Highland Tenant UPDATE Luchd-màil na …€¢ Move into work or think about increasing your ... We...

Highland TenantUPDATE

Community ServicesSeirbheisean Coimhearsnachd

“Bedroom Tax” - where are we now?Cìs nan Seòmraichean-cadail – càite bheil sinn?

Getadvice

If you are aff ected by the

bedroom tax and would like

advice on these options or

support in claiming DHP, there

is a free service available in

Highland – the Highland Social

Housing Under Occupancy

Assistance Scheme.

See 0

for more informationo o e o at o

1Benefi ts are changing...

From April 2013, if you are a Council tenant and receive housing benefi t to help

you pay your rent, you may have been aff ected by the under-occupancy rules –

the so-called “bedroom tax”. If your home was considered to be larger than you

needed, your housing benefi t will have been cut by either 14% or 25%.

Currently 1,721 Highland Council tenants are aff ected by the under occupancy

rules. However, most tenants aff ected by the charge are now being fully

supported through Discretionary Housing Payment funding. If you are aff ected

by the “bedroom tax” and are not receiving support from DHP payment,

please contact you housing offi cer immediately on 01349 886602 – they

are there to help. It looks like we will have enough DHP funding to support our

tenants aff ected by the under-occupancy charge to the end of 2014/15 – it is still

unclear what will happen after that.

There are also other things you can do to stop the “bedroom tax” applying to you

in the long term:

• Get advice about moving to a smaller house

• Move into work or think about increasing your hours

• Get advice about taking in a lodger

• If you have grownup children living with you, discuss if

they can contribute more

Housing has been joined with much

of what was Transport, Environmental

& Community Services to form

‘Community Services’ from 1 April

2014. The new Director of Community

Services is William Gilfi llan, pictured

right.

We asked the new Director what his

expectations were for Community

Services:

“The new Service delivers many

of the Council’s everyday essential

services, which involves us having

regular contact with the people of

the Highlands. I therefore expect

Community Services to:

• put customers at the centre of

what we do

Spring 2014Luchd-màil na GàidhealtachdFIOSRACHADH

CONTACT US:

Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat 9am-12pm

Phone:

01349 886606

Email:

[email protected]

• have conversations with

communities about how the

Council could support them

• be consistent in dealing with

people across the Highlands

• listen to customers and explain our

decisions

• be open, honest and transparent in

everything we do

• focus on performance to help us be

the best we can be.”


The Council has agreed a 2% rent

increase for 2014/15.

Service charges for things like

caretaking will also increase by 2%.

However, Sheltered Housing Warden

Charges will not increase for the 4th

year running.

The new charges will apply from

April 2014, and you will already have

received a letter telling you about

this.

The housing service is funded mainly

by income from rents. We need

to collect enough rent every year

to pay for the services we provide

such as repairs and improvements

to your homes. Since 2010/11 we

have made every eff ort to achieve

effi ciencies in expenditure on

managing and maintaining the

housing stock. As a result this will

be the 4th year running that rent

increases are below the rate of

infl ation.

Each year we have to borrow money

to fund improvements to houses,

such as those which allow us to

meet the Scottish Housing Quality

Standard. This borrowing is repaid

though loan charges funded by rent

income. Loan Charges are projected

to increase by 2.46% in 2014/15 as a

result of increased borrowing.

The Council continues to experience

an exceptional demand for housing,

with around 8,000 people on the

housing register, including around

2,000 current tenants who want to

move to another house. We have set

a target to build 600 new Council

houses by 2017.

We introduced a new rent structure

in 2010 (see below) and you may

still be moving towards the new

rent charge - if your rent is not yet at

the new rate, we will have adjusted

your rent up or down by £2.50 per

week as well as applying the annual

rent increase.

WHAT DID WE SPEND YOUR RENT

MONEY ON THIS YEAR?

You can see from the pie chart

below that the biggest slice of every

pound was spent on repairs and

maintenance to your homes with

an equal amount going to pay off

the money borrowed to build and

improve homes in the past. In 12/13

we installed 644 new kitchens and

633 new heating systems in homes

across Highland.

Highland Council rents compare

well with the housing associations

providing aff ordable housing in

Highland. Our current average rent

of £67.45 only slightly above the

housing association average rent for

Highland of £66.53

Rent Increase 2014Àrdachadh Màil 2014 ££ £

B

Based on the agreed rent increase

the Highland Council rent structure for 2014/15 will be:

Type/Size Bedsit 1 bed 2 bed 3 bed 4 bed 5 bed

Flat/Maisonette £50.01 £58.13 £66.25 £74.37 £82.48 £90.60

House/Bungalow £54.34 £62.47 £70.58 £78.70 £86.81 £94.93

New Build Supplement £3.79 £4.87 £5.95 £7.04 £8.12 £9.20

Please note that from November 2013 a supplement of £10 a week will

be applied to new council houses which come into use after this date

Rent for larger properties available on demand

Highland of £66.53

Repairs & Maintenance, 33%

Rent lost through arrears and empty

houses, 2%

Supervision and management, 23%

Loan charges, 33%

Contributions to the capital programme,

9%

HOW MUCH AND WHAT FOR

If you would like a more detailed

breakdown of how your rent is spent,

please contact us on:

01349 886602

or email us at:

[email protected]

Moreinfo


Our Building Maintenance team have started sending

out text messages to tenants who have made repair

appointments. This text message is a useful reminder for

tenants to stay in for their appointment.

Since the text service started in March, there have been

10 fewer non-access events per week as tenants have

been prompted to stay in or have phoned to arrange a

more suitable time for their repair appointment.

3Benefits a e changing

more suitable time for their repair appointment.

Text messaging improving repairs performanceTeachdaireachdan teacsa a’ toirt piseach air càraidhean

Please make sure when you report your repair that you

give us an up-to-date mobile phone number so we can

give you this service.

If you have any comments on this service or how else

the repairs service can be improved please contact:

[email protected]

In the last newsletter we asked you two questions about the rent you pay. Thanks to all of you who took the time to reply.

QUESTION 8

Taking into account the accommodation and services

the Highland Council provides, do you think the rent

for this property represents good or poor value for

money?

QUESTION 9

Do you think a below infl ation increase for 2014/15

would be good value for money?

• 67% of tenants were satisfi ed or fairly satisfi ed that their

rent represented good value for money.

• 15% of tenants were dissatisfi ed or fairly dissatisfi ed that

their rent represented good value for money.

This means that overall 62% of those surveyed felt their

rent represented value for money.

• 15% of tenants were neither satisfi ed or dissatisfi ed that

their rent represented good value for money.

• 2% of tenants did not know, had no opinion or did not

answer the question.

• 61% of tenants were satisfi ed or fairly satisfi ed that a below

infl ation rent increase represented good value for money.

• 15% said they were dissatisfi ed (either “fairly” or “very”) that

a below infl ation rent increase represented good value for

money.

This means that overall 46% of those surveyed felt that a

below infl ation rent increase represents value for money.

• 15% of tenants were neither satisfi ed or dissatisfi ed that a

below infl ation rent increase represented good value for

money.

• 9% of tenants did not know, had no opinion or did not

answer the question.

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The fl exible website allows users to specify whether they

are seeking or off ering a lift, which means that you don’t

even need a car to use highland.liftshare.com.

Although highland.liftshare.com is run by community

group Transition Black Isle, it can be used to fi nd matches

for journeys across the whole of the Highlands and

beyond to the rest of the UK.

There are currently 733 journeys registered on highland.

liftshare.com, ranging from Ullapool and Skye in the west

to Nairn and Forres in the east and from Thurso and Wick

in the north to Aviemore and Fort William in the south.

The website is mainly used by commuters interested in

sharing journeys to and from work, but it can also be

used to fi nd matches for one-off and occasional trips.

Peter Elbourne – project offi cer for Transition Black Isle –

is keen to promote the benefi ts of sharing car journeys:

“We recognise that people in the Highlands are

dependent on their car to get around, especially in rural

areas. Lift-sharing cuts fuel costs, helps eases congestion

and makes car travel more sociable. The more people

register on highland.liftshare.com, the easier it will be to

fi nd a match.”

There is a quick search facility on highland.liftshare.com

that shows what journeys members are making, so it’s

easy to see who is going your way.

The average saving for a Liftshare member is around

£987 a year, demonstrating how much lift sharing can

slash motoring costs.

Development of the free-to-use website was fi nanced by

the Highland Council through its Ward 10 Discretionary

Fund.

Use highland.liftshare.com to fi nd a matchfor your journeys and cut the cost of car travel

A website is helping people across the Highlands cut their motoring costs

by matching them with others looking to share their car journeys.

Membership of highland.liftshare.com has swelled to 640 people since it was launched at the start of 2013.

Transition Black Isle is encouraging lift sharing as part of

its Million Miles project, which aims to cut car miles on

the Black Isle by one percent a year by 2015.

4Benefi ts are changing...Benefi Ben

Moreinfo

www.transitionblackisle.org

or by emailing:

[email protected]

The Interested Tenants Group is a relatively new group

which meets in Wick every 6 weeks and has gone from

strength to strength. The group began with a small

number of Wick tenants who met with their Tenant

Participation Offi cer Lorna Simpson to share and discuss

a range of personal and general housing issues. As a

topic, where you live and how that aff ects your life is a

guaranteed good place to start a conversation. From this

starting point, conversation grew into what’s happening

in the wider world of housing as well as planning fun

events and activities which would also put something

back into good causes in the local community.

Slowly interest grew to folk living outside Wick and there

is now a core group of 8 – 10 regulars who meet to keep

up to speed with housing, share their experience about

housing services, promote ways of getting involved,

socialise, share and chat, and…..bake.

At the end of the Christmas meeting a special fun event

was held in the shape of a bake-off between Lorna

and local tenant Andy – the task was to bake and ice a

Christmas cake with the other tenants providing judge

and jury skills! Folk thought it would be benefi cial to

raise funds for the local Hospice shop in Wick so each

tenant gave a donation per slice of cake. The end result

was a tie between Lorna and Andy but more importantly

Highland Hospice received a cheque for £42.00. Well

done to everybody!

During December the Sutherland and Easter Ross

Sheltered Housing groups held their annual networking

event in the West End Community Centre, Alness. People

from as far afi eld as Brora, Golspie, Lairg and Ardgay

travelled to Alness to meet the Sheltered Housing

tenants from Balintore, Alness, Evanton and Invergordon.


Bake-off begins in WickBèicearachd ann an Inbhir Ùige

Joinus

If you are interested in coming along to the Interested

Tenants group please get in touch with Lorna Simpson,

TPO for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross on:

07774337689

or email: [email protected]

Far Flung FriendsCaraidean às

gach Ceàrnaidh

e If anybody is interested in joining the group

please contact their local Sheltered Housing

Warden or Lorna Simpson, details above

It was a great opportunity for everybody to

come together, to share some time, some

food, some ideas and some information. Both

groups meet separately on a 6 weekly basis

and discuss a wide range of subjects including

any sheltered housing issues.

They are supported by the Tenant Participation

Offi cer who keeps the groups informed of

what’s going on and how to get involved.

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Angela from Wick

says:

”be open minded

and get involved!”

I’ve been living in Wick now for

over a year and so much has

happened. Let’s start at the

beginning: in the fi rst few months

I was a bit lost so far up north.

Then I was asked if I am interested

in Tenant Participation? Well, not

knowing any better I said yes!

From there I joined the Wick

area group, then I attended the

Area Forum in Brora, so I got to

know new people, got invited

to conferences, and gathered

information which I had to pass

on.

The best thing that happened

was taking on the administration

of our HIGHLAND TENANT VOICE

website. Looking back it was a

lot to take on, but a big boost for

my self-confi dence. And what

am I doing now? Still looking

for challenges. I’m volunteering

at the Highland Hospice Shop,

and with the autism initiative.

And my tenant participation has

grown into membership of the

Conference Planning Group too. I

can honestly say I love my life now

and I can strongly recommend

tenant participation as a great

way to get involved.

Be open minded and get involved

Cheers, Angela

Highland Tenant Voice


Getting involvedA’ gabhail com-pàirt

Doreen’s top ten reasons for being involved1. It is interesting and varied

2. I am learning useful skills using

modern technology

3. I am enjoying the friendship and

companionship of like-minded

people (we share a laugh, often

directed at our own faults)

4. It is a fabulous way of meeting

new people

5. Being a volunteer increases my

confi dence, that my opinions

are listened to: also it is good to

hear others’ perspectives

6. It keeps me busy: there is

always something to research

in looking for useful data for the

web-site

7. I have made a lot of useful

contacts from tenants/Highland

Council and non-tenants alike

8. It is often simply good fun

9. Although we often have ‘heated’

debates we never leave each

other without matters being

resolved.

10. Finally Jennifer makes excellent

home-made soup at the West

End Community Centre, Alness

where we meet!

Pictured: Doreen (front) and Angela

Email

[email protected]

Phone:

01349 886606

Forum meetings for the Caithness,

Sutherland and Easter Ross area

are held in Brora, Sutherland every

quarter and have been running

successfully for nearly 4 years.

At the last meeting the group invited

Lyn Kilpatrick, Housing Policy Offi cer

to give a talk on how tenants can

get involved in housing service.

Getting involved, is essentially about

volunteering. With this in mind, Lyn

said that the Council is keen to be

more creative about volunteering

opportunities, to help increase

the range of options available for

tenants - from photography for the

newsletter, to an ‘environmental

auditor’ (taking part in estate

walkabouts), to a telephonist and

researcher who asks other tenants

how satisfi ed they are with housing

services and returns their fi ndings to

the housing service.

7Benefi ts are changing... 7Benefits are changing

Highland Tenant Voice – IT TrainingTenants involved in the “Highland Tenant Voice” tenants web site administration met in the West End Community

Centre, Alness, for some training on “virtual meetings”. The group members come from as far afi eld as Portree,

Wick and Lybster in Caithness, Cannich, Alness and Inverness. For them to get together for meetings involves a

full days travel so they decided to look at having “virtual meetings” using an Internet service called “Oovoo”. A

demonstration and training was provided by Bob MacGechan, a tenant from Lybster and a member of the HTV

group – “Oovoo” was voted a great success by everyone and will save lots of time and money! The session was

fi nished off by Tenant Participation Offi cer, Mandy Macleman, who showed everyone how to update and make

changes to the web site from any internet connected computer. All in all a very positive day!

keen to get some training which

will help them to become ‘housing

volunteers’.

Peter Monahan from Ardgay

attended his fi rst Forum meeting in

January and said ‘As a new tenant

to the Forum I found it relaxed and

enjoyable. It was also very helpful

and reassuring as tenants are able

to meet senior management staff

within housing service and discuss

any issues that they may have. I felt

that the housing staff made me feel

very welcome and the meeting was

not in the least bit overwhelming.

The presentation on ‘Getting

Involved’ was interesting and as

a tenant who is already part of a

group I can only encourage others

to take the plunge and contact their

local Tenant Participation Offi cer

for more information’. I for one, am

looking forward to the next Forum

meeting on 30 April 2014.

There is a ‘Top Ten’ of reasons why

people get involved as a volunteer,

and Lyn reported that these

included:

• It’s fun

• You’ll make friends

• Learn how to do new things

• Make a diff erence to other people

• Build your confi dence

& self esteem

• Get a qualifi cation

• Get work experience

• Travel

Many of the participants at the

Forum are already involved in

‘housing matters’ and felt that

the whole concept of ‘Getting

Involved’ has helped to strengthen

relationships between tenants and

Highland Council. It has also given

them a much greater understanding

of how the housing system works.

For potential ‘new recruits’ they were

Why volunteering is important to Housing servicesObair saor-thoileach cudromach do sheirbheisean Taigheadais


Can you help us set the standard?

Do you:

• Want to get involved in making decisions about council housing?

• Want to learn more about how we manage our empty houses?

• Have an interest in repairs?

• Have 2/3 days to spare between April and June?

Yes?...then we want to speak to you!

We want to make sure our houses are let again quickly when they

become empty and are up to an acceptable standard of repair.

We also need to reduce the amount of money we spend doing this.

Empty houses Taighean falamh

Lottery SuccessSoirbheas

Crannchuir

We are looking for 4 tenants

to help us review the repairing

standard for empty houses.

If you are interested,

please contact:

Shirley Mackenzie

or

Brian Cameron

on

01463 886602

for more information

Ward Councillor Brian Murphy said

“it has been interesting to watch the

determination with which the group

have tackled the many challenges

that a project of this size throws up.

I have watched them grow in ability,

self-confi dence and self-esteem over

the last few years. That is something

which wasn’t part of the bid but

is nevertheless a really positive

outcome.”

A very big and warm ‘well done’ to

Plantation Community Association.

We hope to hear more as their

project develops.

Plantation Community Association: Lottery Funding Success

The Plantation Community association are delighted to have been awarded

£247,436 from The Big Lottery Community Spaces Scotland Fund.

The funds will be used to improve the equipment currently in the play park at

Pinegrove as well as provide a mini mountain bike track for children, an adult

fi tness trail and improved paths around a 13 acre site in their community.

The land was very kindly donated by The Fairfax-Lucy Trust for continued

community use many years ago.

This project has been in progress for the last 3 years. Helen MacKenzie

(chairperson) passed on thanks and gratitude to the hard working committee

members - Lesley Boath, Kara Elder, Kizzy Bruce, Tommy Turner and Donna

Calder.

The committee also gave thanks to a whole host of other stakeholders

and organisations who worked alongside them to get the project to this

stage, including Tenant Participation Offi cers Mandy MacLeman and Kate

MacLennan, and Community Warden Mary Ellen Campbell.


Is dog fouling a problem in your

area? Maybe the Green Dog Walkers

scheme can help …. the Green Dog

Walkers scheme is designed to be

run by groups in the community

with support from the Highland

Council. The scheme is described as

being a friendly, non-confrontational

way to change people’s attitudes

towards dog fouling.


For more information on how to

start a scheme in your area, email:

[email protected]

or call Mandy Macleman on:

01349 886805 or 07557 744413

There is also further information on

the Highland Council web site:

www.highland.gov.uk/

greendogwalkers

Moreinfo

LOCAL DOG CLUB SAYS NO EXCUSE FOR DOG DIRT

In March 2013 Lochaber and District Canine Society signed up to become

members of the Council supported Green Dog Walker Scheme. The scheme

helps promote responsible dog owners to pick up their dog’s waste, bag it

and bin it in a council dog poop bins, or even just a normal bin whilst out

walking their dog. This is something all dog owners should be doing anyway

as it helps keep paths, parks and other areas clean and disease free. People

that choose not to pick up their dogs waste and walk away face a fi xed fi ne or

if the case goes to court a fi ne of up to £1000.

Since receiving our big box of goodies in June which included Poop Bags,

Dog Collars, Lanyards, Wristbands, the “I have signed the Pledge” Car Stickers

and a massive amount of sign up forms we have now reached a fantastic

total of 133 sign ups. This has surpassed all our expectations and shows the

support from both the members of our club and Lochaber locals to help get

behind this scheme to try and help make a diff erence in the Fort William area.

To become a member of the scheme is very easy and only takes a matter

of minutes. All you need to do is sign the Pledge Form that includes your

name, address, contact details and the name and breed of your dog and your

signature. Once you have done that you will be given some Green Dog Walker

goodies (items subject to availability) all for free. All we then ask of you is to

off er a poop bag to any dog owner you see that may not have one to hand.

This is a friendly and non-confrontational scheme.

If you are interested in signing up to the Lochaber scheme please speak to

Lynne Young the Lochaber & District Canine Society’s Green Dog Walker Rep.

Any non club members are welcome to sign up too, just message the club via

facebook or ring Lynne on 07748993596 and suitable arrangements for you

to sign the pledge can be made.

Lets keep Fort William clean and mess free...

www.facebook.com/lochaberdistrict.caninesociety

Is dog fouling a problem in your LOCAL DOG CLUB SAYS NO EXCUSE FOR DOG DIRT


Discretionary Housing PaymentsPàighidhean Taigheadais fo Ùghdarras

Highland Council receives some additional money every year to provide assistance to people who need help towards

paying their rent or to assist with the cost of moving.

In 2013 we were awarded some extra funding to help people aff ected by the changes to welfare benefi ts.

• Since April 2013 the Council has allocated £1,771,118 in Discretionary Housing Payment awards.

• We have helped 3369 households with help towards their rent or removal costs.

This extra funding, designed to help those most aff ected by the Welfare Reform changes has recently been extended

for 2014-2015. This will allow us to support most of our tenants for another year. It is unclear what will happen

after that. If you were awarded a Discretionary Housing Payment last year because you are aff ected by the Under

Occupancy rules you will not need to make a new application unless your circumstances have changed.

For anyone else, if you were getting a Discretionary Housing Payment and this has now stopped,

or you would like to fi nd out more about how you can apply, please phone 01349 886602

Making Advice WorkDeagh Chomhairle

PROJECT UPDATES

In our last edition, we told you about some new projects that had been launched

to help you if you are experiencing benefi t, money or debt problems.

Benefi ts are changing... Benefi ts are changing... Benefi ts are changing...

‘Reaching the Unreached’, The Highland Council

Money Advice team’s Scottish Legal Aid Board

Funded Making Advice Work Project is now

fully staff ed and already is assisting tenants to

substantially reduce their rent arrears and come to

an aff ordable repayment plan.

The Highland Council workers are able to assist

clients to maximise their income and examine if

they are eligible for any backdated benefi ts. They

work very closely with clients to help them get

their other debts under control; giving clients time

to stabilise their fi nances

If you feel your rent arrears are out of control and

you would like to talk to someone in confi dence

about this, contact us on: 0800 090 1004

The ‘Under Occupancy Assistance Scheme’ off ers

help to households aff ected by the ‘Bedroom Tax’.

The project provides advice and assistance to help

mitigate the impact of the Under Occupancy Rules.

Advisers can help you with any money or debt

issues, help you into employment or explore your

future housing options.

Since November, 102 households across the

Highlands have sought and continue to receive

advice from this project.

If you would like more information about how

this project could help you. Please contact your

Housing Management Offi cer or telephone

01349 886602 for further details. details.

‘Reaching


Healthy StartToiseach Fallain

Are you missing out on Healthy Start?

Some mums-to-be and families are

missing out on vouchers for free milk,

fruit and vegetables – are you, or is

anyone you know, eligible? Make sure

you get what you’re due and give your

children the best possible start. Eligible

mums-to-be get vouchers worth £3.10 a

week and this doubles up to £6.20 a week

in their baby’s fi rst year. That’s a total

value of £322.

Then there’s the vitamins

These are free for mums-to-be and young

children from any local Community

Pharmacy – just pop in and ask for

Healthy Start. Consider if you might

qualify. Speak to your Midwife, Health

Visitor or GP.

Have a look at the website:

www.healthystart.nhs.co.uk

or call 0845 607 6823 to fi nd out if

you are eligible and

start getting the vouchers.

Please don’t miss out – and don’t let anyone close to you miss out either

Get IT togetherTeicneòlas

Fiosrachaidh

Free School Meals & Clothing GrantsBiadh-sgoile An-asgaidh & Tabhartasan Aodaich

Help someone get online today and

open up the amazing possibilities of

the digital world. Introduce them to

the world’s largest library, college,

travel agent, supermarket and

community centre.

Whatever the reason for getting

online, Get IT Together’s tailor-made

guides for helpers and beginners

makes it easy. Register for free

courses and you’ll get access to a

fantastic range of online courses.

From basics like how to use a mouse

to understanding social media, it’s

never been easier to teach someone

to use the internet or pick up new

skills.

Available on the BT.com web-site.

Alternatively, there are Get IT

Together projects in Highland.

Get IT Together

Nairn

Project Co-ordinator Brigitte Vallance

delivers local IT sessions. She had

initially planned for one session per

week but that has quickly evolved

into two sessions per week. There

is also a full waiting list for the

next available sessions. Brigitte

commented: “I am thrilled at the

response and it just goes to show

how keen people are to get online!”

Email:

[email protected]

Phone:

07824 143 034

Get IT Together

North West Sutherland & Skye,

Wester Ross & Lochaber

Off ering a range of IT training

courses including how to get online,

and sessions for people over 50

years-old.

Email:

irene.warner-mackintosh@

citizensonline.org.uk

Phone:

07785 46 2010 - 07827 24 0452

Email:

[email protected]

07824 143 034

Technology session at

last year’s tenant conference

Free school meals and assistance with

school clothing can be claimed if you are

receiving any one of the following:

• Income Support

• Income-Based Job Seekers Allowance

• Any income related element of

Employment and Support Allowance

• Child Tax Credit, but not in receipt

of Working Tax Credit, and your

income is less than £15,910 (as

assessed by the Inland Revenue)

• Child Tax Credit and Working Tax

Credit and an income below £6,420

(as assessed by the Inland Revenue)

• If you are 16 – 18 yrs old and receive

any of these benefi ts in your own

right then you can claim for yourself

• If you are an asylum seeker receiving

support under part VI of the

Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

The clothing allowance is made once

per school year, and payment is made

directly to the applicant for the sum of

£50 for every eligible child in Primary or

Secondary school. (For claims received

after December 2012, the sum of £25 is

paid for every eligible child).

An application form for free school

meals and the clothing grant can

be downloaded from the current

documents section: www.highland.gov.

uk/schoolmealsandclothinggrants

Application forms are also available from

Service Points, Head Teachers and the

ECS Catering Service.

You must include proof of entitlement

with your application form. This should

be one of the following documents

which should be given to you by the

Benefi ts Offi ce:

• Current Letter of Entitlement

• Tax Credits Award Notice

• Home Offi ce Immigration Form

Completed application forms, with proof

of entitlement, should be returned to

the address below or in person at the

pupil(s) school or the Service Point.

ECS Catering Service,

Ruthven House,

Drummond Road,

Inverness IV2 4NZ

A new application needs to be submitted for the start of every new school session in August.


When:Saturday 4 October 2014

Where:Nairn Community and Arts Centre

Contact your Tenant Participation Offi cer

for more information meantime.

Or look out for invitationsin our summer newsletter!

Contact usCuir fi os thugainn

The Smithton Residents Community Association held

a special bingo/auction fund raiser night on the 1st of

February 2014 in the Green Hall in Smithton. This event

was held for the family of the late Chloe Morrison, 11yrs,

who suddenly passed away.

The Association approached businesses locally and in

the wider community for donations. The generosity

was overwhelming. This event was well attended by the

Smithton community and many other friends who came

along to show what big hearts they have. The Resident

Association Committee worked miracles to make this a

successful night on behalf of the family.

The family expressed their appreciation for the support

the community has shown them at this diffi cult time.

HOW TO CONTACT YOUR TENANT PARTICIPATION OFFICER Mandy MacLeman Email: [email protected] Phone: 01349 886 805

Kate MacLennan Email: [email protected] Phone: 07557 744 420

Lorna Simpson Email: [email protected] Phone: 01955 609 550

Wilma West Email: [email protected] Phone: 0799 056 5755

Fund raiser for ChloeTogail airgead do Chloe 2014

Conference

The conference planning group

A date for your diary

Tenant Participation Offi cers(left to right)Wilma West

Kate MacLennan

Lorna Simpson

Mandy MacLeman

If anybody is interested in

getting involved with the

group please contact:

Sandra Smith

on 07751257141

Getinvolved


The next generationAn ath ghinealach

New drainage has now been

installed at the play park site and

the group are in the process of

sourcing suitable play equipment

for young children. It is anticipated

that the equipment should be in

place by the summer holidays.

Next generation prompts play

park improvement in Mansefi eld

Sandra Smith, Chairperson of

Mansfi eld Residents Association

(MRA), Tain proudly holds her

twin grandchildren Lola and Mia.

They are the youngest members

of Mansfi eld and Sandra is keen

that they should grow up on an

estate which has good facilities

for children and young people. As

Chairperson of the MRA, Sandra

is actively working hard to secure

funds for a new play park on the

estate.

The old park was in a derelict

condition and for most of the year

was water-logged due to poor

drainage. Sandra said:

I want children in Mansfi eld to have access to good quality play equipment. We are a committed group of residents who want to see our area improved and we have developed good working relationships with the Police and Highland Council in working to this aim.

“A massive power outage, covering

much of the North West Highlands,

did not stop The Morefi eld Residents

Association from holding their AGM

– by candlelight!”

Alastair Maclellan is a Chairperson

with a diff erence! Not only is he

Chair of the Invergordon Oldtown

Residents Association but also an

avid railway enthusiast who has

converted one of his rooms into

a model railway station. As well

as an indoor station, Alastair is

also proud owner of an outdoor

railway track which he has built

from scratch along with some of

the trucks and carriages. Quite a

spectacle!

Alastair’s other interest is the

Invergordon Oldtown Residents

Association which he has Chaired

for the 3 years. The main focus

of the group is the planting and

maintaining of fl ower beds and

planters along the main shopping

area of Invergordon. Alastair said

‘it is an ongoing battle during

the summer months to keep the

weeds down and plants watered

but we have a dedicated team

of helpers which makes the job

much easier’.

Since the construction of new

Council houses in Joss Street,

two new tenants have joined

the group which keeps ‘housing

issues’ on the agenda.

Commitment at Morefi eld

Dealas ann am Morefi eld

If anybody is interested in fi nding

out about the group they can call

Alastair

on 01349 852615

Rolling stock & garden plantsStoc gluasadach & lusan gàrraidh


A huge thank you to everyone who took some time to tell us what they think about our services by completing the

survey in our winter edition newsletter. We value what you have to say.

And Congratulations to the lucky winners of the prize draw

- all winners received a £50 high street voucher as a special thanks for sharing their opinion.

Our winners were:

Mrs Margaret Macrae, Mrs Margaret Mackenzie, Ms Elizabeth A Degan,

Ms Christine Shearer, C Palmer, Isobel Murray, Robert Tait, Georgette MacIver,

Katrin Haywood Ward and Jeff ery Mould.

We valueyour opinion...

Thankyou

Taking everything into account, how satisfi ed or

dissatisfi ed are you with the services provided by

Highland Council?

Almost 4 in 5 respondents (79%) said they were satisfi ed

(either “very” or fairly”) with the service provided by The

Highland Council while around 1 in 8 (12%) said they were

dissatisfi ed (either “fairly” or “very”).

40

0

10

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ry

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What you told us about our servicesNa thuirt sibh mu na seirbheisean againn

Overall, how satisfi ed or dissatisfi ed are you with the

quality of your home?

These results show that 3 in 4 respondents (75%) said they

were satisfi ed (either “very” or fairly”) with the quality of their

home while almost 1 in 5 (18%) said they were dissatisfi ed

(either “fairly” or “very”).

0

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Overall, how satisfi ed or dissatisfi ed are you by The

Highland Council management of the neighbourhood

you live in?

These results show that 68% of those responding to this

question said they were satisfi ed (either “very” or fairly”) while

15% said they were dissatisfi ed (either “fairly” or “very”).

0

10

20

30

40

50

36

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How satisfi ed or dissatisfi ed are you that The Highland

Council listens to your views and acts upon them?

These results show that just over 1 in 2 (52%) of those

responding to this question said they were satisfi ed (either

“very” or fairly”) while just under 1 in 4 (23%) said they were


0

10

20

3027

Ve

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nHow satisfi ed are you with the opportunities to

participate in The Highland Council decision making

process?

These results show that more than 1 in 2 (53%) of those who

responded to this question said they were satisfi ed (either

“very” or fairly”) while around 1 in 7 (14%) said they were


0

10

20

30

40

27

Ve

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If you had a repair carried out within the last 12 months,

how satisfi ed were you with the repairs and maintenance

service?

These results show that just over 3 in 4 (77%) of those

responding to this question said they were satisfi ed (either

“very” or fairly”) while around 1 in 8 (13%) said they were


0

10

20

30

40

50

51

Ve

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Cut a

long

the

dott

ed li

ne

PR14 - 22 - k

Email

[email protected]

Phone:

01349 886606

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