5695 Coasttalk brochure
Transcription
5695 Coasttalk brochure
JUNE 2005 How to get involved with Yorkshire Coast Homes ...the choice is yours inside page 3 Satisfaction survey result page 7 Estate Agreements page 7 Part of our job is to develop and support formal and informal methods of tenant participation. Our dedicated team realises that our customers have differing needs and circumstances. So we've created a Menu of Choice, from which you can choose the ways you want to get involved and influence our services that best suit your lifestyle. G etting involved with Yorkshire Coast Homes couldn’t be easier. Sarah Bird, Rachael Thompson and Helen McCann make up Yorkshire Coast Homes' Customer Initiatives Team. Our job is to coordinate and encourage the involvement of you, our tenants, in the management of your homes. Our aim, with your help, is to make sure that Yorkshire Coast Homes’ services are continually improving. The Customer Initiatives Team works closely with other members of Yorkshire Coast Homes’ staff to ensure that you are consulted on all matters affecting the management of your homes. We are committed to making sure that our policies and funding reflect the needs and wishes of you, our customers. Many of the tenant participation methods provide us with valuable information about how Yorkshire Coast Homes is doing and what it can do to improve. The Customer Initiatives Team is really grateful for this feedback and we promise to act upon it. Since April 2005 our team now send out messages of thanks to all of those customers who get involved and provide us with feedback. For further information about how you can get involved in the management and improvement of your home and neighbourhood, please call a member of the Customer Initiatives Team, on 01723 503200, or leave a message on our free phone VoiceBox 0800 083 0429. For your Menu of Choice and information on Tenants and Residents Associations, see page 2. Help with the decorating page 8 Calling all gardeners! page 9 A page of competitions pages 10 & 11 Days out for the holidays Enclosed with this newsletter is a copy of YCH’s Customer Involvement Statement. The statement sets out our aims and objectives for involving our customers in improving services. If you would like to become involved in any of our involvement activities detailed within the statement please give a member of the Customer Initiatives Team a call on 01723 503200. 1 Tenants & Residents Associations – where to find them… Yorkshire Coast Homes can provide training for its tenants in-house on a range of subjects. PEP is a national company which can provide training for residents too. We are often asked about the Tenants and Residents Associations operating across the Borough. The following gives details of those groups which meet, when they meet and where. Existing members would welcome any new faces coming along. Barrowcliff Meetings: Every 3rd Tuesday in the month (excluding December) at 7pm Venue: Barrowcliff Community Centre Contact: Secretary, Mr Holmes 01723 352132 Edgehill Meetings: Every last Thursday in the month at 7pm Venue: Falsgrave Community Resource Centre Contact: Phil at the FCRC on 01723 374437 Whitby Westside Meetings: Every 3rd Wednesday in the month at 7pm Venue: Kirkham Close Community Centre Contact: Chair/Secretary, Mrs Coughlan 01947 601285 Castle Ward Meetings: Every last Tuesday in the month at 7pm (except for July and August when they do not meet) Venue: The Business Centre, Auborough Street Contact: Chair, Mrs Jefferson 01723 354019 Menu of choice For tenants wanting involvement in the running of Yorkshire Coast Homes: Board Membership. For people wanting to join organisations we have: • The Federation (currently dormant) • Tenants and Residents’ Associations (see above) • Estate Agreements (Edgehill area pilot) For further information call: Sarah Bird, Customer Initiatives Manager, on 01723 503200, or leave a message on our free phone VoiceBox 0800 083 0429. 2 Customers who wish to give us feedback on specific issues can become involved in: • Focus Groups • Mystery shopper • Drop-ins • Village voice • Comment and suggestion boxes • Annual General Meeting/ Annual Tenants’ Conference • Public Meetings • Complaints policy • Editorial Group • Readers Group • Roadshows • Consultation database For those residents who want to keep informed about YCH developments from the comfort of their own home, we have: • Customer Satisfaction Survey • Day-to-day repairs Survey • Improvement Programme Survey • Face-to-face interviews/ home visits • Telephone interviews • Voice box • Walkabouts • Newsletter • Website • Leaflets • Annual Report YORKSHIRE COAST HOMES • JUNE 2005 Good news for Yorkshire Coast Homes Yorkshire Coast Homes has received its assessment from our regulator, the Housing Corporation. The Housing Corporation use a traffic-light system to rate housing associations and YCH are very pleased to have been given three green lights. This is good news for us and our customers. If you would like to see a copy of the full report please contact a member of the Customer Initiatives Team on Tel: 01723 503200. Tenants value YCH services – customer survey shows Customer Satisfaction Survey 2005 Neighbourhood Issues Tenants are pleased with their homes and the services provided by Yorkshire Coast Homes as reflected in the results of the latest tenants’ survey independently completed on YCH’s behalf. The three things that tenants expressed concerns about relating to their quality of life and the areas in which the live were: • Dogs fouling – 19.4% of tenants felt this was a serious concern • Litter and rubbish in the street – 23.5% of tenants felt this was a serious concern • Vandalism – 14.5% of tenants felt this was a serious concern We are particularly pleased with the high response rate received and YCH would like to take this opportunity to thank all the tenants who took the time to reply to the survey. We received a staggering 60% return rate, 2700 returned surveys! Some of the areas of high satisfaction are as follows: • Satisfaction of tenants with services provided by YCH – 80.1% of tenants are very or fairly satisfied with the services YCH provide • Satisfaction of tenants with opportunities for participation – 70.7% of tenants are very or fairly satisfied with the opportunities available for participation • Satisfaction with the account YCH takes of tenants views – 45% of tenants felt that YCH take account a lot of tenants views and 41% of tenants felt YCH take a little account of tenants views • Satisfaction with tenants finding it easy to contact the right person – 75% of tenants thought that it was easy to contact the right person • YCH’s ability to solve problems – 78% of tenants had confidence in YCH’s ability to solve problems • General satisfaction with the overall repairs service – 79% of tenants are satisfied with the repairs service • Satisfaction levels with general advice and assistance offered by wardens – 90.1% of tenants who receive services offered by a warden were happy YCH will be working with local residents and organisations such as the Police and the Council to develop local Estate Agreements across the Borough which will help to tackle these issues. The results of the survey will help YCH to: • Focus on service improvements • Incorporate the opinions and views of tenants into our organisation’s corporate and planning strategies • Help YCH to monitor how it is performing over the coming years • Compare our performance accurately with that of similar landlords • Enable YCH to demonstrate that we meet performance standards for assessing tenant satisfaction demanded by the Housing Corporation. If you would like more information about the results of the survey, please contact a member of the Customer Initiatives Team on 01723 503200. 3 Survey prize draw winners All the Customer Satisfaction Survey questionnaires returned within the first two weeks were entered into a prize draw for a chance of winning £100. The lucky winners are pictured here: Rachael Thompson, Senior Customer Initiatives Officer with YCH, left, and Sarah Bird YCH’s Customers Initiatives Manager, right, are pictured with the winners, from left, Mr Owens of Eastfield, and George and Dorothy Sowray from Seamer. Congratulations to them all! Day-to-day repairs Focus Group YCH officers recently conducted a Focus Group interview with tenants to find out their views on the day-to-day repairs programme. Seven tenants from Scarborough attended the interview and gave their comments about the way in which YCH and its contractors deal with repairs. The concerns which were expressed were useful to YCH and a report has been written with the contents being considered. The information received will also help us when the contract for the day-to-day repairs programme is due to be renewed in the summer as we can take your views and opinions into account when appointing a contractor. Nobody likes getting complaints, however, YCH wants to conduct a similar Focus Group at Yorkshire Coast Homes we realise that interview in the Whitby area. If you have we can learn from any criticisms made recently had a repair carried out to your home about our services or the way we work. and would be willing to give a few hours of When we receive a complaint we try our your time to attend, please contact Sarah hardest to take the information on board and Bird, Customer Initiatives Manager on 01723 to try to improve upon the existing situation. 503200. The Focus Group will take place in Whitby and transport can be provided. At YCH we listen, learn and improve yourletters We want to hear your views and in future we’ll award £20 for the best letter. Please write to: Coasttalk, Yorkshire Coast Homes, Londesborough Lodge, The Crescent, Scarborough YO11 2PW 4 Dear Yorkshire Coast Homes, This week we had our fascias and soffits fixed by Fairfield. We would like to say how very efficient, polite and hardworking the four lads have been. They even worked in the very bad weather and cleaned up after they had completed the work. Full marks to YCH for choosing them to carry out the work. Yours sincerely, Mr & Mrs Adens, Mrs Marshall and Mrs Jackson. 39, 43, 45 Garth End Road,West Ayton. YORKSHIRE COAST HOMES • JUNE 2005 Meet the editorial team Meet the members of our newly-formed editorial board. All of the people involved are either tenants or lease holders of Yorkshire Coast Homes. It is the job of these lucky ladies and gentlemen to choose what goes into each edition of Coasttalk and how the newsletter looks. Unfortunately at the moment the areas of Filey and Whitby are underrepresented. If you would like to represent these areas then please call the Customer Initiatives Team. If you have any comments to make about this copy of Coasttalk or if you have any ideas for articles to go into the next edition of the newsletter then please contact a member of the Customer Initiatives Team on 01723 503200. Editorial team... From left, Nicholas Dove, Rachael Thompson, YCH’s Senior Customer Initiatives Officer, Bob Anderson, Ron Mansfield, Elaine Howells & Tony Threapleton. Other members of the group are: Marie Belfitt and Mandy Goodlad. New compensation policy The start of May saw Yorkshire Coast Homes introduce a compensation policy. The staff at Yorkshire Coast Homes aim to be on time for all of their appointments. We understand that a missed appointment can cause you, our customers, great inconvenience. It’s for this reason that we will offer you some payment if you have been inconvenienced by failures to keep appointments by YCH staff. Compensation is offered when: • A member of YCH staff has failed to keep an appointment with you in your home that has previously been confirmed in writing, including appointments to pre-inspect repairs and appointments made by the Arrears Customer Initiatives, Northern Area and Tenancy Services Teams. Compensation is not offered if: • No written confirmation has been sent • It’s an appointment at one of our offices • A contractor employed by YCH misses an appointment • You have received notification of an appointment’s cancellation or re-arrangement, either in writing, by telephone call or a note left at your home • An appointment is missed because YCH staff are unable to travel to your home due to extreme weather conditions or other traffic disruptions at the time of the appointment. To reduce the hassle for you the staff member who missed the appointment will send you a letter with the cheque, apologising for their failure to make the appointment. If a member of YCH staff misses a written appointment you will be entitled to receive £10 for the inconvenience caused. Further information about this policy can be found in our Compensation Guide, available at all Yorkshire Coast Homes offices. If you are in arrears however, you will be notified that the cheque has automatically been put into your rent account. Our aim as always however is to not miss any appointments. It should be noted that this is only a temporary policy and may be extended to appointments with other contractors when their contracts have been reviewed later in the year. 5 Keeping communities safe A new way to pay your rent It is now even easier for you to pay your rent. As many of you will no doubt already know, Yorkshire Coast Homes launched the Allpay scheme at the start of April. Now, in addition to existing methods of paying your rent, you can pay your rent at any outlet displaying the Allpay/Paypoint sign. You can even pay online by logging onto www.allpay.net The aim of the day was to promote the most recent strategy from the Safer Communities Partnership: North Yorkshire Moors and Coast. This Partnership is made up of local authorities, agencies and organisations, including Yorkshire Coast Homes. By working together it is hoped that we can reduce crime and disorder as well as drug and alcohol misuse, whilst improving road safety and encouraging community engagement. The Anti-Social Behaviour Reporting Line is just one of the new ideas to improve the quality of life in the borough. The line went live in May so you can now call 01723 384444 at any time of the day to report acts of Anti-Social Behaviour in your area. With your help the Partnership hopes to reduce disorder in the borough. 6 Every single one of our customers should have been sent a new rent card for the Allpay scheme, however if you think that you've been missed out or if you have any other queries, please call the Customer Initiatives Team on 01723 503200. Kitchen & bathroom improvements Yorkshire Coast Homes will be starting its Kitchen and Bathroom Improvement Programme later in the year and would like to know how tenants think it should be carried out. The contractors carrying out the works have not yet been selected though both the bathroom and the kitchen installations will be carried out by the same contractor. We would like to know if you would prefer to have a new kitchen and bathroom installed at the same time which is the most cost effective way and deals with all the disruption in one go and requires less visits (one hit) or if you would prefer the improvements to be completed one at a time with the contractors moving onto another property after finishing the first and coming back at a later date to do the second, which means you would need more visits over the whole programme (quick results). Please let us know what you think by telephoning the freephone VoiceBox on 0800 083 0429 and leaving a message, sending the reply slip to The Customer Initiatives Team, Londesborough Lodge, The Crescent, Scarborough YO11 2PW or dropping it off at any of our area offices in Scarborough, Whitby or Eastfield, emailing us at [email protected] or if you live in a sheltered housing scheme you can use the comment box’s located in the community centres. Your views are important to us so please let us know what you think. REPLY SLIP Please complete your details below: Please tick the method that you would prefer for the improvement programme: Name: ................................................................ One hit ............................................................................ Quick results Tel No: ................................................................ Address:.............................................................. ............................................................................ Ê Monday 11th April saw the launch of the Crime, Disorder and Drug Reduction Strategy at the Brunswick Shopping Centre in Scarborough. Some observant shoppers may have spotted staff from Yorkshire Coast Homes manning a display board. We were present throughout the day offering information and advice about our Anti-Social Behaviour Strategy. YORKSHIRE COAST HOMES • JUNE 2005 Working together to improve our neighbourhoods Edgehill and its surrounding area is the focus of the first ever Estate Agreement in the Borough. Yorkshire Coast Homes with Sanctuary Housing Association, Chevin Housing Association and the Edgehill Tenants and Residents’ Association is trying out this new scheme. This area was chosen for the pilot as it has a strong culture of tenant participation which would hopefully help us to form a successful Estate Agreement. If the trial is a success, we will set up similar schemes across the borough. Estate Agreements are locally agreed between landlords and tenants and residents. The purpose is to improve local service facilities and the environment in the chosen area. They are made up of targets that are negotiated between all interested groups, for example Housing Associations, the Council and the Police. So far, with the help of a local panel of volunteer residents and tenants, we've sent out a questionnaire to everyone in the area to find out what issues are important to them and carried out an estate walkabout to meet the local people and see the problems in the area for ourselves. Now we’re in the process of drawing up the Estate Agreement which will be reviewed every year to make sure that all targets are being met and to set new aims for the following year. We’d like to say a big thank you to everyone on the panel for their time and effort and also to all the Decorating voucher scheme Get your paint brushes at the ready... Yorkshire Coast Homes has introduced a new policy for its new customers. Now, instead of an allowance, each new household will be given decoration vouchers worth £35 per room to be used at the following outlets to brighten up their homes: Boyes, Queen St, Scarborough; Boyes, Station Square, Whitby; Brush Strokes, 145 Falsgrave Road, Scarborough (will deliver to Whitby); Dulux Decorator Centre, Queen Margarets Road Industrial Estate, Scarborough (will deliver to Whitby); Dulux Decorator Centre, Castle Road, Scarborough (will deliver to Whitby); Star Trading Company, 16 Station Road, Filey; Crosbys in Scarborough, Waterhouse Lane, Scarborough; Focus (DIY) Hill View Road, Guisborough. For further details about the decoration policy please contact a member of the Allocations Team at the Scarborough Office on 0845 065 56 56 or at the Northern Area Office on 0845 065 57 57. Some of the Edgehill panel, from left: Darrell Hebden, Tenancy Services Officer, residents Pat Lee, Brenda Moore and Sylvia Wood and Rachael Thompson, Senior Customer Initiatives Officer. residents in the area who filled in and returned the questionnaire. All respondents to the questionnaire had the opportunity to enter a prize draw and the winner was Jean Smith of Seamer Road, Scarborough, who wins a £10 Marks and Spencer voucher. To coincide with the launch of the decoration vouchers we've put together the following tips for you to think about to help you when you're decorating: Before you start: • Spend some time planning the order of the task so that it runs smoothly • Choose and use the correct decorating equipment • If painting or varnishing make sure the rooms you're working in are well ventilated. While you’re decorating: • Make sure that children and pets are kept away from the area you're working in • Wear the correct hand and eye protection • Remove all furniture and ornaments from the room or protect them with dust sheets. When you’ve finished: • Clean all paint brushes with a white-spirit solution to keep them in good condition • Make sure all lids are securely placed on pots of paint • Safely store all decorating products and tools out of the reach of children and pets. 7 YCH secures first closure order The first closure order was obtained in the Borough recently at 17 Boulby Bank, Whitby by North Yorkshire Police in partnership with YCH, the local authority and the local community. YCH work very closely in partnership with the Police and should you wish to contact us with issues/information relating to drugs and anti-social behaviour we will be more than happy to help in any way we can. YCH and the Police are committed to making your area a safer place to live by tackling the issues which concern you. To do this we need your support. You can contact YCH on: Scarborough Office 0845 065 56 56 Whitby Office 0845 065 57 57 The Police on 0845 60 60 24 7 Crimestoppers on 0845 555 111 The Anti Social Behaviour reporting line number is 01723 384444 Calling all green-fingered customers! Yorkshire Coast Homes has joined together with Scarborough in Bloom to launch a new category for the Best Kept Garden Competition. For the first time there will be a “Best Yorkshire Coast Homes Garden” competition so that our customers can show off their beautiful gardens. If you would like to enter your garden in this popular annual event leaflets are available from your local Yorkshire Coast Homes office. If you require any further information about the competition please contact Parks and Countryside Services at Scarborough Borough Council on 01723 374079. Get busy with your watering cans and trowels! Retirement of Tenant Board Directors It is the policy of Yorkshire Coast Homes for at least one of its Tenant Board Directors to stand down each year on rotation at the Annual General Meeting due to be held in November. This year two Board Directors, Betty Aldworth and Mandy Goodlad are due to stand down. attend between six and twelve meetings each year. The purpose of having tenant board directors is to ensure that the views and experiences of tenants are taken into account when decisions about services and major works are made. Betty is the Board Director for the Whitby area and has been on the Shadow Board and the Board since 2002, she is willing to stand again and serve another three years. If you live in Whitby and the surrounding villages or the Scarborough North areas and are interested in applying to become a Board Director of Yorkshire Coast Homes please contact Sarah Bird, Customer Initiatives Manager on Tel: 01723 503200 for further information. If we receive applications from individuals who are accepted as eligible to apply we will organise a ballot of tenants living in each constituency. If we do not receive any applications or have no one who is eligible to be considered Betty and Mandy will be re-elected. Mandy is the Board Director for the Scarborough North area and was elected in 2004 due to an unexpected vacancy and is therefore willing to stand again to serve a three year term. Directors are responsible for the overall control of the Association. Typically they would be asked to 8 YORKSHIRE COAST HOMES • JUNE 2005 Competition time! see bottom of the page for how to enter If you are age 14 or under you can enter this competition to try to win a family ticket to the Sea Life Centre in Scarborough. Just complete this multiple choice quiz on countries and cities. Entry details at the bottom of the page. 1. Where did Euro 2004 take place? a) Greece c) Portugal b) England d) Italy 5. What is the capital of France? a) London c) Madrid b) Athens d) Paris 2. In 2004, in what country did the Olympics take place? a) England c) Germany b) Greece d) USA 6. Where is the Taj Mahal? a) Germany c) India b) Australia d) England 3. What is the capital of England? a) Cardiff c) Birmingham b) London d) Edinburgh 7. How many countries surround France? a) 0 c) 3 b) 5 d) 6 4. Where would you find the pyramids? a) USA c) France b) China d) Egypt 8. How many continents are there in the world? a) 5 c) 4 b) 7 d) 10 F U CM S O A X I L B H I A Z S AO O K U J L A E T N R OG E H L S A G V K P K I T N I J R Z S A T I A J F R Z E A J P T E V E N T U R A C S Z U I O F L U G I O E U R P Y C F R T M S D GMM D R A A E A T O E B CON L X T J A H A D C C Y Q F OOD R R B A T S OC R R E C R N L T X EMA C L O A V I A S E C Z A S P W B E I N O G N K OW Z G V O L C C A A L E N E R I F E A L K R P Z C R E T E L L Y L F A S H A T Y HO R NM MR QGO X Z L G Y L Wordsearch winner! Here's Mrs Locker of Taylorsons Terrace, Whitby, the proud winner of our last wordsearch competition. She was so shocked to receive the prize, a cheque worth £50, she couldn't think what she would spend her winnings on! Guess the close-up This is a close-up shot of a famous landmark. If you can tell us which landmark it is you could be in with a chance of winning a £10 cheque. WORDSEARCH For your chance to win a cheque worth £10, find the following 20 holiday destinations in this wordsearch. ALGARVE, CORFU, COSTABLANCA, COSTABRAVA, COSTADEALMERIA, COSTADELSOL, CRETE, CYPRUS, FRANCE, FUERTEVENTURA, GRANCANARIA, IBIZA, ITALY, KOS, LANZAROTE, MAJORCA, MENORCA, Ê Children’s Competition RHODES, RIA, TENERIFE, ZANTE Send your entries to any of these competitions to: Customer Initiatives Team, Yorkshire Coast Homes, Londesborough Lodge, The Crescent, Scarborough, YO11 2PW before 29 July 2005 9 Summer days out Planning how to entertain your children on a long weekend or throughout the whole six weeks of the summer holidays can be a real headache for any parent. So we've come up with a list of some of the activities in the area which shouldn't break the bank. Bempton Cliffs on the East Yorkshire Coast is the ideal spot for a breath of fresh air and a long walk that might tire out even the most lively of children. The jagged edges of these steep cliffs attract colonies of gulls and puffins, so it's the perfect place for keen bird watchers. Dalby Forest, pictured, is situated on the southern slopes of the North York Moors National Park. Access is either via Thornton-Le-Dale on the A170 or from the north of Scarborough via Hackness and Langdale End. Explore the outstanding landscape of the forest and if you're lucky you may even spot an elusive roe deer. Kinderland at Scarborough's North Bay has family tickets from £13.00 a day. With its play structures and activities it's a world of fun, excitement and adventure for any child. More information can be found at www.kinderland.co.uk Skate parks at Northside in Scarborough and out at Malton provide hours of exciting activity for the brave at heart. Whitby Abbey, pictured. Trek up to the spectacular ruins of the Abbey but make sure you take a picnic as you may need the energy when you finish this hard climb. Then drop into the visitors’ centre to find out more about the exciting and varied history of the Abbey. 10 YORKSHIRE COAST HOMES • JUNE 2005 Scarborough Castle On a sunny day you could walk up (or drive round the back if you want to cheat) to the castle and for an £8.00 family ticket take advantage of the specially-built viewing platforms to admire the views of the Yorkshire coastline and town before exploring the history of the castle that dates back to medieval times. Cruckley Farm a bit further away towards Driffield where you can get close to nature and see a working farm in action. There's lots of different types and breeds of farm animals to see and learn about. For more information log onto www.cruckley.co.uk The National Railway Museum at York. Although it's a bit further afield, entry to the museum is free and you'll be able to find out anything and everything about the UK's railway history. Their collection includes 103 locomotives as well as 177 examples of other railway stock. Betton Farm Visitor Centre Situated just outside East Ayton on the Scarborough to Pickering Road. While your children amuse themselves by playing in the adventure play area or petting the animals in the animal farm, you can enjoy morning coffee, lunch or afternoon tea in the tearoom and even buy some of their traditional farmhouse produce from the farm shop or bakery to take home, as a reminder of the day. For more information log onto www.bettonfarm.co.uk or call 01723 863143. And for that rainy day… spot the differences! Here's something to keep your child busy when the sun's not out… Try to spot the eight differences in these two palace pictures. 11 YORKSHIRE COAST HOMES • JUNE 2005 As part of our commitment to equality and diversity we aim to make it as easy as possible for you to contact us and use our services. Here’s how you can contact us: Face to face Pop into your local office for help and advice. An induction loop will be available in our new office reception area. Give us a ring Scarborough Office: 0845 065 56 56 In your own home We can visit you at home if it’s difficult for you to come to one of our offices. By e-mail [email protected] Northern Area Office: 0845 065 57 57 Drop us a line Write a letter to the officer concerned with your query. Different formats Large Print Braille Audio-cassette Translations Eastfield Area Office: 01723 585036 Just ask… Customer Initiatives Team: 01723 503200 Voicebox Leave a message on our freephone Voicebox with your comments and suggestions on: 0800 0830429 12 Send a card Comment and Suggestion Cards are available in all of our offices and sheltered housing schemes for you to write down your ideas. On the web Browsealoud facility will be available on our new website for you to listen to the information www.ych.org.uk