Royal approval

Open Door
Issue 9 - summer 2013
The DCH magazine for our Cornwall customers
Landmark new
DCH rebuild gets
Royal
approval
Royal
approval!
for our landmark rebuild
Also inside
Also
inside
4 News
from across our neighbourhoods
9
Benefitnews
changes
Residents
fromupdate
across our neighbourhoods
21
Meadow
Flatsupdate
residents welcomed back
Benefi
t changes
Pg 4
Pg 9
Tips
to
protect
you
and
your
home
from
fi
re
–
extra
insert
Meadow Flats residents welcomed back
Pg 17
Open Doo
r
Welcome to this summer edition of
Open
Door
Introduction
Welcome to the summer edition of Open Door!
This edition once again showcases news from
neighbourhoods across Cornwall as well as
highlighting important service updates from
DCH. Incidentally - I’m liking the new logo, and
am getting used to seeing it on my paperwork,
in offices and even on contractor vans out
and about.
Changes to benefits due to the government’s
Welfare Reform Act have now started to be
introduced. Some important updates are on
pages 8, 9 and 10. Remember that DCH staff
are on hand to help.
Mike Smith
Chair of Peninsula Tenants’ Committee
Extra insert
You’ll also notice an
extra insert in this
edition - our new Fire
Safety leaflet.
There have been
several fires in DCH
homes recently.
These are not only
costly for us and
for tenants, but
also distressing
when belongings
are ruined or damaged. Have a read - it’s full
of tips to protect you and your home from
the threat of fire!
2
Open Door summer 2013
Issue 9 - sum
mer 2013
The DCH ma
gazine
Cover story
Meadow Flats, St Ives,
see page 21.
for our Cor
nwall custom
ers
Landmark
n
DCH rebuild ew
gets
R
o
y
Royal a
p
p
aplpa
rova
l! roval
fo
r our landm
ark rebuild
Also inside
Also
4
Neins
ws from
ide across our
9 ide
neighbourhoo
Res
Ben
efitnew
nts
chasnge
ds
s upd
from
21 efi
ates our
acros
Me
Ben
ow
t ad
neigh urh
cha
ngFla
res
estsup
ide
oods
da
tents welcomed bo
Tips
Meadow
to pro
back
you
Flatect
ts res
and
you
ide
nts r
Pg 4
hom
welco
e from
me
re – extra inse Pg 9
d bafick
rt Pg
17
Contents
Competitions
News roundup
Young voice
Money matters
Green news
Shared ownership
How are we doing
DCH update
Listening to you
Community safety news
Noticeboard
3
4–6
7
8 – 10
11
12 – 14
15 – 18
19 – 21
22 – 23
24 – 25
26 – 27
Extra insert: DCH Fire Safety leaflet
Open Door is produced by a media group, staff and
residents of DCH. Our competitions are only open to
DCH residents and exclude resident members of the
media group and staff. Information is correct at the
time of going to print. Competition winners maybe
featured in Open Door.
Copies of this newsletter are also
available in Braille, large print, audio,
DAISY, or in another language. It
can also be viewed on our website:
www.dchgroup.com
If you would prefer a different format
or to receive copies via email only
in future, please contact us on:
01392 814 422
Please send contributions for the
next issue by Friday 19 July 2013:
DCH
FREEPOST (PY2092)
Penzance
Cornwall
TR18 2BR
news@dchgroup.com
We were delighted that so many people
took the time to enter our spring Open
Door competitions. Here are the lucky
winners – well done to you all!
The winner of the count the bunnies
competition is Ryan Johns from Redruth. He wins £15 book tokens. The winner of the colouring competition
is Tyler Griffiths from St Erth. He wins
£20 Love2shop vouchers.
The winner of the word search
is Mrs Drew from Penzance. She wins
£20 Love2shop vouchers.
The winner of the gardening book
competition is Alison Wilcock from
St Mawes. She wins Carol
Klein’s ‘Grow your own veg’ book.
Competitions
Competition
winners
Coloured in by
Tyler Griffiths
Don’t forget the colouring competition on
Page 7 and the wordsearch on the back page!
3
Bridging the IT gap
Over 50s forum
Active Plus are delivering a Veterans Inspiring
People course in the Penzance One Stop Shop.
The course includes first aid, computing and
safety in the home and has been well attended.
Active resident, Roni Goff, who runs the over 50s
forum from the One Stop Shop in Penzance
every Friday morning said:
This has been a really great
experience, we hope that
more people continue to come to the forum –
we have much more planned for the summer,
it would be great to see some new faces.
Residents at some of our sheltered schemes
have been enjoying free computer courses.
There was a particularly good take-up at
Bridge Court in St Austell (photo above)
where Gavin Bolton of Switch Community Ltd
delivered a 6 week course.
Would you like to attend any of our vibrant over
50s forums which give residents the chance to
‘have their say’ on important consultations as
well as take part in training and discussions?
Please contact our customer engagement team.
Contact details on the back page.
News roundup
Gavin said: All of the group
can now actively use tablet
PCs to access a wealth of possibility
offered by the internet and are keen to
learn more. I am pleased that two of the
residents will be volunteering as part of
the Superfast Cornwall Volunteer Network
and will be supported by me to build the
confidence of other Bridge Court residents
and their friends.
4
College Green
College Green, St Austell residents have
been enjoying regular weekly bingo
sessions in the communal lounge for
a few years and they are as popular
as ever! It’s a good chance to have a
catch-up and for some it’s their only
chance to socialise.
If you would like to talk about the possibility of receiving DCH financial
and/or staff support for any future community events, please give us a call!
Contact details on back page.
Open Door summer 2013
New community
hub in Hayle
By Satnam Basram
In May, Satnam Basram (DCH Housing
Management Officer) and Sam Church
(DCH Community Development Worker)
relaunched a housing advice surgery from
‘The Kabin’ in Roscadghill Parc, Penzance.
The first callers included a tenant who
wanted to discuss a move and another who
is considering holding community education
sessions from The Kabin. The surgeries were
also supported by local police who also use
the premises to help build better links with the
local community. Future sessions may include
activities provided for local parents and
children during the summer holidays and
‘get to know your neighbour’ coffee mornings.
The surgeries were advertised by leafleting all
the properties in the area.
DCH residents can approach their local
housing team if they would like similar
surgeries in their neighbourhoods. Not all
schemes have the facilities to offer this,
however, with residents support, we can
source venues such as libraries and local
pubs that may offer us a space to work.
Chirgwin Court
Hayle Community Shop, in Coronation Road
has been taken over by DCH resident Lindsey
Griffiths recently. As well as running and
developing the shop, Lindsey has cleared
out a back room which she intends to use as
a community hub for local residents to meet,
and take part in IT and other courses for
example. Lindsey also intends to develop the
outside space.
News roundup
Housing team
surgeries
Lindsey said: Working with
Jeni and Sam from DCH
has been brilliant, they have given
me the encouragement, advice and
practical support I needed. Knowing that
there were other people working in the
community that cared as much as I did
gave me a huge boost. I’m really looking
forward to developing this project with
DCH and look forward to meeting more
lovely people in Hayle.
Lindsey already employs mum Hailey, but
hopes to be able to extend Hailey’s role and
build up business so that she can employ
others from the estate. Hailey describes that
she had been out of work for 6-7 years and
had been unable to find a job. She said that
she now feels much more confident and
really enjoys the interaction she has with the
community while working in the shop.
Residents of Chirgwin Court, Penzance
have been busy recently. As well as working
together with DCH to formally constitute a
residents’ association they have also been
revamping their outside space!
Plans have been afoot since December
and with the help of a few active residents
(Angi and Mary Anne) things have really
taken off. Chirgwin Court residents have
already secured funding for five planters
for their lovely patio area from DCH. The
residents are very pleased that their
efforts have paid off and plan to hold
summer events in the garden and invite
other residents from the Penzance area.
5
Gwavas rubbish amnesty
DCH and Gwavas Residents’ Association,
with support from Public Health and
Protection and Clean Cornwall held an
amnesty day in April. For one day only
residents could use skips on the estate to
clear rubbish, like sofas, beds and general
household rubbish from their homes and
gardens.
The police and fire service also attended
to inform residents about issues including
security and carbon monoxide safety.
The skips were placed around the estate
and children also helped with a litter pick.
The event aimed to encourage residents to
take pride in their community and to keep a
clean and safe environment to live in.
Neighbourhood walkabouts
Our walkabouts are very popular, giving
residents the chance to meet their housing
officer and point out areas of concern
in their neighbourhoods. Some areas will
receive pre-planned walkabouts. Other
neighbourhoods will have visits, but housing
officers will inform residents when they are
due to visit near the time. The calendar of
pre-planned walkabouts is below.
Please contact your housing officer if you
are interested in attending and would like
more details.
Your feedback at these walkabouts is really
important and can lead to many improvements.
For instance, take a look at page 23 to see the
Neighbourhood Improvement Grants that were
given because of resident views.
News roundup
July-Sept 2013 calendar – when are we visiting your neighbourhood?
6
July 2013
East Cornwall
Bude
St Neot
Aug 2013
East Cornwall
Gunnislake
Looe
Sept 2013
East Cornwall
Bodmin, central
Millbrook
Open Door summer 2013
Mid Cornwall
Camborne, central
St Blazey
Mevagissey
Chacewater
Constantine
Mid Cornwall
Falmouth, outer
Pengegon, Camborne
Gloweth, Truro
Mid Cornwall
Falmouth, central
Illogan
St Columb
Tregony/Veryan
St Mawes
West Cornwall
Pendarves
St Buryan
West Cornwall
Heamoor
St Ives, central
Connor Downs
Penzance, upper central
West Cornwall
Treneere
Gwavas
St Levan
Pendennis
Alverton
Young voice
Community sustainability
grant - thanks!
Written by Chantal
The young people at the Coach House,
Penzance, would like to thank DCH for
the Community Sustainability Grant which
has allowed us to get garden furniture
(pictured above).
We trained hard for the Race for Life and
on the 29 May 2013 the girls at the Coach
House joined the hundreds of others who
were raising money for cancer research.
We raised an amazing £500.
Colouring
competition
UNDER
16s
We have also been busy organising
our Big Lunch event and inviting other
foyers to join us and raise money for the
Children’s Hospice. Find out more about
it in the next edition of Open Door!
Pictured: young people from the Coach
House with their new garden furniture
and just before their Race for Life.
If you would be interested in a grant like
the young people at the Coach House,
see page 20 for more details.
Colour in this picture and fill in your details (below). Then
cut out and send to the address on page 2, to reach us by
26 July. You could win £20 worth of Love2shop vouchers!
Photocopies will be accepted if more than one
person in your household wishes to enter.
Name:
ONLY
Address:
Postcode:
Age:
Don’t forget the
other competition
in the magazine!
7
Council Tax
update
Council Tax Benefit was abolished in April
and has been replaced with localised
Council Tax Support. For people of working
age living in Cornwall this will only cover
75% of their Council Tax, and so they
will have pay at least 25% themselves
regardless of their income. If you want
advice about your Council Tax, you
should contact Cornwall Council:
0300 1234 100
Making paying
your rent simple
Paying your rent on time is one of the
most important conditions of your tenancy
and is an important financial commitment.
The easiest way is to pay by direct debit:
check that your bank account allows
direct debits. If your rent changes, the
new amount will be taken automatically
Money matters
we will take your bank details over the
phone and you will be notified in writing of
the payments and covered by the direct
debit guarantee. Or we can send you an
authority form to fill out.
8
More information about how to pay your
rent and what to do if you are in rent arrears
can be found in our new information
leaflets.They are available on our website, in
receptions or from your customer services
team. If you are having difficulty paying
your rent, please contact us straightaway.
Loan sharks
They offer you a cash loan, but do not give
you any paperwork. They may take your
benefit or bank card as security on a loan.
They might increase the amount you owe,
even if you are making regular payments.
They might threaten or use violence to get
money from you.
They come in all shapes and sizes, and
although they start off as a friend, they
eventually cause all types of misery.
Basically loan sharks are any person or
business who is not licensed to offer credit.
Because they are not licensed, there are no
rules about how they get their money back,
or how much money they take back.
Loan sharks are operating in Devon and
Cornwall. If you spot a loan shark, or have
borrowed money from one, you can report
them anonymously:
Email:
reportaloanshark@stoploansharks.gov.uk
or send a private message on facebook
www.facebook.com/
stoploansharksproject
0300 555 2222 (24hrs)
By phone:
Or text LOAN SHARK and the lenders
60003
details to
Details will be investigated by the England
Illegal Money Lending Team.
Remember, if you’ve
borrowed money from a
loan shark, you have not
broken the law – they have.
Open Door summer 2013
The Welfare Reform Act is new legislation which
has been introduced by the government. It makes
a number of changes that will affect tenants who
receive benefits. We hope you have been finding
our welfare reform updates helpful over the last few
editions of Open Door.
In this edition we are providing updates about
the first two changes to welfare benefits which
the government introduced this year - bedroom
tax and Disability Living Allowance.There is also
extra information about the Benefit Cap and Blue
Badge eligibility.
Spare room?
Thinking of taking
in a lodger
“
If you are thinking
about letting a spare
bedroom to a lodger,
you may find our new
information pack
handy. It contains key
information and advice
to help you decide if
having a lodger is right
for you.
”
Spare bedroom?
People of working age who
have spare bedrooms have
now had their Housing Benefit
reduced. It will have gone
down by 14% or 25% of their
rent depending on whether
they have one or more spare
bedrooms.Tenants who are
affected will have to pay the
shortfall from out of their
other income.
If you are struggling to pay, please contact
our income management team for help and
advice.
Contact details on back page.
The government made some changes to the
‘bedroom tax’ before it was introduced:
Now an additional room is allowed if a disabled
child needs overnight care and so cannot share
a bedroom. If you think this applies to you, you
should provide your local council with evidence
of the need for a separate bedroom and ask
them to look at your claim again.
They will now allow registered foster carers to have
one additional bedroom for foster children (but
only one bedroom no matter how many children
are fostered), and tenants whose children are in
the armed forces may in limited circumstances
be entitled to a bedroom for them.
Disabled adults who need an additional
bedroom for their spouse because they have
overnight care needs are not entitled to a room
at the moment, but there has been a legal
challenge to this under disability discrimination
rules. We will update our website as soon as we
know the outcome.
9
Thinking of taking
in a lodger?
Money matters
Welfare Reform Act
Don’t forget that if you do have a spare
room and are considering taking in a
lodger, we have produced an information
pack which is available on our website or
from any of our offices and contact centres.
You would need to request permission to
take in a lodger from your housing officer,
and the income you receive may affect
other benefits that you are getting.
Changes to Disability
Living Allowance
Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for people
aged between 16 and 65 is being replaced
by a new benefit - Personal Independence
Payment (PIP).
From June 2013, new claims will be for PIP
rather than DLA.
From October 2013, existing claimants who
either report a change in their condition, or
whose current award comes to an end will
have to claim PIP
From October 2015, the Department of
Work and Pensions will start to contact all
other claimants still getting DLA and inform
them when their entitlement will end and
invite them to claim PIP instead. This will
include people with indefinite or lifetime
awards of DLA.
There is no automatic transfer from DLA to
PIP, only people who complete a new claim
form will be entitled.The Department of
Work and Pensions has said that it expects
everyone to have been moved onto the
new benefit by October 2017.
9
Who to go to
for more advice
If you are worried about how you will be
affected by any of the government’s changes,
please contact us. Remember you can also
contact advice agencies including Citizens
08444 111 444, the Money
Advice
Advice Service
0300 500 5000 or search
our website’s Welfare Reform section for
further details.
There are also dedicated GOV.UK
advice pages and phone lines. Search
www.gov.uk or call as detailed below:
Get advice or information about a claim
you’ve already made for Disability Living
Allowance, Attendance Allowance or Personal
Independence Payment. Disability benefits
08457 123 456
helpline:
Personal Independence Payment helpline:
0845 850 3322
Benefit cap
The introduction of the benefit cap has
been slightly delayed. The decision was
made to apply the cap to one area at a
time, starting with just four districts in April.
Money matters
It will be introduced in other areas between
July 2013 and the end of September 2013.
10
The cap will apply to the combined income
from the main out-of-work benefits, plus
Housing Benefit, Child Benefit and Child Tax
Credit. It will be £500 per week for couples
and lone parents, and £350 per week for
single adults.
Can I get a
Blue Badge?
A guide from the
Department for
Transport
for people livin
g
in England
1
Blue Badge
scheme eligibility
The government have decided that, when
DLA is replaced by PIP, people who score
8 points or more in the ‘Moving Around’
activity of PIP will be automatically eligible
for a Blue Badge. This activity assesses a
person’s physical ability to get around
and a score of 8 points or more will be
awarded to people who are either unable
to walk or who cannot walk further than
approximately 50 metres. This means that
eligibility for a Blue Badge will continue to
be as similar to the current eligibility criteria
for the scheme as possible.
Working age individuals (16 years to
65 years) with cognitive or mental
impairments, conditions such as autism
and carers are now not eligible to apply
for a Blue Badge.
Many people will not be affected by the
benefit cap. This includes people over
pensionable age, those entitled to working
tax credits and people getting either
Disability Living Allowance or Personal
Independence Payment.
Existing badge holders will need to apply
for a new one when their old one expires.
Anyone who does not qualify for a badge
via their PIP award will be able to apply
directly to their local authority under the
‘with further assessment’ criteria. The main
criteria is for those who are unable to walk
or have very serious difficulty in walking.
The benefit cap will be applied at first by
reducing a claimant’s Housing Benefit.
The claimant would then need to pay
any shortfall on their rent from their other
income. If you are affected by the cap and
are struggling to pay your rent, you should
contact your local income management
Contact details on back page.
officer.
The changes to the scheme do not affect
people under the age of 16 or aged
65 or over on 8 April 2013, those who
continue to receive the higher rate of the
mobility component of the Disability Living
Allowance or those who are eligible for a
badge under the remaining criteria, for
example, those who are registered blind.
Open Door summer 2013
Consultation events have been held
to obtain our customers’ views on the
Green Deal.
This is the government’s new initiative to
improve energy efficiency and reduce
carbon emissions from existing buildings.
The key feature of the Green Deal is that
it is a ‘pay as you save’ scheme – energy
efficiency works are carried out with no
upfront cost, but are paid by a charge
added to the electricity bill.
The consultation process provided a brief
overview of the key points of the scheme
and its likely impact on DCH and its
customers. Customer feedback suggested
that energy costs would be an issue for
some. The ‘pay as you save’ aspect of the
Green Deal and the potential involvement
of third party contractors to deliver the work
were also seen as areas of concern.
The consultation revealed that most
customers would prefer DCH to carry out
energy efficiency improvements without
involving the Green Deal.
Watch this space for further updates.
National
Playday
Playday is
on 7 August
and is the national day for play.
It is traditionally celebrated on
the first Wednesday in August.
On Playday thousands of children
and their families get out to play
at hundreds of community events
across the UK.
As well as a celebration of children’s right to
play, Playday is a campaign that highlights
the importance of play in children’s lives.
The Playday 2013 campaign theme
is Playful places. The Playful places
campaign is calling on everyone to help
make sure that the places where children
live and hang out are great places to play.
To find out about playdays near you or to
download a useful guide and order free
resources visit:
www.playday.org.uk
Illegal tobacco –
Harmful to your lungs,
Harmful to your community
On the surface, cheap tobacco might seem
like a great bargain, but look a little deeper,
and the harm it causes cuts deeply into the
lungs of your community.
Sold at pocket money prices, cheap tobacco
makes it easy for our children to smoke and
become addicted.The people who sell cheap
tobacco often sell other illegal products, such
as drugs, fake goods and alcohol, which invites
wider criminal activity into the community.
Add to this that most counterfeit tobacco is
disguised to look like imported non duty paid,
and counterfeit tobacco has been tested and
found to contain, amongst other things, rodent
droppings, asbestos and up to 70
times the chemical levels of “normal”
cigarettes!
Healthy living & green news
Green Deal
Trading Standards across the south
west are actively investigating reports
of illegal tobacco sales, and have
taken a number of prosecutions over
the past couple of years.
For more information, go to
www.stopillegaltobacco.co.uk
To share information, or report
any activity call Crimestoppers
anonymously on
0800 555 111.
For free help and support to quit smoking, call
01209 215 666 or email
smokefree@cornwall.nhs.uk if in Cornwall.
Devon residents can call
01884 836 024
or email:
smoking.devonpct@nhs.net
11
Shared ownership
Your new home is closer than you think!
Shared ownership makes owning a new home more affordable. With typical
deposit levels from 5% of the share price, you should need less than £3,000 to
buy a brand new two-bedroom home.
Contact our sales team for information on the
properties featured here, or view our full range online:
www.dchgroup.com/sales
01752 856 037
sales@dchgroup.com
follow shared ownership @DCHsales
Applicants need to be registered with South West Homes,
and local connection criteria apply. Log onto
www.southwesthomes.org.uk to register your interest.
Coming soon to DCH
Devon
Shared ownership
At Lanes End, Slapton, South Devon we will
be offering two 2-bedroom houses for sale
through shared ownership. Further information
on this lovely new scheme is on our new
website including images and the price list.
12
Ogwell Brook, Newton Abbot
Ogwell Brook is a small development
built by Linden Homes on the outskirts
of Newton Abbot.
We are selling seven 3-bedroom,
three-storey houses through the shared
ownership scheme. Situated in a secluded
cul-de-sac with no through traffic, each
home benefits from allocated parking,
private rear garden, contemporary
kitchens including a built in cooker,
hob and canopy hood.
We are already taking reservations for these
lovely new homes, so if you don’t want to
miss out, contact us today!
Open Door summer 2013
At Alston Gate in Malborough (just outside
Salcombe) in South Devon we will be offering
four new homes (two 2-bedroom and two
3-bedroom houses) early in 2014.
At Lower Poole Farm in North Molton
near Barnstaple we will be providing
two 2-bedroom homes.
You can register your interest in these homes
by contacting our sales team.
At Breage near Helston four new homes
are due for completion in February 2014.
The price list is available on our website or
give us a call.
Quintrell Downs near Newquay
In the picturesque village of Mylor situated
between Truro and Falmouth we will be
providing four new homes for shared
ownership sale. We expect these homes
to be very popular so contact us soon to
express an interest.
In St Austell there will soon be nine
shared ownership homes for sale at
Treggorick View with the rest of the
development a mixture of open market
and homes for local people to rent.
At Trezaise Road in Roche four new
homes will be available in February 2014.
At Grampound Road,Truro five homes will
be available in February 2014.
At Quintrell Downs on the outskirts of
Newquay we will be offering 25 houses
for sale. We aim to sell the homes for either
shared ownership or discounted sale.
If you are interested in one of these homes
call us to find out which purchasing option
would be best for you.
Shared ownership
Cornwall
Options if you are already a DCH shared owner!
Life has a way of changing and
sometimes your home no longer suits
your needs. With shared ownership,
you have options!
Resales
Selling on your existing shared ownership
home involves a couple of up front costs.
For instance, you will need to obtain an
accurate valuation from a chartered
surveyor, and an energy performance
certificate. We have a list of approved
surveyors you can use; we can also suggest
a legal firm to help you.
Our friendly resales team will help you to
find a buyer for your home and support
you through the selling process for a fee
(in accordance with your lease). South West
Homes (the local HomeBuy agent) keeps
an up-to-date register of people wanting
to buy a shared ownership home. We will
contact those people for you and also
advertise your home on the SWH website.
Throughout the sales process we will work
hard to answer all your questions as quickly
as we can.
We helped 64 shared owners to sell the
share of their home in 2012. If you want to
sell your home, contact us today.
Stair-casing
If your ambition is to own your existing
shared ownership property outright, we
can help you with that too. Simply find out
the value from a chartered surveyor and
tell us what further percentage share you
would like to purchase. In most cases you
can start by buying an additional 10%,
but since you will need to use the services
of a solicitor, we usually recommend that
you staircase in tranches of 25% to make
it cost effective. You can then continue to
staircase until you own 100% of your home.
However, in some rural areas you will be
restricted to a maximum of 80% ownership.
This is to ensure that shared ownership
homes in rural areas are retained for
local people.
Why not contact our resales team today to
find out how we can help you. Call us on
01752 856 037 or email us at
sales@dchgroup.com
13
ren 10
children, daughter Lau
Mrs Gardner with her
Sales Adviser
H
DC
rp,
Sha
Deborah
and son Harvey 7 and
home. The DCH sales team were able to talk
through every step of the process which we
found very straightforward.
DCH first shared
owners move into
Cranbrook, Devon
The Gardner family moved into their threebedroom, three-storey home through our
shared ownership scheme in April. They
found out about shared ownership through
South West Homes, the Homebuy agent for
the south west. Our DCH shared ownership
sales team supported the family every step
of the way to owning their own home.
Shared ownership
Mrs Gardner said: We are
delighted with our new
home at Cranbrook as we get to stay
within close proximity to the rest of our
family in an area we grew up in. We chose
shared ownership as it suited the way
we wanted to approach buying our own
14
Deborah Sharp, DCH Shared
Ownership Sales Adviser said:
Our high-quality affordable homes are
prioritised for local people, helping them to
gain a firm foothold on the property ladder.
We were able to show Maureen and Stuart
that they could purchase a share of the
property, with a subsidised rent payable on
the unsold equity at this fantastic scheme.
We gave the family advice and support
throughout the sales process including
putting them in touch with a financial adviser.
Cranbrook will boast two primary schools,
a secondary school, a community centre,
doctors’ surgery and excellent transport
facilities.
We will be advertising further homes for sale at
Cranbrook either through shared ownership or
open market sale. For more information and
advice on purchasing a shared ownership
home you can email
sales@dchgroup.com or call us
us
01752 856 037. View our new
on
homes at Cranbrook on our website
www.dchgroup.com
Highlighting shared
ownership in Cornwall
Our DCH sales team teamed up with the
National Housing Federation for Shared
Ownership Week in March. We highlighted
the benefits of shared ownership with the
naming of our multimillion pound scheme
at Polmennor Drive, Carbis Bay, Cornwall.
Local MP Andrew George officially named
the scheme ‘Peal Drive’, a name chosen
by twin sisters Mia and Ella Cole and pupils
from St Uny Primary School in Carbis Bay.
Due for completion in summer 2013, the
new scheme at Peal Drive will provide 44
new homes for rent and shared ownership.
Twelve homes will be shared ownership
properties, enabling local people who
cannot afford to buy a home outright to take
a first step on the property ladder. All the new
homes are now under offer.
We are delighted to have received an overall customer
sales satisfaction score in 2012/13 of 96.77%
Open Door summer 2013
In this edition of the DCH performance
update we report on:
the latest information about
ServiceWatch, the team of residents
who watch over our services and
provide a customer view
the latest performance results for the
main services that we provide. This is in a
new format approved by ServiceWatch,
based on customer feedback
more detailed performance information
relating to our customer care and antisocial behaviour services.
How are we doing?
How are we doing?
ServiceWatch
There are currently 11 resident members of
ServiceWatch and they have an important
role keeping an eye on our customer
services and the decisions made by the
boards of DCH and West Devon Homes.
The team has now met 10 times, and
recently it has:
looked at the main decisions made
by the DCH boards and asked for
more information where required to
carry out scrutiny
completed a review of income
management including:
how we help to prevent tenants
getting into rent arrears
the letters and statements that
we send residents
how we are preparing
for government changes
to welfare reforms.
continued to monitor our performance at
every meeting, looking at performance
targets and results. ServiceWatch has
approved a new format for performance
information and this has been introduced
in this edition
continued a review of how we deal with
empty properties and help people move
into their new home. ServiceWatch is
particularly interested in the Homechoice
service and also any reasons for delays in
the time it takes to fill an empty home
received a presentation of the latest
results of the satisfaction survey of our
social rented tenants satisfaction survey
looked at how DCH deals with complaints
across Cornwall and Devon
presented the DCH boards with their
review of the repairs service and
an update on how successfully the
ServiceWatch team has progressed.
The final report will be reported to
the DCH boards.
15
Our performance at the end of March 2013
The following performance information is in a new format approved by
ServiceWatch. Performance in each service area is illustrated by a dial and
this is followed by an explanation of any service issues.
If you require more detailed information then tables of performance information are
available on the DCH website.
We have an overall aim of being in the top 25% of housing associations. This is known as
top-quartile (Q1). The quartile position is mentioned in the text below.
Q1 is excellent, Q2 is above average, Q3 is below average and Q4 is very poor.
Dealing with empty properties
our re-let times average 34 days and
are not achieving the DCH target of
21days, resulting in Q3 performance
Devon general needs properties are
being let in an average of 27 days,
Cornwall is 35 days
supported housing re-let times of 29
days are also not achieving the target
of 19 days, resulting in Q3 performance
How are we doing?
the number of properties currently
vacant is within target, resulting in
Q1 performance
16
supported housing due to empty homes
rent loss is higher at 11.26% (Q4)
nearly 9 out of 10 new tenants are
satisfied with the lettings process (87%),
however this is below the target of 95%.
the amount of rent lost due to empty
homes is successfully within target
for general needs and sheltered
(0.70%), resulting in Q1 performance.
However, Devon is at Q2 (0.80%) due to
some harder to let sheltered properties
DCH - average re-let time in days for all homes
35
30
25
20
April
May
June
July
Aug
Sept
DCH last year
DCH this year
Open Door summer 2013
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
the total arrears performance
for current tenants is at 2%. The lower
this figure, the better our performance.
Performance continues to improve and
has successfully achieved the target of
2%, resulting in Q1 performance
supported housing arrears performance
in Devon is 1.54% and has also improved
and is Q1. Performance in Cornwall
improved to 3% but is not yet achieving
the target and is Q2
overall shared ownership arrears is 1%.
Performance has achieved the target of
1% resulting in Q1 performance. There is
a difference between Cornwall (3%, Q2)
and Devon (0.78%, Q1)
former tenant arrears (1.63%) are
more than the target of 0.68% resulting
in Q3 performance
there have been 36 evictions for arrears
since 1 April 2013, 24 in Devon and 12
in Cornwall.
DCH - current tenant arrears total as a percentage of rent due for all homes
5
How are we doing?
Collecting rent
4
3
2
1
0
April
May
June
July
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
DCH last year
DCH this year
Customer care, and anti-social behaviour
there have been 819 reports of
anti-social behaviour (ASB), 281
in Cornwall and 538 in Devon
there are 256 ASB cases in progress, and
751 cases have been closed this year
satisfaction with ASB has improved to
71% against a target of 87% resulting
in Q3 performance
71% of calls taken by the contact centres
have been answered in the target time.
85% in Cornwall and 58% in Devon.
A detailed review of the service has
been carried out and there is an
improving trend in performance
61% of complaints were initially responded to
in the target time, against a target of 100%
there have been 672 formal complaints
made about our services since 1 April
2012, 10 reached stage three and 5 were
referred to the ombudsman
satisfaction with the complaints process
is now being monitored but more
responses are needed before performance
can be reported.
17
In this issue of Open Door we are providing further information
about our customer care and anti-social behaviour services.
The following
charts are taken
from the annual
satisfaction survey of
our customers and
provide more detailed
information regarding
customer satisfaction.
Percentage of customers satisfied
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
18
We take customer
satisfaction really
seriously and we
are working hard on
improvement plans
for our weaker areas.
There will be more
information on this
in the next edition of
Open Door.
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
The way DCH
deals with antisocial behaviour
Awareness of
DCH's formal
complaints
procedure
0
Open Door summer 2013
Satisfied with
the final outcome
of your query
Satisfied that DCH can
deal with questions
quickly and efficiently
DCH returned
my calls in a
reasonable time
DCH answered my
questions within a
reasonable time
DCH staff are
generally helpful
It is easy to get hold
of the right person
100 Percentage of customers satisfied
Satisfied with the
way DCH deal
with complaints
How are we doing?
0
DCH are good at
keeping me informed
about things that
might affect me
10
DCH Update
Farewell to…
Graham Facks-Martin
At the end of January, we said a fond and
sad farewell to Graham Facks-Martin who
retired as a board member, having served
the maximum nine years.
Graham joined Tor Homes in 2004 as an independent
board member following Tor’s partnership with William
Sutton Trust. He has over 30 years’ experience in
housing issues at local and national level and has
provided invaluable support and knowledge, whilst
serving on the board of DCH and its committees and
the boards of Tor Homes and PHA.
nalised
Photo: Graham’s perso
ke
ca
board meeting
Special offer
Report your broken meter
box to us between June
and the end of August
2013 and we will cover
the cost! From September
meter box repairs will be
recharged if the damage
is due to your neglect.
What to do if your gas or electric meter
box door is broken or missing?
You can contact us or report the repair online.
Contact details are on the back page.
You will be charged for this unless:
the meter box was vandalised and you
reported it to the police and have a crime
incident log number
it can be evidenced that the energy company
had visited in the last 14 days to read the meter
and did not close the box properly
if Western Power (electric) agree not
to charge
you can also report the repair directly to
the energy and water companies.
Keep your energy meter
in good condition
use a meter key to open and lock the meter
don’t leave the door open to be damaged
by rain and gusty wind
damage to water meter housings should
normally be reported direct to the water
company South West Water as they do not
belong to us.
Type of meter Who to contact
Western Power
Electric
0845 601 2989
Wales and West Utilities
Gas
0870 165 0597
South West Water
Water
0800 169 1133
Free meter key
If you do not have an electric and gas meter key, now is the time to
claim your free one by telephoning your local contact team or emailing:
freemeterkey@dchgroup.com please give your name and address.
19
...
NHS1
J22031 Call24 AW for Advert.indd 1
1/5/12 17:30:48
Could your residents group do more if they
had a little more money?
fun day or play day for young people
community newsletter
community arts workshop
DCH Update
Community
sustainability grant
20
Is there a little bit missing? That extra bit of
money to help you improve your life skills,
or your residents’ group to do more in your
community? Look no further!
We offer our residents the opportunity to
apply for an award of up to £250 for:
courses that are not eligible for a local
authority grant
training and job opportunities
development of life skills
mentoring or coaching
projects that encourage social enterprise
courses that promote money management.
Open Door summer 2013
games and books for the communal lounge
educational trip to the theatre
community mosaic or wildlife garden
football team kit.
Residents groups and associations can apply
for a grant of up to £500.Your group will need its
own bank account and set of rules to be eligible.
Don’t worry if you don’t have these as our friendly
community development workers are on hand
to help you get everything you need in place to
make an application.
Contact details on back page.
Residents were welcomed back to their homes at Meadow Flats, St Ives on
Friday 26 April following a large scale rebuild project. The following month,
two of the residents, Jennifer McLardy and Doreen Pink, even got to meet the
Queen who had visited the Tate St Ives next door.
The multimillion pound housing development
next to Tate St Ives has been described as a
‘fantastic flagship’ for St Ives. The project has
created 26 modern homes for older people;
replacing the 20 apartments at Meadow
Flats which had stood overlooking Porthmeor
beach since the 1950s. It has also enabled
Tate St Ives to develop its complementary
plans to extend and improve the gallery.
Andy Moore, Chief Executive of our housing
services in Cornwall, said:
We have worked closely with
the Meadow Flats Advisory
Group during the design and planning
period to ensure they would get a scheme
that would meet their needs entirely.
We employed a tenant liaison
and resettlement officer to provide
residents with continued help and
support throughout the project.
Jennifer McLardy from the advisory
group said:
The Phoenix has indeed risen
from the ashes of the former
Meadow Flats in St Ives. Residents moved
away from their homes around 4 years
ago in order for DCH to demolish and then
rebuild the deteriorating flats adjacent to
the St Ives Tate Gallery.
DCH update
Residents are welcomed back to Meadow Flats
to hear that both new - and returning
residents - are impressed and delighted
with what the new complex has to offer stunning panoramic and enhanced views
across the hypnotic Porthmeor Beach, with
accommodation especially geared for
people with health and mobility issues.
The homes constructed by Leadbitter,
and designed by Poynton Bradbury Wynter
Cole, have replaced the original flats,
which were located in three separate
two-storey blocks on a very steeply sloping
site. The new development includes a
passenger lift, a stair-lift, communal lounge
facilities, thoughtfully designed layouts
and features to assist with daily living.
The homes have under-floor heating
provided by sustainable energy.
Cornwall Council have provided funding,
and the Homes and Communities Agency
have invested £1.25million in the scheme.
DCH has worked closely with partners,
including a resident advisory group,
St Ives Town Council and Cornwall
Council members to design a scheme
with enhanced facilities and features.
The new Meadow Flats have been
beautifully designed and created and we thank everyone involved in
this challenging project.
Meeting the Queen was the icing on the
cake after moving in to my new home.
She was really lovely and very interested
21
Farewell to… Eric Parton
Eric Parton resigned from the CIC
Board (Cornwall) in January, due to
personal circumstances. He thanked
his fellow board members and staff
for the welcome and support that he
had received during his time on the
board and whilst a member of DCH’s
regional committee in Cornwall.
DCHvoice
Membership cards
Our residents make a big difference
to the services we deliver through
our renamed engagement register
‘DCHvoice’, which has over 1,000
members so far.
Listening to you
We will now be giving all our DCHvoice
members a membership card with a unique
reference number. This number will appear
on any involvement information we send
you, so you won’t have to complete your
details on questionnaires and when
signing-in at meetings or community events.
22
If you would like more information
about joining DCHvoice, please
contact our involvement team on
0300 303 8080, or email
involvecornwall@dchgroup.com
To find out more about getting involved
with DCH and improving our services, we
have a new ‘Making a difference’ leaflet.
It is available on our website, in receptions
or from your customer services team.
Finding out what
residents think about
our service standards
In March, as part of agreeing new DCH
housing service standards, we consulted
widely with residents, staff and stakeholders.
Residents were invited to complete a survey
or attend focus groups across Devon and
Cornwall. We were really pleased with how
many people took part and were impressed
by the energy and ideas that residents
put forward.
We looked at our housing service standards
and what we promise to delivery for:
• repairs and maintenance
• neighbourhood management
(including dealing with low level
anti-social behaviour)
• customer contact (including
complaints)
• resident involvement.
We are currently carefully considering all
of the feedback from residents and staff so
that our new set of service standards can be
finalised. We’ll report back to you about the
final set of standards in Open Door. They will
also be made available on our website and
in receptions. We will of course feedback in
detail to those who took part.
Do you have communal
cleaning where you live?
Every six months we send satisfaction surveys out to a selection
of residents who receive communal or window cleaning in their
block of flats or area. If you receive a form please complete it
as your feedback, whether positive or negative will be used to
ensure the scheme continues to run for your benefit.
If you have any queries regarding the cleaning contract then
0300 303 8030
contact Kara Attmere
Open Door summer 2013
Listening in the
community
Andrew George came to visit the residents
group at Chirgwin Court where many
issues were discussed. One of which was
the possibility of a pick-up/drop-off point
outside the flats. This is due to the congestion
outside and the fact that for years the
residents have been inquiring about an
ambulance parking space that could also
be used as a taxi drop off and pick up for
the flats.
You may remember me from my
introductory article in the spring edition
of Open Door. I have quickly settled
into my new role which is hosted
by DCH in Cornwall and am having a really
great time listening to residents. I have
already heard some really inspirational
ideas regarding community projects. So
far, working with you, we have listened to
your ideas and supported the setting up
of residents’ associations, applied for and
secured funding through neighbourhood
improvements grants, improved communal
areas, met with the local MP and
developed great friendships.
Residents have been told that the cost
for this is too much at around £3,000.
It was agreed by all that £3,000 was a
disproportionate charge for the work and
Andrew George has agreed to pursue the
matter with other ministers.
Neighbourhood
Improvement Grants
By Jeni McFadden,
DCH Community Organiser
Listening to you
Residents having
their say in
Penzance
If you would like to know more about
community organising, or if you would like
me to go out ‘listening’ in your community
please give me a call! I will be more than
happy to come along, and assist with the
projects that follow.
Contact details on the back page.
Look around your
neighbourhood, would
that patch of grass look
lovely with some new
plants? How about a
bench to sit on?
If you have an idea for improving your
neighbourhood and would like to apply
for an improvement grant, please get in
touch. If your idea meets certain criteria,
competitive quotes are obtained and a
simple application form is completed.
Your idea will then be considered by fellow
residents at your local Area Liaison Panel.
It’s as simple as that!
Some recent projects include…
Foote’s Field, Truro now has a new gate
with a ‘Residents Only’ sign for resident
security as well as two new benches and
recycled plastic, vandal-proof bins.
One resident said: Thanks
for getting this work done!
It will make a big difference to the
garden area being used by everyone
not just by the children. We have already
had tenants sitting on the bench enjoying
the sunshine.
Wilson Way, Par residents wanted to replace
a stone wall boundary with a fence. The key
resident who locks up the play park each
evening now hopes for a bit of peace. There
will no longer be any climbing over of the
wall and so loose stones will not be causing
damage, mess or used as missiles.
23
A day in the life of…
Tenancy
enforcement
by Carly Hicks
Community safety news
The tenancy
enforcement
team consists of
David Ellin and Pat
Devereux and Carly
Hicks. David and
Pat are tenancy
enforcement officers
who oversee the
west of Cornwall (David) and mid and
east of Cornwall (Patrick). Carly Hicks,
Tenancy Enforcement Assistant, assists
them and as you will read, she has a
varied and busy role.
24
8:45am First thing, I check all emails,
keeping an eye out for any anti-social
behaviour (ASB) reports that have come
through from Respect Line overnight.
9:30am I have an
appointment with a
tenant who has had noise
monitoring equipment
installed in their property
due to an ongoing
noise complaint. I shall
be uninstalling it this morning and then I
shall be off to install it for another tenant.
They have sent us diary sheets containing
details of noise nuisance from the flat
below. The noise monitoring equipment
will capture the noise level and allow us
to take appropriate action.
12:00pm Back at the office to scan some
paperwork onto our database system.
David is out this afternoon conducting a
joint visit with the police to address an ASB
incident. I finish off all my ‘odd jobs’ before
I have my half an hour lunch break.
Open Door summer 2013
1:00pm I receive a call from Pat. David is
applying to the courts for an ASB injunction
and has asked that I visit our tenant this
afternoon to take a witness statement.
2:30pm After taking the witness statement I
head straight back to the office to type it up.
This is then sent to Pat who will print off and
add to his court bundle.
3:15pm I start making calls to tenants who
have had their ASB cases closed, but who
haven’t returned their satisfaction surveys.
I complete the surveys over the phone
with the tenants. This feedback helps us to
improve in areas where it is needed and
makes it clear which areas we do well in.
4:00pm I check my diary for tomorrow. I have
a neighbourhood walkabout in Penzance.
I need to prepare my paperwork and notes
so I am ready to go in the morning. It’s a
good opportunity to meet with tenants and
identify any ASB issues.
4:30pm I receive a call from a tenant who
is quite upset by an incident that has just
occurred. I reassure her and explain where
we are in the process of dealing with the
case. I also stress that if she feels threatened
she must not hesitate to call the police. I log
the details of the call and incident on the
case log number and explain that I will call
either tomorrow or the following day with any
updates I may have.
To report issues of ASB out of office
hours our Respect Line details are on
the back page.
Or you can read more about how we
deal with ASB in our leaflet ‘Give respect,
get respect’. It’s available on our website,
in receptions or from your customer
services team.
You may be contacted by a contractor for
access to your home to carry out a service.
Listed below is some of the equipment
we service on a regular basis, with a brief
description of why the servicing is necessary.
It is important that you allow contractors into
your home to complete this vital work.
We may take legal action against you
if access is denied.
Smoke detectors
The fire service state that the
fitting of smoke alarms, and
ensuring they are carefully
and properly maintained,
could give you those precious
few extra minutes in which to make your
escape safely.
Solid fuel - soundness testing
HETAS advise that you make sure your
chimney is swept at frequent intervals.
Use a HETAS approved chimney sweep.
A blocked or restricted chimney will reduce
flue performance, increasing the chances of
the appliance spilling CO2 and other fumes
into the property.
Renewable energy
It is essential that renewable energy
appliances are serviced regularly for the
efficiency of lowering carbon and to continue
saving money on your energy bills. As your
landlord, we have a duty of care to ensure this
important safety work is carried out.
Radon fans and
ventilation
Radon is a natural gas found
in soil and rocks. It has no
colour, taste or smell but
radon in the home presents a health risk.
The Health Protection Agency recommends
that radon levels should be reduced in
homes to a safe level.
Regular servicing of ventilation equipment is
desirable to ensure safe low levels of radon
are maintained in your home.
Stair lift servicing
LOLER, the Lifting Operations and Lifting
Equipment Regulations 1998 advises an
effective maintenance programme will
make equipment more reliable. Periodic
service inspection of your stairlift will
reduce the incidence of inconvenient
breakdowns and help to ensure your stair lift
is maintained in a safe condition.
Electrical equipment
testing
Community safety news
The importance
of servicing
The Electrical Equipment
(Safety) Regulations 1994
requires that all mains
electrical equipment (cookers, washing
machines, kettles, etc), new or second
hand, supplied with the accommodation
must be safe. This is often known as Portable
Appliance Testing (PAT). As a result, we
regularly maintain the electrical equipment
we supply to ensure it is safe.
Periodic electrical inspections
The Electrical Safety Council recommends
the following: ‘If the safety of the users is not
to be put at risk, it is important that every
installation is periodically inspected and
tested by a competent person’.
25
D
R
A
O
B
E
C
I
NOT
Volunteer Befriend
ers
needed in West Cor
nwall
Are you a caring perso
n? Do you have a
spare hour in your we
ek to have a chat
and a cup of tea with
someone or to take
them along to a com
munity social club?
Our housing support se
rvice is looking for
volunteer befrienders to
visit people who are
isolated rurally or from
their family and rarely
get to see anyone.
If so please contact Ma
ria Clark, Volunteer
Coordinator on
07966 662 805 or email
maria.clark@dchgroup
.com
No experience is nece
ssary as relevant
police checks (CRB) an
d training will
be provided.
Passionate about
learning outside
the classroom?
ur enthusiasm
Keen to share yo
g people?
and inspire youn
ide
Project aims to prov
ns
io
ct
ne
on
C
l
ra
The Natu
arn in the
ties for pupils to le
regular opportuni
ers and
t, by removing barri
en
m
on
vir
en
l
ra
tu
na
oors.
ilities to teach outd
ab
s
ol
ho
sc
g
sin
increa
rsity and
by Plymouth Unive
It has been piloted
English
d
l England, Defra an
funded by Natura
.
Heritage until 2016
nwall to
r volunteers in Cor
They are looking fo
exciting
er innovative and
help teachers deliv
scientific
e curriculum, from
th
ss
ro
ac
s
itie
tiv
ac
pupil’s
racy work, to raise
investigations to lite
ance!
rm
prove their perfo
aspirations and im
nity to
have the opportu
ill
w
rs
ee
nt
lu
vo
rn
In retu
dge, learn
p their own knowle
share and develo
e, whilst
practical experienc
new skills and gain
ance to
support and the ch
g,
in
in
tra
ng
ivi
ce
re
breaking project.
be part of a ground
t:
ion please contac
For more informat
ymouth.ac.uk
emily.cannon@pl
01752 585 397
or
26
Open Door summer 2013
Members of our Media
Group have a
soft spot for an ancient
book which we
feature extracts from in
each edition of
Open Door. Here is so
me ye olde advice
about what to do to se
cure a loose tooth
from Mrs Black’s book
‘Consult me for all
you need to know’. We
would of course
recommend you visit
a dentist instead!
Untaxed + Un
roadworthy
= Unfortunate
Untaxed and
unroadworth
y vehicles
parked in fron
t of houses o
r on our
land can ma
ke even the b
rightest
of neighbourh
oods look un
tidy and
uncared for.
Malcolm Hitc
hens, a Truro
based
housing man
agement offi
c
er, and
Patrick Devere
ux, from our te
nancy
enforcement
team, took le
gal action
with such a c
ase only rece
ntly.
Our repeated
requests to a
tenant to
remove their
untaxed vehic
le had
been ignored
so we asked
the courts
to order its re
moval.
The injunctio
n was grante
d which
meant that th
e owner of th
e vehicle
would no lon
ger be just ig
n
oring DCH
but he risked
being in ‘con
te
mpt of
court’ and po
ssible impriso
nment.
As you can im
agine the veh
icle was
moved within
three days an
d
at a hefty
cost to the ow
ner who had
to pay the
legal costs a
s well.
Please be wa
rned that we
do have
the means to
take very pro
mpt and
effective lega
l action. Don’t
let this
happen to yo
u! Did you miss out on your £130
energy payment last winter?
Many people were eligible
for the government’s Warm
Home Discount Scheme and
didn’t realise it. The scheme,
which is designed to replace
social tariffs, provided a £130
rebate to electricity accounts
during the winter. This will
increase to £135 next winter.
Anyone claiming the
guarantee element of
Pension Credit should
automatically get the
rebate, but all suppliers
have a ‘broader’ category
of other individuals who
may be eligible. The eligibility
criteria vary depending on
supplier, but should target
‘vulnerable’ groups.
For example, if you receive
an income-related
benefit plus a disability or
employment allowance, or
you have a child under 5,
you may be eligible.
Eligible customers on
prepayment meters will
also receive a credit.
People who fit the
additional criteria MUST
apply for the rebate. The
‘broader’ category is on a
first come first serve basis so
register NOW for next winter.
Contact your supplier or
check out their websites
to see who is eligible.
For general impartial help
and advice regarding
energy issues please
contact the Warm Me Up!
project at Community
Energy Plus
0800 954 1956.
A new approach to
customer complaints
Inspired
Cashpoint...
has just opened and
is now offering
grants of up to £500
for 14 - 25 year
olds to run volunteer
ing projects in
their communities. Th
ey are looking
to support exciting an
d creative
project ideas from yo
ung people,
the project ideas mus
t originate from
young people and an
y funding will
be paid directly to th
em. For further
information call
020 7960 7000 or vis
it
http://vinspired.com
opportunities/10066
Resource
pack
My Community Starter is a FREE
online information resource for
people who want to get involved in
organising smaller, straightforward
community activities.
Get some guidance on how to set
up and plan your community group’s
or individual activities
Get a FREE, personalised
“My Community Starter” Pack
to help get your activity started.
www.mycommunitystarter.co.uk
You should tell us straightaway if you are
not satisfied with the standard of service
you receive from us. Your feedback is
important because it helps us learn and
improve our services. We will try to put
matters right straightaway, but if you are
not satisfied you may wish to make a
complaint. We have a formal complaints
process which is designed to make sure
that complaints are fully investigated
and resolved. Sometimes, however,
customers may still feel things have not
been put right.
try to resolve their complaints. We
would like
to create a team of Customer
Complaints
Agents, living in Devon or Cornw
all, which
customers can contact when
they need
to ask for help. The team memb
ers will be
registered with the Housing Om
budsman as
a recognised tenant panel. We
will arrange
training and support you throug
hout the role,
and help customers contact you
if they wish.
It doesn’t matter where you live
as long as
you are a member of DCHvoice
.You will not
be asked to help every time, jus
t when the
customer lives locally to you.
The next step is to contact a designated
For more information please con
person. This can be a local councillor,
tact:
an MP or a recognised tenant panel Devon - Alice Potter on
0300 123 8080
for DCH these are our Customer
or email
involvedevon@dchgroup.com
Complaints Agents.
Cornwall – Leanda Flower on
We are looking for customers who are
0300 303 8030 or email
interested in helping other customers
involvecornwall@dchgroup.com
27
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Win0
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Wordsearch
Win £20 worth of Love2shop vouchers
in our seasonal wordsearch
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Search through this maze of letters for the seasonal
words that appear in the list above. The words are
written forwards, backwards, diagonally, up & down.
When you have circled all of them, cut along the
dotted line and send it to the head office (opposite)
or to the address on page 2 before 26 July.
You could be the lucky winner of £20 vouchers.
Good luck!
VO
AUGUST
JULY
BARBECUE
RELAX
SANDALS
Visit:
www.dchgroup.com
Penzance office:
67 Morrab Road
Penzance, TR18 2QJ
Fax: 01736 331647
Truro office:
Kenwyn Street
Truro, TR1 3BA
Fax: 01872 260 397
BEACH
Text enquiries
SHORTS
07797 800079
BIKING
Respect Line:
SUNBURN
HATS
SUNSCREEN
HOLIDAY
SUNTAN
HOT
SWIMMING
HUMID
Open to
all ages
!
(for reporting ASB
out of office hours)
0800 088 66 99 or
text ASB to 80800
for a call-back
Minicom:
0800 027 7014
TypeTalk:
18001-01736 331799
Name:
Address:
Postcode:
Age:
Cornwall Media Group members – Carol Bosworth,
Frank Bowater, Jenny Beamish, Julia Wadey,
Mike Smith, Norman Emberson, Paul Williams,
Rose Perkin, Tonny Steenhagen, Chris Cross.