In 2 Orbit Winter 2012

We’ll be taking a closer look at your suggestions in the weeks to come as we put together our Orbit 2020 business plan. Read the full summary of resident views by visiting our new resident blog at www.osinvolvedresidents.org.

Seasons Greetings

In Orbit

In OrbitService StandardsResidents’ blogMoving home

2 I 3

Direct DebitWalsingham WalkBenefit changes explained

The Green DealAdopt a green spaceKent Residents’ Forum AGMA new garden in Ramsgate

How we’re doingExcellence AwardOctavia Hill Bursary

Bogus contractors – bewareScrutiny panelFirst Residents’ Conference

Can do awardsShape Orbit South’s futureYour views

4 I 5 6 I 7 8 I 9 10 I 11 back page

Issue 20 I Winter 2012

Orbit 2020: You tell us your top 10 suggestionsYour views are important in how we develop our plans for the future, and as part of our Orbit 2020 research project, we’re looking at what the future of housing and the economy might look like. We recently got together with groups of residents to talk about it and learn more about what you feel is important, so that we can include your views in our future plans.

Residents got their thinking caps on at meetings with area forums and focus groups, to tell us what they thought our future priorities should be. We received a huge variety of ideas!

At our residents’ conference in September, we whittled them down to your top ten suggestions:

1. Get the basics right, by listening and responding to residents

2. Offer rewards e.g. rent holidays at Christmas for those who pay their rent on time

3. Encourage residents to take more care of their properties and communal areas

4. Use solar power5. Improve the way we deal with

vandalism and anti-social behaviour6. Inspect repairs more diligently and

keep to appointments7. Re-house existing tenants into

different size properties before new applicants

8. Support residents to maintain their gardens (especially older people)

9. Provide more homes to suit our ageing population

10. Friendly ear service for lonely or vulnerable residents.

Wishing you a happy holiday season and all the best for 2013

2 Tel: 0800 678 1221 Website: www.orbitsouth.org.ukor Email: [email protected]

On 25 September, residents and the dedicated team at Cherry Court, an extra care scheme in Broadstairs, took part in the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning. The event raised an amazing £335 for Macmillan Cancer Support through a tombola, bake sale, raffle and bric a brac stall. A big thanks to everyone who supported the event! www.macmillan.org.uk

We care about the service we give to you and are committed to giving you excellent and responsive services at all times. We work closely with residents to monitor and review our service standards regularly.

Subscribe to our blog and you could win £50!

If you sign up to receive email notifications of new blog posts by Thursday 31 January 2013, you will be entered into a prize draw to win a £50 shopping voucher.

We will notify the winner by email within five working days of the closing date.

To subscribe to our blog visit: www.osinvolvedresidents.org

We have launched a new blog where you can find all the latest news and involvement opportunities online.

Our service pledge to youThis includes things like:✓ Being polite, friendly, helpful and willing to listen✓ Replying to letters or emails within 10 calendar days ✓ Making sure that new homes are clean, safe and ready for

you to move into✓ Enabling you to report anti-social behaviour through writing,

email, text, phone... 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

You can view the current service standards on our website, or for a printed copy, contact us on 0800 678 1221.

World’s Biggest Coffee Morning comes to Broadstairs!

Howbury Friends receive a helping hand!When a local youth organisation in Erith went into administration, they left behind a whole community centre full of equipment. Instead of throwing it out, Orbit South’s Community Sustainability Team joined forces with the Estate Services Team to clear the centre and deliver everything to another community organisation called ‘Howbury Friends’ in Slade Green. Not only will they receive lots of useful items such as chairs and tables, but young people can look forward to a new pool table, a Playstation 2 and an electric guitar. It’s about to get noisy at Howbury Friends!

3If you would like this information in Braille, large print, audio or a different language please contact the Customer Service Centre on 0800 678 1221


Moving home is a big deal and everyone expects their new home to be clean, safe and ready to live in when they first move in.

Our Void Property standard sets out how Orbit prepares homes to a lettable state. A group of residents in our Resident Scrutiny Panels recently worked with us to review the standard and make improvements.

As a result, these improvements will be made:

• We are now calling the standard a ‘Lettable standard’ so that it is easier to understand and ‘does what is says on the tin’!

• Use plain English and photos • Include information in residents’

welcome packs detailing when home improvement works are planned to be made

• Introducing checklists for cleaning• Clearly labelling where stop taps

are located within properties.

Other ideas for improvements, which are subject to funding, include installing front external lights and changing all locks including garages and outbuildings.

Naomi Richards, a Resident Scrutiny Panel member said; “The best bit about today is that something is actually going to happen.”

James Connolly, Head of Reactive Services said; “The next step is to review the ideas that may have cost implications and if they can be absorbed, they will be added into the standard.”

Moving home – our promise to you

There are lots more opportunities for residents to help improve

services for everyone. If you would like to know more, just contact our Resident Engagement Team on the number below. You can also view our service standards on our website, or if you would like a printed copy of our newly

updated Service Standards booklet please contact us on

0800 678 1221

Take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves!

We know that times are tough right now and that saving money is more important than ever for all of us, so here are a few tips on how to cut back on your spending:

We’re trying to save money too! If you know of a way that we can

cut our costs, we would love to hear from you.

Just send us an email at [email protected] or

call us on 0800 678 1221

• Try banking with a credit union to get the same services at a lower cost and avoid ‘doorstep lending’

• Do your weekly shop online if you can • Walk or cycle if you can – fuel costs continue

to soar and it’s good to improve fitness!• Review film, satellite and telephone

subscriptions – do you really use them, or could you downgrade to a more basic package?

• Plan your meals for the week and only buy what you need. If you make a shopping list and stick to it, you can avoid impulse purchases

• Do a quick calculation before you stock up on multi-buy items – are they really cheaper?

• Shop smart! Look out for coupons and loyalty schemes.


Two ways to earn a shopping voucher from Orbit South

All customers who qualify for a £10 or £15 voucher will be automatically entered into a

free prize draw with a chance to win £200 of shopping

vouchers. Only one voucher can be claimed per rent

account and the draw will be made after 31 March 2013. So get on the phone and qualify

for your voucher today!

Orbit South 0800 678 1221

A green and tidy future for Walsingham Walk

Doing the Walsingham Walk: Gareth Thomas, Orbit Community Investment Officer (far right), with Orbit resident June Thompsett, and staff from the Yeoman’s Landscape Services.

Orbit South’s Community Investment Fund (CIF) supports projects that benefit residents and their communities. Through the fund, people living in Walsingham Walk in Upper Belvedere, Kent, have received the services of an innovative grounds maintenance organisation, Yeoman’s Project, to assist in keeping their communal gardens neat and tidy.

Yeoman’s trains and employs adults with learning disabilities to become gardeners. They have worked in partnership with our Neighbourhood Team to identify vulnerable residents who have difficulty in maintaining their green space, and stepped in to keep the area pleasant for the whole community.

Orbit resident and Block Voice, June Tompsett, said; “No job is too big for them and they always ask if there is anything they can do. They do all the little things that need doing and are such a pleasure to work with – they are all lovely.”

Gareth Thomas, Community Investment Officer, said; “To date, the project has cleared and maintained over a dozen individual gardens and also taken over the maintenance of a communal garden in Walsingham Walk.”

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Already paying by Direct Debit but not in advance? Ring our Income Team and set up an agreement to increase your monthly Direct Debit to bring your account completely up to date, and we will send you a shopping voucher worth £10. Quote the promotion code DD007.

2

Set up a Direct Debit. Make your rent payments easier, faster and more reliable by setting up a Direct Debit. Do it by 31 March 2013 and Orbit will even send you a £15 shopping voucher.

You can make a Direct Debit payment on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis to ensure your rent is paid on time and without fuss. We can also alter your rent payments at rent increase time without you having to do anything.

The Direct Debit Guarantee means we won’t make any changes without giving you at least 14 days notification.

If you are in arrears, you must set up an agreement to pay off your arrears by 31 March 2013 at the time your Direct Debit is set up to qualify for the voucher. Simply ring the Income Team at the number opposite and quote promotion code DD007.

If you would like this information in Braille, large print, audio or a different language please contact the Customer Service Centre on 0800 678 1221


What can I do if I am currently under-occupying?

Always make sure that your rent is up-to-date so that if you decide to stay in your current home, you can start planning for paying the shortfall on your rent from April 2013. We can provide money advice to support you, contact our Income Team on 0800 678 1221 if you need help.

We offer a range of free training courses such as intro to IT, food hygiene, customer service and retail skills if you’re looking to get into work.In some areas, we also run Job Clubs to provide practical help with job search, CV writing, interview preparation, confidence and motivation. Just contact our Community Sustainability Team if you would like more information.

You may wish to consider moving into a smaller property. It is likely that some of your other bills, such as heating costs, may reduce too. You can do this via a mutual exchange or alternatively, by applying to your local authority for re-housing via the Housing Register.

Our team can offer you practical help in arranging your move, you may also qualify for an incentive payment to assist you with the costs. Just contact your Neighbourhood Officer for more details.

Benefit changes explained – under occupation

From April to September this year, 66 families moved into our homes via Home Swapper. Did you know that if you have a secure or a fully assured tenancy with us or another social landlord, you can apply to swap homes with each other? To find out more visit www.homeswapper.co.uk or contact your Neighbourhood Officer.

One of the changes that will happen in April 2013 is the reduction in Housing Benefit for households of working age that are under occupying their home. Benefit will be reduced by 14% for homes with one spare room and 25% for two or more spare rooms. Customers will have to pay the difference between their Housing Benefit entitlement and rent.

Home Swapper


Fuel costs are rising and it impacts on our customers and their ability to live comfortably in their homes. The Government is introducing its Green Deal, a scheme designed to help households make energy saving improvements such as insulation, solar panels, condensing boilers etc., with no upfront costs.

Householders will be able to able to get a loan of up to £10,000 to pay for energy saving measures. As your landlord, Orbit will apply for the loan on your behalf. It’s not a grant, but a loan that has to be paid back. The money to do this comes from the savings made by having lower energy bills and the loan is attached to the property, not the person living there. So if you move, the loan stays with the property.

The Government is working with a number of organisations, including Orbit, to run a pilot scheme, called ‘Go Early’. This will help us understand how it will work. We’ll keep you posted in future editions of In 2 Orbit.

‘Bag It & Bin It’The ‘Bag It & Bin It’ campaign is a national campaign to encourage people not to flush discarded personal products down the toilet. Sewers are designed to take away waste water from sinks and baths, toilet paper and human waste flushed down the toilet, and rainwater which runs into road drains.

More and more often we are being called upon to unblock pipes and drains and it is needlessly costing a lot of money. Sanitary items and other personal waste should be disposed of properly in the household waste bin, firstly by placing the item in a bag and then putting it in a bin. This is to protect our beaches, rivers and canals from the mess and prevent harm to the marine and wildlife that live there.

The following items should not be flushed down the toilet – disposable nappies, paper towels and tissues, incontinence pads, sanitary towels, condoms, razor blades, cotton buds, kitchen roll, facial and hand wipes. For more information visit www.water.org

The Green Deal

Five easy ways to minimise

your energy bills:

1. Go easy on heating – you can save £60 a year

for every degree you turn your thermostat down

2. When filling the kettle, only boil the water

you need

3. When running a bath, don’t make it too hot as

60°C is fine for a hot wash. Take a shower – it’s

faster and cheaper!

4. Run your washing machine and dishwasher on

full loads and use a 30°C or economy setting

5. Turn lights and appliances off (and not on

standby) when not in use – it could save you up

to £40 a year!


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Adopt a green space in your community!Keen on gardening? A little while back, we launched a new scheme to encourage people to adopt unused spaces of land in their community to make them more useful and attractive by either creating a small garden or adding a bit of colour.

Lee Rolf from Dorset Mews in Brighton did just that! He submitted plans to Orbit to introduce some greenery to a patch of concrete in his neighbourhood. It has now been replaced by grass and a couple of trees. He also requested permission to plant a pear tree alongside a communal space outside of the block where he lives.

The pictures above show a ‘before’ and ‘after’ shot of what the tree will look like next summer.

Large, small, neglected or barren – it doesn’t matter, we will consider all applications. For more information, please contact Estates Assistants Cassandra Gibbs or Julie Goodall on 0800 678 1221.

Before After

Kent Residents’ Forum AGM30 residents from across Kent came along to talk about the last year and discuss plans for the future at the new Kent Residents’ Forum’s AGM.

Previously, there were three resident forums in Kent and Surrey; the East Kent (Thanet) Forum, the Bexley Residents’ Forum and the Redhill Residents’ Forum. It was decided that the forums would work better if there was one larger forum for Kent and a separate

forum for Bexley and so the Kent Residents’ Forum was born!

The focus of the meeting was the new Universal Credit system being introduced next year, the changes it will bring to residents and how Orbit will support residents through these changes.

Chair, Malcolm Marvel from Ramsgate, has been re-elected for the next three years.

A new Vice Chair, Tina Peters from Chatham, was also elected. Residents got to meet Catherine Charles, the new Head of Neighbourhoods, and learn more about the resident led improvement programme.

If you would like details on how to join the Forum, contact Graeme Bosley on 0800 678 1221.

A new garden in RamsgateAn unloved piece of land at Old School Row in Ramsgate has been transformed into a wonderful community garden thanks to efforts of volunteers at the first Building Brighter Futures day.

People from the local community, staff from Orbit South and MITIE joined together to fill the area with plants, bulbs and shrubs, and also install picnic benches for people to sit back and enjoy their new garden. A small garden party was held to celebrate; refreshments were offered to residents and a face painter was on-hand for children.

Kent RESIDENTS’ FORUM

Graeme Bosley, Neighbourhood Manager (Kent), thanked all those that volunteered for the day and commented; “The response from the residents of Old School Row has been very positive and our efforts well received. I think everyone’s efforts have made a significant difference to the community.”


How we’re doingJuly to September 2012

KEY

– above or on target – slightly below target

– significantly below target

Performance indicators Target Actual Measurement

Current rent arrears (before payment of Housing Benefit) £1,925,750 £3,081,203

Current rent arrears (after payment of Housing Benefit) £3,113,298 £2,389,621

Average time to re-let a property 20 days 24.4 days

Repairs completion: Emergency 99.6% 98.6%

Urgent 98.8% 97.4%

Routine 98% 94.8%

Target100%

We are always working hard to deliver a ‘Customer First’ service to our residents and one of the ways we measure our progress is through the collection of key performance information from across the business. In each edition of In2Orbit, we publish this information so that you can see exactly how we are doing.

n Reactive Servicesn Reactive Gasn Estate Servicesn Neighbourhood Servicesn Asset Managementn Supported Housingn Private Retirement Leaseholdn Lettingsn Leasehold Services

Understanding complaints We welcome customer feedback and see it as an opportunity to improve services for all our residents. We record all feedback, but there are differences between complaints and negative feedback.

A ‘complaint’ is a formal dissatisfaction about the actions, decisions or failure of our services after Orbit has had the opportunity to put things right and is managed through our complaints procedure. Negative feedback is recorded if dissatisfaction is received or a suggestion is made for an improvement, but the resident does not want a formal complaint to be raised.

What residents complained about:

Amount of rent lost due to empty properties

£388,356Against a target of £331,087

Gas safety

of Orbit South homes held a current gas

safety certificate (as of September 2012).

99.89%

Joseph has a new future ahead!


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Spike Flavell, who lives in Ramsgate, was named as winner of the Excellent Resident category for her extraordinary work within the community at the 2012 Kent Housing Group Excellence Awards in September.

Spike has been an involved resident for over 12 years and works hard to create a better place to live for friends, family and the wider community. As a member of Kent Residents’ Forum she provides a voice for her area and participates in Orbit South’s Equality and Disability Group meeting where she works to ensure their services are accessible to all residents.

Spike also acts as the local ‘Street and Block Voice’ for her community, where she raises and discusses local issues with neighbours and relates them back to Orbit. In addition, she finds time to be part of the resident inspector programme, was a founding member of Orbit South’s Resident Scrutiny Panel and regularly feeds back on resident communications and other housing policies.

Spike told us; “I am thrilled to have won this award, I didn’t expect it at all. Getting involved with Orbit South has opened so many doors for me and brought me some really great opportunities. I encourage anyone looking to meet new people and make a positive difference to their local community to get involved.”

Please remember to pay your rent on time as usual over the festive period A big thank you to our customers who always pay their rent on time. Please do contact the Income Team on 0800 678 1221 if you are having any difficulties in meeting your rent payments – or need help and advice on benefits or managing debts over the festive period.

We are here to help and can either help you directly or put you in touch with someone who can help.

Joseph Lynch from Gillingham, Kent has a bright future ahead thanks to an Octavia Hill Bursary after participating in an new Octavia Hill legacy apprenticeship project between the National Trust, Hadlow College and Orbit South.

He took part in a variety of activity and taster days organised by the partnership and worked alongside National Trust rangers and showed such enthusiasm and skill, that he was offered an apprenticeship with Audley Mote in the countryside management sector through Hadlow College.

Helping people is extremely important and exciting prospect for Joe and he has a strong and genuine desire to contribute to society. He hopes that his placement will involve working to conserve the countryside, allowing him to maintain nature areas for the public to enjoy. He explains that he has an ultimate goal for his apprenticeship; “To make a difference and to be part of a transformation. To take something that isn’t all it could be, and make it so for future generations to enjoy.”

Spike picks up Excellence Award


Bogus contractors – beware

No rest for the Orbit South Scrutiny PanelAfter completing their second review on ‘Sheltered Housing Voids’, the South Scrutiny Panel barely paused for a summer break before ploughing straight into their third review, this time on ‘estate inspections’. They will be looking at what improvements can be made to estate inspections and seeking ways of encouraging more residents to get involved.

As with all their reviews, the panel is taking the opportunity to interview staff and residents whilst attending some estate inspections themselves. They will also be comparing notes with other organisations, to see how they do things.

New panel member, Samir Araffa, says: “I have been so lucky to join South Scrutiny Panel to work closely with Orbit for the benefit of the residents. Active involvement is the only way forward to help bring Orbit to the highest standard we can all be proud of.”

Samir is joined by five other new members; Marlene Huettinger, Gary Page, Paul Stoner, Arthur Barnes and Pamela Milton Baker.

Catch up with the latest progress from the panel on the Orbit South’s website and the new launched involved resident blog at www.osinvolvedresidents.org . Everyone is welcome to join in the conversation!

Valley Park fun day!Around 30 people from Valley Park in Rye joined together for a community picnic and to learn more about the groups and services available in the area.

As well as an abundance of entertainment for children, including a bouncy castle, fun bus, face painting and a mini circus skill workshop, there was a garden competition for the adults to participate in, which was won by Mr Freeman. Sara Kendall, who lives at Valley Park, said “It is wonderful to see the community coming together to share ideas and having a proactive approach to the future of Valley Park and its residents.”

Now that the colder months are upon us, many people have been having the gas safety appliances in their homes checked, which is an important thing to do to keep your home safe.

However, there have been some people out there phoning residents and posing as one of our contractors to try and sell them a new boiler.

No one from Orbit or BSW Heating will ever call you out of the blue and tell you that you need to buy a new boiler and pay a deposit or pay upfront. If you ever need a new boiler, you will be advised once we have carried out a gas safety check in your home.

If you receive a phone call from someone claiming to work for Orbit, simply ask them for a phone number you can call them back on and then call us with the details. We can check everything for you to make sure they are legitimate and not pulling a scam.


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The day was full of fun and engaging activities including; the launch of a new residents’ blog and consultation on residents’ views on Orbit’s 2020 business plan. There were also performances from RS Dance Stage and Theatre School from Ramsgate and a ‘speed dating’ style activity so that residents could get to know each other better.

The day ended with the presentation of the first ‘Val Walsh Outstanding Contribution to Resident Engagement Award’, created in honour of one of Orbit’s residents who passed away earlier this year. The award was presented to Rosemary White from Erith in recognition of her support to her local community at Larner Road, where she has lived for over 30 years.

First ever Residents’ Conference a huge success!

Rosemary White (centre) being presented her award by Bernadette Fry, Head of Service Excellence (left) and Vivien Knibbs, Managing Director.

People from across the South attended the first Orbit South Residents’ Conference at the Turner Contemporary Art Gallery in Margate. The event was held to celebrate partnership working between residents and Orbit staff and to recognise those people who have really made a difference to the communities where they live.

A big thanks goes out to all of the other residents who were nominated, including; Buki Apara, Sally Scott, Sade Babalola, David Griffin, Pauline Dewberry, Paul Richmond, Laurence Foxon, Ruth Barclay, Baeti Mothobi, Samir Araffa, Tina Peters, Malcolm Marvel, Sheila Powell, Christine Scutt, Iris Gulliford, Don Pottle, Rita Evans, Spike Flavell, Dave Sleat, Doris Peters, Elaine Byham, Maureen Ryan, Eileen Clements, Lillian Mauldon and Rebecca Street.

Visit www.osinvolvedresidents.org to watch a film from the day.

Orbit Group Ltd, Orbit South Housing Association Ltd and Heart of England Association Ltd are all exempt charities Homes & Communities Agency Reg. No. L4060, Industrial and Provident Societies Act, 1965 Reg. No. 27802R Published by Orbit South Housing Association Ltd, Horizon House, Second Floor, Eclipse Park, Sittingbourne Road, Maidstone, Kent ME14 3ENDesign by watermark design ltd www.watermarkdesign.co.uk Print by Clarkeprint Limited www.clarkeprint.co.uk

If you need to contact us, please ring our Customer Service Centre on

Contact Us

0800 678 1221

visit our website at www.orbitsouth.org.uk

or

email us at [email protected]

We believe our staff have a real ‘can do’ attitude and want to thank those that go the extra mile to deliver a great level of service to our customers and colleagues!

You can help us by nominating the staff member who you think deserves a little extra recognition for a Can Do award. We want to hear about people you think have done something outside of their job role, or something that has made a real difference to you or your neighbourhood.

Entry forms are available in your local reception or on the Orbit South website. You can also have an entry form sent to you by contacting our Customer Service Centre on 0800 678 1221. The closing date for entries is Friday 25 January 2013.

Congratulations to Gavin Bristow, Area Surveyor for Orbit South, who was selected for his commitment to delivering the organisation’s values, building stronger working relationships with MITIE and actively promoting the Contractor Apprentice Scheme in Sussex.

The Resident Engagement Team, consisting of Tom Gaskin, Lisa Cornish and Russell Heath, were awarded the team Can Do award for their substantial efforts to organise the first Involved Residents’ Conference in the South and a highly successful resident engagement event in Norwich. The team demonstrated the organisation’s values and were praised for going ‘further than the extra mile’.

We’re working behind the scenes to improve your newsletter so that it contains stories you want to know about and this Spring, you’re going to see a new and improved In 2 Orbit land on your doorstep.

If you have any ideas or suggestions about how we can make it better, please let us know by emailing [email protected] We’re always looking for new members for our editorial panel too. If you have a little time to spare, contact the Resident Engagement Team on 0800 678 1221 for more details.

Would you like to help shape Orbit South’s future?

Do you have an understanding about what good service is? Could you make a contribution to improving it? Can you think critically and challenge constructively? Then we’d like to hear from you!

We’re looking for residents who can spare a day every three months or so to help us review our performance and identify opportunities

to improve our services. You don’t have to be an expert, but you do have to have an understanding of what good service looks like – and be willing to work with staff and board members to help Orbit

South be one of the best housing organisations in the country.

If you would like more information or an application pack, please contact Tom Gaskin by email on [email protected] or

0800 678 1221.

Nominate an Orbit staff member who has made a difference!

Tell us what you want to see in In 2 Orbit

Did you know? Monday mornings are when we get our highest number of calls. Remember, you can contact us anytime by phone. If you have access to the internet, you can sign up for the free ‘Customer secure’ area of our website and access your account details 24/7. Call us and we can help you set it up!

In 2 Orbit Winter 2012

Documents

support residents

groups of residents

vulnerable residents

new resident blog

new applicants8

blog visit

future plans

service pledge