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Welcome to the sixth Residents’ Business Plan.
We had more residents than ever getting involved this year through:
- open meetings held in Chippenham, Calne, Rudloe, and Wootton Bassett;
- a visioning evening in Oxford;
- telephone surveys; and
- various forums.
This year, over 400 people gave us their responses to the three key questions we asked:
- What must Westlea keep doing?
- What should Westlea stop doing or do less of?
- What could Westlea residents do for themselves?
All the responses were collated and three members of the Residents’ Business Plan working group presented these to Westlea’s Board of Management.
This year the group has also had a voice in the budgeting process at Westlea.
How the MONEY goes round
How £1 of your rent is spent:
- 2p - Bad debt / voids
- 2p - Rainy day
- 3p - Supporting people
- 5p - Development sales
- 5p - Housing services
- 8p - Fall in value of assets
- 12p - Planned maintenance
- 14p - Routine maintenance
- 21p - Interest on loans
- 28p - Management of property
Feedback from Westlea on last year’s plan...
Done
Energy advisors made 202 visits between April and December 2010 (almost double our target).
The ‘handy gardener’ service completed work for 88 residents between June and December.
Aids and adaptations – we have made many improvements to speed up minor adaptations. Our trade teams are now trained to fit grab rails and residents don’t have to wait for our permission to fit minor adaptations themselves.
We now include a case ID number on all of our letters so that it’s easier for you to track the progress of your enquiry
Residents joined the ‘Value for Money’ group who looked at how we run our business; between April and December we saved £298,540.
Doing
Better estate maintenance – we consulted with residents to set up neighbourhood standards to make our estates nicer places to live.
Estate walkabouts – residents are involved in redesigning how the walkabouts work.
We continue to look at new ways to involve our residents.
DIY hints and tips are being published in our local newsletters and in HOME magazine.
Voice It Project – we have been pursuing the request from young people for a multi-use games area in Chippenham with the Town Council.
To do
We will make sure a maintenance representative attends as many estate walkabouts as possible.
We have completed 27 new 3+ bed homes, and nine bungalows are currently under construction.
We have yet to build any retirement homes.
Support services
What residents want
Continue with the Handy Help and gardening services.
What Westlea will do
Both services will continue through 2011/12.
Grounds maintenance and communal areas
What residents want
• Partnerships to provide a cost-effective
• Give pieces of land for residents to use and maintain.
• Extend the allotment scheme.
What Westlea will do
• We are looking at working with Wiltshire Council on grounds maintenance.
• We will explore extending the allotment scheme and land use.
Communications
What residents want
• Continue with the residents’ communication group.
• Look at alternative methods of contact.
What Westlea will do
• We will continue with the residents’ communication group.
• Expand the use of email and texts.
• Take steps to reduce bulk mailouts.
• Advise residents of job reference numbers when they report a repair by telephone and ask whether they need written confirmation.
Estate services
What residents want
• Complete walkabout review.
• Pilot resident champions.
What Westlea will do
• Complete walkabout review and implement by April 2011.
• Identify an estate to pilot the resident champion scheme.
Heating
What residents want
• Continuation of the energy advisors.
What Westlea will do
• The scheme will be continuing through 2011/12.
Maintenance, repairs, and planned maintenance
What residents want
• Continue with the high standard of repairs and don’t cut the maintenance budget.
• Better communication for planned maintenance.
What Westlea will do
• Existing repairs budget will remain at the same level.
• Issue a revised planned maintenance programme in April 2011. The new in-house team will speed up bathroom refurbishments.
Young people (Voice It Project)
We asked young people from all the areas where we have homes what they would like from Westlea. A group of them produced a DVD that was played to the Board of Management. The most important things were:
- Safe traffic-free areas to play football, basketball, skating, and other games outside freely.
- More provision of activities that would give them life skills, including sports coaching, dance, motorcycle maintenance, and first aid.
- Well-lit streets that are safe with dog foul-free areas.
- Continuation of events such as sports and coaching sessions for skills building.
Last year the young people’s main priority was to have an all-weather play surface and a shelter to make the park in Chippenham useable even when it was raining. Westlea held further consultations with residents and a design for a Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA) was picked. These plans have now been submitted to the Town Council and we are waiting for them to move the project forward.
To find out more — and have a say about what goes in the next plan...
Contact the Neighbourhood Involvement Team at Westlea Housing on 01249 466163 or email susan.rendell@westlea.co.uk.
Click here to download the brochure as a PDF.
Click here to read it as a flipbook.
