ART250_UNiTY%20Spring%202012

customer contact centres: (has emergency 24 hour repair line)t: 0800 169 2988 (Merseyside)t: 0500 026 079 (Cheshire)

for general information and repairs email:[email protected]

write to us:

Merseyside172 Park Road Liverpool L8 6SJ

If you have any comments about UNiTYmagazine, please let us know. We also welcome any ideas for stories that you might have, and would love to talk to people who would like to take part in our regular columns or have news to share. You can contact us in the following ways:

Call our Communications Team on 0151 703 2064, or write to usSarah Moston, Plus Dane Group, Communications Team, RialtoBuildings, 90-94 Upper Parliament Street, Liverpool L8 7SY. You can also e-mail us at [email protected]

You can access our website with our new smart QR code or visitwww.neighbourhoodinvestor.com

This document is available in other languages, on audio format, in large print or in Braille by request.

SGS-COC-005062

CONTACT US

©2012 This publication has been written & designed by Plus Dane Group’s Knowledge, Innovation and Performance Team working alongside the Tenants Communications Group.

CheshireShepherds Mill Worrall Street Congleton CW12 1DT

Spring edition

Plus Dane Group residents’ magazine Issue Twelve Spring 2012

www.neighbourhoodinvestor.com

2. Scan Me!1. Download aQR ReaderGo to yoursmartphone’s app storeand type in ‘QR reader’.

Download one ontoyour phone (there arelot’s of free apps).

3. Visit ourwebsite

Open up the QR reader on yourphone and scan the code.

0800 169 2988[free from most UK landline phones]

0300 123 4560[local rate from a mobile phone]

From Monday 18 June 2012 your new telephone

contact numbers for Plus Dane are:

If you would like to enter our photography competition please submit your images in any of the following ways:

l Post them on our facebook pagewww.facebook.com/plusdanegroup

l Email your images in Jpeg format to Sarah Moston email:[email protected]

l Post them on a CD to Plus Dane Group, Communications Team, Rialto Buildings, 90-94 Upper Parliament Street, Liverpool L8 7SY

Don’t forget if you do submit a photograph by post to include your name and telephone number

NEW!COMPETITION

Snap the SummerWith such an exciting summer of events ahead, the Queen’s Jubilee, the Olympics and Euro 2012, we want you to help us capture it!

If you’re planning to celebrate these events in any way, send us your best photographs and we’ll publish as many as we can in the next issue. We might even use the best image on our Summer 2012 cover and you could be in the chance of winning a £25 voucherof your choice!

Plus Dane UNiTY2 Plus Dane UNiTY 3

helloHello and welcome to the Spring issue of UNiTY magazine.

It’s been a busy and exciting time for Plus Dane Group sinceour last issue. In March we announced that we have beensuccessful in our bid to Cheshire West and Chester Councilto manage the homes they own in Ellesmere Port andNeston.

We hope that

as you read the

pages of this magazine,

we will show you the

many ways in which we

are delivering our

seven promises.

Plus Dane is selected to expand itsservices to another 15,000 tenants 0800 169 2988[free from most UK landline phones]

0300 123 4560[local rate from a mobile phone]

From Monday 18 June 2012 your new telephone

contact numbers for Plus Dane are:

What does the contract involve?

l A five year contract worthalmost £100m

l All rented and leaseholdproperties owned by theCouncil

l Providing housingmanagement services toaround 15,000 tenants

l Repairs service to 5,800properties

l Develop residentengagement to involvetenants in decisions

l Provide a key contribution to the regeneration of theEllesmere Port and Nestonarea

l Manage the Council’sinvestment of £48m intoimproving the Council’shomes

l 150 new employeestransferring from the Council to Plus Dane

What does the contract mean to Plus Dane and the tenants we serve?

l Increases income to the Groupl Expands the Group’s operating area

and influencel Generates a financial contribution to

the Group of over £1m over the term of the contract

l Helps the Group to forge newpartners in the North West

l Develops the tenant base for theTenant Together Forum

l Improves the development oftenants in undertaking a scrutinyrole within the Group

l Does not involve using currenttenants funds for the contract

l Potential to purchase the propertiesat the end of the contract

Plus Dane UNiTY 5Plus Dane UNiTY4

Back for good

Bakers LaneWinsford

QuarrysideKirkby

HomesHub, part of Plus Dane Group, held a big eventdedicated to helping first time buyers get a foot on theproperty ladder on 21st April inWarrington.

The First Time Buyers Show,which took place at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, offereda wide range of advice and support all under one roofto give first time buyers all the help and advice they needto buy an affordable home.

The event enabled first timebuyers to:l Find quality, affordable homes with a wide range of

housebuildersl Discover HomeBuy options including Firstbuy,

which provides 20% equity loans towards the costof your new home

l Discuss mortgage advice with lenders

l Discuss money matters in confidence withIndependent Financial Advisors

l Meet first-time buyer friendly solicitors

l Get independent help andsupport through the buyingprocess

The show brought togetherhousebuilders, financial advisors,solicitors and other agencies tohelp first time buyers.

Well known developers such asBovis, Persimmon, Keepmoat andTaylor Wimpey all took a stand.

The show was advertised by Rightmove and associatewas sponsor IKEA. HomesHub promoted the showthrough a series of email campaigns, adverts and aradio campaign with Wire FM.

Event offers help for first time buyers


community safetyspecial issueMany tenants have told us that community safety is one of their top

priorities. Tenants have told us that they would like more information abouthow to stay safe in their communities and more advice and information onwhat to do and who to speak to if you experience antisocial behaviour.

That’s why we’ve been working with the tenants’ communications group todedicate this issue of UNiTY to community safety and the many ways thatPlus Dane is working with tenants and residents to meet our promise ofincreasing community safety measures.

ONE OF OUR PROMISES increased community safety measures

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

L-R: Jayne Carter, Gillian Wills, Tracey Proud,Kenny Higham & Nicola Andrews


Don’t be a victim of crimeTop tips to keeping yourself and your home safe

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH 0116 2710052 www.neighbourhoodwatch.net Lots of practical information about keeping your home safe andhow to set up a Neighbourhood Watch Group.

CRIMESTOPPERS0800 555 111 www.crimestoppers-uk.orgCrimestoppers is an independent charity working to stop crime. Youcan call them anonymously to report crime or suspicious activity.

SUZY LAMPLUGH TRUST020 7091 0014 www.suzylamplugh.orgAfter her daughter Suzy disappeared in 1986, Diana Lamplughfounded this personal safety trust. It offers advice to children andadults on staying safe and sells a range of not-for profit personalsafety alarms.

VICTIM SUPPORT 0845 30 30 900 www.victimsupport.org.ukVictim Support helps people cope with the effects of crime. Don’tsuffer in silence.

Further Help

ONE OF OUR PROMISES increased community safety measures

Join inAll 4 U Cheshire is a support social club for adults with special needs based in Holmes Chapel.

Plus Dane to train police in housing lawPlus Dane Group is training police officers in housinglaw and understanding tenancy agreements to helpimprove neighbourhood safety.

The move is aimed at reducing a “revolving door” effectwhich can sometimes see housing officers and thepolice duplicating efforts to deal with problem tenants.Seven Merseyside Police officers from the Everton andAnfield neighbourhoods began training sessions inApril and more will be offered the guidance overcoming months as the scheme is extended.

“Every police officer should have a copy of partnerhousing providers tenancy agreements in their backpockets as they offer a wide range of sanctions fordealing with antisocial behaviour,” said Nicola Andrews,Plus Dane’s Neighbourhood Investment Manager.“We have a fantastic relationship with the police andhave seen the results that can be achieved by workingin partnership.

Neighbourhood inspector David Whalley of MerseysidePolice, said: “"This training will provide the staff with theknowledge that will assist the neighbourhood policingteam and our partners at Plus Dane, to enforce tenancyagreements and provide evidence for anti-socialbehaviour injunctions.

“In working together we are looking to reduce anti-social behaviour and improve the lives of the peopleliving in our community".

Sheltered Housing

Tele-care alarm service

Plus Dane’s Supported Housing Services


We thought we’d be homeless, now we’re over the moon

The Congleton florist went through thepain of separation from her partner,the loss of her business, a mountainof debt and the fear that she and herchildren would become homeless.

A few months on, however, she issettling into a new home, her debtshave been managed and she hopesto soon be able to go back to the job she loves.

“It’s been quite a journey,” says the49-year-old.

“I’d been in a relationship with mypartner for 23 years. When he left,everything started going wrong.

“I found it hard to cope with the stressof the separation, the landlord wantedme and my two young children tomove out, I couldn’t keep up with thebusiness and eventually had to closeit down.”

“It was very tough on the kids. Theykept asking me ‘mummy, where arewe going to live?’ I kept telling themthat everything would be fine, but Ididn’t know that they would be.”

As time went on, one of Jane’schildren even emailed Congleton’s MP Fiona Bruce for help. But just as it seemed there was no hope on thehorizon, the story had a happy ending.

Jane, who also has a grown updaughter who lives in Manchester,began bidding for houses via Cheshire East’s choice-based lettings system and was amazed when a bid for a new-build three-bedroom home accepted.

“After I moved in I was put in touchwith (Plus Dane’s Financial Inclusionofficer) Carl Thomson, who wasabsolutely brilliant. With his advice I got a debt relief order and help to get some essentials we needed suchas a washing machine and a fridge, a cheaper energy tariff and affordablecredit from a credit union.”

“He also put me on the right path with the benefits I was entitled to butdidn’t realise.

“The children are over the moon, we have a home and we can afford to stay here.

As a final twist, Jane’s home, which was built on the site of the former Elworth Court Sheltered accommodation scheme, turned out to be the 1,000th new property developed by Plus Dane in Cheshire.

To celebrate the event, Jane was presented with a bouquet

of flowers, which she may take as an encouraging sign as she aims to return to floristry.

“I’ve worked in lots of jobs over the years but always wanted to work with flowers. It was such a thrill to be able to startmy own floristry business and such awrench to lose it,” Jane says.

“Now that things are starting to settle it would be lovely to be able to do that again.

“We’ve been through such bad times, I can’t believe how far we’ve got in a short time.”

Everything is starting to come up roses again for Jane Davenport.

F lorist’s journey from despair to happiness

If you are experiencing money troubles ordifficulty paying your rent, Plus Dane ishere to help.

There is a range of services our FinancialInclusion team can offer, including helpingyou sign up with credit unions and savingsaccounts, reducing your energy bills byswitching you to lower cost tariffs andoffering affordable home-contentsinsurance.

We can also help with general budgetingand, if necessary, put you in touch withspecialist debt management services.

With the Government planning to bring ina Universal Credit system, which will seeall benefits paid into bank accounts, wecan also help you set up basic bankaccounts, which everyone on benefits will need.

To get help, speak to your rent officer orcall our contact centre on 0800 169 2988(usually free from a landline) or 0300 123 4560 (local cost from a mobile phone).

Plus Dane has also set up a dedicated debt helpline with the Consumer CreditCounselling Service (CCCS) on 0800 652 1588.

We can help!

More than a game Football helps homeless find new goals


call or email

Title Date & Time Location

Your chance to learn and grow

Plus Dane Group holds a yearlyGraduation Ceremony to celebrate

their staff and Ni residentsachievements of qualifications andcourses. We hold this event everyyear and come together as one big

team to celebrate each other’ssuccess. This year’s event is on

Friday May 18 2pm - 4pm. For more details, call

Katie Lee on 0151 708 4614.

Picture Perfect

Title Date & Time Location Title Date & Time Location

Residents have been celebrating the beautyand heritage of their neighbourhoods bylearning how to take pictures.

Local people view their artwork at Harlow Street sport pitches

Halton Youth Squad unveil the Castlefields photography

Halton Youth Squad capture Castlefields photography

Artwork at Harlow Street sport pitches


The midnight mission

Supporting people

Following the launch of our newinteractive customer login feature on ourwebsite, we unfortunately experiencedsome unforeseen problems with theservice and had to temporarily remove thelogin access to the feature to resolve theissue.

We understand that this was veryfrustrating and disappointing forcustomers keen to use and benefit fromthe new feature and we are sorry that itstaken us some time to get it back up andrunning.

We are extremely grateful to you forbearing with us and we’re confident thatthe feature is now working properly.

We hope that this hasn’t discouraged you from using the customer login, which is a really useful feature that allows you to view your tenancy information, log repairs, make rent payments, viewyour rent account and much morebesides, in an online, password protectedarea of the website.

£www.neighbourhoodinvestor.com

visit www.neighbourhoodinvestor.com for further details

WE’RE SORRY

Hat-trick of honoursPlus Dane Group has been named the 20thbest company to work for in the UK -completing a rare hat-trick of honours this year.

£7m investment in newhomes in Bootle completes


Fighting for jobs

Plus Dane and the EastCheshire Chamber ofCommerce are challengingCongleton firms to take onapprentices - and are offeringhelp in finding and supportingthe right people.

The new BeartownApprenticeship Scheme aimsat getting more young peopleinto work and training asfigures show school-leaversare finding it increasinglydifficult to find jobs.

One of Congleton’s biggestfirms, engineering giant KEBurgmann, has already takenon two apprentices throughthe service.

Last month, it emerged thatthe number of 16-24 year-oldsnot in employment, educationor training (NEETs) had hit arecord high, with almost one-in-five young without a job or training place.

We currently employ 35apprentices and plan to takeon more later this year. Underthe Beartown Apprenticeshipscheme, we will work withemployers to identifypositions, advertise roles,interview applicants, and offermentoring and other support.

Plus Dane creates more jobsTwenty-eight jobs are being created in our repairs team as we seek to further enhance the quality of service we offer.

The jobs on offer include joiners, plumbers, gas engineers, ground workers andelectricians. The list also includes two trainee posts.

Plus Dane’s director for property and procurement Phil Pemberton said: “We are alwayslooking for opportunities to improve our service and create local, sustainable jobs.

This is the second time in 18 months that Plus Dane, which was recently named the 20th best company to work for in the Sunday Times Best Companies awards, hasincreased its trades team.

In 2010 we created 60 jobs and 11 apprentice roles and currently employ 570 people.

IT ALL ADDS UPMark’s making progress with your help

Mark Sumner is someone who knows he cancount on his fellow tenants.

The Congleton man lost his job as a payrolladministrator and was frustrated in his searchfor a new one because he lackedexperience in the latestaccountancy systems.

But with your help, Mark isback on track.

“I needed to learn a newsystem called SAGE,” Markexplained. “But the cost oftaking a diploma was £1,000 -impossible for a family man on jobseekers allowance.

“But Plus Dane came up trumps, paying for my diploma fees and for a complementarycourse in bookkeeping.”

Recently Plus Dane carried out an efficiencydrive which unlocked £30,000 to assist tenantsand their children to get back into work andaccess training.

Members of the Tenants Together Forum toldPlus Dane Group that they wanted to help localpeople get the training they needed to helpthem move into jobs and careers - people justlike Mark.

“Plus Dane have given a lifeline to me andmy family,” Mark added. “I’m workingmy way through the courses and I’m confident when I’ve got thediploma under my belt the jobopportunities will be there.

“I’m impressed by the way PlusDane invests in their tenants as

well as in bricks and mortar. I’mlooking forward to getting off benefits

and back into work and having the money toimprove our home and enjoy our lives. Thefuture is looking bright.”

If you are interested in hearing more about howwe can help you to access training for you totake the next step, please contact Emma Sneyd on 01260 288 275 or [email protected].

Protect your trees

Here comes the summer


New green service forCheshirePlus Dane’s pioneering environmentalservice is to take over as caretakers ofgrounds in Congleton and Alsager.

IN Environmental Services (INES)begins upkeep of grassed areas and the gardens of 103 extra-carecustomers from Monday 1 May 2012.

The new INES will be based in Cheshireand jobs will be targeted at peoplefrom the Congleton and Alsager areasafter the group won 50% of theCheshire grounds maintenancecontract.

Existing staff will be transferred to INES,who will immediately take on at leastone extra worker and who plan to maketwo seasonal jobs permanent.

The not-for-profit service, which will bebased in Plus Dane Group’s depot off

Back Lane, Congleton, promises tokeep jobs and skills local. As a firststep, INES has agreed to buy all itsequipment from local firm CongletonGarden Machinery.

Head of INES, Joe Feeley, said:“Congleton and Alsager residents canlook forward to a great service, withworkers who are approachable andfocused on problem solving andoffering a wider range of services.

“We exist to improve the environmentand create jobs and trainingopportunities for local people. Peoplewill soon start noticing the differencewe make.”

INES is a social enterprise supportedby Plus Dane Group. The multi-awardwinning business, which is has beenpraised by leading politicians of allparties, was first set up in Liverpool 10 years ago in an effort to kick startregeneration in Toxteth and Dingle.

Service changes...

Cleaning change inMerseysideResidents in Merseyside, who receive acleaning service for shared corridors andcommunal areas of apartment blocks,will notice Advanced Cleaning Serviceswill provide this service and windowcleaning from April after a competitivetender process. Don’t hesitate to let usknow what you think of their service.

Icare trial...

Dogs have their day

Following consultation with customers,from Monday 18 June 2012 we areintroducing two main customer contactnumbers for you to use whencontacting us using either by a landlinephone or a mobile.

The two contact numbers you will usefrom Monday 18 June 2012 are:

Freephone: 0800 169 2988free from a landline phone Calls to 0800 numbers are free frommost UK landline phones but you maybe charged when using a mobile phone- check with your service providerbefore calling.

Local rate: 0300 123 4560local cost from a mobile phoneCalls to 0300 numbers from mobilephones are charged at local rates andare cheaper than calls to 0800 numberscheck with your service provider before calling.

To help you remember the two numberswe have enclosed with this edition ofUNiTY, a useful fridge magnet whichgives details of the two contactnumbers.

Customers in Merseyside will alreadybe familiar with the 0800 169 2988number whilst customers in Cheshirewill no longer use the 0500 026 079 orthe 01260 281 037 numbers they havepreviously used from Monday 18 June2012

Anyone calling the existing 0500 or01260 numbers after Monday 18 June2012 will be directed to a member ofstaff for a short period of time untilthese numbers will be phased out.

Don’t worry if you call 0300 123 4560before the Monday 18 June 2012, you will still be transferred through to a member of staff who will answeryour call in the same way.

Contacting us made easier

New featuresWe are also introducing some new features to our telephone system to make is easier and quicker for you to speak to a member of staff:

l To help make your query easier to be resolved, if you telephone back within anhour of your previous call you will be directed to the last member of staff you spoke to if they are available - this will ensure you don’t need to repeat your query and details again.

l If you find you are in a queue you will now have the option to retain your place in the queue and request a call back when an advisor becomes available - detailsof how to do this will be given to you via a message on the phone whilst you arewaiting in the queue.

l We want to know what you think about our telephone services as this is importantto us. At the end of each call you will be asked if you would like to complete ashort automated survey - this is optional and won’t take long.

New customer contact hoursIn response to the feedback we received from you in last year’s customer satisfactionsurvey we have reviewed our customer contact hours and from Monday 18 June2012 you will be able to call us from 8.30am until 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. Outside of these hours, if you need to contact us to report an emergency repair orreport an incident of antisocial behaviour, your call will automatically be connected toour out of hours service.

Our commitment to you

We are committed to resolvingyour query the first time you call us and we aim to answer your call as quickly as possible. Our

staff are trained to providepractical suggestions as well asdiagnosing problems. In some

circumstances we won’t be able toanswer your query straight awaybut we will aim to do this as soon

and as best as we can.

Barry Molyneux with Bullseye

Children from St Silas School

Documents

ART250_UNiTY%20Spring%202012