Tenant MattersWinter 2015

Lincolnshire Rural Gold p2

Annual General Meeting p7

Our Local Offer p10

I joined the Board, because I believe in the value of social housing, having grown up in a council house myself, and also because I am convinced of the importance of affordable rented homes to the viability of rural communities.

The Board I now chair collectively represents an impressive range of skills and professional experience that will stand the Association in good stead at a particularly challenging time for the housing association sector nationally. I am sure you will be pleased to learn that the Board recently renewed its commitment

to continue building homes in spite of considerable financial pressures imposed on the Association from outside. The Board, on which our tenants are represented, has also overhauled the way it operates in order to strengthen its effectiveness while reducing the demands it makes of Lincs Rural officers.

The top priorities of the Board are the interests of Lincs Rural’s tenants and the achievement of the Association’s strategic objectives. I look forward to keeping you up to date with what the Board is doing in pursuit of these priorities.

Welcome from our Chairman Professor David Head

Opening Hours for the Christmas Period

Happy 30th Birthday to Lincs Rural

Lincolnshire Rural GoldChristmas Eve Thursday December 24th

8.30am to 12.30pm

Christmas Day Friday December 25th

Closed

Bank Holiday Monday December 28th

Closed

Tuesday December 29th Closed

Wednesday December 30th Closed

New Year’s Eve Thursday December 31st

Closed

New Year’s Day Friday January 1st

Closed

If you are a LRHA tenant and have an emergency repair when the office is closed, please contact our out of hours repairs service on 07483 916770.

Please allow me to introduce myself. I became Chairman of the Board of Management at the Lincolnshire Rural Housing Association in September, having been a Board member for just over a year.

In June 2016 the Association will pass the 30-year mark of providing affordable homes and services for the benefit of rural communities. We are the rural ‘Village People’ - but not the 1970’s American disco group of YMCA record fame!

To mark the occasion we have released our own record, detailed in the Lincs Rural 2016 Calendar and our new website www.lrha.co.uk. We have also circulated a commemorative 2016 diary for a very important year for the Association, and perhaps a defining year for the future of affordable village housing.

In 1986 the Association’s first Board identified a need for an organisation to specialise

in ‘the business of providing housing, accommodation, and assistance to help house people’. The Board also decided it ‘shall not trade for profit’ and that ‘nothing shall be paid or transferred by way of profit to shareholders of the Association’. These principles remain in the Association’s governing Rules today.

Why should tenants be interested? Because Lincs Rural provides, and wants to continue to provide, secure and affordable homes for the benefit of each unique rural village.

The ‘Annual Review’ on the reverse of the 2016 Calendar provides a summary of our performance, and the proposed Strategy for the future. A more detailed account of the Association’s activities is available in the ‘Annual Report’ and ‘Value for Money Self-Assessment’ for the financial year 2014 / 2015, available on request.

2016 is a special year for Lincs Rural as we mark our 30th anniversary. In celebration of operating for 30 years, our 2016 calendar includes a Treasure Hunt ‘Lincolnshire Rural Gold’. Each month the calendar will provide some rhyming clues to a location within the Lincs Rural area and all you have to do is successfully name it. The monthly winner will receive £100 and 30 gold chocolate coins!

Look out for your calendar which will be delivered in December and includes all the rules of the competition. Your answer for the January Treasure Hunt needs to be with us by the 5pm on the 31st, so heads down for that first rhyming clue.

In addition to the monthly Treasure Hunt, we will have a separate competition on our website which provides an opportunity for local communities to win up to £2000 for community schemes. Full details will be available on www.lrha.co.uk.

Would you like the chance to win £100?

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Monthly Prizes!

Lincolnshire Rural Gold

WIN UP TO £2000 FOR YOUR COMMUNITY

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Winter is Coming!!! Who’s Who at the Lincs Rural Office

Be a good neighbourDo you have elderly neighbours or relatives? If so, remember to check on them during the cold winter months. Make sure they are safe and well and that they have enough stocks of foods and medicines so that they don’t need

to go out in the cold weather.

Keep warm, keep wellEvery winter in the UK, there are between 25,000 and 30,000 deaths linked to the cold weather. It’s been proved that cold homes can have a significant impact on people’s health and so one of the first things to do to help keep you well, is to stay warm.

Keeping warm over winter can protect you from colds and flu as well as more serious conditions such as pneumonia, depression – and even heart attacks and strokes.

You need to take extra special care to guard against these conditions if you are aged over 65 or if you already have a long-term health condition such as heart, lung or kidney disease. If you have a disability or if you are on a low income, you may be more vulnerable to cold-related illnesses.

So how can you stay warm? The Government has issued advice to help.

They recommend that you keep your home warm – your main living room should be around 18-21 C (65-70F) with the rest of the house at a minimum of 16C (61F).

In bed, use a hot water bottle or an electric blanket (not both together!). If you are using an electric blanket, make sure you have it

checked regularly.

Eat for the cold weatherIt’s important to keep your body properly fuelled – and this means eating well. Food is a vital source of energy which helps to keep the body warm, so make sure you have regular hot meals and drinks throughout the day.

Keep active! This will help your body to maintain its temperature and you will feel better for it too. Wrap up warm and get outside (even if you feel it is cold). Layer on clothing – it’s time to dig out those hats, scarves and gloves. Remember to wear shoes or boots with a good grip if it’s icy underfoot.

If it is particularly cold outside and you suffer from a heart or respiratory problem, stay inside and keep warm.

Financial helpRemember, if you are struggling to keep your home warm, you could be eligible for winter fuel payments of up to £300 (available if you were born on or before July 5, 1951) To find out more you can ring 08459 151515 (Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 4.30pm) or visit the gov.uk website.

You may also be able to get extra help with paying your fuel bills this winter. The Warm Home Discount is a £140 deduction from your electricity bill.

To see if you qualify visit gov.uk/the-warm-home-discount-scheme/eligibility or contact your energy supplier direct.

Managing a housing association requires a wide range of skills, qualifications and experience. Even though Lincs Rural is a relatively small organisation (417 properties) it requires the same skill set as larger associations. The staff, together with the Board, are the people that make the organisation work for our tenants, so please feel free to contact them whenever you need.

Over the last few months we have seen a number of changes in the office so to help you with contact details and to visualise ‘who’s who’ here is our latest ‘Festive’ staff update.

Office 01790 754219Out of hours mobile no. 07483 916770customerservices@lrha.co.uk

John Howes Chief Executive

Andy Haime Operations Manager

Georgina Seidel Assistant Maintenance Officer

Michelle Turner Head of Finance

Lee Hynes Customer Services Assistant

Dave Long Multi-trade Operative

Samantha Jacklin PA to the Chief Executive

Bob Hunt Multi-trade Operative

Katie Taylor Housing Officer

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Greg Loveridge Finance Officer

The Triple Whammy Did You Know?

1. Universal Credit and welfare reform is designed to encourage more people back into work and to make the benefit system fairer. Whilst any improvements are welcomed we are also aware that changes will cause hardship for some of our tenants;

The new Conservative Government’s budget on 8 July 2015 delivered what has become known to us at the Association as the ‘Triple Whammy’, explained below:

Over the last financial year (2014/15) Lincs Rural has been busy supporting all our existing and potential tenants. Whilst a summary can be found within our Annual Review on the reverse of our 2016 calendar, we would like to share some of our key facts and figures with you.

In keeping with the time of year, and to provide you with some Christmas quiz questions, here are some festive facts and figures!

417 Number of properties in total that Lincs Rural now manages.

74 Number of adults provided with affordable housing this year.

34 Pence in every £1 spent by Lincs Rural is on improving and maintaining homes.

24 Number of new homes built this year.

8 Number of Quadrant Tenant meetings held.

2 Grade II listed properties renovated this year.

364 The total number of gifts listed in the 12 days of Christmas.

221 The height in feet of the tallest Christmas tree ever cut down.

113 The measurement in feet of the tallest snowman ever built.

15 The average age of a Christmas tree when it is sold.

We are determined to minimise the effect of the Budget on current and future tenants and will work hard with the Government and others to deliver the work Lincs Rural was created for: ‘To provide homes for rural people’.

2. ‘Right to Buy’ for housing association tenants was a late entry into the Conservative’s manifesto. It may at first seem a wonderful opportunity for tenants, but it has serious negative consequences for the future. Small rural locations are desirable as idyllic places to live, making property prices high and beyond the reach of many families on low incomes who have lived in their villages for generations, and wish to continue. Affordable rented property is extremely important to them now, and their families in the future. Should a Lincs Rural property be sold in a village and enter the private housing market it is highly unlikely to be replaced with an affordable home. The end result is the normal ‘Villager’ being the lucky few on higher incomes. Lincs Rural properties may be exempt from ‘Right to Buy’, but at the time of ‘Tenant Matters’ going to print this remained undecided by the Government; and

3. 1% rent reduction for 4-years was totally unexpected and will reduce the Association’s income by almost £650,000. Good for tenants? Housing associations had a 10-year agreement with the previous Government to increase rents in line with the consumer price increase plus 1%. This long term arrangement would allow more new homes and improvements to existing properties. Without warning the July Budget’s 1% rent reduction over the next 4-years is equivalent to a real 12 to 15% reduction taking inflation into account. Changes must now be made and whilst we are squeezing more efficiency from our operations it will mean fewer new rented homes and less maintenance of existing properties. It is questionable therefore whether the 1% rent reduction is good news for tenants.

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Annual General Meeting 2015 Stakeholder Consultation Event

Prior to the AGM a Stakeholder Consultation Event was held in the morning. The event was facilitated by an independent chair Alan Mumby, who is the chairman of Far- welter’d, and was attended by thirty seven stakeholders, this included tenants, shareholders and other stakeholders.

No Lincs Rural staff or board members were in attendance. This was to allow stakeholders to freely express their views without any influence from staff or board members. The forum talked about several issues including tenant involvement, rent reduction, right to buy and other topics that affect Lincs Rural. Proposals for improvements were made and the Association will be using these proposals to improve our service, further details of which can be found on page 10.

We would like to express our thanks to all those who attended and we look forward to seeing you all again next year.

Our Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held on Thursday 3 September 2015 at the Petwood Hotel, Woodhall Spa. The Chairman and President welcomed sixty stakeholders, tenants, shareholders and guests to the event, which gave everyone an opportunity to find out more about the Association. In addition to the formal proceedings, the AGM also included a taste of Lincolnshire with a presentation from members of Far-welter’d, the East Lincolnshire Dialect Society.

Whilst the AGM was extremely successful, it was however tinged with some sadness as six

longstanding Board Members retired.

Bob Whetton Wendy Done

Heather Sykes Justin Fisher

Mary Muggleton Barbara Waite

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the retiring Board Members for their hard work and commitment to Lincs Rural and to wish them all the best in any future endeavours.

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A New Shopfront for Lincs Rural Our Local Offer – created by tenants,

for tenants and delivered by us! The feedback from the series of Stakeholders Forums completed in July, August and September 2015 has been analysed and from that we have the following ‘offers’ regarding the type and quality of services that Tenants can expect from their Association.

The Stakeholder Forums will continue in 2016, as it enables the tenants to be able to give input to the design of their own services, which is invaluable to the Association.

First Offer – Improve the quality of the induction process into a new home, providing a straightforward guide covering the ‘basics’ such as the refuse collection days and training from a staff member on heating system controls. The larger developments will have an identified Contact Person who is available to help new residents settling in to their home.

Second Offer - Paperless communications will be used as much as possible.

Third Offer – During development visits staff will try to make the links between residents to foster communities through increased communication. We will actively encourage all tenants to take advantage of the opportunities to get involved with

the Association and to have their say in shaping the services that are delivered.

Fourth Offer – Examine the current communication methods and improve them rather than seeking expensive, complicated solutions – keep all activities simple and straightforward.

Fifth Offer – Research the use of social media. Analyse the website layout to ensure simplicity, with ease of use and ensuring key information is available ‘within a couple of clicks’ to all tenants.

Sixth Offer – If any tenant calls and their query cannot be answered straightaway, they will receive a call back from the staff member who is able to answer their query, on the same day or the following day by 11am.

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‘If you don’t know your customer you don’t know your business’ is a phrase used many times at Lincs Rural, because it’s a piece of good business sense. It is taken seriously, illustrated by a tenant, John Bremner, being a full member of the Association’s governing Board of Management. John is a Board member tasked with bringing the ‘tenant’s prospective’ to strategic decisions. Although this sounds complicated, it’s just about making sure we always take decisions based on the best results for people - particularly our tenants now, and those in the future.

So what have we been doing about the ‘know your customer’ bit? Over the summer we held a series of tenant meetings throughout the County. Although helpful, the meetings were not well attended, despite widely being advertised. So we stepped the activity up and organised a ‘Stakeholder Forum’, inviting tenant representatives from each of the Association’s property locations. The Forum was held before the AGM in September and provided us with plenty of very useful feedback that we have incorporated into our new Local Offer.

So what have we done about the ‘know your business’ bit? The Board have listened to the feedback carefully, and although not everything suggested can be achieved many of the ideas have been incorporated into the launch of a new:

• Website – www.lrha.co.uk with fresh new look (similar to our front cover) and more interactive use;

• Local Offer – published in the ‘Tenant Matters’ newsletter, page 10;

• Engagement Policy, available at www.lrha.co.uk, and on request; and

• Audit Committee membership which will invite tenant representatives to attend.

Tenant engagement will continue to be varied using many of the good ideas suggested at previous meetings and particularly the Forum in September 2015. We hope to make more use of social media – Facebook, Twitter, Webinars and maybe even YouTube!

“What day is it?” asked Pooh. “It’s today.” squeaked Piglet. “My favourite day.” said Pooh.

The position of Board Member demands time, commitment and ability. There are meetings to attend and lots of Board papers to read. Support, advice and guidance must be carefully given to the staff team; at the same time clear-headed scrutiny must be applied to identify troubles when they are a mere speck in the distance.

Joining a Board can appear glamorous; a seat on a Board can present itself as an opportunity to burnish a halo. But serving as

a Board Member is a serious business. Board Members are financially liable if things go wrong, but... when things go right they are barely recognised.

Six members had to retire from the Board of Management following the AGM on 3 September 2015. The Rules allow members of the Board to serve a maximum of nine years to make sure governance of Lincs Rural is kept to the highest standards.

Unfortunately time and change go hand in hand just like Pooh and Piglet. Over the last few months there has been much change with Board members and staff leaving, after collectively providing over 115 years of loyal service with Lincs Rural.

Christmas comes but once a year – but we need to keep properties in good condition all year around!

The festive time is for celebration and decorating the home internally and externally is part of the festive season.

May we remind you of the following:

• Tenants are requested not to drill holes in brickwork or external surfaces, or attach decorations to gutters and downpipes. It is important for your safety to follow the manufactures instructions when installing lights internally or externally.

• The ‘Twelfth Night’ (normally 6 January) is the traditional time to take down the decorations. We would appreciate your cooperation in removing all external decorations by the end of January.

Keep safe and enjoy Christmas time without any mishaps.

Changes on the Board Christmas Decorations

NameJohn Bremner

Association with LRHATenant for two years and Board member for two months.

Family/pets Wife, son, daughter, two grandsons and two granddaughters. No pets, previously bred King Charles Cavaliers.

Your first job Playing piano in a rock band.

Favourite piece of advice Enjoy it whilst you can.

First music single ever bought Rave On by Buddy Holly, 1958.

Cheese or Chocolate Cheese.

Football/Rugby teamNone.

Pet Hates Poor manners and Rap.

Why did you decide to volunteer as a Board Member for the Association Chance to put something back.

Service on any other local/national organisations None, for now.

However, after careful recruitment we now have a very capable Board:

Professor David Head (Chairman)Rachael Perry (Deputy Chairman)John Bremner (Tenant)Andrew CottonJohn EmersonAlan HaywardJohn HowesPeter Jordan OBEAnne McCannCharles PilbeamMark Wearden

Full details of their skills and experience are detailed on the website www.lrha.co.uk.

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Social housing tenants will see their rent reduced by 1% a year for the next four years being one of three challenges facing housing associations (see article on page 5 ‘Triple Whammy’). The Government decision aims to wipe £4.28bn from the Country’s housing benefit bill between now and 2021 – money which would otherwise have gone to housing associations and local authorities. The July Budget detail made it clear that the 1% reduction will push rents down to 12% below the level they were predicted to be at by 2021.

Housing associations, however, estimate the lost income will prevent at least 27,000 new homes being built. National Housing Federation Chief Executive David Orr said: “At the very least, 27,000 new homes will not now be built, though that figure could be much higher”.

The reduction of the rental income has made a critical impact on the Association’s ‘Planned Maintenance and Major Repair Budgets’. The Board of Management have agreed ‘Contingency Budgets’ that will maintain properties at the current condition for the next four years.

Planned Maintenance will now be restructured by property condition surveys which will identify priority work. The rent reduction will mean that previously planned progressive property improvement will not be possible in the majority of cases i.e. kitchen, bathroom, window and fencing upgrades. The ‘Responsive Repair Budget’ will remain the same, so repairs will be completed rather than renewals for the next five years.

With a reduction in work staffing will be restructured to make sure available finances are being directed to tenants and their homes.

For the safety of you and your family, Gas Safe advice is to install a carbon monoxide (CO) alarm in your home. Just like a smoke alarm which alerts you to the presence of smoke, a carbon monoxide detector will alert you to the presence of CO.

The difference with CO is that it is invisible and has no smell or taste, so you might not realise it is there.

Smoke alarms do not detect carbon monoxide.

Although planned maintenance is being reduced, the Board of Management have decided that carbon monoxide detectors will be provided and installed in all Lincs Rural properties that have gas or oil appliances. Installation has already started and is hoped to be completed by Christmas.

All appliances will be serviced annually by the Association to ensure they are operating correctly (for your safety) and efficiently (to minimise your running costs). It is very

important that tenants cooperate to enable this important servicing to be completed when scheduled.

What to do if your CO detector goes off:

• Open doors and windows;

• Turn the gas off at the emergency control valve;

• Do not turn on electrical switches or appliances, and do not use naked flames;

• Evacuate the home until the alarm has stopped;

• If you feel unwell go to your GP, call NHS Direct on 0845 4647 or, if it is urgent, call 999 for an ambulance; and

• Telephone the National Gas Emergency Service by dialling 0800 111 999 and also the Association. All staff are aware of the correct procedures if a tenant contacts the Association.

Lincolnshire Rural adopts new Government measures to provide Carbon Monoxide Detectors to all Gas and Oil Properties

Rents set to fall from April 2016….

How will this affect the Association and it’s tenants?

Why fit a Detector?...

Carbon monoxide kills if left undetected.

Your safety is the Association’s highest priority.13 14

Tenant MattersWinter 2015

Lincolnshire Rural Gold p2

Annual General Meeting p7

Our Local Offer p10

Markime House • Pooles Lane • SPILSBY • Lincolnshire • PE23 5EYcustomerservices@lrha.co.uk • 01790 754219 • www.lrha.co.uk

The Rural Gold Star Service (RGSS) is a reward scheme to our ‘first class’ tenants. In order to qualify for this service tenants must

• Have held their tenancy for six months;

• Have maintained a clear rent account for the last three months, or have a repayment agreement in place and have kept to the agreement for three months;

• Have kept to all aspects of the tenancy agreement; and

• Be a good neighbour.

Benefits of being a member include

• Entry into the Rural Gold Star Prize Draw twice a year when 4 tenants each win £250; and

• Faster routine repairs wherever possible.

Rural Gold Star Service

If you are not a member please contact us for an application form.

There will shortly be a review of the RGSS but in the meantime please make sure your rent is up to date or you are keeping to your repayment schedule. If not, you could miss out on a one in sixty chance of winning £250! The next draw will be on 10 December 2015.

The staff and Board members of Lincs Rural would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

To receive your festive Lincs Rural ecard, please let us know your email address.