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wandle<br />

Autumn 2012 Edition | Issue Number 67<br />

<strong>Wandle</strong> News and residents’ annual report<br />

for our tenants and leaseholders<br />

ONE<br />

WANDLE<br />

Our vibrant new future<br />

<strong>Housing</strong><br />

benefit<br />

reforms<br />

How will they affect you?<br />

news<br />

<strong>Wandle</strong> Annual Report highlights


We’re helping shape<br />

vibrant<br />

communities<br />

CONTENTS<br />

02<br />

03<br />

04<br />

05<br />

06<br />

08<br />

09<br />

10<br />

12<br />

13<br />

14<br />

16<br />

17<br />

18<br />

19<br />

20<br />

Letter from Customer<br />

Services Director<br />

We are moving<br />

In 2012 <strong>Wandle</strong><br />

manages over 5,187<br />

homes and employs<br />

130 staff.<br />

Welfare reform changes<br />

Credit Unions<br />

Crisis<br />

Annual Report Highlights<br />

Resident involvement<br />

and empowerment<br />

Your Home<br />

Your Tenancy<br />

Neighbourhood<br />

and community<br />

Value for money<br />

Governance and financial<br />

viability/Board members<br />

Should it stay or go?<br />

Resident involvement<br />

idea days<br />

Over 2 U<br />

Jobs Fair<br />

Local Area Team<br />

contact details<br />

for you<br />

At <strong>Wandle</strong> we want to deliver the best services, providing<br />

great places w<strong>here</strong> you want to live and sustaining<br />

meaningful partnerships within your local area. I have<br />

recruited a new, energetic management team who<br />

have been working with me since April to deliver on the<br />

promises we have made to you. We’ve also taken on new<br />

frontline staff and steadily improved our systems. I am<br />

aware, however, we still have a way to go before we can<br />

say that we’ve got all the basics right.<br />

I’m also aware we have not regularly got out and about<br />

to see you in your local area. We are still recruiting some<br />

key roles in the local teams and when this is completed<br />

over the summer, I am confident you will begin to see a<br />

real difference in the way we are delivering our service<br />

locally. We are all working hard to meet our vision of<br />

shaping ‘vibrant communities’ and we will not stop until<br />

you are really happy with the services you receive.<br />

Within this newsletter, you will find our annual report<br />

to residents. This shows our progress against the<br />

standards that are set by our regulator, the Homes and<br />

Communities Agency.<br />

Yours faithfully<br />

Sue Daniels<br />

Customer Services Director<br />

Front cover: Involved residents Charles and<br />

Josephine Davey enjoy a barbecue at our Abbeville<br />

Road offices on Thursday 16th September. If you’d<br />

like to get involved too, call 0800 731 2030 or<br />

visit www.wandle.com for a copy of our Getting<br />

Involved with <strong>Wandle</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> <strong>Association</strong> guide.<br />

WE ARE MOVING<br />

In our last newsletter we explained our plans to move all our office staff<br />

into one office. This will allow us to create more efficient ways of working<br />

and provide a better quality of service to our tenants and leaseholders.<br />

Our office staff are currently split<br />

between two offices in Abbeville<br />

Road, Clapham and Mitcham<br />

Road, Tooting. At times, as a small<br />

company, we have found it hard<br />

to work across multiple offices. The<br />

project to become ‘One <strong>Wandle</strong>’<br />

through a one-office approach was<br />

started in 2008, but has taken longer<br />

than expected as the association<br />

has been through many changes in<br />

the meantime. Updates on specific<br />

times and dates relating to the<br />

imminent office move will be made<br />

public through our website and our<br />

texting service.<br />

We have carried out a lot of research<br />

into the best locations to provide<br />

our services from, and the best<br />

places from which we can attract<br />

staff from all over London. We are<br />

happy to announce that we have<br />

secured a lease on a new office in<br />

London Bridge, which will be large<br />

enough to house all of our staff.<br />

All our teams will sit on the same<br />

floor to improve communications.<br />

London Bridge is easily accessible by<br />

public transport from all our <strong>Wandle</strong><br />

boroughs and has the kind of office<br />

tO MINERVA HOUSE, LONDON, SE1<br />

space we need to operate as a<br />

modern and efficient organisation.<br />

Our new office is called Minerva<br />

House. While our existing offices<br />

suffer from poor disability access,<br />

this new office is compliant with the<br />

Disability Discrimination Act. We are<br />

investing in new phone systems and<br />

IT to improve services for residents.<br />

Resident visits to <strong>Wandle</strong><br />

currently average only about<br />

30 a week across both offices.<br />

Unsurprisingly, these visitors tend<br />

to come from Tooting and Mitcham<br />

– indicating that the majority of<br />

residents who live further afield are<br />

not as likely to currently visit us in<br />

person. We hope that the excellent<br />

travel links at our new office will<br />

make it more accessible to a higher<br />

number of residents. Of course, we<br />

understand that not all our residents<br />

want to travel for appointments.<br />

This is why, in the future, we will<br />

have a greater emphasis on our staff<br />

meeting with residents in their own<br />

homes or at venues close to their<br />

homes w<strong>here</strong> appropriate.<br />

Our ‘Going Local’ strategy is very<br />

clear about our commitment to set<br />

up ‘community hubs’ in our main<br />

delivery areas. We want to improve<br />

our local presence in all boroughs,<br />

not just one. We want to visit<br />

residents at their convenience, not<br />

call residents in at our convenience.<br />

We will be keeping our Mitcham<br />

Road Office accessible for services<br />

as a pilot ‘community hub’ until<br />

we have reviewed this with our<br />

residents. Our office will open at the<br />

times that best reflect current use.<br />

These are likely to be Monday 3pm-<br />

5pm and Wednesday 9am-11am.<br />

This is the last part of our major<br />

change programme, Vibrant Futures,<br />

which we have been carrying out<br />

over the last few years and which<br />

has already seen a major change<br />

to the way in which we deliver our<br />

services. We will continue to focus<br />

on our commitment to tenants and<br />

residents in everything we do.<br />

We will shortly be sending all our<br />

residents a ‘Going Local’ leaflet,<br />

which will explain in more detail<br />

how services are going to be<br />

delivered in the future and how the<br />

changes will benefit you.<br />

www.wandle.com 3


WElfArE rEform<br />

Creditunions<br />

chANgEs<br />

The government is introducing a series of<br />

national welfare reforms. These changes have<br />

already started and will be introduced fully over<br />

the next five years. So how will they affect you?<br />

The first big change is the size criteria, sometimes called<br />

a bedroom tax. From April 2013, if you have one or more<br />

‘spare’ bedrooms, your housing benefit may be reduced.<br />

Under the new rules, if you have more bedrooms than<br />

the government says you need, you will lose part of<br />

your housing benefit. If your benefit is cut it will be your<br />

responsibility to make up the difference between your<br />

housing benefit and your rent.<br />

1 2housing benefit by<br />

empty room<br />

will reduce your<br />

empty rooms<br />

will reduce your<br />

housing benefit by<br />

10%<br />

25%<br />

The second big change is that from April 2013, the<br />

overall amount of benefit you can receive will be<br />

capped. The Government will add up how much<br />

money you get from a range of benefits, including:<br />

housing benefit, jobseeker’s allowance, income support,<br />

employment support allowance, child benefit, child tax<br />

The maximum amount of<br />

benefit you will be able to<br />

receive from April 2013<br />

will be…<br />

credit and carer’s allowance. If the total comes<br />

to more than the maximum amount allowed your<br />

benefit payments will be reduced.<br />

The maximum amount of benefit you will<br />

be able to receive from April 2013 will be:<br />

• £500 per week for single parents<br />

• £500 per week for couples with or without children<br />

• £350 per week for single people without children.<br />

This will not apply to you if:<br />

• you get pension credit or working tax credit<br />

• a member of your household is claiming disability<br />

living allowance, attendance allowance, industrial<br />

injuries benefit, or the support element of<br />

employment support allowance.<br />

How we can help you prepare for welfare<br />

reform changes?<br />

Many of you will be affected by these changes and we<br />

want to help. Your Customer Relationship Officer can<br />

direct you to further advice and support, so that you<br />

can see how changes might affect your household<br />

and plan for them.<br />

Over the next few months we will be surveying<br />

residents. This will help us to highlight w<strong>here</strong> you<br />

might be affected by these changes and directing<br />

you to support. Please help us to help you by<br />

answering the survey!<br />

* £500 per week for single parents<br />

* £500 per week for couples with<br />

or without children<br />

Having difficulty accessing a<br />

loan from a bank or building<br />

society? Looking for an<br />

alternative to the major<br />

financial institutions? If either<br />

of these things apply to<br />

you, t<strong>here</strong> may well be an<br />

alternative available within<br />

your own local community.<br />

Welcome to the world of<br />

credit unions…<br />

Unlike most financial<br />

institutions, credit unions<br />

are owned by the people<br />

who use them. Credit<br />

unions are community-based<br />

organisations that provide basic<br />

financial services within a certain<br />

locality. T<strong>here</strong> are three main credit<br />

unions that provide services to<br />

<strong>Wandle</strong> residents. These are London<br />

Mutual (who serve residents in<br />

Southwark and Lambeth), Lewisham<br />

Plus (Lewisham and Bromley),<br />

and Croydon Savers Credit Union<br />

(Croydon, Sutton, and Merton).<br />

People who use credit union<br />

services become ‘members’ of that<br />

credit union. This means that by<br />

using a credit union you become a<br />

part owner of that credit union, and<br />

can have your say on major issues<br />

Credit unions in your area…<br />

You can use the following credit unions if you live or work in the area<br />

Croydon, Sutton<br />

and Merton<br />

Croydon, Merton and Sutton<br />

Credit Union<br />

www.croydonsavers.co.uk<br />

020 8760 5711<br />

affecting it. Indeed, you can even<br />

volunteer with your local credit<br />

union and serve your community<br />

that way.<br />

As each credit union is an<br />

independent organisation, each will<br />

provide slightly different services.<br />

However, all provide savings<br />

facilities, and affordable loans. While<br />

anyone in a community served<br />

by a Credit Union can use it, they<br />

are often particularly helpful for<br />

people who cannot access a loan<br />

from a mainstream bank or building<br />

society. Credit Union loans are<br />

often much cheaper than some of<br />

the other loans that people in that<br />

Lewisham and Bromley<br />

Lewisham Plus Credit Union<br />

www.pluscu.co.uk<br />

020 8778 4738<br />

situation might use. For example,<br />

the most that a Credit Union will<br />

charge is 26.8% APR, while a loan<br />

from a ‘home credit’ company will<br />

typically cost 200% APR or more,<br />

while a ‘payday lender’ might charge<br />

over 3,000%! This is worth thinking<br />

about if you need to borrow money<br />

to help cover the cost of Christmas.<br />

Because a credit union’s main<br />

purpose is to promote savings,<br />

they will often ask members to<br />

save for a while before they can<br />

be considered for a loan. The<br />

Lewisham Plus and London<br />

Mutual Credit unions also offer<br />

a current account service to their<br />

members, although t<strong>here</strong> is a small<br />

weekly charge for this.<br />

Contact details for the three main<br />

credit unions serving <strong>Wandle</strong> are<br />

included in this newsletter for<br />

information. The purpose of this<br />

article is not to recommend that<br />

you use a credit union. We are<br />

simply making you aware that they<br />

are t<strong>here</strong> as one of the options<br />

available. If you have any queries<br />

as to whether or not a particular<br />

financial path is right for you,<br />

you should seek advice from an<br />

appropriately regulated professional.<br />

Southwark and Lambeth<br />

London Mutual Credit Union<br />

www.creditunion.co.uk<br />

020 787 0770<br />

4 <strong>Wandle</strong> News | Autumn 2012 Edition | Issue Number 67<br />

5<br />

* £350 per week for single people<br />

without children


Crisis at Christmas offers companionship and support to<br />

alleviate loneliness and isolation and helps people take<br />

their first steps out of homelessness. Crisis at Christmas<br />

provides warm, safe places of companionship and<br />

compassion for thousands of homeless and vulnerably<br />

housed people. We provide accommodation for rough<br />

sleepers, and people with specific needs such as<br />

women and those with dependency issues.<br />

For the vulnerably housed (for example<br />

people living in temporary hostel<br />

accomodation, squats or sofa surfing) Crisis<br />

runs specialist day centres, based in schools<br />

and colleges, providing an inspirational<br />

environment. Last year we welcomed 3,200<br />

guests to Crisis at Christmas centres and served<br />

21,000 meals. Crisis volunteers gave health<br />

advice and treatment to over 600 people and<br />

more than 700 individuals sought advice on<br />

housing, benefits and employment issues.<br />

With over 8,000 volunteers, Crisis at<br />

Christmas is one of the largest volunteer<br />

led events in the UK.<br />

Buildings, food, equipment and expertise<br />

are offered from companies, organisations<br />

and individuals. Thousands of individual and<br />

corporate donors make financial contributions.<br />

APPLY NOW TO VOLUNTEER AT CRISIS FOR CHRISTMAS 2012<br />

6<br />

<strong>Wandle</strong> News | Autumn 2012 Edition | Issue Number 67<br />

Crisis at Christmas is<br />

made possible through the<br />

generosity of individuals<br />

and companies that donate<br />

money, goods and services.<br />

Crisis at Christmas not only<br />

provides immediate help for<br />

homeless people at a critical<br />

time, but it sets them up for a<br />

more positive year ahead.<br />

Guests receive healthcare and specialist<br />

advice on housing, work and benefits.<br />

In addition we encourage them to take up<br />

life changing opportunities in the New Year<br />

through the training and support offered at<br />

Crisis Skylight centres.<br />

For more information about volunteering visit our volunteer info page at<br />

www.crisis.org.uk/pages/volunteering-at-crisis-christmas.html<br />

2011/12<br />

<strong>Wandle</strong><br />

Annual Report<br />

Special


<strong>Wandle</strong> Annual Report Special<br />

Resident involvement<br />

and empowerment<br />

Resident involvement is<br />

very important. Our scrutiny<br />

panel completed two scrutiny<br />

cycles in 2011/12, investigating<br />

communal repairs and<br />

antisocial behaviour. The<br />

information they found has<br />

been reported to the Board<br />

and is now helping our<br />

Customer Services team to<br />

make very positive changes.<br />

8 <strong>Wandle</strong> Annual report special<br />

Complaints<br />

In the Complaints Service Improvement Group,<br />

residents have been involved in looking at how<br />

we handle complaints and the Charter Monitoring<br />

Group meets to ensure that we meet the high<br />

standards <strong>Wandle</strong> has set in the customer charter.<br />

Residents have also been involved in developing<br />

how <strong>Wandle</strong> communicates, working with staff to<br />

improve both the website and our newsletters.<br />

In the future, residents will be involved in a<br />

different way. The scrutiny panel and some<br />

<strong>Wandle</strong> wide groups will continue – but soon<br />

resident involvement will mostly match our new<br />

local structures. This will mean residents will be<br />

supported to get involved in improving services<br />

directly in their communities.<br />

2009/10 2010/11 2011/12<br />

Number of complaints received in a year 477 398 297<br />

Percentage of complaints replied to on<br />

time (Stage 1 & 2) 87% 90% 96%<br />

Percentage of complaints at Stage 1 75% 77% 85%<br />

Percentage of complaints at Stage 2<br />

18% 17% 12%<br />

Percentage of complaints at Stage 3 6% 6% 3%<br />

Percentage of residents satisfied with<br />

the outcome of their complaint 32% 48% 53%<br />

Number of compliments received<br />

in year 122 194 78<br />

Your home<br />

2010/11<br />

Satisfaction<br />

with Estate<br />

Services<br />

62<br />

66<br />

Average Energy<br />

Efficiency Rating<br />

(SAP) of homes<br />

96<br />

98<br />

Percentage of repairs<br />

complete in target time<br />

95<br />

100<br />

Percentage of rented<br />

homes meeting the<br />

Decent Homes Standard<br />

Percentage<br />

of residents<br />

satisfied with<br />

repairs<br />

Percentage<br />

of properties<br />

with a valid gas<br />

safety certificate<br />

at year end<br />

2011/12<br />

Satisfaction<br />

with Estate<br />

Services<br />

67<br />

66<br />

Average Energy<br />

Efficiency Rating<br />

(SAP) of homes<br />

97<br />

98<br />

Percentage of repairs<br />

complete in target time<br />

93<br />

100<br />

Percentage of rented<br />

homes meeting the<br />

Decent Homes Standard<br />

Percentage<br />

of residents<br />

satisfied with<br />

repairs<br />

Percentage<br />

of properties<br />

with a valid gas<br />

safety certificate<br />

at year end<br />

9


<strong>Wandle</strong> Annual Report Special<br />

10 <strong>Wandle</strong> Annual report special<br />

Your tenancy<br />

We work hard at<br />

<strong>Wandle</strong> to let our<br />

homes quickly and<br />

to keep the times<br />

we have homes<br />

empty to<br />

a minimum.<br />

In 2011/12 we kept<br />

this period down to<br />

an average of 24.4<br />

days, which is a<br />

good performance<br />

in the areas w<strong>here</strong><br />

we work.<br />

We helped 43 <strong>Wandle</strong><br />

residents to move home<br />

through mutual exchange<br />

in 2011/12. This included<br />

three homes w<strong>here</strong> our<br />

residents received a financial<br />

incentive to move as they<br />

were under-occupying their<br />

home. If you need to move<br />

or transfer to another <strong>Wandle</strong><br />

home then contact us and<br />

we will give you the best<br />

advice and support that we<br />

can, although the number of<br />

homes available will always<br />

be limited.<br />

We hold a transfer list, but<br />

we also really encourage<br />

residents to take advantage<br />

of the free membership we<br />

offer for Homeswapper – a<br />

national website that allows<br />

you to exchange homes<br />

with other social housing<br />

residents across the UK.<br />

The rents we charge are in line with<br />

the government’s rent formula<br />

and you should get good notice of<br />

when your rent will go up so you<br />

can budget and plan ahead. These<br />

are difficult times and if you have<br />

financial problems you should let<br />

us know straightaway. You can be<br />

evicted for rent arrears, but we will<br />

do everything we can to help you<br />

manage the debt and stay in your<br />

home.<br />

We can put you in touch with<br />

organisations that can help such<br />

as Money Advice Plus, who can<br />

help you manage your debts and<br />

can ensure you are maximising<br />

your income. We can also give you<br />

advice on saving and borrowing<br />

with organisations that charge fair<br />

rates of interest like a credit union,<br />

and would strongly advise you<br />

to speak to us before borrowing<br />

Insurance providers<br />

JARDINE LLOYD THOMPSON<br />

www.jltgroup.com<br />

0845 601 7007<br />

Furniture reconditioning<br />

Croydon<br />

HOME AGAIN<br />

40-44 St George’s Walk<br />

CR0 1YJ<br />

Tel : 0208 667 0067<br />

money from a mainstream bank,<br />

online money lender or loan shark.<br />

We have links to all credit unions<br />

set up in our boroughs. Currently<br />

this includes Bromley, Croydon,<br />

Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton,<br />

Southwark and Sutton. <strong>Wandle</strong><br />

also offers an incentive to residents<br />

who open a savings account and<br />

maintain regular savings with<br />

most credit unions. We will pay a<br />

membership fee (usually £5) and<br />

match fund savings of up to £100<br />

for each tenant during the first six<br />

months of them opening a credit<br />

union account.<br />

<strong>Wandle</strong> doesn’t just want the rent<br />

paid on time, we want residents<br />

to get better at managing their<br />

finances and thus improve their<br />

quality of life. The aim of <strong>Wandle</strong>’s<br />

‘Financial Inclusion’ programme<br />

is to place residents in control of<br />

Merton / Sutton<br />

THE VINE PROJECT<br />

Unit 3<br />

24 <strong>Wandle</strong> Way<br />

Willow Lane Industrial Estate ,<br />

Mitcham<br />

CR4 4NB<br />

Tel : 0208 6856640<br />

Disclaimer: Although we have provided information on these services, this does not<br />

constitute an official recommendation. <strong>Wandle</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> <strong>Association</strong> does not accept<br />

any responsibility for the quality of services provided by these organisation.<br />

their finances by giving them the<br />

knowledge and skills to make the<br />

best decisions for their households.<br />

We run Financial Freedom courses<br />

every quarter, supporting attendees<br />

with budgeting, finding affordable<br />

credit and debt management. Our<br />

partnership with Money Advice Plus<br />

also supported 57 residents and<br />

for much of the year <strong>Wandle</strong> had a<br />

welfare benefits advisor available<br />

to provide advice and support to<br />

residents on their entitlement to<br />

benefits.<br />

A partnership arrangement is<br />

also in place with Jardine Lloyd<br />

Thompson insurance providers<br />

to offer residents access to<br />

discounted contents insurance<br />

schemes. Residents can also<br />

access local furniture recycling<br />

organisations, which provide low<br />

cost reconditioned furniture.<br />

Bromley<br />

GIVE2GIVE<br />

15 Chatsworth Parade<br />

Petts Wood, Bromley<br />

BR5 1DS<br />

Tel : 0845 680 6888<br />

GIVE2GIVE<br />

20 Station Approach<br />

Hayes<br />

BR2 7EH<br />

Tel : 0203 490 6701<br />

11


<strong>Wandle</strong> Annual Report Special<br />

Neighbourhood &<br />

community<br />

Local area co-operation<br />

<strong>Wandle</strong>’s most important relationships are with our residents and their local<br />

councils. We work together with our local council partners to meet housing need. This<br />

includes housing homeless people and those who need to move home due<br />

to issues such as overcrowding, under-occupation or high medical need.<br />

What is the Neighbourhood and Community Standard?<br />

The Neighbourhood and Community Standard says we should provide a decent, clean and<br />

safe area for our residents to live in and a say in how residents’ homes and neighbourhoods<br />

are maintained and improved. We also work with our partners to promote the social,<br />

environmental and economic well-being of the wider area around w<strong>here</strong> our residents live.<br />

What are we doing to meet this standard?<br />

We work with our contractors, Fountains, to keep the communal areas of our estates<br />

clean and tidy, and to keep the gardens and external common areas looking nice and<br />

cared for. We also work with other housing providers and the local council to keep our<br />

estates looking decent, offering services which include the removal of graffiti and other<br />

rubbish left on our estates.<br />

We restructured our service in 2011/12, so we will have a much higher presence on<br />

our schemes in 2012/13. We will have new, locally based teams for each borough and<br />

our new Neighbourhood Improvement Officers will be out and about as the eyes and<br />

ears of the local team, spotting problems before they are reported, and taking advantage<br />

of local opportunities to improve our neighbourhoods. We will also be developing a<br />

network of resident champions to help us monitor important services like our repairs,<br />

cleaning and gardening.<br />

We believe everyone should be free to enjoy their home with <strong>Wandle</strong> as long as their<br />

behaviour does not have a negative impact on other residents’ quality of life. We expect all<br />

our residents to be tolerant and to respect the choices and lifestyles of other people,<br />

but not to have to live with unreasonable behaviour from neighbours. If your neighbours<br />

are annoying, harassing or disturbing you, or involved in suspicious behaviour, we want<br />

to know about it.<br />

<strong>Wandle</strong> wants to work with residents to take a confident approach to tackling anti-social<br />

behaviour (ASB). This is one of our top priorities. As a result of feedback from our customers<br />

and the help of our Resident Scrutiny Panel, we have developed a set of robust procedures<br />

to make sure our neighbourhoods are decent and peaceful places to live.<br />

Our Resident Scrutiny Panel reviewed our Anti-Social Behaviour policy and procedures in<br />

2011/12 and made recommendations to make our processes clearer and to improve our<br />

auditing and case management. We have put these new processes in place and will be<br />

monitoring our ASB work closely in 2012/13 to ensure we are consistently improving our<br />

service.<br />

12<br />

<strong>Wandle</strong> Annual report special<br />

Value for money<br />

How we spent your rent<br />

Rent is our main source of income and it is critical that we collect the<br />

rents that are due to us so we can remain financially viable and continue<br />

doing the work we do. We fix our rents at the level set out by the<br />

regulating body and aim to collect the rent promptly.<br />

We also aim to keep arrears as low as possible whilst providing as much<br />

support as we can to our residents so they can sustain their tenancies.<br />

As evidence that this strategy is working, rent arrears in the last year<br />

fell when compared to the year before. Below is a chart showing how we<br />

spent your rent last year.<br />

The Residents’ Income Working Group met during the year, discussing<br />

such topics as performance targets, service standards, changes to welfare<br />

benefits and rent increases. They’ve had a significant impact on our<br />

financial inclusion action plans. In particular the changes residents<br />

recommended to the content, tone and layout of rent arrears letters to<br />

make them easier to read and more effective.<br />

Management<br />

Responsive<br />

maintanance<br />

Major repairs<br />

Other<br />

Interest<br />

Development<br />

in new homes<br />

£6,474k<br />

£9,883k<br />

£6,641k<br />

£6,256k<br />

£3,480k<br />

£3,232k<br />

<strong>Wandle</strong> now owns 6,520 homes and many of these were built<br />

partly with money borrowed from banks. We borrow this money<br />

over a long term and at low rates. We factor this interest into<br />

our long term plans as part of the overall cost of providing good<br />

quality and affordable homes.<br />

£ £ £<br />

Our teams:<br />

Our new local area<br />

teams are already<br />

busy talking to<br />

residents and<br />

community groups,<br />

building on the<br />

knowledge we<br />

already have so that<br />

they can get to know<br />

the differences and<br />

similarities between<br />

the areas in which we<br />

work.<br />

13


<strong>Wandle</strong> Annual Report Special<br />

Governance &<br />

financial viability<br />

The <strong>Association</strong>’s policies for membership and services on the<br />

Board of Management are designed to meet the requirements of<br />

the National <strong>Housing</strong> Federation’s codes, namely the Excellence in<br />

Governance Code and Excellence in Standards of Conduct Code.<br />

Both codes have been adopted by <strong>Wandle</strong>’s board.<br />

The <strong>Wandle</strong> board shapes the long-term strategy<br />

of <strong>Wandle</strong> and holds the executive to account<br />

in relation to service delivery, financial and risk<br />

management and governance. To ensure that<br />

the focus remains on customer services and the<br />

quality of delivery, the board very much welcomes,<br />

supports and respects the role of the <strong>Wandle</strong><br />

Scrutiny Panel.<br />

The panel was set up in 2010 to help the board<br />

fulfil its role of driving better services, as well as<br />

satisfying the need for strong co-regulation. The<br />

panel is supported by an independent advisor. We<br />

are proud of our transparency in this - it ensures<br />

that the panel cannot be influenced in its findings<br />

by the organisation. The Scrutiny Panel attends<br />

board meetings to report on its findings. The<br />

Chair of Scrutiny holds regular sessions with the<br />

Chief Executive and senior managers at <strong>Wandle</strong><br />

to discuss areas of service to investigate and to<br />

ensure that t<strong>here</strong> are no barriers to the valuable<br />

work that the resident panel members undertake.<br />

Scrutiny is supported by a strong and meaningful<br />

resident engagement structure. The Scrutiny Panel<br />

is supported by our Charter Monitoring Group and<br />

our Complaints Service Improvement Group and<br />

through a wide network of residents. We strongly<br />

encourage more residents to apply to use their<br />

individual skills on the Scrutiny Panel. You can find<br />

more details on how to do this on our website<br />

at www.wandle.com or by calling our Customer<br />

Services department on 0800 731 2030<br />

Our aim is to continue to build on this<br />

commitment during the coming year.<br />

14<br />

<strong>Wandle</strong> Annual report special<br />

<strong>Wandle</strong>’s board is committed to upholding the<br />

National <strong>Housing</strong> Federation’s Excellence in<br />

Standards of Conduct Code and adhering to its high<br />

criteria. The board of <strong>Wandle</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> <strong>Association</strong><br />

Limited has agreed to adopt the National <strong>Housing</strong><br />

Federation’s Excellence in Governance Code. This<br />

code has been chosen because it is sector specific<br />

and focuses on our residents, customers and<br />

stakeholders. The suitability and appropriateness of<br />

this code will be reviewed every three years (next<br />

review due in 2013).<br />

<strong>Wandle</strong> currently has a board of 12 non-executive<br />

directors, some of whom are <strong>Association</strong> residents.<br />

The board operates two committees and board<br />

members are active in championing key work<br />

streams that are reflected in the Business Plan<br />

commitments. The board has regular meetings,<br />

with members undertaking appropriate training to<br />

fulfil their roles and carry out ‘reality checks’ such as<br />

estate inspections and new homes tours to make<br />

sure that what is being delivered is in line with<br />

their expectations. They review performance on a<br />

regular basis and ensure that the diversity of our<br />

customers’ needs is at the heart of decision making.<br />

<strong>Wandle</strong>’s board has a Value for Money Strategy<br />

which was revised in 2009/10. The board is<br />

focussed on ensuring that the organisation<br />

manages its business in a way that delivers the<br />

best services in the most efficient ways. The Board<br />

will be reviewing its strategy during 2012.<br />

Our board members<br />

Philip Sturrock<br />

(Appointed 2010) Chair<br />

Former CEO of companies in publishing;<br />

member of the Industrial Development<br />

Advisory Board.<br />

Martin Hurst<br />

(Appointed 2004) Vice Chair.<br />

Senior Policy Advisor to Government.<br />

Member of Audit Committee.<br />

Paul Rydquist<br />

(Appointed 2007)<br />

Member of Audit Committee.<br />

Independent <strong>Housing</strong> Consultant.<br />

Janet Collier<br />

(Appointed 2008) Member of Audit<br />

Committee. Finance Consultant.<br />

Tunde Awofolaju<br />

(Appointed 2004) Member of<br />

Remuneration and HR Committee.<br />

Manager, UK Online Centre.<br />

Richard Raeburn<br />

(Appointed 2008)<br />

Chairman of Audit Committee.<br />

Justin Elcombe<br />

(Appointed 2008) Member of<br />

Remuneration and HR Committee.<br />

Managing Director of Hollybrook Ltd.<br />

Ann Humphries<br />

(Appointed 2008) Chair of<br />

Remuneration and HR Committee.<br />

Adviser to the Chair of the John Lewis<br />

Partnership on public policy issues.<br />

Sara Thakkar<br />

(Appointed 2009)<br />

Chief Executive, <strong>Wandle</strong> HA.<br />

Paul Glinkowski<br />

Tenant Board member.<br />

Catherine Martin<br />

(Appointed 2006, resigned September<br />

2011). Equality and Diversity Board Lead.<br />

Freelance consultant.<br />

Karen Talkington<br />

(Resigned February 2012). Tenant board<br />

member.<br />

Samantha Cheng<br />

(Resigned September 2011). Tenant board<br />

member.<br />

Ravensbourne<br />

Development & Delta Homes<br />

Board Members<br />

howard Webb<br />

(Appointed 2010 , resigned June<br />

2011)<br />

Justin Elcombe<br />

(Appointed 2008)<br />

Peter mulloy<br />

(Appointed 2008)<br />

gary Bellenger<br />

(Appointed March 2011)<br />

<strong>Wandle</strong><br />

Executive Team<br />

sara Thakkar<br />

Chief Executive (2009)<br />

sue Daniels<br />

Customer Services<br />

Director (2012)<br />

Tim coppard<br />

Business Partnerships<br />

Director (2012)<br />

Eddie milne<br />

Finance Director (Appointed 2010,<br />

resigned December 2011)<br />

Nathan gravesande (Appointed<br />

2006, resigned June 2011)


STAY GO<br />

GO<br />

STAY<br />

SHOULd IT S TAY OR<br />

SHOULd IT gO?<br />

<strong>Wandle</strong> has always worked very closely with residents<br />

to improve services. We want to make sure this continues.<br />

The Community Investment Team is consulting residents on<br />

our proposals for how resident involvement could work in<br />

the future. We will be asking some big questions:<br />

£20 incentive payment – Should it stay or should it go?<br />

Refreshments - Should it stay or should it go?<br />

Long meetings- Should it stay or should it go?<br />

Taxi fare - Should it stay or should it go?<br />

<strong>Wandle</strong> wants to work with you at all levels of the business, but especially at the local<br />

level w<strong>here</strong> you live. We have some exciting ideas which we really want you to help us<br />

make real.<br />

Attend one of our two workshops or pop in to find<br />

out more at our resident Involvement Idea Day.<br />

We want your feedback and your ideas.<br />

Tuesday<br />

13th November<br />

6pm - 8pm<br />

Cornerstone House<br />

14 Willis Road<br />

Croydon<br />

CR0 2XX<br />

RESIdENT INVOLVEMENT<br />

IdEA dAYS<br />

tuesday<br />

20th November<br />

6pm - 8pm<br />

Merton Hall<br />

78 Kingston Rd<br />

SW19 1LA<br />

If you want to attend a workshop, please<br />

register your attendance with<br />

Phil Cone, Community Investment Officer<br />

0208 682 5367 / 0203 617 4807<br />

philcone@wandle.com<br />

All residents attending a workshop will receive<br />

either £20 or a return taxi. Please indicate your<br />

preference when registering to attend.<br />

involved residents' barbecue<br />

Thursday<br />

22nd November<br />

6pm-8pm<br />

Sue Daniels, our Customer Services Director,<br />

opens our barbecue for involved residents on<br />

Thursday 13th September. The barbecue gave<br />

us an opportunity to begin our consultation<br />

on how we can refresh and improve our<br />

resident involvement strategy. We had some<br />

really good feedback.<br />

Head Office<br />

Leonard Cheshire<br />

Disability<br />

66 South Lambeth Road<br />

London<br />

SW8 1RL<br />

Wednesday<br />

28th november<br />

12 noon - 2.00pm<br />

Consultation Workshop -<br />

(Lunch provided)<br />

2.00 - 6.00pm<br />

Drop-in - come along and<br />

ask us questions!<br />

6.00 - 8.00pm<br />

dATES<br />

FOR YOUR<br />

d IA RY<br />

Consultation Workshop -<br />

(Refreshments provided)<br />

St. Boniface<br />

Community Centre<br />

(next door to the Church)<br />

185 Mitcham Road<br />

Tooting<br />

SW17 9PG<br />

16 <strong>Wandle</strong> News | Autumn 2012 Edition | Issue Number 67 www.wandle.com<br />

17


oVEr 2 U<br />

FOCuS ON FiRE<br />

SAFETy<br />

<strong>Wandle</strong>’s Property Risk team is<br />

committed to keeping residents safe<br />

from fire. Following on from the fire<br />

risk assessments we carry out in all<br />

blocks, we are rolling out a wider<br />

programme of action to increase the<br />

safety of your homes.<br />

In line with this initiative, <strong>Wandle</strong> is<br />

asking residents to remove bikes,<br />

prams and other items which are<br />

blocking halls, corridors and stairways,<br />

as these are important escape routes in<br />

a fire. Whilst they may be easy to see in<br />

daylight, if the corridor was filled with<br />

smoke these items could cause you to<br />

trip and fall and prevent you from<br />

getting to safety. These areas are<br />

designed to prevent the spread of fire<br />

so that if you do need to leave your flat<br />

it is a safe route to exit. Any items left<br />

in these areas will also add to the fuel<br />

load and spread the fire further.<br />

TEST yOuR<br />

HEATiNg<br />

Don’t wait until winter to test your<br />

gas central heating! Turn your central<br />

heating on, leave it on for 45 minutes<br />

and then check all your radiators to<br />

make sure they’re getting hot. If you<br />

have any problems call K&T heating<br />

on 0800 092 2420 (0208 269 4500<br />

from a mobile).<br />

WHAT iS<br />

SuSTAiNAbiliTy?<br />

Environmental sustainability is<br />

something the whole world is now<br />

concerned with. Even painting and<br />

decorating houses is something that<br />

we can look at doing in a more<br />

sustainable way. 500 <strong>Wandle</strong> homes<br />

are included in the cyclical decorations<br />

contract this year and our contractors,<br />

Mullaley, will be using paint sourced from<br />

Akzonobel (who include ICI and Dulux in<br />

their portfolio). <strong>Wandle</strong> have partnered<br />

with Akzonobel for several years of the<br />

annual decorating contract.<br />

It is important to <strong>Wandle</strong> that we<br />

use contractors and suppliers with a<br />

sustainable approach to their work.<br />

Akzonobel are proud of their<br />

sustainability focus and they have<br />

worked with Forum for the Future<br />

to develop ways to reduce the<br />

environmental impact of decorating.<br />

They are recognised as leaders in<br />

their field in their approach to<br />

product sustainability.<br />

If you are thinking of redecorating<br />

your home you can use Akzonobel’s<br />

handy online paint calculator to ensure<br />

you buy only the amount you need.<br />

www.dulux.co.uk/advice/paint_<br />

calculator/index.jsp<br />

JoBs fAIr<br />

WorKs<br />

<strong>Wandle</strong> recently attended and supported the South<br />

London Jobs Fair and the Tooting Works Jobs Fair.<br />

The South London Jobs Fair took place<br />

in Croydon in June. Over 1,000 people<br />

attended this amazing event, which<br />

was organised by a group of housing<br />

associations including <strong>Wandle</strong>. The fair<br />

is set to become an annual event, so<br />

look out for it again next year. It really<br />

works too – one of your new Customer<br />

Relationship Officers applied to work at<br />

<strong>Wandle</strong> after attending this event and<br />

chatting to <strong>Wandle</strong> staff. Next time it<br />

could be you!<br />

The Tooting Works Jobs Fair took place<br />

in August and was hosted by South<br />

Thames College. Local MPs Sadiq<br />

Khan and Chuka Umunna both came<br />

along to offer their support to job<br />

seekers. <strong>Wandle</strong> set up stall alongside<br />

companies including Starbucks,<br />

Sainsburys, The Princes Trust, South<br />

London Job Centre and Think Big. As<br />

well as stalls, t<strong>here</strong> were also workshops<br />

offering advice on hot topics such as<br />

CVs and digital profiles.<br />

Want a local job club? Maybe a<br />

start your own business course?<br />

Just need some work experience?<br />

<strong>Wandle</strong> will be starting to<br />

offer lots more opportunities<br />

like this soon.<br />

If you would value some support in<br />

getting into work, call Phil Cone,<br />

Community Investment Officer on<br />

0208 682 5367 or 0203 617 4807<br />

or email on philcone@wandle.com<br />

18 <strong>Wandle</strong> News | Autumn 2012 Edition | Issue Number 67<br />

19


locAl ArEA TEAm<br />

Local Area Manager<br />

Owen Ramsay<br />

OwenR@wandle.com<br />

Technical Officer<br />

Sophia Grant<br />

SophiaG@wandle.com<br />

Customer Relationship Officer<br />

Beatrice Brown<br />

BeatriceB@wandle.com<br />

Customer Relationship Officer<br />

Babatunde Raji<br />

BabatundeR@wandle.com<br />

Important numbers:<br />

☎ customer services<br />

0800 731 2030<br />

(020 8682 7442 from a mobile)<br />

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and<br />

Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm<br />

Wednesday 9.00am to 4.00pm<br />

If you would like any more information<br />

or would like to comment on any of the<br />

articles, please contact your Local Area<br />

team at customerservices@wandle.<br />

com, freephone 0800 731 2030<br />

(freephone) or 020 8682 7442<br />

(from your mobile), or go to<br />

www.wandle.com<br />

Local office<br />

232 Mitcham Road, London SW17 9NN<br />

contact details<br />

☎ K&T heating services<br />

0800 092 2420<br />

To report a problem with your gas<br />

central heating or hot water system<br />

24 hours a day, 7 days a week<br />

Customer Relationship Assistant<br />

Deniz Ibrahim<br />

DenizI@wandle.com<br />

Customer Relationship Assistant<br />

Andre Ansah<br />

AndraA@wandle.com<br />

Customer Relationship Assistant<br />

Christine Addy<br />

ChristineA@wandle.com<br />

Handyman<br />

Chris Bethell<br />

<strong>Wandle</strong> News is printed on Revive 50/50 paper<br />

(50% recycled fibre and 50% virgin fibre)<br />

☎ Anti social behaviour<br />

hotline 020 8682 5346<br />

24 hour message service<br />

Fadlan Kooxdayada Adeegyada<br />

Macmiilka kala soo xiriir 0800 731 2030.<br />

Veuillez contacter notre équipe de<br />

service clientèle au 0800 731 2030.

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