Street Talk 62 - Final

Street
TENANTS & RESIDENTS MAGAZINE
Summer 2019 | Issue 62
Meet the residents from
Ivydene and find out how
they have improved their
communal courtyard
. . . see page 9
Meet Susie,
Neighbourhood Services
Officer for Newquay and
what her job entails on a
daily basis . . . see page 5
Enjoy the Summer from us all
at Ocean Housing
Carol is delighted with her new kitchen and the help of Louis and the
team. Find out why we make having a new kitchen or bathroom a lot
easier than you think, especially for our older residents . . . see page 3
Find out how Clive and
his neighbours have
improved their gardens
for all the community
. . . . see page 11
Just a reminder
On Bank Holiday Monday 26th August, the offices will be closed
and will re-open at 8.30am on Tuesday 27th August.
Out of hours emergency contact number: 01726 874450

Street
TENANTS & RESIDENTS MAGAZINE
Our corporate strategy outlines our aims and goals
for the next five years. As a housing association, we
need to plan for the future, to ensure we shape the
way in which we deliver our services to you, build
Our plans for the next five years
new homes and continue to invest in our existing
properties. We also need to have the necessary
resources, both in our staff and money in order to
deliver our key objectives which are outlined below.
l Being a major provider of homes to
help deliver up to 3,000 by 2030 and
1,098 new homes by 2024
l Building up a land supply for the
next 10 years
l Building in rural communities
and Cornwall’s main towns
to meet housing need
Ocean
3,000
Stock
Investment
l All properties to be energy efficient,
decent, safe & compliant
l Stock investment of more than
£39 million over the next five years
l Regeneration of
Polgrean Place to commence
on site by winter 2019
l Be an excellent employer
and achieve ‘Investors in
People’ platinum status by 2024
l Invest in training and
development of staff
l To be a modern, dynamic and
flexible workplace
People
Tenant
Involvement
l To be the best at
delivering tenant and
resident involvement
l Engage with more residents
all over Cornwall through
digital technology
l Work with the National Housing
Federation as an ‘early adopter’ of the
Together with Tenants Charter
The chances are you’ve
probably spoken to a
member of our customer
service team at some
point, either to report a
repair or make a payment.
We’re always looking
at ways to improve this
service and the best way
we can do this is with
your feedback.
2
To find out more visit our website www.ocean-group.co.uk/corporate-strategy
We introduced a new call
survey at the end of last
year to help us understand whether our customers
are satisfied with their contact centre
experience. Before you’re connected with the
Time for a quick question?
Jonnie and Claire, customer service advisors
customer service
team, you’ll now be
asked whether you’d
be happy to complete
a short survey and, if
so, to supply a contact
telephone number.
You’ll then receive an
automated call back
and asked to answer
two questions about
your customer service
experience.
The survey will take you less than a minute and
your feedback could help us improve the services
we provide.

Summer 2019 | Issue 62
We make having a new kitchen/bathroom a lot easier than you think
For all of us, the thought of having a new kitchen or
bathroom is exciting. However, it’s the upheaval of not
having access to the rooms we use every day. For our
older residents, this can be very daunting and in some
cases they have declined to have any works done in
order to avoid the disruption.
We want to reassure you that we are here to make it as
easy as possible and our trades staff will work around
you, so not to
disrupt your
daily routine.
Carol from St
Austell can
vouch for that,
having just had
a new kitchen
fitted. She
had previously
declined
the works,
so property
supervisor Mark
had another chat
Carol, St Austell
with her and she agreed to the kitchen refurbishment.
“I’m absolutely delighted with the kitchen and wish
I’d had it done before now!” Carol told us. Steve and
Louis were the trades staff fitting the kitchen and were
able to move appliances and ensure that water and
cooking facilities were available at the end of each
day. Carol said, “I couldn’t have asked for anymore
from Ocean, they made it so easy and I just needed to
empty my cupboards and clear the worktops.”
This year we’re replacing 129 kitchens and 101
bathrooms with an investment of just under £650,000.
As tenants you have a real say and can choose the
style of the cupboards, drawers, handles and worktops
in the kitchens.
There’s always going to be some disruption when
we carry out these works, however this is kept to a
minimum and we always explain what is involved.
We aim to fully complete a kitchen within three
to four days and a bathroom in three days. If
you would like to find out when your kitchen or
bathroom is due for renewal please email
help@oceanhousing.com
Plans submitted for the exciting redevelopment of
Polgrean Place, St Blazey
It has been a very busy
Artist’s impression
year for us leading the
development of new
homes all over Cornwall!
One of our schemes is
the major redevelopment
project at Polgrean
Place in St Blazey. The
proposed plans include the
demolition of 66 x two-bed
flats and six commercial
units to make way for a new 60-unit development
with two commercial units and a community
space.
The proposals will cost around £12 million and is a
mix of older persons and general needs flats as
well as two and three-bedroom homes to provide
a mixed and sustainable
community. There will
also be a number of
shared ownership homes
for sale to help local
people get that first step
on the housing ladder.
We have consulted
and engaged with the
community and presented
the plans at two consultation events and involved
councillors and stakeholders. The planning
application has now been submitted and we have
to wait until the autumn to hear whether the plans
have been approved, fingers crossed!
We hope to be in a position to start on site later
this year.
3

Street
TENANTS & RESIDENTS MAGAZINE
Park House sprinkler
system is all complete
Work has now been completed on
the installation of a sprinkler
system in our only high-rise
block of flats at Park House,
St Austell. The works have taken
three months and all 67 flats have
been fitted with a state-of-the-art
sprinkler system. Ralph Garth,
head of health and safety said, “We
take the safety of our residents very
seriously and although the
sprinklers were not legally required,
we decided, particularly after the
concerns post Grenfell, it was the
right time to invest in and upgrade
the building with the latest fire safety
measures.” We have been able to pay for
the £300,000 investment at no extra cost
to tenants or leaseholders.
Tenant Guide
to Property Health & Safety
Quick and coordinated response to mineshaft at Lesnewth, St Blazey
As a housing association, we never know what
situation we will be faced with and the safety of our
tenants and residents is always our top priority. In
May, following investigations of garden subsidence,
the tenants of Lesnewth were very quickly evacuated
from their bungalows in St Blazey due to fears of
a mineshaft collapsing. The tenants of the ten
bungalows affected were visited by Ocean Housing
staff and advised of the situation with alternative
accommodation offered immediately and the area
fenced off.
Annual gas checks are for your safety so
please ensure we can gain access
Ocean’s business is not just about bricks and mortar.
Considering the people who live in our homes is just
as important, if not more important.
Gaining access to carry out gas safety checks every
12 months is a legal requirement for us as a housing
association. We send everyone a letter advising
when the heating engineer will be attending. From
the end of July, we have also started sending an
email or text with your appointment details. If
you are unable to make the appointment then
please contact our customer service team on
01726 874450 or email help@oceanhousing.com and we will
rearrange a time convenient to you.
In order to raise awareness of the importance of safety in our homes,
we have launched a new tenant guide following a wider review
of property safety and compliance. The tenant guide to property
health & safety can be downloaded on our website
www.oceanhousing.com/home/your-home-2/rent/health-safety
Dave and Rachel from Lesnewth
“I had just come out of hospital following a hip
replacement and so the news we received was a
complete shock and devastating,” Rachel told us. She
and her partner Dave have lived in Lesnewth for nearly
five years. “We know there was nothing else Ocean
could have done and they arranged for us to stay in a
local hotel and even supplied a mini fridge for Rachel’s
medication following her operation,” Dave said.
Currently, nine households are living in temporary
accommodation and one tenant has been
permanently housed with another social housing
landlord. Dave and Rachel have moved from their
hotel to a house in St Austell as a temporary move.
“We couldn’t have asked for anymore from Ocean, the
staff have gone above and beyond the call of duty to
help and support us,” said Dave and Rachel.
We have appointed a specialist mining contractor to
let us know what options are available for the area
affected in Lesnewth in terms of works and the cost.
All tenants who have been evacuated and those living
in surrounding areas are all being informed of updates
by letter or a home visit.
4

Summer 2019 | Issue 62
A day in the life of a Neighbourhood Services Officer
Hello, my name is Susie and I am a neighbourhood services officer. I have worked for Ocean for four years
and currently manage properties in Newquay and St Columb Minor.
Currently there are six neighbourhood
services officers and we manage just
over 4,200 properties across Cornwall.
We also assist in the management of
700 shared ownership and leasehold
properties.
No day is ever the same in this role
which makes it really interesting.
On a typical day I start by checking
my emails and ensuring there have
been no emergency housing issues
overnight such as fire/flood or a
criminal offence involving a tenant or
property. Then it’s off out on the patch
to carry out visits which can range
from any of the following;
Meeting a new tenant who has
recently moved in to their property
Boundary and parking issues
Inspecting the condition of a garden or property
Reports of anti-social behaviour
Welfare visits
Estate walkabouts
Safeguarding - protecting our tenants from
possible abuse, harm or neglect.
As a neighbourhood
services officer, I also
attend multi-agency
meetings with the
police, social services
and other organisations.
This is for specific cases,
where the experience
of many teams are
necessary, involving
the care of children,
vulnerable adults and
serious levels of crime.
In amongst the various
appointments of the
day, I try and fit in a
quick lunch break.
Obviously, my mobile
is on should anyone
from the office need to
get hold of me, the world of housing never stops! At
the end of the day, I type up any notes or referrals that
need to be made.
As busy and challenging as this job is, it can also be
incredibly rewarding, especially when you see the
difference you can make to a person or family’s life, no
matter how small this may be. The best thing about
my job is when a tenant picks up the phone or sends a
card to say thank you for my help or support.
What did our Neighbourhood Services team deal with during
the year from 1st April 2018 to the 31st March 2019
135
estate walkabouts
123
new vulnerable cases
400 tenancy
checks
ensuring residents have
settled in their homes
within the first eight
weeks and then at
nine months
237
new anti-social
behaviour cases
Over 12,000
telephone calls
made or taken
by members of staff
5

Street
TENANTS & RESIDENTS MAGAZINE
‘Together with Tenants’
‘Have residents at the heart of everything we do’ is our first golden
thread and our top priority for achieving our vision of providing quality
homes and services for everyone who lives in an Ocean home.
As a housing association, we know first-hand how beneficial it is to
work alongside our involved tenants and residents, building a strong
relationship on how we deliver homes and shape services for the future.
The National Housing Federation is the voice of housing associations
throughout England. Their aim is a country where everyone can live
in a good quality home they can afford. In February, they launched a
consultation ‘Together with Tenants’ to ensure tenants have a greater
voice in the decisions of their housing provider.
At Ocean, we know that we don’t always get things right all of the
time and that is why we want to ensure we continue to strengthen our
relationship with our tenants, making positive changes. We are delighted to be one of the ‘early adopters’ of the
charter to help implement the changes. We are one of 120 housing associations to have signed up, and over the
last few months we have taken part in consultations and events with staff and tenants.
By working together, we are creating a new plan of action on how to meet the expectations of our tenants. The
new plan will be based on our tenant feedback alongside the consultation exercises by the National Housing
Federation. This will be published in October 2019 and we will keep you updated.
To find out more about the ‘Together with Tenants’ charter and the work of the National Housing Federation
please visit www.housing.org.uk/topics/together-with-tenants/open-consultation-on-our-plan
Karen Littler is our Tenant Board Member and is working alongside the panels
and Board with the ‘Together with Tenants’ charter. She told us “I attended
National Housing Federation’s Spring Conference with panel members to gain
more insight into the ‘Together with Tenants’ charter. It was a good opportunity
to discuss the proposed Tenant’s charter and I was pleased to see how closely
it aligned with Ocean’s Golden Threads. I am looking forward to further
strengthening and consolidating our tenant voice and involvement for Ocean
as well as tenants throughout the country.”
Jan Faulkner, Chair of the Tenant and Residents Panel is delighted that Ocean
have become an early adopter for the ‘Together with Tenants’ charter. “The National
Housing Federation are consulting with a large number of housing associations
and listening to the views of the tenants. Tenants’ voices are key to the success of
improving the charter. As a panel, we attended a National Housing Federation
consultation event with other housing providers and were able to contribute our
thoughts and ideas to making the differences we believe should be made. The
work we do now on ‘Together with Tenants’ will make an impact for tenants and
residents of today and the future.’”
6

Summer 2019 | Issue 62
As a panel,
they are currently scrutinising the standard of our
empty properties and the condition they should be
re-let to you as a tenant. Panel members can interview
members of staff, visit the properties and get feedback
from new tenants moving in.
Judy has been a tenant for over six years in Newquay,
“I feel very honoured to have been voted in as Vice-
Chair of the panel and I’m going to give it my best shot.
There is always room for improvement and we want
Ocean to be the best it can!”
The scrutiny panel are all volunteers and give up their
time to represent the tenants and residents of Ocean. If
you want to have a say in how your housing association
works, then this is a great platform to give your views
and the panel are looking for more members. To find
out more please contact the tenant involvement team
on 01726 874450 or email help@oceanhousing.com
Pictured: Scrutiny Panel back row, Angela, Val and Katherine,
front row, Chair Peter and Vice-Chair Judy, not pictured Dawn and Cynthia.
Scrutiny Panel, new Chair and Vice-Chair
Our scrutiny panel have just appointed Peter as their new Chair
assisted by Judy who takes up the Vice-Chair. As well as being tenants
for several years they have both served on the panel and are ready for
the challenge ahead.
The scrutiny panel are responsible for looking at our services in more
depth and letting us know where they believe improvements can be
made. We know our tenants and residents are best placed to judge
our services and have an influence on the changes that can be made.
Peter told us, “I am privileged to be the new Chair of the scrutiny
panel and am passionate about delivering better services to everyone.
Having a voice is so important and we are working in partnership with
Ocean to make a real difference.”
Have your say in our resident engagement survey
To help us be the best at resident engagement and ensuring you are working with us to
improve and shape services, we need your help. With your magazine, we have enclosed a
resident engagement survey. It asks you four questions about respect, our services and tenant
involvement, it will only take you a few minutes to complete. The results of the survey will help
us to come up with a new plan to improve the way we engage with you. The results will be
published on our website later in the year.
Everyone who completes the survey will be entered into a prize draw to win one of five £50 shopping vouchers.
If you would like to find out more about how you can get involved with Ocean, please visit our website
www.oceanhousing.com/get-involved or contact the tenant involvement team on 01726 874450.
Complete our survey for
an opportunity to win one
of five £50 shopping
vouchers
We wan to make sure that your voice is heard and
tha the decisions we make here at Ocean are
influenced by you, whether you are a tenant, shared
owner or leaseholder.
To support this vision and our drive to be the best at resident engagement, we would like to
know your thoughts on what “good” looks like. We would therefore be grateful if you could spare
five minutes to complete the fo lowing questions, or if you would prefer, complete a survey online at
www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/oceanresidentssurvey
We wi l use the survey results to come up with a new plan to improve the way we engage
with you. We wi l publish the results of this survey and our new plan on our website.
If you would like more information on how to get involved at Ocean, please tick the
more details box a the end of the questionnaire and we will be in touch.
If you would like to be entered into the prize draw to win one of five
£50 vouchers, please complete the personal information section.
Thank you
Residents at the heart of everything we do -
Resident Engagement
Survey
Debbie Wilshire, Group Chair Karen Littler, Tenant Board Member
Jan Faulkner, Tenant & Residents Panel Chair Peter Banwe l-Clode, Scrutiny Panel Chair
RESPECT
OUR SERVICES
1. Rank in order the fo lowing actions 2. Rank in order the fo lowing in terms of what you think
that would demonstrate that Ocean is shows good service from Ocean.
treating you with respect?
(1 being the best down to 9 being the lowest)
(1 being the best down to 5 being
Being we l informed about services from Ocean
the lowest)
Being clear abou the standard of service offered by
Being given an appropriate amount of
explaining what Ocean can do and can’t do, and how long
time to listen to your views and needs
it may take
and deal with your enquiries
Ocean staff doing wha they say they wi l do - fo lowing up
Being available for advice and
on their promises
guidance when you require it
Knowing that you live in a safe and we l maintained home
Being polite and considerate and
with a good quality repairs service
understanding when dealing with you
Knowing who I need to speak to and how to contac them
Communicating with you in a way and
manner that you are comfortable with Having access to Ocean staff that I need to speak to
Treating your information
Being able to access information when I need it
confidentia ly
Options to get involved and influence decisions at Ocean
Knowing who to contact/complain if something isn’t right
7

Street
TENANTS & RESIDENTS MAGAZINE
We are delighted to introduce our two new welfare
advisors, Louise and Simon.
You may recognise Simon, who has joined us from the
property services team. Louise has worked in housing
and housing benefits and they both bring a wealth of
knowledge and experience.
Meet our new Welfare Advisors
Working across Cornwall, they will be providing an advice
service to tenants, assisting them to claim benefits, in
particular Universal Credit. They will keep up to date with
welfare reform and benefit legislation and will be well
informed on services provided by other statutory and
voluntary agencies.
Louise & Simon, our new welfare advisors
Engaging with tenants, they can offer practical support with welfare reform including assistance with claiming
discretionary housing payments, supporting customers to set up bank accounts, rent payments and advise
customers on how welfare reform will affect them. They can also provide advice on managing household
incomes, getting back to work or applying for grants. They are available to meet with tenants at their home, in
Ocean’s office or an alternative venue.
Louise and Simon will be running fortnightly drop-in sessions in the job centres; St Austell on a Thursday and
Newquay on a Monday between 9.00am and 4.00pm. If you feel you may benefit from their help please email
help@oceanhousing.com or call 01726 874450.
One of the most frequently asked questions of our welfare
advisors is about the Universal Credit statement and the
amount of rent you have to pay. The Department for Works
and Pension (DWP) works out your payments and your
statement is then available online via your journal. A typical
statement is shown here and we hope it helps explain the
housing element.
The full monthly rent to pay is £373.40. You are entitled
to help of £347.32 which is paid direct into your bank
account. The difference between the full amount of your
rent and your entitlement in this case is £26.08, which is
your responsibility to pay in addition to the amount you
have received in help - £347.32. To ensure your rent is
covered in full, you need to set up a direct debit or contact
our customer accounts team who can advise of alternative
methods of payment. If you are in arrears, you will need to
pay an additional amount on top of your monthly rent. You
will need to discuss an agreement with a customer accounts
advisor.
If you need any help, please contact our customer accounts
team on 01726 874450 or email help@oceanhousing.com
8
Understanding your Universal Credit Statement
Your payment this month is:
£1,028
This will be paid by 8pm on
19 May 2019
What you’re entitled to
Standard allowance £498.89
You get a standard amount
each month. You said you’re in a couple
Housing £347.32
You said that your rent is £373.40
per month, and you pay £2.86 in
service charges each month
Children £231.67
You get support for 1 child

Summer 2019 | Issue 62
Green fingered residents at Ivydene House, St Columb Minor
The tenants of Ivydene House,
St Columb have worked together
to brighten up their courtyard and
communal area for everyone to enjoy.
The house is for residents over 55
and has 12 one-bedroom flats. They
all have access to a grass/shrub area
alongside a communal courtyard
which is maintained by Ocean. Eric,
who has lived at Ivydene for four
years, felt the courtyard space was
dull and a lot of the existing plant
pots were unkempt. So with his love
of gardening and the help of his
neighbours, they have brought the
area to life with numerous pots filled
with colour.
With so many comments from residents and visitors
they have entered the Newquay in Bloom competition
for best courtyard/small garden. Judging took place
at the end of June and they are keeping their fingers
crossed when the results are announced in August.
Greta who has lived at Ivydene over 20 years told us,
“the view out of my window is looking really beautiful.”
The residents have all clubbed together to buy the pots
and plants. “It’s been fantastic bringing the community
together and we are all enjoying the outside space,”
said Eric.
They are now applying for treasure chest funding from
the tenant panel to purchase some garden furniture.
The residents are all looking forward to enjoying the
sunshine with a cup of tea and cake, sitting back and
enjoying the fruits of their labour!
Would you like to bring some colour to your courtyard
or communal area or organise an event for your
neighbours to enjoy? Then why not apply to the
treasure chest. The tenants and residents panel can
grant up to £400 per application each year.
For more information contact the tenant
involvement team on 01726 874450 or visit
www.oceanhousing.com/treasure-chest
Enjoy the summer
and please respect your
neighbours
Whatever your plans for the summer,
please give a thought to your
neighbours - they may not share your
taste in music late into the evening.
If you have serious concerns about
anti-social behaviour, please contact
our customer service team on
01726 874450 or
email help@oceanhousing.com
9

Street
TENANTS & RESIDENTS MAGAZINE
10
The Tenancy Standard
This Standard is about the way we let our homes, the rent we
charge and our tenancy services.
Allocation of homes
Every week we advertise our available homes on the Cornwall Homechoice register and
through our website, giving housing applicants the opportunity to bid for homes to rent
of their choice across the county.
If your bid for a property
is successful, we will:
your application
• contact you within 3 working days to discuss
signing up for it
• arrange for you to view the property before
• send you a formal offer letter which
includes details of the rent, other charges,
the proposed tenancy start date and type of
tenancy agreement you will be given
Keeping our promise to you
If you are a tenant, you would have received a copy of our service standards with
the Easter Street Talk magazine that went out in April this year. The booklet
explains our commitment to you to ensure we maintain high standards of
service.
We aim to provide the best service, however we do not get it right all of
the time. If you believe we are not keeping our promise to you or you are
receiving a poor service, then we would like your feedback.
As a tenant you are the ones who can tell us how we are doing, so please
don’t hesitate to get in touch by emailing help@oceanhousing.com or by
completing a form online www.oceanhousing.com/online-complaint-form
Further information can also be found on our website at www.oceanhousing.com/service-standards
Pay us a compliment
There is nothing better for us than receiving a compliment if we have done a good job or even exceeded your
expectations regarding our homes and services.
All compliments are shared with the staff involved so they know they are delivering a good service. It is always
pleasing to know when things have gone right, and it enables us to continue building on the positive feedback
we receive.
From April to June 2019 we received 32 compliments. The following are a handful of those sent in from tenants
and residents for the first quarter of the year.
“
Thank you
for your continued support
and exemplary service!
Well done, prompt, compassionate
response to the residents affected
by the mine shaft problem.
A big problem, out of your control, not of your
making. You brought that back under control
with quick, smart, responsible decision making.
That is a real credit to your organisation and
the people working therein.
The grounds maintenance staff are always
cheerful and friendly
and leave a card to indicate the work has been carried out, excellent service.
”
If we have delivered an excellent service and our staff have gone the extra mile, then please let us know by email
help@oceanhousing.com or by completing a form online www.oceanhousing.com/give-a-compliment

Summer 2019 | Issue 62
Community Champion
We met Clive who lives in St Austell
and can only be described as Chapel
Fields ‘community champion.’ Clive
is a very keen gardener and has been
a tenant with Ocean for many years.
He contacted Arthur Robertson, who
heads up the grounds maintenance
team, for permission to bring the
Chapel Fields communal area and
beds to life with a sparkle of colour.
“I had no hesitation in saying yes, it is
great to have a working partnership
with tenants, on our estates,” Arthur
told us.
With contributions and help from his
Clive
neighbours, Clive has transformed
a corner of the estate into what he calls ‘the lost gardens of Chapel Fields’. Bird feeders, a bug hotel, flowers
depicting all colours of the rainbow make for a wonderful view for the residents. Pat
who has limited mobility told us, “it’s been a blessing to have such a lovely outlook from
my ground floor window.” Pat isn’t able to help out so she provides the tea and cake for
the workers to enjoy.
Clive told us, “it is surprising what a community can do when they all pull together and
I’m delighted to see the results of all our hard work.”
Clive is also finding time to help neighbours with their own individual gardens and
Arthur has even recruited him as one of our grounds maintenance monitors to let us
know if we are providing a good service.
Would you like to be a monitor and give us feedback on our grounds maintenance service?
Visit www.oceanhousing.com/tenant-monitors for more details or contact our tenant involvement team on
01726 874450.
Join our virtual internet panel and you could win
a £50 shopping voucher
It’s been six months since we launched our virtual internet panel (VIP). We have almost 60 members now
and they have already contributed to feedback on our complaints survey and also a tenant Ocean App. We are
still looking for members as the first 100 to sign up will automatically be entered into a £50 prize draw.
It doesn’t matter where you live in Cornwall or how old you are, the virtual internet panel is for anyone who is
a tenant of Ocean. Panel members are invited to complete surveys throughout the year and can be done via
a closed Facebook group or by email. It’s very easy and will only take a few minutes and you will be helping to
shape services for everyone at Ocean. The best part is this can all be done from the comfort of your own home.
If you’d like to be a VIP member email us at help@oceanhousing.com or call the tenant involvement team on
01726 874450 and we’ll be in touch.
Pat
11

$
Street
TENANTS & RESIDENTS MAGAZINE
All you need to do is answer the following questions, all the
answers are included in this edition of Street Talk.
The first correct entry drawn will win an
Ocean Goodie Bag and £60 shopping voucher.
Three runners up will win an Ocean Goodie Bag
and £20 shopping voucher.
The competition is open to anyone living in our properties.
Only one entry per household.
Closing date is Friday 6th September.
Good Luck!
You don’t need a stamp, just cut out this slip and pop it into
an envelope addressed to:
FREEPOST RSES-LCCA-EJUJ, Summer Competition,
Ocean Housing, Stennack Road, St Austell, PL25 3SW.
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Name:
Address:
Summer Competition
How many tenancy checks did the neighbourhood
services team carry out from 1st April 2018
to 31st March 2019?
What legal safety check do we need to carry out
every 12 months in our properties?
What competition have the residents of Ivydene
House entered?
How many new kitchens are we replacing this year?
Telephone No:
Mobile No:
Email address:
Postcode:
Have a say?
We have a tenant editorial panel which
oversees the production of Street Talk and
other publications. The panel is interested
in receiving feedback and welcomes any
suggestions you may have for future editions.
Do you have a special pet, run your own
business or have a different hobby that you
would like to share with us? The next edition
will go out just in time for Christmas so
please get in touch.
We are also looking for new members to join
the panel, so why not get involved and have
a say. Meetings are held in the St Austell
office around six times a year and we will
pay for any travel or childcare expenses.
Please contact Beverley from the tenant
involvement team if you would like to join
the panel or have any interesting ideas for
articles on 01726 874450 or email
help@oceanhousing.com
Neighbourhood and
Community Standard
This standard ensures that the areas you share with your
neighbours are clean, safe and well maintained. This includes play
and recreational areas, car parks, communal areas inside blocks of
flats, shared gardens and grassed areas.
Clean and well-maintained neighbourhoods
Shared areas outside your home that are
owned by Ocean
We will:
throughout the growing season
grassed areas
We want your local area to be free of
fly tipping and graffiti so you can enjoy
living there.
from pathways
We will:
areas as required
working day
5 working days
5 working days
graffiti and fly-tipping and take action against
those who do not respect your neighbourhood,
the cost of which goes to the estate service
charge, unless we know who to charge direct
• cut communal grassed areas regularly
• maintain and trim the edges of communal
• spray and remove a l weeds, moss and algae
• prune untidy trees and shrubs in communal
• keep Ocean owned car parks clean and tidy
• remove offensive graffiti by the next
• remove a l other graffiti within
• fly tipping to be removed within
• investigate, where appropriate, instances of
Street
TENANTS & RESIDENTS MAGAZINE
Happy Easter from us all
Our Easter Opening Hours...
Our offices wi l close at 5pm on Thursday 18th April
and re-open on Tuesday 23rd April at 8.30am.
Easter
Competition
at Ocean Housing
Meet Katie who is very much looking forward to Easter along with her
rabbit, Coco. Katie and her family are grateful for the help and support
of our together for families worker Jo, find out more on page six.
Out of hours emergency contact number: 01726 874450
For those of you who
entered our Easter Street
Talk competition, there
were nine Easter eggs
hiding in the magazine.
Congratulations to
Sharon from Newquay
who found all nine Easter
eggs and won a £60
shopping voucher and
Easter goodie bag.
Spring 2019 | Issue 61
100
67
Message from the Chair of the Tenants and Residents Panel
It has been a very busy year for us as a panel and fo lowing the Grenfe l Tower tragedy,
housing issues have been brought into focus for us by ensuring the voices of tenants
are heard and acted upon.
The Tenant Panel is now working closer with the Ocean Board resulting in a
bette relationship than ever before. The Scrutiny Panel have supported us in the
development of this new way of working, and it has proved a learning curve for a l involved. I thank
everybody for their effort.
Ocean have introduced a comprehensive I.T. system that means every time you contac them,
enquiries can now be dealt with effectively and efficiently. We l done.
If you wish to contac the Tenant Panel, or find out what we do and would like to get involved, please
contac the Tenant Involvement Team at Ocean on 01726 874450 or by visiting the website on
www.oceanhousing.com/get-involved
Our Panels continue to work to make a difference and I look forward to the coming year and a l we can
achieve.
Jan Faulkner, Chair of the Tenants and Residents Panel
Making a Difference
They supported
Treasure Chest
applications making an impact on
their neighbourhood and community
ANNUAL REVIEW 2017/18
Our Tenants & Residents Panel alongside the Scrutiny Panel joined forces to look a the
big areas of the Company’s Business Plan for the coming year. The redevelopment of
Polgrean Place, St Blazey and the impact of Universal Credit are the first priorities
This is Margy, one of our
first virtual internet panel
members, find out why
she signed up
. . . see page 2
Scrutiny Panel Results
Looked a the Grounds Maintenance
Service and since then litter on our sites
has reduced from 100 to 67 bags
17
Meet your
Neighbourhood
Services Team, who wi l
be managing your area?
. . . see pages 4 & 5
Cynthia is saving up,
find out what for and
how the credit union
can help you.
. . . see page 3
Tenant & Residents Panel Results
Satisfaction in Grounds
Maintenance has increased
to 95% from 91% last year
Our Chair and Vice Chair of the Tenant and
Residents Panel met with the Housing Minister
to address issues within the Housing Sector
ensuring tenants have a voice
Please recycle your Street Talk. Printed on Re-cycled paper. Designed & produced by Karen Jackson Design 01326 373108 Photography by Tom Last Photography 07773 010866 and Frame by Frame 01503 262684.
email: help@oceanhousing.com
www.oceanhousing.com
01726 874450
Out of Hours Numbers
Emergency Repairs: 01726 874450
Anti-Social Behaviour: 01726 874450
Contact us for a Large Print or Audio CD of this newsletter