Annual Report 2011/12

We feel it is helpful to look back and review our performance in the last year as we plan ahead for the next 12 months. Poole Housing Partnership has now been operating for eight years. In that time, we have cleared the backlog of repair and modernisation with a £60m investment programme, £35m of which came from the Government’s Decent Homes Programme. The Audit Commission praised this programme for the ‘excellent’ quality of work and value for money. Moving beyond Decent Homes, last year we carried out a £10m sustainable energy programme which enabled us to fit photovoltaic panels to 1,200 Poole properties. Residents get the benefit of free solar electricity, we reduce our reliance on harmful fossil fuels, we contribute to reducing greenhouse gases and the income we receive will help us to improve the energy efficiency of other homes and build

new affordable homes. On top of that, we completed the work using local companies and employing local people. Great news all round! Across Poole, as many as 300 residents are actively involved in working with us to ensure our services are just right. We also have an expanding group of volunteers who are providing support and a friendly ear to a great number of residents. We are going through challenging times, but we feel well placed to face up to these challenges and continue to provide the best possible services to residents of Poole. Thank you to the residents who have supported our activities, and to our staff and partners for delivering another really successful year at Poole Housing Partnership. Joe Logan, Chief ExecutiveBill Constance, Chair of the PHP Board

April 2011PHP’s sheltered housing restructure is implemented, giving us the opportunity to introduce new roles and improved working practices across our schemes.

Are we providing good customer service?

PHP is committed to improving the services we provide. Our 2012 independent resident survey, which received an impressive 41% response rate, revealed that overall satisfaction levels remain high.

Putting things right

We welcome residents’ feedback, whether positive or negative, as all comments help us deliver services consistently and to a high standard.We continue to report all compliments and complaints to teams across PHP, as appropriate, and we now present a report to the PHP Board on a monthly basis. We received 52 complaints and 90 compliments during 2011/12, and we continue to take any necessary action resulting from complaints made to us.

86% of residents are satisfied with

PHP’s overall service

87% of residents are satisfied with

the quality of their home

86% of residents are satisfied

with their neighbourhoods

86% of residents find PHP staff

‘helpful’ when they contact us

May 2011Members of staff attend the Housing Heroes awards ceremony in London, where PHP is recognised for the work carried out by the Income Team.

How are we supporting residents?The Housing Support Team aims to increase individuals’ health and well-being, maintain their independence, and ensure that they are safe in their homes.

Sustain support servicesSustain, our housing-related support service for 18-64 year olds, was launched in April 2011. The service has helped over 200 clients to remain in their accommodation and prevent homelessness. Sustain has also helped increase client income per annum by more than £110,000 in the last year.

Volunteer support service

The service has nine active volunteers supporting clients with a variety of issues. These range from helping people who struggle going out by themselves, to befriending elderly people and helping them feel less isolated. So far, three of our volunteers have secured places on professional training courses.

Sheltered housing service

Reviewed in April 2011, the service has been successful in helping to meet the needs of our most vulnerable residents. PHP’s Sheltered Housing Co-ordinators organised a range of activities at our schemes, including lunch clubs, Memory Cafés, fitness sessions and healthy cooking classes.

We receive nominations from the Borough of Poole for PHP-managed homes, and applicants have access to the Dorset-wide Choice Based Lettings scheme. For 2011/12, our ongoing monitoring showed that...

95% of tenants were satisifed with the allocations/letting process

Are we delivering on letting homes?

95% of new tenants were satisfied

with their new home

14 was the average number of days taken to re-let a home

£1,500 was the average cost to repair

an empty home

255 properties were let to new

tenants in 2011/12

61 mutal exchanges were

overseen by PHP in 2011/12

June 2011 PHP receives two commendations from Poole’s Safer Neighbourhood Team to recognise our help in driving down the number of instances of anti-social behaviour.

July 2011Along with the Borough of Poole, PHP helps to fund a lovely play park at Green Road, Poole Town, which has also helped to reduce anti-social behaviour in the locality.

How involved are PHP residents?We currently have almost 300 residents and leaseholders involved with a wide range of groups that make decisions at every level within PHP. These cover issues including repairs, anti-social behaviour, maintenance and IT resources.

The Resident Scrutiny Panel, which replaced the Service Improvement Review Board, held its first meeting in March 2012. The group has been involved in several reviews and projects within PHP, including the design of this Annual Report. A representative reports the Panel’s recommendations directly to the PHP Board, at intervals throughout the year. Panel members have access to professional development opportunities, such as performance scrutiny training, to help support the group’s activities.

In 2011, PHP won funding from the Big Lottery Fund’s Local Food Programme to run community food growing projects across Poole. The New Roots project is helping to transform unused pieces of land and give communities the opportunity to grow their own produce. Local people are at the heart of a successful garden in Turlin Moor, while residents have also set up plots at Kingston Lacy. Shetered housing schemes have also been getting involved by growing fruit and vegetables.

Resident Scrutiny Panel

The New Roots project

August 2011 PHP’s Help Desk team, based at Beech House, received extra training from across the business to facilitate the development of a ‘one-stop-shop’ for residents’ enquiries.

September 2011The Income Team enlisted an external mailing company to despatch letters and statements to residents. This helps us deliver a more reliable, cost-effective service.

We try to get best value from our resources by making sure our spending is efficient and effective, without compromising on the quality of our services. To achieve this, we ensure that our costs reflect both our priorities and our corporate objectives. Effective rent recovery is one such priority; during 2011/12 our overall rent collection rate was 98.4%.

The Your Money team have contributed to major cost benefits for residents and improved income collection for PHP. What’s more, our staff continue to provide excellent value-for-money ideas that enable us to improve our performance and reduce our costs across our services. In total, our efficiency savings across 2011/12 amounted to £936,000.

Are we providing good value for money?

Value For Money (VFM) is one of PHP’s 5 strategic objectives to ensure we use resources carefully.

Management cost per dwelling

£17 in 2005/06

£9 in 2011/12

Residents scrutinise our finances via the Housing Strategy Panel and 2012/13 will see the start of PHP’s new self-financing Housing Revenue Account.

Where did the money come from? 2009/10 (£’000) 2010/11 (£’000) 2011/12 (£’000)

Rent income and other income 16,134 16,526 17,598Negative housing subsidy (4,467) (4,627) (4,870)Interest received from investments 113 91 91Other (National Lottery funding. charitable income etc.) 191 207 354TOTAL 11,971 12,197 13,173

Where did the money go? 2009/10 (£’000) 2010/11 (£’000) 2011/12 (£’000)

Repairs and maintenance 4,936 4,773 4,723Managing your home 1,960 1,910 1,915Other services 561 432 381Capital interest and depreciation 4,170 4,328 4,880Revenue to capital 2,820TOTAL 11,627 11,443 14,719

How is the Repairs team performing?Repairs and maintenance is one of residents’ most valued services, and according to our ongoing monitoring, 98% of respondents say they are satisfied with the service we provide. Here are some of the other findings.

99% of emergency response repair

jobs are completed on time

99% of urgent response repair jobs

are completed on time

99% of response repair appointments

are fulfilled on schedule

94% of response repair jobs are completed on the first visit

99% of routine response repair jobs

are completed on time

100% of residents are satisfied with

adaptations to their home

Completed works 2011/12

• Flat roof replacement (Rodney Court)

• New railings (Foreland Road and Stanley Pierce House)

• Security improvements (King John Avenue)

• Footpath upgrades (Sherrin Close)

• Fencing (Goathorn Close)• Play area

(Bourne Valley)• Window replacement

(Turbary Close)• Pitched roofing

(Arne Avenue and Belben Road)

• Refurbishment (Hamworthy Lodge)

PV electricity generation

Over 1,200 PHP homes have received photovoltaic (PV) panels, making us one of the biggest installers in the UK. Homes have between 6 and 17 panels. We’ve also installed 6 communal systems which provide the power for facilities such as door entry systems, communal aerials and stairwell lighting. On a bright summer’s day the systems can generate enough electricity to boil over 100,000 kettles and save over 8 tonnes of carbon! We also provide free, green electricity to households.

100% Decent Homes target

This year we maintained our Decent Homes target. Works include kitchen and bathroom modernisations, and window and balcony replacements. Homes in Arne Avenue, Alderney West and Millfield have been re-roofed, while water mains replacement has continued with the second phase at Trinidad House. Properties across Poole received new heating systems and re-wires. Furthermore, we’re delighted to report that our contractors have performed exceptionally well in all areas of their work.

September 2011 The first photovoltaic panels are installed on PHP-managed properties, helping residents to save on their fuel bills. We also started investing in water-saving projects.

October 2011PHP staff collect the Customer Service Excellence award for the third consecutive year, reflecting our approach to customer care and the way we deliver our services.

What are we doing to help residents manage their finances?

PHP’s ‘Your Money’ team (previously the Financial Inclusion team) offers a free and confidential personal finance check to all Borough of Poole residents. Our staff can also provide advice about benefits, working tax credits and budgeting.

Helping residents get back to work

The Your Money team can also assist anyone who would like to get back to work by providing help with CV’s, searching the jobs market and preparing for interviews, as well as identifying benefits that people may still be entitled to when they start work.

Your Money team achievements 2011/12

383 finance checks were carried out for for Poole residents

£480,000 was identifed in

savings and gains

£4,000 was saved on

residents’ water bills

Residents’ positive comments flood in

Mr Green, a pensioner who was living on £20 a week before the Your Money Team helped him claim the benefits he was entitled to, told us: “I’m extremely grateful to the Your Money team for their very kind and effective service. Thank you very much indeed.”

How are we serving leaseholders?We work to ensure residents living in leasehold properties receive the same quality of service as our tenants.We give leaseholders the opportunity to play an active role in the way we manage their properties. Leaseholders are represented on the PHP Board, Housing Strategy Panel, Reinvestment Panel, Resident Scrutiny Panel and the Sheltered

Housing Forum. Leaseholders also act as Local Community Representatives. Over the course of 2011/12, 67% of leaseholders now pay their service charge by Direct Debit, allowing us to dedicate more time to delivering quality services.

In 2011/12 42 leasehold properties changed hands & 1 leasehold property was sold under the ‘Right to Buy’.

November 2011 A new play area designed and run by Bourne Valley Action Group, and funded by PHP and a National Lottery grant, opens to an overwhelming public response.

December 2011Hamworthy Lodge re-opens after an extensive programme of refurbishment. The accommodation now offers self-contained one, two and three bedroom flats.

We’re pleased to have completed a number of resident-led improvements over 2011/12. These include works to improve security at Herbert Court in Parkstone and King John Close in Bearwood. Additionally, planting, fencing and trees have been installed at a number of sites

including Keyes Close, Goathorn Close and Turlin Road. Railings have also been erected at Foreland Road in Hamworthy. Meanwhile, young people have benefited from improvements in Creekmoor and Bearwood, where shelters have been built to provide safe meeting places.

How are we helping to look after our neighbourhoods?

Neighbourhood management is an important part of the work we do to help support strong communities. We carried out 69 official estate walkabouts with residents, Councillors, the Police and other local partners during the year.

Improvements and opportunities

How are we dealing with anti-social behaviour? 5

ASB injunctions

5 suspended possession orders

6 outright possession orders

3 Court undertakings

7 pending court applications

1 nuisance premises closure

1 tenancy breach injunction

In 2011/12 we gained

PHP is committed to dealing with the problems of anti-social behaviour (ASB) faced by tenants.As a key partner in delivering the multi-agency protocol for high-risk victims of anti-social behaviour, we work closely with Safer Neighbourhood teams to support our residents and the communities they live in. During 2011/12 we received two commendations from Dorset Police for our work helping to resolve ASB. In conjunction with residents, we held two consultations on Government

ASB powers (our submissions were quoted in the Department for Communities and Local Government’s report). We also achieved the first Nuisance Closure Order in Poole. We opened around 165 cases of ASB and closed 178, with the average cost per case coming down by £600. In January 2012, we distributed the ‘Good Neighbour’ booklet to promote pro-social behaviour in local communities.

February 2012 PHP works with residents to develop a lettings plan for the Rossmore area, helping to ensure the needs and aspirations of the local community are represented.

March 2012Following a successful employee engagement survey, PHP is placed 36th in the Not For Profit sector at the Sunday Times Best 100 Companies to Work For.