On one of the hottest evenings of the year, tenants packed into the White Hart at Wroughton to hear the latest news from White Horse.
Operations Director Belinda Eastland said the evening was a lively one, with plenty of debate. “It was a great evening,” she said. “These meetings are important for our residents because they get to hear from us direct and can get their questions answered. It’s also a chance to meet and chat to neighbours and our staff.”
The meeting began on a positive note, with Operations Director Belinda Eastland presenting the results of the recent Tenant Satisfaction Survey, with 95 per cent satisfied with the overall service, 96 per cent feeling they live in a well maintained home and 99 per cent feeling they have a safe home.
She said in Wroughton all 16 respondents were either very or fairly satisfied across measures of overall service, home maintenance, safety and repairs.
In Minety, where there are ten newer homes and four older cottages, half of the respondents in the newer homes were very satisfied on all questions, with two fairly satisfied scores in relation to communal area management and being treated fairly and with respect.
The Tenant Scrutiny Panel have reviewed all negative comments and identified actions and new housing assistant Ellie Grace will be contacting tenants to discuss concerns in more detail and outcomes will be reported back to the scrutiny panel.
Belinda explained the new Social Tenants’ Access to Information Requirements, known as STAIRS. She said from this October, housing associations will have to be open and transparent and make it easy for tenants to access a wide range of information.
She said White Horse will publish information on its website, in tenancy packs or on the tenant portal about governance and decision making, including senior staff names and roles, organisational structure, decision making processes and how complaints were prioritised. Tenant meeting minutes and agendas, spending information, including service charge use, housing stock plans, maintenance programmes, progress towards net zero and energy performance targets, and data on inspections and tenant satisfaction will also be made available.
She said from next April tenants can make written requests for more detailed information about social housing management. White Horse will have to respond within 30 calendar days, cannot charge for responses and must provide information in accessible formats.
Belinda said she is auditing current information and is now drafting a policy and procedure. Staff will then be trained and STAIRS will be publicised to tenants.
Maintenance Manager Darrel Smith reported last year’s responsive repairs and servicing figures, saying 3Solutions carried out 1,379 routine responsive repairs and 141 emergency repairs, totalling around 1,500 jobs. He reported 679 statutory services, such as gas, water, air source heat pump and ventilation servicing.
On a sweltering evening, he found time to talk about damp and mould, saying last year there had been 66 enquiries. He said each case typically involves up to three visits for cleaning, killing and treating mould, plus follow up work on any building defects, resulting in costs of just under £75,000.
He explained the White Horse triage system, which involves staff asking standard questions and requesting photos, a review of the case history and a decision on whether a site visit or an appointment with 3Solutions is needed. He said because every interaction and decision is recorded, recurring problems are more easily identified and dealt with.
He discussed White Horse’s planned works for this financial year, including replacing 12 kitchens, 17 bathrooms, heating in 12 properties, windows and doors in 14 properties, installing photovoltaic solar panels on 12 homes, and fitting new fascia boards, soffits, guttering and vented eaves to 12 properties.
White Horse plans to spend about £1.25 million on maintenance across all activities this year, including planned and responsive works. Darrel and Asset Management Officer Sarah Occleshaw will be carrying out stock condition surveys to check on roofs, windows, doors, structures, gardens and outbuildings.
As usual, there was a draw for £50 shopping vouchers, won by Shakira Hilton and Susan Middleton.
“It was such a stifling evening so we really appreciated the number of people who came out from Wroughton and Minety to join us,” said Belinda. “Now we are looking forward to the next meeting will at Kilmersdon Village Hall at 6pm on July 29.”
