Wythenshawe Winter 2013 Lifewww.wchg.org.uk Customer Page Service 2 Excellence Opening NEW Page 3 Foxfield Tenant Page Feedback Leaflet 10 Conference INSIDE! Christmas Page opening If you or anyone you know 20 hours would like this publication IN LARGE TYPE or audio format please contact us on 0800 633 5500 Tenant Approved page 2 Our News www.wchg.org.uk Our News page 3 Combating fraud Glittering Opening the door to New Foxfield The Government has introduced new powers and penalties Our first residents are delighted with their new to combat tenancy fraud. performance! homes at New Foxfield in Newall Green. As a result, social housing tenants sub-letting their We have been awarded the prestigious Customer Service Excellence Accreditation after putting homes could face up to two years in prison and a fine. One tenant, Mrs Eden, said: “We lived in our four-bed house in As landlords, we will have the ability to recover profits tenants at the heart of everything we do. Three of our services were awarded distinctions: Baguley for nearly 30 years but since moving there has been no that are made. looking back. The community spirit here is great. We have made Tenancy cheats who rent out their home and live elsewhere • WCHG Wardens First Responder service for great friends, and we all look out for each other. It’s brilliant.” cost the taxpayer up to £1.8 billion a year. It is estimated providing a fast response to tenants. Staff have been trained to use defibrillators. We were one This development of 68 affordable homes was officially opened by that around 100,000 social homes in England are unlawfully Chair of the PGHT Board, Cllr Paul Andrews, WCHG Group Chief occupied. It also deprives homes to people in real need. of the first housing associations to adopt this service. Executive, Nigel Wilson, and MP for Wythenshawe and Sale East, Sub–letting is a serious breach of your tenancy terms. Paul Goggins. • Real Food – find out more on page 6. If caught, you could lose your home, your Assured Tenancy At the opening, Cllr Paul Andrews said: “Making sure there is status and receive a fine and custodial sentence. • Employment Initiatives - read the latest enough good quality, affordable housing available for the people of If you are aware of anyone sub–letting their home, on pages 14 -15. Wythenshawe is a real challenge and one that we will continue to please contact us on 0800 633 5500 (Willow Park) or address as we go forward at WCHG.” 0300 111 000 (Parkway Green) and we will investigate. The developers were Lovell whose Regional Director Nigel Yates The Homes & Communities says: “As a Manchester-based company, we feel a particular Agency (HCA) invested £1.7m in pride in having helped deliver this significant and much-needed the development as part of its Taking a bow development.” Affordable Homes Programme. Congratulations to Rana Holland and Victoria McDowell for being short-listed in the inaugural Women in Housing Awards, and to Victoria for winning the Young Achiever category! The awards recognise the achievements of women working in the Housing sector. Rana, our Communications Manager, was shortlisted for the Best Marketer/ Stop press Communications category (sponsored by Inside Housing). The Darke family, nominated by our Real Food Victoria, our Employment and Skills Development Team, won the top prize in the Green Futures Manager, won the Young Achiever Housing and category of this year’s Manchester Be Proud Community Development category (sponsored by Aster) Awards. The Real Food Team was shortlisted for for those under 30 who “demonstrate understanding of the award too! the wider needs of the community”. There was strong Growing tribute to Tony competition with entries from all over the country! Part of the development has been named after Councillor Tony The awards were hosted by Commonwealth Gold Listening to you Burns, former Chair of the Parkway Green Board and Lord Your feedback, good or bad, helps us develop Medalist Diane Modahl and presented by the “First Mayor of Manchester who sadly passed away in April 2012. Woman of Football” Karren Brady, who both inspired our services. the whole audience. Together with our Tenants Complaint Panel, His wife, Sheila Burns, was guest of honour at the official opening of the Tony Burns Garden and unveiled a commemorative stone in Victoria and Rana Tenants Committee and staff, and with advice our Women in Housing Awards stars from the Housing Ombudsman, we have reviewed memory of her husband. our policies and procedures Chief Executive Nigel Wilson described the development as: and developed a new “A fitting tribute to Tony who played such an important part in the policy, Your Feedback. local community over the years and was instrumental in the setting The policy leaflet is up and running of Parkway Green and helping us start the work on enclosed, and is available our new Group Structure. from our customer “These new homes will leave a lasting legacy in Wythenshawe for the feedback team, our local community who were always close to Tony’s heart.” website and from any of our receptions. Customer Feedback I thought that the Wardens were brilliant, and I think it’s the kind of service we have needed in our area page 4 Money Matters! www.wchg.org.uk Welfare Reform page 5 Make sure you get the balance right! Helping you meet the ‘bedroom Don’t risk losing your home... tax’ challenge... If you are struggling to pay your rent and bills please contact us The bedroom tax continues to provide challenges to our for advice on: tenants. WE are helping tenants who want to downsize by supporting them through the rehousing process. There is also help available through the Discretionary Housing Willow Park Payments (DHP) scheme which has relaxed its criteria so that T: 0800 633 5500 It’s about getting more people can apply including: • those who are looking to move but are finding it is taking time Parkway Green the Christmas/rent balance right! to find a smaller property T: 0300 111 0000 • if you are a care giver or receive care from a network of people that means you cannot move (you don’t need to be claiming Carer’s Allowance) • you are looking for employment £aving tips • you have children that need a room, but don’t live with you full time. We can help you apply for DHP. If you have previously been refused we can For more help to reduce gas and electricity bills, Say NO to Payday ask for your case to be looked at again using the new criteria. speak to our Big Energy champion Rob Brereton and his community energy champions. They are part of a Qualifying age creeps higher Department of Energy and Climate Change Project Loans The bedroom tax applies to people whilst they are of working age. Contact Us Now... which runs until the end of March 2014. Rob can be Nearly half of payday loan users have contacted on 0161 946 7516. taken out credit they couldn’t repay This means you have to pay the bedroom tax until you reach pension We are here to help credit age. This was 61 years old, but the Government is increasing the Willow Park Tenants: Heating qualifying age for pension credit to 66 years old by 2020. Turn your thermostat down by one If you are approaching pension age you can check the date you will E: [email protected]: 0800 633 55 00 degree - save £10% reach pension credit age and no longer have to pay the bedroom tax at: www.gov.uk/calculate-state-pension, or, if you don’t use the Eliminate draughts with curtains and Parkway Green Tenants: internet, by contacting your Rents Officer. draught excluders E: [email protected]: 0300 111 0000 Washing Wait until you have a full load Use an economy or low temperature wash Benefit Cap - helping families adjust Lights and plugs We have 31 families who have been subject to the £500 per week Benefit Cap since Energy saving bulbs are now available 30 September 2013. We are working with these families through Real Opportunities to from many poundstores support them into employment and to manage their household budget. Turn phone chargers off when not in use All have five or more children and our Real Food team is showing them how to reduce their food bills through healthy eating to help them afford to pay any rent shortfalls. Cooking A covered pan cooks more quickly and Universal Credit uses less energy • Loan sharks are illegal money lenders The rollout of Universal Credit has been slowed down to allow Only boil enough water for what you need • One in three people who take out a payday loan more testing of processes and the support that will be needed. get into more money trouble The Government aims to have everyone transferred onto Universal Shopping around Credit by 2017, and we will continue to keep you updated. For gas and electricity use the Parkway • Interest rates in the thousands of percent Green Energy or Willow Park Energy • Tempting ‘rollovers’ get you to borrow more websites or telephone comparison services. • Once you start, it’s hard to stop Customer Feedback We were told that our repair operatives did ‘excellent work’; everything was left “very clean and tidy” page 6 Our News www.wchg.org.uk Our News page 7 Celebrations Ready to save lives Dave steps up! Nine of our young people from Benchill for Sherryl! Youth HUB took part in a “Stick it” First Dave Chorlton has been elected Chair of the Willow Aid training course, learning skills that Park Board, taking over from Dennis Finnegan whose ‘Bubbly’ Sherryl Dyson - a Volunteer Peer Mentor at Benchill Youth can be the difference between a life lost and term of office had come to an end.