ImprovingSer vicesForYou ...

The Tenant

involvement and

empowerment standard

The Tenancy Standard

The value for money standard

The Home

Standard

The

Governance and

Financial viability

standard

The Neighbourhoods and Communities

standard

Contents

Our Services to You 01

Having Your Say and Getting Involved 02

Repairing and Maintaining Your Home 04

Quality Homes for You 06

Your Home, Your Choice 08

Where you Live 10

Spending Your Money Wisely 12

How We Run Our Business 14

Our Plans for Improved Services 16

Our Services to You

01

In October 2010 we sent you a report which included facts and figures showing how we had performed in 2009-10. It also included information about how we are meeting standards set by our regulator, the Tenant Services Authority and how we were planning improvements to our services in consultation with residents. We promised to keep you up to date with those plans and this special supplement to your regular newsletter brings you the latest news about this work.

How we have gathered your views

We have been gathering tenants and other customers views for a long time and making changes to our services in response to your suggestions.

Last summer we used the Residents Challenge Day to get your views on many of our main services and in October’s Tenants Report we asked you to get in touch with your ideas. Since then we have held a number of workshops, inviting tenants who had said they were interested in particular areas of our work to make suggestions about what we could do better or differently. We have also studied the results of the recent STATUS satisfaction survey to check which parts of our service tenants are most and least satisfied with. You can read more about the survey results in your newsletter.

The Tenant

involvement and

empowerment

standard

Having Your Say and Getting Involved Finding the best way to get your views heard

02

We are committed to working with residents to improve neighbourhoods and to provide choices in the services we offer.

We asked you what kind of service you wanted and how we could improve our existing service. As a result, as well as continuing with the best of what we already do, this is what we offer.

What we do now

4 We have agreed with you how we can engage with tenants and other customers

4 We involve residents in how we run our business, with tenant Board Members and other groups involved in planning and improving services

4 We offer a range of ways for you to contact us and have your say

4 We carry out neighbourhood walkabouts with tenants and other agencies to identify and resolve problems in your local area

4 We have a clear complaints process which makes it easy for you to tell us if you think something has gone wrong with our service

4 We aim to learn from complaints and review any that we receive

Finding the best way to get your views heard

03

Involvement and empowerment

We will:

4 Provide a variety of ways for you to give your views and ideas on improving services

4 Provide training and information so that you are confident about getting involved

4 Make sure that even if you live in more remote rural areas you will have the same chance of being involved in our work

4 Provide opportunities for you to hold us to account and to compare us with other housing providers

Understanding and responding to the diverse needs of our tenants

4 We will work with residents who represent neighbourhoods to listen to and feedback the differing views in that area

4 We will be flexible about how we gather information from individuals, groups or events

4 We will keep information we hold up-to-date, to help us deliver services which meet individuals’ needs

Customer service & choice

4 We will continue to improve how we communicate with you

4 We aim to deal with most of your enquiries when you first contact us

4 Where possible we will contact you in the way you prefer, offering home visits or appointments at the office as well as phone calls, texts, emails and letters

4 We will improve information available on our websites and through other media

4 We will explore where we may be able to offer you more choices

Comments and complaints

4 We will improve the way we learn from complaints and will try to involve tenants in how we review complaints

4 We will keep you better informed about what action we take when you make comments and suggestions

Repairing and Maintaining Your HomeThe

Home

Standard

Providing a reliable and responsive repairs service

04

We want you to have a say and feel that we have listened to your views.

We believe we provide a cost effective service that keeps homes well maintained and safe. Customer satisfaction with our service has improved over the last two years and we want to continue to provide an excellent service to you.

We asked you what kind of service you want and how we could improve our existing service. Where we can, we are making these changes. This is the service we offer you.

What we do now4 We have a dedicated team of operatives

on call, 365 days a year

4 Our service includes a 24 hour emergency response

4 Our repairs target times have been agreed with tenants

4 We provide a service you can trust delivered by Total Response Ltd (TRL), our in-house team and approved local contractors

4 We follow up repairs to find out how satisfied you are with the service

4 We invest over £1 million each year to bring existing properties up to our lettable standard

RepairsWe will:

4 Make appointments for repairs when you first contact us

4 Make arrangements to remind customers of appointments

4 Develop a handyperson service for smaller jobs

4 Complete repairs right first time

4 Publicise how well we perform against our targets and other commitments each year

05

Responsive repairs

4 We aim to attend to all emergencies within 2 hours - if we can’t fix it we will make it safe and finish the repair within 24 hours

4 We aim to carry out urgent repairs within 3 days

4 We aim to carry out non-urgent repairs within 21 days

4 We will carry out some repairs in batches to ensure we get value for money

4 We aim to keep our high levels of customer satisfaction. We’ll use a mixture of surveys and inspections to check this out

Regular servicing

We will:

4 Service heating systems and appliances each year to ensure you remain safe in your home

4 Regularly service emergency lighting, fire equipment, door entry systems, lifts, fire alarms and CCTV installations

4 Carry out other surveys periodically, for example, to check for asbestos, to ensure we identify any hazards in your home

Repairing empty homesWe will:

4 Upgrade empty homes to a ‘tenant approved’ standard

4 Continue to involve tenants in checking the quality of our work on empty homes

4 Continue to ask new tenants what they think about their new home and act on the best suggestions

4 Repair and relet empty properties promptly, setting target times each year

4 Monitor the costs of repairing empty properties to keep them reasonable while keeping to our agreed standard

The

Home

Standard

Providing homes you can be proud of

Quality Homes for You

06

We are proud of the homes we provide and want you to be happy with your home too. Our new homes are built to a high standard and we invest in both new and older homes to improve their energy efficiency.

We asked you what kind of service you wanted and how we could improve our existing service. Where we can, we are making those changes. This is the service we offer you.

What we’re already doing4 We have invested £25 million in

improvements in the last 4 years across the whole Group

4 We are meeting our promises made to tenants about improvements to their homes

4 We have improved homes to meet, and in many cases exceed the Government’s Decent Homes Standard

4 We have invested in ‘green’ heating systems and insulation to energy efficiency and save you money on fuel bills

4 We have carried out adaptations to suit individual circumstances to help people to remain in their home

4 We involve you in planning improvements made to your home

We will:4 Maintain your home above the national

standard

4 Encourage feedback to improve our service and the homes we provide

4 Promote health and safety to our contractors and ensure that they work safely in your homes

4 Work with you to improve the information we give you about our investment plans for your homes and neighbourhoods

07

New homes4 We will involve you in the design of

homes that are built near where you live

4 We aim to build homes for rent to help those who can’t afford to buy

4 We aim to build homes for full and shared ownership for those who want to buy their home

4 We will involve local communities in shaping our plans for new homes

4 We will ask new occupiers how happy they are with their new home and how we could improve new developments

4 We will let you know our plans for new homes each year

Improvements to your homeWe will:

4 Continue to give you a choice of layout and style of products we fit into your home

4 Involve you more in the planning and implementation of our improvement works programmes

4 Involve you in quality checks on improvement works

4 Publicise our plans for investment each year

4 Continue to explore and fit ‘greener’ and more efficient heating systems to help protect the environment and reduce residents’ bills

Adaptations We will:

4 Work with you and your Local Authority to provide adaptations to meet your needs

4 Improve servicing arrangements for adaptations

4 Advertise adapted properties through Shropshire HomePoint to ensure that we make the best possible use of our homes to meet your needs

Your Home, Your ChoiceThe

Tenancy

Standard

Making the right moves

08

We want you to make the right choice when deciding where to live. Once in your home we want you to be an active part of your community and be proud of your home and where you live.

We asked you what kind of service you want and how we could improve our existing service. Where we can, we are making these changes. As well as continuing with the best of what we already do, this is the service we offer you.

What we do now 4 We offer those looking for housing or

to move an easy way to find a home through the Choice Based Letting system, Shropshire HomePoint which is run in partnership with Shropshire Council and other housing providers

4 We use Herefordshire HomePoint to let our homes in Herefordshire

4 We are members of HomeSwapper, a system to help people to move from one area to another

4 Our rents are set in line with government guidance

4 We have a clear policy about rents and aim to prevent arrears and deal with them quickly if they do occur

4 We provide rent account statements for you every 3 months

4 We have a clear process for providing aids and adaptations to help people stay in their homes and for finding adapted homes to meet individual needs

4 We offer a range of housing and support services and can put you in touch with other agencies who can provide help if you need it

09

Allocations4 We will encourage more landlords to

join Shropshire HomePoint so that applicants have more choice

4 We will provide more general information to you about who we house

4 We will provide help to those who want to move to a smaller or more manageable home

4 We will improve information to Shropshire HomePoint users for example applications will be registered and an acknowledgment sent

Rents

4 If you miss rent payments we will contact you promptly to help prevent arrears and agree manageable repayments

4 We will use the phone more as a method of contact

4 We will treat every case based on individual circumstances

4 We will work with partner agencies to provide debt advice to tenants with rent arrears

4 We will consider incentives for people who have a clear rent account

Your Tenancy 4 We will keep you updated with changes

that will affect your tenancy

4 We aim to visit all our tenants over a 3 year period

Where you LiveThe

Neighbourhoods

and Communities

standard

Creating safer, cleaner and greener neighbourhoods

10

We want you to be proud of where you live. We will work with you and other agencies to make sure that neighbourhoods and shared community spaces are well maintained, clean and safe.

We asked you what kind of service you wanted and how we could improve our existing service.Where we can we are making those changes. As well as continuing with the best of what we already do, this is the service we offer you.

What we do now 4 We have contracts which set clear

standards for grass cutting and related work

4 Tenant ‘spotters’ check that these standards are maintained

4 We carry out neighbourhood walkabouts with tenants and local agencies to improve where you live.

4 We have sponsored community clean up days

4 We have a clear policy which guides how we deal with anti-social behaviour

4 We work in partnership with the Police and other local agencies to identify issues and agree the best way to tackle anti social behaviour

NeighbourhoodsWe will:

4 Expand our regular neighbourhood walkabouts in your community

4 Publicise the dates and outcomes of the walkabouts

4 Agree standards appropriate to your neighbourhood including standards for the upkeep of green areas

11

Anti-social behaviour We will:

4 Respond to the most serious incidents within 1 working day

4 Provide advice and guidance to tackle the problem

4 Let you know the outcomes of cases

4 Arrange for specialist agencies to provide help and support where appropriate

4 Improve how we monitor and handle reports of anti social behaviour

4 Keep you informed of the progress of your case

We plan to use mediation more to resolve disputes and have trained staff to do this

Service Charges 4 We will work towards making statements

clear to everyone so that you know what services you are paying for

4 We will consult with you to create a ‘menu’ of choice that covers services provided to shared areas

Spending Your Money WiselyThe value

for money

standard Shropshire Housing Group recognises the importance of giving value for money… and that this does not only mean keeping costs down

12

You have told us that you want to see services that are effective, meet your needs and are of good quality. In a recent survey 87% of our residents said that the rent they pay is good value. We must ensure we keep it that way.

We asked you what kind of service you wanted and how we could improve our existing service.

What we do now4 Wherever possible we join procurement

clubs to share purchases with other providers. We have recently set up a new ‘club’ with other housing organisations which is dedicated to the Midlands Region

4 We have a Value For Money Working Group which includes senior staff, Board Members and tenants. The Group meets regularly to consider new ways of improving the efficiency of our services

4 We involve tenants in the choice and appointment of contractors, suppliers and consultants to help make sure we get the right balance between cost and quality

4 Senior Managers regularly review budgets and the top ten highest areas of spending

4 We use a process called “lean working” which helps us to look carefully at how we do things and eliminate unnecessary and wasteful procedures. This has had a big impact on the speed with which we relet empty homes and in managing rent arrears

13

You told us that:

4 We need to publicise our performance more – especially Total Response Ltd

4 We need to encourage tenants to help themselves where possible, for example working together to benefit all in the local community and using heating systems more efficiently

4 We need to use purchasing clubs more widely

4 We must cut out inefficiencies.

4 We need to work with other agencies where possible to cut costs

4 We must make sure all services are delivered in a consistent way

4 Plan improvements that help tenants save money for example fitting more energy efficient heating systems

Our commitment for the futureAs a result, we have set some clear service standards. We promise to:

4 Improve and simplify the way in which we get feedback from you with fewer but more effective surveys

4 Set clear targets each year for each department setting out the efficiencies we wish to achieve

4 Focus our attention on the three top priorities the Value For Money Focus Group set out:

4 Providing new homes

4 Continuing to invest in our existing homes

4 Putting more money into face to face housing services

4 Work harder to engage with younger tenants and home owners, so we understand what matters to them

4 Look to work in partnership with other housing providers to save money

4 To produce more relevant performance information and statistics to share with residents

The

Governance and

Financial viability

standard How We Run Our BusinessEnsuring we’re run well.

14

We believe that Shropshire Housing Group is a well run organisation with sound finances. We want to ensure this continues and that we operate in a way that is open and accountable to our tenants and the wider communities in which we work.

We have a ‘governance improvement plan’ which we update every year and so we asked you what we could do better. As a result, we will add some new actions.

What we do now4 We follow the National Housing

Federation’s code of good practice Excellence in Governance which guides how we are run

4 We carry out regular reviews to check that our boards, committees and individual board members work effectively

4 The boards set clear aims and objectives for the Group; we publicise these and what we have achieved along with how we are governed in our corporate plan, our annual report and in tenants’ newsletters

4 We regularly review the risks we face to make sure we have arrangements in place to minimise them

15

Getting the finances right4 We have annual budgets which are

managed closely

4 We have clear 30 year business plans which show that we can and remain in business in the long term

4 We have clear procedures to ensure that we borrow and lend money responsibly

4 We follow widely recognised accounting rules to ensure that our finances are recorded and reported accurately.

4 Each year our accounts are audited by an independent firm to comply with the law

We will:4 Continue to follow the code ‘Excellence in

Governance’

4 Provide clearer and more regular information about our performance

4 Set up clear ways by which tenants can scrutinise our performance

4 Promote how tenants can get involved in running the organisation

4 Arrange opportunities for tenants to meet and question board members and senior staff

What we do now continued4 We have clear guidelines that explain

the different roles of board members and staff

4 We regularly review what our regulators and funders need to make sure we meet those requirements

Our plans for improved services

16

It’s never too late to get involved!

Interested? Getting involved doesn’t have to mean committing yourself to attending lots of long meetings – you can get involved in other ways. If you want to know more about having your say then contact our Resident Involvement Team on 0300 303 1190.

In this update you can see what Shropshire Housing Group offers you. The tenants we spoke to didn’t want major changes to our services or for them to be significantly different in different towns and villages; they wanted us keep to a high standard of service and to work on making some services more efficient – which might include working more closely with other organisations.

If you want more details about the services we mention you can pick up one of our individual service leaflets from our offices or from the website (www.shropshirehousing.org.uk) or alternatively ring our Customer Services Team on 0300 303 1190 who will be pleased to help you.

17

Equal Opportunities statement

We recognise the damage that disadvantage and discrimination can cause. We are committed to equal opportunities and will take positive steps to ensure that you will not be treated less favourably than anyone else in your dealings with us because of race, religion, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, class or age.

We will provide a report every year on how we have met our standards and improved our services.

Next Steps Staff from across the Group will be working hard to make the changes you wanted to see and to improve our services. As part of this work we will be listening you about what you want. For example, over the coming months there will be:

4 Consultation with residents about our future investment plans – looking at what and where we need to spend money to improve your homes and environment

4 Survey work to help us find out more about our customers

4 A review of how Shropshire HomePoint works – including consultation with a sample of HomePoint users

4 Consultation with residents about maintenance standards for shared areas – including grass cutting and cleaning standards

4 Follow up discussions with residents who have reported anti-social behaviour to find out where we need to doing things better

4 More work to find out how we can improve the satisfaction and meet the expectations of our younger customers

Working together to improve servicesWe have developed these plans and standards in consultation with tenants. We are working with Shropshire Council and other housing associations to explore ways in which we can share resources, involve residents more in checking services and support residents as they become more involved in planning services.

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The Gateway, The Auction Yard, Craven Arms, Shropshire SY7 9BWT: 0300 303 1190 E: enquiries@shropshirehousing.org.ukwww.shropshirehousing.org.uk

The Gateway, The Auction Yard, Craven Arms, Shropshire SY7 9BWT: 0300 303 1190 E: enquiries@shropshirehousing.org.ukwww.sshropsha.co.uk

Talbot House, High Street, Wem, Shropshire SY4 5AAT: 0300 303 1190 E: enquiries@mmha.org.ukwww.mmha.org.uk

The Gateway, The Auction Yard, Craven Arms, Shropshire SY7 9BWT: 0300 303 1190 E: enquiries@tresponse.org.ukwww.tresponse.co.uk