@WeAreTrivallis #TrivallisIsOne www.trivallis.co.uk Our Review of the Year.

APPRENTICEAPPRENTICE uring 2016 RCT Homes became Reflecting on Trivallis, seeing Our 1st Year. APPRENTICEAPPRENTICE five companies Pages 4&5 Dbeing brought together Your Quality APPRENTICEAPPRENTICE to officially become one Organisation. organisation. Pages 6&7

Your Quality APPRENTICEAPPRENTICE Although we’re the same Landlord. people we created a new Pages 8–11 message; proud to be here for our customers, their homes, Your Quality neighbourhood, family, career Developer. Pages 12&13 and trade. Your Quality We created a new vision and Employer. set of values with the aim Pages 14&15 to be an open and inspiring Your Quality organisation that changes Partner. people’s lives and communities Pages 16&17 for the better. Celebrating the We listen, engage, respect and Trivallis Chair. Pages 18&19 progress in everything we do and place our tenants right at Recognising the heart of our organisation. Quality. better manage Pages 20&21 Significant things have The Year Ahead. happened over the last 12 Pages 22&23 months for Trivallis; this report will celebrate all that we’ve

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£ £ What's in a Name? Trivallis is derived from Latin for ‘three valleys’, which represents the areas we work in; Valley, Taff Ely and the Cynon Valley.

2 Annual Review 2016/17 #TrivallisIsOne 3 Reflecting on Our 1st Year. Affordable Strengthen Passion Employer Communities Services Partner QualityProgress Proud Investing Developer Adrian Barber ClaireCLAIRE Jones JONES ADRIAN BARBER Chair of the Board Landlord Interim Chief Executive at Trivallis Organisation Improvement Officer at Trivallis

his has been an to say there has been lots of always been enjoyable. must agree with Claire two new members of our Executive and Board Chair exciting first year improvement however, we want that this has been Executive Management team which will be important in for Trivallis. Our to do better; we want to ensure Trivallis has gone from strength a highly productive in 2016; this helped us identify helping us continue to make new name has truly we are giving our customers to strength, fulfilling the first year and one our where we could strengthen progress. As an organisation Thelped to raise our profile what they need and expect promises made to tenants Iteams can be proud of. We our services, and in particular, from customers to staff, and spread the message from us. on transfer, meeting Welsh set out to focus more on our repairs and financial partners to volunteers we have that we are proud to be Housing Quality Standards and core services and it’s clear performance. worked hard to develop a set of here and proud to be your Being a quality local employer making a huge difference to we’ve made lots of progress visions and values for Trivallis landlord. is really important to us people’s lives by being more towards achieving our In the next 12 months we will that we can be proud of. We which is why we’ve invested than a landlord. With this in aspiration of being a quality look to progress further by recognise the need for stability Trivallis operates in the heart in our teams; offering them mind, we know there is still landlord, organisation, investing in and maintaining not just at senior level but of Rhondda Cynon Taff and opportunities to develop and work to be done. employer, developer and existing properties, focusing across the whole organisation. I am proud that the Board, progress within their roles. partner. on continuing to improve our staff and tenants share the As I step-down from the Board, neighbourhoods and repairs Over the next year we will same ambition. We all aspire This year I am due to retire I do so with confidence that Investing in our people services, and on providing focus on finding the right to achieve the best; changing from Trivallis Board after Trivallis has the right people, and the quality of core more high quality affordable people to support us on our people’s lives and communities serving 10 years as a Board vision and passion to achieve services has ensured we’ve homes so that our tenants can journey and embody these for the better. Member and several years its ambitions for its tenants and remained focused on making feel safe, happy and proud of values as well as our Trivallis as Chair. It’s been an honour communities. improvements and delivering a where they live. passion, to ensure that we Over the last year we have to sit on the Board and work service our customers can rely continue moving forward focused on our performance alongside a great team I’m proud to say I’ve been on and be proud of. Exciting times are ahead and continue making a real and quality in order to be a of people. Despite being involved and wish Trivallis for Trivallis, not least the difference to our customers better landlord. I am pleased challenging at times; it’s every success going forward. We were delighted to welcome recruitment of a new Chief and communities.

4 Annual Review 2016/17 #TrivallisIsOne 5 Your Quality Organisation.

e are committed well as helping to work out our DEREK PARSONS, from , volunteers to improving our long term business objectives with the Step Up Forum, one of our voluntary groups: finances so we and approving and monitoring can achieve our our financial business plans, I enjoy getting together with other Wgoal of providing the best budgets and performance. volunteers to help others who have service to our customers. This year we have reviewed nothing. Since receiving the help, my Our finances are vital to our organisational membership wife Susan and I have secured everything we do at Trivallis; to make it more meaningful. they are at the centre of We involved our tenants in full time jobs. The event has our decision making and we this process because we are been a great view into what are committed to spending 98.7% this year for our income committed to collecting their wisely. With strong financial collection rates. feedback on services that will Involving tenants more heavily the other volunteers groups management and effective risk benefit them. to improve our services has do. I’ve met some really nice management we are proud to At Trivallis we have a strong helped us to build trust and be in good health. For example, Board who offer the diverse We have a number of mutual respect with our people and feel inspired. year-upon-year we have been range of relevant skills needed volunteering opportunities tenants. In the last year our I’m glad Trivallis really one of ’ top performing to run the organisation. Our that allow our tenants to get volunteers have given over social landlords with our Board are responsible for more involved with us as an 910 hours of their time to help values its volunteers. income management and we making sure the views of organisation by providing us us improve our services; with continue to score highly with tenants, neighbourhoods and with valuable feedback on our involvement in reviewing our our rent collection, achieving stakeholders are heard, as services. allocation and lettings process, In a number of Compensation policy and Right our communities to Repair policy to name just a we have few. established Tenant and

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£ and help us shape our services (TRA) dedicated £ around tenant need. to representing the voice of the Over the last 12 months tenants and residents nearly 200 people have living within an area. We have to make changes to their given their time to support 12 TRAs in total running in funding. Feedback showed us us. To celebrate and thank areas like; Trebanog, , that our process needed to be our volunteers for their , and easier; as a result we are now commitment, we organised a . responsible for managing their well-attended special event for utility bills, allowing them time them in April 2017 at Rhondda This year we have worked to concentrate on community Heritage Park. closely with the TRA volunteers engagement.

6 Annual Review 2016/17 #TrivallisIsOne 7 Your Quality Landlord.

e are committed to delivering an experience our customers can Wtrust and recommend.

As a landlord we provide a range of different services for our customers so they can contact us with their queries, compliments or complaints; whether it’s face-to-face or over the phone.

We have a number of neighbourhood services in place which help our customers to feel happier and were dealt with quickly and safer in their communities. efficiently for our customer. We’re continuously looking at what’s on offer to ensure it We’re dedicated to supporting meets our customers’ needs. our more vulnerable tenants We realised that there could be to ensure they receive sound a better way of organising our advice and information. teams to work across such a large area. We engage with a number of groups helping them with As a result we set-up new a variety of different things teams across our three including; how to save money regions; Rhondda, Cynon on their household bills, and Taff and then divided basis and getting to include; improved learning how to budget, and these into six different sub- know these communities, communication, quality the benefits of having a healthy regions. Each sub-region has their people and their needs of service and relationships as diet and lifestyle, as well as tips a dedicated team offering a better than they could before. well as reduced travel time and we can’t get things right all of parliament and assembly on sustaining their tenancy. range of services from advice cost. the time which is why this members helped us to shape In the last 12 months our with tenancy sustainability to Feedback sessions with year we’ve also reviewed our these updated policies and engagement programmes and fixing repairs around the home. frontline staff showed It’s important to us that compensation and complaints we’ve had great results, services have worked with over Our mobile teams are out and the improvements these customers feel happy and policy. The feedback we with 97.48% of complaints 4450 people and our Money about working in the heart of changes have made to our proud of the service they collected from our customers, being responded to without Advice team has been able to our communities on a daily customers. Some examples receive from Trivallis, we know elected members, members escalation; which means things save our tenants £829,000.

8 Annual Review 2016/17 #TrivallisIsOne 9 Your Quality Landlord.

We have also ensured and consistent and we’re also CERI JACKSON Director of RNIB: that our sheltered reducing the number of empty schemes (housing homes we have. Creating an accessible environment is for over 60s) are incredibly important particularly more accessible for Our customers’ safety is our tenants with extremely important to us at as some people are not sight-loss issues. We Trivallis which is why we have aware of their sight loss. carried out extensive a team designed to manage improvements to all of the most serious cases of anti- Excellent practice has our schemes and 10 social behaviour and crime. been demonstrated in of our developments Working closely with South have achieved Wales Police, Local Authority, Maerdy Court that should RNIB Visibly Better Victim Support and other be replicated not only in standards. Our partners we’re able to ensure sheltered schemes but support services better manage we have the appropriate and sheltered measures for prevention, hospitals too. accommodation services intervention and enforcement have been assessed as in place. 3 star by the Centre In addition to this, we’ve repair. Our teams work quickly for Housing and Support Last year we introduced a carried out a number of heating and efficiently to ensure this is Service Excellence services that help people with noise recording app making it installations where systems done within five days after the Standards. sight loss and for refurbishing a lot easier for our customers or boilers have been beyond initial breakdown to minimise the inside and outside of the to report any noise nuisance. the disruption to the tenant. In February 2017, our building. To date, 655 recordings have sheltered scheme in been logged on the Noise App To ensure our homes don’t stay Maerdy achieved RNIB We’re working towards designed for mobile devices. empty for too long, we have Visibly Better Platinum achieving a ‘right first time’ a team dedicated to ensuring award for providing repairs service that is reliable they meet the Welsh Housing Quality Standard before they are let again.

This approach has been really successful because we’ve been able to reduce the amount we spend repairing our empty properties as well as the 3.86% 2.96% number of customers who have 2015/16 2016/17 left us this year. As a result our loss figures have been decreased by £400,000.

10 Annual Review 2016/17 #TrivallisIsOne 11 Your Quality Developer.

BRIAN DAVIES and his daughter were one of the first families to move into their new home in Springfield Court, in : It’s fantastic, everything we could need and possibly want. Everything has just fitted into place, I’m very very happy with how it’s all turned out – I’m over the moon. Whoever designed these homes is fantastic. It’s really clever and you can see that they’ve thought about everything; including the future.

e are driven build adapted property. This improvements to our to make sure project received a bronze kitchens, bathrooms our homes and award at the Considerate or security works. Not communities are Constructors Scheme National only does this help us Wplaces our customers are Site Awards in recognition to ensure everything is proud of. This is why we for the extensive community up to date but it also are committed to building benefits delivered through the keeps our tenants sustainable affordable construction period and has feeling safe and warm housing as well as updating also been highly commended and reduces their and replenishing our at the Royal Institution of overall running costs. existing stock. Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Wales Awards. A recent example This year we’ve completed and is the installation handed over the keys to 60 Every year we carry out of a new door new homes across RCT. For a planned maintenance entry system example, in September our programme on our existing into 240 of our first development, funded by properties to ensure they meet communal blocks the Social Housing grant, was the Welsh Housing Quality which has helped completed in Church Village. Standards. In this financial us to achieve It comprises of a mixture of year we have invested £10 an accredited flats, houses and one bespoke million in our homes through standard.

12 Annual Review 2016/17 #TrivallisIsOne 13 Your Quality Employer.

e are invested Employee satisfaction and With a large mobile workforce in making sure happiness is really important it’s important our equipment our current to us, we want to encourage and mobile devices enable our and future staff to progress and develop teams to complete their daily Wemployees are happy and within their roles which is why duties easily and efficiently. proud to work with us. we have a number of dedicated programmes to grow the skills We have carried out a number APPRENTICEAPPRENTICE of our employees. of internal system upgrades to ensure our software is up to In addition, we’ve expanded date. Some examples include; our apprenticeship scheme upgrading our printers, housing APPRENTICEAPPRENTICE giving individuals from within programme, door access the communities we serve, the system and our database opportunity to learn as they management system. JASON JOHNSON, from , is a earn in roles such as plumbing, Chargehand at Trivallis: electrical, neighbourhoods and This year a new project plastering. launched which has helped New terms and conditions mean we have APPRENTICE APPRENTICE us to ensure that all of our become one Trivallis, one family that We understand we must invest programmes communicate cares and wants to make a difference to in and improve our internal more effectively with one systems and mobile technology another; helping us to save our estates and communities. to enable our workforce to time and resources when It means job security, health APPRENTICEAPPRENTICE complete their tasks and jobs. planning and scheduling our repairs. benefits and a better standard of living, which came at just We have reviewed and made changes to our organisational the right time. I'm passionate structure and governance about my job, and take every IEUAN MATTHEWS, from Trebanog, is an apprentice with our arrangements. homes and maintenance team: opportunity to make a This is my second apprenticeship with Trivallis and We used to be a group of five difference to the people I different companies, but in work alongside each and I’m really enjoying it. At the moment, I’m working September 2016 we collapsed the group structure and every day. in void properties on the kitchens and doors became one organisation. and I’m learning new skills every day. It’s We then worked with all of great to work in the community I live in our 500 staff to harmonise that are fair, engaging and we aim to have happy staff their terms and conditions and affordable. We also agreed to who are proud of the great and feel like I’m making a difference. create one Trivallis contract pay the Voluntary Living Wage. work that they do in our of employment with terms By being a good employer, communities.

14 Annual Review 2016/17 #TrivallisIsOne 15 Your Quality Partner.

e work closely with a number What is social value? HELEN BOLDERO, Secretary and Trustee for & of organisations Tynant Community Library: to deliver Social value refers to financial Wprojects that benefit our and non-financial impact The Trivallis grant kick neighbourhoods, customers of our work. At Trivallis we started what we’re having and local residents. deliver more than just landlord done; it’s helped to pay services and look too at the We are committed to build change we’ve made to people for a new heating system strong relationships with who regularly engage with and a project management partner organisations working us through our support and in this sector to benefit our in one day across Rhondda We have awarded over £63,000 volunteering programmes. role to support the tenants and their communities. Cynon Taff. In total there worth of grant funding to a completion of the For instance, we have taken were; 120 Trivallis volunteers, number of different community We measure this using part in Business in the 36 volunteers from partner groups operating in RCT. For an approach called HACT improvements. Community’s Give and Gain organisations and over £60,000 example, we heard about the (Wellbeing Valuation Approach Day for several years. worth of materials and time work Beddau Library Support of Housing Associations were donated, to help complete group were doing to keep their Charitable Trust), which has In 2016, we tried projects in Trebanog, local library open. In October been developed specifically for something new Maerdy, Church 2016 we awarded them nearly housing organisations to record and completed Village and £10,000 to support with the the value of the support we eight projects . building works that were being offer to both quality of completed to make the centre life and wellbeing. more accessible and useable for the whole community as it In the last 12 months is a thriving local facility. our calculations show we’ve generated over £2.9million worth of social value across RCT. This value has come from our volunteering programme, driving school, learning and development team and volunteer groups as well as tenancy support services like; health and wellbeing, care and support, money advice and tenancy sustainability.

16 Annual Review 2016/17 #TrivallisIsOne 17 Celebrating the Trivallis Chair.

he key to achieving SOME OF CLAIRE’S MANY ACHIEVEMENTS INCLUDE: our priorities and objectives is to have a determined and Tdedicated Board Chair; our existing Chair, Claire Jones has been with us since we • Securing Investors in started operating in 2007. People Gold award Sadly, her 10 year term is due to end this September. • Building our very first • Winning Business in the homes in 2012 Community’s Responsible With over 20 years’ experience Business of the Year two working in the Welsh Housing years running Sector, Claire has made • Designing and building our invaluable contributions based first play park in on her own knowledge and • Rebranding and supporting experience. the collapse of the group structure Welcoming new tenants to our freshly She has been an effective leader • Establishing a grant who has supported our decision programme designed to built properties in making and has helped us to support our communities work towards achieving our aspiration of being a quality organisation that our customers • Helping to set up new are proud of. • Supporting our teams and supporting our regeneration projects that • Recruiting our existing innovative ideas to make As Chair of our Board, she help to give something Executive Management our services even better for has helped to ensure we act back to our customers team our customers responsibly and within the law, she’s helped to set out our strategic direction and policies, CLAIRE JONES, Chair of the Board at Trivallis: and has overlooked how we’ve run the organisation. The new chair will be coming into an organisation

Throughout her time with us that is really going places. Trivallis has set itself a at Trivallis, Claire has always target to be more than just a social landlord and I put in an enormous effort and have seen first-hand that both the passion and vision Receiving the Investors in has successfully run a Board People Gold Award that has been faced with many is there to achieve that. challenges.

18 Annual Review 2016/17 #TrivallisIsOne 19 Recognising Quality.

ver the last 12 • 3 star accreditation with • Annual Institute of Directors months we have the Centre for Housing Wales - HR Director of the been recognised and Support Year Award and awarded for a Onumber of our services as • Volunteer and Scrutiny • Highly Commended at well as projects we’ve been Panel member, Mark RISC Wales Awards for SARAH KIRTON, Trivallis' Development Officer forSpringfield Court: involved in and delivered. Gillette, was nominated for Community Benefits Here is a list of our 2016-17 ‘Inspirational Tenant of the We are delighted that all the hard work the external achievements: Year 2017’ at the Housing • Received Valuing Volunteers Development Team, the wider business and Heroes Awards accreditation • Community housing Cymru our contractor partner Jehu have put into PR award for best use of • Trivallis support staff • Considerate constructors making this project the success it is has internal comms have been trained and Scheme National site award recognised as Dementia been recognised. We always aim to ensure • RCTCBC building control Friends Champions • Trivallis Surveyors have our construction projects deliver much and LABC Cymru ‘Building passed their Chartered Excellence’ award • Shortlisted for Business Institute of Building exams more than housing and have a positive in the Community Wales impact on the wider community. • Platinum RNIB Visibly responsible Business of Better accreditation the Year

20 Annual Review 2016/17 #TrivallisIsOne 21 The Year Ahead. YourYour QualityQuality Landlord.Landlord.

By the end of this financial year we would have achieved the following things… • Reviewed our repairs service to improve our customers’ experience YourYour QualityQuality Developer.Developer. • Reviewed our contractors and supply chain to improve performance, effectiveness and value for money • Created a strong 30 year investment plan for our properties • Developed an approach to our procurement process that supports efficiency savings

• Secured planning permission for four new development projects

YourYour QualityQuality Partner.Partner.

• Completed 12 volunteering and regeneration projects across Rhondda Cynon Taff • Raising £3000 for our charity partner, Tenovus Cancer Care

YourYour QualityQuality Organisation.Organisation. YourYour QualityQuality Employer.Employer. • Our finances will be up to date and fit for purpose • Trained all staff to understand our new way • We will have a Board succession plan in of working place to make sure we’re recruiting the • Embedded effective risk management across right people with the right skills the business to help achieve our objectives • Recruiting and training high quality people

22 Annual Review 2016/17 #TrivallisIsOne 23 PROUD TO BE HERE.

Tŷ Pennant, Mill Street, Pontypridd, CF37 2SW 03000 030 888

@WeAreTrivallis #TrivallisIsOne www.trivallis.co.uk