The regular meetings are a chance for residents hear from staff and have their queries answered.
Operations Director Belinda Eastland updated the meeting on staff changes and the £34,000 awarded to the White Horse discretionary support fund by Wiltshire Council. She said rent arrears in March were just 0.42 per cent and over the past year there have been five shared ownership sales and 32 new lets, with the acquisition of the 16 flats at 10, The Green Marlborough taken into account.
She also reminded residents that White Horse’s approval ratings from the last Tenant Satisfaction Survey have placed it among the best regarded housing associations in the country. The survey will be conducted again at the end of the year.
Maintenance Manager Darrel Smith reported that last year £500,000 was spent on 2,095 response repairs, and gas, oil and solid fuel servicing. He said his team had 60 cases of damp and mould reported but stressed that many of them could have been avoided with better ventilation and consistent temperatures.
He said this year the budget for capital work is £440,000 and includes the installation of four bathrooms, heating upgrades in 23 homes, five new boilers, five window and door replacements and environmental work at ten homes in Kilmersdon.
Jack Clift from contractor 3Solutions gave a talk about solar panels and there was also a demonstration of the new tenant portal on the White Horse website. This was an interactive session and tenants accessed the portal successfully from their mobile phones.
Residents had a chance to have their say when they were asked to give their views on the grounds maintenance and repairs and maintenance, the general management of the estates and what should be considered and improved when the new repairs and maintenance contract is awarded this year.
Among the feedback received was:
- Internal repairs are quick to be done but external ones take longer
- Grounds maintenance contractors come regularly and do a good job, they were also praised being polite and tidying up afterwards. One resident described the contractors as “the best one we’ve had so far”
- A request to speak to residents when there are any delays to a job being carried out
- A request for residents to be allowed to socialise without feeling penalised or reported to White Horse
- A request for children to be allowed to make their area fun or their own
- A request for the use better quality repair materials so they don’t need to be done again
- Estate management is good and grounds maintenance has been better over the last 12 months
All attendees were entered into a prize draw and both Mr Saunders-Dix and Mrs Hill of Church Acre took home £50 shopping vouchers.
Mrs Eastland said: “It was a really good evening and I am pleased the new tenancy portal interactive session went really well, Ann Norvill made a great job of explaining it. The residents, as always, were engaged and forthright when they needed to be but they all seemed to enjoy it, especially the cakes.”
