Government plans tooverhaul the subsidysystem and allow councilsto keep their rent havebeen announced – butwith a “sting in the tail”for Winchester tenants.

The Government currently takesover 40% of Winchester’s rents –over £9million each year – to fundservices in other areas.

But under the proposed newscheme, the Council would besaddled with a debt of at least£130 million.

The plan, which is out forconsultation, would dismantle thecurrent system, invest up to 25%more resource into Council housingand allow councils to keep more ofthe rent they collect.

But, councils would have to pick upa share of the Government’s £18billion national housing debt and,

according to the Government,Winchester could afford a biggershare of this debt because rents arehigher than average.

Richard Botham, Head of LandlordServices, said: “This is a case ofgiving with one hand and takingaway with the other. Whilst thismeans more money in the longterm, it is not clear what impactthis will have on services in thenext few years.”

Cllr Tony Coates, Portfolio Holder forHousing, added: “Taking on such alarge share of other councils’ debt istotally unacceptable and means thetax on Winchester tenants justcontinues in another form. I will beresponding very strongly to theGovernment proposals.”

Alan Rickman, joint chair of tenantgroup, TACT, has spent yearscampaigning on the issue and said:“The Government seems to havelistened but it remains to be seenwhether we will get enough to

address the Council’s £3millionshortfall. Both TACT and the Councilare arguing for a fair deal from theGovernment but most of all, if itworks in tenants’ favour, we hopeour Council will start to build again.”

e d i t i o n 1 O c t o b e r 2 0 0 9

e d i t i o n 1 5

housing news for Winchester City Council tenants and leaseholders

Tenant News, produced by Tenantsfor Tenants can be found at the back of this edition

househouse

� Annual Report 2008/09

� Top Tips for the winter

� Keeping pets

� Winning gardens

An end to negative subsidy - butWinchester tenants still hit hard!

inside this edition:

Pets need permissionTenants in general needs homes (those that arenot restricted to people aged 60 years and over)may keep a pet with consent from the Council.

However, you should apply to your Area Housing Manager for permissionbefore you actually get the pet.

If you already have a pet and did not seek permission, you should let yourArea Housing Manager know.

Tenancy Services Manager, Amber Crosskey, said: “We understand that petscan be a much-loved and valued part of the family.

“Where possible we do allow them, but if they’re causing a nuisance or arenot suitable for your type of property we may refuse or withdraw consent.”

Clause 52 of the tenancy conditions explains that Area Housing Managersconsider these requests. If permission is refused you are responsible forfinding another home for your pet.

Pets are not allowed in certain sheltered schemes. The Supported HousingTeam will soon be asking sheltered residents for their views on keeping pets.

For more information about keeping pets or to ask for permission pleasecontact the Customer Service Centre on 01962 840 222 and ask to speak toyour Area Housing Manager.

If you have any particular needswhich affect how you are able touse or be involved in our servicesor how you would like to receive

information - for exampletranslation, interpreters, Braille,

audio tape, large print, sign language - please contact theCustomer Service Centre either bytelephone: 01962 840 222 or by

email: customerservice@winchester.gov.uk

Winchester City Council, City Offices, Colebrook Street,Winchester, SO23 9LJ.telephone 01962 840 222 fax 01962 841 365email housing@winchester.gov.uk website www.winchester.gov.ukTelephone calls may be recorded.Printed on 75% recycled paper.

T E X T P H O N EThis facility is available for readerswho are deaf or hard of hearing.Please telephone 01962 878 982.

get it tapedIf you would like any of theinformation in on the house madeavailable in large print or audioformat, please call Glynis Cole onFreephone 0800 716 987.

thebigwordtelephone interpreting service

The Council uses a 24-hourTelephone InterpretingService, which also provideswritten or recordedtranslations including audiotapes and CDs.

If you, a relative or aneighbour would like to talkto the Council through aninterpreter, please contactyour Area Housing Manageron 01962 840 222.

What a summer it has been! Thebarbeques weren’t out as much aswe would have liked but certainlythe blooms were very much ondisplay!

I had a lovely couple of daystravelling around the district withCllr Rob Humby judging thewonderful gardens.

Sadly, there can only be fourwinners, but we were so impressedby everyone and how much effortthey had put into their gardens.

It was a case of third time lucky forKath and Henry West fromCompton who just pipped BernieSheppard to the title! There’salways next year – and we’ll beintroducing a new category for the2010 competition.

This edition contains our annualreport, which includes some factsand figures on your housing service,as well as information oncondensation and keeping warmthis winter.

I hope you continue to enjoy theautumn and winter and we’ll beback again in the spring!

Glynis Cole

Dear Readers

p a g e 2 w w w. w i n c h e s t e r . g o v . u k

Putting yourwords intoaction!The Council respects andresponds to tenants whohave special needs becauseof age, ethnicity or disability.

Council officers were able to giveindividual help to tenants withspecial needs because they knewwho they were thanks to feedbackforms.

Twenty tenants with additionalneeds were offered help from theirArea Housing Managers after theywere part of the random selectionfor the recent Tenant SatisfactionSurvey.

When the Council revised thetenancy conditions, officerscontacted everyone they knewwho needed information in adifferent format. The survey formsand letters were sent to 15 tenantsin large print and one in Polish. Afurther 10 tenants had home visits.

The Council has a Housing EqualityGroup which works to ensure no-oneis disadvantaged and a member ofTACT (Tenants and Council Together)has recently joined the group.

This personal and flexible approachhas meant that tenants with visualimpairment, literacy and learningdifficulties, amongst other issues,

have been given the opportunity toexpress their views.

It has also meant that the resultswe receive about our performanceis more representative of ourcustomers as a whole.

Best BalconyWinner: Phil Sherlock, of Winnall.

Cllr Humby’s verdict: “A stunningdisplay of beautiful home grownplants. The small balcony is packedwith colour producing an overallfantastic effect both for Phil and hisneighbours.”

Best Front GardenWinners: Kath and HenryWest, of Compton.

Cllr Humby’s verdict: “A beautifulcollection of begonias and a superb

selection of plants in theborders and

containers, allgrown from

eitherplugs orseeds.”

BestShelteredScheme GardenWinners: Beth McVicker, LilianJoyce, Evelyn Sylvester andRay Long of Danemark Court.

Cllr Humby’s verdict: “A great teameffort both for producing the plantsand creating a wonderful displayfor all the residents to enjoy.”

Best Hanging BasketWinner: Ron Ruddle, fromBishops Waltham

Cllr Humby’sverdict: “A fantasticbasket packedwith colour and avaried range of plants –all produced from his own stock.We could have chosen any one ofseveral impressive baskets – welldone Ron!”

Garden competitionreaches new heightsA painter and decorator from Winchester hopes his first prize in the Council’s gardening competition willinspire his neighbours to follow his lead.

Phil Sherlock lives in a top floor flat in Firmstone Road, Winnall and won thebalcony category. He said: “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the whole roadcould do this – it would look fantastic!”

The gardening competition is open to the Council’stenants and leaseholders and was judged by CllrRob Humby, a local nurseryman.

The winners received gardening vouchers.

o n t h e h o u s e p a g e 3

CondensationDuring the autumn and wintermonths many of youwill be experiencingproblems withcondensation andmould in yourhomes.

It is a nuisance, but one that canbe easily solved. Our informationleaflet on how to tackle theproblem is available from CustomerServices on 01962 840 222 orwww.winchester.gov.uk

The Council has introduced newstandards for cleaning the communalareas of flats across the district.

The company carrying out thework, City Cleaning, has got off toa cracking start.

A tenant satisfaction survey carriedout at the end of the first quartershowed that of the 279 tenantswho responded:

� 216 reported that cleaning wascarried on the day expected.

� 199 were satisfied with thestandard of cleaning.

� 192 reported that the cleaning was carried out efficiently.

� 195 were pleased with thecleaners conduct andbehaviour.

� 152 confirmed that thecleaners wear identification.

� 156 confirmed that safety signswere being used.

This customer feedback is a verypositive start to the new contractand will continue to be monitored.

Launch of FreeServices for Victimsof domesticviolenceA free and fast emergency servicefor victims of domestic violence isnow available in Hampshire.

The confidential service is availableto all men and women and providesfree legal advice and supportthrough the civil courts. Otherservices include:

� Free Legal Advice and Aid

� Injunctions within 24 hours

� Direct links with local councils,health centres, refuges,Women’s Aid Centres.

The 24-hour Hotline is 0844 804499 but anyone in immediate dangershould call 999.

Information is also available fromLaura Brown, the Council’sCommunity Relations Officer, on01962 848 133 or email:lbrown@winchester.gov.uk

Keep Warm this winterAccording to recent statistics one in six British households isliving in fuel poverty, which is defined as when a householdspends more than one tenth of its income on utility bills.

If you are experiencing difficulty heating your home orpaying your utility bills we can help you! Our Keeping Warmfact sheet is available from Customer Services on 01962 840 222 orwww.winchester.gov.uk

The Council’s Maintenance Contracts for Responsive Repairs andpreparing empty properties for re-letting is due for renewal in April 2011.

The work is currently carried out by Serco, JAD and Munro – whosecontracts are due to expire on 31st March 2011.

Landlord Services has begun the lengthy process of procuring a newcontract and selecting contractors to tender for these services.

Your TACT representatives (through Property & Contracts Group) areaware of the outline timetable for this project and their potentialinvolvement in considering any changes or improvements to the currentservice. Watch out for further updates throughout 2010.

City Cleaning get off to a cracking start

Renewing the Contract for Property Maintenance

p a g e 4 w w w. w i n c h e s t e r . g o v . u k

DearTenants,Welcome to your2008/09 AnnualHousing Report.

In this report, we have includeddetails of how Winchester City

Council, yourlandlord, hasperformed in theyear to 31 March2009. We hopeyou find theinformation useful.

Key AchievementsThe year has been dominated by theDecent Homes programme, which weare committed to completing by 2010.Key achievements last year included:

� Decent Homes – Only 15properties (0.3%) now remainclassified as “Non Decent”. Thesehomes will be brought up to theGovernment’s standard by March2010 - a year ahead of schedule.

� Empty Properties – were re-letwithin 42 days (on average)compared with 53 days in2007/08. “General Needs”properties were re-let within anaverage of 26 days, althoughSheltered properties took longer,averaging 56 days. This is asignificant improvement onprevious years, although we planto reduce this further.

� Rent Arrears – were 1.08% of allrent collected in March 2008. Thisexcellent performance remainsone of the best in the country andreflects the very good payment

records of tenants across thedistrict – thank you!

� Tenants Compact – Theagreement between the Counciland tenants ensuring that a rangeof opportunities for tenants to beinvolved in setting servicestandards, agreeing priorities andmonitoring performance wasreviewed and updated.

� Tenants Satisfaction –Satisfaction with Housing servicesincreased from 82% in 2007 to86% in 2009. Satisfaction withSheltered Housing was evenhigher, at 91%.

The Coming YearThe Council is facing significantfinancial pressures this year and asannounced in the March edition of onthe house a number of elements withinthe Repairs programme have beensuspended until further notice,including internal decoration, externalpainting, kitchen replacements andwindow replacements.

Essential “Decent Homes” work willcontinue. Despite this pressure ofservices to tenants, the Council iscommitted to ensuring that all otherLandlord Services are maintained andimproved where possible. We aregrateful for the understanding andsupport from all tenants’ groupsconsulted on these pressures, and arecommitted to lobbying Government toensure a fair settlement for Winchesteron the current review of nationalhousing finance. Ongoing priorities forthis year include:

Decent Homes – all properties will bebrought up to this standard by March2010 whilst ensuring all that arecurrently “Decent” are at leastmaintained at that standard.

Housing Options – The Council will becompleting a review of futuremanagement options in light of thelatest Government announcements onthe future funding of Council housingand potential for Councils to build newhomes once more. Further informationwill be published in future editions ofon the house.

Sheltered Housing and Extra Care –The Council is currently modernising itssheltered housing provision to ensurethese tenants receive a consistent levelof high quality support. We are alsoplanning to adapt one scheme toprovide additional “Extra Care” homes,providing elderly residents with extracare and support whilst allowing themto maintain independent living.

Resident Involvement – As part ofthe Tenants’ Compact, the Council iscommitted to extending residentinvolvement to ensure there are moreopportunities for tenants to getinvolved as and when they wish. Thiswill include new tenant groups inareas not represented currently such asBishops Waltham and Wickham, moreestate walkabouts and focus groups onkey issues important to tenants.

The next two pages contain generalinformation on our performance overthe last year which we hope will be ofinterest to you.

If you feel anything is missing from thereport, please let us know and we willtry to include it in future years.

Cllr Tony Coates

Richard Botham

page i

Richard Botham,Head of LandlordServices

Cllr Tony Coates,Portfolio Holderfor Housing

LANDLORD SERVICES annual report 2008/09

LANDLORD SERVICES annual report 2008/09

page ii

Performance

Last year’s figures are inbrackets for your interest

0 500 1000 1500 2000 0 20 40 60 80 100

0 50 100 150 200 2500 30 60 90 120 150

Our housing stockOn 31st March 2009 we owned and managed 5,076(5,109) properties for rent. The breakdown is as follows:

Bedsits 79 (98)

4+ bedroom 53 (57)

1 bedroom 1618 (1614)

2 bedroom 1685 (1695)

3 bedroom 1641 (1645)

RentsDuring the year we collected a total of £20.7 (£19.4)million in rent and service charges. The average rentincrease for 2008/09 was 6.5% (5%) for existing tenants.

Bedsits £55.34 (£50.35)

1 bedroom £64.48 (£59.30)

2 bedroom £74.60 (£68.92)

3 bedroom £86.39 (£80.82)

4+ bedroom £94.05 (£88.52)

The total cost of landlordservices for 2008/09 was£21,590,000 (£19,950.000)broken down as follows:

Sheltered Housing£1,191,000

Subsidy Paymentto Govt. £8,429,000

Note: Average rents are actual rents charged in the lastchargeable week in March 2009 and include rents fortenancies which started after April 2008 where theformula rent applies. This explains the average increasebeing more than 6.5%

Mutual Exchange 69 (65)

Joint Tenancy to Sole 0 (0)

Succession 4 (0)

Transfer 116 (135)

Waiting list 178 (206)

Other 2 (3)

Temporary moves 3 (2)

Bedsit 10 (19)

1 Bed Flat 118 (109)

2 Bed Flat 65 (89)

3 Bed Flat 1 (2)

1 Bed House 51 (46)

2 Bed House 48 (65)

3 Bed House 75 (79)

4 Bed House 3 (2)

5 Bed House 1 (0)

landlord services cost 2008/09

LettingsThe 372 (411) lettings were made to the following typesof property:

The 372 (411) lettings for the year can be broken downinto the following categories:

LANDLORD SERVICES annual report 2008/09

page iii

Major works

Rent CollectionProportion of rent collected (% of total income)

98.92%(99.25%)

Proportion of tenants in arrears1.86%

(1.92%)

No. of tenants with arrearsgreater than £200 at March 2009

292 (225)

No. of tenants with arrears greaterthan £1000 at March 2009

58 (39)

Evictions due to rent arrears9

(12)

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000

Call out 1065 (1143)Kitchen and bathroom 156 (346) £0.65m (£1.17m)modernisations

Heating and insulation 392 (372) £0.9m (£0.57m)upgrades

Door and window 218 (297) £0.11m (£0.24m)replacements

Other works £2.35m (£1.82m)

Emergency 3491 (3839)

Urgent (5 days) 5929 (5883)

Routine (12 days) 3338 (3893)

Routine (30 days) 6260 (6787)

PRIORITY NUMBERNumber Cost

Responsive RepairsDuring the year 20,083 (21,545) repair orders werecompleted in the five main repair priorities. 93%(96%) of this work was completed within target.

Other Key StatisticsStatistics relating to the re-letting of empty properties and otherkey elements of the service are detailed below:

Capital Costs£3,885,000

Tenancy Services£2,275,000

General Repairs & Maintenance(inc. voids) £4,806,000

General Management£1,004,000

Proportion of non-decent council homes0.5%

(0.5%)

Tenants’ satisfaction with overall service 85.7%

(84.0%)

Energy Efficiency of Housing Stock 78

(78)

Proportion of repairs completed on target 93%

(96%)

Proportion of repairs appointments made andkept

99% (100%)

The % of homes with current gas servicingcertificate

99.7%(99.28%)

No. of tenants receiving adaptations524

(397)

Rent lost through dwellings becoming vacant£294,499

(£277,786)

Average re-let time for General Needsproperties (days)

32.61 (37.03)

Average re-let time for Older Persons properties(days)

59.43 (67.6)

Expenditure for major works during the year wasincurred on the following projects:

Our Pledge to YouThe Council is committed tomaintaining the highest standards ofcustomer service and to involvingtenants in all that we do. Last yearLandlord Services was awarded theGovernment's Customer ServiceExcellence Award. Full details of ourcommitment are set out in the firstsection of your Tenants Handbook. Inaddition we aim to meet the followingstandards:

� Respond to letters, faxes andemails within 10 working days,using plain English, giving a namedcontact and telephone number.

� Answer telephone calls within 20seconds or 7 rings stating clearlythe name of the service and theperson’s name answering the call.Answer phone messages will beresponded to by the end of thenext working day.

� Accessibility - Strive to makeservices easily accessible toeveryone who needs them,including access to buildings.Provide information about ourservices through 24-hour webaccess with our telephone lines andreception open from 8 am - 5pmMonday to Friday.

� Reception Areas will be wellsignposted, clean, tidy andcomfortable, with a play area forchildren, including privateinterview facilities available onrequest. Reception staff will be welltrained, welcoming andapproachable and deal withvisitors' enquiries efficiently and asquickly as possible.

� We will make an appointmentwhen making visits to a customer'shome or property, and contact youif we are delayed whereverpossible. We will show an

identification card and whereverpossible let you know what follow-up action you can expect.

� Putting things right - We willpublicise our complaints leafletwhich sets out the procedures andwill try to deal with the complainton the spot. Otherwise we willrespond within 10 working daysand wherever possible find anacceptable remedy and strive toimplement positive suggestions.

In ReturnWe expect our staff to be treated withcourtesy and politeness by you, yourcolleagues or others to whom weprovide services.

Your ViewsThis is your housing service and yourviews on all matters concerningLandlord Services are always welcome.The feedback we receive helps toprovide an even better service for you.If you wish to:

� Make your views known - pleasespeak to an officer in LandlordServices, or contact your localcouncillor.

� Make a complaint - write initially toRichard Botham, Head of LandlordServices. If his reply is notsatisfactory, contact your localcouncillor.

� Ask for more information on anyhousing matter, ring LandlordServices on 01962 840 222, orwrite to:

Richard Botham

Head of Landlord Services

Winchester City Council

Colebrook Street

Winchester

Hampshire. SO23 9LJ

page iv

ComplaintsBetween April 2008 and March 2009, the Council’s Landlord Servicesdivision recorded 429 (499) formal complaints about the services itprovides. Of these, 346 (421) related to the Repairs service and theremainder were in relation to general estate management andtenancy issues.

Repairs – Of the 346 (421) complaints recorded, 149 were made viareturned customer care cards. The remainder were received by phone,letter or in person. The Council paid for 23,159 repair jobs in 2008/09,so the level of complaints related to less than 1.49% of all paid jobs.The complaints were all reviewed with the contractors and have made a very positive impact on improving this service over the last year.

Other Complaints – Of the 83 (78) other formal complaints received, 4 (1) have been referred to the Local Government Ombudsman althoughhe has yet to make a final decision on the matter.

The Council takes complaints about the services it provides veryseriously. We try to deal with all complaints immediately but willotherwise respond within 10 working days and wherever possible findan acceptable remedy and strive to implement positive suggestions.

Now turn the magazine over to read

LANDLORD SERVICES annual report 2008/09