Wishaw & District Housing Association ISSUE NO. 9 SILVER JUBILEE YEAR JANUARY In this Silver Jubilee Issue Civic Reception Dinner Dance at the Concert Hall Housing Benefit News Development News Your Chance to Have Your Say About our Service to You What Sharing Owners Think Silver Jubilee Open Day Your Housing Officer What a Load of Old Rubbish! Knock Knock – No- one there… Lost Keys If You Lose Your Allpay Swipe Card Basic Facts on the Housing Association Water, Water Everywhere Finance Officer Retires The organisation has come a long way Housing Association, a voluntary group Attention All Harthill since those fledgling days in 1978 when set up to support the work of the Tenants! we took our first steps into the housing Association, arranged for presentations of Useful Telephone world so the board wished to say a big certificates of merit to people who had Numbers thank you to all those without whose help given the Association faithful and loyal Holiday Office we could not have come so far. service and those who had made a real Closures 2004 All the Association’s partners were contribution to the community the invited to a dinner dance held in Association serves. Motherwell Concert Hall on Friday 19th Pictured receiving their awards from September with guests including our the Association’s Chairperson Edward longest serving tenants, staff and board Mullen and Director Anne Cooper, are members, service providers and funders, Dominic Dale, Joe Mitchell and Jim affiliated organisations, colleague Housing Johnston, all members of our board of Associations and representatives from the management, Agnes Irvine, Finance Local Authority including Depute Provost Officer, and Helen Russell, former Member Tom Curley. Services Officer at Motherwell District The Friends of Wishaw and District Council and reporter at the Wishaw Press. JANUARY ‘04 WISHAW & DISTRICT HOUSING ASSOCIATION PAGE 2 Jubilee Civic Reception To celebrate our Silver Jubilee we were invited to a Civic Reception held in our honour in the Civic Centre, Motherwell where we were presented with a glass plaque recording the history of the partnership between our two organisations. The reception was hosted by the Depute Provost Tom Curley and the Convenor of the Housing Committee, Councillor Gerard McLaughlin, and was attended by our Chairman, Edward Mullen, our Vice Chairman, Joe Mitchell, our Secretary, Jim Johnston, our Honorary President, Dominic Dale, and staff members, Anne Cooper and Lynn Semple. How can I be in Arrears – I’m on Housing Benefit? Many people could not keep the We will try and help claimants as ensure you contact them roof over their heads if it were not much as we can but at the end of immediately to arrange another for housing benefit to help pay the the day it is your responsibility to visit or your housing benefit claim rent. But it seems to us that lots of pay your rent, your responsibility will be cancelled. It is your people are taking housing benefit to claim your housing benefit. responsibility to do this – not ours. and the goodwill of the We do try to help in every way The Housing Benefits Office Association for granted and think we can and so we have an must be informed of any change in that arrears can’t happen or do not arrangement with North your circumstances whether you matter if benefit is “due”. Lanarkshire Council that you can These arrears do happen and obtain a housing benefit think this change is relevant or they do matter and we will application form direct from our not. If you have rent arrears then pursue them. office. The form and all relevant please discuss any changes with Even if benefit is “due”, if it has information can also be submitted your Housing Officer first. Again not been properly applied for or to the Association once you have this is your responsibility – not ours. people have failed to respond to a completed it. We will verify it and HOUSING BENEFIT REVIEW request for information they may pass it onto North Lanarkshire FORMS must also be completed not receive the benefit they should Council on your behalf. and returned on time. If they are have got. Sometimes this lost BUT PLEASE REMEMBER! all not then your claim will be benefit can never be recouped and requested information must be cancelled and you may never the sums involved must be found submitted before your housing receive the lost benefit. by the tenant themselves. benefit claim can be assessed and We must and will take these it is your responsibility to submit For any queries regarding housing arrears seriously because we must this - not ours. benefit then please do not hesitate safeguard the income that allows Every claimant will be visited by to contact North Lanarkshire Council us to continue to manage and a Verification Officer. If you are not on 01236 758040 or your Housing maintain the properties we own. at home when they visit please Officer here at the Association. JANUARY ‘04 WISHAW & DISTRICT HOUSING ASSOCIATION PAGE 3 News from the Development Team... Development Update For a variety of reasons 2003 has been a very lean year for our development programme. But although we have not completed any new houses since January we have been working extremely hard behind the scenes to get several new projects off the ground. New housing in Crindledyke Despite our best efforts to start our new-build project at Crindledyke, Newmains in the summer of 2003 negotiations with the proposed developer were unsuccessful and the contract was put on hold for a number of months. We are delighted to say that we are now in a position to progress this project and are discussing necessary amendments to roads and planning with the relevant contribution to the regeneration Funding permitting we hope to be authorities. We intend to put this of this part of Coltness. in a position to start phase 1 of project out to tender at the this project in the summer of New housing in Craigneuk beginning of 2004 with a view to 2004. Phase 1 comprises the At Craigneuk Street, Craigneuk commencing the first phase of 36 refurbishment and improvement we are working with local new-build houses in early summer of 5 four apartment maisonettes developer Modern Housing on a 2004 – funding permitting. on Main Street. It is hoped that project to construct 25 new-build phase two –the conversion and New regeneration in flats and houses. This contract was refurbishment of existing Coltness due to start on site in November properties on Belhaven Terrace - Our new-build project at 2003 but has been deferred while will be extended to include the Innerleithen Drive/Walkerburn a legal matter is resolved renovation of an existing building Drive, Coltness has also regarding the boundary and some new-build units at experienced some delay, mainly treatment. We hope to have this Caledonian Road. This will give a due to the length of time taken to issue settled by the beginning of total of 12 new and refurbished secure a Roads Consent and to tie 2004 to allow a site start in units in phase two. up proposals and costs for the January. The development of 22 public utilities works (gas, water three apartment flats and 3 four Future plans... and electricity). We have apartment houses should, if this In addition to the above we are submitted our funding application happens, be completed by spring also in negotiations with various to Communities Scotland and, 2005. parties in connection with future funding permitting, we aim to Refurbishment in Wishaw developments in the Wishaw and start work on site in January 2004. Shotts areas. We hope, finally, to In central Wishaw we are working The Association, design team and progress our development at with a contractor to draw up contractor have been working in Easter Road in Shotts in 2004. proposals for the comprehensive partnership on this 51 unit new- Readers of this newsletter will refurbishment of existing build project which should be know that our Easter Road project tenemental properties on Main completed by spring 2005 and has been a long time in the Street and Belhaven Terrace. which will make a significant making! JANUARY ‘04 WISHAW & DISTRICT HOUSING ASSOCIATION PAGE 4 Your Chance to Have Your Say About our Service to You... Over the past two years the List of Policies Housing Association has been looking at the services we provide Available directly to our tenants, sharing owners, owner occupiers and Allocations people who apply to us for Used to ensure that available housing. As part of that we have property is let in a manner which reviewed a large number of the complies with good practice and policies that outline how we to those deemed to be in most actually provide these services housing need. with the result that a number of our policies have been re-written Internal Transfers and some new policies have been Enables the Association to meet developed. the changing housing needs of These policies are all “interim existing tenants and lets tenants policies” because under the know how they can go about Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 the getting a change of house. Association is obliged to consult with all our tenants before these Mutual Exchanges policies are fully implemented. to the tenancy after the death of a Provides guidance on how mutual tenant, and who may succeed. You are invited to read these exchanges work and the policies and to comment on them. mechanism for gaining our Rent Arrears Your comments or suggestions will approval. be treated in the strictest Explains how we assist tenants and confidence, will be considered by End of Tenancy sharing owners to manage and the Board of Management and, control their rent accounts and Clarifies the procedures that prevent arrears, and defines what where appropriate, will be should be adhered to in order to incorporated into the policies we do if tenants/sharing owners terminate a tenancy in the correct do get into arrears.