Wales & West Housing's Spotlight on Wrexham Autumn 2012

WREXHAMISSUE 4 | AUTUMN 2012

SPOTLIGHT ON

Enabling work, training and experience

Expanding CambriaMaintenance Services

Our latest newdevelopments in your area

Preparing for Welfare Reform

This edition the first using our new brandidentity which we introduced in April this year features a mix of news about some of our current countyspecific initiatives, plus relevantorganisationwide updates.

This Spring we welcomed a new Chair to ourBoard. After three successful years Ivor Gittensretired from this role, although he remains aWWH Board member. His successor is KathySmart, a wellknown member of the Cardiffbusiness community and longtime championof social housing.

Other recent changes have included the promotion of Shayne Hembrow from Operations Director to the new role of DeputyChief Executive/Commercial Director. Following this I am pleased to say that StevePorter has just been appointed as Operations Director.

With the changes to Welfare Reform gatheringpace, against a backdrop of continuing economic uncertainty and ever increasing pressures on public finances, I’m sure you willagree that there is much for us to do.

However while the challenges are great, we remain committed to our vision to make a difference to people’s lives, homes and communities across Wales. We hope that thisbriefing will help to keep you up to date withmuch of our grassroots work in your area, aswell as the bigger picture about WWH.

Finally please don’t hesitate to get in touch atany time with your comments, ideas and feedback about any aspect of our work.

Yours Anne Hinchey, Chief Executive.

Follow us on Twitter @wwha

Watch us on our YouTube channel wwhahomesforwales

INTRODUCTIONWelcome to the Autumn 2012 edition of Spotlight on Wrexham, bringing you progress updates about Wales & WestHousing initiatives in your area.

2 | Spotlight on WREXHAM | Autumn 2012 | www.wwha.co.uk

Firstly we were delighted to be joined byWelsh Housing, Regeneration and HeritageMinister Huw Lewis who braved the drivingJuly downpours to formally mark the startof works on the scheme.

The Minister was joined by Cllr MarkPritchard, WWH CEO Anne Hinchey, AnwylConstruction Director, Mathew Anwyl, andWWH resident and Board member, JohnWilliams to ceremonially turn the first sodon the Kingsmills Road site.

“I am pleased that the Welsh Governmenthas been able to support the development

of this scheme,” said the Minister. “It is anexcellent example of partnership working,with several different organisations, theWelsh Government Wales & West Housing, Wrexham Council, Hightown Communities First and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board all working together.”

The 127 new homes and flats are due to befinished at the end of 2013, providing arange of property sizes and tenures together with a new community centre andmedical facility. Local schools helped to suggest street names for the developments.Please see overleaf.

KINGSMILLS ROAD AND RIVULET ROADDEVELOPMENT UPDATEIt’s been a busy period for our £17m development in theHightown area of Wrexham with works starting on site atRivulet Road, and events held to promote potential trainingand apprenticeship opportunities resulting from the development.

Minister Huw Lewis with Cllr Mark Pritchard, WWH CEO Anne Hinchey, Anwyl Construction Director,Matthew Anwyl, and WWH resident and Board member, John Williams

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zg5w2CV12xA

3 | Spotlight on WREXHAM | LOCAL NEWS | Autumn 2012 | www.wwha.co.uk

Anwyl has teamed up with Yale College, JobsGrowth Wales and the Caia Park Partnershipto facilitate opportunities. Recent events haveincluded Anwyl taking a stand at HightownJobs Fair in September, where more than 50people registered an interest in finding outabout forthcoming opportunities. A successful ‘Meet the Contractor’ event alsotook place where potential subcontractorswere able to discuss potential traineeshipsand apprenticeship opportunities.

Our Neighbourhood Initiatives team is alsoworking closely with Hightown residents tolook at ways in which the new communitycentre will be funded and managed.

In August concerns were raised over odoursreleased during earthworks on contaminatedsoil at our brownfield Rivulet Road development. These concerns, however, werequickly proved to be unfounded.

Wrexham CBC Land Contamination Team andcontractors Anwyl worked together with localrepresentatives to address the concernsraised and took steps to proactively informpeople living around Rivulet Road of progresson site.

Finally, this development is in line with ourcommitment to minimising our impact on theenvironment. The 127 new homes, medicalresource centre and community centre willbe fitted with photo voltaic panels to generate electricity and water saving devicessuch as flow regulators on taps. Whereverpossible, building materials are sourced fromlocal suppliers and a local labour force isbeing sourced.

You can keep a track of the new developments in Hightown by visitingwww.hightownflats.com.

Supporting local people into jobs and training is a key priority for Wales & West Housing and Anwyl Construction isnow working in partnership with subcontractors employedon our Kingsmills Road/Rivulet Road developments to help facilitate as many opportunities as possible.

Hightown, Wrexham. Housing Minister Huw Lewis with youngsters from St Giles and St Christopher’s Schools,who won the street naming competition run by Hightown Communities First, and supported by WWH. The competition was part of the start of works celebrations on site on Kingsmills Road in July.

JOBS AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES


Sian Hope of Wrexham picked up 2nd prize inthe Ruth Radley Outstanding Achievement inParticipation category for her work with herlocal residents’ organisation and WWH’s Resident Participation Steering Group. Fifteenyearold Lauren also from Wrexham,received 2nd prize in the Young Tenant of theYear, both beating competition from all socialhousing residents in Wales.

Our Make It Happen grant provides successful applicants with a cash sumof £200 £500 to help enhance community activity and encourage fellow community engagement. If youknow of anyone in WWH accommodation who would benefitfrom the grant then please contactClaire Hammond, Resident Participation Strategy Officer [email protected]

WWH RESIDENTSRECOGNISED AT NATIONAL AWARDSIn May, two Wales & West Housing residents were recognisedfor their hard work in their local community and were presented with a Tenant Participation Advisory Service Cymru(TPAS) award at Llandudno.

Our Environment fund can help facilitate ecofriendly projects such asgrowing fruit and veg, raised beds ornative species of fruit trees. If you knowof anyone in WWH accommodationwho would benefit from the grant thenplease contact Owen Jones, Environment and Sustainability Officeron [email protected]

Pictured below, an example of one ofthe raised beds which we have helpedto fund. Residents are now growingtheir own veg and benefitting from theregular exercise that comes with gardening as well as enjoying the produce that they’ve grown.


SARTH PROJECTNORTH WALESThe driver behind SARTH is to create a common policy for allocation of housingacross the region. This will make it easier forapplicants with one set of rules to follow thanthe nine that exist at the moment.

We are hosting SARTH Project DevelopmentOfficer Nik Weatherall and are working inpartnership with Conwy County Borough

Council, Denbighshire County Borough Council, Flintshire County Council, CartrefiConwy, Clwyd Alyn Housing Association,Cymdeithas Tai Clwyd and North Wales Housing.

A draft policy will shortly going out for publicconsultation will be on partners websites.

The SARTH (Single Access Route to Housing) project whichaims to simplify the affordable housing application processin North Wales is progressing well.


MAKING A DIFFERENCE AWARDS 2012

A total of 159 residents, staff and contractorpartners attended the ceremony at the VillageHotel, Coryton, Cardiff, on Friday, October19th.

Several Wrexham residents featured as winners and finalists, as follows:

• Caia Gardens Resident Gardeners – winners, Green Fingers (General Needs) Award

• Langford Close Resident Gardeners – finalists, Green Fingers (General Needs) Award

• Ros & Peter Whitaker, Sylvester Court Retirement Scheme – finalists, Local Hero Award

• Amy & Ashley Roberts, Llys yr Orsedd – finalists, Fresh Start (New Build) Award

• Adam Hawksford, Hightown – finalist, Fresh Start Award

There were a further two finalists from theWrexham area, who, due to domestic circumstances, have requested that they receive no publicity from this event.

We had almost 60 high quality entries fromacross Wales this year, a very pleasing figure,and a real demonstration of just how well somany of our staff really know their residents.This year we also benefitted from superb

support from our contractors with 11 providing a very significant contribution to thisyear’s MAD budget.

Media Wales are now in the process of making a short film about the event, whichwill be uploaded onto our website andYouTube very shortly.

Anne Hinchey, Chief Executive, said: “Now intheir fifth year, the MAD Awards are our wayof recognising the strength, selflessness andcommunity spirit of our residents. Our missionis strong, sustainable growth to make a difference to people’s lives, homes and communities, and these awards provide a realinsight into some of the ways this is beingachieved. It has been a wonderful night and areal privilege to hear the inspirational storiesof all those involved.”

Finally, there is one more award to mention – this time the one won by our own PR & Marketing team when our MAD Awardswere recognised by Community HousingCymru’s PR Network as the Best Event inWales 2012.

We held our fifth annual Making A Difference Awards in October and once again it proved to be a fantastic night.

Brian Williams and Margaret Guillain, Green Fingers Winners with Kathy Smart, Richard Leyshon of Wates Living Space, andAnne Hinchey WWH Chief Executive.


8 | Spotlight on WREXHAM | THE BIGGER PICTURE | Autumn 2012 | www.wwha.co.uk

We’ve looked again at the services we provideand are making sure that we are doing all wecan to help people to stay out of debt and topay their bills.

In particular we are working with residents tohelp them to:

• prepare for the introduction of Universal Credit and direct payments

• provide tailored help and advice around budgeting

• understand the implications of the introduction of the socalled ‘bedroom tax’ next year, and,

• where appropriate, helping people to move to homes they can afford and of the right size.

Our two dedicated Money Advice Officers alsowork closely with Moneyline Cymru (see page12) as well as Credit Unions across Wales, tohelp residents to budget effectively and to access low cost, safe and affordable credit.

PREPARING FOR WELFARE REFORMPerhaps no single issue currently dominates the housing sector more than Welfare Reform. Our staff right across ourorganisation are working closely with all our local authoritypartners, housing benefit officers, Community HousingCymru and other partners to promote and publicise thechanges to come, the consequences to our residents, andways in which they can help themselves.

Currently £7.20 per hour (for workers outside of London) the ‘Living Wage’ is considerably higher than the legal minimumwage which is currently £6.08 per hour.

With more than 340 employees acrossWales, our decision means that nooneworking for us will earn less than £7.20 anhour, and since this August 40 of our employees have seen their wages go up as aresult of this policy.

Rhys Moore, Director of the Living Wage Foundation, said:

“We are delighted to award Wales & West Housing the Living Wage employer mark. This is a significant moment as they become the first housing association in Wales to achievethe mark.”

LEADING THE SECTOR WITHTHE LIVING WAGEOur efforts to tackle poverty do not stop with our residents.As the first housing association in Wales to introduce the ‘Living Wage’, we are leading the sector with this initiative.


Some examples of where we have recentlyhad an impact include:

• North Wales – At the recent Hightown Jobs Fair in Wrexham more than 50 people registered an interest in finding out more about potential employment and training opportunities to be facilitated through our contractor Anwyl. These opportunities will arise as part of our £17m developments on Kingsmills Road and Rivulet Road and more details will follow in subsequent editions of In Touch and Spotlight on Denbighshire.

• South Wales – 18yearold Jordan Evans has just completed a two year plumbing apprenticeship with our subsidiary company Cambria Maintenance Services Ltd. Jordan, from Bridgend, combined onthejob training with Cambria with a day a week study at Ogmore College. “I would recommend this as a good way to earn and study,” said Jordan. “Several of my mates have asked me if this is a good thing to do, and I have told them that it definitely is.”

Cambria is now looking to take on an additional 3 apprentices across its operations in North and South Wales over the coming months.

• South Wales – As part of our Back to Work scheme (a Bridgend Employment Routes Team initiative) we hosted two trainee energy advisors. Based in Bridgend, Lynn and Howard were placed with us for six months, gaining experience that helped them to find permanent employment. They promoted the Warm Home Discount scheme in retirement schemes and offered residents advice on being more energy efficient and how to save money on their bills.

• We are working with Jobs Growth Wales as well as several other agencies to link people with opportunities, where possible and appropriate.

• We are also able to host a number of inhouse placements, either as shortterm unpaid work experience, work placements (some funded) and apprenticeships. These opportunities are open to all, regardless of age, qualifications or previous experience. Those interested simply need to fill in and return to us the Workplace Skills Initiative Expression of Interest Form on our website www.wwha.co.uk

Apprentice plumber Jordan Evans, 18, with Neal O’Leary,Cambria Board member and Peter Jackson, Head of Cambria, at a presentation ceremony outside Cardiff CityStadium to mark his qualification.

WORK PLACEMENTSAVAILABLEHelping our residents to benefit from employment andtraining opportunities is also akey priority for us. Throughour contractor partners wehave already supported 33people back into employment,and, we have a number of apprentices working on ourprojects across Wales.


DIGITAL INCLUSION

The key drivers for us behind our investment in digital inclusion are:

• helping people to be better placed to deal with Welfare Reform, and especially the introduction of Universal Credit

• enabling people to be better connected within their communities, and

• helping our residents to get better value by accessing information and purchases online

Our pilot scheme to bring affordable broadband WiFi access at Ty Pontrhun inMerthyr Tydfil is now live.

Since 5 July, Ty Pontrhun residents and theirfamilies have been able to access the internetfrom any room within the building with a WiFiready device, using an individual password.

North Walesbased Boyns is our chosen supplier for this pilot scheme and has installeda phone line to the building enabling residentsup to 2Mb of WiFi broadband.

Currently our residents are receiving 6 monthsfree connection and then they will pay a veryaffordable 63p per week.

Our aim is to learn from this pilot scheme inorder to extend efficient and affordable WiFiand broadband connections to as many of ourresidents as we can across Wales, and we arenow starting work on a second pilot project inNant y Môr, our Extra Care Scheme inPrestatyn, Denbighshire.

WWH also hosts the Take Ctrl project on behalf of the North Wales Financial Capability Forum, a wide partnership including Communities 2.0.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtmoCdwpVz4

Another key area of focus for us is ‘digital inclusion’ – enabling our residents to get online: to have access to appropriate equipment, software and support service, to get connectedwith each other and their communities through this medium,and, to make informed choices with the ability to access discounted purchases.

Service users in Mostyn, Flintshire. This project involves adults with learning disabilities learning to use computers, so thatthey can help to create digital memory books for residents in our retirement schemes.


With a turnover of £2.8m in its first year, weanticipate that in the next couple of yearsthat this will triple.

Building on the considerable success of itsoperations in South and Mid Wales, preparations are now underway for Cambriato expand into North Wales, with this division becoming operational from the beginning of 2013.

This move will secure the future of 40skilled jobs in North Wales, as well as providing another secure platform for further work placement and apprenticeshipopportunities.

We anticipate that Cambria within the nextfive years will install 4,000 kitchens andbathrooms across Wales.

CAMBRIA EXPANSIONINTO NORTH WALESWe set up our own maintenance company in 2011, taking us toa Group structure. Cambria Maintenance Services has just seena very successful first 20 months of trading, undertaking repairsas well as kitchen and bathroom renewals for WWH in Southand Mid Wales.

Cambria Maintenance Service’s 40 strong South and Mid Walesbased team. A further 40 skilled jobs are being secured through Cambria’s expansion into North Wales which will become operational in early 2013.


However with the transfer of the social housing grant programme to local authoritypartners and the reduction in available publicsubsidy for new homes, Syniad members reviewed its role. The result was that fromJune 1st of this year, the consortium ceased toexist.

Notwithstanding the end of the consortium,we will continue to work together where appropriate to provide much needed newhomes across Wales.

SYNIAD CONSORTIUMIn 2005 we joined forces with Linc Cymru and Clwyd Alyn Housing to form the Syniad Consortium. Since then the consortium members delivered more than 1,500 new socialhousing units, 11 extra care schemes and enabled training andapprenticeships for more than 150 people, maximising outcomes from more than £100m social housing grant.

In these very difficult economic times moreand more social housing residents will need tobe able to access the services provided by organisations including Moneyline Cymru andlocal credit unions.

We are pleased to support both and WWH isnow actively working with Moneyline andNorth Wales Credit Union to look at how newservices can be developed to help residents to deal with the changes that willcome with the introduction of UniversalCredit.

We have also committed to help fund the expansion of Moneyline over the next 3 years,

and the latest branch has recently opened inMerthyr Tydfil. Further branches are plannedin Swansea and Wrexham.

Loans given by Moneyline in the past 3 yearshave resulted in £2.5m savings in interestcompared to interest charged by the Provident, the most common provider ofdoorstep loans.

MONEYLINE CYMRUEXPANSION Wales & West Housing, one of the founder members of Moneyline Cymru, is continuing to provide financial supportfor this important initiative.


We expect to achieve year on year increasesin operating surpluses through the effectiveoperation of our business even after absorbing the bad debts we expect to incurfrom changes to welfare benefits, and in particular the introduction of Universal Creditand the ‘bedroom tax’.

Over the next five years we expect to invest£36m in maintaining and improving our existing stock.

Furthermore we have the financial capabilityto invest more than £100m in building and acquiring new homes. Only one fifth of this investment is expected to be funded by socialhousing grant from the Welsh Government,with £70m coming from additional borrowings and the remainder from internally generated surplus cash. For moredetailed information about our financial position please see pages 28 and 29 of our Business Plan 2013 to 2017 which you should have recently received, alternativelyyou can access it through our websitewww.wwha.co.uk.

Our strong position has been endorsed by theWelsh Government who awarded the Association a ‘pass’ in its annual financial assessment.

OUR FINANCIAL PERFORMANCEToday’s challenging economic environment means we needto be efficient and invest wisely if we are to achieve our ambition of growth and to make a difference. While big isnot always beautiful it does bring with it the financialstrength and capacity to ride out the current economic stormas well as the wherewithal for innovation, creativity andfresh ideas.

Total

393

Wrexham

127

Flintshire

121

Denbighshire

9Conwy

12

Powys

24

Merthyr Tydfil

15

Vale of Glamorgan

20

Bridgend

39Cardiff

26

These figures represent developments which are onsite now and programmed to commence in the next 12months. However, in total, we anticipate building andaquiring an additional 450 units in the next five years,which will take our total new build over that period oftime to 850 units.

Number of homes currently in development by LA area


We have formed an innovative partnershipwith South Wales Fire and Rescue Service,agreeing to act as an ‘exemplar’ partner tohelp them to promote good practice withinfire safety in the social housing sectoracross the country.

Group Manager Andy Petersen from SWFRSsaid “WWH has demonstrated the

importance that they place on fire safety.Our partnership with them will provide apositive attitude to enabling compliancewith all fire safety legislation.”

We are now in talks with Mid Wales FireService and North Wales Fire Service to explore the possibility of expanding thispartnership further.

SOUTH WALES FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE

PARTNERSHIPDealing with the risk from fire is high on the agenda at themoment and we want to ensure that all our homes are assafe as they can be.

Andy Petersen, Group Manager South Wales Fire and Rescue Service and colleague, Robin Alldred, CommercialManager WWH, Jo Burns, Health and Safety Officer WWH, Anthony Williams, Health and Safety Officer WWH.


• We have been awarded the highest accolade possible under the prestigious Investors in Peopleawards system achieving the Gold standard in our recent assessment. “Wales & West Housing continues to demonstrate that it is a forwardthinking organisation achieving business success by the application of visionary leadership behaviour, underpinned by strong and meaningful values,” said IiP specialist Mavis ElliottSmith.

• The Sunday Times Best Companies 2012 has recognised us as the topnotforprofit organisation in Wales, and, we were ranked 8th out of the top 100 best notforprofit organisations to work for in the whole of the UK.We are also the only Welsh housing association to be awarded the top 3 stars award by Best Companies.

• Worklife balance charity Working Families have ranked us in the Top 30 family friendly firms to work for in the UK for the second year running. Attheir recent national awards ceremony we also

won the Working Families Award for Career Progression for Flexible Workers and were finalists in the following categories: Best for Carersand Eldercare, Best for Engagement, and, The National Grid Best for Innovation Award. Sarah Jackson OBE, Chief Executive of Working Families said:

“To reach the shortlist in four out of seven of the Special Award categoriesis a tremendous achievement. Thejudges were impressed by Wales &West Housing’s innovative policies toengage and support their employees,particularly carers and flexible workers.”• In partnership with GKR Maintenance & Building

we have been Highly Commended in the Integration and Collaborative Working award category at the 2012 Constructing Excellence Awards. Judges said the team has worked hard to cut costs and reduce waste ‘with passion and commitment.’

DOING THE RIGHT THING…Our aim is to do right by our residents and right by our staff, and below are the awards and accreditations which we have recently received which recognise and celebrate our approach.

Steve Porter (right) now Operations Director WWH, receiving a trophy at the 2012 Constructing ExcellenceAwards. He is pictured with Jayne RowlandEvans, Director of GKR Maintenance Services and Phil Lumley, Headof Property Services for Carmarthenshire County Council

Wales & West Housing3 Alexandra Gate, Ffordd Pengam, Tremorfa, Cardiff CF24 2UD.

andUnit 2, Acorn Business Park, Aber Road, Flint CH6 5YN.

Telephone on 0800 052 2526 Minicom: 0800 052 5205Email: [email protected] Website: www.wwha.co.uk

@wwhawwhahomesforwales

Published October 2012

Wales & West Housing's Spotlight on Wrexham Autumn 2012

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