Tenant News Spring 2016

SPRING 2016
West Lothian
informing and involving West Lothian’s tenants
Bridgend new build site
Building new council homes
Free Home Security
Getting Involved
New Grey Bin Size
New Build
p3
p14
p17
p19
westlothian.gov.uk
1
The
rent you pay
A 3% increase has recently been agreed by the Council, and your rent will
rise by this amount from April 2016. So, for example, if you were paying
£66.20 per week, your rent will now be £68.18, an increase of £1.98 per week.
Your rent is important as it pays for routine repairs and allows planned capital investment works to existing
houses. For example in 2015/16 your rent money paid for the following works to be undertaken.
Number of Properties
Type of Works
Roof and / or Render
Boiler Upgrades
Window replacements
Rhone cleaning and repairs
Fencing replacement
External Painting
Electrical Inspections to properties
Installation of smoke detectors
External lighting to houses
Kitchen/bathroom replacements
Internal decoration (Assisted Decoration Scheme)
Cavity fill and loft insulation
Home Security Scheme
Common stair upgrades (doors, painting and flooring)
In addition, your rent is paying
towards the building of 1,000 new
council houses.
We are committed to offering
good value for money and in
2015/16 our agreed rent increase
was comparable with the Scottish
average of 2.66%. In 2015 the
results from our tenant satisfaction
survey showed that 85% of our
tenants agreed the rent they paid
represented good value for money,
an increase of 1% from the previous
year. This compared favourably with
the Scottish average satisfaction rate
of 76.8%.
We appreciate that many people are
under financial pressure and may be
struggling to pay their household
bills. If you find yourself in this
273
775
136
3000
157
557
1250
500
50
60
197
200
90
56 (entire blocks)
situation, it is essential that you get in
touch with your local housing officer
or the council’s Advice Shop – help
and advice is available.
Our staff are working very hard to
offer help and support to tenants
to help them pay their rent, and to
claim any benefits that they may
entitled to. However, we can only do
this if tenants get in touch.
Contact us on 01506 280000, visit one of our local CIS offices
or email customer.service@westlothian.gov.uk for more information
2
Building services moves into new Kirkton service centre
The council’s new Kirkton Service Centre at Kirkton Campus, Livingston, is
now operational. The building has been refurbished to provide a modern
and efficient working environment for six council services
The services which have located to the
service centre are: Building Services,
Records Management, Heritage, Archives,
Museums, and the Community Inclusion
Team and workshop.
Co-locating teams in modern energy
efficient buildings is a key element of the
council’s Property Asset Management
Strategy. Managing property assets is
a key driver of service transformation
and contributes to financial savings
for the council. Achieving savings are
particularly important as West Lothian
Council’s budget gap over a three-year
period is nearly £34 million.
Executive councillor for services for
communities, George Paul commented
“Building Services, the council’s inhouse building contractor, is now fully
operational at the centre. The service
includes two teams: the Contracts
Team which undertakes project works
associated with the Housing and
General Services capital programmes,
and the Repairs Team which carries out
responsive repairs and maintenance
to both housing and non-housing
properties.
“Customer Services staff who answer calls
about housing repairs have co-located
with Building Services. Overall, the new
centre will help to greatly improve the
service we offer our customers.”
Free Home Security Scheme
Everyone over 60 living in West Lothian are eligible to apply for a
range of simple home security measures to be fitted to their home.
This scheme is available to owner-occupiers, council tenants, housing association tenants
and private rented tenants. (If your landlord is someone other than West Lothian Council,
you will be required to seek their permission prior to applying for the scheme). All
installations are free of charge and will be undertaken by the Council’s Building Services
Operatives. The installation team will offer advice to applicants to establish the most
convenient location for the measures to be installed.
4. Door chain (timber doors only)
For more information or
to request an application
form, pop into your local
Customer Information
Service office (see back
page for details) or contact
the Customer Service
Centre:
5. Door spy hole
Tel: 01506 280000
Only one of each security measure can be installed per property.
Email: customer.service@
westlothian.gov.uk
Applicants can benefit from having the following security measures put in place:
1. Motion activated security light
2. Phone intercom system
3. Window locks throughout the home (timber windows only)
Once the measures have been installed, the Council will repair or replace any faulty
components for one year for council tenants only. (Owner occupiers, housing association or
private rented tenants will be responsible for all maintenance post installation).
3
Good Neighbour Award
In the Autumn edition of Tenants’ News, we asked you
to nominate a neighbour you felt deserved recognition
for their thoughtfulness and consideration towards
others. Each one of the nominations received came
from neighbours who wanted to say ‘thank you’ for
the help, support and friendship they receive from
their good neighbours.
John Cleary
This year several tenants and residents were nominated by their neighbours who wanted to give recognition for the
help they receive throughout the year. The judging was carried out by the members of our Tenants Panel and the
winners were invited to attend the Tenants and Residents Fun Day to be presented with their framed Good Neighbour
Certificates and bouquets of flowers by Tenant Panel members, Vera Robertson and Jessie Duncan.
This year’s winners were:
John Cleary, Whitburn
Louise Kelly, Livingston
Kathleen Wilson, West Calder
Louise Kelly
The Tenants Panel found it very difficult to pick an overall
winner, however, after much debate, it was decided that
John Cleary was awarded this year’s accolade and received an
additional gift of £50 in shopping vouchers, as well as flowers
and his framed certificate.
Kathleen Wilson
The Tenants Panel would like to thank all those who took the time to
nominate their good neighbours for this award.
Living well at home with
dementia
A new information booklet ‘Living Well at Home with Dementia’, which is
aimed at helping people with dementia, their family and carers, as well as
professionals who provide support, is now available online.
The booklet recognises how important it is for people
to remain as independent and active as possible and the
positive effect this has on their health and wellbeing.
Designed in easy to read sections it outlines the issues
which people with dementia, their families and carers may
encounter in the home environment, and in the wider
community. Possible sources of further help and advice
are also included along with some practical solutions.
4
Executive councillor for health and care Anne McMillan
commented: “I would like to congratulate the Community
Occupational Therapists who developed the ‘Living Well
at Home with Dementia’ booklet, which is packed with
helpful information and advice. Receiving a diagnosis of
dementia, experiencing memory loss or changes to your
behaviour can be frightening and overwhelming.
Tenants Fun and
Information Day
Saturday 10 October saw the return of the annual Tenants and Residents
Fun Day in West Lothian’s Civic Centre.
There was a wide variety of information stalls on
offer, provided by the council and their partners,
highlighting the many services available to those
living in West Lothian.
Free refreshments were on offer, along with tours
around the Council Chambers, Scottish Courts and
their cells.
There were children’s activities,
including face painting, magician,
balloon modelling, cake decorating
and a loom band
workshop. These
proved to be very
popular, with lots of
happy, artistically
painted faces
running around!
Councillor George
Paul commented,
“It was good to see
so many people
attending and enjoying the
day. There was lots of useful
information on offer about
the help and support that
is available to West Lothian
tenants and residents”.
Similarly, caring for someone with dementia can
be a demanding task.
The key message in this booklet is that you don’t
have to do it on your own. There is help available
from health and social services, voluntary
organisations, and charities such as Alzheimer
Scotland.”
5
Tenant Satisfaction in 2014-15
Every year the service carries out our Annual Tenant
Satisfaction Survey to find out how our tenants feel about the
quality of the service we deliver to them. This involves sending
a survey to every tenant in a council house (over 13,000 people).
The questions we ask make sure we collect the type of information our tenants have told us is important to them,
and to the Scottish Housing Regulator – who want to know our tenants views on how we are performing. We will
work on ways to improve where any comments we have received suggest a need for us to do things differently,
or where our performance has dipped from the year before. In 2015 the number of responses to the survey from
tenants more than doubled compared with 615 received in 2014, and we have provided the result below along
with those from 2014 for comparison. We have also given the Scottish Average for questions that every local
housing authority provides each year to the Scottish Housing Regulator’s Annual Return on the Charter.
Question
From the 1,402 responses received, the figures given include the % of customers who responded
‘Satisfied or Very Satisfied’
2014
2015
Scottish
Average
1)
Taking everything into account how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the
overall service provided by your landlord?
90%
87%
84%
2)
Do you find it easy to contact the Council about your home?
88%
77%
Not a charter
question
3)
How good or poor do you feel your landlord is at keeping you informed about
their services and decisions?
86%
85%
81%
4)
How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the opportunities given to you to
participate in your landlord’s decision making processes?
72%
68%
70%
5)
Overall how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the quality of your home?
84%
83%
83%
6)
Thinking about the last time you had repairs carried out how satisfied or
dissatisfied were you with the repairs service provided by your landlord?
85%
85%
87%
7)
Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with your landlord’s management
of the neighbourhood you live in?
78%
75%
81%
8)
Do you feel safe in your home?
90%
85%
9)
Do you feel safe in your local neighbourhood?
84%
80%
Not a charter
question
Not a charter
question
84%
85%
74%
10) Taking into account the accommodation and services your landlord provides, do
you think the rent for this property represents good or poor value for money?
These results have meant that we have identified a number of improvements we want to make in the following areas:
•
•
•
Making it easier for tenants to contact our service about their home by increasing our online options and ensuring tenants can get
in touch with our local staff when they need them
Increasing the opportunities available to get involved in how we make decisions through options in the new tenant participation
strategy, social media and community events
Working with our partners in the Community Safety Unit to ensure tenants feel safe in their homes by prioritising tackling crime
and disorder within communities
The five lucky winners of the free prize draw for £100 worth of
supermarket vouchers were:
Mr T Kerr, Whitburn, Mrs A Wood, Greenrigg,
Ms J McKeown, Whitburn, Mr W Wark, Bathgate and
Mr Cunningham, West Calder
6
Tenant Led Inspections
For many years council tenants and residents have taken
an active role in helping the Council shape the services
we deliver by taking part in Tenant Led inspections. This
provides customers with an opportunity to scrutinise
particular areas, make recommendations for improvement,
which ultimately result in a better service for all.
Recently, three of our inspectors revisited the Council’s
Enhanced Estates Management (EEM) service to ensure
the recommendations made in their initial inspection had
been adopted and were being carried out on a regular
basis.
This service is available to those customers living in flats
with communal stairs and landings. The inspectors
were keen to ensure first-hand that their previous
recommendations had significantly improved services for
fellow tenants living in communal flatted areas.
The areas visited were:n Whitburn: The Avenue, Dick Gardens, North Reeves Place
n Blackridge: Park Road
n Blackburn: Whiteside Road and Beechwood Gardens.
The inspectors were delighted to see the
recommendations they had made had been carried out.
The overall impression was that all flatted areas visited
had benefited from the inspection process and new
measures put in place had improved the communal
stairwells and landings.
Here is a brief summary of their findings:
n tenants responsibility regarding dumping of rubbish in
closes and landings
n cleaning standards for communal areas were being
followed
n up to date local information displayed
n cleaning standard check sheet (evidenced in all areas
that this process was carried out on a weekly basis)
n there was evidence of the Council aware stickers being
used to alert tenants that repairs had been reported.
n capital programme work had been carried out in all
areas visited
n entrances and pathways were repaired and kept clean
and tidy
n communal bins had been introduced to most areas
and were kept clean and tidy.
The time lapse for the revisit allowed Inspectors the
opportunity to see major capital works had been
completed showing much improvement and investment
in the properties. The inspectors were informed that all
communal stairwells had received a fire retardant paint
coat and they were happy to see that the standard of
cleanliness had improved.
However, inspectors were disappointed to see that a few
gardens were untidy, with some litter and household
rubbish lying around and bins were left out on the
street. This is not the responsibility of the EEM team,
but tenants own responsibility to ensure they keep their
gardens tidy.
If you would like to take part in some aspects of Tenant Participation please get in touch with
the TP team: Email: TP@westlothian.gov.uk or telephone: 01506 281882, 281885 or 281073
7
Universal Credit
Better off
West Lothian
The UK government introduced Universal Credit in November for people
who are out of work or on a low income. It will eventually replace many of
the benefits and tax credits you may be getting at the moment, including;
Income-based JSA, Income-related ESA, Income Support, Child Tax Credit,
Working Tax Credit and Housing Benefit.
Who is affected?
How will I receive Universal Credit?
The first group to be affected are single people who are
unemployed and seeking work.
Universal Credit will be paid monthly into your bank
account. This means you’ll have to start managing your
money across the whole month.
How do I claim Universal Credit?
Universal Credit is claimed online. Your Jobcentre and
Do I have the right bank account?
local library can help you access the internet to make your Your bank, building society, or credit union account must
be able to receive automated payments. You will find it
claim.
useful to set up Direct Debits and standing orders for bills
What information do I need to prepare like your rent and utilities.
for my Universal Credit claim?
When you claim Universal Credit online, you need to
provide an address for your landlord. To allow us to help
deal with your claim quickly, use;
Housing, Construction and Building Services,
Civic Centre, Howden South Road, Livingston
West Lothian, EH54 6FF
What if I pay rent?
If you pay rent - this will be included in your monthly
Universal Credit payment. It will be your responsibility
to pay the full amount to your landlord directly. To
help manage your rent and make a rent payment
arrangement, please contact your local housing office on
01506 280000.
You will also need to provide details of income and
savings, National Insurance Number, bank details and
contact details. You will also need to verify your rent costs. What else can I do to prepare for
Universal Credit?
For help with this please visit your local CIS office or
Draw up a budget to help plan your finances and
phone 01506 280000
a list of all your income and outgoings. Universal Credit
Email: customer.service@westlothian.gov.uk
will be paid monthly in arrears so you need to plan for
this. We recommend setting up Direct Debits for regular
bills, like your rent.
Where can I get more support and
advice?
Your local Jobcentre and The Advice Shop in Bathgate can
provide more support and advice. For more information
visit the DWP website:
www.gov.uk/universal-credit
8
easy ways to
pay your rent
Better off
West Lothian
There are a number of easy ways for tenants to
pay their rent. The only thing we ask is that rent
must be paid weekly, fortnightly or monthly in
advance, as set out in your tenancy agreement.
Rent can be paid in the following ways:
By Direct Debit
Payzone
You can arrange to pay your rent by Direct
Debit by either.
• Visiting www.westlothian.gov.uk and click
on “Pay for It”.
• Calling our Customer Service Centre on
01506 282020 (option 4).
• Dropping in to one of our local CIS offices.
You can pay your rent at any Payzone outlet (please
ensure that you have your payment card with you).
To find your nearest Payzone outlet check out
www.payzone.co.uk and click on Store Locator.
Alternatively you can call the Council’s Customer
Service Centre on 01506 280000.
Online
Using your debit/credit card - log onto
www.westlothian.gov.uk and select
“Pay for It”.
By Telephone
You can call our 24 hour automated payment
line on 01506 282407 using your debit/
credit card. Staff in local housing offices
can also process a payment for you; just call
01506 280000 and ask to speak to your
housing officer.
At any main Customer
Information Service (CIS) Centre
You can pay by cash, cheque or debit/credit card. Here
is a list of where to find your nearest council office:
• Armadale – 1-3 East Main Street
• Bathgate Partnership Centre – South Bridge Street
• Broxburn Strathbrock Partnership Centre –
West Main Street
• Livingston – West Lothian Connected, Almondvale
Centre
• Whitburn – 5 East Main Street
At any Post Office
You can make a payment at any Post Office
using your rent payment card. (Payments may
take up to five working days to process).
9
Vacating Your Property
In the last financial year more than 800 council houses were vacated and let. There are a
number of reasons why a tenancy ends but we have noticed that tenancies are being returned
to the council in a poorer state than might have been the case some years ago. There are more
than 8000 people on our waiting lists and we are keen to house them as quickly as possible.
Clearly if the council has to do more
work to the returned property, this can
result in delays, which means it can
take longer to re-let the property to an
applicant who wishes to move in; and
there is greater cost to all tenants as
work is paid for out of rental income.
The photographs show some examples
of the state properties are being
returned.
When the keys are handed in we are
required to:
• Clear the property, involving
specialist cleaners if required
• Test for asbestos
• Test the gas and electric systems
• Repair and bring the property up to
the “Void Standard”.
10
The “Void Standard” defines the state a
property should be when let to a new
tenant (it can be found on the council
website: housing > tenant information).
We would like to take this opportunity
to remind outgoing tenants that It is a
condition of the Tenancy Agreement
that properties be left in reasonable
condition. Housing Officers will
normally advise of work required prior
to the tenancy ending. This means it is
the outgoing tenant’s responsibility to
ensure that the property (including loft
space and garden if applicable) are left
clean, swept out, clear of rubbish and
with décor in good condition.
On behalf of the new tenant,
we would request that anyone
leaving a tenancy, leaves it in the
state they would like to find it!
Spring
wordsearch competition
Our Spring wordsearch has been
created using the names of Spring
flowers.
The winner of the £25 from the
September 2015 edition was Mrs D.
Black from Armadale
If you would like to be our next £25
winner, please complete and return to:
TP Team, Housing, Construction
and Building Services
West Lothian Council, Civic Centre
Howden Road South
Livingston EH54 6FF
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Your name:
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Taking Part
As a tenant of West Lothian Council
you are entitled to be consulted
on various aspects of the housing
services you receive, such as changes
to your rent, repairs service and any
policies and procedures that affect the
services you receive.
A team of dedicated tenants, residents and
staff have been reviewing the council’s Tenant
Participation Strategy called ‘Taking Part’.
This document provides information on how the
council will consult, support and encourage tenants
to be actively involved in shaping and improving
services.
For information on ways you can take part please
see page 14.
If you would like a copy of the new ‘draft’ Tenant
Participation document or you would like to take part
in some aspect of scrutinising council services just let us
know by completing this slip, or by emailing us at TP@
westlothian.gov.uk
Name
Address
Telephone no
Email Address
11
craFT apprenTIce oF The year 2015
In November 2015, Housing, Construction & Building Services held our ninth
annual Craft Apprentice of the Year Awards at Howden Park Centre, Livingston.
Head of Service, Alistair Shaw, provided the welcome speech, while George Paul, Executive Councillor for Services for the
Community, and Leader of the Council, John McGinty were on hand to pass out the awards, as was Alison Kerr from the
Tenants Panel.
The buffet at the ceremony and each apprentice award is sponsored by an external company, which allows us to hold this
event each year, in recognition of the excellent work carried out by our apprentices and their mentors. There were over 80
people in attendance, and all agreed that the day had been a complete success.
The prize winners were as follows:
Apprentice of the Year
2015
Winner: Jamie Edwards
(Plumber)
Best 1st Year Apprentice
Winner: Frazer MacIntyre
(Joiner)
HighlyCommended:
Andrew Cuthbert (Plasterer)
Alan Webster (Electrician)
Best 2nd Year Apprentice
Winner: Adam O’Hara (Joiner)
HighlyCommended:
Tony Stevenson (Plumber)
Callum Wilson (Roofer)
Best 3rd Year Apprentice
Winner: Jamie Edwards
(Plumber)
HighlyCommended:
Alasdair Binnie (Electrician)
Andrew O’Hara (Roofer)
Best 4th Year Apprentice
Winner: Ross MacDonald
(Electrician)
HighlyCommended:
Rhys Fairbairn (Roofer)
Ben Shearer (Joiner)
Michael Clark Award
Winner: George Graham
(Electrician)
Best Logbook
Daniel Locke (Joiner)
Adam O’Hara (Joiner)
Ryan Sim (Plumber)
Alan Webster (Electrician)
Excellent College
Performance
Winner: Jamie Edwards
(Plumber)
Excellent Health & Safety
Awareness Award
Winner: Ben Shearer (Joiner)
Robert MacMillan
Excellent Skills Award
Winner: Daniel Campbell
(Plasterer)
HighlyCommended:
Daniel Locke (Joiner)
Jordan Tait (Roofer)
Excellent Customer
Service Award
Winner: Ryan Sim (Plumber)
Excellent Mentors Award
Chris Doyle and Gordon
Brown
Those who completed their apprenticeships in 2015 were also recognised during the event, as were some of the
tradespeople who have trained apprentices over the years. Our 10 apprentice finishers have all been offered further
employment with us. They are:
Jordan Kerr (Electrician)
George Graham (Electrician)
Ross MacDonald (Electrician)
Alan Callander (Joiner)
Ben Shearer (Joiner)
Rhys Fairbairn (Roofer)
Ryan McIntosh (Roofer)
Shaun Brookhouse (Roofer)
Brian Douglas (Painter)
Stewart McGregor (Painter)
OnbehalfoftheApprenticesatWestLothianCouncil’sBuildingServicesdepartment,wewouldliketosayahugethankyoutoall
thesponsorsfortheirgenerousdonations.Theyare:
Lovell, Vaillant, Hire Station, Buchanan Skip Hire, Environtec, Aico, Stelrad, Park Grove Scaffolding, Buildbase,
Graham, Triton, JMJ Ironmongery, Ross Electrical, Horizon, and Envirovent.
12
Step into
Spring
If you have a garden, you are responsible for keeping it tidy and free from rubbish and
dog foul. You will need to cut the grass regularly (around every two to four weeks in the
growing season) and ensure that any trees, shrubs or hedges do not become overgrown
(these can be easily maintained by regular trimming).
Our Community Estate Officers are out and about inspecting
gardens from 1 April to 30 September, so over the next few
weeks, get out there and have a really good tidy-up before the
inspections start.
If you aren’t looking after your garden properly, and have
allowed this to become overgrown or filled with rubbish, the
Council can take action to sort this out, but you will be charged
for this service. (Any unpaid charges will be passed to a Debt
Collection Agency, which may affect your ability to obtain
credit in the future).
Disposing of your
garden waste...
You can dispose of your garden waste in your brown
wheelie bin or you can take it to any one of the six
community re-cycling centres around West Lothian.
They are all open Monday to Sunday from 10am - 5pm
(Oct - May). They are located in:
 Blackburn - East Main Street
 Broxburn - Greendykes
Industrial Estate
 Linlithgow - Braehead Road
 Livingston – Deans Cleansing
Depot, Nairn Road
 Livingston - Oakbank
 Whitburn - Dixon Terrace,
Burnhouse Industrial Estate
Not able to maintain your garden?
We do operate a scheme to assist the elderly and disabled
tenants with maintaining their garden area, so if you feel that
you would qualify for this scheme, please contact the council on
01506 280000 and they will be happy to help with your enquiry.
Get ready for SPRING
March/April is the time to step out into the garden and have a good tidy-up, ready for the good weather.
1. Sweep up
4. Prepare for planting
Dust off the broom and sweep away old leaves etc.
from paths. Get the rake out and rake the lawn and
borders and put leaves on a compost heap or in the
brown bin.
You can start to plant roses, climbers, hedges and
shrubs, if the ground isn’t frozen or too wet. Prune
winter-flowering shrubs and clip evergreens and
climbers to encourage new growth.
2. Waken up the lawn
5. Potting Up
Lawns need oxygen to grow. Make holes with a
garden fork, pushing it in 7cm deep, every 15cm.
When the lawn starts to grow, apply a liquid feed,
only mow on dry days and don’t cut the grass too
short
Pot up some
spring flowers,
such as primula,
daffodils and
tulips to create
some splashes
of colour in the
garden.
3. Treat your woodwork
After a very wet winter, your garden woodwork
may be in need of a little TLC. Check sheds,
greenhouses and garden furniture, then work out
what needs to be repaired, sanded and painted.
13
Getting Involved
We understand that not all areas of West Lothian have a tenants’ and residents’ group to
represent that area and not everyone is available to attend or is willing to join a group. In
recognition of this and to ensure all Council tenants have an opportunity to participate in
a way that is suitable to them, we also have an Interested Tenants’ List.
What is an
Interested Tenant?
It is tenants who are interested
in being occasionally contacted
about housing and other related
services, which are delivered to
tenants of West Lothian Council.
There are several ways tenants can
let us know what topics they are
interested in and in how they would
like to be consulted.
Interested Tenants
Whatʻs in it for tenants?
Tenant participation should lea
d
to better services for tenants.
Becoming involved ensures
you have an opportunity to
influence changes to housing
services by letting us know you
r
views.
Whatʻs in it for the Council?
We want to provide our tenants
with a high quality housing service
us
and listening to your views helps
on
tion
rma
to achieve this. For info
s,
joining our list of Interested Tenant
form
please fill out and return the
below or contact the TP Team for
more information:
Tel: 01506 281882 or 281885
Email: TP@westlothian.gov.uk
I wish to be consulted on specific issues and areas that are important to me.
If there are particular topics you’re interested in, please tick the appropriate boxes
Anti-Social Behaviour
Policy and Procedures
Allocation of empty council houses
Rent/Arrears
Customer Care
Repairs
If there are particular ways you would like to take part, please tick the appropriate boxes
OPPORTUNITY
Member of local Tenant/
Residents Group
SUMMARY
A community group acting in the interest of tenants and residents in an area.
Tenant Inspector
As part of a small team, you will identify strengths, weaknesses and make
recommendations on how to improve a particular service area.
Going to Housing
Network meetings
Networks consult with the council on changes and developments to services.
Postal Surveys
You would be happy to receive surveys by post on topics we are working on
Working Group
Made up for tenants, service users and council officers, a working group would review
an existing service or develop a new service.
Estate Walkabouts
Join Housing Staff and Elected Members on a walkabout in a particular area if there are
issues of concern (housing or environmental concerns).
Telephone Surveys
You would be happy to be contacted by telephone to complete a survey.
Email Surveys
You would be happy to receive surveys by email (please ensure you provide your email
address).
Please return the completed form to: TP Team, Housing, Construction and Building Services,
Civic Centre, Howden South Road, Livingston, West Lothian EH54 6FF
Name .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Address ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Tel No .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Email .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
14
Tenancy Fraud
West Lothian has one of the fastest expanding populations in Scotland and to keep
up with the expansion in our community West Lothian Council have undertaken a
project to build several hundred new homes in the area. It is hoped that by doing so
there will be sufficient sustainable housing for generations to come.
The council currently has just over
13,000 properties. However, this
is still not enough to ensure that
everyone who needs a council
house is able to get one. Even by
working in partnership with local
Housing Associations there are
still over 400 people registered as
homeless in West Lothian. This is
something the council is working
hard to put right.
Unfortunately, a lack of housing
is not the only reason why there
are so many people registered
homeless. It is estimated that
tenancy fraud could be costing
the council at least £2.4 million
annually. The shortage of
affordable housing, the cost, and
the impact that tenancy fraud
has both on tenants and the local
community, has made us realise
the importance of tackling this
fraud.
Tackling tenancy fraud
All of our Housing Officers have
recently undertaken specialised
training which will allow them
to identify fraudulent housing
applications. They will also
carry out regular checks as
an integral part of letting and
housing management activities
to establish that the correct
people are going to, or are living
in council properties. In order to
continue our fight
against fraud the
Council recognises
that this can’t be
done without the
vital assistance of our
tenants. We would
encourage anyone
who has information
regarding any
suspected fraud to
come forward.
Tenancy fraud comes
in many different
guises. For example:
n You might know
someone who has
another home
they haven’t
declared or who has given false
information in their housing or
homeless application.
n You might be suspicious
because tenants of a property
near you keep changing.
n You might suspect that a
property is not being occupied.
If you suspect someone of
committing fraud, please contact
the Council’s Fraud Team:
Tel: 01506 283545 or
01506 283546 Email:
tenancyfraud@
westlothian.gov.uk
All information received
will be treated with the
strictest confidence and
you don’t have to give
your name or address,
if you prefer not to.
Alternatively you can
contact your Housing
Officer to share your
concerns.
Tel: 01506 280000
Together we
can stamp out
tenancy fraud
15
How tenants are helping to change
and improve services...
Tenants Panel
Tenants who represent the Five
Sisters or Cairn Brock Housing
Networks attend monthly Tenants
Panel meetings where information is
provided on all performance relating
to Housing.
The Tenants Panel is also attended by George Paul,
Executive Councillor for Services to the Community
and Senior Managers. There is always guaranteed
to be a good debate with tenants asking relevant
questions in respect of the performance. Tenant reps
also receive information about the council’s current
ongoing Capital Programme works and are kept up to
date with the achievements of all other services across
Housing i.e. Repairs and Anti-social behaviour.
Tenant Representatives report back to their Housing
Network to encourage the flow of communication
between the membership and the council, this
makes sure their voices are heard and they are being
represented at Tenants Panel.
In view of the new Scottish Social Housing Charter
and the monitoring returns of indicators with the
Annual Return on the Charter, which is submitted to
the Scottish Government every year, Tenants Panel
have developed a quarterly financial scrutiny group.
This provides tenants with a chance to gain better
understanding of the Housing Revenue Account,
where your rent money is paid into, and how the
money is spent on behalf of tenants.
Tenant
Participation
Development
Working Group
This group meet monthly to look
at ways of developing Tenant
Participation in West Lothian.
We work in partnership with our Tenant
Participation officers whilst recognising the
importance of providing opportunities for
others to take part at a level they would feel
comfortable with.
The group are currently involved in reviewing
the council’s Tenant Participation Strategy and
as always this is a great way to gain a good
understanding of the way in which tenants can
become involved.
Methods of involvement allow tenants to
take part in the decision making process and
take credit for bringing about change and
improvement for the tenants of West Lothian.
If you would like to find out more contact the TP Team on 01506 281882/281885 Email: tp@westlothian.gov.uk
16
new bin size will aim to increase
recycling and reduce costs
Changes to the size of the landfill (grey) bin are on their way as
West Lothian Council looks to increase recycling rates and reduce the
amount of money being spent on sending household waste to landfill.
Shown below are the costs the council has to pay to send your grey bins to landfill:
Price per load
No. of loads per lorry/day
Total annual cost
£1050
Two to Three
£3.8 million
By looking at the types of waste going to landfill, we can
see that 78% (by weight of the material within the average
grey landfill bin) could have been recycled using existing
recycling services. The cost of recycling is less than sending
it to landfill which means there are significant savings to be
made by encouraging people to recycle more.
With West Lothian Council facing a budget gap of nearly £34
million over the period 2015/16 and 2017/18, it is necessary
to reduce the amount of money and valuable resources
being literally thrown away and lessen the impact on other
essential council services. So from May 2016 onwards the
grey landfill bin will be reduced in size in a phased approach.
This will save over £238,000 and increase our recycling rate
by nearly 10%.
Tom Conn, Executive councillor for the Environment
commented:
“Membersofthepublicarewellawareofthechallengesthat
alllocalauthoritiesfindthemselvesinacrossthecountry.
Changestoservicesarerequiredinorderthatwecan
balanceourbudgetandimproverecyclingrates.Wewill
continuetolookatinnovativewaysofworkingandcontinue
toprioritiseinvestmentintheserviceswhichmeettheneeds
ofWestLothianresidentsanddeliverlongterm,positive
impactsforWestLothian.”
For further information visit www.westlothian.gov.uk
What goes in your Blue Bin?
Your Blue bin is used for recycling all types of plastic pots, lids, trays, bags, paper and cardboard.
Onyourdayofcollection,pleaseplaceyourbinonthekerbsidewiththelidclosedby7amMondaytoFriday,or6amonSaturday.
Unfortunately,thecouncilcannottakeanyrefusethatisnotinthebin.Itisvitalthatallrefuseisinthebinwiththelidshut.
You can now recycle:
• All clean empty plastic pots e.g. yoghurt and
pudding pots etc.
• All clean empty plastic tubs e.g. ice cream,
margarine, ready meal tubs etc.
• All clean Empty Trays e.g. ready meal and
microwave food trays etc.
• All Clean Plastic Lids e.g. lids from all plastic
bottles, margarine tubs etc.
• Clean card and cardboard e.g. cereal boxes,
kitchen and toilet roll tubes, cardboard boxes,
clean empty cardboard cartons e.g. juice, soup,
custard etc.
• All clean empty steel and aluminium tins and
cans, aluminium foil, trays and empty aerosol cans
Top Tips:
• Make sure all waste is clean before putting in the bin
• All Clean Empty Plastic Bottles e.g. milk,
shampoo, juice
• Flatten cartons and boxes to save space
• Clean Empty Plastic Bags e.g. carrier bags, bread
bags, pre-packed vegetable bags etc.
• Remove plastic bags from junk mail and put them
in blue bin
• Paper e.g. newspapers, magazines, brochures,
catalogues, unwanted mail, envelopes, phone
directories, yellow pages etc.
• Don’t put anything inside plastic bags, it prevents
them being separated at the recycling facility
• Remove lids and put them in the blue bin
17
Recipe corner...
Simple Sausage
Pasta
This is a quick
and cheap dinner
to make and goes
down well with
all the family - a
great pasta dish full of flavour...
Serves 4
What you need:
n 1tbsp olive oil
n 1 large onion, chopped
n 1 tsp chilli powder (or to taste)
n Packet of 8 pork sausages, cut into chunky pieces
n 2 garlic cloves, crushed
n 300g penne pasta
n 400g can chopped tomatoes
n Tomato puree – 2 tablespoons
n Grated cheese
What you do:
n Heat oven to 180oC
n Heat the oil in your frying pan. Add sausages until
golden brown all over. Now add the onion and
garlic and cook until soft.
n Add the chilli powder, chopped tomatoes and
tomato puree to the sausages and stir until the
sauce comes to the boil. Turn down heat and
simmer for 10 minutes while you cook the pasta.
If you prefer a creamier sauce, add a touch of
single cream and stir.
n Cook the pasta in a separate pot as per the pack
instructions. Drain and pour into the sausage mix.
n Stir together and transfer into an ovenproof dish.
n Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 10 mins in the
oven
n Serve with some lovely warm crusty bread.
Microwave Banana
Pudding
This tasty pud will
use up leftover
bananas, and
it only takes 20
minutes to make!
Serves 4-6
What you need:
n 100g softened butter
n 2 ripe bananas
n 100g light brown sugar
n 100g self-raising flour
n 2 tsp ground cinnamon
n 2 eggs
n 2 tbsp milk
n toffee sauce and ice cream, to serve, if you like.
What you do:
n Put the butter in a 1 litre baking dish and
microwave on high for about 30 seconds
until melted. Add 1½ bananas, mash into
the melted butter, then add the sugar, flour,
cinnamon, eggs and milk. Mix together well.
n Slice the remaining banana over the top, then
return to the microwave and cook on high for
8 mins until cooked through and risen. Serve
warm with a drizzle of toffee sauce and a
scoop of ice cream.
✄
18
New Blackburn Assessment Centre is unveiled
West Lothian Council is delighted to have opened a new Homeless Assessment Centre in
Blackburn, which has been designed and developed to better meet the requirements of
those finding themselves in need of emergency accommodation due to homelessness.
The council recognised the need to extend current emergency
accommodation facilities to ensure services were available at the
point of need. This additional resource provides an extra 10 units
of accommodation to compliment the temporary and emergency
accommodation currently provided within West Lothian. It is
comprised of bedroom space, living space and bathroom facilities.
There is also a communal kitchen and laundry available for the
exclusive use by occupants.
The assessment centre aims to more effectively assess the needs
of those requiring emergency accommodation, allowing officers
to work with households to ascertain the type of support and
accommodation required. The service is available 24 hours a day all
year round. As the centre is staffed at all times, it offers a safe and
secure environment to those in housing need.
This new facility will ensure that individuals affected by
homelessness within our community will receive the required
support to transition in to suitable temporary accommodation.
New Build Housing - how to apply
Did you know that as an existing council tenant, you can apply
for one of our new build properties?
As well as one and two bedroom flats, a large number of three, four and five bedroom houses are
under construction. Wheelchair bungalows are also being built on all of the sites.
As an existing tenant, what do you have to do?
If you do not have a current housing application with us you need to complete an application form.
You can do this by calling the Customer Service Centre on 01506 280000 or by calling into your local
Council Information Service Office.
What then?
Once a new build property is ready to let, our allocations team will look at all West Lothian Council
tenants currently active on the housing list and allocate properties in line with our current Allocations
policy.
New build sites in West Lothian
Armadale
Bathgate
Blackburn
Bridgend
Broxburn
East Calder
Fauldhouse
Linlithgow
Livingston
Pumpherston
Winchburgh
19
new build council
housing
West Lothian Council has
a large number of sites
currently under different
stages of construction.
In total, West Lothian Council is investing
approximately £100 million to provide much
needed, affordable council homes for local
people. Grant assistance has also been
secured from the Scottish Government to
support development. The Council is aiming to
build 1,000 new council homes by 2017.
New homes are being built at locations across
the county and in each of the nine council ward
areas.
The project is also delivering community
benefits for local businesses, who are working
on the construction of the new homes.
A number of apprentices have also been
employed to work on the sites.
An update on the project will be included in
each edition of Tenants News, to ensure that
our local communities are kept informed of
developments within their own local areas but
also across West Lothian.
Glasgow Road, Bathgate
Work has started on new council homes
for rent at Glasgow Road, Bathgate.
Formally the site of a pub
(called The Steadings and
The Rendezvous at various
times), work got underway
in December and is due to
be completed in Summer
2016. The new housing
development, which will be
constructed by the Lovell
Partnership, will form a total
of nine homes, of mainly 1
and 2 bedroom cottage flats
with one 2 bed wheelchair
accessible bungalow.
The housing will be delivered
as part of West Lothian’s
1,000 new council house
building programme.
West Lothian Council has
constructed a drop-off
road to provide access to
Windyknowe Primary School.
This will ease the serious
congestion which occurs in
the Windyknowe estate to the
rear.
Demolition work underway at Deans South
Demolition work at the Deans South estate in Livingston is well underway.
At least 109 new council
homes are being built at
Deans South in Livingston.
46 are planned to be built
by McTaggart Construction
and Lovell Partnership plan
to build an additional 63
council houses.
20
area within the estate had
to be demolished and
cleared in separate phases.
The construction of the new
homes marks a new era for
the Deans South estate and
will provide much needed
affordable housing within
Livingston.
The demolition of phase
one means that blocks
7 and 9 have been
demolished and the site
is being prepared to allow
for future construction.
Contractors are also
continually clearing nearby
footpaths and roads to
ensure they are free of mud
and debris.
Before construction work
can begin this year, a large
Executive councillor for
services to the community,
George Paul, said: “We are
delighted that this very
positive chapter in the
estate’s history is underway.
“Affordable homes are in
short supply across the
county and the new homes
at Deans South will play a
very important part in our
aim to deliver
new, affordable homes for
families and individuals.”
He added: “Demolition
work is always a fairly
complex process and
logistically the contractors
are doing everything they
can to ensure the impact
on the local community is
minimised.”
Building new council homes
Bathville, Armadale
Update on kirkhill site
A major refurbishment programme is
underway in Armadale which will deliver
new council homes and refurbishment of
existing council properties.
Construction work at one of the
largest new build council housing
sites in Scotland is progressing well at
Kirkhill, Broxburn.
Five blocks of flats and
maisonettes are to be
refurbished and there
will be 18 new build flats
constructed.
The existing blocks will
be transformed with new
windows and doors, roof
repairs and external wall
insulation.
New boilers and extract
ventilation will be installed
also. The council’s Building
Services will undertake
refurbishment to four of the
five blocks and will also build
nine of the new build flats.
The council’s Building
Services will be involved in
the construction of parts
of the project at Bathville.
A block at Station Road will
also be refurbished.
It will involve demolition
of four properties,
refurbishment of one block
and nine new build flats will
be built.
West Lothian Council
is building 230 new
homes at the site. The
new houses will include
a mixture of 92 cottage
flats, 105 houses
and 33 accessible
bungalows and range
from 1 bed flats to 5
bed houses.
Scotland for decades.
The removal of surplus
soil and rock to enable
levelling of the plots
will be completed by
the Spring and the
foundations have been
formed on several
properties at the north
of the site.
When completed, the
site will be one of the
largest sites for new
council homes for rent
to have been built in
The site is beginning to
take shape following
construction of the new
access roads.
redevelopment in Armadale
Over 280 homes are being completely
upgraded at Mayfield Drive, Calder
Crescent and Wotherspoon Crescent.
The council is continuing to improve the housing
stock in the Mayfield area of Armadale. During
2015/16, £1.4 million will be spent on the project.
By the time the project is completed in March
2018, £7.2 million will have been spent improving
the housing stock in the area.
Largest Livingston site being
prepared for new council homes
Lomond House is located at the south end of
The Centre in the heart of Livingston.
West Lothian Council is
delivering 44 new homes for
rent on the former Lomond
House site once demolition
and clearing of the site is
complete. Construction on
the new homes will start this
year. New build housing
will be built across various
sites in Livingston but the
Lammermuir development is
the closest site to the centre
of the town.
In Mayfield, Armadale new housing will also be
constructed by Lovell Partnership which will
complement the upgrading works to the council’s
existing properties at Mayfield and Bathville. The
22 new homes will provide a broad range of house
types including wheelchair accessible bungalows.
UK housing
Awards update
West Lothian Council has been shortlisted
for two UK Housing Awards.
We have received recognition in the following
categories for our efforts to deliver 1000
council homes: Outstanding
Development Programme of
the Year and Outstanding Local
Authority of the Year.
21
Bridgend, Linlithgow
Housing construction work got underway in Bridgend recently.
Three new 1 bedroom
bungalows and two, 2
bedroom bungalows are
expected to be completed
this summer. The site is
adjacent to the Community
Centre in Bridgend and the
development is being built
by McTaggart Construction
on behalf of West Lothian
Council. The council’s head
of housing, construction
and building services,
Alistair Shaw, said: “It is
fantastic to officially get
work underway at the site
Check all the latest developments online
in Bridgend. This work
marks the beginning
of a partnership with
McTaggart Construction
which I’m sure will deliver
high quality and affordable
new council homes for
the local community.
Affordable housing is in
short supply across the
country and we know
that our programme will
provide new, affordable
homes for many, many
local people.”
All the latest information and photos, including an interactive map letting you see where we are building next in
West Lothian, is available at: www.westlothian.gov.uk/new-1000-houses
22
got rent arrears?
don’t bury your head...
Time to take positive action and
sort out your rent.
WE WANT TO HELP!
Contact your local housing officer today
to discuss your options.
paying rent is not a matter of choice.
Contact us on 01506 280000, visit one of our local CIS offices or email
customer.service@westlothian.gov.uk for more information
our customer information centres
Almondbank Centre:
WestCalderAlmondbank&Carmondean@westlothian.gov.uk
Armadale CIS: Armadale&Blackridge@westlothian.gov.uk
Bathgate Partnership Centre: BPC@westlothian.gov.uk
Broxburn CIS: BroxburnCIS@westlothian.gov.uk
Blackburn Connected: BlackburnCIS@westlothian.gov.uk
Carmondean Connected:
WestCalderAlmondbank&Carmondean@westlothian.gov.uk
Fauldhouse CIS: FPC@westlothian.gov.uk
Linlithgow CIS: LinlithgowCIS@westlothian.gov.uk
West Calder CIS:
WestCalderAlmondbank&Carmondean@westlothian.gov.uk
West Lothian Connected:
WestCalderAlmondbank&Carmondean@westlothian.gov.uk
Whitburn CIS: Whitburn@westlothian.gov.uk
www.westlothian.gov.uk online 24 hours a day
Log on and you can:
 Pay your council tax, rent, or
fines online
 Apply for a house
 Report a repair to your home
 Make an enquiry for
information
 Make a comment on any
council service
01506 280000
Social Work Emergency Number:
01506 281028 (Social Work Only)
For all other emergencies call:
01506 280000
If you have used the council’s complaints procedure
and you are still unhappy, you can pass your complaint,
within a year, to:
The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman,
Freepost EH641, Edinburgh EH3 0BR
Tel: 0800 377 7330
www.spso.org.uk
customers with special requirements
Information is available in Braille, tape, large print
and community languages. Please contact the
interpretation and translation service on
01506 280000
Text phones offer the opportunity for people with a
hearing problem to access the council. The textphone
number is
01506 591 652
A loop system is also available in all offices.
We hope you have enjoyed reading Tenants News. If you would like to get in touch with the editorial panel please
contact us by writing to: TP Team, Housing, Construction and Building Services, West Lothian Council, Civic Centre,
Howden South Road, Livingston EH54 6FF or email TP@westlothian.gov.uk
23
If undelivered please return to:
The TP Team
West Lothian Council
Housing, Construction &
Building Services
West Lothian Civic Centre
Howden South Road,
LIVINGSTON EH54 6FF
24