Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

Void properties (5)

·     Make sure gardens are tidy before tenants move into the properties;

·     Having repairs and adaptations done for each person when moved into new home;

·     Make sure empty properties are up to standard for new tenant to move in;

·     Make sure the houses are up to standard when letting to tenants;

·     Higher standards when homes are so called ready to let;

·     More help with gardening;

Gardening (14)

·     Encourage neighbours to help with other’s gardens – maybe some rewards, plant share, ? swap;

·     Respect elderly restrictions i.e. maintenance of hedges;

·     More help with gardening for disabled, elderly and vulnerable people;

·     Who is responsible for land between houses – grass cutting, etc.;

·     Better security for Westlea’s allotments – cameras, etc.;

·     Take the grass cuttings away with them when they cut the grass;

Personal adaptations and services (19)

·     Freestanding shower with seat;

·     A stair lift later on;

·     Help with decorating your house if you are disabled or elderly people;

·     Follow up on requests for people with disabilities i.e. help with taps, etc.;

·     Disability equipment around the house – door handles, grips, slopes;

·     Information on home maintenance – walk-in showers, tiles, etc.;

·     Make disabled access for scooters in homes;

·     Handrail outside back door making it easier to get in;

·     Better security on front door;

·     Window locks dodgy at times;

·     When building new homes – downstairs toilets and no front steps;

·     For the elderly, no fridge spaces under work surfaces and light switch at waist height;

·     Can we have water softeners attached to out water system?

·     Compost bins;

·     Order number for all enquiries;

·     Help with setting up Neighbourhood Watch;

·     Improvement of heating supply;

Contractors (3)

·     RWR from Swindon – contractor was really good;

·     My kitchen had a leak which had been going on for a long time undetected so caused a fair amount of damage. The contractors were very good and efficient;

Service excellence (5)

·     Overall, all services to do well in the future;

·     Look after older persons – priority;

·     More contact with Housing Officer, because apart from initial contact or problems, we do not see them!

·     More services for older persons who need these services;

Communication (10)

·     To be clear and concise, use everyday language when talking with tenants (not office speak!);

·     Listen;

·     More feedback;

·     Empathise and support tenants in  crisis:

·     Communication;

·     Communicate well between Westlea departments (not good at present);

·     Would like feedback with results of problem;

Resident involvement (8)

·     More resident involvement;

·     More events, open days/meetings for tenants;

·     Have evening and weekend meetings;

Rents (1)

·     Charge a “fair” rent;

Housing issues/ASB (8)

·     Kids laying in car park and kicking cars;

·     Neighbour who have dogs that keep barking;

·     Neighbour who lives next door has party all night until 4AM next morning, and also lots of drinks and drugs;

Repairs and adaptations (17)

·     Fit efficient limescale busters to all systems;

·     Hedge cutting;

·     Do repairs promptly;

·     Quick support for repairs and support for disability problems with gardens;

·     Gardening service;

·     Sort out draughts;

·     Walk-in showers – feedback on problems;

·     Showers;

·     Lofts lagged;

·     Better training for electricians;

·     Letter boxes so letters do not fall on floor for disabled people;

·     Repairs – floating wardens services;

·     Lower cupboards in kitchens;

·     Walk-in showers;

Environment (21)

·     Traffic by schools for safety to children;

·     Safety doors to flats would be good;

·     Provide “doggy doo” bins;

·     Need more members of the Council to go on walkabouts to see what needs doing;

·     Stop a service bus parking on the corner of Woodland Road and Layer Street (end of street);

·     Pick up grass after grass cutting communal areas;

·     More loos for dogs away from play areas;

·     Car parking spaces for disabled – more needed;

·     Maintain spare ground;

·     Fouling by dogs in certain gardens – it smells when hot;

·     Need to put play area for kids, not car park;

·     Play area in ? Road for kids – older kids go in there so the young ones do not;

·     Litter pick;

·     Build more bungalows in Corsham;

·     Address parking issues (possibly convert gardens for off-road parking);

·     Neighbourhood Watches to catch kids that vandalise;

·     North Wilts bowling green field outside would be good for a park for kids if supervised, keeping out older kids;

·     Provide play areas for infants and pre-teens;

Keep clean (2)

·     Keep place clean when visit home;

·     Cleaning up after them;

Quick repairs (13)

·     Repairs done on time and quickly;

·     Repairs quickly;

·     Maintenance better for the disabled;

Walk-in showers (16)

·     Walk-in showers for old people;

·     When one is promised to have a walk-in shower being a disabled person, I was promised a walk-in shower by March. Now I am still without. I’m waiting for the contractor to name a date – may be they meant March 2010;

Extra services (14)

·     Cutting my back entrance hedge more regularly;

·     Security box for entrance door;

·     Letter box for internal doors;

·     Communication – a way for me to contact Westlea (deaf);

Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

Staffing

·     Staffing levels;

·     Staff;

·     Staff shortage;

·     Not enough staff to go around;

Money

·     Lack of funds;

·     Not enough money to go around;

·     Money or lack of!

·     No funds;

·     Expense and manpower;

·     Funds;

·     Money;

·     Financial control;

Communications

·     Not hearing what the tenants asked for;

·     Lack of communication between various parties;

·     Not enough information or awareness of issues;

·     Residents not at home when Westlea call;

·     Time factor;

·     Prioritising? Who? What? Where? When?

·     What makes up priorities?

·     Not enough time to do it in;

Government, etc.

·     Rather build new homes;

·     Too much money goes on taxis;

·     MP’s expenses;

Staff

·     Staff;

·     Lack of staff;

·     Staff shortages;

·     Inefficient staff;

·     No worker - who does the work?

·     Backlog of work;

Outside influences

·     Government;

·     Westlea being taken over by another company, and not being able to provide the service;

·     Poor contractors;

Communications

·     Not listening to tenants;

·     Indecisive leadership (start a project then have a change of mind and pursue other projects);

·     Poor organisation;

Residents

·     Unruly/destructive tenants (multiple repairs due to wilful vandalism);

·     The residents themselves;

·     Not being told anything by Westlea tenants themselves;

·     Vandalism (unknown culprits);

·     If we didn’t have these forums to put your opinions across as a Westlea tenant;

Cost

·     Costs;

·     Money;

·     Manpower;

·     Money - Interest;

·     Lack of money;

·     Funding cuts;

·     Lack of time;

·     Time;

Money (or lack of)

·     Lack of money;

·     Lack of funds/funding;

·     Running out of money;

Not enough staff

·     Need more staff to carry our request;

Communication

·     Lack of communications;

Priorities

·     Different priorities;

Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

Miscellaneous

·     Be more flexible with criteria for adaptations – not all cases are black and white;

·     Financial control;

·     Good planning i.e. heating maintenance;

·     Planning -  best use not best value;

·     Someone allocated to be responsible for complaints on the subject;

·     Staff changing;

Home visiting

·     If there is a doorbell – use it as the person may have hearing problems and do not hear knocking;

·     Make sure Westlea workers wait a bit longer at the door for older people to answer the door;

·     Phone first before going out to a tenant;

·     Tenants are out when workmen come to do a job;

Communications

·     Carry on listening to residents needs;

·     Talk to everyone – compare and contrast views;

·     Sometimes the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing;

·     Listen to what people say and deal accordingly;

·     Most of the time Westlea are good but not all the time;

·     As always good communications between all parties concerned;

·     More aware of residents needs;

·     Staff to be aware of ongoing issues when working in different departments, not the one they usually work in;

·     See what can be done to close the gap of people “slipping through the net”;

·     Communicate and review;

·     Select, record, examine, develop and maintain – ideas!

Staff and training

·     Get good contractors;

·     Ensure contractors deliver a good standard of service;

·     Get the right staff for the job;

·     Training staff better;

·     Verbal warnings;

·     More checks on completion of work – more feedback;

·     Do the work they are asked to do;

Planning

·     Be realistic with timings and schedules;

·     Forward plan;

·     Route plan workmen – less “zig zagging” saves time and fuel;

·     Anticipate areas of fluctuating need and be prepared (more roofers in winter, more groundsmen in spring/summer);

·     Ensure meetings fill a need – not just meetings for meetings sake;

Residents and ASB

·     Pursue non payment veraciously;

·     Penalise residents who cause repeated damage;

Communications and involvement

·     More advertisements for forthcoming events;

·     Involve residents – involved/informed residents have more pride in their areas;

·     Have more input form residents;

·     Group of tenants to talk to Council on our behalf;

·     More feedback on services that have been delivered;

·      Feedback on everything;

·     Have the Disability Forum involved;

·     Listen to residents;

·     Listen to Disability Forum;

·     You should have groups of people that we can go to, to be heard when we have a problem that they can sort out when Westlea are involved with other important things;

Customer service

·     When phoning up, have someone who talks nice at the end of the phone;

Building and maintenance

·     Build more;

·     Lower cupboards in kitchen;

·     Build more bungalows;

Budgets

·     Have enough money;

·     Budget – plan it out and allocate;

·     Build/refit using good quality products – cheap and cheerful needs replacing and is uneconomic;

Rent rise to improve services

·     I’m sure people wouldn’t mind rent rise if it could bring more services;

Monitor subcontractors or use Westlea staff

·     Monitor subcontractors;

·     Use Westlea’s own staff – they are better;

·     Extra staff;

·     Get good contractors;

Listen to individual needs – flexibility

·     Not assuming something without the facts first;

·     Listen to our panels;

·     Give time for when worker comes so people do not have to stay in all day;

·     Understand the needs of residents i.e. to be more flexible on repair dates and times;

Monitor work of all staff

·     Follow up after work is done;

Communications

·     To get through to the right person and not to be passed onto to someone else;