Redbridge Council 020 8518 2400 Spring 2018

Residents’ Conference 2018

Despite extreme weather conditions we were delighted that so many residents braved the elements to attend. The conference provided lots of information about the work of the service and the partners we work with. Residents enjoyed three videos showing the work of staff, resident representatives and our partners who deliver sports activities. The event also included a really interesting workshop on fire safety led by the London Fire Brigade. This gave residents the chance to examine the issue of fire safety and what we can do to make you feel safer in your home. Two residents received awards in recognition of their individual achievements: Paul Smith and George Kabasubabo-Koni.

We also participated in a fun chair based exercise taster session, which made everyone realise that simple exercises can be done at home to help us all live a healthier lifestyle. Residents provided some excellent feedback about the conference and the new modern conference centre venue at City Gates Church in Clements Road was perfect for the event.

We would like to thank all the residents for attending, taking part and making the event such a success.

Visit www.redbridge.gov.uk/housing to view the conference presentation slides, questions and answers.

The annual Residents’ Conference for Council tenants and leaseholders was held on Saturday 17 March 2018.

Digital Edition

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Redbridge Housing with partner Eco Target has won three fantastic awards which were presented to the teams in January 2018.

1. Commended Award2. Vulnerable Customer Award3. Energy Champion AwardOur aim and ambition is to combat fuel poverty across the borough’s housing stock by providing Redbridge Housing residents with energy efficiency advice and using grant funding to pay for the insulation of lofts, providing residents with more comfortable living in their homes. Another benefit of insulating residents’ homes is a reduced environmental impact as they will be using less energy for heating and therefore reducing their carbon footprint.

Well done to all in the Asset Management Team and Eco Target!

Rents - another one per cent cutGood news for Council tenants. From April 2018 rents for Council tenants will be reduced by one per cent in keeping with government policy.

Redbridge Housing wins Energy Efficiency Regional Awards

Meet your new Grounds Maintenance TeamThe Council’s Grounds Maintenance Team have now joined our Environmental Services Team in Housing Services.

This means we will have one team cleaning, caretaking and carrying out grounds maintenance works to the communal areas of your estates and other areas in our portfolio. This took effect on Monday 1 January 2018 and already we have seen some great joined up working between grounds maintenance and caretaking staff. Our aim is to carry out as much of this work ourselves, therefore reducing the amount of work carried out by contractors. Already we have received some positive feedback from residents and our staff have enjoyed being part of the new team.

The scope of the service will include grass cutting, weed control, shrub and hedge pruning.

The borough’s parks and open spaces are already managed by Vision and grounds maintenance for other service areas of the Council will be managed through a new framework arrangement. Our aim is to get residents more involved in decisions about the communal areas and we are keen to give residents an opportunity to do some planting in designated areas.

If you are interested and want to find out more, please contact our Resident Engagement Team.

Louay Al-Doujaily, Contract Auditor from the Asset Management Team with one of the awards

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Keep landings and hallways clear - Don’t block your escape route!“Any items found in communal areas will be removed and disposed of; the residents responsible will be recharged. The minimum charge is currently £34.42; however please note that you may incur a higher charge for larger items.”

Refuse chutes - Time to seal Refuse chutes at Buckthorne House and Larchwood House in Chigwell were sealed off on Monday 5 March 2018 to reduce fire risk. This follows on from the closure of refuse chutes at the Orchard Estate blocks last year. Blocked refuse chutes pose a fire risk and closing the chutes is the safest option. Residents are being asked to use new external bins.

Do you have a balcony? Always check yours for fire safety

Balconies are an important modern living feature that can provide an alternative means of escape if the main exit from a dwelling is inaccessible. However, fire on balconies can spread to the balcony above, below or to adjacent flats via windows; putting you and those you care for at risk. Keeping your balcony clear of any combustible materials and ignition sources reduces the potential for accidental fires to start and also reduces the scope for deliberate fires. The Fire Brigade is happy to carry out a free home safety check which will provide some useful feedback about fire prevention and fire safety.

Fire safety works at Orchard estateFire Risk Assessments have been carried out across the Council’s housing stock and are available on our website www.redbridge.gov.uk/housing. Where necessary, we are carrying out works to improve fire safety. Works have been carried out on the Orchard Estate where we are removing materials from the exterior of blocks and are replacing these with material of limited combustibiity; two thirds of the stock on Orchard Estate in Woodford Green has now been completed. Works are also underway to prevent vehicles parking close to the blocks so that emergency vehicles can access the blocks in the event of an emergency.

Fire SafetyWe are installing new doors to all tenanted properties where the front entrance doors need updating in order to meet fire regulations. We have asked leaseholders toa) replace their front entrance door if it does not meet fire regulations, orb) provide a fire rating certificate where the front entrance door meets fire regulations.If you are a leaseholder you can either get the work done by a private contractor or, request the Council to replace the door on your behalf to the same standard and cost as our tenants. Please note you will be charged for the works. The Council will not be able to carry out repairs to an existing door to ensure compliance.

For further information please contact the Home Ownership team home.owernship@redbridge.gov.ukWe are doing this to make sure every property has some fire protection from the front entrance door, helping to keep all residents safe.

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New Council homes in HainaultRedbridge Council marked the completion of its latest affordable housing development on Tuesday 20 March 2018 after transforming a Hainault garage site into six new energy efficient homes for local families.

The affordable housing development sits on the site of a former underused and vandalised garages site at 45-47 Yellowpine Way and was developed with part-funding from the Mayor of London.

The modern, energy efficient houses provide much needed affordable homes for the borough’s growing population and comes as part of the Council’s ‘affordable rent’ housing development programme. In Redbridge, at the end of 2016/17 there were 8,335 households on the housing register; 72 per cent needing family-sized homes.

With three more housing sites completing in the next few months, and a further five starting in the summer, and more in the pipeline, the Council are well on the way to delivering more than 171 new affordable Council homes for Redbridge families.

This development has improved the local area for the whole community and will give these families modern, high-quality homes to raise their children in. Over the next few months we will be completing more of these affordable housing developments to help us cater for families on the housing register.

A room with a viewWe would like to thank Bill Whiffen, a tenant from Vicarage Court, Woodford Bridge, for sharing this lovely photo of the view from his property.

If you have a room with a view please email us and we can display your photos in Housing News. Email resident.involvement@redbridge.gov.uk

Happy hampersWe would like to say a big “thank you” to Morrison FS, our repairs contractor, and Noah’s Ark Church volunteers who have again donated festive food hampers to residents who are vulnerable or in need of our support.

“With the help from Redbridge Council officers and all of the Morrison staff here, we managed to collect enough food to make up nine individual hampers for the residents in the borough, nominated by our operatives and the housing sector staff at Redbridge. We also made up two very large hampers which were allocated and given out to the homeless hostels in Redbridge, as there are several units within the borough; the hampers were given to the manager in charge of all the homes to give out where needed. All the tenants were surprised, grateful, overjoyed and even tearful.”

Gillian Jones, Customer Care and Community Manger, Morrison FS

Roslyn Young, Hostel Manager

Photo courtesy of Ilford Recorder

Data protection: keeping your data secureThe new General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) will apply from Friday 25 May 2018. Many of the GDPR’s main concepts and principles are much the same as those in the current Data Protection Act (DPA). However, the Council is reviewing its privacy notices and data protection procedures in order to be fully compliant with the new regulations.

What is a privacy notice?

A privacy notice sets out: what information we collect from you why we collect it what we do with it and whom it might be shared with how long we keep it how to opt out or how to access information we hold about you

You can view Housing Services’ privacy notice online at www.redbridge.gov.ukWe will be contacting you to request your consent to this privacy notice. If you have any queries regarding data protection or how we store your personal data please email housing.enquiries@redbridge.gov.ukIf you would like to know more about your rights under the Data Protection law and what you should expect from us, visit the Information Commissioner’s website. The Information Commissioner is the UK’s independent body set up to uphold information rights.

Information Commissioner’s OfficeWycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AFTel: 0303 123 1113 or 01625 545 745Email casework@ico.org.uk

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We have a defibrillator at the Orchard Housing Office; you might say "What is this?" This potentially life-saving machine delivers a therapeutic shock to the heart to restart the heart’s natural rhythm. Anyone can have a heart attack and early intervention (within the first few minutes) can be vital.

Staff have received training on how to use the defibrillator and how to administer CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation).

For further information about CPR and heart health please visit www.bhf.org.uk

Defibrillator Training

Judith Wright a fond farewellIt is with great sadness that we have said goodbye to a very special person, Judith Wright, who passed away on Sunday 4 March 2018.

Judith, a tenant from Ray Lodge Estate, was instrumental in setting up the Ray Lodge Tenant Management Organisation in the 1990s. She was then its Chair for many years. She was a well loved and respected resident in her local community. Judith was also a Redbridge Homes Board member and a great supporter and advocate of resident involvement in housing services over many years.

Our thoughts are with her family and friends.

Vaneesha Leal and Vida Guinn

during CPR training.

Don’t forget we need your consent so that we can continue sending you Housing News plus links to online surveys, event invitations including our annual Residents’ Conference and information from partner organisations.If you would like to continue to receive this information please click on the link below to subscribe. If you take no action you will stop receiving emails, texts and direct post from the Resident Engagement team after Friday 25 May 2018. We hope you will take a few minutes to give your consent. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link on each email you receive from us. Subscription is free!

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Do you know about the Single Occupier Assessed Tariff for water rates?Many residents who are single occupiers are unaware that they may benefit from a reduced tariff for their water rates.

The reduced tariff, however, only applies if it is not possible to install a water meter in your property.

So don’t lose out, find out if you are eligible for this scheme by contacting your water provider.

Are you a leaseholder and thinking of selling your home? If you are, ask us for a sellers pack. The sellers pack contains essential information about the property to protect you as a seller and provide important information that your buyer will want to know, including:

the last three years service charge statements

money owing for service charges and major works

buildings insurance and any planned future major works

current major works that we have not yet billed you for

We can give the sellers pack to the solicitor acting on your behalf. We do charge a fee but this can save you time and money in the long run. The fee for this can be found on our website www.redbridge.gov.uk/housing/leaseholders

Don't delay, open your account today!

Win £25 vouchers! All account holders are automatically entered into our free quarterly prize draw to win £25 vouchers. So don’t delay! Sign up today! Sign up to My Housing Account

You will need your pin number to sign up. Contact housing.enquiries@redbridge.gov.uk if you require any help to set up your account. Good luck!

The first quarterly prize draw lucky winner is Alpa Karia, leaseholder, pictured above right. Alpa was presented with her prize at the Residents’ Conference on 17 March 2018 by Cllr Farah Hussain, Cabinet Member for Housing.

Have you opened your online “My Housing Account” yet?

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Community News

Housing News - what do you think?Please tell us what you think about this edition of Housing News by emailing us at

housing.enquiries@redbridge.gov.uk

Tackling Child AbuseTackling child abuse is the responsibility of all of us. Do you know how to spot signs of abuse or neglect? We are working with the Department of Education to raise awareness.

all children have a right to be safe and should be protected from all forms of abuse and neglect.

anything you notice can help a child at risk. We all have a role to play in protecting children and young people from child abuse and neglect.

last year nearly 400,000 children in England were supported because someone noticed they needed help.

to help protect a child or young person look out for changes in their Appearance, Behaviour and Communication (A B C).

it’s up to all of us to keep children safe. Many people do not act because they’re worried about being wrong. You don’t have to be absolutely certain; if you’re concerned a child is being abused or their safety is at risk, speak to someone.

report it anonymously to your local council, NSPCC or the police who can provide the support a child may need.

information is gathered from many sources, and your report forms part of a bigger picture. Reporting your concerns to your local council, NSPCC, or the police, could provide the missing piece of information that is needed to keep a child safe.

child abuse. If you think it, report it. To find out how visit https://tacklechildabuse.campaign.gov.uk

New customer service centre opens at Lynton House

Redbridge Customer Centre is open Monday to Friday between 9am and 4pm (not bank holidays).

The new state of the art Redbridge Customer Centre at Lynton House in Ilford town centre is now welcoming customers.

The centre improves the customer experience by bringing together adult services, housing, revenues and benefits, planning, licensing, children’s services and much more under one roof.

The bright and modern centre will aim to resolve queries at the first point, avoiding repeated face-to-face contact with different services.

Customers will be able to contact council services for free using the internet or phone.

Fees and chargesOur fees and charges for items such as replacement key fobs have been reviewed.

From Sunday 1 April our fees and charges have been set at new levels which have been benchmarked against other organisations. Information can be found online at www.redbridge.gov.uk/housing

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Dates for your diary

Meeting/Event What is discussed? When and Where

Resident Housing Panel Housing Services, performance information, Housing policies.

Monday 4 June 2018 7pm-9pm Redbridge Town Hall High Road, Ilford, Committee Room 1

Asset Management Group Repairs service, major works, estate improvement schemes

Tuesday 10 July 2018 6 pm to 8 pm Orchard Housing Office

Leaseholder Forum General Leaseholder issues Tuesday 17 July 2018 6pm-8pm Orchard Housing Office

To attend any of the above meetings please email resident.involvement@redbridge.gov.uk or ring 020 8708 7629

Free Citizens Advice Surgeries Free weekly surgery offering advice and Information

Tuesdays Orchard Housing Office Call Sanjay Mandil 020 8708 7676 to book an appointment

Liberty Credit Union Support for high interest debt or how you can save.

Tuesdays 9.30am-11am Orchard Housing Office

Wednesdays 10am-12noon The Salvation Army, Clements Road, Ilford

Thursdays 9.30am-12noon Seven Kings Job Centre

Free Fitness and Dance class

Ladies Only! (children may attend by prior arrangement)

For adults or parents with children ages 5+

Wednesdays 6pm-7pmOrchard Community Hall

Free Basketball Coaching For young people ages 8 - 15 years

Thursdays 5pm-7pm Orchard Estate Basketball Court

Residents' meetings and eventsNew members are welcome