Annual Report to Tenants 2012 - Kensington and Chelsea TMO€¦ · 0800 137 111 • 5 WHY do We produCe an annual report? The requirement to produce an Annual Report to Tenants is

Annual Report to Tenants 2012A guide to housing servicesKENSINGTON AND CHELSEA TENANT MANAGEMENT ORGANISATION

Contents

annual report 2011/12

ANNUAL REPORT 2011/12

Welcome

Introduction About KCTMO Why do we produce an annual report? Local Offers Service Standards Customer Feedback

tenant Involvement and empowermentCustomer Services Communication Complaints Involvement and Empowerment Understanding and responding to the diverse needs of tenants

Your Home Quality of Accommodation Planned and Capital Works Repairs and Maintenance Empty Properties Adaptations

Your tenancy Allocating homes Your Rent

Your neighbourhood & Community Neighbourhood Management Antisocial Behaviour (ASB)

Value for Money What we spent Business Change Project

Glossaryuseful Contacts

03

04

06

11

13

16

18

1920

2

0800 137 111 • WWW.kCtMo.orG.uk

Welcome

CounCIllor tIMotHY ColerIdGeCabinet Member for Housing and property We are now in a new age for social housing where the Council has more freedom to raise money and decide its priorities for spending. There is a lot of important work ahead so that we can secure the best possible position and future for the KCTMO and the residents. We should look upon these changes with hope and optimism and as an opportunity to improve the fabric of our homes and estates in the years to come. To do this we will need your support and ideas and we will be working closely with you to make sure this happens.

robert blaCk kensington & Chelsea tMo Chief executive This Annual Report to Tenants aims to tell the story of our progress this year and give updates on our commitments to residents in the Local Off ers. We’re proud to have delivered a range of resident engagement activities throughout the 2011/12 business year and are committed to continuing to listen and ensuring your voices are heard. We’ve worked hard to perform well and reach our targets across all our housing services, but we know there is still work to do. Thank you to residents who have given feedback on this report and we encourage all residents to share your views.

3

about kCtMoThe Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) manage 6880 rentable homes and over 2500 leasehold properties on behalf of the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea. KCTMO is managed by a Board of Directors made up of eight elected tenant and homeowner members, four Councillor Members appointed by the Council and three independent members, who meet on a regular basis to monitor how well KCTMO is doing, agree plans for the future and decide on policies. Board members are also involved in committees, sub-committees, working groups and panels.

KCTMO residents are encouraged to become Members. Members can attend and vote at the Annual General Meeting, stand for election as resident Board members, and attend meetings and contribute to discussing resident priorities, plus a range of other activities shown on our involvement options below.

Introduction



4

In July 2012 we met with members of our Resident Communications Reading Group to review last year’s Annual Report to identify what residents liked about the report and what they thought could be improved on. We also looked at examples of other providers’ reports to see if there were ideas we liked that we could include in this year’s publication.Our panel said:-• We should be honest about

performance

• We should include more information on benchmarking and be clearer about where we were compared to other similar organisations

• We should include more information on what we spend our money on

• We should highlight opportunities for residents to get involved

• We should include more photographs and residents’ stories.

loCal offersThe National Standards that we measure our performance against are supplemented by Local Offers, agreed between landlords and tenants on issues that matter at a local level. Our Local Offers were agreed in 2011 and you can view a full report of our progress against these offers and our plans for the future on our website.

kctmo.org.uk

serVICe standardsIn September 2011 we launched a new set of Service Standards. Our Service Standards were developed in consultation with our Resident Engagement Panel. They are

designed to make sure customers experience a great housing service, and to help our staff respond effectively.

We have set targets against some of our Service Standards so that we can measure how we perform against them. Our performance against these standards was measured from April 2012 and we are working with resident groups during 2012 to agree how and when we should report on our performance.

The full set of standards is available in our reception areas and on our website.

kctmo.org.uk

0800 137 111 • WWW.kCtMo.orG.uk 5

WHY do We produCe an annual report?The requirement to produce an Annual Report to Tenants is set out in the regulatory national standards for social housing. This report contains our self-assessment of our performance during 2011/12 and should be a key tool in allowing our tenants to hold KCTMO to account.

Where the information is available we have shown how we compare in key areas to our benchmarking group of 15 London Arms Length Management Organisations (ALMOs); where individual ALMOs have not provided data for specific areas they are not included on the comparison tables.

We use the ‘traffic light’ icons below to highlight good or poor performance.

Top 25%

Average performance

Bottom 25%

CustoMer feedbaCk

KCTMO’s involvement options

tenant Involvement and empowerment


CustoMer serVICes The past year has seen a number of changes that have led to improvements in customer service and access.

In early 2011 we implemented a new telephone system to manage calls to the call centre to enable us to more closely monitor call levels and staffi ng requirements. As a result our average call waiting time for the year fell to 34 seconds, an improvement on the average 73 seconds customers were kept waiting in 2010/11. We also increased the percentage of calls we answered during the year, 94.8% compared to 82.7% in the previous 12 months. During the year our call centre answered 70,523 calls.

As part of the Customer Services Change programme we carried out a consultation exercise with you, to fi nd out more about your experiences of contacting KCTMO. We did this by including surveys in the Link, and in reception areas, at the Get on Board road shows and at Area Resident

Boards. We also held a series of focus groups to discuss the emerging themes in more depth and these discussions will inform our key areas of development for the coming year.

In early 2012 we opened a new offi ce in the south of the borough as part of our plan to improve accessibility and customer service to residents who live or work in the area. Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (2011/12), Councillor Julie Mills, offi cially opened the new Blantyre Offi ce on 20 March 2012. The offi ce provides modern facilities for residents and staff , including private interview rooms,

a meeting room, and reception facilities for residents to get advice, book appointments and make enquiries.

CoMMunICatIonIn the spring of 2012 we launched GO ON UK, our commitment to provide 100 hours of training to 100 residents to help them get online. Members of KCTMO staff have volunteered to undertake one to one training with residents to help them experience the benefi ts of being online.

During 2011 we refreshed the look of our Link magazine with the help of our Resident Communications Reading Panel, and joined up with the social networking sites Twitter, LinkedIn and Flickr.


including private interview rooms, including private interview rooms, a meeting a meeting room, and room, and reception reception facilities for facilities for residents residents to get to get advice, book advice, book appointments appointments and make and make enquiries.enquiries.

9111619203436373756

How we compare: average time to answer an inbound telephone call (in seconds)

Redbridge HomesLewisham HomesSutton Housing PartnershipHomes for IslingtonBrent Housing PartnershipKCTMOTower HamletsHomes in HaveringBarnet HomesAscham Homes

Average waiting time (secs): 2010 to 2012

In 2010 we undertook a review of our complaints service following customer feedback where you said that we needed to be more responsive in listening and responding. You said that our complaints procedure was not customer focused, the quality of responses was poor and that we could be defensive when responding to complaints. We also identifi ed that we were not learning from complaints and that a high number of complaints were being escalated to Stage 2 due to customer dissatisfaction with our initial responses.

In April 2011, following consultation with the Resident Engagement Panel, a new complaints policy and procedure were launched. All staff dealing with complaints were fully trained in the new procedure that focused on fully investigating each complaint and identifying trends and underlying reasons for failures.

During the year we answered 284 complaints, an increase of 15 on the previous year. The number of complaints escalated to Stage 2 decreased by two, with numbers dropping as the year progressed. Only one complaint reached the Appeal stage, compared to 11 in the previous year, refl ecting higher quality investigations and responses at Stage

1 and 2.The increase in the number of

Stage 1 complaints can be linked to a number of factors, including:-• Concerns about the performance of

our repairs service • Communication diffi culties

regarding a number of communal heating failures on our large estates

• The requirement on staff to log all complaints centrally with the Complaints Team

• The new complaints system being more accessible and transparent, encouraging residents to use the service

• An increase in complaints about parking due to the introduction of a new ticketing contract in advance of government legislation which prevents clamping.

The introduction of the new complaints procedure, whilst improving the quality of responses, impacted on the speed of responses.

Our target for the year was to answer 90% of complaints within the target of 10 working days (28 days for Appeals) but overall we only managed to answer 77.2% within target. This continues to be addressed through additional staff training and highlighting specifi c failures with line managers.

CoMplaInts

0800 137 111 • WWW.kCtMo.orG.uk 7

Service AreaResponsive RepairsAssets and Regeneration (gas, heating, lifts, engineering and capital works)Customer ServicesNeighbourhoods team - SouthLandscape and EnvironmentNeighbourhoods team - NorthHome OwnershipRentsStrategy and Resident EngagementFinancePeople and Organisational DevelopmentLancaster West Estate Management BoardChief Executive’s Offi ce and Company Secretary

Stage 1 complaints received per service area

Number8151

40181599773321

%32.9%20.7%

16.3%7.3%6.1%3.7%3.7%2.8%2.8%1.2%1.2%0.8%0.4%

Complaints answered per year

Refl ecting our commitment to listen to our residents and

learn from our mistakes we made a number of service improvements following customer complaints and feedback. Some are listed below:-• The introduction of a new system

to enable over the telephone rent payments

• An improvement in the timescales for responding to door entry system failures

• Increases in the number of gas valves our contractors are required to store in order to reduce delays in fi xing system breakdowns

• Replacement of the main roofi ng and drainage contractor following persistent service failures

• Technical improvements to aid the reporting of lift breakdowns

• The table below shows the number of new Stage 1 complaints during the year answered by each team. The most frequent complaints were for repairs and maintenance and customer services. This refl ects the general trend across all housing providers.

YOU SAID WE DID



InVolVeMent and eMpoWerMentKeeping residents at the heart of what we do is a key objective of at KCTMO, and for the Resident Engagement Team this translated into a key priority of increasing resident engagement for the year and ensuring that our involvement forums refl ected the diversity of our residents.

After working through ideas and suggestions with the KCTMO Board and the Resident Engagement Panel, the ‘Get On Board’ campaign was launched in 2011. The ‘Get On Board’ campaign aims to educate and encourage residents about the various opportunities they have for getting involved in shaping and infl uencing KCTMO’s services, (some of which are shown on the graphic on page 4).

A major part of the ‘Get On Board’ initiative was the programme of roadshows that were held across the borough. Sixteen roadshows were held between July 2011 and July 2012. These roadshows were an opportunity for KCTMO to get out into the community and meet our residents, and to encourage them to be part of their housing service and show them that their voice can make a diff erence.

We’ve also been encouraging all residents to become KCTMO members and vote in our annual Board elections – or even consider standing for election themselves in the future!

Throughout this very busy year the team also found the time to support the setting up of four new Residents’ Associations and Compacts at Jean Darling House, Trellick Tower, Ingelow House and Burgess Fields. Expressions of interest for a further 11 groups are due to be followed up during summer 2012.

Residents, including children, attended the ‘Get on Board’ road-shows730

Residents signed up to become KCTMO members during the year114

0800 137 111 • WWW.kCtMo.orG.uk 9

SEE MORE PHOTOS ONLINE VIisit us at our Flickr site!

fl ickr.com/kctmo

Teenagers and children completed surveys expressing an interest in taking part in local youth activities

84

Residents attended our annual Residents’ Conference100

Residents attended the Senior Citizens’ Annual Party in January200

Residents took part in training events, including DIY repairs, Cook & Taste and Committee Skills 86

Residents came to the AGM held after the Residents’ Conference in September88



During 2010 we carried out the ‘TMO in Touch’ survey which, as well as supplying us with information on how our customers felt about the services they were receiving, also increased the levels of resident profile information that we held. This data enables us to ensure that our services are accessible to all and that our priorities reflect the needs of our diverse customer base.

We have continued to build on this database throughout the year, encouraging residents to provide this information to us at various contact points. As a result we have increased the percentage of tenants with profile data held by almost 10% during the year; however, we still have a way to go to ensure we have a full understanding of who our tenants are and this work will continue into 2012, led by our Equality & Diversity Officer, David Noble.

David has also become involved with a number of external organisations including the Council’s Corporate Equality Group where he works with Council representatives to inform and influence the strategic approach to equality and diversity across the borough.

Following the publication of KCTMO’s Equality Strategy, a set

of performance measures have been introduced for 2012/13. These measures include satisfaction with services, the level of rent arrears, and residents experiencing antisocial behaviour. Performance will be reviewed across the diversity strands to identify any areas where specific groups may need additional help and support.

Supporting the work led by the Equality & Diversity Officer, during the year the Resident Engagement Team also established links with a number of organisations aimed at specific resident groups.•Pathways to Progress Youth Project, offering youth training activities, mentoring and confidence building initiatives. 10 young KCTMO residents are currently taking part in this project.•The Midaye Project, operating weekly drop in advice sessions and an advocacy project. The project provides advice, support and information to local Somali residents.•The Al-Hasaniya Moroccan Women’s Project, providing weekly advocacy services to local residents.

David and the Resident Engagement Team will be working jointly with the the Council’s

Worklessness Coordinator during 2012/13 on a project between the Council and a number of other housing providers in the borough, providing advice and support into training and employment for residents wanting to get into work.

Our older residents can access the TMO2YOU Over 50s drop-in service at our Sheltered Housing Schemes. The service aims to help residents remain active and independent and provides help with identifying things that our residents may need assistance with, now or in the future.

We offer residents with language or communication difficulties help with accessing our services, such as translating important documents into other languages or formats, such as Braille and audio for residents with sensory disabilities. In 2011/12 we spent £2570 providing this kind of assistance.

To help reduce costs we also have in-house translators, staff who are fluent in other languages, who can attend one to one meetings to translate for residents. Some of our staff have also attended courses such as ‘Deaf Awareness’ to help them communicate more effectively with residents.

2010/11

52% resident data on age

54% resident data on ethnicity

61.4% resident data on age

62.3% resident data on ethnicity

understandInG and respondInG to tHe dIVerse needs of tenants

knoWInG our resIdents

Male 41.70%

Female 58.30%

Under 25 3.2%

25-65 72.3%

65-85 21.1%

Over 85 3.4%

White British 34.5%

White Other 19.2%

Black or minority ethnic groups 46.3%

Languages spoken 45

Gay, lesbian or bisexual 2.5%

2011/12

* Data relates to the named tenant, not necessarily all people living in the property

0800 137 111 • WWW.kCtMo.orG.uk 11

Your Home

QualItY of aCCoMModatIonAt March 2012, 370 of our properties did not meet the Government’s Decent Homes Standard. The Standard sets out the minimum housing conditions that landlords of social housing should meet – it covers areas such as thermal comfort and the age and condition of facilities including bathrooms and kitchens. It is anticipated that the numbers of homes becoming non-decent may increase as maintaining or achieving decency is dependent upon the availability of capital funding investment. We are working to increase our knowledge of our homes by carrying out more property condition surveys. This will ensure that future capital funding is spent on areas of need and priority. A number of our homes fail to reach the standard as the current residents have refused to have works done.

How we compare: % of homes not meeting the Decent Homes Standard

Barnet HomesHounslow HomesCityWest HomesBrent Housing PartnershipHomes for IslingtonKCTMOAscham HomesHomes for HaringeyLB of NewhamHackney HomesRedbridge HomesSutton Housing PartnershipTower Hamlets HomesLewisham HomesEnfi eld HomesHomes in Havering

0.00.00.01.01.05.0

16.020.621.029.232.935.252.455.057.762.7

£8.5 million was invested in our properties during the year through our capital programme. This work included new kitchens and bathrooms, fi re resistant doors, lift refurbishments, external repairs, communal and individual heating boilers, electrical rewiring, water tanks and structural repairs.

Included in the programme were improvements to 200 homes on the Silchester Estate and a number of other properties included in Phase 1 of an on-going project. The £1.4 million project has included works to install 154 new bathrooms, 145 kitchens, 66 toilets, and 110 rewires.

A £375,000 project was also

completed to 36 homes at Nursery Lane. All residents in the sheltered housing scheme had the chance to have their kitchen and bathroom improved as part of the six month project. They were given a choice of the colours and designs, and their new bathrooms were fi tted with level access showers. The residents were so pleased with the results they held a thank-you lunch for the contractors who carried out the work.

Throughout the year we successfully undertook work to prepare residents for the digital switchover, providing access for digital TV across the homes we manage.

planned and CapItal Works

“the shower has made a huge diff erence to my life. It’s one of those little things that just makes life easier. I am delighted with my kitchen.” Mary Dean, Resident

adaptatIonsWorking jointly with the Council’s Occupational Therapy team, we spent £268,000 during the year installing adaptations and equipment to our homes to enable people with disabilities and long term illnesses to live more independently and remain in their homes.

The 244 jobs that were completed in the year included level access showers, stairlifts, ceiling hoists, access ramps, the widening of doorways to allow for wheelchair access and a property extension to allow for an adapted kitchen installation. The budget also contained costs for the maintenance and repair of existing specialist equipment used by our residents.



repaIrs and MaIntenanCeA new contract was awarded to deliver our Repairs Service after our previous provider’s contract came to an end in March 2012.

Following the end of the contract with Morrison, KCTMO worked hard to set up interim arrangements and in late June 2012 the responsive repairs contract was taken over by the Willmott Dixon Partnership. This arrangement is for a period of 11 months with the possibility of a six month extension, during this time KCTMO will work with the Board and the Council to discuss options for the future delivery of the service and to fi nalise new arrangements. All developments will be reported back to residents, in the Link magazine and through Area Review Boards and other resident groups.

As part of their approach to partnership working, Willmott Dixon will be supporting the local community over the coming year by developing their “Opening Doors” initiative, providing work experience placements to young people in local schools and supporting local apprentices with on site work experience.

KCTMO regrets that during the past year our residents have not received the level of service that we aim for and we will work hard to ensure that both the interim and future arrangements meet the expectations of tenants and the targets that we set down.

eMptY propertIesWe carried out works to more than 200 hundred empty properties during the year. By streamlining our processes and working jointly with our contractors, we reduced the average number of days it took to complete all void works and re-let our homes from 26.7 days (2010/11) to 23.9 days, and in doing so saved over £17,000 in lost rent.

We would like to further reduce the time taken to re-let empty homes and this will be a priority for the team in the coming year.

How we compare: percentage of all repairs carried out within target (emergency, urgent and routine)

Lewisham HomesRedbridge HomesAscham HomesSutton Housing PartnershipCityWest HomesTower Hamlets HomesHomes for IslingtonKCTMOHomes in HaveringHackney HomesLB of NewhamHounslow HomesBarnet HomesHomes for HaringeyEnfi eld Homes

99.598.998.798.598.497.796.596.395.895.593.792.992.991.088.7

How we compare: average time to re-let a general needs empty property (excluding major works)

Redbridge HomesHomes in HaveringLewisham HomesSutton Housing PartnershipHomes for IslingtonLB of NewhamTower Hamlets HomesCityWest HomesKCTMOEnfi eld HomesBrent Housing PartnershipAscham HomesHackney HomesHomes for HaringeyHounslow HomesBarnet Homes

14.1017.0719.8820.3020.4020.93

23.1123.3023.9525.8027.0027.5729.1035.0547.5458.34

Your tenancy

alloCatInG HoMesThe Council’s Housing Needs team runs a Common Housing Register (CHR) which is a list of all people applying for social housing. Using this list the Council can allocate properties managed by KCTMO or housing associations in a fair and transparent way.

In 2011/12 there were more than 8500 people on the CHR but only 558 properties were let borough wide, including to other social landlords. As the graph below shows the majority of these were for smaller properties, with only 247 (44%) of the lettings being in family sized properties (two bed or larger).

0800 137 111 • WWW.kCtMo.orG.uk 13

With such a high demand for housing in the borough there are a number of ways that the Council is seeking to make the most of this limited supply of housing:• The Council has reviewed its

method of allocating points, making sure properties go to those in the greatest need and so that applicants have a realistic understanding about their chances of being re-housed. In the coming year the Council will be reviewing who is accepted on the CHR and how the properties are allocated

• Through making sure that all properties due to be allocated to the Council are off ered by KCTMO and housing associations (this must be 50% of studio and one bed properties and 75% of two bed and larger)

• Carrying out tenancy checks to prevent sub-letting and fraud

• For people wishing to move, providing a choice through housing options such as mutual exchange, renting in the private sector or moving to out of London. Details can be found online.

www.rbkc.gov.uk• Developing new homes through

planning agreements and joint working with other councils. A total of 80 new units were built in 2011/12 – 47 for rent out of the borough and 33 for rent in the borough. For 2012/13 the projected pipeline is 74 units for rent (45 in borough and 29 out of borough).

• The Council is also starting a programme of Hidden Homes projects which develops under-used land on Council sites; these include a void basement area of Holmefi eld House on Hazlewood Crescent in Golborne Ward, the lower fl oors of Grenfell Tower in Notting Barns, and vacant former offi ce space in 1-3 Greaves Tower on the World’s End estate in Cremorne Ward. This should result in 13 new homes.

For people who are eligible for social housing but who are waiting for a property, support is also available. This can include temporary accommodation, either in or out of the Borough or access to some of the housing options mentioned above.

lettInGs to soCIal HousInG

propertIes let durInG 2011/12

Bedsit/studios

One bedroom

Two bedroom

Three bedroom

Four bedroom

Five bedroom

Six bedroom

122 189 169

62 13 2 1



fortHCoMInG CHanGes to soCIal HousInGThe Government has made some changes to social housing. These changes relate to how councils allocate social housing to people and the types of tenancies landlords of social housing this applies to.

The Council is currently working on how to use these changes and aims to put these in place by the end of 2012/13. This will mean:

•A new way of issuing social housing tenancies, where not everyone can join the list, but instead people wanting social housing must be in need and have a local connection;•The introduction of fi xed term tenancies for new tenants. Fixed term tenancies are tenancies which are set for a certain period of time, for example fi ve years, and then reviewed

to determine if the tenant or tenants still need the property.

The Government has also reformed the benefi ts system and these changes will impact on residents in the borough. If you are concerned, please go to the Council’s website for further information.

www.rbkc.gov.uk

How we compare: current tenant rent arrears as a percentage of the total rent roll (the rent charged in the year)

Redbridge HomesCityWest HomesEnfi eld HomesHomes in HaveringSutton Housing PartnershipHomes for IslingtonTower Hamlets HomesKCTMOAscham HomesLB of NewhamBarnet HomesHackney HomesHounslow HomesBrent Housing PartnershipLewisham HomesHomes for Haringey

1.391.791.95

2.092.272.352.752.842.932.963.11

3.233.383.834.726.98

neW WaY to paY Your rent There is a new way to pay your rent. This new method is called Paris, and it means that KCTMO is now set up to take rent and service charge payments over the phone using your debit or credit card. In addition, the usual payment options (Direct Debit, Standing Order, Post Offi ce, online, in person at the Town Hall, and by cheque) can also be used as normal.

To make a payment simply contact us with your debit or credit card and ask to make a ‘Paris Payment’. Your Rent Income Offi cer will take your details, process your payment and issue a receipt. This does not replace the same facility off ered by the Town Hall Cashiers but off ers the advantage of access to an offi cer who can give you an up-to-date rent balance, information about your rent account, advice about clearing

arrears and access to welfare benefi ts. Most importantly it off ers you the convenience of making a payment from wherever you are! If you wish to make regular payments on a weekly or monthly basis we advise you to set up Direct Debit or Standing Order payments. Paris Payments are ideal for one-off or occasional payments, such as when you are clearing arrears.

If you do get into diffi culties meeting your rent payments, please contact us as soon as possible to get free advice and support, or a referral to another agency. working on a project to provide tenants and home owners with online access to their rent accounts and repairs history. We will report back in the Link on our progress with this.

0800 137 111 and press 4 Lancaster West 020 7727 9464

0800 137 111 • WWW.kCtMo.orG.uk 15

Your rent Your rents are set by the Council, following Government guidelines that are designed to ensure rents are fair in relation to where you live and the size of your property.

On average, KCTMO tenants received an 8.73% increase on their rent and service charges for 2011/12. This higher than average increase impacted on rent collection for the year and at the end of March our current tenant rent arrears had increased by £58,000. Overall the Rent Income Team collected over £41 million in rent and service charge payments during the year.

We work with a number of external organisations to provide support services to tenants who may be having diffi culties with paying their rent or managing their tenancy.

Tenants can be referred to Staying First (previously the Housing Advice Service Kensington & Chelsea), which can provide legal and Housing Benefi t advice, can help with claiming Discretionary Housing Payments, and can assist with agreeing repayment plans between tenants and KCTMO. Between October and March we referred 380 tenants to this service. As a result of the work undertaken

with Staying First, the combined additional annual income to KCTMO during this period was over £166,000, a combination of one-off amounts and regular payment arrangements.

We also made 13 referrals to the Nucleus Legal Advice Centre for tenants whom we identifi ed as suff ering from fuel poverty. Tenants can work with Nucleus to apply for a non-repayable grant to reduce or clear energy debts, enabling them to make a fresh start.

Where tenants are experiencing diffi culties in managing their tenancy we can refer them to the Council’s Tenancy Support Service. The service helps in areas such as:-• Budgeting skills• Addressing rent arrears• Referrals to specialist services • Practical, social and

emotional support• Accessing community

services• Advice and assistance on

re-housing optionsWe work hard to ensure our tenants can maintain their tenancies but sometimes when tenants have taken no action and allowed

their arrears to increase further, we may apply to the County Court for possession of their properties and as a result of this process tenants could lose their home – during the year 16 households were evicted for not paying their rent.

Tenants can pay their rent by a range of methods: online, Direct Debit, Standing Order, Post Offi ce payment, at the Town Hall, postal, and by telephone. In previous years, tenants have only been able to pay over the telephone by calling the Council, but this year we introduced telephone payments direct to KCTMO. This enables customers to pay their rent and at the same time speak directly to an Income Offi cer for further advice or to check their rent balance.

In the coming year we will be working on a project to provide tenants and home owners with online access to their rent accounts and repairs history. We will report back in the Link on our progress with this.

Rent arrears March 2010 to March 2012 (in millions)

Your neighbourhood & Community


Following feedback from our resident groups we agreed a Local Off er to review our caretaking service during 2011/12. As part of this review, we consulted with residents on their ideas for improvements and also met with other organisations highlighted as having excellent caretaking services.

The review was concluded at the end of March 2012 and the changes agreed will be implemented in 2012/13. We will report back on the progress of these changes through our Area Review Boards (ARB) and on our Local Off ers updates.

Our ARBs also made suggestions for potential projects to be undertaken through the Housing Regeneration fund (HRF), this is a Council fund of £250,000 per year allocated for environmental improvements to our estates.

Their suggestions were reviewed by the Operations Committee and a list of fi ve projects were approved by the Council including, entrance improvements at Tavistock Crescent, CCTV installation to Hortensia House, and landscaping improvements at

Nottingwood House and the Allom and Barlow estates.

We also saw the completion of a three stage project, funded by the HRF of landscape and design improvements at Balfour of Burleigh.

As well as reviewing options for the HRF projects, the Area Review Boards are also allocated annual budgets to spend on environmental and regeneration projects in their areas. In 2011/12 each of the boards had a budget of between £14,500 and £28,400 depending on the size of each area, to spend on local projects. The fi nal choices were decided by residents following bids from Residents’ Association representatives, although other bids from estates with no resident group can also be presented.

The projects completed in the year included new benches at Elm Park Gardens, bicycle racks at Chesterton Square and improvements to fl ooring and tiling at a number of blocks on the Cremorne Estate.

We undertook a procurement exercise during the year for our grounds maintenance service. In order

to encourage and enable small to medium size businesses to tender the borough was divided into two separate contracts, one for the north and one for the south. As part of the process we spoke to residents about the service they currently receive and visited other organisations to see how they provide their services and at what cost.

Residents were involved in the assessment panel reviewing the tender applications and this process was completed at the end of March 2012 with the new contracts beginning in October 2012. • North contract awarded to Tree Wise

Men• South contract awarded to Chris

Edge Tree CareIn August we held our 31st annual

Gardens’ Competition in conjunction with the Council. An environmental award was added in recognition of the voluntary eff orts by Reg Kerr-Bell and our grounds maintenance contractors Tree Wise Men, who transformed a bleak vandalised area of North Kensington into a riot of colour.


neIGHbourHood ManaGeMent

New ASB cases per month: 2010 to 2012

453 new ASB cases were reported in the year, 100 fewer compared to the previous year. There was a steady decrease in the number of new cases reported throughout the last nine months of the fi nancial year.Cases reported included noise nuisance, vandalism, rubbish tipping and incidents of harassment. The tables below shows how the numbers and types of new ASB cases reported compare with other London landlords. As part of our response to the 2011 Home Offi ce review of ASB which concluded that services should be community focused and resident led, we began a review of our own ASB service. We agreed a Local Off er to work with residents to resolve ASB and during the year we have followed up this promise by setting up a focus group to agree resident priorities and review existing policies.

Residents said that their priorities

were dealing with animal nuisance, noise nuisance and harassment, and we have reviewed our procedures for managing these types of complaints. We have also introduced a new ASB software system that ensures cases are managed effi ciently in line with our procedures.

The review will continue into 2012 and will include signing up to the Respect Charter, carrying out a full review of all ASB literature and assessing whether the service provides good value for money (VFM). We will continue to review your responses to satisfaction questionnaires to identify areas that need improvement.

As part of our objective to reduce ASB we are working with the Community Safety Board, a multi agency partnership made up of the Police, Environmental Health, Youth Off ending Team, and other housing providers. The Board work together

to fi nd solutions to resolve local problems in the borough.

We have also joined a tri-borough ‘Troubled Families Initiative’ – a project that aims to ensure families that need support are allocated a family worker who can draw together all involved agencies to ensure services are streamlined and can work towards resolving diffi culties being experienced by families. As members of this project we will be able to nominate families living in TMO homes that we feel could benefi t from this assistance.

When reviewing ASB complaints a range of actions can be undertaken, including visits, mediation and legal action. Sometimes, in cases where individuals continue to cause nuisance to their neighbours we will consider legal action. In 2011/12 three households lost their tenancies as a result of their behaviour.

antIsoCIal beHaVIour (asb)

0800 137 111 • WWW.kCtMo.orG.uk 17

14.5328.3835.0335.8638.2743.9954.4257.1657.42

64.0365.2581.01

92.57135.95138.52225.23

How we compare: number of new ASB cases reported per 1,000 properties

LB of NewhamEnfi eld HomesBarnet HomesHomes for HaringeyAscham HomesCityWest HomesLewisham HomesHounslow HomesHackney HomesHomes for IslingtonKCTMORedbridge HomesTower Hamlets HomesSutton Housing PartnershipHomes in HaveringBrent Housing Partnership

London providers33.1%17.4%7.5%6.7%6.3%5.5%5.2%4.7%3.5%2.4%2.1%

2.0%1.9%1.4%0.3%

-

KCTMO46.7%10.1%0.0%9.4%7.3%2.4%5.8%1.8%

0.4%2.1%1.6%

0.2%0.0%1.6%

0.0%10.3%

How we compare: most frequent types of ASB reported by social housing landlords in London

TypeNoiseHarassment/threatsGarden nuisancePets or animalsRubbishMisuse of communal areasDrug relatedVandalismOther criminal behaviourDomestic violence/abuseOther violenceAlcohol relatedVehiclesHate crimeProstitutionYouth ASB *

*Youth ASB is not a category specifi ed by HouseMark. It is collected locally only and generally refers to a mixture of ASB types, including noise and instances of young people gathering in public spaces causing nuisance or concern to neighbours



Value for Money

busIness CHanGe proJeCtSince 2011 we have been working jointly with the Council on a project to ensure that we are prepared for changes to how local authority housing is fi nanced and to ensure our fi nances continue to be viable.

Work undertaken in the year has included working with the Council to develop a fi ve year Business Plan, including an investment plan which will look at future spending needs. This plan will be reviewed by the Council’s Scrutiny Committee in 2012.

We have also begun work on a Hidden Homes project to develop 13 new homes on three sites across the borough. The project will start onsite next year.

The project group is reviewing how to make best use of our housing stock and HRA resources, and to consider which areas might benefi t from investment, regeneration or disposal. As an example, we are looking at using underused parking areas to generate additional income to order to support wider investment in our housing stock.

Value for Money is one of the key areas for Business Change and key achievements in 2011/12 included:-• Expansion of the Community Alarm

Service (CAS)• Installing an Electronic Document

Management System to manage fi les more effi ciently

• Undertaking reviews of the Asset, Investment & Engineering and Neighbourhood Management departments

• Procuring new contracts, refl ecting resident expectations and incorporating VFM and performance criteria

• Making KCTMO’s management fee go further

The money that is spent on providing housing services for tenants of the KCTMO comes from the Council’s Housing Revenue Account (the rent that you pay) and the management fee we receive for managing the housing stock.

Out of every pound spent on managing and maintaining your homes during 2011/12, we spent:

For every £1 spent in 2011/12 an additional 30p was spent on capital investment works, paid for from the Council’s HRA Capital fund.

WHat We spent

27p on: Planned maintenance, including gas servicing and maintenance, lifts and engineering

10p on: Financial services, Home Ownership, ICT, HR and training

10p on: Heating, hot water and electricity

9p on: Environmental services, including grounds maintenance and cleaning

5p on: Neighbourhood management, including ASB

3p on: Offi ce accommodation, rent and rates

1p on: Resident engagement

2p on: Security and car parks

2p on: Collecting rent

2p on: Customer Contact Centre

10p on: Other costs

17p on: Responsive repairs

2p on: Works to empty properties

19

ALMO:Arms Length Management Organisation, a not-for-profi t company that provides housing services on behalf of a local authority.Capital Fund:

Area Review Board (ARB):The TMO has eight Area Review Boards across the borough, made of up representatives of local Residents’ Associations and compacts. These groups meet on a quarterly basis to discuss areas such as performance, local issues and concerns, and projects for the Housing Regeneration Fund.

Benchmarking:The process of comparing one’s business processes and performance against other organisations. We compare against London ALMOs.

Decent Homes Standard:Sets out the minimum housing conditions that landlords of social housing should meet – it covers areas such as thermal comfort and the age and condition of facilities including bathrooms and kitchens.

Fuel Poverty:Households are considered by the Government to be in ‘fuel poverty’ if they would have to spend more than 10% of their household income on fuel to keep their home in a ‘satisfactory’ condition.

Hidden Homes:The process of creating homes from disused spaces on existing local authority owned buildings.

HouseMark:Set up in 1999 and jointly owned by the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) and the National Housing Federation (NHF). HouseMark is the social housing sector’s leading provider of performance improvement services.

Housing Regeneration Fund:An RBKC fund of £250,000 per year ring-fenced for environmental improvements to our estates.

Local Off ers:We have a requirement to consult residents in developing Local Off ers and to report back to them on the progress of these off ers.

Localism Act 2011:Act of Parliament that made changes to the powers of local authorities in England, specifi cally around the allocation of social housing, tenancy strategy, the fi nancing of local authority housing, and the handling of complaints.

Operations Committee:Made up of representatives from the TMO Board, the terms of reference for the group are to review performance at a closer operational level than the Board.

Procurement:Procurement is the process of awarding contracts for services and products. During the process we review both the cost and quality of the service off ered.

Respect Charter:An initiative led by the CIH, HouseMark and the Social Landlords Crime and Nuisance Group. The Charter sets out good practice for how ASB should be managed and responded to.

Regulatory Standards for Social Housing:Implements the amendments to the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 introduced by the Localism Act 2011.

TMO:Tenant Management Organisation, organisations set up under UK law which allow residents of council housing or housing association homes in the United Kingdom to take over responsibility of the running of their homes

Value for Money:Value for money assesses the cost of a delivering a service against the quality and outcomes of the service provided.

GlossarY of terMs

faY edWards kensington & Chelsea tMo, board Chair Residents are the lifeblood of KCTMO’s service and it’s so important for staff and the Board to work together to deliver great services for all residents. I’m grateful for the hard work of all the staff over this past year, and am pleased to be the Chair of a Board that is committed to building our relationship with the Council. We are working together on exciting projects such as Hidden Homes, where 12 new homes will be made available. This is a great sign of progress for KCTMO and shows that we are a partner which can be relied on to deliver improvements for our people. Our focus is very much on the future, and the good things we can achieve together.

In conclusion

YOUR LOCAL HOUSING OFFICESNetwork Hub292a Kensal RoadLondon W10 5BEOpen weekdays 9am-5pm

Blantyre Offi ceBlantyre StreetLondon SW10 0DS020 8964 6161Open weekdays 9am-5pm

Lancaster West Estate Offi ce, Grenfell TowerLondon W11 1TQOpen Monday to Thursday 9am-4.30pm, and Friday 9am-1pm

CONTACT US 0800 137 111

[email protected]

Kensington & Chelsea TMO, 292a Kensal Road, London W10 5BE

kctmo.org.uk

Finished reading me? Recycle me!

LINKWe include a translated statement on the Link to ensure it is accessible to all residents in the borough. We arrange translators for those who do not speak English, and sign post to local English classes.

Did you know you can access our website for

free at the Network Hub and Blantyre Offi ce reception?

LINKAnnual Report

100% RECYCLABLE

Documents

Annual Report to Tenants 2012 - Kensington and Chelsea TMO€¦ · 0800 137 111 • 5 WHY do We produCe an annual report? The requirement to produce an Annual Report to Tenants is