Eastlands Homes Newsletter issue 40

Winter issue 2012 no 40
Customer
Panel
Approved
StreetsAhead
News and views from Eastlands Homes
Local
Apprentice
opportunities
Page 6
Inside
Want to work at
Eastlands Homes? -
Page 7
Home swap -
Page 11
The Eastlands Homes
Customer Awards -
Page 15

The news from Eastlands homes
Contents
Welcome to the jam-packed issue of Streets Ahead, Winter 2012.
Christmas is nearly upon
us, I hope you have all of
your planning done and
are looking forward to a
few days of celebrations.
We've been out
interviewing some of the
Apprentices our contractors
have taken on. Turn to page
six now to read all about
them. If you like the sound
of the Apprenticeships and
are looking for a job, have a
look at the Apprenticeship
vacancy on page seven.
Nominations for the annual
Eastlands Homes Customer
Awards will be accepted
up until mid January 2013.
If you know an inspiring
individual who has really
made a difference, fill out
the nomination form on
page 15 and send it back
now.
Have a great Christmas
and a wonderful 2013.
Editor
Abi
Opening hours over Christmas
Please be aware that we close for
the Christmas break on Monday
24 December 2012 at 4pm.
Eastline will re-open at 8am on
Wednesday 2 January 2013 and our
receptions will be open from 8.45am.
An emergency repairs service will be
provided over the festive period. If you
require an emergency repair, please call
your local Eastline number.
Please report any non-emergency
issues when we re-open on Wednesday
2 January 2013.
REMEMBER: If you call out the
repairs service and it's not an
emergency you might get charged.
In this Issue…
Customer Involvement
p8
Community Safety
Money Matters
Awards Night
p9
p10
p15
Top Tips this
Winter
p4
Green
Scene
p7
2

Community grant helps
nine local groups
Congratulations to the nine local organisations who were awarded
a total of £2,160 by customers on our neighbourhood assemblies in
our latest round of community grant applications.
The successful groups include:
• Justlife Foundation: £250
towards Christmas meal for
vulnerable people
• Lingfield Tenants & Residents
Group: £200 towards Christmas
party for local children
• The Oasis Centre: £339 towards
new games equipment
• Debdale Eco Centre: £188.88
towards plants for development
of disused land
• The Donkey Sanctuary: £382
towards Christmas Fair
• Age Concern Manchester: £250
towards Christmas party at
Gorton Day Centre
• Anson Cabin Project: £100
towards costs of pantomime
trip for local children
• Creative Hands Foundation:
£300 towards art workshops
Fundraising for
Macmillan Nurses p8
• The Roby: £150 towards cost
of training course to help local
groups gain more funding.
The Eastlands Homes
Community Grant supports
projects and activities
operating in east and
south-east Manchester.
Applications are encouraged
from all of our areas, but
must benefit the local
community in order to be
considered.
Application forms and further
information is available at
www.eastlandshomes.co.uk/
communitygrant or on request
by visiting your local Eastlands
Homes office or calling your local
Eastline team.
Applications for consideration
in the Winter submission
must be received by 5pm on
Thursday 31 January 2013.
Over 40s entitled to free heart health checks
People aged over 40 are entitled to
a routine heart health check. The
health MOT also includes a blood
pressure check.
The health checks are designed
to spot potentially fatal conditions
such as heart disease and
diabetes.
Coronary heart disease is the UK's
biggest killer, causing about 94,000
deaths each year. One in five men
and one in seven women die from
the disease.
Call your GP now to arrange
your appointment.
Our
Performance
p12
Your Rent at
Christmas
If you are up to date
with your rent, you can
enjoy a week off from
your payments this
Christmas!
But, if your rent account is in
arrears, you must pay your rent.
If you are on a monthly
arrangement or paying monthly
Direct Debit or Standing Order,
please note that you should
continue to make your payment
as usual, as your rent-break
week will already have been
calculated.
Charity of the
year 2013
From January we will begin
fundraising for our new
charity of the year - the
Oasis Centre in Gorton.
The community day centre at
Collier House on Wellington
Street offers a range of
support to people across east
Manchester. This includes a
getting work-ready scheme,
craft, cookery and computer
workshops, charity shop, cafe
and more.
Our charity of the year
for 2012 has been Cancer
Research UK.
Do you have
a mobile
phone?
Next time you contact
Eastline, let us know what
your current mobile number
is so that we have the best
number to contact you on.
Every time you change your
mobile number, let Eastline
know as this helps us to
improve our service to you.
3

Top tips to
keep you and
your family
safe this
winter
• Do not use the gas cooker to
heat the room up (a gas cooker
is the largest producer of
carbon monoxide in the home).
• Check your carbon monoxide
and smoke alarms are working.
• Make sure your annual gas
servicing appointment is kept –
call Eastline now if you haven’t
had yours.
• Wrap up warm: not only do our
water pipes need insulation,
so do we - wear a jumper, hat,
scarf and gloves.
• Keep the heating on 24/7 on
low, this will maintain the heat
throughout your home. By
using the thermostat and timer,
you will prevent the house
getting cold. It is cheaper than
letting the house get cold then
re-heating from freezing.
• If you have a frozen pipe DO
NOT use direct heat (blow lamp
or central heating). Open taps
(take the plug out of the sink
first) and use a hairdryer or gas
or electric fire to gently thaw
out around the pipes. When the
water starts to run close the
taps.
• Avoid condensation forming,
(this will be produced through
the night) open windows for
five minutes to remove excess
moisture and stale air from the
room.
• Keep plenty of bottled water in
case water gets cut off.
• Look out for any vulnerable
neighbours - check they are ok.
In Bloom
competition 2012
We were overjoyed this year that two of our gardening
groups won awards in Manchester City Council’s
Manchester in Bloom competition. This is a fantastic
achievement as both groups have only been up and
running for a few months.
Winifred Massey
Sheltered Scheme
Throughout the year, John
Findlow and Joe Delmore,
who are both residents of the
sheltered scheme, have worked
to establish beds, borders and
planters in the communal
garden, with help from other
residents.
They successfully produced
potatoes, leeks, onions,
strawberries and other
vegetables. John also planted
a number of seeds and has
had success with sweet peas,
daisies and other flowers.
They were delighted to win a
level 1 certificate establishing
award – bronze medal.
The plan is to move this forward
next year and get many more
people involved in growing food
and flowers.
Mill Court Gardening
Club
The group was established in
March under the guidance of
Richard Edwards. Richard felt
it was important that all those
who wanted to be involved in
gardening should be able to
do so. In order to make that
possible, Richard established a
group who were interested and
helped them to apply for funding
to have raised flowerbeds fitted.
The group then set about
making the communal garden
a great place for all those
who wanted to get involved.
They grew a successful crop
of cabbages and onions as
well as some beautiful flowers
throughout the summer.
Richard was pleasantly
surprised and delighted to find
they had won the runner-up
award and felt that this was a
wonderful acknowledgement
of what can be achieved when
people work together. Winning
the award has now inspired
them to make things even better
next year.
Well done to Winfred Massey
and Mill Court gardening
clubs – you make us proud
to be your landlord.
4

Grounds
Maintenance Update
Despite the wettest April - July period on record,
our new contractors, Continental Landscapes,
managed to complete six out of the eight grasscutting
cycles planned.
It's been a tough start for them
with the wet weather and
having to get to grips with
over 3,000 plots of land owned
by Eastlands Homes. For the
statisticians out there the
area of grass is over 300,000
square metres, which means
by completing a minimum of
10 cuts over the year, they'll
have cut an area the size of 400
football pitches.
They have already started
their winter work and are busy
cutting back hedges and shrubs
The conference allowed
customers to have their say on
Eastlands Homes’ priorities for
2013.
The day had presentations
and workshops from a range
of people. Customers were
given the opportunity to ask
any questions to members of
the Eastlands Homes Board.
as well as improving some
rundown areas.
Next year we’ll be creating a
team of 15 Green Inspectors.
The inspectors will be customers
across all our neighbourhoods.
They will help to monitor and
suggest improvements to raise
the standards of our communal
green spaces.
Look out for details of the
Green Inspectors in the
Spring issue of Streets
Ahead.
Determining our
priorities for 2013
Our Annual Customer Conference was held at Gorton
Monastery on Monday 19 November with over 95
customers from different areas attending the day.
Anne Taylor from Manchester
City Council also attended and
delivered a presentation on the
redevelopment of the Etihad
campus and plans for new
community facilities. This will
bring jobs and apprenticeships
into East Manchester.
The day was very well
received by customers with
excellent feedback.
Excellent
Eastlands!
Eastlands Homes was recently
awarded the Continuity
Marque of Excellence, the first
housing provider to achieve
this level of award.
This involved staff members from
across many teams working with
an expert in the field, to see how
we can improve our services and
business operations. There was a
heavy focus on how best to serve
and support our customers so our
hope is that this work will provide
real benefits to you in the service
we provide.
We were also finalists in the North
of England Excellence Special
Category award for leadership.
Again, the focus for this was
Eastlands being a positive leader
in our community and how we
get the best out of our people so
that they can give their best to
you.
Keep your
fence clean
Please help to keep the
fences we have fitted for
you clean and tidy.
Although the panels we fit are
pre-treated with preservative,
If you coat the panels with your
own preservatives each year it
keeps them looking as good in
the future as it does now. Always
ensure that you use preservative
not paint, as paint can go through
the panels and ruin neighbouring
fences' appearance.
You can buy the preservative
from places like B&Q and
Home Bargains and own-brand
products are perfectly fine.
It won't take long and it doesn’t
cost too much but it will keep
your garden looking good.
5

Employment and training
for local people
6
When we appoint
contractors to work
on our Environment
and Investment
Improvement
Programmes,
they commit to
employing two
trainees per million
pound spend on
projects.
Casey's were appointed to do
our environmental works which
includes fencing, driveways and
green spaces. They held an open
day for local people to bring along
their CVs and interviewed six
people from the 40 that attended.
Four people were selected to
work on the project, and three of
them actually live in an Eastlands
home.
“We have developed a Local
Labour Policy implemented over
many years, which states that it is
best practice to use local labour.
It’s about us giving something
back to our communities.
“Our work with Michael, Nathan
and Thomas demonstrates this
works well. We were delighted
to give them the opportunity to
get into sustainable work with us
and secure a regular income for
themselves and their families.”
John Walmsley, Casey’s.
Thomas said, “When I was
unemployed, I was always doing
courses to better myself. I think
that helped me to get the job.”
Nathan had carried out a
catering apprenticeship before
getting work with Casey’s:
“I’d always wanted to get into
construction then this job came
up. I’m aspiring to be a manager,
if I work hard, I’ll hopefully
become one in the future.”
Michael liked the fact that the
apprenticeship opportunity was
close to home and said, “Doing
this apprenticeship is better than
being on the dole.”
Groundwork Landscapes Limited
have been doing environmental
works on the Hampden Crescent.
They have two apprentices -
Shaka, who also lives in one our
houses, and Craig whose Dad
also works at Groundworks.
Henry Boots were awarded the
multi-storey courts contracts
to carry out external cladding
to Platt, Worsley and Bickerdike
Court and agreed to appoint
apprentices to work on the
project with them. Josh is an
apprentice renderer. Josh is
enjoying learning lots of practical
skills.

The
Green
Scene
You may have
heard of the
Green Deal that
was launched by
the Government
in October. It’s
designed to
promote energy
efficiency
improvements
and is paid for
by homeowners
through loans.
Eastlands Homes’
funding arrangements
mean that we wouldn't
give you permission to
go ahead if you were
to apply for any Green
Deal work.
The type of work
covered includes
loft and cavity wall
insulation, replacement
windows, boilers
and other types of
insulation. These are all
works that have been,
or will be, carried out
under our improvement
programmes - so if
you are an Eastlands
Homes customer, you
don't need to apply for
Green Deal.
If you have any
concerns or questions
about the scheme
please give us a call
and we will explain.
Apprentice
VACANCY WITH US
If you live in East Manchester, have
recently left school and are unemployed,
we have an exciting opportunity for you.
Would you like to work for Eastlands Homes, working across
the organisation as part of our housing and customer service
teams? You will be expected to provide excellent customer
service and help to resolve problems. We will support you to
complete a recognised housing qualification as well as paying
you a wage.
Housing Assistant Apprentice, application deadline:
Friday 11 January 2013.
For further details and to obtain an application form, please
contact Dolores Fallon on 0161 274 2150.
Potential Job
Opportunities in
East Manchester
BAM Construction has been appointed by
Manchester City Football Club to develop
the new multi million pound City Football
Academy adjacent to the football stadium.
BAM has set up an information
centre on Ashton New Road.
The purpose of the centre is
to enable people to find out
about apprenticeships and job
opportunities on the development
as well as information about
community initiatives, who to talk
to and what they can do next.
It will also be a facility for hosting
events such as educational visits
for local schools and colleges and
for briefing invited parties about
the scheme.
The centre will be managed by
BAM Construction’s Julie Bratt
and Tracey Book and is open
Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm.
The centre is currently situated
in the Etihad Campus on Ashton
New Road and is accessed via
Gate 7. It will be relocating to
the BAM Construction main site
in the next few weeks. The new
address is BAM Construction
Limited, City Football Academy,
Site Offices, Ashton New Road,
Manchester, M11 4BD.
Please call 0161 223 5794 to
confirm location before visiting
or email your enquiry to
cfaenquiries@bam.co.uk
7

Customer Involvement
Carnaby Tara
Fun day
The residents of Carnaby TARA, (Cornwall Court,
Abbey Court and Annesley Gardens, Gorton),
applied for a cash grant in the summer to organise
a fun day for local residents in the area.
Diane, the Chair of the Group
said "The aim of the day was to
bring local people together as a
community to build relationships
with our neighbours and have a
fun day!”
During the afternoon, there were
drummers, a bouncy castle, DJ,
plenty of stalls, a raffle and homecooked
food for all to go round.
Lots of fun was had for children
and adults as well as a dancing
competition for the kids where
vouchers from Eastlands Homes
were given for 1st, 2nd and 3rd
prizes! A special thank you to
Tesco, Bookers and Gala Bingo for
their donations!
Anyone interested in joining
the group or starting their
own group, can contact
Wendy Woodfine, Customer
Involvement Officer on 0161
230 1013.
Great Gorton Parade
and Debdale Park
Fun day
Fundraising
for Macmillan
Nursing at
Thomas Regan
Court, Gorton
Linda Kelly is a resident from
Thomas Regan Court, who does
a lot of fundraising for Macmillan
Nursing throughout the year by
knitting and dressing dolls for
sale. Linda has helped to raise
£240 of which she donated £120
to Thomas Regan Court and the
remaining £120 to Macmillan
Nurses. Linda's brother, John
Booth, who is a member of the
Buffaloes, an organisation which
raises money for different charities,
has chosen to donate in the
Gorton area. John raised £1,100 to
help go towards Macmillan nurses
in the Gorton area.
The Buffaloes raised money for
a party to take place at Thomas
Regan Court and family and
friends were invited. Everyone had
a lovely day and the money raised
all went to a very good cause.
8
The Great Gorton Parade took place on Saturday 8 September
starting at the Sacred Heart Church, where everyone paraded
through the streets of Gorton ending up at the carnival at Debdale
Park. Live bands and acts kept the crowds entertained with
information stalls and refreshments and specialist units from both
the Police and the Fire service.
This was a celebration to show all the good things about
Gorton including the fabulous people that make up the
community!

Community
Safety
Early Intervention – providing
support before the problem
gets out of hand
The Early Intervention Project
works with families and
individuals who have a variety
of needs. Recently, a customer
was referred to the project as she
was in severe debt and facing
eviction. It became clear that
support was needed on other
issues such as the children were
having problems at school and
causing anti-social behaviour.
The early intervention officer
worked with the family and
school to identify the support
needed.
The priority was to resolve the
debts and prevent eviction. We
worked with the customer to
ensure the housing benefit was
backdated which cleared the
rent arrears and prevented the
eviction. The early intervention
officer also supported the family
by identifying and providing
positive activities for the
children.
The family kept their home and
are no longer at risk of eviction.
This has had a positive impact
on the families wellbeing. The
children are now attending
diverse activities and are no
longer causing anti-social
behaviour.
The early intervention support
has had a positive effect on
the whole family in practical
terms, but also in improving the
confidence of the customer, who
continues to receive support.
By keeping the family in the
property, we helped to provide
a stable community. Evicting
a customer or reletting the
property would have cost
approximately £5k.
Manchester
Move - The
NEW place
to look for a
home
Launching in January/
February 2013, Manchester
Move is a web-based
service which lets you look
for a new home.
Nine out of ten homes available
from not-for-profit landlords
in the city will be advertised
through Manchester Move. All
the houses we have to let will
be on Manchester Move as well
as properties from Manchester
City Council and other housing
associations.
Through Manchester Move
you can also find out about all
your housing options. You could
consider private renting for a
quick and easy move, low-cost
home ownership and exciting
part-rent/part-buy schemes that
may be cheaper than you think.
You can access Manchester
Move on the internet at
www.manchestermove.co.uk
If you would like to access
Manchester Move on the
telephone or by text, call your
local Eastline and they’ll put you
in touch with them.
A day
in our
contact
centre
Ever wondered what
goes on when you
contact Eastline?
Well, Eastline have opened
their doors and welcomed
customers into the back office
to show them what goes on
behind the scenes, on the
understanding that this is in
the strictest confidence.
Back in November, customers
were able to see what the
Eastline offices were like, chat
with the Advisors about what
a normal day is like, what type
of enquiries they deal with,
and what they like best about
their jobs. Customers also had
the chance to stand behind
reception and serve other
customers.
A demonstration of the kiosks
in reception was also given;
how to bid for properties,
order repairs and look at
important websites.
More Eastline open days will
be happening in 2013. Ask
at reception, or check the
website for dates and times.
9

Money Matters
Under Occupation
Do you live in one of our homes and have one or more 'spare'
bedrooms? Do you receive Housing Benefit? If your answer is yes
to both of these questions and you are of working age, from April
2013 the Housing Benefit you receive will be reduced.
Our housing options officer,
Ashleigh Hogan, wrote to all
affected customers in October to
offer her support and assistance
to customers wanting to move
to a smaller property and thereby
avoid the reduction of housing
benefit.
Moving to a smaller home
could save customers hundreds
of pounds per year. We must
stress that this is a choice, and
customers will not be forced to
move home. If you would like
to move to a smaller property,
please contact Ashleigh Hogan,
our Housing Options Officer,
by ringing your local Eastline
number. A home or office
appointment can be booked.
We know many of you will be
worried about what this could
mean for you and your family.
Please contact us to help you find
out what's happening and what
you can do to prepare. We have
a team in place who can provide
you with advice on benefits, your
housing options and support to
get you back into employment.
IF YOU OR YOUR PARTNER IS
OF PENSIONABLE AGE, THIS
DOES NOT APPLY TO YOU.
Equality and Diversity
10
World Aids Day
World AIDS Day was celebrated
on 1 December and was an
opportunity for people worldwide
to unite in the fight against
HIV, show their support for
people living with HIV and to
commemorate people who have
died. World AIDS Day was the first
ever global health day and the
first one was held in 1988. This
year, 2012, is an extremely special
year as NAT (National AIDS Trust)
celebrate their 25th birthday,
that's 25 years of tackling HIV in
the UK.
More than 90,000 people are
currently living with HIV in the
UK and globally an estimated 33.3
million people have HIV. More
than 25 million people between
1981 and 2007 have died from the
virus, making it one of the most
destructive pandemics in history.
Staff and customers at Eastlands
Homes were able to make a
donation to World AIDS Day and
purchase a red ribbon to wear in
respect.
Support for you if
you are on Disability
Living Allowance
The government is changing
the way benefits are paid to
many disabled people Disability
Living Allowance (DLA) is being
scrapped and all claimants are
being assessed against new,
stricter, criteria. Some claimants
are being moved to Personal
Independence Payments which
replaces DLA. However, many
claimants find that they are being
moved to Jobseekers Allowance
and are facing a loss of income
as a result. Our Money Matters
Officers are able to advise you on
how the changes may affect you.
Support is available now. Please
contact your Money Matters
Officer at your local office for
further details.

Want to
move home?
Are you looking to move home? Did you know you have
the right to apply to exchange your property with another
Eastlands Homes tenant, Housing Association or Council
tenant? You need to get permission from Eastlands Homes
before any exchange can go ahead.
YOU SAID
You wanted to be able to
advertise mutual exchanges in
our reception areas.
WE DID
If you call into your local office,
there is now an exchange board
where you can apply to advertise
your home for an exchange.
All you need to do is complete
a simple form. We then check
your rent account and tenancy
history, and if everything is
OK, your exchange will be
advertised on our board. Have a
look at other exchanges being
advertised.
You can also advertise your
house exchange free of charge
on www.homeswapper.co.uk.
It only takes five minutes to
register your exchange. In our
reception, you will also find
the manual HomeSwapper
exchange list which details
tenants who are looking to move.
A mutual exchange or swap not
only offers you a better choice
for finding a new home, it is a
quicker option than waiting
for a move on our housing list.
HomeSwapper is easy to use
and automatically matches you
with tenants who are interested
in your home and have a home
that you may be interested in.
New Facilities coming
to Beswick
A £40 million ‘community campus’ is coming to
East Manchester following resident and stakeholder
comments. The project is led by Manchester City
Council and supported by Manchester City Football
Club and other organisations.
The new facilities aim to create
up to 195 new jobs and to attract
2,500 visitors per day to the
community facilities in Beswick
and Openshaw and the nearby
City Football Academy, building
on the recent investment in East
Manchester which is bringing
about an exciting revival.
The proposed plans include
a public swimming pool and
leisure centre, a new Sixth Form
College for local 16-19 year olds
that will be open in September
2013, a Sports Research Institute
and new improved local
shops in a campus designed
to be pedestrian-friendly and
welcoming to residents and
visitors. Details of the proposals
can be viewed at www.eastmanchester.com/beswickproject
Linda & Yeni
swapped
houses: both
were delighted!
Two Eastlands Homes
customers who lived
opposite each other were
both struggling with a
dilemma. One needed a
smaller house and the
other a larger house.
Linda, who lived in a threebedroom
house with her son,
was under occupying and had a
spare bedroom. Linda approached
Housing Options Officer Ashleigh
Hogan at Eastlands for advice.
She didn't want to move out of
the area, so Ashleigh helped Linda
sign up to Homeswapper and told
her about mutual exchanges.
Yeni lived in a two-bedroom
house with her three children.
She also contacted Ashleigh to
help her find a larger property.
Yeni was already registered on
Homeswapper.
Both Linda and Yeni were
registered for housing on
Homefinder but did not have
enough housing priority to be
rehoused.
Ashleigh advised them that they
matched and Linda and Yeni have
now exchanged homes.
If you are interested in exchanging
your property with another
housing association tenant, it is
essential that you register your
details on Homeswapper and
check for new matches every
week. If you require help with this,
please contact your local Eastline.
11

Our Performance
Facts and figures from July to September 2012
12
How do YOU think we’re doing?
Your
Complaints
• Complaints received: 37
• Outcomes: 57% upheld /
partially upheld
• % tenants satisfied with the
way their complaint was
handled: 72%
Complaint
Number
Type
received
Anti-social behaviour 1
Home ownership &
leaseholder services 1
Housing support services 1
Investment programme 7
Repairs & maintenance 14
Staff & customer services 2
Tenancy management 8
Tenant rents & service charges 2
Other issues 1
Your
Compliments
• Compliments received: 48
other
tenant rents
tenancy
staff
Complimented Number
repairs
Department received
Contractor 1
Investment investment
4
Neighbourhood Services 22
Overall service housing support 1
Repairs & maintenance 20
home ownership
Ways to Complain, Comment
or Compliment us
We want to
anti-social
hear from you and
will act on every complaint we
receive. You can call, write, email,
visit us in person or online at
www.eastlandshomes.co.uk or
request a complaint form from us.
We are pleased to hear what we
are doing well too! Let us know
by using any of the contact
methods listed above.
We monitor our performance
closely so we know how we’re
doing and where we need to
improve.
You can keep an eye on our
performance too – every issue
of Streets Ahead includes the
latest on how we compare
with some of the targets set in
our Customer Service Charter.
If you have any ideas on how
we can improve this page,
please let us know – whether
you want more, less or different
information. Just email
eastline@eastlandshomes.
repairs
co.uk or call your local
Eastline team.
overall
neighbourhood
Investment investment Programme
Ardwick, Gorton North, Gorton
South, Levenshulme, contractor Longsight
and Rusholme:
Total number of
improvements from April
2009 until 30 September
2012 is 20,486 including:
• Double Glazed Windows and
Doors: 4,499
• Electrical Rewiring: 1,504
• Kitchens: 4,305
• Bathrooms: 4,270
• Boilers: 3,826
• Cavity Wall Insulation: 176
• External Wall Rendering: 338
• Structural Improvements:
717
• Roofs & Chimneys: 851
Beswick, Clayton & Openshaw:
Total improvements to 30
September 2012 = 18,490

Repairs Service
Type Our Target 12/13 Quarter 2
Emergency Repairs – within 3 hours 100% 100%
Urgent Repairs – within 5 working days 100% 99.75%
Routine repairs – within 10 working days 100% 99.65%
How are we going to improve?
Our challenging targets continue to be met in all but very few cases. Just five of the 2,005
urgent repairs and five of the 1,440 routine repairs during this period were not completed
within target time. We aim to reduce this number in future months.
Eastline – Customer Service Calls
Calls answered 97% 96.6%
How are we going to improve?
Our performance was temporarily affected by an upgrade to one of our computer systems,
which resulted in us taking slightly longer to answer each call. We will continue to monitor how
we are doing to make sure we improve in this area.
Rent
Current rent arrears (%) 6% 6.02%
Former tenant arrears – rent collection (%) 7.5% 6.63%
Rent loss from empty properties 1.19% 0.96%
How are we going to improve?
Our review of the former tenant arrears service is currently underway, with a view to improve our
performance.
Empty Properties
Empty properties as a % of the properties we own 1.19% 1.12%
Average re-let times of empty properties 20 days 16.02 days
How are we going to improve?
We continue to turnaround properties quickly and hope that this will continue in the coming
months.
Nuisance & Anti-social Behaviour
Cases referred 265
Cases resolved and closed* 275
Legal actions taken 11
* Includes cases from a previous period.
13

Walkabouts
We carry out estate inspections four times a year to look at gardens, communal areas, paths,
pavements and roads. It is an opportunity for you to tell us about any issues or problems in your
neighbourhood. Once we know about problems, we can take action to put them right. The housing
officer will record all feedback and reported issues, and an update is given at the next walkabout.
We are currently drawing up a schedule for the whole of 2013 and will be including details of the
route of the walkabouts and the estimated time that each destination will be reached.
Please find dates below of the next planned walkabouts.
Where the walkabout starts Area Date Time
Bottom of Purslow Close at the car park Beswick 05/02/2013 11:00am
Junction of Isca St & Hinkley Street Beswick 12/02/2013 11:00am
Entrance to car park off Linton Close Beswick 19/02/2013 11:00am
Junction of Livesey Street & Bothwell Street Beswick 26/02/2013 11:00am
Corner of Bevan Close, in car park Beswick 05/03/2013 11:00am
Junction of Whitehurst Drive & Bell Crescent Beswick 12/03/2013 11:00am
Meet on corner of Grey Mare Lane/ Howarth Close Beswick 19/03/2013 11:00am
Meet on Corner of Raglan Close/Grey Mare Lane Beswick 27/03/2013 11:00am
Meet outside block 2-8 Castleton Walk Beswick 27/03/2013 11:00am
Corner of Pioneer Street and Tartan Street Clayton 06/03/2013 11:00am
Corner of Coatbridge St & Stokes St Clayton 07/03/2013 11:00am
Corner of John Heywood Street and Clayton Street Clayton 13/03/2013 11:00am
Corner of North Crescent & Folkstone Road East Clayton 14/03/2013 11:00am
Corner of Bristowe Street & Folkstone Road East Clayton 21/03/2013 11:00am
Out side old Gorton Office Gorton 10/01/2013 10:00am
Train Station. Ryder Brow Gorton 11/01/2013 10:00am
Birch Street / Belle Vue St. Gorton 14/01/2013 10:00am
Belle Vue Office Gorton 16/01/2013 10:00am
Stanley Grove / Pinkbank Gorton 16/01/2013 1:30pm
Sanby Road. Buckley Rd Gorton 17/01/2013 1:00pm
Holmcroft Road/Wembley Rd Gorton 17/01/2013 1:30pm
Ashkirk Street/ Post office Gorton 17/01/2013 10:00am
Blackwin Street Car Park. Gorton 18/01/2013 10:00am
Cornwall court Car Park Gorton 22/01/2013 1:30pm
Green Fold / Abbey Hey Gorton 24/01/2013 10:00am
Meet at car park on corner of Dane Street and Alvan Square Openshaw 08/02/2013 11:00am
Meet at the front of Lily Thomas court Openshaw 15/02/2013 11:00am
St Barnabas Square - Meet outside Block 1-7 Openshaw 20/02/2013 11:00am
Meet at Corner of Victoria street and Parkhouse Street Openshaw 01/03/2013 11:00am
Meet at Corner Of Jinnah Close and Greenside lane Openshaw 15/03/2013 11:00am
If you want to be on our email list to be sent a reminder nearer the time, please send us an email titled
'walkabout' to eastline@eastlandshomes.co.uk and include your address so we can invite you to the
walkabout for your area.
How clean and green is your neighbourhood?
We are working
hard to improve the
area you live in and
would welcome your
comments.
If you cannot attend one of
our walkabouts, why not give
us your feedback by filling out
the environment questionnaire
available in all receptions and on
our website soon.
You can tell us if people are
recycling, if there’s litter in your
area and if there’s any vandalism.
Ask at reception when you next
come in if you can’t see the
survey.
14

The Eastlands
Homes Customer
Awards
Do you know an inspiring individual who has done something to make a
difference? Then why not enter them into our Awards? You can enter only
one person in each category. If someone you have nominated is shortlisted,
you will be invited to attend the awards night with them (March 2013).
The categories are:
People’s Choice for
Outstanding Achievement
This award is available to any
person or group of people who
you feel have made a sustained
and committed contribution to
the community in the last 12
months. Previous winners have
included a new tenants group
that took on the problems with
Neighbour Nuisance in their area
and improved the lives of local
people. Also a group who worked
tirelessly to improve the local
environment by applying for and
securing grants and ensuring
the area was made better for
everyone.
Good Neighbour Award
This award is for anyone you
feel has had a positive influence
on your community. Are they
the person all the neighbours
go to for support and advice?
Do they keep an eye on the
neighbours’ properties and
report any problems to the police
or wardens or tackle issues of
anti social behaviour?
Young Person of the Year
This award is for any young
person under the age of twenty
who has been a positive
influence on the community
and their peers. Someone who
dedicates his or her time and
energy to making a difference.
Volunteer of the Year
This award is for anyone
involved in volunteer work,
maybe they help run a local
community project, volunteering
their time to a local charity or
take time out of their week
to visit people in hospital.
You can nominate anyone
who is involved in any kind of
community based volunteer
work.
Contribution to the
environment
This award is for anyone
involved in the organisation of
environmental events, such as
litter-picks or planting, or work
to raise awareness about the
environment.
Please fill out your contact
details above and someone
will be in touch to find out a bit
more about the person you have
nominated.
Take completed forms into
any of the local offices.
Closing date: mid January
2013 for all entries.
Forms can be collected at
any reception, or complete/
from our website or contact
our Customer Involvement
Team on 0161 230 1013.
2012 Award winners
15

STAR survey 2012 –
make your views count!
One in four of our customers have been sent a
STAR survey with this edition of Streets Ahead –
have you been selected?
This year we are sending the
survey to all our customers in
this way, asking for your views
on our services. So if there
isn’t a survey in this time, look
out for it in a future edition of
Streets Ahead.
The STAR survey, otherwise
known as the Survey of Tenants
And Residents, will be carried
out every year and will help us
to make more improvements
to the work we do and the
services we provide.
If you have received a survey
this time, make sure you return
it by Thursday 31 January to
be in with a chance to win
up to £250 of high street
vouchers in our big survey
prize draw!
If you have any questions about
the survey, please call your
local Eastline team or email
eastline@eastlandshomes.co.uk
Big survey prize draw
winners
Congratulations to the
winners of our latest prize
draw: Ms McGoldrick of
Ardwick won the top prize of
£250, while Mrs Y of Gorton
and Mrs B of Beswick won
runner-up prizes of £50 each.
Save time and money!
Complete the survey online by visiting
www.eastlandshomes.co.uk/star - you will need to
quote your unique survey number to take part.
How to contact us
☎
☎
Call Us
Lines open 8am – 5.30pm weekdays.
Belle Vue House: 0161 230 1000
(if you live in Gorton North
or Gorton South)
☎
Cornbrook House: 0161 276 7300
(if you live in Ardwick, Levenshulme,
Longsight or Rusholme)
☎
Eastlands House: 0161 274 2390
(if you live in Beswick, Clayton
or Openshaw)
An out of hours service is provided
for emergency repairs.
✉
✉
✉
✉
Write or visit: Receptions are
open 8.45am – 4.30pm weekdays
Belle Vue House, 27 Garratt Way,
Gorton, Manchester, M18 8HE
Cornbrook House, 217 Stockport
Road, Ardwick, Manchester, M12 4DY
Eastlands House, Victoria Street,
Openshaw, Manchester, M11 2NX
Email: eastline@eastlandshomes.co.uk
Web: www.eastlandshomes.co.uk
If you would like information in another language or format such as large print or audio, please ask us.