Money and budgeting advicePage 8

Check your rent balance online Page 9

City’s new energy-saving homes Page 5

Summer 2016tlcTenants’ and leaseholders’ community magazine

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Norwich City Council events

TLC magazine • Summer 2016 • 3

Introduction fromCouncillor Gail HarrisWelcome to the summer edition of TLC magazineCouncillor Gail Harris, Norwich City Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for council housing.

I’m delighted to see our repairs service performing well and would like to take this opportunity to encourage you to report your repairs online, wherever possible. This will help us to deliver a more efficient service. Through our new website you can now check your rent or council tax balance, as well as report a variety of neighbourhood issues. Register through the customer portal at www.norwich.gov.uk and give this new service a try. We are continuing to deliver our kitchen and bathroom replacement programme to bring all your homes up to the ‘Norwich Standard’. If you have any reservations about having this work carried out, please take a look at the feature on pages six and seven. As our budgets come under more and more pressure, the frequency at which things might be replaced in the future will need to be reviewed, so please do make the most of this opportunity. It’s fantastic to see our most energy-efficient homes taking shape at the site of our former housing office in Mile Cross.

We have also recently approved plans for another 100 existing homes to receive thermodynamic heating systems. I can’t wait for tenants to be able to enjoy the benefit the reduced fuel costs these homes will bring.

If you’re interested in downsizing to a one-bedroom flat, do look out for our new properties at Britannia Court, Marlpit and Brazen Gate in Lakenham, all due to be advertised on www.norwichhomeoptions.org.uk shortly. I look forward to working with our new tenant involvement panel and task and finish groups and invite more tenants to take up the free training on offer. It is a great opportunity to have your say on how council services are run,

while meeting people and developing new skills. The result of our recent peer review is testament to the excellent work of council officers who work tirelessly to prevent people from becoming homeless. I am confident our pursuit of ‘gold status’ for this service will be of real benefit to those who need our help. Don’t forget about our confidential money advice service if you need support managing your finances.

Please be safe in your homes when using barbeques, candles etc. You can follow our latest housing news on our Twitter page @NorwichCC #HousingNCC Have a great summer.

Artist illustration of Hansard Close © Hamson Barron Smith

4 • TLC magazine • Summer 2016

Get involved!

New-look communal lounges

our tenant training programme (TTfN). This means more tenants than ever before will be able to influence and improve housing services.

Our free training academy (Tenant Training for Norwich) is available to all tenants, so if you would like to gain new skills and build your confidence email involvement@norwich.gov.uk or call us on 0344 980 3333 to find out how you can get involved!

All tenant representatives stepped down from their current roles and went through an interview process, with nine representatives then selected to sit on the enlarged tenant involvement panel. The new ‘task and finish groups’ will be set up as and when required, work on special projects and will be open to all tenants who have completed

There are now more opportunities for you to be involved following a review of how tenants work with the council. After careful consideration, tenant representatives from existing panels decided to increase membership of the tenant involvement panel and replace the tenant scrutiny panel with special new project groups that will work on one-off projects.

Tenants were consulted on colour options and the style of the new furniture, to ensure their needs were met.

Key to the refurbishment, which took 12 weeks to complete, was the installation of automatic opening front doors, which provide easy access to the lounge for tenants and guests with mobility issues.

We are now progressing another refurbishment project at Seabrook Court and will update you on our progress in a future edition of TLC.

Residents in sheltered housing are enjoying two new communal lounges, delivered as part of our ongoing refurbishment programme.

Don Pratt Court and George Carver Court have benefitted from the work, which included redecoration, along with new lighting, flooring, internal doors, toilets and soft furnishings.

The lounges, used by tenants and outside groups alike, were starting to look tired and outdated, having not been refurbished for a number of years.

The new-look tenant involvement panel.

The refurbished lounges at George Carver Court (top) and Don Pratt Court (bottom).

Council leading the way with eco homes

TLC magazine • Summer 2016 • 5

eco credentials. These homes will deliver real benefits for both the environment and our tenants, and it’s fantastic to see Norwich emerging as a leader in this field.”

The Hansard Close development comprises eight one-bedroom flats and two two-bedroom flats. While relatively modest in scale, the January 2017 completion date means it is likely to become the city’s first residential Passivhaus development.

Councillor Gail Harris, deputy leader of Norwich City Council and cabinet member for council housing said: “We have a strong tradition of house building and we’re delighted to be building new homes again.

“We are very proud to be leading the development of homes with such outstanding

The creation of what is hoped will be the city’s most energy-efficient homes moved a step closer with the arrival of timber frames at the city council’s new development in Mile Cross.

Norfolk firm EN Suiter & Sons Ltd is currently building 10 flats to Passivhaus standard on the site of the city council’s former area housing office in Hansard Close, Norwich.

Passivhaus requires building to the highest certifiable standard of energy efficiency, resulting in ultra-low energy buildings that need very little fuel for heating or cooling.

Hansard Close Passivhaus development

Britannia Court flats available to local residents

Larkman and Marlpit/Jex Road) residents or people who can show evidence of a strong family or work connection to the area. Other flats will be allocated to existing single or joint tenants seeking to downsize.

Within the categories above, applicants will still be prioritised in order of banding and time spent on the Home Options register, in accordance with Home Options policy.

decorated, and the first 15 homes will be available to let soon.

Projects of this nature are unusual in terms of housing allocations in that they create high levels of availability in one area over a relatively short time. With this in mind, our policy allows us to introduce a local lettings plan to ensure we can respond to local housing need, while achieving a balanced, strong and sustainable community.

So, a number of flats at Britannia Court will be allocated to Home Options applicants who are existing NELM (North Earlham,

Work at Britannia Court in Marlpit to convert a former sheltered housing scheme into two separate blocks of flats with landscaped open space is almost complete. All flats have been fully refurbished with new kitchens, bathrooms and fully

Artist impression of Britannia Court

Apply at www.norwich homeoptions.org.uk or call our Home Options team on 0344 980 3333.

We would like to encourage tenants who have previously been offered and chose not to go ahead with a new kitchen or bathroom to reconsider having this work carried out and to reassure all tenants yet to have their upgrade of what you can expect.

Fosters Property Maintenance Ltd is a specialist property refurbishment company with over 30 years’ experience. It has worked extensively in East Anglia and has vast experience in fitting kitchens and bathrooms in occupied homes.

What to expectWe will visit you in your home to discuss and plan the upgrades with you.

A dedicated member of staff will support you every step of the way.

You will be able to explore colour and finish options and our experienced staff will work with you to design the best layout for your kitchen – working around your existing appliances or creating spaces for new ones where possible.

Using samples, you can select the cupboard doors, worktop, wall tiles, paint colour and flooring.

You will get to see a 3D image of your new kitchen and be given 2D plans to keep, as well as a copy of your colour and finish choices.

The bath, hand basin and toilet will all be replaced with a new white suite and white wall tiles on all bathroom upgrades. You will still be given a choice of floor tiles

and paint colours and you’ll also get an over-bath shower if you don’t already have one!

Good to knowYou’re welcome to have a friend or family member

6 • TLC magazine • Summer 2016

Over the past five years council tenants have benefited from nearly 10,000 new kitchens and bathrooms as we have worked to bring all homes up to the ‘Norwich Standard’.

Have you previously been offered a new kitchen or bathroom?

Mrs Davy in her new kitchen

“96% of customers were satisfied with

their upgrade.”

TLC magazine • Summer 2016 • 7

Case study

Mrs Freeman has lived in her home for 21 years. She was previously told she was entitled to a kitchen upgrade but was concerned her fridge would be in the way and didn’t want to end up with less worktop space. She was also worried about getting things moved for the work to be carried out.

Her liaison officer arranged for everything to be moved for her and her new kitchen was designed to fit around her existing fridge.

Mrs Freeman said: “I now realise how dated my old kitchen was and I’m very pleased with the finished result. I have more places to put everything and it’s a lot easier to access the fridge.

“The workmen were great. There were no issues with noise and they cleaned everything up afterwards. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who has the chance of an upgrade. Do it!”

with you at each appointment to share ideas and help you decide.

The kitchen and bathroom fittings aren’t ordered straight away. You will have seven days to consider the choices you have made and change the combination of selected colours or finishes if you wish.

We can provide help with moving your white goods for the work to be carried out and will take photos of them during the survey and again before work starts in the kitchen.

You will never be left without water or power to the property overnight and you’ll be updated every day on our progress.

A temporary sink will be installed in the kitchen if needed and

you will only be without a toilet for the length of time it takes the operative to swap the old one for the new one.

Kitchen work takes a maximum of 10 working days and bathroom work eight working days.

What’s more, we offer to clean kitchen and bathroom areas after the work is complete and we will put white goods back into the new kitchen for you.

Mrs Freeman in her upgraded kitchen

“The workmen were great...I would

absolutely recommend it to

anyone.”

One of our tenant’s recently refurbished bathrooms

If you’ve previously been offered and chose not to go ahead with your upgrade but would like to reconsider email info@norwich.gov.uk or call us on 0344 980 33 33 to schedule a visit from our survey team.

If you’ve not yet been offered an upgrade, you will be contacted once your kitchen or bathroom reaches the qualifying age.

Have you tried our money advice service?

Was it easy to contact your money adviser, when you needed to?

Results show number of tenants who responded to our survey between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2016.

We regularly survey users of our housing services to ensure we are providing you with the best support possible. If you were in any doubt as to whether our money advice service could help you, take a look at what the tenants using the service over the last 12 months had to say.

Visit moneyadviceservice.org.uk for a free online budget planner or for FREE confidential advice email moneyadvisers@norwich.gov.uk or call us on 0344 980 3333.

• negotiate with your creditors

• find solutions that are right for you

• help with benefit entitlements, applications and appeals

• help you with budgeting

• talk through your concerns

• give you confidence to deal with the situation

• help you improve your

circumstances in the longer term.

Yes (20) No (-)

Was the advice given to you by your money adviser clear?

Did the money advice you were given help you sort out your financial difficulties?

If you were feeling anxious about money concerns, did receiving money advice help you feel less stressed?

100%

Yes (20) No (-) 100%

Yes (19) No (1)

95%5%

Yes (20) No (-) 100%

Our friendly advisers can:

8 • TLC magazine • Summer 2016

Ask us for help

TLC magazine • Summer 2016 • 9

Share your views for your chance to win!a satisfaction survey following a repair, it only takes a few moments to fill in and could win you £50! Your views are important to us and help us understand how we can make further improvements.

Mr Billy Ross of Pottergate (pictured right with Andrew Elvin of Norse) was February’s lucky winner in our prize draw sponsored by Norse. If you are one of the randomly selected tenants to receive

Have you tried our new website?Customers can access more services online since the launch of our new website, reducing the need to call us or visit City Hall.

Along with reporting repairs, you can now access your rent (and council tax) account balances securely via our customer portal. It only takes a few seconds to register, allowing you to get up to date account information 24/7.

Our website is now fully responsive across a wide range of devices, from desk-based PCs to mobiles and tablets. This means users will be able to access the information they need with a minimum of resizing, panning and scrolling.

Improvements to the new site will be ongoing, with more content added along the way as well as the introduction of a better search facility and more online forms.

You can also access our recently updated ‘Housing Standards’ detailing the level of service you can expect from us.

Review of council tax discountsWe are currently carrying out checks to make sure the right households are receiving a single occupancy discount on their council tax.

If there is only one adult (aged 18 or over) living in your home, then you qualify for a 25 per cent discount.

If you are claiming this discount, and our records suggest more than one adult may be living in

your household, you will be asked to provide additional information.

Council taxpayers who claim the discount incorrectly place a financial burden on the city and the council takes this type of misinformation very seriously.

Anybody receiving a review letter should respond as quickly as possible to avoid having the

discount removed and potentially receiving a backdated bill.

If you currently receive the discount but your circumstances have changed, please let us know as soon as possible.

Genuine recipients of this discount have nothing to worry about, but it is a legal duty for council taxpayers to let us know of any change in circumstances.

10 • TLC magazine • Summer 2016

Top BBQ tips this summerAs soon as the warm weather arrives many of us head out to the garden to enjoy a BBQ. When cooking outdoors, there are a few steps you can take to make sure it goes well. Get started by placing your BBQ on a level surface away from plants and trees, and placing a bucket of water or sand nearby for emergencies.

Food tips• Ensure any meat you cook is

thawed properly beforehand and turned regularly so it cooks evenly.

• Meat is safe to eat only when it is piping hot in the centre, there is no ‘pinkness’ and juices are clear – cut into the thickest part of the meat to check for these three signs it’s cooked.

• You run the risk of food poisoning if cooked meat touches raw meat, so keep them separate and ensure salads, sauces and cheeses are kept cool.

Gas BBQs or gas camping equipment• Only use the appliance if

it is in good working order and the hoses are properly attached and undamaged. If in doubt, get the hoses replaced.

• Make sure the gas taps are turned off before changing the gas cylinder and do it in the open air.

• Don’t over-tighten joints.

• When you finish cooking, turn off the gas cylinder

before turning off the controls – this means any gas in the pipeline will be used up.

• Read the manufacturer’s instructions about how to check for gas leaks from hoses or pipework, such as brushing leak detection solution around all joints and looking for bubbles.

Charcoal and disposable BBQs• When you finish cooking,

keep the BBQ outside – this is because it will give off fumes for several hours after use.

• Never use a BBQ inside to keep you warm.

• Never leave a lit BBQ unattended, especially while sleeping.

• Choose a cooking area that’s well away from your house or tent and ensure there is lots of fresh air in the area where you are using the BBQ.

• Only use your BBQ in accordance with the accompanying operating instructions.

• Remember the signs and symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning – headaches, dizziness, breathlessness, nausea, collapse and loss of consciousness.

Never use any kind of BBQ in an enclosed space like a tent, garage or caravan. Whether it’s a disposable, gas or charcoal BBQ, follow these tips to keep everyone safe.

TLC magazine • Summer 2016 • 11

Housing advice service going for gold

A peer review of our housing options service was recently completed as part of the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) Gold Standard challenge.

The purpose of the challenge is to help us improve our frontline housing services in respect of our approach to tackling homelessness.

Local authorities must score at least 60 per cent of the national target in the peer review to be able to make an application for gold standard status. We scored 84 per cent and were found to be excellent in many areas, scoring 100 per cent for both our corporate commitment and the quality of our housing advice, and 96 per cent for our overall customer experience.The external review team were

impressed that: “All members of the council, senior managers and front line staff share the same vision in terms of homelessness prevention and its contribution to social inclusion and community cohesion. The housing options review has proved extremely effective and there is clear evidence of strong commitment to meeting the needs of homeless clients.”

We are now putting ourselves forward for the Gold Standard, which is a series of challenges requiring us to show how we effectively deliver services to prevent and tackle homelessness.

The challenges involve:• Working in partnership with

the voluntary sector and other local partners to address support, education,

employment and training needs, such as through our partnership with Norwich LEAP.

• Active engagement in the prevention of mortgage repossessions, as well as working with landlords in the private sector and developing our own private sector accommodation, such as our LetNCC scheme.

• Putting strategies in place that take a proactive approach to preventing homelessness and limiting the use of bed and breakfast accommodation.

Information for leaseholders

Our housing advice service has received national praise as part of a recent government review programme as we strive to deliver a Gold Standard homelessness prevention service.

FREE advice and support is available for all Norwich City Council leaseholders. If you’re having problems with building works, costs, or want advice on opting out, Norwich Leaseholders’ Association can help. Come and find out what we can offer you at our AGM in the council chamber at City Hall on Wednesday 13 July at 7.30pm.

For more information or help contact secretary Lorna Kirk by emailing kirklorna@gmail.com or telephone 01603 615132.

NLA is here to support you!

If you or someone you know needs housing advice, call our team on 0344 980 3333.

Loss of gas or electricity?If you have lost your gas or electricity supply you should contact your energy supplier directly in the first instance.

Please contact us if you have any concerns as a tenant or leaseholder, or if you would like to share something.

Write to TLC magazine, Conesford Room,City Hall, Norwich NR2 1NH or email involvement@norwich.gov.uk

Have your say...

Contacting Norwich City Council

www.norwich.gov.uk

ONLINe You can now report repairs, access council services and make online payments.

emAIL You can email your enquiry to Norwich City Council by sending it to info@norwich.gov.uk

pOST Norwich City Council,City Hall, Norwich NR2 1NH.

IN peRSON The customer centre at City Hall, via the Bethel Street entrance, is open 8.45am to 5pm, monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and 1pm to 5pm on Wednesdays.

pHONe 0344 980 3333.Lines open 8am to 5pm,monday to Friday.

Out of hours emergencies:01603 412180.

Telephone payment hotline:(24 hour): 01603 212282.

money advisers: 0344 980 3333 or email moneyadvisers@norwich.gov.uk

Text relay users only:18001 01603 212587 (8am to 5pm, monday to Friday).

Leaseholders:For help and advice on your rights and responsibilities, contact the home ownership team on 01603 213143 or 213144 or at homeownership@norwich.gov.uk

To report non-urgent repairs go to:

• www.norwich.gov.uk/repairs

• click ‘report a non-urgent repair’

• enter your details and let the repairs software guide you through the rest…

REPORT REPAIRS ONLINE!

Available 24/7 and works on PCs,

tablets and smartphones

Easy to use

Report your repairs when you like

Choose an appointment to suit you

No waiting in phone queues