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Issue 53 n Summer 2017 Easterhouse Housing and Regeneration Housing Alliance (EHRA) hosts General Election 2017 Hustings EHRA, which Provanhall Housing Association is a member of, welcomed residents from across Greater Easterhouse to listen to candidates from the political parties standing in Glasgow East at the General Election 2017. The event held at Blairtummock Hall in Easterhouse was an opportunity to ask questions to SNP, Labour, Conservative and Independent candidates. Rod Hunter, Chair, introduced candidates to the busy event and in the opening remarks, Thomas Kerr, Conservative who has recently been elected as a Conservative Councillor for Shettleston, would campaign for more jobs, campaign against the proposed closure of job centres and would oppose a second referendum. David Linden, SNP would, if elected, be a strong voice for Scotland in Westminster. Kate Watson, Labour, would work to pay people more through an increased minimum wage and reform the welfare benefits system. Karin Finegan, Independent candidate would provide an alternative to the current political party system that was not delivering fairness for local people. (continued on page 2) Office Closures Translation services available. Please ask at reception. Please note that the office will be closed on Friday 14th and Monday 17th July 2017 for the Glasgow Fair holiday. Services de traduction disponibles. The office will also be closed on Friday 11th August 2017 for S'il vous plaît demandez à la réception. a Staff and Management Committee training day. Dostępne usługi tłumaczeniowe. If you have an emergency repair during this time, please call 0141 771 4941. Proszę pytać w recepcji. Provanhall Housing Association Limited 34 Conisborough Road n Glasgow G34 9QG n telephone 0141 771 4941 fax 0141 771 5959 n email [email protected] n text 07860 035 864 www.scottishhousingconnections/provanhall n Registered Scottish Charity Number SC037762 General Election 2017 Hustings (continued) The first question from the floor was from Colin Cameron, Chair of EHRA, who asked what the candidates would do to tackle the problems caused by universal credit. The Conservative candidate supported universal credit but accepted that there were flaws. The SNP candidate advised that SNP would suspend the current welfare changes, abandon universal credit and abolish the changes to working tax credits. Karin Finegan, Independent would oppose the implementation of Universal Credit and the cuts to welfare benefits. Karin Finegan, David Linden, Kate Watson and Thomas Kerr Further questions were asked on sanctions, low pay and benefits with support for families affected by universal credit and maintain a the Conservative candidate stating autism, globalisation, immigration, minimum wage of £10/hour. David that the solution is for employers to Brexit, and education. Candidates Linden, SNP would reform the pay more, amend tax credits and were quizzed on how they would welfare reform change and reverse encourage people to work for longer. communicate with constituents and the cuts. Thomas Kerr, Conservative Labour would increase tax for the whether they would represent the would encourage employers to pay wealthier and remove the 1% salary people or the party. adequate wages. cap for the public sector. The The final question asked each Rod Hunter, Chair, thanked everyone Independent candidate would work to candidate for their views on for attending and encouraged represent the local people and foodbanks and when they would end. everyone to vote on 8 June 2017. oppose cuts to benefits and poor Karin Finegan, Independent, referred Congratulations have since been wages. SNP would encourage all to a recent UNICEF report that sent to David Linden, SNP, on his employers to pay the living wage. suggested increased incomes for successful election to MP for Questions were also asked on a families. Kate Watson, Labour would Glasgow East. We look forward to variety of issues including cuts to end zero hour contracts, reform working with David. You have been able to fill out a claim for housing Staff Change Online benefit online for some time. The good news is The Association welcomed Housing you can now also report any changes in your Ashleigh Cooper to the post of circumstances online – so no need to phone or Receptionist in May. Ashleigh took Benefit visit the council office. To use this service you need over from Niki Watson who left for to register at www.glasgow.gov.uk. It is important a promoted post elsewhere. Changes you tell the council about any changes to your circumstances that may affect your Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction. This will help you avoid having to repay any overpaid amounts. If you need any help with this, please contact the office. Bulk Uplift Tenements: weekly bulk uplift service every Tuesday. Some people continue to cause a real nuisance and eyesore by putting out bulk on the pavement. Please never put your bulk out on the pavement. Instead just put your bulk items in/near the bin store in the backcourt. Main Doors: Phone the Council on 0141 287 9700 to arrange uplift of your bulk items. You can also report them through ‘MyGlasgow’ app. Please keep the bulk item/s in your house or garden until the day they are being removed. 2 Anti-Poverty Charter A Charter to The Association, in partnership with the other Challenge Poverty Housing Associations in the area, has launched For our tenants, we will: an anti-poverty charter. • Support welfare beneﬁts and • Provide opportunities for More information on work we will be doing money advice services in our volunteering across a around this will be sent out to you. areas. wide range of projects. If there are any services that we do not currently • Support Jobs Clubs and • Support projects in our provide that you would like to see in the area, employability programs in area aimed at reducing or you would like any more information on this our areas, to help people into tenants’ energy costs. charter, please get in touch and let us know. work and to avoid sanctions. • Keep rents affordable. • Improve access to the internet to help tenants • Meet required energy access beneﬁts and job efficiency standards in opportunities. the housing we provide. • Work on our own, and • Participate in relevant with partners, to reduce child campaigns aimed at poverty in our communities. challenging poverty. You can follow our work on Twitter @EHRA001 Information can also be found at: www.scottishhousingconnections/Gardeen Tenant Open Come along to our Open Day Day to find out more about how the Association works, to question Senior Staff on any issue and to ask us any questions. This is your opportunity to scrutinise us. There will be a whole range of stalls and information sessions on the day. Full details will be issued nearer the time. There will be a prize draw with a cash prize for the winner. The event will be held on 16th August 2017, 2pm – 6pm. Children welcome and transport can be provided. 3 Easterhouse Tenant Conference and Local Election Hustings EHRA, the umbrella group of the eight community controlled Housing Associations in Easterhouse, welcomed tenants from across Greater Easterhouse to find out about the services that operate in the Greater Easterhouse area and also to attend a local election Hustings. The conference was a great success with speakers from Thriving Survivors, McMillan Cancer Care, Thriving Places, Epic360 and Energy Advice Scotland. The conference was informed about plans for more partnership working between all of the groups in Easterhouse, to benefit the local community in terms of employment and volunteering opportunities, and to get more value for money for tenants. EHRA also launched a poverty charter at the conference. The conference held at Fare in Easterhouse, was followed by an election hustings for the Local Council election. At this event, Tenants were given an opportunity to ask questions on local services to SNP, Labour, Conservative, Independent and Trade Union and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) candidates. Following the election, the Local Councillors for this area are: Maureen Burke, Labour, Ruairi Kelly and Mandy Morgan, SNP. Grass & Complaints Hedge Cutting Between 1st of April 2016 and 31st Complaints received March 2017, the Association received April 16 – March 17 Our contractor will cut your grass and 43 formal complaints. Total received 43 strim the edges every 2 weeks between The Association welcomes complaints as April and September. This means you it lets us make sure you receive the Stage 1 will get a minimum of 13 cuts during service that you are paying for, and it complaints 34 received the growing season. Grass areas include helps us when we are reviewing policies common areas, front & back gardens in and procedures that will affect these Stage 2 complaints 9 main door properties and front gardens services. received & backcourts in closes. If you have a If you are unhappy about anything the hedge this will be cut a minimum of 3 Association does, please let us know. If we don’t know, we can’t fix it. times during the growing season. Complaints – Subject Complaints – Outcome Our staff continue to monitor both the number of these cuts and the quality of the work. Repairs Not Upheld 20 25 Staff Partially Upheld 6 Contractor Upheld 7 3 14 10 1 Rechargeable Repairs On-going 4 Thoughts on the Shandwick Centre? Thriving Places Easterhouse has recently been delivering a programme of activity in the old Savers Unit at the Shandwick Centre. Over a period of 6 weeks, we’ve been asking local people who use the Shandwick Centre how they’d like to see it improved. The biggest issue by far came out as the lack of public toilets, closely followed by lack of disability access to the top level of the Centre.

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