town & country housing annual review 2014/15

highlights in numbers - full version

annual

2014/15

review

town & country housing annual report 2014/15 3

4 Your Home

4 What we planned last year and how we achieved it

4 Gas servicing

5 Responsive repairs

5 Providing new homes

5 2015/16 commitments

6 Customer Service

6 Contacting us

6 What we planned last year and how we achieved it

8 Other customer service achievements

8 Plans for 2015/16

9 Complaints

10 Your Neighbourhood

10 Managing our estates:

10 Improving our estates:

10 Managing anti-social behaviour

12 The Resident Scrutiny Panel

16 Customer Engagement

20 Foundation

24 Equality & Diversity

26 Rent & Value for Money

26 The self-assessment

32 How we are governed including governance and financial viability

33 Plans for 2015/16

contents

4 town & country housing annual report 2014/15

Modernise and refurbish the lifts in

five schemes:

We completed the modernisation at

St Andrews Court, Glanfield Court, St

Stephens Court, Audrey Sturley Court

and Evernden House.

Extend our fencing contract with

Countrywise Repairs: Countrywise

continued to carry out all fencing work,

including the replacement of fences at

the Old Park estate. The work was done

in partnership with All in One Property

Services, a social enterprise company

run by a local resident.

Improve the energy efficiency of

our homes: We have also reduced

the number of homes with a low

efficiency rating by 184 (as measured

by the Standard Assessment

Procedure or SAP).

What we planned last year and how we achieved it...

NEW KITCHENS

2014/15

Actual 164

Target 160

NEW BATHROOMS

Actual 140

Target 126

NEW BOILERS

Actual 442

Target 468

Gas servicingFor the second year

running, 100% of

our homes had a valid gas safety

certificate in 2014/15. We would like to

thank you for helping us achieve this.

YOUR HOME


Responsive RepairsIn the last financial

year, our contractors carried out

24,129 responsive repairs. Between

them, our two general repairs

contractors Countrywise Repairs and

Mears kept 99.7% of all appointments

they made. In addition, 91% of

residents were happy with the quality

of their repair, which was a 4%

increase over the previous year.

We have worked closely with our

repairs contractors, Countrywise,

Mears and Swale, to improve the

computer systems that record and

monitor repair orders. An example

is the introduction of Personal Digital

Assistants by Countrywise to allow

repair operatives to send ‘real time’

progress information about jobs.

Providing new homesIn 2014/15 we completed building 412

new homes.

NEW HOMES STARTED

78

NEW HOMES

COMPLETED

412296 affordable rent

81 low-cost ownership

35 outright sale

2015/16 commitments:• Install new heating at Ewins Close,

Paddock Wood

• Electrical wiring replacement

at Sunhill Court for communal

lighting and power

• Improving communal areas in

sheltered housing.

• Continue taking action to tackle

damp and mould

We also started building a further 78 new homes.


We… did this and learnt that you:

• Want to be updated after you have contacted us

• Expect any repairs to be dealt with in a

reasonable time and want to receive (by

letter, email or text )the agreed time, date and

specific information of the work to be done

• Expect feedback during an on-going anti-

social behaviour case and when it is closed.

• Expect to hear back when you contact us for

any reason

• Want mistakes to be recognised, admitted to

and corrected quickly and with minimum fuss

CUSTOMER SERVICEContacting Us

Our telephone service continues to be the most frequently used method for customers

to contact us and during 2014/15 we received 79,430 calls to our Customer Service

Centre. In 2014/15 the percentage of calls answered by the team increased to 86.7%

from 84.8% in 2013/14. Increasing numbers of customers are using alternative ways to

contact us, such as email, texting and using social media. For example, in 2014/15 we

received over 7,000 emails through our general email box ([email protected] ), which is

about double the number received during the previous year.

We will continue to offer customers a wide choice of ways to contact us, which will help

reduce the volume of calls and increase the ease of contacting our Customer Service Centre.

In response to this feedback we...

• Introduced a new computer

system to improve the way we

record and manage contact with

customers

• Worked with our contractors

to review the repairs service

and agree a series of actions to

improve the service

• Improved our computer system

for recording and managing anti-

social behaviour, updated our

policy document and provided

further training for staff on

dealing with anti-social behaviour

• Carried out refresher customer

services training for all our staff.

What we planned last year and how

we achieved it

We said… we would contact you to find out

more about your feedback made in the 2013/14

‘STAR’ customer satisfaction survey.


We said… we would introduce a wider

range of ways for you to contact us.

We… introduced My Home Online

in July 2014, which lets customers

view information about their home

and tenancy, for example rent

statements and repair orders. By

the end of March 2015 more than

1,300 customers had registered on

the system. We now offer a new

call back appointment service for

Neighbourhood Housing Managers

and due to its success, we will look

at expanding this further across

the organisation. We are currently

working to introduce ‘webchat’ which

will allow you to talk to an advisor

online in real time.

TOTAL NUMBER OF CALLS RECEIVED

79,4302014/15

85,2932013/14

In 2014/15 there was a 7% decrease in calls and we

received approximately 7,000 emails

CALLS ANSWERED

ANSWERED WITHIN

20 SECONDS

RESOLVED FIRST TIME

100%

Targ

etP

erfo

rman

ce 2

013/

14P

erfo

rman

ce 2

014/

15

87%

85%

90%

42% 56

%

85%

93%

92%

90%

We said… we would find out what

you think about your calls with us.

We… have introduced a short

survey at the end of your call where

you can answer three questions

about the way your call was handled

by our staff. Because your feedback

is so important to us, we also have a

link to an online survey on our email

signatures.


Other customer service achievements1. In 2014/15 we applied for re-accreditation for the Institute of Customer

Service’s ServiceMark as part of our commitment to providing excellent

services to customers. The process involved a rigorous assessment,

including customer and staff surveys and interviews and resulted in our

successful re-accreditation.

2. We achieved 3rd place in the South East Contact Centre Forum Awards.

3. We strengthened our Customer Service Centre by introducing Senior

Advisors to provide advice and guidance to our Customer Service Advisors.

4. Last year all of our staff were involved in a programme called ‘Journey to

Customer Excellence’, which focussed on the importance of giving a great

service.

5. We are providing development training for Customer Service Advisors

through a structured training programme, a peer programme where

advisors ‘buddy up’ with Neighbourhood Housing Managers and joint

sessions to ensure teams are working effectively together.

6. We introduced a new computer system to help improve the way we deal with

customer enquiries and it is already making a difference to the way we work.

Plans for 2015/16• Review and analyse how we collect rent via the telephone and explore other

more effective methods.

• Develop the customer experience we provide by bringing together all the

current methods we use to collect customer feedback.

• Continue to embed actions from our customer service strategy and the

customer service improvement programme.


116COMPLAINTS

60

This year we received 116 formal complaints, compared to 174 in 2013/2014.

OF THESE 116 THERE WERE:

60 formal complaints

about repairs (out of

24,129 completed repair

jobs during the year).

36 complaints about

housing management

issues.

20 complaints about

other services.

36 20

22% of formal complaints were fully responded

to within 10 working days. We work hard to

maintain a balance between not closing complaints

before they are fully resolved, whilst not keeping

complaints open unnecessarily.

We will continue to work hard to make sure that

concerns are addressed as quickly as possible

through our ‘quick fix’ approach.

22%We aim to learn from

complaints:

• We carried out a full

review of our policy

for the management

of trees

• Front line officers

received training

on investigating

and explaining rent

arrears

• Staff received

training on correctly

handling complaints


Managing our estates: Last year we set up new contracts for estate cleaning, caretaking and

gardening. These started on 1st April 2015 and will last for five years.

Following consultation with residents last year, we introduced a new approach,

which involves using a photobook containing photographs that show the

standards our contractors need to achieve. The photobook shows clearly the

standards that are acceptable and those that are not.

The Neighbourhood Housing Managers and our two new Estate Contract

Officers will carry out regular inspections of blocks and estates to check that

the contractors are meeting the required standards.

Improving our estates: In 2014/15 we completed various improvement works to our estates. A panel

of customers considered a number of suggestions for improvements that had

been received from residents and Neighbourhood Housing Managers. The

improvements had a total cost of more than £167,000.

The projects that were chosen included improving fencing in Cranbrook, car

parking in Margate and communal flooring in Benenden and Hawkhurst.

Managing anti-social behaviour:We have continued to improve the way we deal with anti-social behaviour

(ASB). Our Anti-social Behaviour Specialist has continued to deal with the most

serious cases which require legal action, working with witnesses and compiling

the paperwork needed. She also supports our Neighbourhood Housing

Managers to review less serious cases and develop their skills.

YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD


NEW CASES OPENED 374 499

NUMBER OF CASES CLOSED 386 504

2014/15 2013/14ANTI SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR

% OF CASES CLOSED SUCCESSFULLY

TARGET 2014/15 2013/14

96.5% 97.7% 96%

AVERAGE TIME TO CLOSE A CASE

2014/15 2013/14TARGET

55 days

51 days

57 days


RESIDENT SCRUTINY PANEL

“We pledged that the panel would carry out two in depth scrutiny reviews each year.”

The Resident Scrutiny Panel was set up in 2013

and started their first review at the beginning of

April 2014. The panel is an independent body,

working in partnership with and facilitated

by Town & Country. They measure, test and

monitor the services that residents receive and

are vital to the development of our services;

ensuring that we focus on what is important to

residents and that we put residents at the heart

of everything that we do.


A call back system for

Neighbourhood Housing Managers

– this means that when you ring in

and your Housing Manager isn’t

immediately available you will be

given a specific time when they will

call you back to answer your query.

Improved training and information

for our Customer Service Advisors who

answer your calls. This means they can

answer more of your queries at the first

point of contact without having to pass

your call on or get someone else to ring

you back.

...working on your behalf

The first two reviews have taken place.

They looked at: customer service and day to day repairs

The Customer Service review made 14 main recommendations

grouped into four major themes:

1 2 3 4

Improve

communication

& information to

customers

Improve internal

communication

Improve systems

to support

vulnerable

customers

Review some

of the ways we

measure our

performance to

make sure that

we prioritise

what’s important

to residents

Changes that have been made as a result of the review include:


1. Improving accountability/points of

contact

2. Improving communication

3. Improving Information Technology

systems

4. Clearly defining the Neighbourhood

Housing Managers’ role in the

repairs service

5. A joined up approach to the

repairs service

6. Improving the appointments system

7. Getting repairs right first time

8. The Handyperson Service

9. Performance reporting

10. Staff training

Recommendations include:

1. Improve the property information

given at the start of a tenancy so

we always give you information

such as where the stopcock is

and when kitchens and bathrooms

are due to be considered for

replacement.

2. Create clear, consistent, customer

service standards for repairs help

desk staff and the operatives who

carry out repairs.

3. Always give the repair job number

to customers at the first point of

contacting the repairs help desk,

making it easier to track repairs.

4. Improve computer systems so

information sharing (between

teams and with contractors) is

easier. This will help us to give you

prompt and accurate information

when you ask us about a repair.

This year the Resident Scrutiny Panel

will be reviewing void standards and

estate services.

The Day to Day repairs

review made a total of 32

recommendations grouped into

10 themes:


They have their own website page

where you can read about all their

work and the changes that they

influence. They also have a Facebook

page where you can follow their

review activities as they happen or

contact them with your views.

If you want to know more about

the panel, apply for a membership

or have any comments about

their work please contact them at

[email protected] or by calling

us and asking for Helen Charles, the

Resident Scrutiny Manager.

“The panel have real influence, reporting their findings directly to our Board.”

Don’t forget that you can

influence what the panel

reviews – find out how

in the ‘Resident Call to

Scrutiny’ section at

www.tchg.org.uk/scrutiny


Our review of customer engagement

was completed last spring. As a

result, we relaunched our Customer

Panels giving four panels focusing

on key service areas – sheltered

housing, rents & service charges and

repairs & maintenance (West & East).

In February 2015, we also launched

a new internet-based customer panel

called ‘Customer Net’ which focuses

on customer service issues including

consultation, testing new ideas and

sharing relevant information.

We delivered 15 ‘Pop Up’ events

including seven in East Kent which

were used to consult with customers

on a wide variety of issues.

CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT


We revised our ‘menu of engagement’

and much of our customer

engagement written communications

material, as well as recruiting for and

launching ‘Community Neighbours’

and ‘Eco Neighbours’. Both are new

concepts designed to empower

customers to make a positive

difference to their local area.

We also developed a customer

engagement strategy and action plan,

which will guide the way we engage

with customers in the future. The

strategy was developed in line with

the Home & Communities Agency’s

(HCA’s) Tenant Involvement and

Empowerment Standard.


Through the STAR survey and online services focus group, you told us to improve access to online services…

In response, we developed and launched the tenant portal, ‘My Home Online’ which enables you to pay your rent and report repairs online. We also launched our new internet based customer panel called ‘Customer Net’.

In response to a high volume of complaints, issues highlighted by Neighbourhood Housing Managers and through customer consultation at ‘Pop Up’ events, we improved our approach to damp and mould…

We instructed our contractors to revise their initial customer assessment process to determine the cause of damp and mould, provided staff training and distributed hygrometers (dampness monitoring devices) to affected customers. In 2015-16, we will also recruit a specialist surveyor and provide training to customers on dealing with damp and mould.

Through the STAR survey, Rents & Service Charge Customer Panel and a dedicated focus group, you told us to improve estate standards and enable customer input into contractor performance…

In response, we retendered our grounds maintenance and estate cleaning contracts and as a result, employed new contractors to provide these services. We also developed a ‘photo book’ which is a visual guide showing standards that the contractors are required to adhere to. During 2015-16, customers will also be involved in monitoring and evaluating contractor performance.

Through the Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS) review of customer engagement and through consultation with a range of tenant based groups, you told us to provide more informal engagement activities and opportunities…

In response, we revised and relaunched our Customer Panels. There are now four panels focusing on key service areas – sheltered housing, rents & service charges and repairs & maintenance (West & East). During 2014-15, we also developed the ‘Pop Up’ concept and delivered 15 ‘Pop Up’ events, including 7 in East Kent.

1 2 3 4CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT


Through feedback from East and North Kent residents, you told us to ensure that services, opportunities and standards are consistent across all areas of stock...

In response, we established a permanent office based in East Kent. We also increased our customer engagement activity, delivered 7 ‘Pop Up’ events and developed many new projects and partnerships with other local service providers.

Through consultation at ‘Pop Up’ events, you told us to use more graphics in our communications, information and marketing material to improve understanding and accessibility…

In response, we are reviewing the information we provide to customers, including our website. Our aim is to maximise accessibility by increasing the use of graphics, pictorial and visual aids. This approach will improve understanding as well as overcome issues such as language barriers and lower literacy levels. The annual report for tenants 2014-15 is one such example of a more visual publication and there will be many more to come.

Through consultation at ‘Pop Up’ events and a lack of awareness of the voting system for annual environmental improvements used during 2013-14, you told us to make the voting process more transparent and enable greater tenant input...

In response, we developed a new online voting system which enabled approximately 1,800 customers from all areas of our stock who are also signed up to our new internet based customer panel, ‘Customer Net’ to vote from a menu of options.

Through consultation at ‘Pop Ups’, dedicated events and door knocking, you told us to improve external areas where you live including making some areas more ‘green’…

In response, we improved the communal garden at Ashby’s Point, Tonbridge to include edibles, children’s and sensory areas. In 2015-16, we also plan to improve the external environment at Hythe Close/London Road, Southborough by providing additional resident parking and relocating the bin stores. Furthermore, we plan to develop a fully accessible mini community garden, adjacent to the resident parking area at Neptune/Middleton Court, Deal.

5 6 7 8


THE FOUNDATION

3

Supported Café

Refresh, Showfields

and as a result, they

now employ three

full-time staff who are

all local residents.

Launched

Broadwater Buzz,

a local community

magazine sent

out 4 times a year

to support local

businesses such

as Café Refresh

and Number

One Community

Centre as well

as Foundation

initiatives.

4

Further

supported and

developed

Gray’s Tea

Room,

Brenchley

to enable 73

people to

gain NVQs in

catering and

health & safety.

73Continued to further

support Mindwell to

provide peer-to-peer

support through art

therapy for people

with mental health

issues in the local

community.

1

In partnership with the

Alzheimer’s Society, delivered

the CONNECT course to 40

people including front-line

staff from local businesses to

enable them to better support

clients with dementia.

The Foundation is the Charitable arm of Town & Country Housing

and works towards making a positive difference to individual,

family and community life. The Foundation helped community

organisations attract £1.1m against a target of £500k.

40


Continued to further support

Domestic Abuse Volunteer

Support Services (DAVSS) to

develop their award-winning

services across Tunbridge Wells,

Tonbridge and Sevenoaks.

During 2014/15, they supported

426 people and secured over

£117,000 in external funding.

Their 34 volunteers represent

over £113,000 in volunteer time.

Supported DAVSS ‘Men Standing

Up Against Domestic Abuse’

conference, through PR and

media, commissioning a video to

support the work of DAVSS and

gaining extensive radio, TV and

social media coverage on the day.

Continued to further support

‘Tunbridge Wells Muslim

Women’s Forum’ by enabling

them to obtain ‘limited company’

status which will progress to

charitable status later in 2015.

Also enabled them to deliver an

Islamic Awareness course which

was attended by 20 people,

including our staff, residents and

partner organisations.

Continued to further support Nourish

Community Food Bank to deliver

emergency food support to 40-50

families per week, including several of

our households.

Supported the establishment of Mosaic

Cookery School, which has delivered basic

cookery skills tuition to over 30 residents and

developed a website. Both founders have also

completed Community Chef training and links

have been made in Thanet, Canterbury and

Dover to establish similar initiatives.

Delivered an exhibition

on disability hate crime

entitled Unity In Our

Community, which

involved nine disability

organisations and

resulted in significant TV

and media interest.

426 40

20

309


THE FOUNDATION ...

108

Ensured our

involvement in 108

events to reflect our

determination to

raise our profile and

further embed our

presence in East

Kent.

Supported 2

new community

projects in East

Kent - Unravel &

Unwind and Take Off

(formerly Canterbury

and District Mental

Health Forum ).

Enabled 183 residents to train in a variety

of new skills ranging from non-accredited

training to vocational courses, to reflect the

needs of local employers. A total of 127

residents gained NVQs. Secured employment

for 16 residents, plus four residents accessed

the Aspire grants programme. Every £1

invested by the Foundation in learning, skills

and employment initiatives generated £7.81 in

savings to the community.

183Continued to support

Counselling First social

enterprise which has

delivered positive social

and health outcomes for

38 residents.

38

Continued to deliver Work in

Progress in Sherwood and copied

this successful model in 3 other

areas - Showfields, Brenchley and

at Old Park, Dover.

2 3


Further supported and

developed All In One Property

Enterprises, which now

employs the equivalent of four

full-time staff and achieved

turnover of £125,000.

Concluded delivery of the Two Worlds project, which

marked the centenary of the start of the First World War

and was developed to reflect the emerging housing

needs of ex-military personnel. The final exhibit launch

generated considerable media coverage and was

attended by 140 people including many ex-military

personnel. The project also resulted in referrals to

Counselling First and media coverage to the value of

£75k for the duration of the entire project.

Continued to support Young Start-up Talent

in both East and West Kent, which involved

157 young people entering the competition

and Young Start-up Talent staff delivering

presentations to over 7,000 young people.

Facilitated improvements to the woods and lake

led by Kent High Weald Partnership, including

a major lake de-silting programme, opening

up an unused area of woodland and making it

accessible for the community.

Led delivery of the Lottery-funded

initiative Old Park Local Food

Project, which has culminated

in the provision of an extensive

edible growing area at Old Park

Community Centre, Dover.

Supported Kent Wildlife Trust (KWT)

to further develop and restore the

chalk grassland area on Old Park

Hill, adjacent to the Old Park estate.

4157

140

12


EQUALITY & DIVERSITYWe are committed to achieving real and practical outcomes for our

customers in terms of equality and diversity.

In 2014/15 we

achieved the

following:

100% of new staff

joining the

organisation

received equality

and diversity

training.

100% of new customers

received an

assessment

of their needs

and finances

to ensure that

they receive the

right support

(594 customers

received

assessments

during 2014/15).

40We dealt with

40 reports of

domestic abuse

and seven hate

related incidents.

657We provided 657

customers with

money advice

and support.

This service

is available to

customers who

require additional

support with

managing their

finances and

has helped our

more vulnerable

customers in

managing their

rent arrears and

other debts.

Case study: Our money support staff were able to support Ms D

during a difficult time with an abusive partner, and

were successful in applying for housing benefit for

this customer which removed almost £1,500 of debt

from her rent account.


Having an understanding of our customers helps us

to plan our services and develop homes that meet

customers’ needs. With a growing population of older

people, we are aware of the difficulties that our elderly

customers may encounter. We invest in our sheltered

schemes to provide homes that provide an element of

support for customers over the age of 50 and our support

officers also do outreach work in the community visiting

our more vulnerable customers. The support officers are

able to provide community services to these customers

including helping them to install lifelines, ensure fire alarms

work properly and, where necessary, make occupational

therapy referrals.

194We provided

support to a

number of

vulnerable

customers (on

31st March

2015 there were

194 customers

receiving support

and 138 of them

had been given

lifeline alarms).

14The Foundation

provided support

to 14 community

groups such as

Mindwell and the

Tunbridge Wells

Muslim Women’s

Forum

94%The level

of profiling

information

we hold about

our customers

increased to

94% in March

2015 from 86%

in March 2012

(this information

helps us tailor our

services to meet

the diverse needs

of customers).

401We carry out

a range of

adaptations

to homes so

that elderly or

disabled residents

can remain in

their home.

During 2014/15

we carried out

minor adaptations

to 366 homes,

including grab

rails and ramps,

and major

adaptations

to 35 homes

including level

access showers

and stairlifts. The

major adaptations

are fully funded

through Disabled

Facilities

Grants,which we

clain from the

local authority.


The self-assessmentEach year we produce a value for money self-assessment to show how we

achieve value for money in delivering our objectives and services. The self-

assessment sets out the costs of delivering services, our performance and

the value for money gains that have been and will be made. This section of

the annual report provides a summary (a copy of the full self-assessment is

included in our operating and financial review, which is available on our website

or you can request a copy by telephone).

Some key points from this year’s value for money self-assessment are:

RENT & VALUE FOR MONEYSummary of the Value for Money Self-Assessment 2014/15

£4.47

*Social value generated for every £1 of

grant to build new homes

Efficiency savings of compared to our

target of £627,367

*Social value was delivered for every £1

spent on Foundation activities

£4.69

£1.2m £* Social Value = value to wider community

New homes

were built

Rent arrears -

the lowest for

over five years

412 1.8%


Our homes continued to meet

the Decent Homes Standard

100%

Average number of days to let an

empty home (in the top 25% of

housing associations)

17 6.5%

An overall return on

assets compared to 5.6%

in 2013/14

£1.1m

£285,000

Invested in energy

efficiency works to

reduce fuel poverty

£14m

Surplus to

provide new homes

and improved services

in the future

The Foundation

attracted £1.1m

of external

funding to help

community

organisations


Your rent and how it is spent

In 2014/15 the amount of rent charged was £51,796,000, compared to

£48,503,000 in 2013/14). The following shows how the rent was used (£000s)

Interest on loans

£15,844

Management

£9,691

Sur

plus

for

re-in

vest

men

t £7,

621Depreciation*£6,118

Major / planned

maintenance £5,010

Routine Maintenance

£4,598

Estate S

ervices £2,649B

ad D

ebt £266

*Depreciation is the reduction in the value of an asset due to

wear and tear and other reasons.


The cost of services and how we compare with others

This shows that the costs for most of our services are lower than the average

for other housing associations with the exception of rent arrears & collection,

lettings and resident involvement. We have invested money in employing more

Money Advisers and more staff in our lettings team to make sure we help

prevent and manage arrears and help rehouse residents from our regeneration

estates. At the time of printing, these were the latest figures available.

Annual cost

per property

Town & Country

2013/14

Other housing association

average 2013/14

Housing management £501.42 £549.61

Rent arrears and collection £175.95 £149.28

Allocations and lettings £75.91 £66.79

Anti-social behaviour £59.22 £65.97

Tenancy management £114.68 £158.32

Resident involvement £75.66 £67.71

Estate cleaning/grounds maintenance £186.58 £235.21

Repairs and work to empty homes £668.27 £829.89

Major works & cyclical maintenance £1,154.79 £1,421.71


Our performance and how we compare with others

The above table shows that our performance in most areas compares well with

the average for other housing associations and with our targets.

Percentage of rent

collected (including arrears

brought forward)

Town & Country 2014/15

Town & Country 2013/14

Targets 2014/15

99.1%

Target 99.2%

100.1%99.7%

Other housing association average 2013/14

% of anti-social behaviour

cases successfully resolved

84.5%

Target 96.5%

97.7%96.0%

100%

Target 100%

100%100%

% of homes that meet the

Decent Homes Standard

100%

Target 100%

100%100%

% of homes with a valid gas

safety certificate

88%

Target 92%

94%93%

% repairs completed on the

first visit

91%

Target 90%

88%89%

% of tenants satisfied with

the repairs service

no figures available

Target 92%

89%91%

% of tenants satisfied with

planned maintenance

2.2%

Target 2.5%

1.8%2.2%

Current rent arrears as % of

rent due


We entered into new contracts for external decorations using

the South East Consortium framework and this saved £461,900

compared to the previous contracts.

TCHG Living produced savings of £71,000 by reducing the time

taken to relet empty intermediate and market rental homes.

Countrywise Repairs did not receive an increase in their fees

during 2014/15 to take account of inflation and this saved

£65,300 in real terms.

We made savings of approximately £137,000 on our new

development scheme at Clifton Road by entering into a direct

arrangement with the building contractor, which reduced the fees

associated with the project.

£57,100 was saved by handling the sale of shared ownership

homes ourselves without using an agent.

We saved £87,000 by combining the Foundation with the

Resident Engagement Team in order to make better use of the

money we spend on community development and resident

engagement events.

aaa

a

Making the business more efficient

In 2014/15 we saved £1.2m and some of the ways we did this were:

a

a


The Town & Country Board has the overall responsibility for ensuring we are a

well run business. It delegates the day-to-day management of this work to the

Executive Directors and managers.

The Board includes one resident, one Executive Member and eight non-

Executive Members. Our Boards and Committees are regularly reviewed to

ensure they continue to meet our business requirements.

During 2014-15 the Board took an innovative step towards the recruitment of

an additional tenant member. It decided to offer a Trainee position to a young

tenant and a 12 month development programme was agreed with a view to that

person becoming the second full resident member on the Board at the end of

the programme. The programme will run until the end of September 2015.

The Resident Scrutiny Panel was set up in 2013 and worked hard on its two

reviews last year. Turn to page 12 to find out more.

During 2014/15 the Social Housing Regulator published a new Governance and

Financial Viability Standard, which all housing associations have to comply with.

We carried out a self-assessment against this new standard and the results were

very positive. They showed that we comply with the majority of the standard and

are working towards compliance with the new elements. Our aim is to confirm

that we fully comply with the standard in the 2015/16 financial accounts.

HOW WE ARE GOVERNED including governance and financial viability


Plans for 2015/16

• Ensure the new Board & Committee structure remains right for us as a

business.

• Ensure that the Boards and Committees review their membership to ensure

they contain the right level of skills to enable them to discharge their duties

and to drive forward Town & Country’s business.

• Ensure Resident Scrutiny Panel reports continue to be made available to

the Board and to tenants.

We can provide information in other languages.

Call 01892 501480, give your phone number and say which language you need.

We can also provide information in English and other languages

on audio tape.

For a printed version of the report please...

Download the PDF version www.tchg.org.uk

Call us01892 501480

Email us [email protected]

You can find us on....

Monson House, Monson WayTunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 1LQ

town & country housing annual review 2014/15

Documents