Tenants Talkback - Dec 2007 This is the December 2007 issue of Tenants Talkback, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing's newsletter for Rochdale Council tenants. Article 1 - Season Of Change Article 2 - Seasonal Office Closing Times Article 3 - Widening Participation at the Tenants' Conference Article 4 - You'd Be Crackers Not To Pay Your Rent This Christmas Article 5 - Don't Save On Safety Article 6 - Tune In ...Switch On Article 7 - Keeping Estates Spotless Article 8 - Switch To Swap Article 9 - A Choice Alternative Article 10 - Monitored Alarms Article 11 - Making Healthy Choices Article 12 - Customer Care Kits Article 13 -- Let Us Know What You think Article 14 - Useful Telephone Numbers Article 1: Season Of Change A change is as good as a rest is how the popular saying goes and now that the corporate identity for RBH has been modernised it is time for Tenants Talkback to follow suit. The new RBH logo has been designed to maintain the corporate image but with a more updated look and an appealing and eye-catching design. It will also complement the branding for Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council when featured alongside it. The full repertoire of marketing literature from information leaflets to the website will be redesigned to keep the same look and feel and maintain consistency. So, in March when the new issue of Tenants Talkback is issued it will display the new designs and logos............. making a refreshing change Article 2: Seasonal Office Closing Times Kirkholt Customer Services Centre will be closed on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. However, the following Customer Service Centres will remain open on both days until 3pm: Floor 2 Municipal Offices, Heywood, Middleton, Littleborough and Milnrow. Tenants wishing to report emergency repairs over the Christmas holidays should contact the Repairs Call Centre on 0845 076 3636. Normal office opening hours will apply on Thursday 27th and Friday 28th December and from Wednesday 2nd January onwards. Article 3: Widening Participation at the Tenants' Conference Over 100 tenants attended the Town Hall on 13th October to take part in the Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) Annual Conference and Fun Day. The new style event was much less formal than previous years with the focus being on participation and enjoyment for everyone. RBH consider this year's conference a real success as both young and old turned up to receive awards, take part in the numerous activities and workshops and to make their voices heard. RBH Acting Managing Director, Gareth Swarbrick, said: "The day went really well. Everyone worked extremely hard to ensure that this year's event encouraged different sectors of the borough's community to take part. Their hard work certainly paid off and it was encouraging to see such a diverse group of people contributing and having fun. In addition, they were able to benefit from having a number of service providers on hand to offer advice." The day also offered a wide range of activities from making hanging baskets to mixing CDs. There was even a lively and glamorous Bollywood dance class, which taught participants the steps and moves to emulate their Bollywood heroes and heroines. Dave Hoyle from the Back Door Music Project coordinated the CD mixing workshop and was impressed by the enthusiasm of tenants: "It's been a really good day," he said. "We have had a big mix of ages, from 4 to 64, wanting to take part, which is really unusual but very positive." During another workshop children and adults alike put their artistic talents to paper - painting watercolours of the beautiful Rochdale townscape and crafting unique gift cards. The children also enjoyed becoming their fantasy characters with some creative designs painted on their faces. And singing and dancing sensations Middleton Popstars were an instant hit with the crowd. RBH Chair, Gill Walch, said: "It was great to see so many new faces and such a good mix of the young and not-so-young. I am really grateful for all the hard work put in by the volunteers and staff who organised the day and would like to say a huge thank you to the borough's three MPs for supporting the event and for taking the time to attend." But the highlight of the day was the award ceremony, which was held for the first time this year as part of RBHs Communities First Scheme. The scheme aims to recognise and promote good behaviour as well as the contributions made by individuals and groups to improve community spirit. Prizes were given to six outstanding volunteers, groups who brought different sections of the community together, those who stood up to anti-social behaviour or improved their environment and twelve budding amateur photographers who won a page in the 2008 Tenant's Calendar. Article 4: You'd Be Crackers Not To Pay Your Rent This Christmas Last year we evicted 94 tenants for non-payment of rent. Don't be one of them! Christmas is an expensive time of year. Along with the gifts, the food and the free flowing wine there is one extra expense that you don't want to incur...RENT ARREARS We're here to help so if you are having difficulties paying your rent contact your Housing Officer and we'll provide you with the assistance you need. If you are in rent arrears then it's important to continue making payments during the two non rent weeks over Christmas and New Year to reduce your debt. Contact our Benefits and Debt Adviser, Shaziea Akhtar on 01706 273 964 if you have multiple debts or require advice on welfare benefits because ignoring the problem won't make it go away. So...remember to pay your rent first - you'd be crackers not to! There will be a Christmas Bumper Prize Draw Tenants with an up-to-date rent account at the end of December and/or paying by direct debit will automatically be entered into our Christmas Prize Draw Boost your Christmas stockings this year with one of the following prizes: £1,000 - 2 winners £500 - 2 winners £250 - 2 winners £100 - 5 winners It pays to pay your rent. So, come on! Get your account up-to-date and one of these cash prizes could be yours! Article 5: Don't Save On Safety As a tenant of Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) you have the right to make arrangements for the installation of your own gas-heating appliance provided you obtain written permission from RBH before you start the work. The work must be carried out by a competent and CORGI registered person, and must comply with current Gas (Installation and Use) Regulations. You will be required to provide all the relevant installation documentation within three weeks of completion of the work. The documents that will need to be produced in evidence of the above are the CP12 certificate, or similar, fully completed by the Corgi Installer and a copy of the notification form issued by the CORGI installer. Following this, a visit will be arranged to inspect the appliance by one of the RBH Technical Officers. Do not save on safety. Never be tempted to DIY with gas! Article 6: Tune In ......Switch On As reported in the last issue of Tenants Talkback RBH is preparing your properties for the big Digital TV switchover because at the end of 2009 all TV in the Granada region of the UK will go digital. In addition to many more channels and extra services the switchover will also improve picture quality. Switching off of the analogue signal will enable the digital signal to be boosted to ensure coverage right across the country. We know that some people sharing aerials are currently experiencing reception problems and RBH are trying to provide assistance where existing reception equipment will. However, some homes with poor TV reception may not improve until the switchover. Starting with sheltered housing flats in 2008 we will be upgrading the existing communal reception before moving on to maisonettes and flats over two storeys high and with communal equipment. If your home is included in the upgrade works then we will have carried out consultation with you by letter and given you the opportunity to attend a local surgery to ask questions on the options available. We will also be consulting with owner-occupiers that share aerial facilities with our tenants. Those of you that are not going to be upgraded by RBH will need to check that your existing aerial is capable of receiving digital signals. You can do this by contacting Digital UK who will be able inform you of Registered Digital Aerial Installers (RDI's) who can test your aerial and give you advice. You may also need to buy a new aerial before the switchover date - be wary of any installers calling at your door advising that a new aerial is needed as you should only approach RDI's. In the near future we aim to offer information to tenants about local RDI's. Some of our properties were fitted with new reception equipment in the late 1990's, for example College Bank flats, and because these homes can receive digital signals they will not require an upgrade and only slight alterations will need to be carried out before the switchover. RBH will be writing to inform those tenants and residents. We are currently working with Digital UK to produce a leaflet that will be circulated to all tenants advising them of the switchover process. Help and support will also be available for tenants over the age of 75, registered blind or partially sighted or receiving Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance or an equivalent. If you want to watch television after the switchover you will need to be connected to a digital box, such as Freeview which is available for sale at most high street electrical stores with prices starting at £16. Alternatively, you can buy a new television with an inbuilt digital box and prices for these sets start at £99. However, where RBH is not upgrading properties we will provide information well in advance of the digital switchover to enable tenants and residents to make other choices. Digital UK, represent the broadcasting industry and consumers, and can provide help and support up to and beyond the switchover period, whether you are part of the upgrade or not. You can contact their call centre on 0845 6 50 50 50 or visit their website at www.digitaluk.co.uk Our frontline staff will soon be armed with all the information they need to help with your general concerns and enquiries. Further updates will also be included in future editions of Tenants Talkback Article 7: Keeping Estates Spotless It's a wet and breezy 7.30am when Tim Nugent strolls into the Kirkholt Area Office with a sprint in his step and a keenness to start work. "I love the job," he says - showing an enthusiasm that would be hard to match this early in the day. His job as such is to keep the estates clean and tidy - clearing pathways, alleyways and grassy areas to prevent rubbish piling up and becoming an eyesore. In reality however, his job is worth so much more than it appears on paper. After all, who would enjoy living on an estate that's piled high with junk and looks appalling? What Tim and his four co-workers do is make our estates pleasant and attractive places to live in. In effect, they help to keep instilled the pride residents have in their homes. Tim is in fact half an hour early for work, as he is every day, "I try to beat the rush hour traffic and the kids on their way to school," he explains. There is always plenty to get started with at this time of the morning as fly tippers have usually been busy throughout the night. This morning is like ungainly in Kirkholt. "I like to get things moved quickly," says Tim. "When people see rubbish dumped in an area it tends to attract more fly tippers." He spends the day spot checking areas renowned for tipping and it's not long before he spots another old mattress and a sofa. "One day I found a couch, a chair and a bed blocking the alleyway", he recalls as he makes his way to the refuse tip.any other as he collects a used mattress and the remnants of someone's laminate flooring that has been dumped It strikes me that Tim's refreshing and merry approach to his work is infectious as he laughs and jokes with the attendant at the site. It's apparent that he takes pleasure in his work and welcomes every new challenge. "There is a lot of variety in this job and that's what I enjoy", he explains. "Every day is different." Tim works around Castleton, Meadway, Brimrod and Longhill and his list of jobs for the week can sometimes appear endless. Job tickets are given to him from his manager and at other times Housing Officers. In addition, some of his work is generated by reports from tenants. It can vary from litter picking to 'vacuuming' water from flooded carpets. He is responsible for the upkeep of empty properties and could even be called upon to rip up carpets when tenants have vacated a property. But he gets through it all with his ever cheerful and positive demeanour. He puts his job satisfaction down to the camaraderie he shares with his colleagues. "I haven't met a nicer bunch of people," he claims with sincerity. "From the lads that I work with to the management. They are absolutely magic." But secretly, I think Tim enjoys the satisfaction of making Rochdale a safer and cleaner place to live. "It's the best job I've ever had," he says smiling. Tim Nugent works as an Estate Caretaker in the Rochdale South and Pennine Area.Rochdale Boroughwide Housing have a full caretaking team who are responsible for helping to keep our estates and communal areas clean and tidy. You will see our caretakers out and about collecting rubbish, litter picking, unblocking communal bin shutes, tackling graffiti and keeping communal areas clean and tidy. If you need to speak to us regarding a caretaking issue please contact: Rochdale South and Pennines Dena Coleman (01706) 354222 Rochdale North Old Post Office (0161) 273742 Smallbridge (01706) 712 885 Bellshill (01706) 867092 Freehold (01706) 864063 Lower Falinge (01706) 642220 Heywood and Middleton Dave Allen 07976059458 (Heywood) Gary Williams 07976038177 (Middleton) Or speak to one of the team at your Housing Office. You can help us to keep our estates clean and tidy by: • Ensuring you dispose of rubbish and refuse in your bins • Not littering in communal areas or around the estate • Arrange for the disposal of bulky items by ringing the RMBC Environmental Management Team on 0845 226 1800 • Letting the local housing office know if you suspect people are fly tipping. Article 8: Switch To Swap RBH has now switched to a new service that has the UK's largest database of people looking to swap homes. The Homeswapper service allows RBH tenants to swap homes with tenants living anywhere else in the country. Once registered, the scheme will search to find you suitable 'matches' in your chosen area. And as well as being notified of possible matches by email and text your details will appear on nationwide swap lists. The service replaces the old HOMES/MoveUK schemes closed down by the Government in January and although not all social landlords are involved the number is steadily growing. In fact, the service boasts that two out of three people get a match within twenty four hours of joining. If you would like to switch to swap log onto the Homeswapper website at www.Homeswapper.co.uk and start planning your future move today. Article 9: A Choice Alternative Rochdale Boroughwide Housing is soon to become part of a new Greater Manchester-wide scheme that aims to make it easier for people and families in housing need to access properties. The Council and RBH are working with Salford, Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside and Trafford local authorities and a number of housing associations in the Greater Manchester area to establish a regional choice-based lettings service. This pioneering service has been granted £1.6 million of Government money and will enable people to move about within the Greater Manchester area more easily than at present. Partnership working between all the local authorities will result in a small number of empty properties across Greater Manchester being available to all eligible and registered applicants across the region. Regional letting will offer the same choice based opportunities that applicants currently have - if there is a property you are interested in you simply place a bid for it and may get an offer. The service is intended to be launched early next summer, so please look out for further details nearer the time. Article 10: Monitored Alarms In July 2007 we wrote to our tenants and asked for comments on the proposal to install monitored burglar alarms with 24-hour response in all Council properties. There was an excellent response - one of the best we have had and you gave the proposal a big 'Thumbs-up'. The overwhelming majority (99%) of the 2,070 that responded think that monitored alarms are an exceptionally good idea. Your comments ranged from "Best idea RBH has ever had", "should have been done five or six years ago", "sooner the better", "thank you RBH", to "provide peace of mind". We read all your responses and would like to answer the following questions that you asked. The Installation Programme The scheme is a very large one as we are alarming all of our council houses. Therefore the length of time it will take to install in every property is likely to be about five to six years. We will begin the project by converting the existing alarm systems to monitored systems and then move on to the properties without alarms. This will be after approximately two years. We will update tenants on our progress regularly. Our trained engineers will take extra care not to damage your decorations. They will explain how the system works and leave simple user guides. These instructions will be available in various languages in line with RBH policy. Tenants with specific needs will be assessed individually when it is their turn to have the system installed. Tenants who keep pets should bring it to the attention of the installation engineers who will do their best to take this into consideration. The Service being provided will be as follows: If an alarm goes off the monitoring station will contact the response team and ring you and your key holders. The response team will view the exterior of your property for signs of a break-in and contact the police if appropriate. The response team will be visible on estates and provide low-level intervention, e.g. they may ask a gang of youths to move on. We aim to develop this service during 2008-09. In the unlikely event that the system develops a fault you will only ring the same telephone number that you use to report all other faults. You will need to set your system as normal before you go on holiday or are away for any length of time. If there is an incident the monitoring station will contact your key holders as well as the response team. Audio support, if needed, will be provided with or without a panic button as appropriate. Like the response team we aim to develop the audio support service during 2008-09. Thank you for taking part in the consultation process. Subject to final council approval we are aiming to get this service off the ground in early 2008//9. Article 11: Making Healthy Choices The government has stepped up its efforts to promote a healthy lifestyle after a recent report revealed that Rochdale has one of the lowest life expectancy rates in the country. As a result, 11 Health Trainers have been recruited by Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Primary Care Trust (PCT) and will shortly be working across the borough with the aim of helping you to make healthier lifestyle choices. Gillian Murphy and Michelle Carroll are just two of the Health Trainers employed to get Rochdale residents feeling fit and healthy and will be based at the RoFTRA offices in the centre of Rochdale. "Nationally, Rochdale has one of the highest rates of the four main risk factors to good health, which are heart disease, obesity, strokes and smoking. We want to combat that by going into communities and offering people advice at our clinics," said Michelle. Based at six different locations across the borough, the Health Trainers are hoping to deliver their services in community based settings. "One of the services on offer will be smoking cessation clinics," said Gillian. "This is especially relevant at the start of the new year when many people will make the decision to give up the habit" In addition, the trainers will be able to take your blood pressure and measure your Body Mass Index (BMI), making referrals to GPs where necessary. "We can also offer nutritional advice if people want to lose weight or are concerned about their diet and want to make healthier eating choices", added Michelle. Working with anyone over the age of 16 the Health Trainers see their role as being 'a walking directory of every health service in the area' and will signpost people to suitable services such as leisure centres, healthy walking activities and fitness groups. Details about the clinics will be available at community centres, from your local tenants and residents associations and you can also be referred by your GP. If you would like a Health Trainer to contact you or you would like to receive more information about the service, call them on 0161 655 1739. On the 2nd and 3rd January the Health Trainers will be promoting their services in Rochdale town centre outside WHSmith Article 12: Customer Care Kits We want to make sure that all our customers have the help they need when we're asking them to fill in forms and read information. One of the steps we've taken is to ensure that customer care kits containing magnifying strips, pens with grips and other small aids are now located in a housing office near you! We know that sometimes the text is small and it can be difficult to read so we have plenty of magnifiers available. And remember, if you ever need any help with reading, filling in forms, accessing our offices or any other housing- related help, just have a word with any member of staff at your local housing office and they will be more than happy to assist you. Our priority is to ensure that we're offering a service to meets your individual needs. Article 13: Let Us Know What You Think Your views and comments are important to us. If you have any questions or comments about this newsletter or anything in it please contact Communication Managers Abigail Reid or Jane Howard by: Post: Policy and Performance Team, PO Box 69, Old Post Office, The Esplanade, Rochdale, OL16 1AE Telephone: (01706) 27 3831/ 3835 or Email: abigail.reid@rbhousing.org.uk or jane.howard@rbhousing.org.uk Tenants Talkback is produced with the help of a Tenants' Editorial Panel. If you would like to join this panel please contact us using the above details. We would be happy to welcome you whatever your age, background or ability. Article 14: Useful Telephone Numbers Rochdale Boroughwide Housing .............................0845 070 5170 24hr Repairs Call Centre .................................0845 076 3636 Planned Maintenance Department ...........................0845 123 5627 Telephone Rent Payments .........................................926180 HomeChoice freephone .....................................0800 091 2248 RBH Legal Team (ASBOs, nuisance) ............................... 273972 RBH Formal Complaints ....................................0845 123 5628 HOUSING OFFICES Cedar Avenue (Heywood) ......................................... 364124 Bellshill ...................................................... 927092 Freehold ....................................................... 924063 Hollin ...................................................0161 655 3922 Kirkholt ....................................................... 354222 Littleborough .................................................. 378221 Lower Falinge .................................................. 642220 Middleton ...................................................... 927120 Milnrow ........................................................ 342559 Newbold ........................................................ 714460 Smallbridge .................................................... 924068 For opening times please ring the office or check our website http://www.rbhousing.org.uk/contact_us/area_offices.htm COUNCIL SERVICES Council Tax...............................................0845 121 2970 Municipal Offices (Council Switchboard) ........................ 647474 Refuse Collection and Recycling ..........................0845 226 1800 Street Lighting ................................................ 924525 Street Cleansing .........................................0845 226 1800 Grounds Maintenance ......................................0845 226 1800 Environmental Health eg Drains, Noise, Graffiti,Pollution.0845 121 2975 Social Services (office hours) ................................. 647474 (the Council switchboard will help you find the right Social services section you need) Social Services (5pm-8.30pm+weekends) ....................0845 121 2975 WEB ADDRESSES www.rbhousing.org.uk www.rochdalehomechoice.org.uk