Winter 2011 (1.9 MB PDF) - Angus Council
Winter 2011 (1.9 MB PDF) - Angus Council
Winter 2011 (1.9 MB PDF) - Angus Council
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advising | informing | involving<br />
<strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2011</strong><br />
Our first homes in<br />
a generation near<br />
completion<br />
read more on page 14<br />
The annual rent<br />
consultation<br />
exercise begins<br />
page 20
Housing news<br />
Featured Contents<br />
ON THE COVER<br />
Our cover pictures show our new<br />
homes at Laird Street, Monifieth and<br />
Burgh School Close, Carnoustie<br />
<strong>Angus</strong> House exchange<br />
Let’s tackle fly tipping<br />
building homes<br />
Our new service<br />
for existing<br />
tenants that<br />
want to move<br />
to another<br />
home launches<br />
Award winning gardens<br />
Another<br />
outstanding crop<br />
of tenant gardens!<br />
See the <strong>2011</strong> award<br />
winning gardens.<br />
There’s been<br />
an increase in<br />
fly tipping and<br />
we need your<br />
help to tackle it.<br />
04<br />
08<br />
12<br />
14<br />
The first phase<br />
of our building<br />
programme<br />
is nearing<br />
completion. This<br />
is just the start of it!<br />
20<br />
Setting Rents for 2012-2013<br />
The annual rent<br />
consultation<br />
exercise gets<br />
under way.<br />
from the Head of Housing<br />
elcome to your<br />
Wlatest newsletter,<br />
I hope you'll agree<br />
it is packed with useful<br />
information.<br />
This year we're combining<br />
the newsletter<br />
with the annual rent<br />
setting process. Doing<br />
Alan McKeown things differently this<br />
year allows us to show<br />
you what your money is buying and in particular<br />
where we're building new homes and what they<br />
look like. These are the first new family houses built<br />
by <strong>Angus</strong> <strong>Council</strong> in a generation and you'll have a<br />
chance to visit the new homes in Carnoustie, Arbroath<br />
and Montrose when they are finished. We're starting<br />
with Carnoustie homes in December and then Harry<br />
Farmer Close in March 2012 and then Montrose. Come<br />
along and see what we've been up to on your behalf.<br />
We're also setting out how we're supporting the<br />
police in tackling drug dealing and where we can,<br />
we will evict tenants convicted of this illegal activity<br />
where it's happened in our houses. We're also setting<br />
out some advice on our new house exchange<br />
programme, available online at www.angus.gov.uk,<br />
advice on keeping pets responsibly, some advice on<br />
home insurance and as it's winter, some advice on<br />
energy efficiency.<br />
I hope you like the look of our new homes, we<br />
could not build these without your support and<br />
I hope you agree that building new energy efficient<br />
homes is something worth investing in for<br />
our futures.<br />
If you can't make it to Carnoustie, we're planning<br />
to make a short video and put it on<br />
www.angus.gov.uk. If you have a smart<br />
phone you can scan the link on page<br />
19 to more images in the newsletter.<br />
On behalf of the housing team<br />
here at <strong>Angus</strong> <strong>Council</strong> I would like<br />
to wish you a very happy and<br />
safe Christmas and New Year<br />
and a very prosperous 2012. •<br />
2
Housing news<br />
Dealers beware!<br />
You’ll have noted the recent evictions<br />
of two drug dealers from<br />
their homes. These evictions<br />
demonstrate our<br />
‘zero tolerance’ approach<br />
to those who blight the<br />
lives of many in the<br />
community and sends<br />
a clear message to those<br />
who sell drugs—deal<br />
drugs: be evicted.<br />
The drug dealers who<br />
were evicted brought misery<br />
to those living in the area. One<br />
resident was quoted in the press<br />
‘to have heaved a big sigh of relief’<br />
when she saw the eviction taking place.<br />
The evictions demonstrate residents will not stand<br />
for this type of behaviour because without the<br />
reports and information to the police and the council<br />
from members of the public about drug dealing<br />
and the associated anti-social behaviour the evictions<br />
could not have taken place.<br />
If you witness anything suspicious, for example, a<br />
lot of different visitors to a property who only stay for<br />
a few moments, phone Crimestoppers anonymously<br />
on 0800 555 111 and report it. You can also pass on<br />
information or report incidents of anti-social behaviour<br />
to the ACCESSline on 08452 777 778.<br />
If you are thinking about dealing drugs from your<br />
home then be prepared to lose it! •<br />
Ian Kennedy has been appointed as the new Manager of<br />
the Forfar and Kirriemuir Community Housing Team. Ian<br />
will be responsible for all council housing in Forfar<br />
and Kirriemuir and is keen to ensure all tenants<br />
receive a good customer focused service.<br />
He has worked in a variety of roles in<br />
the housing sector for over 20 years<br />
and was most recently, until his<br />
appointment, the Senior Housing<br />
Officer in Forfar and Kirriemuir.<br />
ACCESS <strong>Angus</strong> changes<br />
There is a change to the telephone service<br />
for ACCESS offices where all calls will be<br />
directed to ACCESSline. This will provide an<br />
improved and more responsive customer<br />
service for both enquiries by telephone and<br />
for those visiting the ACCESS offices.<br />
In ACCESSline if all lines are busy there is<br />
an automatic facility to leave a message and<br />
they have extended opening hours from<br />
8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Also, outwith<br />
office hours ACCESSline provides emergency<br />
contacts which will automatically<br />
transfer you to officers on call for services<br />
such as homelessness and emergency housing<br />
repairs.<br />
Forfar and Kirriemuir ACCESS offices have<br />
been piloting this change since October<br />
<strong>2011</strong> and it will be rolled out in Arbroath,<br />
Carnoustie and Monifieth in January 2012<br />
and then Brechin and Montrose in February<br />
2012. For a period of time, callers to the<br />
office telephone numbers will be advised<br />
that the number is out of service and to<br />
call ACCESSline. If you prefer to speak to a<br />
member of staff in person, visit your local<br />
ACCESS office. •<br />
Produced by Housing. When you<br />
have finished with this newsletter,<br />
please recycle it.<br />
3
Housing news<br />
House Exchange launched<br />
We’ve set-up a new on-line system in<br />
partnership with other social landlords<br />
in <strong>Angus</strong> called <strong>Angus</strong> House<br />
Exchange. The system will help tenants find<br />
another tenant to swap homes with. We call<br />
this a mutual exchange. The on-line system<br />
has been developed as a pilot project, and<br />
will run until October 2012. There will be an<br />
evaluation of the initial 12 months of operation<br />
of the system.<br />
The <strong>Angus</strong> House Exchange system allows<br />
tenants to exchange homes with the permission<br />
of their landlord, subject to certain<br />
conditions, such as their current home being<br />
in an acceptable condition. Full details of the<br />
eligibility criteria are available on-line, along<br />
with advice and guidance for tenants using<br />
the system.<br />
The scheme is for people that want to move<br />
but don’t have any need to do so. If you’re<br />
an existing tenant and you’re currently in the<br />
‘inadequate accommodation’ or ‘choice’ categories<br />
of our housing list, this scheme is for<br />
you! The system already covers over 150 social<br />
landlords across the UK, so even if you want<br />
to move away from <strong>Angus</strong>, the system will<br />
be able to help you identify a new home in<br />
another area.<br />
As an existing council tenant, you now have<br />
the opportunity to register your property online<br />
and then search for other<br />
tenants who may want to<br />
swap home with you.<br />
There is no charge for<br />
this service but if you<br />
find someone to swap<br />
your home with, you’ll<br />
both need the permission<br />
of your landlord. •<br />
We will give our permission unless –<br />
• we’ve told you that we intend to start court proceedings<br />
against you: this is called a notice of proceedings;<br />
• we have a court order to take back your tenancy for whatever<br />
reason;<br />
• if we gave you the house with your work;<br />
• you have any housing related debt with any landlord that’s<br />
more than 1/12th of the current or previous annual rent and<br />
Help the Staffie<br />
Rescue centres across Scotland are under a<br />
massive strain because of the over breeding<br />
and abandonment of Staffordshire Bull Terriers.<br />
According to statistics, <strong>Angus</strong> has the largest<br />
rate of abandoned Staffies in Scotland. Ian Robb,<br />
Vice-Chairperson of <strong>Angus</strong> Help for Abandoned<br />
Animals, said that across Scotland it was estimated<br />
that staffies took up 40% of spaces in<br />
charity kennels. Of the 53 spaces for dogs at the<br />
Arbroath kennels, 41 are staffies.<br />
The new year is traditionally a busy time for<br />
most animal charities and in the current economic<br />
climate, most re-homing centres are<br />
seeing a steady increase in pets that need a<br />
new home. Sadly the number of dogs looking for<br />
homes will always be greater than demand and<br />
if more dogs are abandoned, rescue centres<br />
will not be able to cope. “If this is to continue<br />
then we ourselves will have no choice but to<br />
put young healthy dogs down. It’s just so<br />
sad.” <strong>Angus</strong> Help for Abandoned Animals<br />
would appeal to all tenants to report<br />
anyone they think may have broken their<br />
tenancy agreement by not getting permission<br />
to keep a dog in their home to their local<br />
Community Housing Team or ACCESS office.<br />
The charity relies on the generosity and goodwill<br />
of the volunteers and the local community<br />
to continue with caring for the dogs. You can<br />
contact Help for Abandoned Animals <strong>Angus</strong> on<br />
01241 870168 during office hours. •<br />
4
Housing news<br />
www.angushouseexchange.org.uk<br />
no agreement is in place to repay that debt and at least three months<br />
payment have been made;<br />
• you’ve applied to buy your home;<br />
• if the joint tenant doesn’t agree to the mutual exchange and hasn’t signed<br />
the application form;<br />
• if the planned exchange would mean you wouldn’t have all the bedrooms<br />
that everyone living with you needs;<br />
• you or someone that lives with you has been<br />
evicted for anti-social behaviour in the three years<br />
before your application;<br />
• if the Sheriff has granted an ASBO against you<br />
or someone that lives with you;<br />
• where the home has been adapted or modified<br />
in some way for someone with an illness or disability<br />
and if the exchange took place there would be<br />
no one living in the home with an illness or disability;<br />
• if the exchange would leave one party with two or more<br />
bedrooms they don’t need;<br />
• if we think the exchange could result in a clash or conflict of lifestyles<br />
between an incoming tenant and any existing tenants.<br />
Visit the <strong>Angus</strong> House Exchange website today at<br />
www.angus.houseexchange.org.uk<br />
Keeping a pet<br />
• You are responsible for the behaviour of your pet, or any<br />
animals owned by someone living with you or visiting you;<br />
• You must take reasonable steps to prevent your<br />
pet causing nuisance, annoyance or danger to<br />
your neighbours or other visitors to the property,<br />
including fouling, noise or smell from your pet;<br />
• You must take all reasonable steps to ensure your pet<br />
does not foul or cause damage to your house or any<br />
other property in the neighbourhood or vicinity of your<br />
home, including anything belonging to the council;<br />
• You must take reasonable steps to supervise and keep<br />
any animal under control and to prevent it from causing<br />
annoyance or nuisance or from frightening anyone;<br />
• We may withdraw permission to keep an animal<br />
if you breach these conditions. You would have to<br />
keep your animal somewhere else. We may also take<br />
legal action to end your tenancy in serious cases .<br />
Get it Covered<br />
We’re responsible for insuring where<br />
you live but not your belongings.<br />
Home contents insurance protects<br />
your belongings against fire, theft or<br />
flood. If you pay a little bit extra, you<br />
can also protect your belongings<br />
against accidental damage.<br />
A home contents policy covers most<br />
of your belongings such as electrical<br />
appliances, furniture and furnishings,<br />
personal effects, clothing, computer<br />
equipment and much more but there<br />
may be some items of higher value<br />
that need to be insured separately or<br />
at least listed on the policy.<br />
The amount you insure your<br />
belongings for is the amount you<br />
think it would take to replace all the<br />
items damaged. The easiest way to<br />
put a value on your belongings is to<br />
check what you have and how much<br />
it would cost you to buy a new one.<br />
Also remember to count the items you<br />
store in your shed, garage and loft.<br />
The right cover might not be as<br />
expensive as you think. Insurance<br />
can start from as little as a couple of<br />
pounds per month and most insurers<br />
have a range of different ways to pay<br />
such as by monthly direct debit or payment<br />
cards if you do not have a bank<br />
account.<br />
It is important that you keep up to<br />
date with your payments otherwise<br />
you won’t be covered and will not be<br />
able to make a claim if you need to.<br />
There are a large number of home<br />
contents insurance products on the<br />
market and you are free to pick you<br />
own. Please be sure to discuss fully<br />
with the insurance company all your<br />
needs. Any differences may invalidate<br />
your cover. •<br />
5
Housing news<br />
Downsizing Incentive Scheme<br />
We introduced our pilot Downsizing Incentive<br />
Scheme (DIS) to give council tenants living in properties<br />
with three or more bed rooms that they no<br />
longer need, practical and financial support to move<br />
to homes with less bedrooms.<br />
There’s a huge demand across <strong>Angus</strong> for properties<br />
with three or more bedrooms and we have a<br />
limited number of homes of these sizes that we<br />
can let each year. This means that some people<br />
have to live in overcrowded and unsuitable<br />
accommodation. At the same time, we know<br />
that some people have lived in their homes for<br />
many years but family members have moved out<br />
leaving people with bed rooms they don’t use.<br />
We know that some people want to move to<br />
smaller homes but they can find it too expen sive<br />
to move. This scheme is designed to help with<br />
these costs. We have enough money for twenty<br />
applications this year and all applica tions will be<br />
on a ‘first-come, first served’ basis.<br />
If you qualify for the scheme and we accept your<br />
application, we’ll give you a grant of £2,500 to help<br />
you with the cost of removal, carpeting, decoration,<br />
telephone reconnec tion and new fittings such as<br />
curtains and blinds.<br />
Our leaflet about the scheme includes a short<br />
application form that you need to complete. You<br />
can get the leaflet from our website or from any<br />
ACCESS office. Officers can help you complete<br />
the form if you need help to apply. You’ll also<br />
need to have a current housing applica tion<br />
with us. If you need to check whether you<br />
have a current housing application with us,<br />
call the Common Housing Register team on<br />
01307 474765.<br />
There is money in our budget to pay another<br />
12 grants up to April 2012. The UK government<br />
plan to cut the housing benefit of everyone<br />
living in social housing with bedrooms they<br />
don’t need by as much as 23%. With this change<br />
set to begin in the next two years, the time to<br />
apply to the DIS is today. •<br />
You can ‘downsize’ if -<br />
• you’ve been an <strong>Angus</strong> <strong>Council</strong> tenant for at least one year;<br />
• you rent an <strong>Angus</strong> <strong>Council</strong> property with three or more<br />
bedrooms;<br />
• you don’t need all the bedrooms in your current home;<br />
• you don’t have any rent arrears;<br />
• we are not taking any action against you because of antisocial<br />
behaviour;<br />
• you want to move to another council home with less bedrooms<br />
than you have.<br />
Visit our web site at www.angus.gov.uk/housing<br />
for more information on the Downsizing Incentive<br />
Scheme<br />
6
Housing news<br />
Keep yourself safe this Christmas<br />
www.dontgivefireahome.com<br />
Garry Brown is the<br />
Community Fire<br />
Safety Watch<br />
Manager for<br />
Tayside Fire<br />
and Rescue<br />
and part of<br />
the Community<br />
Safety Joint Services<br />
Team. Speaking of tenants keeping<br />
themselves safe this Christmas, he stated:<br />
”The message is clear this Christmas; please<br />
take care. The festive period is traditionally marked<br />
by a higher incidence of domestic fires because<br />
houses contain more combustible materials than<br />
usual, whether it be trees, wrapping paper, candles<br />
or decorative lights. The good news is that these<br />
tragedies can be avoided by adopting some basic<br />
fire safety rules.”<br />
Alarming statistics show that more people die<br />
in house fires across Scotland over the Christmas<br />
period than at any other time of year. Over 10 per<br />
cent of all fire deaths in Scotland occur during<br />
December.<br />
Christmas trees, decorations, lights, open fires<br />
and candles are just some of the winter and<br />
Christmas essentials that can spark tragedy if they<br />
aren’t monitored carefully and precautions aren’t<br />
taken. Extra caution is also needed with natural<br />
Christmas trees particularly if surrounded by lights<br />
or nearby candles, as these trees are very dry and<br />
highly flammable.<br />
Anyone concerned about fire safety and<br />
what actions to take can find out more at<br />
www.dontgivefireahome.com. •<br />
To arrange your free home fire safety visit, contact Tayside Fire<br />
and Rescue -<br />
Call 0300 123 9998<br />
Text ‘CHECK’ to 61611<br />
Web www.taysidefire.gov.uk<br />
Tayside<br />
Fire and Rescue<br />
are offering a completely<br />
FREE service to residents of<br />
<strong>Angus</strong>. Firefighters will come to<br />
your home and carry out a ‘Home<br />
Fire Safety Visit’. Firefighters will<br />
also fit Smoke Alarm’s to your<br />
property free of charge,<br />
if required.<br />
12 Days of Christmas Fire Safety Check<br />
• on the 1 st day of Christmas: check your<br />
Christmas tree lights conform to<br />
the British or European Standard;<br />
• on the 2 nd day of Christmas:<br />
never place candles near your<br />
Christmas tree or furnishings.<br />
Don’t leave them burning unattended;<br />
• on the 3 rd day of Christmas: make sure<br />
your family and guests know what to do in<br />
an emergency. Make a fire escape plan;<br />
• on the 4 th day of Christmas: decorations can burn<br />
easily–don’t attach them to lights or heaters;<br />
• on the 5 th day of Christmas: never overload electrical<br />
sockets. Take special care with Christmas<br />
lights;<br />
• on the 6 th day of Christmas: most fires start in the<br />
kitchen–never leave a cooker unattended;<br />
• on the 7 th day of Christmas: celebrate safely. The<br />
risk of accidents, especially in the kitchen, is<br />
greater after alcohol is consumed;<br />
• on the 8 th day of Christmas: if you are planning<br />
to celebrate with fireworks, store them in a<br />
metal box, read the instructions, never go<br />
back to a lit firework and keep a bucket of<br />
water nearby;<br />
• on the 9 th day of Christmas: make sure you have a<br />
working smoke alarm;<br />
• on the 10 th day of Christmas: change the battery<br />
in your smoke alarm and test it every week,<br />
after that, use Christmas as a reminder to<br />
clean it and remove dust;<br />
• on the 11 th day of Christmas: make sure candles<br />
and cigarettes are completely extinguished<br />
before going to bed. Keep matches and<br />
lighters away from children;<br />
• on the 12 th day of Christmas: take a second to<br />
check on elderly relatives and neighbours<br />
this Christmas–make sure they are fire safe.<br />
7
Housing news<br />
Garden awards <strong>2011</strong><br />
Tenants deserve praise indeed for<br />
all the hard work they have put<br />
into their gardens again this year!<br />
We had an outstanding number<br />
of entrants for the awards and this<br />
years 1st and 2nd place winners<br />
were presented with their prizes<br />
at our three Housing Consultation<br />
Roadshows in Monifieth,<br />
Kirriemuir and Montrose.<br />
The standard of all the gardens<br />
in the awards this year<br />
was excellent and it was<br />
difficult for <strong>Council</strong> staff to<br />
choose the best gardens.<br />
We would like to praise all<br />
the other gardeners who<br />
have played a part in adding<br />
to the attractiveness of our<br />
towns and villages across<br />
<strong>Angus</strong> and their efforts to<br />
create colourful displays and<br />
well-kept gardens.<br />
The photo gallery is evidence<br />
of the colourful display<br />
from all the gardens entered<br />
in the Awards this year and<br />
we are looking forward to a<br />
high number of entries again<br />
in 2012! •<br />
Arbroath<br />
Carnoustie<br />
Mrs Thomson<br />
Mr and Mrs Craib<br />
Arbroath, Carnoustie & Monifieth landward<br />
Mr Peggie, Wellbank<br />
Monifieth & Director’s special award<br />
Mr and Mrs Meldrum<br />
8
Housing news<br />
Mr Lawson of Glamis, winner of the<br />
best <strong>Angus</strong> garden and 1st place<br />
winner of the Forfar and Kirriemuir<br />
landward category, presented with<br />
his award by Alan McKeown, Head<br />
of Housing.<br />
Highly commended<br />
The tenants of Inglis Court, Edzell<br />
Most sustainable garden<br />
Best garden by a disabled tenant<br />
Mr and Mrs Glen, Arbroath<br />
Mr Brown, Forfar<br />
Forfar<br />
Brechin<br />
Brechin & Montrose landward<br />
Mr Forbes<br />
Mr Thomson<br />
Mr and Mrs MacPherson, Edzell<br />
Kirriemuir<br />
Montrose<br />
Montrose Tubs & Planters<br />
Mrs Harper<br />
Mr and Mrs Black<br />
Mr and Mrs Stephen<br />
9
Housing news<br />
Energy Efficiency<br />
Many homes in<br />
Scotland are not very<br />
energy efficient, especially<br />
homes in rural<br />
areas.<br />
Your home can<br />
become more energy<br />
efficient if you follow<br />
these steps:<br />
• don’t leave appliances<br />
on standby - turn<br />
them off. Do not leave<br />
lap tops and mobile<br />
phones on charge unnecessarily;<br />
• switch off lights<br />
when rooms are not in use;<br />
• close your curtains at dusk to save heat;<br />
• turn the thermostat down by one degree and cut<br />
10% off your fuel bills, saving around £50 per year.<br />
If you have a programmer, set your heating and hot<br />
water to come on only when required rather than all<br />
the time;<br />
• consider showering instead of taking a bath;<br />
• when boiling a kettle, only use the water you need,<br />
and use it immediately after boiling;<br />
• when using the washing machine, ensure it’s full: one<br />
full load uses less energy than two half loads;<br />
• hang washing outside rather than using a tumble<br />
dryer;<br />
• defrost fridges and freezers regularly;<br />
• remember to close the output dial (sometimes called<br />
the boost button) on storage heaters before you go<br />
to bed, or if you go out during the day;<br />
• use your central heating rather than plug in electric<br />
heaters: they’re cheaper;<br />
• set your programmer to heat water if you have gas<br />
heating;<br />
• use energy saving light bulbs: they last up to ten<br />
times longer;<br />
• report leaking taps: a dripping hot water tap wastes<br />
energy and in one week wastes enough hot water to<br />
fill half a bath.<br />
Cause and cure<br />
Condensation—mistakenly referred<br />
to as ‘damp’ —is particularly common<br />
in the winter months as buildings get<br />
colder and windows are opened less<br />
frequently. Condensation occurs when<br />
moisture caught in warm air comes into<br />
contact with cold surfaces. This causes<br />
the moisture to form water droplets.<br />
If left, condensation can cause mould to<br />
form and grow. While unpleasant, mould<br />
can be removed with a mould removing<br />
product or a very dilute solution of bleach<br />
and water.<br />
Simple changes to lifestyles —such<br />
as opening windows—will reduce the<br />
common sources of condensation such as<br />
steam from cooking, bathing or showering,<br />
unvented tumble dryers and drying clothes<br />
indoors without opening windows.<br />
If you are taking steps to minimise mould and condensation<br />
but it still persists, you should report it to<br />
us to investigate through the ACCESSline on 08452<br />
777 778<br />
10
Housing news<br />
Things are easier with direct debit<br />
Where does condensation occur?<br />
• in unheated rooms, especially at corners where two<br />
external walls meet;<br />
• on north facing walls;<br />
• on cold surfaces such as single glazed or metal framed<br />
windows;<br />
• in kitchens and bathrooms where lots of moisture is<br />
produced;<br />
• in poorly ventilated spaces such as behind furniture<br />
placed against walls or inside wardrobes and cupboards.<br />
How can I reduce condensation?<br />
• heat your home: keep all rooms warm (above 15 degrees)especially<br />
during cold weather;<br />
• ventilate: if you have window vents, keep them open;<br />
• use extractor fans: our extractor fans are generally the<br />
type which run continuously at very low power, helping<br />
remove moist air. If you have this type of fan, make<br />
sure it is left running in low power mode;<br />
• ventilate rooms daily;<br />
• air cupboards and wardrobes.<br />
To reduce moisture in the air<br />
• cover pans when cooking, turn the extractor fan on and<br />
close the kitchen door to prevent moisture spreading;<br />
• dry clothes outside but if this isn’t possible hang your<br />
washing in a room with windows open and doors shut;<br />
• vent tumble driers to outside your home or use a selfcondensing<br />
dryer kit;<br />
• keep the bathroom door closed and use an extractor<br />
fan when bathing or showering. Running a little cold<br />
water into the bath before adding hot water helps<br />
reduce steam.<br />
• No stress: once you have signed up, that’s it! You need<br />
do nothing else ever! We’ll amend your instalments<br />
automatically each year or when the amount you<br />
need to pay changes. We’ll give you at least 3 working<br />
days’ notice before we request any amended amounts<br />
from your bank or building society account.<br />
• Flexibility: pay weekly or monthly. Monthly payments<br />
can be made on the 1st or 15th and weekly payments<br />
are taken on a Friday.<br />
• Protection: if there’s a problem, you’re protected so you<br />
have the reassurance of knowing that whatever happens<br />
your money is protected.<br />
• What to do: if you want to pay by direct debit, complete<br />
a Direct Debit form, available from your ACCESS offices<br />
or download a copy from our web site and we’ll<br />
do the rest.<br />
The risk of burst pipes increases during winter<br />
Check these things today<br />
• report any dripping taps or running overflows to us for<br />
repair<br />
• to protect your contents, make sure your home contents<br />
insurance is up to date<br />
• know where your stop cock is and how to use it<br />
The risk is greater if:<br />
• your home is unoccupied and unheated: if you’re going<br />
away over the winter months, let us know. We’ll arrange<br />
to drain down your water system for free. Keep<br />
your home as warm as you can. If you are over 60, claim<br />
your winter fuel payment: call 08459 151515 for more<br />
information.<br />
• you have water pipes in your roof space or your bathroom<br />
and kitchen face north or east<br />
In the unlikely event that a pipe bursts:<br />
• switch off your electricity supply<br />
• shut off the water supply using the stop cock<br />
• turn on all every tap to drain the water system<br />
• warn your neighbours what’s happened<br />
• contact the ACCESSline on 08452 777 778 so repairs can<br />
be ordered<br />
11
Housing news<br />
Let’s stop fly tipping Reuse and recycle<br />
We’ve noticed an increase in fly tipping<br />
lately and we need your help to tackle it. Fly<br />
tipping–dumping rubbish and unwanted<br />
household items in areas where it shouldn’t<br />
be left– causes real annoyance to both<br />
officers and residents. What people don’t<br />
appreciate is that fly tipping is illegal and<br />
can lead to a fixed penalty notice of £50 or<br />
the courts could impose a maximum fine<br />
of £40,000.<br />
ly tipping isn’t necessary as there are sev-<br />
ways to dispose of unwanted items<br />
Feral<br />
responsibly. If you have items of furniture<br />
or household goods that are still in good<br />
condition, you could donate them to one of<br />
the local furniture reuse organisations, who<br />
redistribute furniture to families and people<br />
in need.<br />
Furniture reuse organisations offer a free<br />
uplift service from your home for good quality<br />
goods. However, they can’t take any sofa,<br />
chair or mattress without a fire retardant<br />
label attached. You can arrange for a special<br />
uplift of unwanted household goods at<br />
a cost of £19 through the <strong>Angus</strong> ACCESSline.<br />
This allows you to get rid of up to three bulky<br />
items properly.<br />
12
Housing news<br />
Community Warden’s reporting furniture disposed<br />
of inappropriately (‘fly-tipping’) and arranging for<br />
uplift<br />
The council’s responsible for investigating<br />
and disposing of fly tipping on council<br />
ground so there’s a cost to remove items<br />
dumped but it’s up to the landowner to<br />
clear items left on private ground.<br />
You can contact <strong>Angus</strong> ACCESSline on<br />
08452 777 778 to tell us about fly tipping on<br />
council ground. The ACCESSline will need<br />
the location and a description of what has<br />
been dumped so it can be removed. Any<br />
information about who left the items or<br />
the registration number of the vehicle<br />
from which the items were dumped would<br />
be helpful so we can try and trace those<br />
responsible.<br />
For fly tipping on private ground, you can<br />
contact the Scottish Environment Protection<br />
Agency (SEPA) on 01241 874370.<br />
Reuse, Recycle<br />
Do you need more furniture than your<br />
budget will stretch too? Or do you have<br />
good items you could donate? A number<br />
of organisations accept donations of good<br />
unwanted furniture and will give them away<br />
or sell them cheaply. Some can also offer<br />
grants to those on low incomes.<br />
You can ask your local ACCESS office about<br />
any reuse or recycling schemes for furniture,<br />
or smaller household items. Sometimes, the<br />
furniture projects may not be able to accept<br />
your donation, for example a mattress that<br />
is missing its fire retardant label cannot be<br />
accepted. If the project cannot collect your<br />
furniture then you can arrange for a special<br />
uplift. Reusing saves furniture from ending<br />
up in a landfill, so it’s good for the environment,<br />
too.<br />
<strong>Angus</strong> Furniture Recycling Projects<br />
Furniture Recycling Projects aim to help vulnerable<br />
people who are homeless or at risk<br />
of homelessness.<br />
If you have furniture or small household<br />
items you wish to donate, please contact the<br />
furniture project in your area. All items must<br />
be clean and in good condition. To get help<br />
contact the project directly.<br />
The furniture recycling projects are open<br />
to everyone and sell recycled goods at low<br />
prices. If you have serviceable furniture for<br />
reuse, please contact the furniture project<br />
in your area.<br />
You can contact <strong>Angus</strong> ACCESSline on<br />
08452 777 778 or visit your local ACCESS<br />
office to arrange a special uplift of unwanted<br />
furniture and goods. Anything unsuitable for<br />
reuse can be taken to your local recycling<br />
centre. •<br />
Contact a furniture reuse organisation today<br />
<strong>Angus</strong> Furniture Project, Arbroath<br />
T. 01241 437438<br />
E. frpa@btconnect.com<br />
Forfar Resource Store<br />
T. 01307 469370<br />
E. frf@forfarangus.wanadoo.co.uk<br />
Montrose Area Furniture and Recycling<br />
Distribution (MAFRAD)<br />
T. 01674 671177<br />
E. mafrad.montrose@btconnect.com<br />
You can find out more information on recycling and<br />
how to reduce the amount of waste by visiting our<br />
web site at www.angus.gov.uk/recycling<br />
13
Housing news<br />
Our home building programme<br />
We’ve embarked on an ambitious<br />
building programme to provide<br />
147 new council houses to help<br />
reduce the housing waiting<br />
list. Working<br />
in partnership<br />
with the Scottish<br />
Government, we<br />
received funding<br />
of £3.8m which,<br />
along with an<br />
investment of<br />
£17.6m from our own<br />
resources, will give the<br />
social housing sector<br />
in <strong>Angus</strong> a much-needed<br />
boost.<br />
Funding of more than £21m<br />
enables us to realise our vision<br />
of building quality affordable<br />
and energy efficient homes for<br />
rent and to buy in areas of highest<br />
need in <strong>Angus</strong> while providing<br />
an important boost to the construction<br />
industry and in turn the local economy.<br />
Housing policy manager John Morrow<br />
comments: “These, and future developments,<br />
will make a real difference to the<br />
lives of families and individuals across<br />
<strong>Angus</strong> by increasing the number of affordable<br />
properties available for rent.”<br />
“We will be looking to create a domino<br />
effect in terms of allocations, by creating a<br />
chain of moves so that the number of new<br />
tenancies will be double the number of<br />
new-build houses. This will start to make a<br />
considerable impact on the housing waiting<br />
list.” •<br />
14<br />
Kirriemuir<br />
13 homes<br />
1 bed -<br />
2 bed 5<br />
3 bed -<br />
4 bed 8<br />
Terraced and wheelchair accessible homes on a<br />
new mixed tenure development at Mortar Holes,<br />
and planned regeneration of Marywell Gardens.<br />
Forfar<br />
23 homes<br />
1 bed -<br />
2 bed 3<br />
3 bed 20<br />
4 bed -<br />
The regeneration of Newmonthill will see<br />
the demolition of the existing flats and their<br />
replacement with family homes. A number of<br />
new homes will be developed in the rural area<br />
of Inveraldie.<br />
MONIFIETH<br />
2 homes<br />
1 bed -<br />
2 bed -<br />
3 bed 2<br />
4 bed -<br />
Two three bed homes set in a quiet cul<br />
de sac at Laird Street, Monifieth.
Housing news<br />
Brechin<br />
6 homes<br />
1 bed -<br />
2 bed 4<br />
3 bed 2<br />
4 bed -<br />
The on-going regeneration of the old<br />
Queen’s Park site and Hillview continues.<br />
Montrose<br />
45 homes<br />
1 bed -<br />
2 bed 17<br />
3 bed 18<br />
4 bed 10<br />
Utilising the brownfield site of Dungman’s<br />
Tack to provide a range of house types, heated<br />
using a biomass district heating system.<br />
CARNOUSTIE<br />
38 homes<br />
1 bed 3<br />
2 bed 25<br />
3 bed 2<br />
4 bed 8<br />
Ten houses on the old Kinloch school site and one<br />
and two bed supported cottages with care centre.<br />
Arbroath<br />
22 homes<br />
1 bed -<br />
2 bed 7<br />
3 bed 7<br />
4 bed 8<br />
A mix of two, three and four bed homes at<br />
Harry Farmer Close and Noran Avenue.<br />
15
Housing news<br />
Continuing to invest in homes and communities<br />
As well as injecting over £20m of funding<br />
into the local economy through the new<br />
build programme, we are still maintaining<br />
high levels of investment in existing homes.<br />
Our priorities for next year will see a change<br />
of focus to energy efficiency work and<br />
making sure our older tenants in sheltered<br />
housing have the quality of accommodation<br />
they deserve.<br />
We will continue replacing old heating systems<br />
and kitchens at regular intervals, but<br />
other types of improvements like window<br />
replacements will see less money spent as<br />
most of our homes now meet the required<br />
quality standard.<br />
Planned investment to improve your homes<br />
Heating<br />
Sheltered Housing<br />
Energy savings<br />
Kitchens<br />
Miscellaneous<br />
Aids & adaptations<br />
Regeneration<br />
Conversion<br />
Improvements<br />
Windows<br />
2012/13<br />
<strong>2011</strong>/12<br />
2012/13<br />
<strong>2011</strong>/12<br />
2012/13<br />
<strong>2011</strong>/12<br />
2012/13<br />
<strong>2011</strong>/12<br />
2012/13<br />
<strong>2011</strong>/12<br />
2012/13<br />
<strong>2011</strong>/12<br />
2012/13<br />
<strong>2011</strong>/12<br />
2012/13<br />
<strong>2011</strong>/12<br />
2012/13<br />
<strong>2011</strong>/12<br />
2012/13<br />
<strong>2011</strong>/12<br />
Planned investment to maintain your homes<br />
Maintaining existing gas heating systems<br />
Repaints<br />
Essential structural floor repairs in Arbroath<br />
Upgrading flat doors at Hillview, Brechin<br />
Snow clearing and gritting<br />
Re-roofing Airlie Gardens in Brechin<br />
Wall repairs and minor structural works<br />
Replacing sub-standard loft insulation<br />
Replacing asbestos roofs on garden sheds<br />
16
Housing news<br />
£6.29m<br />
1.293m 8.9%<br />
1.269 54.8<br />
1.213 28.1<br />
1.050 17.3<br />
0.485 27.1<br />
0.420 <br />
0.261 33.9<br />
0.205 4000.0<br />
0.068 90.2<br />
0.029 94.2<br />
£2.19m<br />
850k<br />
800k<br />
250k<br />
100k<br />
75k<br />
70k<br />
30k<br />
10k<br />
10k<br />
17
Housing news<br />
Welcome to Burgh<br />
School Close,<br />
Carnoustie<br />
As these homes near<br />
completion, it will be<br />
time to offer eight<br />
families one of the<br />
first new build homes<br />
to be built by the<br />
council for more than<br />
20 years.<br />
e’re delighted to be able<br />
Wto show you the first<br />
eight of twelve homes nearing<br />
completion in our new<br />
build programme.<br />
These semi detached homes<br />
grouped around the cul de<br />
sac of Burgh School Close,<br />
Carnoustie, are in a central<br />
location, with excellent access<br />
to shops, schools and leisure<br />
facilities.<br />
We’re planning to use one of<br />
these homes as a show house<br />
to give all tenants an opportunity<br />
to see the quality of the<br />
accommodation first hand.<br />
Look out for more publicity in<br />
local press on opening times.<br />
ACCOMMODATION<br />
GROUND FLOOR<br />
• Lounge-diner (19m²)<br />
• Kitchen (9m²)<br />
• Bedroom 1 (13m²)<br />
• Shower Room (4m²)<br />
• Porch<br />
18
Housing news<br />
OVERVIEW<br />
The four bedroom accommodation<br />
is arranged over two floors, with one<br />
bedroom, shower room and all living<br />
space on the ground floor, making them<br />
especially suitable for families who need<br />
barrier free access.<br />
Features include high levels of insulation,<br />
solar water heating and low carbon<br />
heating, which means that fuel costs<br />
will be relatively low. As home safety is<br />
important to our tenants, sprinklers are<br />
provided in addition to hard wired smoke<br />
detectors.<br />
There are enclosed private gardens to<br />
front and rear, with an integral dedicated<br />
parking space for two cars.<br />
FIRST FLOOR<br />
• Bedroom 2 (14m²)<br />
• Bedroom 3 (14m²)<br />
• Bedroom 4 (9m²)<br />
• Bathroom (5m²)<br />
• Storage (7m²)<br />
Want to see more? We’ve made a short walk-through video of the new<br />
houses. View it at http://www.angus.gov.uk/kinlochdevelopment/housevideo.<br />
htm or if you have a smart phone, scan this QR code for a hotlink to our website.<br />
19
Housing news<br />
Rent rise options for 2012<br />
We involve our tenants in reviewing rents every year. This<br />
year the process for 2012/13 started in April, to give tenant<br />
representatives on the rent setting group adequate time<br />
to carefully consider the range of options. This is now your<br />
chance to have your say on the rent rise which you feel to be<br />
most acceptable. To help you consider the options, this year<br />
we are carrying out this consultation in this newsletter, so<br />
that you can clearly see the wide range of services that you<br />
receive for your money<br />
The tenants on the rent setting<br />
group believe that it is important<br />
to avoid cutting services, and at the<br />
same time continue investment in our<br />
homes to ensure they can all meet and<br />
be maintained at the Scottish Housing<br />
Quality Standard. They also strongly<br />
believe that the council should continue<br />
its programme of new house building,<br />
to help alleviate the severe shortage of<br />
homes in <strong>Angus</strong>.<br />
This has started well, with the first new<br />
council houses to be built in <strong>Angus</strong> for<br />
15 years already being occupied, and<br />
with success in obtaining an additional<br />
£1.6 million government grant for the<br />
next phase. It has been agreed with the<br />
tenants that part of the rent increase will<br />
be ring-fenced to fund the new-build<br />
programme.<br />
Inflation continues to remain at high<br />
levels and we all face increased pressures<br />
as a result of the economic situation. With<br />
this in mind, the tenants on the rent setting<br />
group feel that the rent rise should<br />
be pegged to the lower inflation measure<br />
20<br />
This year’s rent increase will allow us to continue<br />
our investment in your homes while allowing us<br />
to continue to invest in new affordable homes<br />
across <strong>Angus</strong><br />
of CPI (Consumer Price Index). Based on<br />
this they have agreed three options<br />
which they feel will bring benefits to<br />
both existing and prospective tenants.<br />
They are recommending that you choose<br />
Option 1 (the lowest option), which will<br />
mean a rent rise of 7.2% (CPI plus 2%).<br />
Keeping rents affordable<br />
If Option 1 is agreed the average weekly<br />
rent during 2012-2013 would rise from<br />
£49.90 to £53.49, and this will, once again,<br />
keep average rents in <strong>Angus</strong> amongst the<br />
Both the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the<br />
Retail Price Index (RPI) have been rising steadily<br />
6<br />
RPI<br />
5<br />
CPI<br />
4<br />
3<br />
2<br />
1<br />
0<br />
Ap My Jn Jy Au Se Oc No De Ja Fb Ma Ap My Jn Jy Au Se
Housing news<br />
How will the rise affect average rents?<br />
We think the average <strong>Angus</strong> <strong>Council</strong> rent will<br />
remain one of the lowest council rents in Scotland<br />
lowest in Scotland, and well below this<br />
year’s Scottish local authority average of<br />
£56.95.<br />
This rent increase will continue to fund<br />
record levels of investment in <strong>Angus</strong><br />
council houses of up to £13.9 million. This<br />
will see the completion of the first 51 new<br />
council houses, and progress on site with<br />
a further 96 homes. In addition to this the<br />
council is working with developers to<br />
transform seven sites across <strong>Angus</strong> into<br />
affordable housing for 77 families. The<br />
new council houses will be allocated to<br />
existing council tenants through a special<br />
lettings initiative without the right to buy<br />
so the investment in new homes will be<br />
protected.<br />
The money from this year’s increase will<br />
also continue to pay for a repairs appointment<br />
system, our Downsizing Incentive<br />
Scheme (DIS), and the <strong>Angus</strong> House<br />
Exchange initiative. •<br />
This table shows you how the rent you’ve paid<br />
from April <strong>2011</strong> compares with the rents of<br />
other Scottish councils. We’re assuming that<br />
every council will increase their rents this year<br />
and for comparison purposes, we’re assuming<br />
they’ll increase their rent by the Consumer<br />
Price Index of 5.2% (September <strong>2011</strong>.)<br />
We think the average rent in <strong>Angus</strong> will remain<br />
one of the lowest council rents in Scotland.<br />
<strong>Council</strong><br />
Average rent<br />
this year<br />
Average rent<br />
increased by<br />
CPI<br />
City of Edinburgh £74.87 £78.76<br />
Renfrewshire 62.98 66.25<br />
Shetland 61.04 64.21<br />
The Highland <strong>Council</strong> 60.99 64.16<br />
Aberdeen City 60.29 63.43<br />
Dundee 60.23 63.36<br />
West Lothian 59.99 63.11<br />
East Dunbartonshire 59.24 62.32<br />
Orkney 58.75 61.81<br />
North Ayrshire 58.60 61.65<br />
Scotland 56.95 59.91<br />
Stirling 56.15 59.07<br />
Clackmannanshire 56.01 58.92<br />
South Lanarkshire 56.01 58.92<br />
East Ayrshire 55.13 58.00<br />
Aberdeenshire 55.01 57.87<br />
South Ayrshire 54.97 57.83<br />
West Dunbartonshire 54.48 57.31<br />
Perth & Kinross 54.52 57.36<br />
East Renfrewshire 54.44 57.27<br />
Fife 54.05 56.86<br />
Falkirk 53.43 56.21<br />
North Lanarkshire 53.16 55.92<br />
Midlothian 51.35 54.02<br />
<strong>Angus</strong> 49.90 53.49<br />
East Lothian 44.97 47.31<br />
The Moray <strong>Council</strong> 43.55 45.81<br />
21
Housing news<br />
Have your say on the rent increase proposals<br />
Tenants work with us every year to develop<br />
a number of rent setting options . This year,<br />
those tenants that worked with us to set<br />
rents recommend you vote for option 1.<br />
This will allow us to continue to deliver<br />
our current services, provide new services,<br />
continue our investment in your homes<br />
and continue to build new homes.<br />
To have your say, you need to complete<br />
the questionnaire on the back of the letter<br />
that came with this newsletter. The results<br />
of this year’s consultation will be passed to<br />
your councillors when the Neighbourhood<br />
Services Committee makes a final decision<br />
on rents in February 2012. •<br />
Housing road shows successfully involve communities<br />
round 100 people visited <strong>Angus</strong> <strong>Council</strong>’s<br />
Athree housing road shows held in Monifieth,<br />
Kirriemuir and Montrose recently. Each event<br />
gave tenants and members of the public the<br />
opportunity to meet council staff and raise<br />
issues important to them and their neighbours.<br />
A wide range of current housing topics were<br />
covered and discussed.<br />
“ I’m pleased that<br />
In particular, participants<br />
the success of these<br />
were interested to hear<br />
events shows that<br />
how funding from the<br />
we are continuing<br />
council’s successful grant<br />
to go about things<br />
submissions to the Scottish<br />
in the right way.” Government is being<br />
applied to the council’s new build programme.<br />
The council’s policy of incorporating high levels<br />
of insulation and integrating renewable technology<br />
in their new houses where possible was<br />
highlighted, as a means to alleviate fuel poverty.<br />
Delegates heard a presentation on the allocation<br />
of housing in <strong>Angus</strong>, and a detailed explanation of<br />
Housing Benefit changes was widely welcomed.<br />
22<br />
Individual surgery sessions throughout the events<br />
also provided people with a chance to find<br />
solutions to any of their own personal housing<br />
questions.<br />
The council has involved tenants in housing<br />
policy initiatives for more than ten years and plans<br />
to broaden the number of tenants included in<br />
the future.<br />
<strong>Angus</strong> <strong>Council</strong>’s housing spokesperson,<br />
<strong>Council</strong>lor Jim Millar commented: “One of the<br />
council’s roles is to make sure we reach out to<br />
the community to canvas their views, using a<br />
range of methods. I’m pleased that the success<br />
of these events shows that we are continuing to<br />
go about things in the right way.<br />
“We especially value the contribution of tenants<br />
in shaping our housing services – these road<br />
shows have highlighted how their participation<br />
is helping us to ensure that we deliver the right<br />
kind of housing that our customers want and<br />
expect.” •
Housing news<br />
These are the rent increase<br />
options for you to consider<br />
and how the option would<br />
affect average rents<br />
The options<br />
Option 1 Option 2 Option 3<br />
Proposed increase CPI plus 2% CPI plus 2.5% CPI plus 3%<br />
Average increase each week £3.59 £3.84 £4.09<br />
Average rent each week £53.49 £53.74 £53.99<br />
Percentage increase 7.2 7.7 8.2<br />
Rent arrears<br />
Alan McKeown, Head of Housing, would like to take<br />
this opportunity to wish you well for the festive<br />
season and new year.<br />
Particular thanks to everyone that’s kept their rent<br />
account in order in the last six months. Well done to<br />
anyone with arrears who’s been in touch with us to<br />
talk over their rent arrears, who has made an agreement<br />
with us to pay what they can afford when they<br />
get paid.<br />
Christmas is coming–you should<br />
spend some money on presents,<br />
food and good cheer but don’t<br />
forget the rent!<br />
Those tenants that currently<br />
have arrears and are repaying<br />
in accordance with agreements<br />
must maintain payments over the<br />
festive period. You cannot afford<br />
to miss payments or you will just<br />
undo the great work that you have<br />
done over the previous months.<br />
It can take months to repay one<br />
missed payment!<br />
For those tenants who have not<br />
Contact us today<br />
Arbroath, Carnoustie & Monifieth<br />
Elaine Swankie or Debbie Thomson<br />
T. 01241 435264 | 01241 435262<br />
M. 07284 481818 | 07825 112029<br />
Forfar & Kirriemuir<br />
Kirsty Soutar or Linda Stewart<br />
T. 01307 474159 | 01307 474732<br />
M. 07799 714257 | 07827 283988<br />
Montrose & Brechin<br />
Gary Henderson or Sue Smith<br />
T. 01674 664114 | 01674 664107<br />
M. 07920 586984 | 07771 910921<br />
paid regularly and do not have an arrangement,<br />
we would notify you that your Christmas mail will<br />
contain either arrears letters, notices for recovery<br />
of possession or summons to court and your local<br />
Housing Officer will be visiting you in the near future.<br />
There are no hiding places.<br />
It is essential that you repay any outstanding arrears<br />
and you can agree a repayment plan with your<br />
Housing Officer.<br />
Your security of tenure is based on<br />
you paying your rent in accordance<br />
with your tenancy agreement. You<br />
can make affordable arrangements<br />
to repay debt and you will have one<br />
less worry and a happy home during<br />
Christmas and New Year.<br />
The first step can be the hardest,<br />
so do not hide from the problem,<br />
deal with it!<br />
If you are worried or concerned<br />
about the situation with your rent<br />
account, contact your local ACCESS<br />
office or an officer from your local<br />
community housing team. •<br />
23
Housing news<br />
focus on performance<br />
In line with our commitment to provide<br />
you with information about how<br />
we perform in each edition of Housing<br />
news, we review how we performed<br />
in the first six months of this year.<br />
We don’t have figures to compare our performance<br />
with every Scottish local authority with housing stock<br />
every time we publish Housing news. Performance<br />
information is available annually.<br />
We use the summer edition of Housing news to let<br />
you know how we performed in the financial year<br />
that’s passed, our performance against our targets<br />
and how that performance compares with other<br />
landlords.<br />
Rent collection: current tenants<br />
Percentage of rent collected and unpaid<br />
92.9%<br />
92.9% collected £4,062,481<br />
7.1% unpaid 675,396<br />
7.0% target<br />
Performance in previous years<br />
2010 7.7<br />
2009 7.9<br />
2008 11.8<br />
While we are broadly on line to meet our target of reducing arrears to 7%<br />
of all rent due in the year, we’ll continue our action to tackle the arrears of<br />
those tenants that can pay but won’t<br />
Letting not low demand homes<br />
Average number of days to let 436 homes<br />
<strong>2011</strong> (ytd) 48 days<br />
Target 30<br />
Performance in previous years<br />
2010 33<br />
2009 43<br />
2008 79<br />
It has taken longer, on average, this year to relet homes. There are several<br />
possible causes where we relet homes slowly including maintenance but<br />
we need to analyse why performance has fallen<br />
Letting low demand homes<br />
Average number of days to let 35 homes<br />
<strong>2011</strong> (ytd)<br />
Target<br />
Performance in previous years<br />
2010<br />
2009<br />
2008<br />
‘Low demand homes’ are a small number of homes<br />
where there is little demand for the property<br />
24
Housing news<br />
Making decisions about homelessness (permanent housing)<br />
The percentage of decisions made in 28 days<br />
80.4% completed in 28 days<br />
279 cases<br />
80.4%<br />
Performance in previous years<br />
2010 57.1<br />
2009 29.5<br />
2008 79.0<br />
Our performance in responding to homelessness continues to improve<br />
although the number of people affected by homelessness remains around<br />
the same level as in previous years<br />
Making decisions about homelessness (temporary housing only)<br />
The percentage of decisions made in 28 days<br />
72.4% completed in 28 days<br />
181 cases<br />
72.4%<br />
Performance in previous years<br />
2010 63.9<br />
2009 40.9<br />
2008 27.6<br />
Everyone affected by homelessness is determined to be in priority need.<br />
However, we find that some people caused their own homelessness and<br />
we do not provide permanent housing for them<br />
18 days<br />
32<br />
32<br />
83<br />
128<br />
Repairing homes<br />
Percentage of repairs completed on time<br />
97.3%<br />
97.3% completed on time<br />
11,176 repairs completed<br />
Performance in previous years<br />
2010 95.5<br />
2009 87.6<br />
2008 92.0<br />
We continue to complete repairs to your homes quickly. Our review of our works<br />
contracts, revised schedule of rates codes and our new repairs appointment<br />
system will allow us to continue to push improvement forward<br />
25
Housing news<br />
focus on performance<br />
Our performance in summary<br />
Overall, we’re continuing to improve our<br />
performance and we’ll try to do even<br />
better wherever we can. We’re collecting<br />
more rent than at any time in the last four<br />
years, our contractors continue to complete<br />
repairs within timescale and the number of<br />
homelessness decisions made in 28 days<br />
continues to rise. However, our half year performance<br />
in letting homes is disappointing<br />
and we could do better. We need to question<br />
why it took us 48 days on average to<br />
relet a home and establish what we can do if<br />
anything to turn performance around.<br />
Security over the winter months<br />
When the clocks go back you should be thinking<br />
ahead—a house that looks unoccupied is<br />
tempting to criminals.<br />
That is the seasonal warning from Tayside<br />
Police. While it may or may not send a shiver<br />
down the spine of householders, it will hopefully<br />
prompt you into thinking about home<br />
security. The easiest way to avoid becoming the<br />
victim of crime at this time of year is to make<br />
sure your property is well lit and windows and<br />
doors are all properly secured.<br />
Claire Taylor is Tayside Police Crime Prevention<br />
Officer and works alongside council officers in<br />
the Joint Services Team. Claire said: “When you<br />
are out in the evening set timer switches to lights<br />
and radios to give the impression of an occupied<br />
home. Checks should be carried out on<br />
all external lighting to ensure they are working.<br />
All doors, windows, sheds and lock ups should<br />
be secured properly to prevent the opportunist<br />
thief. Tools and ladders should be locked away in<br />
sheds or garages to prevent them being used to<br />
facilitate a crime. Setting curtains or blinds to try<br />
and prevent the opportunist thief from window<br />
shopping is also a must.<br />
Can you help us to improve?<br />
We’d like to widen out the membership of our tenant<br />
scrutiny panel that meets to discuss our performance with<br />
our senior managers and works with us to set meaningful<br />
targets for the coming year. We’d like to hear from you if you<br />
have an interest in examining how we’re performing with<br />
an interest in asking managers about the performance of<br />
the services they manage. This scrutiny process helps us to<br />
examine critically what we’re doing and how we’re doing it:<br />
if you scrutinise us well, this should assist us to improve our<br />
performance continuously.<br />
If you would like to join our tenant scrutiny panel or you’d<br />
like to find out more about the panel and the work it does,<br />
get in touch with us today.<br />
I would advise householders<br />
to security<br />
mark all valuables with<br />
the relevant postcode<br />
and house number and<br />
make an inventory of<br />
their property. Doing so<br />
makes it easier to return<br />
stolen property to its<br />
Claire Taylor<br />
rightful owner in the<br />
event that it is recovered. Above all, be a good<br />
neighbour, particularly if you have older or vulnerable<br />
neighbours. Ask them if they require any<br />
assistance to make their homes safer and keep<br />
an eye out for them, as well as anyone coming<br />
to their door.’’<br />
In <strong>Angus</strong>, ‘Safe as Houses’ is a security initiative<br />
to aid victims of crime, the older, disabled<br />
and vulnerable members of the community. For<br />
further information contact <strong>Angus</strong> Care & Repair<br />
on 01307 463232. •<br />
For further advice on security you can contact Claire at<br />
the Joint Services Team on 01307 477477.<br />
26
Housing news<br />
puzzle time<br />
Word Search<br />
The words you need to find are listed beside the grid. Words can appear<br />
vertically, horizontally and diagonally, left-to-right and right-to-left but<br />
always appear in a straight line.<br />
M S A F E A S H O U S E S S O O E I W O<br />
E C R E I C N O B D N U I O F B D E N B<br />
O E E T D E C M M E R E N E R G Y A E M<br />
I E N I I D F E I V E N N S C Z O N R U<br />
G D T N S I E C S E H E W N O N W T E T<br />
T T I I S U I O C L S O T O N E P I A U<br />
I F N O I L E N R O R N E Z F W O S C A<br />
R D C U N A E T P P R N O A E B E O C L<br />
A O R F O U A E Z M S S C N R U F C E E<br />
E W E R U E G N E E F S D H E I L I S X<br />
C N A I I I S T O N N S V N N L Y A S C<br />
H S S A E E C S O T H N C E C D T L L H<br />
D I E I R B Y N E S O F E R E N I U I A<br />
E Z O V E R B R E E D I N G U I P R N N<br />
L I G O O D N E I G H B O U R T P A E G<br />
D N J O I N T S E R V I C E S E I A D E<br />
N G N O I T A S N E D N O C C E N N E O<br />
I N S U R A N C E C T T E A E U G R Y A<br />
E C I G S E D S E F I R E S A F E T Y R<br />
E I N F T R Z E R O T O L E R A N C E C<br />
Congratulations to our three Summer word<br />
search winners. If you’ve been in touch with<br />
us, your vouchers are on their way!<br />
1 st prize: Mrs Isabella Hutcheson of Tealing<br />
2 nd prize: Mr Michael Smith of Montrose<br />
3 rd prize: Ms Lynn Wilson of Montrose<br />
Solutions from the Summer edition<br />
You’ll find the solutions to all the Summer edition word search<br />
online at www.angus.gov.uk/housing<br />
The<br />
first correct<br />
entry receives £50 in<br />
shopping vouchers for a<br />
supermarket of their choice.<br />
The second correct entry<br />
receives £30 in vouchers<br />
and the third, £20 in<br />
vouchers.<br />
ACCESSLINE<br />
ANTISOCIAL<br />
CONDENSATION<br />
CONFERENCE<br />
DEVELOPMENTS<br />
DOWNSIZING<br />
ENERGY<br />
FIRESAFETY<br />
FLYTIPPING<br />
GOODNEIGHBOUR<br />
HOMECONTENTS<br />
INSURANCE<br />
JOINTSERVICES<br />
MUTUALEXCHANGE<br />
NEWBUILD<br />
OVERBREEDING<br />
RENTINCREASE<br />
SAFEASHOUSES<br />
SCRUTINY<br />
ZEROTOLERANCE<br />
Entering the draw<br />
If you want to enter the free<br />
prize draw, don’t forget to tear<br />
out this page and give us your<br />
name, address and a ‘phone<br />
number or email address where<br />
we can contact you on the back<br />
page should your name be<br />
drawn. The winning names are<br />
selected at random from all the<br />
correct entries submitted.<br />
27
Housing news<br />
something to say?<br />
We’re always happy to hear your views on Housing news and<br />
we’ve provided space below so you can give us your views and<br />
comments.<br />
If you want to enter one or all of the prize puzzles, remember<br />
to give us your name, address and a telephone number or e-mail<br />
address so we can contact you if your name is drawn.<br />
You can return your comments to us through any ACCESS office.<br />
Name:<br />
Address:<br />
contacting us<br />
Housing Headquarters<br />
William Wallace House<br />
Orchard Loan<br />
Orchardbank Business Park<br />
Forfar<br />
Arbroath ACCESS Office<br />
Old Parish Church<br />
Kirk Square<br />
Brechin ACCESS Office<br />
36 Bank Street<br />
Carnoustie ACCESS Office<br />
26 High Street<br />
Contact number:<br />
Email address:<br />
Your comments:<br />
Forfar ACCESS Office<br />
Municipal Buildings<br />
Castle Street<br />
Kirriemuir ACCESS Office<br />
5 Bank Street<br />
28<br />
The information you have provided on the<br />
Housing Newsletter will be used by <strong>Angus</strong><br />
<strong>Council</strong> (the “data controller” for the purposes of<br />
the Data Protection Act 1998) in order to analyse<br />
levels of customer satisfaction and to contact<br />
you only where you have agreed to become<br />
involved. The information will be held securely<br />
by the <strong>Council</strong> and will be treated as confidential<br />
except where the law requires it to be disclosed.<br />
Contact the <strong>Angus</strong> ACCESSline on 08452<br />
777 778 if you want this newsletter<br />
translated into another language<br />
or in large print, audio or Braille<br />
Montrose ACCESS Office<br />
Town House<br />
High Street<br />
Monifieth ACCESS and Police Office<br />
81 High Street<br />
Don’t forget that <strong>Angus</strong> ACCESSline<br />
on 08452 777 778 will now<br />
receive all telephone contacts<br />
You can email us at the address<br />
that follows or find the information<br />
you need on our website.<br />
E. housing@angus.gov.uk<br />
W. www.angus.gov.uk<br />
Benefit Fraud Hotline: 0800 0277373