Winter 2011 (1.9 MB PDF) - Angus Council

advising | informing | involving
Winter 2011
Our first homes in
a generation near
completion
read more on page 14
The annual rent
consultation
exercise begins
page 20

Housing news
Featured Contents
ON THE COVER
Our cover pictures show our new
homes at Laird Street, Monifieth and
Burgh School Close, Carnoustie
Angus House exchange
Let’s tackle fly tipping
building homes
Our new service
for existing
tenants that
want to move
to another
home launches
Award winning gardens
Another
outstanding crop
of tenant gardens!
See the 2011 award
winning gardens.
There’s been
an increase in
fly tipping and
we need your
help to tackle it.
04
08
12
14
The first phase
of our building
programme
is nearing
completion. This
is just the start of it!
20
Setting Rents for 2012-2013
The annual rent
consultation
exercise gets
under way.
from the Head of Housing
elcome to your
Wlatest newsletter,
I hope you'll agree
it is packed with useful
information.
This year we're combining
the newsletter
with the annual rent
setting process. Doing
Alan McKeown things differently this
year allows us to show
you what your money is buying and in particular
where we're building new homes and what they
look like. These are the first new family houses built
by Angus Council in a generation and you'll have a
chance to visit the new homes in Carnoustie, Arbroath
and Montrose when they are finished. We're starting
with Carnoustie homes in December and then Harry
Farmer Close in March 2012 and then Montrose. Come
along and see what we've been up to on your behalf.
We're also setting out how we're supporting the
police in tackling drug dealing and where we can,
we will evict tenants convicted of this illegal activity
where it's happened in our houses. We're also setting
out some advice on our new house exchange
programme, available online at www.angus.gov.uk,
advice on keeping pets responsibly, some advice on
home insurance and as it's winter, some advice on
energy efficiency.
I hope you like the look of our new homes, we
could not build these without your support and
I hope you agree that building new energy efficient
homes is something worth investing in for
our futures.
If you can't make it to Carnoustie, we're planning
to make a short video and put it on
www.angus.gov.uk. If you have a smart
phone you can scan the link on page
19 to more images in the newsletter.
On behalf of the housing team
here at Angus Council I would like
to wish you a very happy and
safe Christmas and New Year
and a very prosperous 2012. •
2

Housing news
Dealers beware!
You’ll have noted the recent evictions
of two drug dealers from
their homes. These evictions
demonstrate our
‘zero tolerance’ approach
to those who blight the
lives of many in the
community and sends
a clear message to those
who sell drugs—deal
drugs: be evicted.
The drug dealers who
were evicted brought misery
to those living in the area. One
resident was quoted in the press
‘to have heaved a big sigh of relief’
when she saw the eviction taking place.
The evictions demonstrate residents will not stand
for this type of behaviour because without the
reports and information to the police and the council
from members of the public about drug dealing
and the associated anti-social behaviour the evictions
could not have taken place.
If you witness anything suspicious, for example, a
lot of different visitors to a property who only stay for
a few moments, phone Crimestoppers anonymously
on 0800 555 111 and report it. You can also pass on
information or report incidents of anti-social behaviour
to the ACCESSline on 08452 777 778.
If you are thinking about dealing drugs from your
home then be prepared to lose it! •
Ian Kennedy has been appointed as the new Manager of
the Forfar and Kirriemuir Community Housing Team. Ian
will be responsible for all council housing in Forfar
and Kirriemuir and is keen to ensure all tenants
receive a good customer focused service.
He has worked in a variety of roles in
the housing sector for over 20 years
and was most recently, until his
appointment, the Senior Housing
Officer in Forfar and Kirriemuir.
ACCESS Angus changes
There is a change to the telephone service
for ACCESS offices where all calls will be
directed to ACCESSline. This will provide an
improved and more responsive customer
service for both enquiries by telephone and
for those visiting the ACCESS offices.
In ACCESSline if all lines are busy there is
an automatic facility to leave a message and
they have extended opening hours from
8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Also, outwith
office hours ACCESSline provides emergency
contacts which will automatically
transfer you to officers on call for services
such as homelessness and emergency housing
repairs.
Forfar and Kirriemuir ACCESS offices have
been piloting this change since October
2011 and it will be rolled out in Arbroath,
Carnoustie and Monifieth in January 2012
and then Brechin and Montrose in February
2012. For a period of time, callers to the
office telephone numbers will be advised
that the number is out of service and to
call ACCESSline. If you prefer to speak to a
member of staff in person, visit your local
ACCESS office. •
Produced by Housing. When you
have finished with this newsletter,
please recycle it.
3

Housing news
House Exchange launched
We’ve set-up a new on-line system in
partnership with other social landlords
in Angus called Angus House
Exchange. The system will help tenants find
another tenant to swap homes with. We call
this a mutual exchange. The on-line system
has been developed as a pilot project, and
will run until October 2012. There will be an
evaluation of the initial 12 months of operation
of the system.
The Angus House Exchange system allows
tenants to exchange homes with the permission
of their landlord, subject to certain
conditions, such as their current home being
in an acceptable condition. Full details of the
eligibility criteria are available on-line, along
with advice and guidance for tenants using
the system.
The scheme is for people that want to move
but don’t have any need to do so. If you’re
an existing tenant and you’re currently in the
‘inadequate accommodation’ or ‘choice’ categories
of our housing list, this scheme is for
you! The system already covers over 150 social
landlords across the UK, so even if you want
to move away from Angus, the system will
be able to help you identify a new home in
another area.
As an existing council tenant, you now have
the opportunity to register your property online
and then search for other
tenants who may want to
swap home with you.
There is no charge for
this service but if you
find someone to swap
your home with, you’ll
both need the permission
of your landlord. •
We will give our permission unless –
• we’ve told you that we intend to start court proceedings
against you: this is called a notice of proceedings;
• we have a court order to take back your tenancy for whatever
reason;
• if we gave you the house with your work;
• you have any housing related debt with any landlord that’s
more than 1/12th of the current or previous annual rent and
Help the Staffie
Rescue centres across Scotland are under a
massive strain because of the over breeding
and abandonment of Staffordshire Bull Terriers.
According to statistics, Angus has the largest
rate of abandoned Staffies in Scotland. Ian Robb,
Vice-Chairperson of Angus Help for Abandoned
Animals, said that across Scotland it was estimated
that staffies took up 40% of spaces in
charity kennels. Of the 53 spaces for dogs at the
Arbroath kennels, 41 are staffies.
The new year is traditionally a busy time for
most animal charities and in the current economic
climate, most re-homing centres are
seeing a steady increase in pets that need a
new home. Sadly the number of dogs looking for
homes will always be greater than demand and
if more dogs are abandoned, rescue centres
will not be able to cope. “If this is to continue
then we ourselves will have no choice but to
put young healthy dogs down. It’s just so
sad.” Angus Help for Abandoned Animals
would appeal to all tenants to report
anyone they think may have broken their
tenancy agreement by not getting permission
to keep a dog in their home to their local
Community Housing Team or ACCESS office.
The charity relies on the generosity and goodwill
of the volunteers and the local community
to continue with caring for the dogs. You can
contact Help for Abandoned Animals Angus on
01241 870168 during office hours. •
4

Housing news
www.angushouseexchange.org.uk
no agreement is in place to repay that debt and at least three months
payment have been made;
• you’ve applied to buy your home;
• if the joint tenant doesn’t agree to the mutual exchange and hasn’t signed
the application form;
• if the planned exchange would mean you wouldn’t have all the bedrooms
that everyone living with you needs;
• you or someone that lives with you has been
evicted for anti-social behaviour in the three years
before your application;
• if the Sheriff has granted an ASBO against you
or someone that lives with you;
• where the home has been adapted or modified
in some way for someone with an illness or disability
and if the exchange took place there would be
no one living in the home with an illness or disability;
• if the exchange would leave one party with two or more
bedrooms they don’t need;
• if we think the exchange could result in a clash or conflict of lifestyles
between an incoming tenant and any existing tenants.
Visit the Angus House Exchange website today at
www.angus.houseexchange.org.uk
Keeping a pet
• You are responsible for the behaviour of your pet, or any
animals owned by someone living with you or visiting you;
• You must take reasonable steps to prevent your
pet causing nuisance, annoyance or danger to
your neighbours or other visitors to the property,
including fouling, noise or smell from your pet;
• You must take all reasonable steps to ensure your pet
does not foul or cause damage to your house or any
other property in the neighbourhood or vicinity of your
home, including anything belonging to the council;
• You must take reasonable steps to supervise and keep
any animal under control and to prevent it from causing
annoyance or nuisance or from frightening anyone;
• We may withdraw permission to keep an animal
if you breach these conditions. You would have to
keep your animal somewhere else. We may also take
legal action to end your tenancy in serious cases .
Get it Covered
We’re responsible for insuring where
you live but not your belongings.
Home contents insurance protects
your belongings against fire, theft or
flood. If you pay a little bit extra, you
can also protect your belongings
against accidental damage.
A home contents policy covers most
of your belongings such as electrical
appliances, furniture and furnishings,
personal effects, clothing, computer
equipment and much more but there
may be some items of higher value
that need to be insured separately or
at least listed on the policy.
The amount you insure your
belongings for is the amount you
think it would take to replace all the
items damaged. The easiest way to
put a value on your belongings is to
check what you have and how much
it would cost you to buy a new one.
Also remember to count the items you
store in your shed, garage and loft.
The right cover might not be as
expensive as you think. Insurance
can start from as little as a couple of
pounds per month and most insurers
have a range of different ways to pay
such as by monthly direct debit or payment
cards if you do not have a bank
account.
It is important that you keep up to
date with your payments otherwise
you won’t be covered and will not be
able to make a claim if you need to.
There are a large number of home
contents insurance products on the
market and you are free to pick you
own. Please be sure to discuss fully
with the insurance company all your
needs. Any differences may invalidate
your cover. •
5

Housing news
Downsizing Incentive Scheme
We introduced our pilot Downsizing Incentive
Scheme (DIS) to give council tenants living in properties
with three or more bed rooms that they no
longer need, practical and financial support to move
to homes with less bedrooms.
There’s a huge demand across Angus for properties
with three or more bedrooms and we have a
limited number of homes of these sizes that we
can let each year. This means that some people
have to live in overcrowded and unsuitable
accommodation. At the same time, we know
that some people have lived in their homes for
many years but family members have moved out
leaving people with bed rooms they don’t use.
We know that some people want to move to
smaller homes but they can find it too expen sive
to move. This scheme is designed to help with
these costs. We have enough money for twenty
applications this year and all applica tions will be
on a ‘first-come, first served’ basis.
If you qualify for the scheme and we accept your
application, we’ll give you a grant of £2,500 to help
you with the cost of removal, carpeting, decoration,
telephone reconnec tion and new fittings such as
curtains and blinds.
Our leaflet about the scheme includes a short
application form that you need to complete. You
can get the leaflet from our website or from any
ACCESS office. Officers can help you complete
the form if you need help to apply. You’ll also
need to have a current housing applica tion
with us. If you need to check whether you
have a current housing application with us,
call the Common Housing Register team on
01307 474765.
There is money in our budget to pay another
12 grants up to April 2012. The UK government
plan to cut the housing benefit of everyone
living in social housing with bedrooms they
don’t need by as much as 23%. With this change
set to begin in the next two years, the time to
apply to the DIS is today. •
You can ‘downsize’ if -
• you’ve been an Angus Council tenant for at least one year;
• you rent an Angus Council property with three or more
bedrooms;
• you don’t need all the bedrooms in your current home;
• you don’t have any rent arrears;
• we are not taking any action against you because of antisocial
behaviour;
• you want to move to another council home with less bedrooms
than you have.
Visit our web site at www.angus.gov.uk/housing
for more information on the Downsizing Incentive
Scheme
6

Housing news
Keep yourself safe this Christmas
www.dontgivefireahome.com
Garry Brown is the
Community Fire
Safety Watch
Manager for
Tayside Fire
and Rescue
and part of
the Community
Safety Joint Services
Team. Speaking of tenants keeping
themselves safe this Christmas, he stated:
”The message is clear this Christmas; please
take care. The festive period is traditionally marked
by a higher incidence of domestic fires because
houses contain more combustible materials than
usual, whether it be trees, wrapping paper, candles
or decorative lights. The good news is that these
tragedies can be avoided by adopting some basic
fire safety rules.”
Alarming statistics show that more people die
in house fires across Scotland over the Christmas
period than at any other time of year. Over 10 per
cent of all fire deaths in Scotland occur during
December.
Christmas trees, decorations, lights, open fires
and candles are just some of the winter and
Christmas essentials that can spark tragedy if they
aren’t monitored carefully and precautions aren’t
taken. Extra caution is also needed with natural
Christmas trees particularly if surrounded by lights
or nearby candles, as these trees are very dry and
highly flammable.
Anyone concerned about fire safety and
what actions to take can find out more at
www.dontgivefireahome.com. •
To arrange your free home fire safety visit, contact Tayside Fire
and Rescue -
Call 0300 123 9998
Text ‘CHECK’ to 61611
Web www.taysidefire.gov.uk
Tayside
Fire and Rescue
are offering a completely
FREE service to residents of
Angus. Firefighters will come to
your home and carry out a ‘Home
Fire Safety Visit’. Firefighters will
also fit Smoke Alarm’s to your
property free of charge,
if required.
12 Days of Christmas Fire Safety Check
• on the 1 st day of Christmas: check your
Christmas tree lights conform to
the British or European Standard;
• on the 2 nd day of Christmas:
never place candles near your
Christmas tree or furnishings.
Don’t leave them burning unattended;
• on the 3 rd day of Christmas: make sure
your family and guests know what to do in
an emergency. Make a fire escape plan;
• on the 4 th day of Christmas: decorations can burn
easily–don’t attach them to lights or heaters;
• on the 5 th day of Christmas: never overload electrical
sockets. Take special care with Christmas
lights;
• on the 6 th day of Christmas: most fires start in the
kitchen–never leave a cooker unattended;
• on the 7 th day of Christmas: celebrate safely. The
risk of accidents, especially in the kitchen, is
greater after alcohol is consumed;
• on the 8 th day of Christmas: if you are planning
to celebrate with fireworks, store them in a
metal box, read the instructions, never go
back to a lit firework and keep a bucket of
water nearby;
• on the 9 th day of Christmas: make sure you have a
working smoke alarm;
• on the 10 th day of Christmas: change the battery
in your smoke alarm and test it every week,
after that, use Christmas as a reminder to
clean it and remove dust;
• on the 11 th day of Christmas: make sure candles
and cigarettes are completely extinguished
before going to bed. Keep matches and
lighters away from children;
• on the 12 th day of Christmas: take a second to
check on elderly relatives and neighbours
this Christmas–make sure they are fire safe.
7

Housing news
Garden awards 2011
Tenants deserve praise indeed for
all the hard work they have put
into their gardens again this year!
We had an outstanding number
of entrants for the awards and this
years 1st and 2nd place winners
were presented with their prizes
at our three Housing Consultation
Roadshows in Monifieth,
Kirriemuir and Montrose.
The standard of all the gardens
in the awards this year
was excellent and it was
difficult for Council staff to
choose the best gardens.
We would like to praise all
the other gardeners who
have played a part in adding
to the attractiveness of our
towns and villages across
Angus and their efforts to
create colourful displays and
well-kept gardens.
The photo gallery is evidence
of the colourful display
from all the gardens entered
in the Awards this year and
we are looking forward to a
high number of entries again
in 2012! •
Arbroath
Carnoustie
Mrs Thomson
Mr and Mrs Craib
Arbroath, Carnoustie & Monifieth landward
Mr Peggie, Wellbank
Monifieth & Director’s special award
Mr and Mrs Meldrum
8

Housing news
Mr Lawson of Glamis, winner of the
best Angus garden and 1st place
winner of the Forfar and Kirriemuir
landward category, presented with
his award by Alan McKeown, Head
of Housing.
Highly commended
The tenants of Inglis Court, Edzell
Most sustainable garden
Best garden by a disabled tenant
Mr and Mrs Glen, Arbroath
Mr Brown, Forfar
Forfar
Brechin
Brechin & Montrose landward
Mr Forbes
Mr Thomson
Mr and Mrs MacPherson, Edzell
Kirriemuir
Montrose
Montrose Tubs & Planters
Mrs Harper
Mr and Mrs Black
Mr and Mrs Stephen
9

Housing news
Energy Efficiency
Many homes in
Scotland are not very
energy efficient, especially
homes in rural
areas.
Your home can
become more energy
efficient if you follow
these steps:
• don’t leave appliances
on standby - turn
them off. Do not leave
lap tops and mobile
phones on charge unnecessarily;
• switch off lights
when rooms are not in use;
• close your curtains at dusk to save heat;
• turn the thermostat down by one degree and cut
10% off your fuel bills, saving around £50 per year.
If you have a programmer, set your heating and hot
water to come on only when required rather than all
the time;
• consider showering instead of taking a bath;
• when boiling a kettle, only use the water you need,
and use it immediately after boiling;
• when using the washing machine, ensure it’s full: one
full load uses less energy than two half loads;
• hang washing outside rather than using a tumble
dryer;
• defrost fridges and freezers regularly;
• remember to close the output dial (sometimes called
the boost button) on storage heaters before you go
to bed, or if you go out during the day;
• use your central heating rather than plug in electric
heaters: they’re cheaper;
• set your programmer to heat water if you have gas
heating;
• use energy saving light bulbs: they last up to ten
times longer;
• report leaking taps: a dripping hot water tap wastes
energy and in one week wastes enough hot water to
fill half a bath.
Cause and cure
Condensation—mistakenly referred
to as ‘damp’ —is particularly common
in the winter months as buildings get
colder and windows are opened less
frequently. Condensation occurs when
moisture caught in warm air comes into
contact with cold surfaces. This causes
the moisture to form water droplets.
If left, condensation can cause mould to
form and grow. While unpleasant, mould
can be removed with a mould removing
product or a very dilute solution of bleach
and water.
Simple changes to lifestyles —such
as opening windows—will reduce the
common sources of condensation such as
steam from cooking, bathing or showering,
unvented tumble dryers and drying clothes
indoors without opening windows.
If you are taking steps to minimise mould and condensation
but it still persists, you should report it to
us to investigate through the ACCESSline on 08452
777 778
10

Housing news
Things are easier with direct debit
Where does condensation occur?
• in unheated rooms, especially at corners where two
external walls meet;
• on north facing walls;
• on cold surfaces such as single glazed or metal framed
windows;
• in kitchens and bathrooms where lots of moisture is
produced;
• in poorly ventilated spaces such as behind furniture
placed against walls or inside wardrobes and cupboards.
How can I reduce condensation?
• heat your home: keep all rooms warm (above 15 degrees)especially
during cold weather;
• ventilate: if you have window vents, keep them open;
• use extractor fans: our extractor fans are generally the
type which run continuously at very low power, helping
remove moist air. If you have this type of fan, make
sure it is left running in low power mode;
• ventilate rooms daily;
• air cupboards and wardrobes.
To reduce moisture in the air
• cover pans when cooking, turn the extractor fan on and
close the kitchen door to prevent moisture spreading;
• dry clothes outside but if this isn’t possible hang your
washing in a room with windows open and doors shut;
• vent tumble driers to outside your home or use a selfcondensing
dryer kit;
• keep the bathroom door closed and use an extractor
fan when bathing or showering. Running a little cold
water into the bath before adding hot water helps
reduce steam.
• No stress: once you have signed up, that’s it! You need
do nothing else ever! We’ll amend your instalments
automatically each year or when the amount you
need to pay changes. We’ll give you at least 3 working
days’ notice before we request any amended amounts
from your bank or building society account.
• Flexibility: pay weekly or monthly. Monthly payments
can be made on the 1st or 15th and weekly payments
are taken on a Friday.
• Protection: if there’s a problem, you’re protected so you
have the reassurance of knowing that whatever happens
your money is protected.
• What to do: if you want to pay by direct debit, complete
a Direct Debit form, available from your ACCESS offices
or download a copy from our web site and we’ll
do the rest.
The risk of burst pipes increases during winter
Check these things today
• report any dripping taps or running overflows to us for
repair
• to protect your contents, make sure your home contents
insurance is up to date
• know where your stop cock is and how to use it
The risk is greater if:
• your home is unoccupied and unheated: if you’re going
away over the winter months, let us know. We’ll arrange
to drain down your water system for free. Keep
your home as warm as you can. If you are over 60, claim
your winter fuel payment: call 08459 151515 for more
information.
• you have water pipes in your roof space or your bathroom
and kitchen face north or east
In the unlikely event that a pipe bursts:
• switch off your electricity supply
• shut off the water supply using the stop cock
• turn on all every tap to drain the water system
• warn your neighbours what’s happened
• contact the ACCESSline on 08452 777 778 so repairs can
be ordered
11

Housing news
Let’s stop fly tipping Reuse and recycle
We’ve noticed an increase in fly tipping
lately and we need your help to tackle it. Fly
tipping–dumping rubbish and unwanted
household items in areas where it shouldn’t
be left– causes real annoyance to both
officers and residents. What people don’t
appreciate is that fly tipping is illegal and
can lead to a fixed penalty notice of £50 or
the courts could impose a maximum fine
of £40,000.
ly tipping isn’t necessary as there are sev-
ways to dispose of unwanted items
Feral
responsibly. If you have items of furniture
or household goods that are still in good
condition, you could donate them to one of
the local furniture reuse organisations, who
redistribute furniture to families and people
in need.
Furniture reuse organisations offer a free
uplift service from your home for good quality
goods. However, they can’t take any sofa,
chair or mattress without a fire retardant
label attached. You can arrange for a special
uplift of unwanted household goods at
a cost of £19 through the Angus ACCESSline.
This allows you to get rid of up to three bulky
items properly.
12

Housing news
Community Warden’s reporting furniture disposed
of inappropriately (‘fly-tipping’) and arranging for
uplift
The council’s responsible for investigating
and disposing of fly tipping on council
ground so there’s a cost to remove items
dumped but it’s up to the landowner to
clear items left on private ground.
You can contact Angus ACCESSline on
08452 777 778 to tell us about fly tipping on
council ground. The ACCESSline will need
the location and a description of what has
been dumped so it can be removed. Any
information about who left the items or
the registration number of the vehicle
from which the items were dumped would
be helpful so we can try and trace those
responsible.
For fly tipping on private ground, you can
contact the Scottish Environment Protection
Agency (SEPA) on 01241 874370.
Reuse, Recycle
Do you need more furniture than your
budget will stretch too? Or do you have
good items you could donate? A number
of organisations accept donations of good
unwanted furniture and will give them away
or sell them cheaply. Some can also offer
grants to those on low incomes.
You can ask your local ACCESS office about
any reuse or recycling schemes for furniture,
or smaller household items. Sometimes, the
furniture projects may not be able to accept
your donation, for example a mattress that
is missing its fire retardant label cannot be
accepted. If the project cannot collect your
furniture then you can arrange for a special
uplift. Reusing saves furniture from ending
up in a landfill, so it’s good for the environment,
too.
Angus Furniture Recycling Projects
Furniture Recycling Projects aim to help vulnerable
people who are homeless or at risk
of homelessness.
If you have furniture or small household
items you wish to donate, please contact the
furniture project in your area. All items must
be clean and in good condition. To get help
contact the project directly.
The furniture recycling projects are open
to everyone and sell recycled goods at low
prices. If you have serviceable furniture for
reuse, please contact the furniture project
in your area.
You can contact Angus ACCESSline on
08452 777 778 or visit your local ACCESS
office to arrange a special uplift of unwanted
furniture and goods. Anything unsuitable for
reuse can be taken to your local recycling
centre. •
Contact a furniture reuse organisation today
Angus Furniture Project, Arbroath
T. 01241 437438
E. frpa@btconnect.com
Forfar Resource Store
T. 01307 469370
E. frf@forfarangus.wanadoo.co.uk
Montrose Area Furniture and Recycling
Distribution (MAFRAD)
T. 01674 671177
E. mafrad.montrose@btconnect.com
You can find out more information on recycling and
how to reduce the amount of waste by visiting our
web site at www.angus.gov.uk/recycling
13

Housing news
Our home building programme
We’ve embarked on an ambitious
building programme to provide
147 new council houses to help
reduce the housing waiting
list. Working
in partnership
with the Scottish
Government, we
received funding
of £3.8m which,
along with an
investment of
£17.6m from our own
resources, will give the
social housing sector
in Angus a much-needed
boost.
Funding of more than £21m
enables us to realise our vision
of building quality affordable
and energy efficient homes for
rent and to buy in areas of highest
need in Angus while providing
an important boost to the construction
industry and in turn the local economy.
Housing policy manager John Morrow
comments: “These, and future developments,
will make a real difference to the
lives of families and individuals across
Angus by increasing the number of affordable
properties available for rent.”
“We will be looking to create a domino
effect in terms of allocations, by creating a
chain of moves so that the number of new
tenancies will be double the number of
new-build houses. This will start to make a
considerable impact on the housing waiting
list.” •
14
Kirriemuir
13 homes
1 bed -
2 bed 5
3 bed -
4 bed 8
Terraced and wheelchair accessible homes on a
new mixed tenure development at Mortar Holes,
and planned regeneration of Marywell Gardens.
Forfar
23 homes
1 bed -
2 bed 3
3 bed 20
4 bed -
The regeneration of Newmonthill will see
the demolition of the existing flats and their
replacement with family homes. A number of
new homes will be developed in the rural area
of Inveraldie.
MONIFIETH
2 homes
1 bed -
2 bed -
3 bed 2
4 bed -
Two three bed homes set in a quiet cul
de sac at Laird Street, Monifieth.

Housing news
Brechin
6 homes
1 bed -
2 bed 4
3 bed 2
4 bed -
The on-going regeneration of the old
Queen’s Park site and Hillview continues.
Montrose
45 homes
1 bed -
2 bed 17
3 bed 18
4 bed 10
Utilising the brownfield site of Dungman’s
Tack to provide a range of house types, heated
using a biomass district heating system.
CARNOUSTIE
38 homes
1 bed 3
2 bed 25
3 bed 2
4 bed 8
Ten houses on the old Kinloch school site and one
and two bed supported cottages with care centre.
Arbroath
22 homes
1 bed -
2 bed 7
3 bed 7
4 bed 8
A mix of two, three and four bed homes at
Harry Farmer Close and Noran Avenue.
15

Housing news
Continuing to invest in homes and communities
As well as injecting over £20m of funding
into the local economy through the new
build programme, we are still maintaining
high levels of investment in existing homes.
Our priorities for next year will see a change
of focus to energy efficiency work and
making sure our older tenants in sheltered
housing have the quality of accommodation
they deserve.
We will continue replacing old heating systems
and kitchens at regular intervals, but
other types of improvements like window
replacements will see less money spent as
most of our homes now meet the required
quality standard.
Planned investment to improve your homes
Heating
Sheltered Housing
Energy savings
Kitchens
Miscellaneous
Aids & adaptations
Regeneration
Conversion
Improvements
Windows
2012/13
2011/12
2012/13
2011/12
2012/13
2011/12
2012/13
2011/12
2012/13
2011/12
2012/13
2011/12
2012/13
2011/12
2012/13
2011/12
2012/13
2011/12
2012/13
2011/12
Planned investment to maintain your homes
Maintaining existing gas heating systems
Repaints
Essential structural floor repairs in Arbroath
Upgrading flat doors at Hillview, Brechin
Snow clearing and gritting
Re-roofing Airlie Gardens in Brechin
Wall repairs and minor structural works
Replacing sub-standard loft insulation
Replacing asbestos roofs on garden sheds
16

Housing news
£6.29m
1.293m 8.9%
1.269 54.8
1.213 28.1
1.050 17.3
0.485 27.1
0.420
0.261 33.9
0.205 4000.0
0.068 90.2
0.029 94.2
£2.19m
850k
800k
250k
100k
75k
70k
30k
10k
10k
17

Housing news
Welcome to Burgh
School Close,
Carnoustie
As these homes near
completion, it will be
time to offer eight
families one of the
first new build homes
to be built by the
council for more than
20 years.
e’re delighted to be able
Wto show you the first
eight of twelve homes nearing
completion in our new
build programme.
These semi detached homes
grouped around the cul de
sac of Burgh School Close,
Carnoustie, are in a central
location, with excellent access
to shops, schools and leisure
facilities.
We’re planning to use one of
these homes as a show house
to give all tenants an opportunity
to see the quality of the
accommodation first hand.
Look out for more publicity in
local press on opening times.
ACCOMMODATION
GROUND FLOOR
• Lounge-diner (19m²)
• Kitchen (9m²)
• Bedroom 1 (13m²)
• Shower Room (4m²)
• Porch
18

Housing news
OVERVIEW
The four bedroom accommodation
is arranged over two floors, with one
bedroom, shower room and all living
space on the ground floor, making them
especially suitable for families who need
barrier free access.
Features include high levels of insulation,
solar water heating and low carbon
heating, which means that fuel costs
will be relatively low. As home safety is
important to our tenants, sprinklers are
provided in addition to hard wired smoke
detectors.
There are enclosed private gardens to
front and rear, with an integral dedicated
parking space for two cars.
FIRST FLOOR
• Bedroom 2 (14m²)
• Bedroom 3 (14m²)
• Bedroom 4 (9m²)
• Bathroom (5m²)
• Storage (7m²)
Want to see more? We’ve made a short walk-through video of the new
houses. View it at http://www.angus.gov.uk/kinlochdevelopment/housevideo.
htm or if you have a smart phone, scan this QR code for a hotlink to our website.
19

Housing news
Rent rise options for 2012
We involve our tenants in reviewing rents every year. This
year the process for 2012/13 started in April, to give tenant
representatives on the rent setting group adequate time
to carefully consider the range of options. This is now your
chance to have your say on the rent rise which you feel to be
most acceptable. To help you consider the options, this year
we are carrying out this consultation in this newsletter, so
that you can clearly see the wide range of services that you
receive for your money
The tenants on the rent setting
group believe that it is important
to avoid cutting services, and at the
same time continue investment in our
homes to ensure they can all meet and
be maintained at the Scottish Housing
Quality Standard. They also strongly
believe that the council should continue
its programme of new house building,
to help alleviate the severe shortage of
homes in Angus.
This has started well, with the first new
council houses to be built in Angus for
15 years already being occupied, and
with success in obtaining an additional
£1.6 million government grant for the
next phase. It has been agreed with the
tenants that part of the rent increase will
be ring-fenced to fund the new-build
programme.
Inflation continues to remain at high
levels and we all face increased pressures
as a result of the economic situation. With
this in mind, the tenants on the rent setting
group feel that the rent rise should
be pegged to the lower inflation measure
20
This year’s rent increase will allow us to continue
our investment in your homes while allowing us
to continue to invest in new affordable homes
across Angus
of CPI (Consumer Price Index). Based on
this they have agreed three options
which they feel will bring benefits to
both existing and prospective tenants.
They are recommending that you choose
Option 1 (the lowest option), which will
mean a rent rise of 7.2% (CPI plus 2%).
Keeping rents affordable
If Option 1 is agreed the average weekly
rent during 2012-2013 would rise from
£49.90 to £53.49, and this will, once again,
keep average rents in Angus amongst the
Both the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the
Retail Price Index (RPI) have been rising steadily
6
RPI
5
CPI
4
3
2
1
0
Ap My Jn Jy Au Se Oc No De Ja Fb Ma Ap My Jn Jy Au Se

Housing news
How will the rise affect average rents?
We think the average Angus Council rent will
remain one of the lowest council rents in Scotland
lowest in Scotland, and well below this
year’s Scottish local authority average of
£56.95.
This rent increase will continue to fund
record levels of investment in Angus
council houses of up to £13.9 million. This
will see the completion of the first 51 new
council houses, and progress on site with
a further 96 homes. In addition to this the
council is working with developers to
transform seven sites across Angus into
affordable housing for 77 families. The
new council houses will be allocated to
existing council tenants through a special
lettings initiative without the right to buy
so the investment in new homes will be
protected.
The money from this year’s increase will
also continue to pay for a repairs appointment
system, our Downsizing Incentive
Scheme (DIS), and the Angus House
Exchange initiative. •
This table shows you how the rent you’ve paid
from April 2011 compares with the rents of
other Scottish councils. We’re assuming that
every council will increase their rents this year
and for comparison purposes, we’re assuming
they’ll increase their rent by the Consumer
Price Index of 5.2% (September 2011.)
We think the average rent in Angus will remain
one of the lowest council rents in Scotland.
Council
Average rent
this year
Average rent
increased by
CPI
City of Edinburgh £74.87 £78.76
Renfrewshire 62.98 66.25
Shetland 61.04 64.21
The Highland Council 60.99 64.16
Aberdeen City 60.29 63.43
Dundee 60.23 63.36
West Lothian 59.99 63.11
East Dunbartonshire 59.24 62.32
Orkney 58.75 61.81
North Ayrshire 58.60 61.65
Scotland 56.95 59.91
Stirling 56.15 59.07
Clackmannanshire 56.01 58.92
South Lanarkshire 56.01 58.92
East Ayrshire 55.13 58.00
Aberdeenshire 55.01 57.87
South Ayrshire 54.97 57.83
West Dunbartonshire 54.48 57.31
Perth & Kinross 54.52 57.36
East Renfrewshire 54.44 57.27
Fife 54.05 56.86
Falkirk 53.43 56.21
North Lanarkshire 53.16 55.92
Midlothian 51.35 54.02
Angus 49.90 53.49
East Lothian 44.97 47.31
The Moray Council 43.55 45.81
21

Housing news
Have your say on the rent increase proposals
Tenants work with us every year to develop
a number of rent setting options . This year,
those tenants that worked with us to set
rents recommend you vote for option 1.
This will allow us to continue to deliver
our current services, provide new services,
continue our investment in your homes
and continue to build new homes.
To have your say, you need to complete
the questionnaire on the back of the letter
that came with this newsletter. The results
of this year’s consultation will be passed to
your councillors when the Neighbourhood
Services Committee makes a final decision
on rents in February 2012. •
Housing road shows successfully involve communities
round 100 people visited Angus Council’s
Athree housing road shows held in Monifieth,
Kirriemuir and Montrose recently. Each event
gave tenants and members of the public the
opportunity to meet council staff and raise
issues important to them and their neighbours.
A wide range of current housing topics were
covered and discussed.
“ I’m pleased that
In particular, participants
the success of these
were interested to hear
events shows that
how funding from the
we are continuing
council’s successful grant
to go about things
submissions to the Scottish
in the right way.” Government is being
applied to the council’s new build programme.
The council’s policy of incorporating high levels
of insulation and integrating renewable technology
in their new houses where possible was
highlighted, as a means to alleviate fuel poverty.
Delegates heard a presentation on the allocation
of housing in Angus, and a detailed explanation of
Housing Benefit changes was widely welcomed.
22
Individual surgery sessions throughout the events
also provided people with a chance to find
solutions to any of their own personal housing
questions.
The council has involved tenants in housing
policy initiatives for more than ten years and plans
to broaden the number of tenants included in
the future.
Angus Council’s housing spokesperson,
Councillor Jim Millar commented: “One of the
council’s roles is to make sure we reach out to
the community to canvas their views, using a
range of methods. I’m pleased that the success
of these events shows that we are continuing to
go about things in the right way.
“We especially value the contribution of tenants
in shaping our housing services – these road
shows have highlighted how their participation
is helping us to ensure that we deliver the right
kind of housing that our customers want and
expect.” •

Housing news
These are the rent increase
options for you to consider
and how the option would
affect average rents
The options
Option 1 Option 2 Option 3
Proposed increase CPI plus 2% CPI plus 2.5% CPI plus 3%
Average increase each week £3.59 £3.84 £4.09
Average rent each week £53.49 £53.74 £53.99
Percentage increase 7.2 7.7 8.2
Rent arrears
Alan McKeown, Head of Housing, would like to take
this opportunity to wish you well for the festive
season and new year.
Particular thanks to everyone that’s kept their rent
account in order in the last six months. Well done to
anyone with arrears who’s been in touch with us to
talk over their rent arrears, who has made an agreement
with us to pay what they can afford when they
get paid.
Christmas is coming–you should
spend some money on presents,
food and good cheer but don’t
forget the rent!
Those tenants that currently
have arrears and are repaying
in accordance with agreements
must maintain payments over the
festive period. You cannot afford
to miss payments or you will just
undo the great work that you have
done over the previous months.
It can take months to repay one
missed payment!
For those tenants who have not
Contact us today
Arbroath, Carnoustie & Monifieth
Elaine Swankie or Debbie Thomson
T. 01241 435264 | 01241 435262
M. 07284 481818 | 07825 112029
Forfar & Kirriemuir
Kirsty Soutar or Linda Stewart
T. 01307 474159 | 01307 474732
M. 07799 714257 | 07827 283988
Montrose & Brechin
Gary Henderson or Sue Smith
T. 01674 664114 | 01674 664107
M. 07920 586984 | 07771 910921
paid regularly and do not have an arrangement,
we would notify you that your Christmas mail will
contain either arrears letters, notices for recovery
of possession or summons to court and your local
Housing Officer will be visiting you in the near future.
There are no hiding places.
It is essential that you repay any outstanding arrears
and you can agree a repayment plan with your
Housing Officer.
Your security of tenure is based on
you paying your rent in accordance
with your tenancy agreement. You
can make affordable arrangements
to repay debt and you will have one
less worry and a happy home during
Christmas and New Year.
The first step can be the hardest,
so do not hide from the problem,
deal with it!
If you are worried or concerned
about the situation with your rent
account, contact your local ACCESS
office or an officer from your local
community housing team. •
23

Housing news
focus on performance
In line with our commitment to provide
you with information about how
we perform in each edition of Housing
news, we review how we performed
in the first six months of this year.
We don’t have figures to compare our performance
with every Scottish local authority with housing stock
every time we publish Housing news. Performance
information is available annually.
We use the summer edition of Housing news to let
you know how we performed in the financial year
that’s passed, our performance against our targets
and how that performance compares with other
landlords.
Rent collection: current tenants
Percentage of rent collected and unpaid
92.9%
92.9% collected £4,062,481
7.1% unpaid 675,396
7.0% target
Performance in previous years
2010 7.7
2009 7.9
2008 11.8
While we are broadly on line to meet our target of reducing arrears to 7%
of all rent due in the year, we’ll continue our action to tackle the arrears of
those tenants that can pay but won’t
Letting not low demand homes
Average number of days to let 436 homes
2011 (ytd) 48 days
Target 30
Performance in previous years
2010 33
2009 43
2008 79
It has taken longer, on average, this year to relet homes. There are several
possible causes where we relet homes slowly including maintenance but
we need to analyse why performance has fallen
Letting low demand homes
Average number of days to let 35 homes
2011 (ytd)
Target
Performance in previous years
2010
2009
2008
‘Low demand homes’ are a small number of homes
where there is little demand for the property
24

Housing news
Making decisions about homelessness (permanent housing)
The percentage of decisions made in 28 days
80.4% completed in 28 days
279 cases
80.4%
Performance in previous years
2010 57.1
2009 29.5
2008 79.0
Our performance in responding to homelessness continues to improve
although the number of people affected by homelessness remains around
the same level as in previous years
Making decisions about homelessness (temporary housing only)
The percentage of decisions made in 28 days
72.4% completed in 28 days
181 cases
72.4%
Performance in previous years
2010 63.9
2009 40.9
2008 27.6
Everyone affected by homelessness is determined to be in priority need.
However, we find that some people caused their own homelessness and
we do not provide permanent housing for them
18 days
32
32
83
128
Repairing homes
Percentage of repairs completed on time
97.3%
97.3% completed on time
11,176 repairs completed
Performance in previous years
2010 95.5
2009 87.6
2008 92.0
We continue to complete repairs to your homes quickly. Our review of our works
contracts, revised schedule of rates codes and our new repairs appointment
system will allow us to continue to push improvement forward
25

Housing news
focus on performance
Our performance in summary
Overall, we’re continuing to improve our
performance and we’ll try to do even
better wherever we can. We’re collecting
more rent than at any time in the last four
years, our contractors continue to complete
repairs within timescale and the number of
homelessness decisions made in 28 days
continues to rise. However, our half year performance
in letting homes is disappointing
and we could do better. We need to question
why it took us 48 days on average to
relet a home and establish what we can do if
anything to turn performance around.
Security over the winter months
When the clocks go back you should be thinking
ahead—a house that looks unoccupied is
tempting to criminals.
That is the seasonal warning from Tayside
Police. While it may or may not send a shiver
down the spine of householders, it will hopefully
prompt you into thinking about home
security. The easiest way to avoid becoming the
victim of crime at this time of year is to make
sure your property is well lit and windows and
doors are all properly secured.
Claire Taylor is Tayside Police Crime Prevention
Officer and works alongside council officers in
the Joint Services Team. Claire said: “When you
are out in the evening set timer switches to lights
and radios to give the impression of an occupied
home. Checks should be carried out on
all external lighting to ensure they are working.
All doors, windows, sheds and lock ups should
be secured properly to prevent the opportunist
thief. Tools and ladders should be locked away in
sheds or garages to prevent them being used to
facilitate a crime. Setting curtains or blinds to try
and prevent the opportunist thief from window
shopping is also a must.
Can you help us to improve?
We’d like to widen out the membership of our tenant
scrutiny panel that meets to discuss our performance with
our senior managers and works with us to set meaningful
targets for the coming year. We’d like to hear from you if you
have an interest in examining how we’re performing with
an interest in asking managers about the performance of
the services they manage. This scrutiny process helps us to
examine critically what we’re doing and how we’re doing it:
if you scrutinise us well, this should assist us to improve our
performance continuously.
If you would like to join our tenant scrutiny panel or you’d
like to find out more about the panel and the work it does,
get in touch with us today.
I would advise householders
to security
mark all valuables with
the relevant postcode
and house number and
make an inventory of
their property. Doing so
makes it easier to return
stolen property to its
Claire Taylor
rightful owner in the
event that it is recovered. Above all, be a good
neighbour, particularly if you have older or vulnerable
neighbours. Ask them if they require any
assistance to make their homes safer and keep
an eye out for them, as well as anyone coming
to their door.’’
In Angus, ‘Safe as Houses’ is a security initiative
to aid victims of crime, the older, disabled
and vulnerable members of the community. For
further information contact Angus Care & Repair
on 01307 463232. •
For further advice on security you can contact Claire at
the Joint Services Team on 01307 477477.
26

Housing news
puzzle time
Word Search
The words you need to find are listed beside the grid. Words can appear
vertically, horizontally and diagonally, left-to-right and right-to-left but
always appear in a straight line.
M S A F E A S H O U S E S S O O E I W O
E C R E I C N O B D N U I O F B D E N B
O E E T D E C M M E R E N E R G Y A E M
I E N I I D F E I V E N N S C Z O N R U
G D T N S I E C S E H E W N O N W T E T
T T I I S U I O C L S O T O N E P I A U
I F N O I L E N R O R N E Z F W O S C A
R D C U N A E T P P R N O A E B E O C L
A O R F O U A E Z M S S C N R U F C E E
E W E R U E G N E E F S D H E I L I S X
C N A I I I S T O N N S V N N L Y A S C
H S S A E E C S O T H N C E C D T L L H
D I E I R B Y N E S O F E R E N I U I A
E Z O V E R B R E E D I N G U I P R N N
L I G O O D N E I G H B O U R T P A E G
D N J O I N T S E R V I C E S E I A D E
N G N O I T A S N E D N O C C E N N E O
I N S U R A N C E C T T E A E U G R Y A
E C I G S E D S E F I R E S A F E T Y R
E I N F T R Z E R O T O L E R A N C E C
Congratulations to our three Summer word
search winners. If you’ve been in touch with
us, your vouchers are on their way!
1 st prize: Mrs Isabella Hutcheson of Tealing
2 nd prize: Mr Michael Smith of Montrose
3 rd prize: Ms Lynn Wilson of Montrose
Solutions from the Summer edition
You’ll find the solutions to all the Summer edition word search
online at www.angus.gov.uk/housing
The
first correct
entry receives £50 in
shopping vouchers for a
supermarket of their choice.
The second correct entry
receives £30 in vouchers
and the third, £20 in
vouchers.
ACCESSLINE
ANTISOCIAL
CONDENSATION
CONFERENCE
DEVELOPMENTS
DOWNSIZING
ENERGY
FIRESAFETY
FLYTIPPING
GOODNEIGHBOUR
HOMECONTENTS
INSURANCE
JOINTSERVICES
MUTUALEXCHANGE
NEWBUILD
OVERBREEDING
RENTINCREASE
SAFEASHOUSES
SCRUTINY
ZEROTOLERANCE
Entering the draw
If you want to enter the free
prize draw, don’t forget to tear
out this page and give us your
name, address and a ‘phone
number or email address where
we can contact you on the back
page should your name be
drawn. The winning names are
selected at random from all the
correct entries submitted.
27

Housing news
something to say?
We’re always happy to hear your views on Housing news and
we’ve provided space below so you can give us your views and
comments.
If you want to enter one or all of the prize puzzles, remember
to give us your name, address and a telephone number or e-mail
address so we can contact you if your name is drawn.
You can return your comments to us through any ACCESS office.
Name:
Address:
contacting us
Housing Headquarters
William Wallace House
Orchard Loan
Orchardbank Business Park
Forfar
Arbroath ACCESS Office
Old Parish Church
Kirk Square
Brechin ACCESS Office
36 Bank Street
Carnoustie ACCESS Office
26 High Street
Contact number:
Email address:
Your comments:
Forfar ACCESS Office
Municipal Buildings
Castle Street
Kirriemuir ACCESS Office
5 Bank Street
28
The information you have provided on the
Housing Newsletter will be used by Angus
Council (the “data controller” for the purposes of
the Data Protection Act 1998) in order to analyse
levels of customer satisfaction and to contact
you only where you have agreed to become
involved. The information will be held securely
by the Council and will be treated as confidential
except where the law requires it to be disclosed.
Contact the Angus ACCESSline on 08452
777 778 if you want this newsletter
translated into another language
or in large print, audio or Braille
Montrose ACCESS Office
Town House
High Street
Monifieth ACCESS and Police Office
81 High Street
Don’t forget that Angus ACCESSline
on 08452 777 778 will now
receive all telephone contacts
You can email us at the address
that follows or find the information
you need on our website.
E. housing@angus.gov.uk
W. www.angus.gov.uk
Benefit Fraud Hotline: 0800 0277373