 will be entered into our prize
draw for £20 in shopping vouchers.
I counted
or email [email protected]
Sir Litternots
Name:
Address:
Terms and conditions: Please complete and return this entry form
along with your completed word search to
Housing News, Ashford Borough Council, Civic Centre,
Tannery Lane, Ashford, Kent TN23 1PL.
The decision of the editor is final and no correspondence will be
entered into. Closing date for entries is 26 September 2014.
Spring word search winner Lisa Matthews
from south Ashford receives £20 of
shopping vouchers from area manager
Sam Diggins.
Phone/email:
Le
as
co eho
rn ld
er ers
’
£
Affordable contents insurance
Housing News Summer / Autumn 2014
15
Dog and chips!
The weather was kind when our
area managers and the dog warden
joined the Dogs Trust for its events
in Rolvenden, Biddenden, south
Ashford and Newtown to offer free dog
microchipping to local residents.
Jade, Ellie and Hamish chipped their way
through over 50 unsuspecting hounds –
most of which were very brave – or didn’t
seem to notice the quick injection.
The microchip is the size of a grain of rice,
and the procedure only takes a couple
of minutes to complete and will last a
lifetime. The pet’s details are stored on a
database, under a unique code. Should
your dog ever get lost, when it is found,
a vet or dog warden can scan the animal
to find the code and access the database
company. You must therefore also keep
your details up to date otherwise we
have no way of contacting you should
your pet be found. If you sell your dog
or give it away, you must inform the
database company and give the details
to the new owner, or you could still be
liable for the dog’s behaviour.
Faye Holiday from Dogs Trust told us:
“The chipping teams will be finishing
at the end of September but we have
extended the campaign into local vets
across the country. This means that
people in your area can still get their dog
chipped for free they will just need to go
to a local participating vet rather than
go to an event as before. People can find
their local participating vet by visiting
our website www.chipmydog.org.uk and
searching the map.”
For more information about
microchipping through Ashford
Borough Council, visit www.ashford.
gov.uk/dog-warden-service
Ellie and Jade from Dogs Trust
2015 calendar competition
Thank you to tenants Georgina and Stella who both
came up with the same idea of a recipe calendar.
So, calling all cooks out there young and old, or even
if you just like eating. Do you have a favourite recipe
you would be willing to share?
We need 12 recipes; they can be sweet or savoury, healthy or
indulgent, cooking on a budget or special treats. It would also
be great to get some which children can have a crack at (or even
invented!).
All you have to do is to tell us your contact details and the
name of your recipe by 1 September 2014. We then contact
you and arrange to get the recipe, try it out (either you can do
this or if you prefer we can do it for you) and photograph the
resulting dish for the calendar.
Name:
Address:
Phone/email:
Recipe name:
Any queries please contact Philippa Dale
at [email protected] or 01233 330365.
16
Housing News Summer / Autumn 2014
Contact the Housing Services Team on 01233 330688