May 2008

homingrepairs & maintenance special

www.-.gov.uk/councilhousing Repairs & maintenance special

The future of repairs Resident Participation and improvements Resident involvement is a vital part of this new way of working and we will be looking Now the council is retaining its housing, to consult residents on: we need to change the way we manage • agreeing the product designs, such as the and spend money on repairs and type of kitchen unit to be used improvements. One of the ways we can • prioritising how works will be done reduce costs and achieve high standards is • shaping the repairs and improvement to have longer term contracts to deliver day programme to day repairs and work programmes, such Through a new participation structure, as window, door and kitchen replacements. the council would like to see tenants and We have developed a new ‘Procurement leaseholders involved at three different Strategy’ to help achieve this. This sets out our stages of the process: aim to have longer term arrangements with • at a strategic level by agreeing standards partners, which means that we will be able to and design plan the programme of work with contractors • at contract performance level by managing and bulk buy products such as kitchens, the contracts windows, etc, over a longer period. • at a local level by overseeing specific This will allow us to get more repairs and projects improvements done for the money available. You may remember receiving a letter inviting Working with the same contractor will help you to join the tenant and leaseholder Asset build up the experience required to carry out Management Panel, which is the first step in the work efficiently. These changes have now involving tenants in the new consultation been agreed by councillors. structure. In September 2006, when we were looking The panel will help improve the way we at the best ways to reach the Decent Homes work. Panel members will work with officers Standard by 2010, it was agreed that we would to ensure we meet tenants’ priorities and look to use a number of different contractors, make sure the repairs and improvement as no one contractor would have had the work best meets our obligations as a resources to do all the work required. landlord and brings homes up to a decent Following the vote against stock transfer, our standard. The group will also take part in objectives have changed. We now need to find recruiting new contractors, setting the ways of working to make the most of our standards we expect from them and available money and close the gap on the monitoring their performance. investment required to carry out the repairs and We hope to involve a total of 12 tenants improvements needed to achieve residents’ and leaseholders from across the city to bring aspirations and the Decent Homes Standard. a broad range of skills and experiences to the As the current gas installation and panel. We are particularly interested in maintenance contracts are performing well, hearing from residents who have not been they will not be included in our new partnership involved before. agreements until after the current contracts We will be giving training on all the areas have expired in 2010. The service contracts for involved, so you’ll need no prior knowledge, lifts, water tanks and pumps, fire safety just your time and energy. equipment, ventilation fans, lightning If you did not respond to the letter, but conductors, door entry systems and CCTV need would like to be considered as a member of looking at now, so these will also be tendered the panel it’s not too late. Telephone us on separately for the time being. 01273 293312 for further details. 2 homingin Repairs & maintenance special

The future look of your kitchen and bathrooms Kitchen and bathroom options display - 16 to 19 June, Portslade Town Hall We need your help to decide on the design of A display of our kitchen and bathroom the kitchens and bathrooms that will be fitted options is being set up in Portslade Town Hall into your homes in the future. between Monday 16 and Thursday 19 June. In consultation with you, we are setting up Drop in on those days between 10am and 12 longer term contracts to deal with the repairs noon or 1pm and 3pm. There is also a later and maintenance of your homes to ensure session on Thursday between 5 and 7pm. that we can deliver the best possible price and Please come along to have a look and tell us quality. These decisions will form part of the which design you prefer. We will also be ‘Brighton & Hove Standard’, as agreed at the showing a sample of the proposed new front tenants’ conference. security doors. Fancy becoming a Resident Inspector? The tenants’ conference launched another new control staff from the council and the way for Brighton & Hove residents to have contractors. Along with comprehensive training, more say in delivering our repairs and we will provide standard monitoring stationery improvement service. and will monitor the results of the inspections as Resident Inspectors are being brought in to a formal measure of a contract’s success. During enable residents to become more involved in inspections, we would like Resident Inspectors to delivering and monitoring the repairs service - talk to tenants to make sure that the customer which will help ensure the quality of work meets service aspects of the repair have been a success. your aspirations. The scheme should also help We are also looking to train some residents to bring about a better working relationship carry out regular inspections of the ways repairs between tenants, the council, and the council’s can be reported. Again the findings will be used contractors, as problems and solutions can to improve the service and help us make sure be shared. that we consistently give high standards of To help launch the scheme, we invited a customer service. number of existing Resident Inspectors from Finally, we want to train some residents to the South Housing Association to make mystery calls to our repairs helpdesk, again come along to the tenants’ conference and share to ensure that we are reaching the highest level their experiences. of customer service standards. There are three main features to the scheme. If you are interested in becoming a Resident One will involve training and supporting residents Inspector, please contact Michelle Johnson on to carry out joint inspections alongside quality 293374 before Friday 30 May 2008. homingin 3 Repairs & maintenance special

Do... Gas kills • Allow access for your annual gas service. Thank you to all those residents who have • Report gas leaks - if you smell gas contact arranged an appointment - over 99% of our Transco immediately on 0800 111 999. homes now have an up to date safety certificate • Have any gas appliances fitted by a CORGI and this gives us all peace of mind. registered fitter. Connection of gas appliances Gas is a killer – if you have not had a gas is your responsibility and the fitter should be check in the last year, you need to contact us suitably qualified. Improperly fitted appliances urgently. If you have any questions about your can be dangerous. gas safety check or would like to make an • Check you are in credit if you have a gas appointment, please contact the Gas Hotline on meter before reporting loss of service. 01273 293315. • Check that thermostats and controls and the As your landlord, we are obliged by health pilot light (if you have an individual heating and safety laws to service your heating annually. system) are on before reporting loss of service. You will receive a letter from the council’s • Report leaking radiators immediately. contractors, Mears or P H Jones, telling you Don’t... when they will come to carry out a service. If • Try to bleed or release trapped air from your you are not able to keep this appointment, you radiators, you may lose pressure in your boiler need to contact them immediately to agree a which may cause it to shut down leaving you different time. with no heating or hot water. It is important for the safety of you, your • Attempt to repair or tamper with any gas family and any visitors to your home that these connections or meters as this is dangerous. checks are carried out. Make an appointment as Gas meters are the property of the supplier soon as possible so that the necessary checks and you can be prosecuted. can be completed. • Attempt to carry out repairs to your heating The safety of you and your family is the system. Report all faults to the Gas Helpline priority. Please remember the following advice: 01273 293315.

Empty property turnaround times

We have been working hard with our Both Mears and Kier now have their contractors to reduce the amount of time turnaround time on empty properties down to properties remain empty after tenancies have under 10 working days, which allows these ended. Over a year, we have around 800 properties to be re-let quicker, which is great properties that become empty and need for new prospective tenants! working on before the next tenant moves in. We have introduced a number of initiatives Useful repairs contact numbers: to speed up this process, including allowing contractors to inspect the properties to look at Repairs Helpdesk 0800 052 6140 what repairs are needed, backing these quotes Kier 01273 609812 up with photographic evidence. This has freed Mears 01273 669300 up our empty property surveyors to concentrate Mears (Gas) 0800 169 4410 on inspecting work done to make sure the PH Jones 0800 072 5234 properties are ready for new tenants to move in.

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New initiatives on Texting repairs the gas contract Our gas contractors have been busy this year - installing nearly £2.5 million worth of new boilers and gas central heating systems. To help us gain entry to properties to carry out the yearly service to boilers, we are looking at the possibility of fitting controllers to boiler systems. The idea is Did you know that you can now report that the controller will trigger a cut to your non-urgent repairs to the Repairs the boiler’s gas supply for a short time Helpdesk by texting? every hour a year after the service has All you need to do is text your request to been carried out. This should help ensure 07786 204352, making sure each message tenants contact us to get the boiler begins ‘Repairs:’ We will text you back to serviced regularly. acknowledge your request and ring you While this might sound like a harsh the next working day (between 8.30am measure, we do have a serious duty to and 5pm, Monday to Friday) to arrange ensure that all our boilers and gas central an appointment. heating systems are serviced annually. It’s Please note that all emergency repairs still vital that we are able to maintain these need to be reported on the usual freephone systems to ensure your safety. number 0800 052 6140.

Setting the performance In February, a meeting was held with councillors 8. Urgent repairs completed in time and tenant representatives to agree this year’s 9. Time taken to complete non urgent repairs main performance targets for the repairs contract. These are known as ‘Key Performance Repairs Charter Indicators’ and will measure how well the The council is also working with tenants to service is being delivered as the contract runs. review our ‘Repairs Charter’ – the agreement The indicators will be used to keep a check on setting out the service standards that all tenants the performance of our repairs service. can expect to receive and the council and The ‘Key Performance Indicators’ we have for contractors can work to. We are working with the repairs’ service are: tenants on the standards to make sure the 1. Resident satisfaction with the service issues that are important to them are included 2. Orders completed on target within the charter. We’ll be holding a number 3. Effectiveness of appointments of meetings over the next few months to 4. Recalls to a repair get the views of tenants representing all the 5. Repaired in the first visit (or first time) city’s residents. 6. Post inspection – checking quality of We will report further on performance issues the repair in future editions of Homing In. 7. Health and safety homingin 5 Repairs & maintenance special

Council tenants set up city-wide assembly and call for government investment in homes

At the Annual enthusiasm on show at the conference. She Brighton & Hove said: "This is a great opportunity for us to get Tenants’ Conference residents further involved in the long-term on Monday 7 April, planning for council homes in Brighton & Hove. the city’s council The conference allowed people from across the tenants looked city to meet and talk about how we can forward to a more develop housing in the future. We got through powerful and united a lot of really good work and it was good to tenants’ movement see everyone who came along making such and supported the positive contributions. I’d like to thank the council’s fight to get Tenant Compact Monitoring Group for the resources to improve their homes. organising the conference, and Chris Kift and The meeting was opened by council Chief Linda Shaw for chairing the event.” Executive Alan McCarthy and Councillor Mary In the first session, the conference agreed to Mears, Leader Elect and Chairman of Housing set up a city-wide tenants’ assembly to meet a at the time of the conference. In a lively day of number of times a year to make sure that the debate and discussion, two important motions views of all tenants’ and residents’ associations were passed unanimously. The first will create a can be brought together. Area meetings with 'City Assembly' of tenant representatives, which will be able to take a broad view of developments across Brighton & Hove. The second called on the Government Office of the South East to work with the council to "...realise the ambitions of the Brighton & Hove tenants and sheltered housing tenants to achieve the Brighton & Hove Standard." This standard is the tenants' answer to last years' ‘no to transfer’ vote. It will involve tenants working with councillors and officers in the long term planning work that is now underway. Councillor Mary Mears was delighted by the

6 homingin Repairs & maintenance special local staff and tenants will then concentrate on issues that can be resolved at the local level and much better reporting back to other tenants Wishing Pam Montgomery was pledged. a happy retirement Keynote speaker in the first discussion, Stewart Gover, looked forward to tenants and Many tenants will know leaseholders coming together as one assembly Pam Montgomery, to participate in running council housing in the Assistant Director of city. In a hard hitting but good humoured Housing Management. debate, tenants expressed the view that the She has been involved new challenges they faced after the ballot vote with tenant issues since on transfer could be overcome. her appointment as the This theme was taken up in the afternoon in first Tenant Liaison the debate looking at how to meet tenants’ Officer in 1985. priorities for improving homes and how to fund Pam retired at the end the necessary work. The council was asked to of March and wished to take these priorities to the government to get record her thanks to all those she has their agreement to the plan. Woodingdean worked with over the years. We all wish Pam Association representative Patrick Elliott had a long and happy retirement. already criticised the government office for not taking up an invitation to attend the conference and delegates were unanimous in support of the decision. Joined on the platform by new Director of Adult Social Care & Housing, Joy Hollister, Councillor Mary Mears thanked participants for their commitment and hard work in meetings and review groups and promised that tenants would continue to be at the heart of running housing in the future. Breakout groups then examined a range of issues for the coming year, setting priorities for the city-wide assembly and looking at the challenges and priorities how tenant management ideas might be for sheltered housing. introduced in the city, and how groups can get One group looked at funding and support to run their activities. how participation can All in all, the conference was a very positive be made more and valuable event. Chris Kift, Chair of the accessible to more morning session of the conference and St people, another at James’s House resident, said: "How nice it was to see so many people united in moving tenant involvement further by creating a city-wide assembly. This will ensure that tenants and leaseholders voices are heard across the city, which is what the tenant movement has been missing. It really is an exciting development!"

homingin 7 Useful contacts New Director of Adult Social Care & Housing Housing Offices Central (Lavender Street) 293260 Joy Hollister began work Community Participation Officer as the Director of Adult Currently being appointed 293265 Social Care & Housing for Brighton & Hove City Brighton East Council on 3 March. Whitehawk Joy joins Brighton & Hove (Manor Place Office) 293200 from Moulsecoomb and said that she’s enjoying (Selsfield Drive) 293171 working closely with Community Participation Officer, customers. “I am dedicated to making sure we put Peter Mustow 296639 customers at the heart of all we do and that tenants continue to have a real voice. I am also committed to West moving forward with the challenges facing council (Victoria Road) 293377 housing in the city.” Community Participation Officer Michelle Johnson 293374 Contacting Citizen Advice... For any tenants wishing to contact the Citizen North & East Advice Bureau, please note that the number to call ( Street) 293230 them on is now 0845 120 3719. Community Participation Officer, John Bain 292365 Translations Repairs Hotline 0800 052 6140 There is a voicemail option for tenants calling out of hours

Carelink 673105 Housing Benefit 292000 Debt Recovery Team 293224 Noise Patrol 293541 (operates weekends Fri/Sat and Sat/Sun between 10pm and 3am) Noise Nuisance 292929 (or out of office emergency 292229) Police 0845 6070999 Community Safety Team 291099 Women’s Refuge 622822 Victim Support 234009 homingin is produced by Brighton & Hove City Community Resource Centre 606160 Council’s Communications Team. Community Grants 296746 If you have a story or an item to include in the next Estates service 293170 issue, e-mail [email protected], ring Abandoned vehicles 292929 291043 or write to Homing In, Communications Team, G11, King’s House, Grand Avenue, Hove, BN3 2LS.

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