Tenants Talk - Taunton Deane Borough Council

Tenants’TalkA magazine for Tenants by TenantsIn this IssueSpring 2012Calling all Leaseholders.....Do you want more of a say in the services you receive?Tenants Forum News- page 2- page 7Council HouseFinances- page 8Taunton Deane Borough Council wantsto give its leaseholders the opportunityto tell Housing Services what they thinkabout the information and services theyreceive and where they can beimproved.That is why a Leaseholder Group isbeing set up to help shape andinfluence the issues that matter tothem. The group will be open to allTDBC leaseholders and will representtheir interests across Taunton Deane.Areas where leaseholders can getinvolved include:• Planned Maintenance• Responsibility for repairs• Service charges• Security & Safety Issues• Service StandardsThis new group will meet 4 or 5 times ayear as a minimum. No member will beout of pocket as expenses such astravel, childcare and carer costs will bereimbursed. Even if a leaseholderdecides not to become a member theycan still bring items to the group andreceive support in having the issueresolved.The group is the result of the hard workof the Tenants’ Forum and especiallyits Vice Chairman, John Beaman. Onceformed the group will be able tonominate representatives to serve onthe Tenants’ Forum and have theirvoice heard in a wider audience andraise the profile of issues that areimportant to the leaseholders of theborough.As well as suggesting and promotingideas members will have theopportunity to work with council staff,gaining a better understanding abouthow the service is delivered andreceiving up-to-date information.The first meeting will be held on 15thMay 2012 from 9am - 5pm.Empty Properties- page 10Tenantsʼ ForumMembers - page 15Useful Numbers -page 16More information will be sent to all leaseholders. If in the meantime you wouldlike to know more please contact:John Beaman - Vice Chairman Tenants’ ForumTelephone: 01823 335393 Email: john.beaman2@btinternet.comor Alex Akhigbemen - Leasehold Services OfficerTaunton Deane Borough CouncilTelephone: 01823 358408 Email: a.akhigbemen@tauntondeane.gov.ukLeaseholders - this is your own group dealingwith issues that are important to you1

Taunton Deane Borough Council Tenants’ ForumThe Tenants’ Forum is made up of approximately20 council tenants who meet up once a month.Members of the Tenants’ Forum help thecouncil’s housing service gain an understandingof the needs of council tenants to improveservices and create great places to live.The Tenants’ Forum ensures its members areknowledgeable, skilled and informed to help withmaking a difference in the communities whereforum members live.By informing tenants how to challenge, influenceand recommend how their housing services aredelivered the Tenants’ Forum can positivelyimprove tenants’ quality of life, helping thecouncil’s housing service work better.The Tenants’ Forum has its own budget which ituses to provide grants to community projectsthat benefit council tenants.At the moment Tenants’ Forum members areactively involved in carrying out ‘estatewalkabouts’. The walkabouts are an opportunityfor tenants to raise issues about their communityand have the issues dealt with.Forum membersare also engagedin carrying outtenant inspectionsof empty councilhouses. As atenant inspectorforum memberscarry out visitsand provide thehousing servicewith informationon the standardand quality of council houses before they arerelet to a new tenant. This information is used toensure expected quality standards aremaintained. This scheme is overseen byMalcolm Andrews Chairman of the Tenants’Forum.If you are interested or would like furtherinformation about the help and support Tenants’Forum members offer the housing service,please get in touch with John Beaman (tel:01823 335393) or Malcolm Andrews (tel: 01823321813).newsfrom NorthAreaBishops Lydeard, Cheddon Fitzpaine, Grange and Sunnybank, Kingston St Mary,Lydeard St Lawrence, Lyngford, Norton Fitzwarren, Oake, Priorswood, Pryland,Staplegrove, Wedlands, Wellsprings, West BagboroughPantomime at Bishops LydeardThe production of Tom Thumb by Paul Reakeswas wonderful. Mum Thumb was so old that herhair had turned green, and the old Crone neverfound her MAN. It was a laugh from start to finishwith colourful costumes and young dancerstaking to the stage.Congratulations to all who contributed in anyway.2We all joined in the audience song, the nurserysong ‘I’m a Little Teapot’ with the extra verse:-I’m a special teapot, yes it’s trueHere’s an example of what I can doI can turn my handle into my spoutJust tip me over and pour me outGwen Saunders

New A window Trip Down replacements Memory Lane for Hilly ParkLast June we all received a letter to saythat our old, and might I add, verydraughty old windows, were beingreplaced by some very nice new doubleglazed UPVC units. I am very pleased toreport that we are now the proud tenantsof lovely, draught-free windows.Everyone I have spoken to has said howvery pleased they are with the change theyhave made to their homes, both for thelook and efficiency of them. They reallydo keep the heat in, unlike before, when inwinter you could see a “heat haze” overNorton Fitzwarren from all the centralheating escaping through the oldwindows.The workmen were excellent. They werefunny and cheeky, which we all liked, but Ijust couldn’t train them to make their owntea and coffee. Keith, Graham and Paulwere the culprits, although I do believeKeith was the ringleader. Still, they werekept in line by Ian Mitchell, who made surethey worked hard (I saw the whip). I’mpleased to say, they cleared up afterthemselves, which you don’t see much ofthese days. An all round great job guys,thank you, on behalf of Norton Fitzwarren.Rachel HughesPanto InfoAs Chairperson and Director of N A D S (NortonAmateur Dramatic Society) I was hoping topromote this year’s pantomime…..BEAUTY andthe BEAST…..due to open on 22ndFebruary……..But alas, due to sickness and unavoidablecircumstances, we are unable to go ahead andhave decided to re-schedule, and with themutual consent of cast and crew, we hope tostage our production in December this year.Everyone was disappointed, but agreed that withall the time lost, it would be wiser to cancel thanto disappoint our audience with a less thanperfect performance.I wish to thank all the cast and helpers who havetried their best to carry on, but in the end we allagreed that with an extended break, we wouldcome back with an even better and strongerperformance.Unfortunately, due to this change in date, we willlose our principle girl, Jemima Stanfield, a girlwith an outstanding talent for both acting andsinging. She’s a hard act to follow, but we hopeto replace her with someone of acceptablequalities.Thank you Jemima, for your dedication, youhave been an absolute joy to work with over thelast three years, you will be sorely missed. Goodluck with your studies, I know you’ll be asuccess at whatever you choose to do.Look out for more information in the next issueof Tenants Talk in October.Rachel Hughes3

Estates WalkaboutsDo you have pride in your living environmentand want to see improvements to the estateyou live in?Then why don’t you join your estate officer,tenant representatives, local Councillors and thePolice on a joint walkabout of your estate.You will have the opportunity to discuss anyissues of concern, and put forward suggestionsfor improvements to your local environment.The estate officers have been co-ordinatingwalkabouts for sometime now and have alreadyidentified areas for improvements. Your tenantsforum manage a budget specifically forimproving the estates you live in. If you want tohave a say in how this funding is spent comeforward and put your ideas into actions.The graph below shows some of the issuesraised during walkabouts throughout theBorough:Lane Estate 8th May 2012 10:00amNewton Rd Meeting HallLane EstatePriory (Wellington) 10th May 2012 10:00amPriory entrance to St Johns School PrioryWellington 16th May 2012 10:00amAsda Car Park, Longforth Rd, Alexandra Rd,Coach StopOlands Rd, Brendon Rd,Holyoake StPriorswood 17th May 2012 10:00amPriorswood Resource Centre PriorswoodWellingtonAsda Car Park,Coach Stop23rd May 2012 10:00amChurch Green, Churchfields,Howard Rd, Parklands Rd,Stedhams Cl, Quantock RdHalcon 24 May 2012 10:00amLink CentreHalconHolway 31st May 2012 10:00amYMCAHolwayMilverton 7th Jun 2012 10:00amCar Park atCreedwell Orchard,Creedwell OrchardCreedwell Cl,Creedwell Ct, CourtfieldsLambrook 12th Jun 2012 10:30amMonmouth Rd Meeting Hall Lambrook EstateDarby Way 13th June 2012 2:00pm(Bishops Lydeard)Darby Way Meeting HallDarby WayYou can find the dates of all the pre-plannedwalkabouts on the annual report calendar sentto you during December 2011. As a reminderthe next pre-arranged walkabouts are asfollows:Upper Holway 10th Jul 2012 10:30amWarwick House Juniper Rd, Sycamore Cl,Health Centre Lime Cres, Chestnut Dr,Rowan Dr, Alder Cl, Hawthorne Rd.Bishops Hull 18th Jul 2012 10.00amRobin Close Meeting Hall Robin Close and area4

Greenway 12 Sept 2012 2:00pm(Bishops Lydeard)Greenway Meeting HallGreenwayLyngford/Wedlands 9th Oct 2012 10:00amPriorswood Resource Lyngford/WedlandsCentreEstatesNorton Fitzwarren 9th Oct 2012 10:00amCar park top of Hilly Park Norton FitzwarrenWiveliscombe 25th Oct 2012 10.00amWiveliscombe Link Centre Plain Pond/Northgate/SouthgateWyndhams/Allensdale flatsRockwell Green 25th Oct 2012 10:00amRockwell Green Christian Rockwell GreenCentreLane Estate 6th Nov 2012 10:00amNewton Rd Meeting HallLane EstateMilverton 7th Nov 2012 10:00amCar Park atCreedwell Orchard,Creedwell OrchardCreedwell Cl,Creedwell Ct, CourtfieldsWellington 14th Nov 2012 10:00amAsda Car Park,Longforth Rd,Coach Stop Alexandra Rd, Olands Rd,Brendon Rd, Holyoake StPriory (Wellington) 15th Nov 2012St Johns Primary School10:00amPrioryPriorswood 15th Nov 2012 10:00amPriorswood Resource Priorswood route toCentrebe decided on dayLambrook 20th Nov 2012 10:30amMonmouth Rd Meeting Hall Lambrook EstateDarby Way 21st Nov 2012 2:00pm(Bishops Lydeard)Darby Way Meeting HallDarby WayHalcon 22nd Nov 2012 10:00amLink CentreHalconHolway 27th Nov 2012 10:00amYMCAHolwayWellington 28th Nov 2012 10:00amAsda Car Park,Church Green,Coach Stop Churchfields, Howard Rd,Parklands Rd, Stedhams Cl,Quantock RdUpper Holway 4th Dec 2012 10:30amWarwick House Juniper Rd, Sycamore Cl,Health Centre Lime Cres, Chestnut Dr,Rowan Dr, Alder Cl,Hawthorne Rd.Norton FitzwarrenTenants AndResidentsOn Wednesday 1st February, we held ourfirst open meeting since December.In the absence of our treasurer, Janet Newis,our chairman, Ted Dancey told thecommittee that our Christmas bazaar, heldon Saturday 3rd December had been aresounding success.There had been a marked increase inattendance both from the public, and in theamount of stalls, in comparison to last year.We all gave credit to Janet for herorganisational skills, carried out with militaryprecision.Each stall holder was made to feel welcomeand reportedly had been quite satisfied withthe attendance and assured Janet that theywould like to return this year. We arepleased to report that the whole day wasvery enjoyable.We have several activities planned for thecoming year, but unfortunately we wereunable to finalise dates etc., but restassured, we will advertise all ourforthcoming events in our village magazine“Norton News”, and in the Gazette, and onlocal radio stations.Rachel Hughes (vice chair)5

Face lift of the communal areaat Lyngford Place flatsThe Tenants’ Forum has recently funded therefurbishment of part of the area at the rear ofLyngford Place Flats. This is the report they haverecently sent to us.On behalf of myself and the Residents wewould like to first say thank you to the Tenants’Forum for making this possible. Before thework started there were too manyovergrown trees and lots of brambles all ofwhich had to be cleared, along with aconsiderable amount of rubbish. When thesite had been made ready fencing waserected and two picnic tables put in place.Nick Whitmore and his team removed thetrees and another team put the fencing inplace. We are also grateful for the supportgiven by Kathy Austin (Estate Officer).We all hope the remaining part of the projectcan be carried out soon (this year if possible).The pictures show the before and after.BeforeIrene SafahAfterTribute to Phyllis Rivers (nee Lenthall)Taunton Deane Borough Council Housing Servicespays tribute to Phyllis Rivers, a long standing tenantat 16 Hilly Park, Norton Fitzwarren.Phyllis made Hilly Park her family home, maintainingan impeccable record throughout many, many years.Phyllis sadly passed away on the 11th February 2012and our condolences are with Phyllis’ family at this time.Housing Services- Taunton Deane Borough Council6

Knit ‘N’ Natter HolwayMany thanks for wool donated by Joyce Clark and Marie Theresaand £50 from Holway LAT; our knitting goes from strength tostrength. I have also started one at Priorswood on 1st and 3rdSaturday morning’s 10-12 everyone is welcome to our groups for a good cup of tea and a natter.Tenants’ ServicesManagement BoardThis is run by Martin Price and it has been2 years since we started and we havereally enjoyed our meetings; soonanother committee will be voted in byTaunton Tenants for the next 2 years.Holway LocalAction TeamWe are very pleased toreceive £1,014 from Tenants’Forum for Holway Youth Club;it is one of the biggest inTaunton. The money will begreat for youth trips andequipment etc.Judith Hegartynewsfrom West AreaAshbrittle, Bathealton, Chipstaple, Fitzhead, Langford Budville, Milverton, Nynehead,Sampford Arundel, Stawley, Wellington, West Buckland, Wiveliscombe,Christmas PhotosTenant Forum Members and Guests pictured at the Vivary Park Golf Club where they had aninformal get together justbefore Christmas.We all enjoyed ourselvesand the food was excellentvalue at £14.00 for 2courses which was muchappreciated as the ForumMembers are Pensioners.7

Council Housing FinancesA RADICAL change in the way council housing isfinanced is paving the way to Taunton DeaneBorough Council building its first houses for thefirst time in two decades.The Council is preparing to become a builderagain as it takes control of its entire housingrental income from April.Taunton Deane collects around £21 million a yearin rent from its 6,000 homes – but has had tohand back around a third to the Government withthe money redistributed around the country.But now the system is being reformed with theCouncil allowed to “buy its way” out of the oldsystem with the benefit of being allowed to keepthe full rental income.And this will release money for investment, notjust in keeping existing properties in good repair,but by building new homes for the future.Cllr Jean Adkins, who holds the HousingServices portfolio, said: “We are entering anexciting new era of self-financing which will allowus to build new Council Houses for the first timein decades.“To this end, we have included a DevelopmentFund in our Business Plan and are currentlyworking up plans for a small scheme to kick-starta programme of building for the future which hasbeen welcomed by the Tenant ServicesManagement Board and Tenants’ Forum.”The Chair and Vice Chair of the Tenant’s Forumattended the recently held meeting of theWellington Tenants & Residents Association andit was decided to wind up the group.During the past 12/18 months ill health hasprevented some of the Committee Membersfrom being active and they have decided to stepdown, insufficient numbers of Tenants attendingmeetings was also a considerationAs a result of the closure of the WellingtonTenant’s and Residents Association Peggy-JeanSteele, Susan Anderson and Dennis Galpin(Committee Members) will no longerFrom April – thestart of the newfinancial year –the Council issetting aside£300,000 for itsdevelopment fund and this is due to rise to £1million by 2015-16.The Year One funding will allow the Council to do“groundwork” – exploring what sort of homes aremost needed locally, identifying potential sitesand ensuring there’s a team to deliver anyschemes.The number of new Council homes will bemodest to start with as expertise and financebuilds up. The build figures will depend on a hostof factors from the type of property – house, flator bungalow; site costs and the design of theproperty, for example whether it is build to veryhigh eco standards to cut fuel bills to a minimum.Tenants have been fully involved in the newapproach through the Tenants ServicesManagement Board and the Tenants’ Forum.The Taunton Deane’s last Council-built homeswere eight bungalows in St Michael’s Crescentback in 1993. Finance rules then changed withmoney being directed towards housingassociations rather than local authorities.Wellington Tenants and Residents Association8automatically be members of the Tenants’Forum.The equipment bought for the, now closed,Youth Group has been re-deployed in BishopsLydeard and is being well used.The members who attended the meeting hopethat it will be possible to reform in the future. Itwould be great if Tenants/Leaseholders in theWellington/Rockwell Green area came into beingonce more.Maureen Sloman & Wendy Powell(Local Tenants Forum Members)

Youth InitiativeThe Youth Initiative Fund is a ring fenced sum of moneyallocated by the Tenants’ Forum. Applications werereceived from several organisations and grants made toseven groups with cheques presented in January at theTenants’ Forum monthly meeting.We have received thank you letters as shown and it isnice to know it is being well spent.9

Why is that house still empty?Members of the Tenant’s Forumnew Void Inspectors recentlyviewed some empty homes in theBorough. Quite frankly we wereshocked at the state of some ofthem. It really was a case of ‘thegood, the bad and the ugly’.We know that some people areunable to decorate, however, insome places it is obvious thatbasic household cleaning has nottaken place for some timeTaunton Deane Borough Councilhave a ‘Letting Standard’ for allthe Homes which belong to them.They ensure that prior to a Tenanttaking over the Tenancy of ahome it is in good order, no doubtthere would be questions asked ifthis were not the case.If any of you have previouslyrented from a Private Landlordyou will be familiar with the‘Deposit and Rent in Advance’. Inmany cases the Deposit notbeing refunded if the property didnot meet high expectations whenit was vacated, with chargesbeing made for work carried outafter leaving. Large projects takea considerable amount of timeand resources, leading to homesbeing empty for longer and rentrevenue being lost.The cost of making propertiesready for re-letting ranges from afew hundred pounds to as muchas £15,000 per dwelling. Thatadds up to a staggering £1.3million in 2011/12 and anestimated amount of nearly £2million for 2012/3. This is asizable chunk of the moneyraised by rent to service theHousing Revenue Account,which has to fund all the repairsand renovations to our homes.With more money being spent ofvoid refurbishment it follows thatthe normal programme for thereplacement of kitchens andbathrooms is affected.In a few cases the Council can‘recharge’ for work necessaryafter a Tenancy is given up, webelieve that the figure for thecurrent financial year isapproximately £35,000.Considering the overall sumsinvolved this is quite a smallproportion but it is better thannothing.Please respect and look afteryour home. We all like to live in a‘nice’ neighbourhood most of usrealising that this is only achievedif we keep our homes andgardens in good order. One ortwo untidy places can affect theappearance of the whole estate.We all have times when thingsget on top of us and we may feelthat a task is beyond ourcapabilities. If that happens toyou please ask for help. Youcould speak to your EstateOfficer, and you may think aboutmoving to a smaller property onone level or want to be closer tofamily/friends for support.The place we call home may nothave our names on the Deeds,but we should remember the dayit became ours and try to keep itas best we can.10

Taunton DeaneBorough CouncilThis hall is used for a range of activities and can be book by youcontact 01823 356389 for full detailsHalls alsoavailable at:TauntonHeathfield DriveHope Corner LaneKilkenny CourtMiddlewayMoorland PlaceNewton RoadParmin CloseRobin CloseTauntfield CloseWellesley StreetLodge CloseBulfordHope Corner LaneWellingtonBulford and Lodge CloseMilvertonCreedwell OrchardBishops LydeardDarby WayEmergency contact at all times 01823 257185Comments & complaints.Listening and responding to the needs of local people.Ways to let us know: Tel: 01823 356356Email: enquiries@tauntondeane.gov.ukWebsite: www.tauntondeane.gov.ukor call in person to The Deane House orWellington Community OfficeStopping Elder AbuseCall Action for Elder Abuse,confidential helpline run by trained staff/volunteers.FREE PHONE 08088 088 141 Mon - Fri 10am - 5pmEmail: enquiries@elderabuse.org.ukWebsite: www.elderabuse.org.ukDarby WaySupported Housing Service01823 356356

How Time Flies!I have recently attended an event where a local lady was celebrating her 100 birthday, everyonepresent was so pleased that she is still very active in the community with many friends from all agegroups. The changes during the lady’s life have been many and varied and it brought to mind thedifferences to our home since we became tenants of the then Wellington Urban District Council backin the 1970s.We were so glad to have been awarded our house and moved in November 1973. The house hashad many alterations since then many with energy conservation in mind. The original small panedcast iron windows let in a lot of cold air and let out a lot of warm air. I remember friends wonderingwhy I had lined my curtains with old curtains acquired from my Mum, but they certainly helped tokeep us warm.We were all pleased when the window frames were replaced with new ones which had just one paneof glass instead of the eight small ones (so much easier to clean).Later came the cavity wall insulation and in early 1992 we had central heating installed. I wellremember the day the job was to be finished, the chimney liner had to be fitted, nothing unusualthere except that it was snowing. The coldest February day in a long time, but the Gas Engineerbattled on and by 4 o’clock that afternoon the system was up and running. I had never thought Iwould be too warm when it was snowing outside, how wrong can you be. The next day we adjustedthe radiators and, the gas fire which had served us so well was all but redundant. Never again wouldwe buy parrafin for the oil heater in thebathroom, or dread going into the kitchento wash the dishes after tea!Now most of the Council homes inTaunton Deane have double glazing andquite a few have the modern re-inforcedPVC type doors. The extra loft insulationalso helps us to keep our heating billsdown, just as well with the everincreasing price of fuel.I often think back to the day the man fromthe Council rang the front door-bell at theflat where we then lived and told me thatwe had been allocated a house, thatreally was a great piece of news.This year lots of the houses in our streethave changed hands, two private, and,by the end of the year probably 3 or 4Council homes will have new tenants.Now we are the ‘old residents’ and wehope the young families can put downroots and become part of the communityas we did so many years ago.Maureen SlomanCome and see us atThe WellingtonCommunity Office!A Revenues and Benefits Officer can deal with yourclaim while you wait and give you expert advice.Every Tuesday 9.30am – 4pmAppointments available or just drop inTo book an appointment please call01823 667279or make one in person at theWellington Community Office.Revenues andBenefits Service12

Sheltered Housing Assessmentand Review TeamIn April 2011 an Assessment and Review Team was set up within the Sheltered Housing Team.Part of the team’s role is to assess the support needs of prospective tenants to identify whethersupport from a Sheltered Housing Officer is required and if the service is best suited to meeting theneeds identified. Upon the start of a tenancy a support plan may be completed.New tenants moving in to Sheltered Housing have an ‘Introduction to the Service,’ a process whichensures that people are fully aware of the types of service and standards they should expect.The Assessment and Review team also review the support needs of existing tenants that do nothave regular contact with Sheltered Housing Officers.These reviews mean that we can respond to the changing needs of individual tenants, as promisedin the Supported Housing Service Standard, which was reviewed in March 2011.Their target was to complete 502 reviews was set in April 2011 and the team are on course to reachthis target by the end of March 2012, as shown below.The importance of a support needs review is highlighted by the fact that twenty-four tenants havebeen assessed as needing housing related support and are therefore now receiving support whichwill enable them to continue to live independently and maintain their tenancy.If you would like any further information in relation to Sheltered Housing or if you are a ShelteredHousing tenant and you feel that you need a review of your support needs please contact theSupported Housing team on 01823 356304.13

New Heating contractorstarts 2nd April at 10.00Following a tender and detailed assessmentprocess, we are pleased to announce theappointment of a new heating contractor.A new heating servicing maintenancecontractor ALHCO will start work at 10.00 amon 2nd April.ALHCO will replace MJT Mechanical Services,who have served the Borough for many years.Tenants will start seeing ALHCO vans aroundthe Borough from April 2nd..ALHCO will complete all annual servicing andrepairs of heating and hot water systems inCouncil Houses and flats in the Borough – seebelow for more details.More information about the new service willbe issued to tenants in future newsletters andon notice boards in the Deane House.Any questions…..please contact AmandaOaten on 01823 356523ALHCOGlenfrome HouseEastgate RdBRISTOLBS5 6XXDDI: 0117 9527900Scope of works• Servicing gas appliances – annually• Servicing solid fuel appliances – annually• Servicing Oil fired heating systems -annually• Smoke detector checks• Storage heater checks• Radiator valve checks• Call out for heating and hot waterbreakdowns• Repairs to heating and hot water systemsHomefinder SomersetEnhancementsHomefinder Somerset is the choice based lettingssystem in use in Somerset. It is a web based systemthat is open to all people who have an active housingapplication in the area. The system is regularlyupgraded to improve its usefulness to users.Mutual ExchangesOne of the ways which applicants can choose tomove home is by mutual exchange, this is wheretenants can move from their current home toanother by contacting another tenant who is also onthe mutual exchange register. This can be one of thebest ways to move because you can choose theproperty you want to move to and the exchange isonly conducted between the parties involved so longas they meet the eligibility criteria to exchange.The Homefinder Somerset system has recently been upgradedto allow connection to the new National Home Swap system.If you are an existing mutual exchange applicant you will beable to use this new facility by logging onto the system andopting in. If you are not yet a mutual exchange applicant butwish to become one you will be asked about opting in whenyou complete your application.By opting in you will be able to access not just the exchangesavailable on Homefinder Somerset but also those on theLocata systems across the country. There is no cost to youfor using the system you just have to opt in.This additional functionality should allow greater mobilityto applicants particularly across the south west.Garage LettingsA further enhancement to the homefinder site is the inclusionof our garage re-let activity onto the site. This enhancementto the system means that our garage applicants can moreeasily now bid on available garages that we are letting, thesystem is much simpler and more transparent than how weoperated in the past. All of our current applicants are beingsent a letter informing them that they will need to register onthe site in order to bid. Posters will be in our communityoffices to publicise the improvement.www.homefindersomerset.co.uk14

MalcolmAndrewsT: 01823 321813Chairman -Tenants ForumCommunity AreaRepresentativeJohn BeamanT: 01823 335393EM:john.beaman2@btinternet.comVice Chairman -Tenants ForumCommunity AreaRepresentativeKevin DalyT: 07952 063426Community AreaRepresentativeTenants Forum MembersNorthBeryl EdwardsT: 01823 279929Sheltered HousingForumChairpersonJudith HegartyT: 01823 338514- Tenant BoardMemberCommunity AreaRepresentativeRachel HughesT: 01823 338021Representative -Norton FitzwarrenTenants &ResidentsAssociationCommunity AreaRepresentativeGwen SaundersT: 01823 432562Representative -North DeaneTenants &ResidentsAssociationErica SmithT: 079055159924Community AreaRepresentativeJoan DudderidgeT: 01823 271179Community AreaRepresentativeIrene SafahT: 07396 149497Community AreaRepresentativeSouthNigel Stuart -ThorneT: 01823 253523Wendy PowellT: 01823 664677Independent -Tenants ForumSecretaryCommunity AreaRepresentativeWestMaureen SlomanT: 01823 665398Independent -Tenants ForumSecretaryCommunity AreaRepresentativeIf you have an article or event that you would like to be considered for inclusion in the nextedition of ‘Tenants Talk’ please contact your representative listed above.If you have problems reading this newsletter and would like it in large printor another format please contact your Tenants Forum Representative15

The Members of the Tenants’ ForumI was just going to have my tea!You all know the scenario, the phone ringswhen you are in the middle of a meal andyou answer it ‘in case it is important’ only tofind someone trying to sell double glazing orsomething else you don’t want/need.If you contact the Telephone PreferenceService you can avoid this problem.The TPS telephone No. is 0845 070 0707 oronline www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps the serviceis FREE, comes into force in 28 workingdays and lasts as long as your numberremains unchanged.You can also put an end to unsolicited mailby contacting the Mail Preference Serviceon 0845 703 4599 or onlinewww.mpsonline.org.ul/mpsr, thisservice is also FREE. The service doesnot stop overseas mail, un-addressedmail or mail addressed to The Occupier.Mail from Companies that you havepreviously dealt with will not beaffected, and you may also still receivemail from small local companies. It willtake up to 4 months for the Service tohave full effect although there willprobably be a reduction during thisperiod.Maureen SlomanUseful services and telephone numbersEmergenciesGas - Transco ..............................................................................................................0800 111 999Electricity - Southern Electric ......................0845 770 8090Western Power Distribution ..............................0800 365 900Bristol Water ........................................................................................................ 0845 702 3797Wessex Water ................................................................................................ 0845 600 4600Avon & Somerset Police....................................................0845 456 7000Somerset County CouncilAdults and older people .............................................. 0845 345 9133Children/Young People/Learning ....0845 345 9122Council ContactsEnvironmental Health (noise) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .01823 356339Environmental Health (dogs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .01823 356550Repairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .01823 356333Repairs out of hours REAL EMERGENCY . . .01823 351411Rent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .01823 356319Right to Buy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .01823 358408Deane Helpline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01823 257185Estates Officer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .01823 356331. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .01823 356332If you require further informationplease contact:Estate Assistants,Taunton Deane Borough Council,The Deane House, Belvedere Road,Taunton, TA1 1HETel: 01823 356319Email: estate.assistants@tauntondeane.gov.ukwww.tauntondeane.gov.ukIf you would like this document translatedinto other languages or in Braille, large print,audio tape, or CD please telephone us on01823 356319 or email us at:estate.assistants@tauntondeane.gov.ukSouthwest One Design & Print (TDBC) 12049/SG/4.1201823 356319estate.assistants@tauntondeane.gov.uk01823 356319 estate.assistants@tauntondeane.gov.uk01823 356319estate.assistants@tauntondeane.gov.uk01823 356319estate.assistants@tauntondeane.gov.uk01823 356319estate.assistants@tauntondeane.gov.uk16