Issue 03-customer_news_dec2005

SSttoocckkppoorrtt HHoommeess hhaass oonnee ffoooottssqquuaarreellyy iinn tthhee 2211sstt CCeennttuurryy.. Every fortnight when availableproperties are advertisedthrough Homechoice,prospective tenants can nowbid for them via text message.This new service, which waslaunched in early November, isdesigned to offer our existingand prospective customers anadditional, easy and convenientway in which to bid forproperties. So now anyone canbid for properties while they areon the bus, at work or cooking! So far the scheme has alreadyproved an instant hit with nearlyseven percent of bids beingsubmitted by text in thescheme’s first week alone!Would-be texting bidders simplyneed to include an applicationreference number, their surnameplus the size, type and streetname of the property andthey’re ready. As an example, abid by someone called Smith for

a two bed house in BraddonRoad with a reference numberof 1234 might look like this:bid#1234#smith#2bedhousebraddonroad All they would need to do thenis send the text to 07797806630 for their application tobe logged. What’s more as mosttext cost around 10p to send,it’s even cheaper than making aphone call!If you think this may be for youor would like to know moreabout the scheme, then pleasecontact a member ofthe Homechoice team on 0161 474 4567 who will behappy to help.

NEWS and viewsIIssssuuee 33:: December 2005

HOMECHOICELAUNCHESTXT BIDDINGSERVICE 4 U*

Painting the townred, blue and greenwith new services

Customer ActionGroups – why morepeople are gettinginvolved

Find out how youcan have a happyGREEN Christmas!

** OOrr HHoommeecchhooiicceellaauunncchheess tteexxtt bbiiddddiinnggsseerrvviiccee ffoorr yyoouu!!

Stockport Homes will now beholding a quarterly prize drawfor all tenants with a clear rentaccount. There will be a firstprize of £250, second prize of£100 and third prize of £50 foreach of the three districts –Central, East and West. Theprize draw will take place everythree months as a thank you toall the conscientious tenantswho pay their rent and servicecharges on time.

FFoorr mmoorree iinnffoorrmmaattiioonn sseeee ppaaggee 77

Page 10Page 5 Page 8

Win £250 forprompt payment!

Where’s the mystery location?See page three for more details on how you could win £100

Introducing our new competition- the mystery photo!In a nut shell, every issue we willsend our photographer out andabout to take photographs ofmystery locations and you haveto guess where it is! The prize is£100 in high street vouchers. So

to be in with a chance ofwinning, all we need to know is -what’s this photo of? The onlything we ask is that you be asspecific as possible! We want toknow building names, streetnames or specific locations. Then once we have all of the

entries in (deadline Friday 20thof January 2006) we will pickone out at random and thewinner will be announced onFriday January 27th 2006.So best of luck and remember,be specific with your location ordescription. Enjoy!

Entries can be e-mailed [email protected] posted to: PhotoCompetition, Stockport Homes,4th floor, Stopford House,Piccadilly, Stockport, SK1 3XE

2 3NEWS and views: December 2005 NEWS and views: December 2005

As Christmasand NewYearapproachesour attentionnaturallyturns tofamily andfriends, theseason ofgood will andthinking about what the newyear will bring. 2006 will be a very busy yearfor us all. Everyone here isalready working hard towardsbeing awarded at least the twostar status for Stockport Homesto help deliver a higher quality ofservice to you and to yourcommunities.But as in 2005, we can’t do thiswithout you! In 2006 I am urging you tomake a New Year’s resolution toget more involved with the wayyour home and neighbourhoodis managed. We want you toshare your opinions, suggestideas and develop yourthoughts. What’s more there aremany ways for you to do this. Throughout this newsletter thereare countless opportunities foryou to get involved. Comealong to a Customer ActionGroup meeting, join thenewsletter editorial group, getmore involved with diversity -whatever you are interested in,we want to hear from you!So let us all join together andensure that 2006 is anotheryear of success for yourfamilies, friends, neighbours andcommunities.Season’s greetings to you all!

Where’s themmyysstteerryy llooccaattiioonn??

Stockport Homes iscommitted to providing highquality services, which meetits customers’ needs. To dothis, we need to know whatyou think of our services!We need to know when youare not happy with a serviceyou have received but we alsoneed to know when we havedone something well or if youhave a suggestion forsomething we could do better.We will soon be launching a

'customer feedback' schemefor you to give us yourcomments, compliments andcomplaints. All the feedbackwe receive will be used toimprove our services. Theseimprovements will bepublished in future editions ofthis newsletter.You can give your views onthe service at any time in thefollowing ways:

In person - visit your local office

By telephone - telephone your local officeBy post - you can write your comments down and send them to us at Customer Feedback, Directorate of Quality, 4th Floor, Stopford House, Piccadilly, Stockport, SK1 3XEBy email to [email protected] text message to 07891 949 399Through the Stockport Interpreter Unit on 477 9000

Thank you.

HHeelleenn MMccHHaallee:: SSttoocckkppoorrttHHoommeess,, CChhiieeff EExxeeccuuttiivvee

Looking forward

Helen McHale

WANTED: Your views!

The Homelessness and AdviceTeam has changed its name tothe Housing Options Team.This change reflects thestronger focus placed uponexploring and providing better‘options’ for customers ratherthan simply processinghomelessness applications.Simon Welch, HomelessServices Managercommented: “We all know thathousing is in short supply andthere are systems in place forprioritising applications.Homelessness legislationmakes it clear that rehousing

under this legislation shouldonly be used where otheroptions have been exhaustedor are not available.“So, over the next year we willimprove the options that areavailable to our customers andcontinue to re-educate them,as well as ourselves, on howto maximise the opportunitiesavailable.“We will, for example, belooking at ways to help andsupport our customers toaccess alternative forms ofaccommodation, such as theprivate rented sector."

NNeeww nnaammee,, new Options

Social Housing providers, suchas Stockport Homes, havejoined together across GreaterManchester to create a newworking consortium. The newpartnership aims to drive downcosts, invest savings directlyinto projects and create 1,000jobs in the process.Collectively the agencies thatmake up GM Procure, thename given to the newpartnership, will manage therepair and upkeep of over100,000 properties with abudget of at least £535 million.This new partnership will beable to use its size to betterplan long term projects, getbetter discounts on resourcesand inject stability into thelocal construction industry tohelp create more jobs. Overthe next four years alone it isanticipated that GM Procure

will save over £50 millionwhich will be re-invested intoprojects across GreaterManchester.Helen McHale, Chief Executiveof Stockport Homescommented: “The members ofGM Procure are determined toensure that the hundreds ofmillions of pounds of theirinvestment must do more thanprovide decent housing.“Together we will maximise theimpact of these contracts byensuring local contractors andlocal people have everyopportunity to play a full part,allowing for this investment tobe converted into wages thatcan be spent in the localeconomies, making our areasbetter places to live, creatinghigh quality skills andemployment opportunities forour residents.”

Up to 1000 new jobsto be created


Stockport Homes has recentlyintroduced a new service for allof its customers and prospectivecustomers.Stockport Homes now offersaccompanied viewings for allproperties that are available. In reality, this means that anyoneoffered a property by StockportHomes has the opportunity togo and view the property with amember of staff from the localhousing office. Laura Dalton, from the EastDistrict area who currentlyshows clients around propertiescomments: "We decided to startaccompanied viewings as amatter of good practice andprovide the opportunity for

customers to ask any questionsand raise any issues orconcerns that they might haveabout a particular property orarea. “So far the viewings have been asuccess and customers havewelcomed the presence of astaff member on their viewing.This is reflected in the excellentfeedback that is currently beingreceived.”The scheme can offer a practicalsolution to the many questionsthat occur during a typicalviewing, but can also providereassurance and help to firsttime viewers.Adds Lorna: “I hope to alleviateany worries that prospective

tenants may have and maketheir move in to a StockportHomes tenancy a little easier. “It also gives me opportunity toadvise prospective tenants onany changes or developmentsthat may be planned for the areain which they are viewing. I findthat by giving people moreinformation about the area theyare viewing, it enables them tomake a real informed choiceabout where they want to live.”This scheme is yet another wayin which Stockport Homes isstriving to improve its servicesfor customers and prospectivetenants and to make good it’smission to deliver high standardservices for all.

Have you ever dreaded thethought of re-decorating and theexhausting trip to DIYsuperstores that are usually milesaway from where you live?If you haven’t got ready accessto private transport, lugging tubsof paste and wall paper, not tomention rollers and wall paperingtables on the bus can be anightmare scenario.Fortunately Stockport Homes isworking with a number of localcompanies to help address thatand bring choice andconvenience to all customers.One of those companies is WHMorris (0161 330 1101). Theyoffer a range of services thatinclude greatly discounted priceson normal superstore costs,wallpaper books and paint chartsavailable for customers to selectfrom, a dedicated customer hotline for advice on costs,quantities or decorating issues,combined with free delivery directto your door. What’s more it is

hoped that every district office inStockport will have a WH Morrisstand, so that customers canaccess what they want at alocation which is convenient forthem and then have everythingdelivered direct to their door! Thisscheme is currently being trialledin Adswood and Brinnington, butif it is a success then it will berolled out across Stockport.In the meantime, however,Stockport Homes has naturallysourced other companies whoprovide similar services, such asA6 Decor from Hazel Grove(0161 482 4949). They offer a ‘collection’ serviceto take residents to their shopand will deliver goods andresidents back home againafterwards!If you would like to know moreabout the companies namedhere or decorating services inyour area, call into your localhousing office where staff will behappy to help. Happy painting!

In recent weeks I have beenpresent at a Board Memberstraining event and internal staffconferences.I have been impressed with theenthusiasm shown by BoardMembers and staff to take theirrespective roles andresponsibilities seriously and tofocus on our mission ‘to delivera customer driven service,providing quality homes wherepeople want to live’.I believe that we all have animportant part to play inachieving this, and that we canall help by communicating ourexperiences or views of whatworks well, and what could bechanged, streamlined orimproved. Let’s remember to celebrate thegood things and not justcriticise the less good!I believe that communication iskey to this, so I wouldencourage everybody tofeedback comments throughresident groups or directly totheir local office and ensure thatin all we do – lets ‘keepcommunicating’.

Here at Stockport Homes oneof our aims is to deliver acustomer driven service,providing quality homes wherepeople want to live. As part of this, we want tomake sure everyone can accessour services easily and in a waythat suits them.We want to know, therefore,whether we are getting this rightor where there is room forimprovement. Your feedback onthis can help make this happen.For example, we would like toknow what you think aboutaspects such as:

How easy it is for you to contact us by telephone;Whether our opening hours are convenient for you;If you know about services such as home visits or a free interpreters;How easy it is for you to understand the information we give to you.

Accordingly, we want you to letus know what you think aboutthese and any other issues ofour service provision. To make iteasy you can do this in any oneof the ways listed in the boxbelow.

A special invitation

Taking a closer look

Painting the townred and blue and...

RRooggeerr PPhhiilllliippss:: CChhaaiirr ooffSSttoocckkppoorrtt HHoommeess BBooaarrdd

Communicationis the key

Giving your views:

CCoommee ttoo aa mmeeeettiinngg::

The meetings are on TThhuurrssddaayy 55tthh JJaannuuaarryy 22000066 at theHatworks Museum, Wellington Road (A6), Stockport. The firstmeeting will run from 22--44ppmm while the other at the samelocation will be between 66::3300--88ppmm.. The Hatworks Museum isnear to central Stockport’s bus and train station, but if you needa taxi we can arrange one for you at no cost to yourself. If youwould like a taxi to this meeting, then please let us know usingthe contact details below.

OOtthheerr wwaayyss ttoo ggiivvee yyoouurr vviieewwss::

If you are unable to make the meeting or would like to shareyour views directly, then please contact us using the detailsbelow. Alternatively we will happily arrange a home visit (with aninterpreter if needed) at a time and date to suit you.

If you would like to reserve your place at a meeting, book a taxito get you there or just share your views with us, then pleasecontact Phil Rhodes, Diversity Policy Officer, by either:

CCaalllliinngg hhiimm oonn:: 0161 474 4566 or the Interpreter Unit on 0161 477 9000

TTeexxtt mmeessssaaggee ttoo:: 07891 949 399EE--mmaaiill:: [email protected] ttoo:: Phil Rhodes, Stockport Homes, 4th Floor,

Stopford House, Piccadilly, Stockport, SK1 3XE

7NEWS and views: December 2005


With every newspaper, newsprogramme and radio stationtalking about the freezing winterthat we’re all in for, it seems likea good opportunity to look atways that we can stay warm thiswinter and help save money intothe bargain!With a few simple adjustmentsand changes we can all reap thebenefits of a warmer and morefuel efficient lifestyle!Here’s a few hints and tips thatyou can embrace to get youready for the winter ahead (andbeyond!)

WindowsMaking sure windows are closed at dusk and if possibleuse heavy lined curtains and draught-proofing strips that will help to keep the heat in.

Doors You can eliminate draughts and wasted heat by using easy-to-fix brush (e.g. letterbox brushes, keyhole covers) or PVC seal to exterior doors, and draught excluders (e.g. to internal doors).

Reflective radiator panelsReflective radiator panels are cheap to buy, easy to install and trap heat that

would otherwise drift through the wall, reflecting it back to where it should be working the hardest - in your home.If your budget doesn't stretchto these panels you can try using ordinary kitchen foil! Just place a couple of sheetsof foil between your wall and your radiator. It may not be as sturdy or sleek, but it doesthe same job and should helpyou to stay warm.

Immersion heater/hot watertank/room thermostat

If you have your immersion onan Economy 7 tariff, make sure it is set correctly, to come on during off peak times (11.30 p.m. - 8.30 a.m.).If you have a hot water thermostat, it should be set at60ºC - hot enough to kill bugslike Legionnaires Disease, butcool enough not to scald.

Think warm!Regular hot meals, like soup and hot drinks help provide warmth and energy.Keeping active gets the circulation going and keeps you warm. Even doing the cleaning can help!

Fuel billsIn order for you to have accurateand cheap fuel bills, it isimportant:

Check any estimated fuel bills, and obtain an accurate meter reading for your utility company.Remember that you can choose who supplies your fuel, and it’s good to check the tariff’s of different companies, as you may find you have been paying more than average. A number of companies on the Internet offer comparison tables (e.g. www.energywatch.org.uk Tel. 0845-906 07 08 or www.uswitch.com Tel. 0845-601 2856)

If you would like more advice,then please contact eitherthe Energy Efficiency AdviceCentre on 0800 512 012,or Stockport Council's HomeEnergy Officer on 0161-4742672.

Stockport Homes is committedto making it as easy as possiblefor you to pay your rent andservice charges and offers alarge variety of different paymentmethods:

IINN PPEERRSSOONN

You can pay by cash, chequeand debit/credit card at thePayments Hall, Stopford House,Piccadilly, Stockport. Openinghours are 9:00am – 4:30 pmMonday to Thursday and9:00am – 4:00pm Friday.

AATT AA PPOOSSTT OOFFFFIICCEE OORRPPAAYYPPOOIINNTT OOUUTTLLEETT

You can pay at any Post Officeor any retail outlet displaying thePayPoint logo using a swipecard. Post Offices are open onSaturday mornings and manyPayPoint outlets are open 7 daysa week and late night.

To request a free payment swipecard please telephone 08451283933.

OONN TTHHEE IINNTTEERRNNEETT

You can pay with a debit orcredit card at:www.stockport.gov.uk/payments

BBYY PPOOSSTT

Pay by cheque through the post.Cheques should be madepayable to StockportMetropolitan Borough Counciland sent to StockportMetropolitan Borough Council,Payments, PO Box 4, Stockport,SK1 3FN. Please write your name, addressand payment reference numberon the back of the cheque.Cheques must not be postdated. Please enclose astamped addressed envelope ifyou require a receipt. PPLLEEAASSEEDDOO NNOOTT SSEENNDD CCAASSHH..

BBYY TTEELLEEPPHHOONNEE

You can pay using a debit orcredit card by telephoning 08451297010. This service isavailable 24 hours a day.

SSTTAANNDDIINNGG OORRDDEERR

Payments can be made directlyfrom your bank or buildingsociety account. Pleasetelephone 0161 474 5163 torequest a standing order form.

DDIIRREECCTT DDEEBBIITT

Direct debit will soon beavailable to all customers and adirect debit mandate form will besent to you in due course.

Stockport Homes will nowbe holding a quarterlyprize draw for all tenantswith a clear rent account.

TThheerree wwiillll bbee aa ffiirrsstt pprriizzeeooff ££225500,, sseeccoonndd pprriizzee ooff££110000 aanndd tthhiirrdd pprriizzee ooff££5500 ffoorr eeaacchh ooff tthhee tthhrreeeeddiissttrriiccttss –– CCeennttrraall,, EEaassttaanndd WWeesstt..

The prize draw will takeplace every three monthsas a thank you to all theconscientious tenantswho pay their rent andservice charges on time.

All you have to do to beentered in the prize drawis to ensure that your rentaccount is clear and youcould win a cash prize.

Prize draws will take placeon the following dates:

WWeeddnneessddaayy 44tthh JJaannuuaarryy 22000066

WWeeddnneessddaayy 55tthh AApprriill 22000066WWeeddnneessddaayy

55tthh JJuullyy 22000066WWeeddnneessddaayy

44tthh OOccttoobbeerr 22000066

PAYING YOUR RENTis easier than ever!

If you encounter difficulties paying your rent, you should contact the Rents Officeon 0161 474 5163 as soon as possible. In most cases we will be able to helpyou and by making an early arrangement you may be able to avoid courtproceedings and extra costs being incurred

Problems paying your rent

£250PRIZE DRAW

£250PRIZE DRAW

Stockport Homes is piloting an exciting newscheme that puts you, the customer, at theheart of its repairs service.For all of those quick jobs that take less thanan hour to complete, a new service will beoffered that will put and end to you having to

stay in all day waiting for someone to call. Inthe future when you register a repair, you willbe given a two-hour time slot when someonewill call and fix the problem.This trial new service is being run aroundBrinnington now, but it is hoped that it will bejudged a success and then rolled out acrossthe Borough in the New Year.

Keeping warm and bills down

Quick job, quick response!

Customer Action Groups areyour way to get your opinionsand views heard by the peopleresponsible for making decisionsabout where you live.In essence, the purpose of theCustomer Action Groups is toempower customers with theability to influence, shape andimprove the actual housingservices that are delivered. Customer Action Groups wereset up in early 2005 andcurrently cover eight subjectmatters, although occasionallythere are also 'one off' meetingsto discuss particular topics suchas grounds maintenance.The regular Customer ActionGroups meet monthly and each meeting is split into twoparts allowing customers to stayfor a whole meeting or partthereof.

When subjects are discussed indetail, relevant staff membersare always in attendance andthus able to respond directly toany questions or concerns thatmay arise within the subjectmatter.The Customer Action Groupmeetings are open to allcustomers and have a veryrelaxed and informal feel tothem. They also involve theTenant’s Federation, Tenant andResident Associations andinterested individuals as well asStockport Homes BoardMembers and officers, so thatevery customer knows that theirvoice is heard at the highestlevel of the organisation.To help encourage participationand increase the numbers ofpeople who attend eachmeeting transportation costs willbe re-imbursed or if anyonerequires a taxi to get to themeeting, this will be booked and

paid for by Stockport Homes.Each meeting also hasrefreshments on offer so allattendees will never go hungryor thirsty!In addition as an addedincentive, Stockport Homes isnow offering all attendees an


Customer Action GroupMeeting dates January - March 2006

Allocations & HomelessnessTuesday February 7th2-4pm, Stockport Town Hall, Meeting Room 6

Sheltered HousingWednesday January 25th2-4pm, Players’ Lounge, Stockport County

DiversityWednesday January 18th2-4pm, Stockport Town Hall, Committee Room 2

Wednesday February 8th2-4pm, Stockport Town Hall, Meeting Room 6

Wednesday March 8th 2-4pm, Stockport Town Hall, Meeting Room 6

Stock InvestmentTuesday January 17th 6-8pm, Sapphire Suite, Stockport County

Tuesday February 21st 6-8pm, Main Conference Room, Stockport College

Tuesday March 21st 6-8pm, Hatworks, Community Room

Tenancy & Estate ManagementThursday January 12th2:30-4:30pm, Stockport Town Hall, Meeting Room 6

Thursday January 26th2-4pm, Stockport Town Hall, Meeting Room 6

Thursday February 9th2-4pm, Stockport Town Hall, Meeting Room 6

LeaseholdersThursday January 19th 6.30-8.30pm, Hatworks, Community Room

Thursday March 16th 6.30-8.30pm, Hatworks, Community Room

Why I attend:I think each and every personwho attends the CustomerAction Group makes a differenceas this enables an opportunity toair a variety of view points, someof which I feel have been takenon board by Stockport Homes tobe developed further.I do think Stockport Homes islistening to its customers and Ifeel that many of the ideasexpressed at these meetings arebeing considered seriously.

CCuussttoommeerr AAccttiioonn GGrroouupp MMeemmbbeerr

Why I attend:I want to know what is going onin my area and other areas ofStockport. To meet othertenants and hear their views andsuggestions. To have my sayand be part of what's going on.They are all very informative.I can put suggestions forwardand be involved. It’s the onlyopportunity to do so.[Other people should attendbecause] they can have a say inwhat Stockport Homes are doingthat will affect them. Its ourhomes and we need to beinvolved in decisions that aremade on our behalf and havesome input.

AAlleexx EE TTooddhhuunntteerr

Customer InvolvementWednesday January 25th6-8pm, Stockport Town Hall, Meeting Room 6

Wednesday February 22nd 6-8pm, Stockport Town Hall, Meeting Room 6

Wednesday March 29th 6-8pm, Stockport Town Hall, Meeting Room 6

CUSTOMER ACTION GROUPSreasons to get more involved

Income ManagementTuesday January 10th 6-8pm, Hatworks, Community Room

Why I attend:As a tenant I feel I should have asay in how things are done, and Iwish to protect my rights in thesematters.I feel I have made a difference byattending and adding ideas andinput as a customer. This is thebest way for us to voice ourhopes and fears for the future.I have seen many results comeout of these meetings [and] Ihave seen a lot of oursuggestions used in thedocuments and booklets beingissued.

KKeeiitthh SSppuurrrr

allowance of £5 in addition totravel costs.This will be paid out to allattendees at the end of eachmeeting.So as well as knowing that youcan keep up-to-date withwhat’s happening in yourcommunity and being in aposition to help shape thedirection of work withinStockport Homes, you can alsobenefit personally fromattending.

If you would like to knowmore or to book yourplace on one of theCustomer Action Groupmeetings and to discussexpenses, please contactJulie Nelson on telephonenumber (0161) 474 4342or email: [email protected]

Strolling around any store in Stockport this Christmasand into the New Year sales, you would be forgiven

for making sure that all of your bargains and giftswere beautifully wrapped and presented stylishly.After all, who wants to receive a moth eatenpresent? But the way that we produce waste,

whether it’s wrapping paper, Christmasdecorations, paper hats or a Christmas treehas a huge impact upon our economy andenvironment, You would also be forgiven for thinking that

one little paper hat or a set ofChristmas cards is hardly going

to bring about GlobalWarming over night. And

you’d be correct, butadded to your

neighbours thinkingthe same thingand the patternof excess wastebecome bigger.For example, didyou know thatover thisChristmas theRoyal Mail willdeliver around150 million cardseach day! Fromthat it isestimated that a

staggering 1BILLION cards will

end up in the bin!That equates to 17

cards for every man,woman and child in the

UK. Add that to the fact youcould wrap the island of Guernsey

with the amount of wrapping paper wethrow away and ponder as to just what does

happen to the 7.5 million Christmas trees we buy every year andyou start to think about why having a green Christmas is a good

move for the plant, our neighbours and future generations!


When buying food and drink, try not to buy things that are overly packaged. They may look good, but as you know, most of that will end up in the bin! Try and buy things packaged in paper or glass and then recycle the packaging. When buying drinks, whether cola, milk or alcohol try to buy them in large containers, rather than in a lot of small ones. One large bottle results in less waste than a lot of small cans andit’s more economical.Remember to take your used plasticbags back to the supermarket and reuse them or buy some strong bags that you can use again and again. Don’t accept bags that you don’t need. If you are entertaining over the holidays, avoid using paper plates, cups and serviettes. It may be tempting to get out of doing the dishes, but these will all become waste and end up in the bin!Buy long-lasting presents. Things that are flimsy or can only be used for a short period of time may just end up in the bin. Look for new ideas, such as a magazine subscription or sponsoring an animal. If you can, buy gifts made from recycled products. This is a great way to help the environment and dish up the goods come Christmas. You can also buy wrapping paper, string and cards from recycled products too. Check out www.recycled products.org.uk or www.recyclenow.com for a huge list of what’s on offerChristmas card recycling is a great way to help too. The Woodland Trust has announced that you will be able to recycle your Christmas cards at all WH Smiths and all major Tesco stores. This scheme is available from 2nd January 2006. Last year they collected 58 million cards and this year they’re hoping to break the 60 million barrier. For more information check out: www.woodland-trust.org.uk/recycling Finally, consider buying an artificial Christmas tree or UK-grown tree with roots. That way you can plant it out in the garden or in a pot in the New Year!

Remember you can always recycle used goods using the full range of recycling facilities in Stockport,including the neighbourhood recycling sites, household waste recycling centres and using yourhousehold waste recycling collections. Further information on recycling over the festive period includingChristmas trees and cards will be available nearer to the holiday period.

SSoo hheerree’’ss ssoommee hheellppffuull ttiippss ssoo yyoouu ccaann ddoo yyoouurr bbiitt ffoorr aaggrreeeenneerr SSttoocckkppoorrtt tthhiiss CChhrriissttmmaass!!

HAVE A GREEN CHRISTMAS!

NEWS and views: December 200510

Your free 2006calendarEnclosed with this copy of yourlatest newsletter is your free2006 Stockport Homescalendar! (Pictured above)The calendar contains a numberof useful contact details whichyou may wish to use throughoutthe year, as well as a list ofStockport Homes Mission andAims. There’s also a number ofinteresting facts about StockportHomes and not forgetting ofcourse, a full 2006 handypocket size calendar which canbe easily folded out and stuck toa fridge or notice board or kepton you or by the phone!We hope that you will find this auseful resource and will use itthroughout the year!

STOCKPORT HOMES2006 CALENDAR

www.stockporthomes.org

Spring Issue deadlineIt may be that the tree isn’t evenup yet and the thought ofmountains of sprouts hasn’teven entered your mind, butwe’re already thinking about theSpring issue of your newsletter!If you wish to submit an articlefor publication, please send it,no later than Friday 25th ofFebruary 2006 to:[email protected] by post to Mark Sinclair,Stockport Homes, 4th Floor,Stopford House, Piccadilly,Stockport, SK1 3XE.Remember to include yourcontact information too!

If you would like acopy of this

newsletter in largeprint, Braille, or onaudio tape or CD,

please contactPhil Rhodes

(Diversity PolicyOfficer) on

0161 474 4566 or email

[email protected]

STOCKPORT HOMESDIVERSITY STATEMENT

Diversity and accessibility

At Stockport Homes, we believe that everyone has the right to be treated equally, with respect and to feel safe and secure in their own home and neighbourhood.Everyone has a right to make use of the opportunities offered by our organisation and to use all parts of our service. We will promote equality and diversity in the provision of our services and employment and we will not tolerate discrimination.We will make sure that no person or group applying for housing services or employment will be treated less favourably than any other person or group because of their individual characteristics. These characteristics include, but are not limited to, disability, ethnicity, colour, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation and age. We will work together with all of our service providers and customers to ensure that this commitment is met across our entire organisation.

The creation of this statement is one of thecommitments made by Stockport Homes. It sets out our commitment to providing excellentservices to all our customers, regardless of theirindividual circumstances or background. It waswritten by the Diversity Customer Action Group,

then approved by Stockport Tenants’ Federationand Stockport Homes Board. If you want to any more information aboutdiversity and Stockport Homes please contactPhil Rhodes on 0161 474 4566 or e-mail him [email protected]

Documents

Issue 03-customer_news_dec2005