Residents Annual Report 2014 (full)

RESIDENTS’ANNUAL REPORTWWW.SWAN.ORG.UK | 2013/14 | WWW.WEB4RESIDENTS.ORG.UK

Residents’ Annual Report 2

Contents

Welcome message ...........................3

About this report...............................4

Economic StandardGovernance .................................................................5

Value for Money ..........................................................6

Financial Accounts .....................................................7

Rents .............................................................................8

Consumer StandardCustomer Service Choice and Complaints ..........9

Resident Involvement and Empowerment............q

Diversity .........................................................................e

Consumer StandardHome - Quality of Accommodation .......................r

Home - Repairs and Maintenance .........................t

Home - Regeneration ................................................y

Consumer StandardTenancy - Allocations.................................................u

Tenancy – Rented and Leasehold ..........................i

Consumer StandardNeighbourhood and Community Standard - Neighbourhood Management ..................................o

Neighbourhood and Community Standard - Anti-Social Behaviour ................................................p

Neighbourhood and Community Standard - Supported Housing....................................................a

Neighbourhood and Community Standard - Local Area Co-operation ..........................................s

Governance structure .......................f

Performance.....................................g

3 Residents’ Annual Report

Welcome to the Annual Report 2014Welcome to our 2014 Residents’ Annual Report which isdesigned to bring you up to date with Swan’sperformance over the last year.

This year we are proud to be celebrating our 20thanniversary with residents and our local partners.

Highlights for the year 2013/14 included:

• Completion of 175 new homes for sale and rent

• £3.4m invested in improving our homes

• 100% compliance in meeting the Decent Homes Standard

• Helped 249 households to swap their home

• 50 households supported to downsize to a smaller home

• Employed two Anti-Social Behaviour Officers

• Employed two Welfare Reform Officers to supportresidents through the changes

• Increased the number of residents actively involved in shaping our services

• Achieved 85% customer satisfaction with our services

• Introduced a new Governance structure

Looking forwardWe have exciting growth plans and want to be a leader inregenerating communities. We will continue to deliver highquality services to our customers, invest in ourneighbourhoods, tackle inequalities and seek to createopportunity.

As a new Board, following consultation with residents andstaff, we have chosen four strategic objectives which webelieve will help us move forward with confidence:

1 Happy Customers

2 The Local Partner

3 Fit for the future

4 Motivated People

We have also taken the opportunity to refresh our mission– “To deliver effective services, enterprising solutions andexemplary homes and communities”.

We hope you enjoy reading this report and that it givesyou confidence of our ongoing commitment to deliveringhigh quality services with positive outcomes for residents.

SmallLarge

Valerie Owen, OBEChair Swan Board

John SynnuckChief Executive

100 per cent of what we make is investedinto the communities we serve, into

developing our staff and improving our services. Wedo not pay dividends.

1,000 new homes planned for the nextthree years, across all tenures

10,000 hours invested in communityengagement activities each

year, in order to help reduce worklessness, improvehealth and reduce crime

100,000,000 poundsinvested in

collaboration with our partners to help regeneratethe communities we serve

Our new Corporate Strategy 2014/17 challenges us to deliver the following:

How was this report createdThis report has been developed in partnership withresidents. This included the Scrutiny Panel, the Londonand Essex Resident Consultative Committees, theresidents at Dove Cott House Foyer, Exmouth 'Chai 'n'Chat' Women's Group and our Editorial Panel.

Our aim is to involve our residents in everything we do.Throughout the year many of you have given up your timeto help us improve the services we provide. We wouldlike to take this opportunity to thank those of you whohave worked with us throughout the year.

What is covered in the 2014 AnnualReport and why?This report sets out how we are performing against theRegulatory Standards set by the Regulator for SocialHousing in England. There are two groups of standardsthat set out the outcomes social landlords are expectedto achieve.

These are classified as either Economic or Consumer Standards.

The Economic Standards are:• Governance and Financial Viability

• Value for Money

• Rent

The Consumer Standards are:• Resident Involvement and Empowerment

• Home

• Tenancy

• Neighbourhood and Community

Throughout the report you can see the highlights of ourValue for Money initiatives along with the residentsatisfaction ratings gained.

We monitor our performance by comparing it to theprevious year and the performance of other sociallandlords. This is shown in the performance section onpages 24 and 25.

The Consumer Standards are designed to support co-regulation while the Economic Standards ensure weare meeting our governance and viability requirements.

We hope that this report will give you an insight into theclear focus we have on delivering excellent services andworking with you to create exemplary communities.

About this report

Members of the Residents’ Annual Report Focus Group

pSwan's new,resident-led,Scrutiny Panel

s The London andEssex RCC

s Editorial Panel

s Dove Cott HouseFoyer residents

s ExmouthWomen's Chai ‘n’ ChatGroup



In October 2013, following consultation with residents andstaff, we introduced a new Governance Structure toensure that Swan meets the requirements set out in theGovernance and Financial Viability Standard. The newstructure, shown below, is now in place.

The Board’s primary functions are to provide strategicdirection, to govern, control and scrutinise ouroperations. The Board is made up of seven non-executive members and two executive members and issupported by four key committees:

Economic StandardGovernance and Financial Viability

The Operations CommitteeThe Operations Committee has responsibility formonitoring the efficiency and effectiveness of Swan’shousing management and maintenance services. Thisincludes two Board Members, two Independent Membersand four Resident Members. The Committee meets atleast four times a year and plays a key role in promotinghigh standards through resident’s feedback.

Resident Members

Audit & RiskCommittee

RemunerationCommittee

Developmentand NewBusinessCommittee

OperationsCommittee

ResidentScrutiny Panel

2 X ResidentConsultativeCommittees

Swan Board

IphieMottah

MichelleRichards

AlexandraMorshead

DarrenCoan

Resident Scrutiny PanelThe new governance arrangements also introduced aResident Scrutiny Panel that supports the work of theCommittees by undertaking service reviews andscrutinising performance. The Panel meets every twomonths and is made up of nine residents.

Resident Consultative Committees The Resident Consultative Committees (RCCs) in Londonand Essex are made up of local resident representatives.The role of the RCCs is to challenge Swan’s performanceand to work with Swan in developing strategies andpolicies to improve overall services.

Economic StandardValue for Money

The Social Housing Regulator asks us tomake an assessment each year of the Valuefor Money we have achieved. This sectiongives you some of the headline results fromthat assessment. Full details of our Value forMoney self-assessment can be found atwww.swan.org.uk

How did we do in 2013/14?Through our Value for Money self-assessment for2013/14 we have identified £691k savings from procuringservices at less cost and maximising the way we manageour finances. The chart below shows how we are usingthese savings to invest in service improvements:

We have spent savings from 2013/14 on projects toimprove our services

n Welfare Reform Support £69,000

n Investment in Corporate £141,000Social Responsibility

n Resident Training £56,000

n Community Projects £128,000

n Resident Engagement £171,000

n Tackling Tenancy Fraud £10,000

n New/ Upgraded IT software £115,500

Through the sales of new homes in the last three yearswe have generated £35m which is reinvested to buildmore homes for rent. In 2013/14 we built 130 affordablehomes which brings the total number of homes we havebuilt in the last three years to 1,057.

Our Portfolio Management Strategy helps us manage ourassets effectively. In 2013 we sold five homes, whichtogether with the 30 homes we sold in 2012, hasgenerated sales proceeds of £1.8m which we haveinvested in building more homes for rent in areas of highdemand.

We delivered a resident training programme that provided79 workshops and accredited courses. Positiveoutcomes included a resident starting their own businessand seven residents gaining the Chartered Institute ofHousing Level 2 qualification.

We worked with our Tenant Panel to improve ourapproach to complaints and the payment ofcompensation when things go wrong.

By redesigning our resident newsletter ‘TheCommunicator’, producing more leaflets in house andimproving access to publications online we saved £8k inthe year.

We delivered a range of worklessness activities with theSwan Foundation and have estimated that for every £1we invested in Swan Foundation projects an additional £7 of value has been achieved.

£691k saving from procuringservices in a different way

Update on last year’s report

Employment of two Anti-Social BehaviourOfficers

Update: Completed

Employment of Welfare Reform Officers tosupport residents through the Welfare Reformchanges

Update: Completed

Improve response times for ‘standard’ repairs

Updated: Average response times reduced from4.59 days to 4.25 days


VFM!


By carrying out a service review of the tenancymanagement service we have seen greater efficiency byfocusing time on estate visits and inspections. We havealso streamlined the handling of customer calls.

We have used the savings from the review to establish aspecialist role to tackle tenancy fraud which will ensureour homes are occupied by the right people.

We have continued to see improvements in customersatisfaction with overall services which increased to 85%:

Satisfaction with the overall service provided by Swan has increased year on year since 2009:

Improving our services in 2014/15We will:

• Strive to achieve further improvements in quality andcost savings through our ongoing programme ofprocurement. This will see services worth £5.4m re-procured in the next year

• Work with our Resident Scrutiny Panel to complete aprogramme of service reviews to improve Value forMoney

• Undertake a review of the affordability of servicecharges for residents

• Implement a new Tenancy Management approach totake services out to our residents

• Introduce a flexible approach to how we deal withrepairs for our vulnerable residents

Economic StandardValue for Money & Financial Accounts

2009 / 75%

2010 / 78%

2011 / 81%

2012 / 84%

2013 / 85%

The Board is pleased to report a surplus for the year of£6.2m. This includes a contribution from Swan New Homeswho delivered a profit of £3.7m before Gift Aid and tax andwill be used to fund new homes and improve services.

The Group balance sheet remains strong withConsolidated Funds increasing from £259.9m to £262.2mwhich is in line with our business plan. Bank borrowingshave reduced from £483.8m to £451.5m. The levels ofinterest we pay on our loans and the amount that we oweper home continue to meet our lender’s requirements,ensuring Swan is compliant with the terms of its loans.

Operational performance has continued to improve with lower rent arrears and more repairs completed within time.

A summary of our Financial Statements from 1 April 2013to 31 March 2014 is shown on page 25. For details ofthe full Financial Statements please visitwww.swan.org.uk

Financial accounts

Look out for these headlines

= Customer satisfaction

= Value for Money achievementVFM

!

23p

1p

8p

30p

8p

30p

36p

23p

12p

1p

28p

Our rents are reviewed each year in line withthe Rent Standard, which currently statesrents can be increased by no more than RPI+ 0.5%, plus up to £2 per week to reach thetarget rent level.

Average cost of rent for a Swan home1 bed 2bed 3bed 4bed

Essex £82.83 £99.21 £112.09 £119.54

London £104.36 £119.50 £129.15 £147.43

How did we do in 2013/14?We reduced the level of rent arrears in our general needshomes from 2.77% to 2.23%.

How your rent is spent (per £1 on average)

80% of residents are satisfied that their rent provides Valuefor Money

Service Charge breakdown (per £1 on average)

Investment in Welfare ReformOfficers funded from savings


• Continue to work in response to the Welfare Reformchanges

• Continue to work to provide you with better andclearer information on service charges

Economic StandardRents


Review our income process pending theintroduction of Universal Credit

Update: We have appointed two Welfare ReformOfficers to support residents through the introductionof Universal Credit

Investigate the use of tablet technology whencarrying out home visits to reduce paperwork andspeed up service delivery

Update: Trials have started of mobile technology withfurther development required before the newtechnology can be rolled out to staff in 2015


n Interest paid on BankLoans

n Housing Management

n Repairs andMaintenance

n Resident Involvement

n Overheads

n Communal Cleaningand Gardening

n Communal Repairs

n Health and Safety

n Utilities

n Security and CCTV

n Other

VFM!

Average rents

Average Swanrent £108

Average private rentin England £163

Source - English Housing Survey


Our aim is to have a can-do attitude. We have continued our ‘making an impact’training to support staff to deliver this.Residents have told us that overallsatisfaction with the services we provide iscontinuing to improve.

What services matter most?Each year, as part of our surveys, we ask residents whatservice is the most important to them. This ensures weare able to continue to focus in the right areas.

The areas that matter most to residents are:

1. Repairs and maintenance

2. The quality of your home

3. Rent providing Value for Money

4. Dealing with anti-social behaviour

How did we do in 2013/14?We monitored our customer service by:

• Having residents mystery shop our services

• Carrying out regular surveys

• Engaging an external assessment of our customerservice approach to retain our Customer ServiceExcellence Award

85% of residents satisfiedwith the overall service

Providing choice, information and communication

• We worked with residents to refresh our residents’newsletter – The Communicator

• We invested in new software to be able to offer adigital version of The Communicator

• We improved the look and accessibility ofweb4residents, our dedicated resident website, whichsaw a 32% increase in visits to the site

Saved £8,000 through the redesign of our Residents’newsletters and leaflets

ComplaintsOur new Complaints Policy was launched April 2013 andsets out how complaints can be made and how they willbe dealt with.

We understand that how we respond to complaints directlyimpacts on customer satisfaction. We want to ensure that allcomplaints are taken seriously and dealt with in aprofessional manner.

• Satisfaction with the handling of complaints increasedfrom 54% in March 2013 to 77% in March 2014

• Satisfaction with the outcome of complaints increasedfrom 47% in March 2013 to 70% in March 2014

• 75% of all complaints made were upheld


• Map the customer experience with our residents toensure all services can be easily accessed

• Have our approach to customer service externallyassessed

• Review our local newsletters to ensure Value for Money

• Promote online communication with our residents

• Reduce the time we take to resolve problems

• Learn from feedback from the Complaints Accessibilityservice review currently being carried out by ourResident Scrutiny Panel

Consumer Standard

Customer Service Choice and Complaints


RepairsUpdate: Our repairs service re-located to a newoffice in Stratford and we have worked to overcomeinitial telephone problems to increase ease of access

InformationUpdate: We have increased the transparency ofservice charge information. We worked with oursupported housing residents who played a key role inshaping the services we provide to them

ComplaintsUpdate: We reviewed our Complaints Policy andhave adopted a centralised process. 80% of thosewho complained found it easy to do so

Enforcing resident behaviourUpdate: Our dedicated ASB Officers focus on highlevel reports of anti-social behaviour, working closelywith local neighbourhood policing teams and localauthorities

VFM!

“In my opinion Swan’s new Scrutiny Panel is capable of successfully workingalongside Swan to hold Swan’s services to accountand to help improve services forall residents, whilst helping Swandeliver Value for Money. I amreally enjoying working with theresidents, who are enthusiasticand keen to challenge! ”Michael Simms, Independent Mentor to theScrutiny Panel.

“As a Panel we havebeen really supported by Swan and HQN.We are now able toproperly scrutiniseSwan’s performancepack and we can’t wait to get outthere and talk to residents andstaff to help us review Swan’sComplaints Service”Jo Alphous, Vice Chair, Scrutiny Panel

We are committed to actively involvingresidents in the management of their homesand local community. We have a dedicatedResident Involvement and CommunicationsTeam to help us achieve this.

How did we do in 2013/14?Through the new Governance Structure and our revisedResident Involvement and Communications Strategy werefreshed the menu of involvement activities available.They now include:

Operations Committee: four Resident Members weresuccessfully recruited to monitor the efficiency andeffectiveness of our housing management andmaintenance services.

Resident Scrutiny Panel: seven residents were recruitedin October 2013 to undertake these new roles. A fullprogramme of training alongside an external mentor hasbeen provided to support them in this new role.

The Tenant Panel: The Tenant Panel has played asignificant role in reviewing our approach tocompensation payments, identifying best practice anddeveloping a payment matrix to ensure fairness andtransparency in the payment of compensation toresidents.

Resident Consultative Committees: We have seen agrowth in the number of residents involved in bothConsultative Committees. During the year they have beeninvolved in developing over 10 policies and instrumentalin shaping the new Corporate Strategy and HousingServices Strategy. They also allocated over £11,000 inCommunity Grant Funding.

306residents actively involvedin shaping Swan’sservices in 2013/14

Consumer Standard

Resident Involvement and Empowerment



Produce a new Communications Strategy

Update: We developed a combined ResidentInvolvement and Communications Strategy, workedwith residents and developed a ‘brand’ for ourresident communications

Make use of new communication technologies toincrease resident involvement

Update: We now have 306 residents actively involvedin shaping Swan’s services

Aim to increase the involvement of under-represented groups

Update: We have increased the involvement ofyoung people with representation from The Foyerattending the Essex Resident ConsultativeCommittee

Consumer Standard

Resident Involvement and Empowerment

Community Development

Our community development team continued to deliver a range of weekly activities, youth forums, youth clubs,sports activities, exercise classes and ESOL (to learnEnglish as a second language) as well as supportingresidents to deliver community fun days.

• We worked with smaller estates such as Glanford Way and Oldchurch and took Santa to Beechwood Village

• We supported the development of the Romford UnionCrown Residents’ Association

• We provided a free, four week summer schemeenjoyed by over 120 children across Essex and London

• We delivered our biggest ever Residents’ Training Programme providing free accredited and non-accredited training for residents to help them into work and to increase their skills


• Support the Resident Scrutiny Panel to complete twoservice reviews (Accessibility of Complaints andService Charges)

• Support the Tenant Panel to hear appeals againstcompensation offers

• Continue to increase the membership of the ResidentConsultative Committees

• Identify more partnership working and grantopportunities for community development

• Involve more residents in the summer scheme activitiesfor children

88% of involved residents aresatisfied their views are takeninto account and acted onResident Training changes lives!

After being made redundant, Brenda from Essexcompleted an accredited Food Hygiene and First AidCourse as part of Swan’s Resident Training Programme.Since completing the courses Brenda has started herown business.

“Swan has changed my life completely and theyhave helped me to achieve my dream of runningmy own catering business.”Brenda


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SWAN ANNUAL REPORT 2014PAGES XX/XXConsumer Standard

Diversity

Equality & Diversity

“The Sensory Garden is a great example of avoluntary project delivered in partnershipbetween different organisations with a range ofpositive social outcomes including betterfacilities for disabled residents and employmentopportunities for Swan residents.”

Mary Gibbons,Executive Director Strategy and Support

We operate across a wide and diverse rangeof communities, from inner London to ruralEssex. We work with residents on theequality, diversity and social inclusion issuesthat matter most to them.

How did we do in 2013/14?In 2013 our approach to diversity was externallyassessed against the Social Housing Equality Framework(SHEF) which resulted in 90% compliance against the‘excellent’ rating. We have now implemented someimprovements and increased compliance to 94%‘excellent’.

We provided a range of services and activities tomeet the diverse needs of our residents including:

• Chai ‘n’ Chat – with over 30 BAME women attending regularly

• Dual English/Bengali newsletters on key Londonestates

• Weekly Youth forums, sports and dance classes

• Appointed a Service User Involvement Officer toincrease service user engagement amongst SupportedHousing residents

89% of Supported Housingresidents are satisfied that welisten to their views and actupon them


• Assess our diversity performance against the HousingDiversity Network Accreditation scheme

• Continue our work on the Digital Inclusion programmeto support residents to prepare for the introduction ofDigital by Default by providing training facilities andpromoting resident champions


Provide residents with the option to receive theirmonthly rent statement and The Communicatorelectronically

Update: Electronic rent statements have beendeveloped and will be made available to residents in2014. The Communicator is now availableelectronically

Open a sensory garden at Brentwood

Update: Completed in the summer of 2013

Run a food growing project on Bow Cross

Update: We have successfully supported aCommunity Food Growing Project that is producinghealthy, locally grown fruit and vegetables for residents

VFM! Over 90 Essex residents, aged55+ received a free healthcheck at minimal cost toSwan due to joint working


Consumer Standard

Home - Quality of Accommodation

During 2013/14 we spent £3.4 million on our homes, 70% of this was on plannedimprovement works. We carried out 1,700stock condition surveys to ensure our plannedimprovements are meeting the framework setout in our Asset Management Strategy.

How did we do in 2013/14?We installed:

• 130 new kitchens

• 47 new bathroom and shower rooms

• 187 new boilers/central heating systems

We carried out:

• Electrical upgrades or full rewires to 149 homes

• External decorations to 359 properties

• Over 30,000 repairs

100% of Swan homes meetthe Decent Homes Standard

Aids and Adaptations By working with Occupational Therapists and LocalCouncils we installed:

• 31 walk-in and over bath showers

• Three ramps and three power assisted doors toimprove accessibility


• Invest £3.5m installing over 200 new kitchens andbathrooms and 200 central heating systems

• Achieve 100% of homes meeting Swan’s enhancedDecent Homes Plus Standard

• Continue to install more efficient loft insulation to helpreduce heating costs for residents

80% of Swan residents aresatisfied with the quality oftheir home

Maintenance cost breakdown(per £1 on average)

n Improvements 43p

n Planned and cyclical 21p

n Responsive repairs 29p

n Voids 6p

n Other 1p


Develop our asset management software, to beable to produce a five-year programme ofimprovements

Update: Completed

Develop the tenant portal to allow residents toselect choices of colour and design or worktops,kitchen cupboards and drawers

Update: Completed


VFM!

43p

6p

29p

21p

1p

Repairs and maintenance is the service thatmatters most to residents. In March 2013we introduced our new repair standards toprovide better clarity on repairresponsibilities.

Residents are actively involved in monitoring repairsperformance through monthly meetings with Swan andAxis Europe (our Repairs Partner). Staff and residentsundertake regular satisfaction surveys of the repair serviceenabling us to deal with any problems as they arise.

How did we do in 2013/14?• Reduced the average number of days to complete a

‘standard’ repair from 4.59 days to 4.25 days

• Introduced a follow-on ‘receipt’ that sets out thedetails of the next job when follow-on work is required

• Introduced stickers to let residents know when acommunal repair has been reported

• Revised our procedure for gaining quotes to improvecompletion times

• Achieved 76% resident satisfaction with the repair service

85% of residents satisfied with the quality of the repair

Improving our services 2014/15We will:

• Increase the number of appointments made and kept

• Work with Axis to increase overall satisfaction with therepair service to 80%

• Embed the process of keeping residents informed offollow-on work

• Axis will employ a Customer Services Manager toimprove the service provided by the Aftercare Team

Consumer StandardHome - Repairs and Maintenance


Improve the Axis ‘out of hours’ service

Update: Since the move to the Stratford office boththe day and night teams are now located in the samebuilding which has improved the handover ofinformation and resulted in a significant reduction inthe number of complaints received

Introduce a more streamlined procedure for Gasservicing

Update: Completed. Achieved 100% of homes witha valid gas safety certificate

Work with the Resident Quality Panel to agreerevised repair appointment times to give morechoice as to when a repair is carried out

Update: Completed. We will offer the next availableappointment or an appointment to suit the resident

Improve the aftercare service when follow-onrepairs are required

Update: We introduced a follow-on ‘receipt’ toimprove the aftercare when works are not completedon the first visit and to keep residents informed

Review the number of appointments made andkept and achieve a target of 97% by March 2014

Update: Improvements were made on the number ofappointments made and kept but this fell short of thetarget of 97%. Further work on this is planned for2014/15


Consumer StandardHome - Regeneration

Angel Way, Romford

RegenerationCase StudyWe completed 120new homes of which62 were for rent and58 shared ownership

In the last year we have made real progress on some exciting regeneration projects. Theseinclude the £500m regeneration of Blackwall Reach in Tower Hamlets. Our overall regenerationprogramme will deliver over 1,000 new high quality homes over the next three years, includingnew homes at Repton Court in Redbridge and on the Craylands estate in Basildon.


We aim to build over 800 new homes for saleduring the next three years

Update: On target to achieve this with 175completed in 2013/14

Complete a review of satisfaction levels to ensureour new build homes meet the needs of ourresidents

Update: Completed: satisfaction increased from 75%to 83%


How did we do in 2013/14? In March 2014 we completed a mixed tenuredevelopment at Angel Way in Havering.

The scheme attracted £1.8m in Social Housing Grant fromthe Greater London Authority under the 2011-15 AffordableHomes Programme.

83% of residents in newhomes are satisfied with thecondition of their home


• Build 1,072 new homes over the next three years ofwhich 549 will be social and affordable homes

• Continue to work to increase satisfaction with newlybuilt homes

The sale of new homes generated a profit of £3.7m to help fund newaffordable homes

VFM!

Consumer StandardTenancy - Allocations

Our Allocations Policy is designed to ensureour homes are let in a way that is fair andefficient. We award priority based onhousehold need and time waited and reflectlocal authority policies when possible.

How did we do in 2013/14? We let 388 general needs homes during the year, 73 ofwhich were newly built.

85% were let though nominations from local authoritieswith the remainder let to existing Swan residents throughHomeKey, our choice-based lettings system.

We have nomination agreements with our local authoritypartners to tackle various issues including homelessness,overcrowding and under-occupation.

• 50 households downsized bringing 73 emptybedrooms back into use

• 249 households swapped homes and 104 movedthrough an internal transfer

• Over 900 residents are registered for a transfer

• We took an average of 15.4 days to relet our homes

95% of residents are satisfied with our lettings service


• Move our transfer list online so applicants can managetheir own application and have access to otherLandlord's homes

388 homes let in 2013/14


Investigate the introduction of ‘any day’ tenancies

Update: We decided that it was not quite the righttime to introduce this type of tenancies but we willlook into them again this year

Carry out a review of our Housing Options

Update: As part of this review we changed how weadvertise our homes. Our available homes are nowadvertised through www.homehunt.co.uk


15.4 days on average to relet empty homes, helping tominimise the rental incomelost from empty properties

VFM!

n Chelmsford 6

n Colchester 6

n Tendring 7

n Thurrock 7

n Uttlesford 8

n Rochford 10

n Redbridge 14

n Southend 17

n Braintree 24

n Tower Hamlets 52

n Havering 102

n Basildon 129

n Other 6

Consumer Standard

Tenancy – Rented and Leasehold

Tenancies are issued dependant on the typeof home offered and the applicant’scircumstances. Swan’s Tenancy Policy setsout which tenancies are issued and underwhat circumstances.

We use starter tenancies to tackle anti-social behaviourand issue five-year fixed term tenancies to applicantswho are new to social housing. This helps us ensure ourhomes are occupied by those who need them the most.

At March 2014 we owned and managed over 10,600properties.

We have over 1,300 leaseholders and shared owners andour specialist Leasehold Team manage the different rightsand responsibilities set out in the different leases.

How did we do in 2013/14?We relocated two members of our leasehold team to ourLondon offices to offer leaseholders and shared ownersimproved opportunities to discuss issues in person.

80% of new owners told us they were satisfied with oursales process when buying their home.

83% of leaseholders are satisfied with the quality oftheir home


• Send out quarterly newsletters to keep ourleaseholders updated

• Aim to complete 90% of service charge disputes within28 days

• Identify and recover any Swan homes that are notoccupied by the correct person

• Aim to improve satisfaction by 2%

Used savings from ourTenancy Management Review to fund a dedicatedTenancy Fraud role to ensurethat the right people are livingin our homes

Tenancies issued in 2013/14

n Fixed-term 225

n Assured 152

n Assured shorthold 37

n Licence 33

n Starter 14


Work with Managing Agents to increase customersatisfaction

Update: We have adopted a stronger approachregarding repairs responsibility in communal areas

Adopt a new risk-based approach to tenancyaudits

Update: In January 2014 we appointed a TenancyFraud Officer to focus on those homes where wehave identified potential evidence that the personliving there may not be the person to whom the homewas originally let

Review our tenancy management approach

Update: We completed our review and are moving toa new approach which will see our NeighbourhoodOfficers spending more time on our estates


VFM!

Clean and tidy estates can be as importantas the homes we provide. Swan’s EstateServices team is responsible for cleaningshared areas, checking lights, removingrubbish and carrying out regular inspections.

Our estates and blocks are cleaned at least once a weekwith the service flexible enough to be increased orreduced at residents’ request.

Formal inspections are carried out bi-monthly unlessrequested by residents to be more frequent.

How did we do in 2013/14?• We carried out 816 estate inspections and 95% of

these met our ‘A’ standard

• A total of 82 independent resident inspections tookplace across Essex and London

• 94% of all inspections in Essex and 86% in Londonincluded a resident

• We introduced a new gardening contract which hasincreased satisfaction with the service provided to 81%

79% of residents are satisfiedwith cleaning of internalshared areas

Estate ImprovementsWe invested a total of £65,000 in neighbourhoodimprovements and prevention of anti-social behaviourincluding:

• Additional lighting and fencing to provide extra securityin Exmouth Street

• Extending the fencing in Summercourt Road playingfields to prevent balls from spilling over into residential areas

• Installing roof spikes at Mellow Purgess to stoppigeons landing

• Installed marked parking bays and signs to preventnuisance parking on grass areas

• Used CCTV to improve security and help residents feel safe

New approach to TenancyManagement to take servicesto our residents and increasesatisfaction with yourneighbourhood


• Work with Axis to improve the time taken to completecommunal repairs

• Work with other providers such as Basildon Council toimprove the estates where Swan does not provide adirect service

Consumer StandardNeighbourhood and Community Standard - Neighbourhood Management


Work with other contractors who provide estateservices across Essex to improve satisfactionwith estate cleaning

Update: We have a schedule of meetings with otherproviders to discuss performance and agreeimprovements


VFM!

Consumer StandardNeighbourhood and Community Standard - Anti-Social Behaviour

We believe that everyone has the right topeaceful enjoyment of their home andrecognise that anti-social behaviour canhave a significant negative impact on thelives of our residents.

We expect our residents to be good neighbours and betolerant of one another and understand how their lifestylecan affect those living nearby.


Use the new ASB tools which we expect to beintroduced by Government in 2014

Update: The new powers will not come fully intoeffect until October 2014. We are reviewing our policyand procedures in light of these changes

Introduce further preventative measures such as‘Responsible Pet Ownership Agreements’

Update: Completed

When publishing details of types of ASB cases byborough, we will include details of the actions wehave taken

Update: Completed. Articles published in TheCommunicator highlight actions taken

Continue to work with the resident ASB focusgroup to further improve our services

Update: After successfully reviewing the service thisgroup no longer meet


VFM! Used our VFM savings to invest in dedicated ASB staff

How did we do in 2013/14?Number of ASB cases by type:

n Noise 125

n Harassment/Intimidation/Threatening 39

n Vandalism/Criminal Behaviour 11

n Drug/alcohol related 23

n Misuse of communal areas 26

n Litter/fly-tipping 2

n Domestic abuse/physical violence 28

n Prostitution/kerb crawling 3

79% of residents are satisfiedwith how their ASB complaintwas handled

Improving our services in 2014/15 We will:

• Work with other providers through the CharteredInstitute of Housing to improve our management of anti-social behaviour

• Improve satisfaction with handling of ASB complaints

Our aim is to provide excellentaccommodation and support and careservices to meet the individual needs ofpeople with learning difficulties, mentalhealth needs, young people, teenageparents, care leavers and older people.

How did we do in 2013/14?• We increased the number of involved residents from

supported housing to ensure their views are taken intoaccount and used to develop services

• We worked with the young people at The Foyer todeliver a range of worklessness initiatives and healthand wellbeing courses

• Our annual resident conference saw a record numberof supported housing residents attending

97% of supported housingresidents are satisfied withthe facilities at their scheme


• Implement our Service User Involvement Strategy

• Improve our knowledge of local volunteering andbefriending services for residents

• Review the services provided in The Foyer inpartnership with the residents

• Apply for £25,000 grant funding for SupportedHousing to deliver additional activities for residents

• Use feedback from our surveys to identifyimprovements

The pilot of the enhanced Empty Property Standardhelped to reduce relet timesfor our Supported Housinghomes

“I find it relaxing to work in myworkshop. I like to get ideas for mywork by watching videos on YouTube.”Alan

Consumer StandardNeighbourhood and Community Standard - Supported Housing


Focus on improving how the views of supportedhousing residents are taken into account andused to develop services

Update: We employed a Service User InvolvementOfficer to improve activities and opportunities forsupported housing residents

Develop an Older Person’s Strategy

Update: This project has been included in the newHousing Strategy for 2014/17

Look at alternative move-on accommodation foryoung residents in The Foyer

Update: Alternative move-on accommodationoptions such as private rented accommodation wereexplored, but due to Welfare Reform changes thishas proven difficult. This work will continue into2014/15

Work with partners to offer interviews and workexperience for Foyer residents

Update: We worked with Ford UK to offeropportunities for young people at The Foyer to gainwork experience and improve their skills


VFM!

Local area co-operationAt Swan we want to be "The Local Partner"and are committed to delivering ourCorporate Social Responsibility Strategy. We believe that by promoting social,environmental and economic wellbeing inthe areas where we have homes we will helpcreate communities that people want to live in.

To achieve this we work in partnership with manyagencies including the NHS, local Councils, the FireBrigade and other landlords to deliver a range ofactivities. These include ESOL classes, community safetydays and a range of training courses for local residents.

We also meet these objectives through the SwanFoundation, which is a charity dedicated to improvinglives. The Foundation builds partnerships withbusinesses to invest in communities and helps turnpeople's aspirations into reality.

How did we do in 2013/14?We worked in partnership with stakeholders to facilitate:

• Three local school children completing two weeks’work experience with Swan

• Six residents completing a 12-day health and socialcare course

• Swan staff delivering mock interviews for the Salvation Army

• Swan staff completing a refresh of the garden at awomen's refuge

• Swan staff taking wheelchair users from our SupportedHousing homes on a trip

• A Grounds Maintenance and Landscaping service toact as a stepping stone for residents to get trained inhorticulture, gain experience and move intoemployment. Two residents were then selected for aone-year traineeship with Swan

The Swan Foundation also awarded £78k in grantswhich included the following:

• Signpost Work Club empowering and supporting over50 people to return to work

• In partnership with Groundwork Essex, 26 youngpeople from local schools were provided with careerguidance in construction and through the TradesSchool undertook a comprehensive trainingprogramme to develop skills in building maintenanceand the construction industry

• Through our partnership with the Prince’s Trust, 25young people received between two and four weeks oftraining and work experience

Consumer StandardNeighbourhood and Community Standard - Local Area Co-operation


87% of residents wouldrecommend Swan's ResidentTraining Programme to otherresidents

We recruited a trainee Sustainability Co-ordinator topromote environmental issues. This included installingwater saving features in partnership with Essex & SuffolkWater.

In addition, the Swan Foundation supported a host ofwellbeing activities such as:

• Sporting associations (Newham Warriors and NewhamAll Star Academy) aimed at young people aged 12-19

• Workshops with young people focused on reducingknife crime

• Providing financial and project management support toa Basildon-based performing arts group for youngpeople

We have calculated the social return on investment of ourcommunity and worklessness initiatives carried outbetween the Swan Foundation and the ResidentInvolvement Team who work closely together. Weestimated that for every £1 invested an additional £7 ofvalue has been delivered.

We generated £52,000 ingrant funding or 'in kind'donations to deliver trainingand wellbeing courses


• Work with local colleges to promote and deliver 40apprenticeships: 20 in London and 20 in Essex

• Work with local schools and our Repairs Partner, Axis,to promote and create 20 work experienceopportunities across Essex and East London

• Co-ordinate 40 trainees, 20 in Essex and 20 in Londonthrough projects supported by our charity the SwanFoundation

Consumer StandardNeighbourhood and Community Standard - Local Area Co-operation


Assessing social value achieved from ourResident Training Programme

Update: Using the HACT methodology for assessingsocial value it is estimated that for every £1 spent onthe Resident Training Programme approximately £10of social value was delivered


VFM!

Governance structure

The table below lists the members of our key groups within our governance structure:-

ExecutiveTeam

SwanHousingGroup Board

OperationsCommittee

ResidentScrutinyPanel

LondonResidentConsultativeCommittee

EssexResidentConsultativeCommittee

JohnSynnuck,ChiefExecutive

Jamie Smith,Deputy ChiefExecutive

SandraFawcett,ExecutiveDirectorHousing

MaryGibbons,ExecutiveDirectorStrategy andSupport

Geoff Pearce,ExecutiveDirectorRegenerationandDevelopment

SuzanneWicks, ManagingDirector, HeraManagementServices

Valerie OwenChair

PeterBaynham

GeorgeKieffer

Sheila Lewis

Marie Li MowChing

DerekMorrison

Steve Walker

JohnSynnuckSwan CEO

Jamie SmithSwanDeputy CEO

GeorgeKieffer Chair –IndependentBoardMember

Steve WalkerIndependentBoardMember

Darren CoanResident

AleksandraMorshedResident

Iphie MottohResident

MichelleRichards Resident

Peter BrooksIndependent

Glyn KyleIndependent

PawelSzopinskiChair

Jo AlphousVice Chair

Julie-AnneKing

Karl Hamilton

MohammedMuktar

JenniferMurphy

Emma Noel

MichelleRichardsChair

Luigi BianchiVice Chair

Tressa Bates

RussellBamber

JeanetteBranchflower

Stella Damm

Jean Murphy

AnthonyPhilpott

MaryWatkinson

ClaudetteWilson

VanessaWren

CarolFranklinChair

Steve FrancisVice Chair

ChristopherBreadon

Pearl Bulloch

Ron Cole

Julie Elkins

Jenny Flicker

FrancisFreeman

Kathy Mace

Tabatha Mills

VickyMunday

Alf Read


Performance

Resident Satisfaction 2013/14 2012/13 Target Average topPerformers

General Needs 85.0% 83.5% 85.5% 86.8%

Supported Housing 87.1% 89.1% 90.8% 93.2%

Leasehold 50.0% 46.0% 50.0% 63.8%

Repairs Service 75.6% 75.5% 77.5% 80.8%

Your Neighbourhood 78.9% 81.0% 83.0% 87.0%

Rent provides Value for Money 79.8% 78.4% 80.4% 84.0%

Views are listened to and acted on 65.4% 69.0% 71.0% 73.5%

Repairs% of routine repairs completed within time 98.88% 98.5% 99.0% 98.7%

% of emergency repairs completed within time 99.66% 100.0% 100.0% 99.7%

% of repair appointments that were kept 96.45% 96.6% 97.0% 99.1%

% of properties with a valid gas safety certificate 100% 97.5% 100.0% 100.0%

Empty HomesAverage number of days taken to 15.6 14 16 19.7re-let an empty home

ASB% of people satisfied with how 78.6% 74.0% 76.0% 89.1%their ASB report was dealt with

ArrearsCurrent tenant arrears as % of rent due 2.23% 2.77% 3.00% 2.44%(general needs housing only)

% of rent collected 100.7% 98.99% 100% 99.8%

Customer care% of calls answered within target 95.7% 95.2% 90% n/a

ComplaintsTotal number of complaints received 409 213 N/A n/a

% of complaints responded to within 10 days 98% 98% 97% n/a

% satisfied with the complaints procedure 76.6% 54% 68% n/a

% satisfied with the outcome of their complaints 70.1% 47%* 65% n/a

*changes to the way we calculate this indicator has resulted in lower satisfaction results for 2012/13


Performance

Stock profile 2013/14 2012/13

General needs 6,594 6,564

Supported ,497 ,497

Leasehold ,687 ,646

Shared Owners ,645 ,602

Other 2,266 2,271

Total 10,689 10,580

Resident profileHead of household - BAME 19% 16.1%

Head of household - female 67% 60.1%

Head of household - disabled 14.7% 11.8%

Head of household - over 55yrs 18.2% 22.8%

Lets made to BAME households 31.6% 26.4%

Financial accountsEach year we tell you how we are doing financially. These tables are from our Financial Statements from 1 April 2013to 31 March 2014. For the full Financial Statements please visit www.swan.org.uk

Consolidated Group income and expenditure account for the year ended 31 March 2014 £’000/14 £’000/13

Turnover 89,546 104,789

Operating costs (68,484) (74,472)

Operating Surplus 21,062 30,317

Surplus on sale of properties ,698 ,365

Interest Payable (15,537) (15,593)

Surplus (deficit) ordinary activities before tax 6,223 15,089

Consolidated balance sheet as at 31 March 2014 £’000/14 £’000/14 £’000/13 £’000/13

Properties 624,948 624,199

Other fixed assets 4,427 4,439

Total fixed assets 629,375 628,638

Current assets 117,260 140,190

Current liabilities (29,226) (22,942)

Net current assets 88,034 117,248

Total assets less current liabilities 717,409 745,886

non-current liabilities (455,230) (485,910)

Net assets 262,179 259,976



Text messaging service

If you would like to contactSwan via the text service,add Swan Housing as acontact, adding the mobilenumber 07860 021752then choose the relevantdepartment and text theirdedicated word.

Axis Repairsrepairs

Supported Housingsupport

Resident Involvementinvolve

Allocations and Lettingslettings

Essex Rentsessexrents

Essex Neighbourhoodessexneighbours

London Rentslondonrents

London Neighbourhoodlondonneighbours

Leasehold Servicesleasehold

Estate Serviceestate

Compliments andComplaintsimprove

In your language

Please call 0300 303 2500if you would likesomeone to explain anyof these articles to you.

Polish

Somali

Punjabi

Bengali

Arabic

Urdu

Visit us or post:

Essex Regional Office:Pilgrim House, High Street, Billericay, Essex CM12 9XY

London Regional Office:Cygnet House South, 10 Chrisp Street, Poplar,London E14 6LL

We are open Monday-Thursday 9.00am-5.15pm

Friday 9.00am-5.00pm

Call us to find out whereyour local neighbourhoodoffice is.

Useful numbers

Swan HQ 0300 303 2500

Repairs number (24 hour)0800 783 2768

ASB office hours 0300 303 2500

ASB out-of-hours 0800 075 6699

Online

Swan website www.swan.org.uk

Residents’ websitewww.web4residents.org.uk

General [email protected]

Swan New Homeswww.swannewhomes.co.uk

Swan Foundationwww.swanfoundation.org.uk

Vivowww.vivosupport.co.uk

Herawww.heramanagementservices.co.uk

Facebook www.facebook.com/swanhousing

How to contact us...

Residents Annual Report 2014 (full)

Documents

new homes

decent homes standard

residents annual reportwelcome

effective services

highquality services

residents andstaff

number of residents

antisocial behaviour