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Bassetlaw District Council e-Newsletter

Merry Christmas!

On behalf of all of the Staff and Councillors at Bassetlaw District Council, especially everyone in our Housing Team, we’d like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

For many of us the festive season is a time of joy and spending quality time together with friends, family and loved ones. However, for some people it can be a lonely and unhappy period of the year. Sometimes, just a friendly phone call to a friend or neighbour can make a big difference to show they are not forgotten. There are also support agencies and local groups that can help including Age UK, who provide practical help and advice over the festive season, the Samaritans, and local groups like In Sam’s Name, and Bassetlaw Food Bank. We’ve provided some details below if you need them.

• AGE UK (55 years and older) – 0800 470 8090
• Samaritans – Call free on 116 124
• Email: jo@samaritans.org
• Website - selfhelp.samaritans.org/

Christmas closing times and emergency contacts

We would like to let our residents and tenants know that our offices will be closed for the festive period on the following dates:

Queen's Buildings

• 22nd December: Closes at 3pm (DWP will remain open until 5pm)
• 25th December: Closed
• 26th December: Closed
• 1st January: Closed

Retford Office

• 22nd December: Closes at 3pm
• 25th December: Closed
• 26th December: Closed
• 1st January: Closed

Harworth and Bircotes Office

• Closed from 21st of December until 2nd of January

Shopmobility

• 23rd December: Closes at 3pm
• 25th December: Closed
• 26th December: Closed
• 1st January: Closed

Emergency Contacts

• Bassetlaw District Council Housing - 0800 590 542
• Bassetlaw District Council - 01909 534 999
• Adult Social Care, Children and Young People Services - 0300 456 4546
• Automated Telephone Payments - 0207 000 2215

Christmas Bin Collections

There will be some changes to the bin collections in Bassetlaw over the festive period, coming into effect from Monday 25th December 2023. Get prepared and check changes to your bin collections on our website. Stickers will also be placed on all bins to inform residents of the changes..

Tenant Involvement Opportunities for Bassetlaw Residents

The hustle and bustle of the festive season is an extremely busy time for many people, but if you have a little free time to work with us in the New Year, there are opportunities to join other Bassetlaw District Council tenants to collectively get involved and make a real difference in your local community.

We have many ways in which residents can get involved, meet new people, and influence changes to housing services simply by giving us a tenant’s perspective. You can:

• Join one of our tenant groups that scrutinise the Housing Services we provide to tenants and residents in Bassetlaw.
• Look at the ways we handle tenant’s complaints and the overall process.
• Become a member of our new tenant group Voices of Bassetlaw, who come together on a monthly basis with fellow tenants from across Bassetlaw.

The next meeting of Voices of Bassetlaw will be held on Tuesday 16^th January 2024, between 10.30am and 12noon, in the Ceres Suite, Worksop Town Hall.

If you would like to attend, please contact Anita Fairweather, Tenant and Resident Engagement Officer, 07725 768474 or email VoicesofBassetlaw@gmail.com

Travelling expenses and parking will be reimbursed.

Tenant and Resident Workshops

In January we will be running the first in a regular series of workshops that will use the personal experiences of tenants to assess and possibly improve how we approach specific parts of the Housing Service.

Our first session will take place on Thursday 25th January, Ceres Suite, Worksop Town Hall, starting at 10am, and will look at how our Housing Officers collect tenancy information at their periodical occupancy visits.

It is important that we know our tenants and that we are aware of any issues or difficulties they may be experiencing with their home. This session will help us to gain a greater insight into how we can collect key information.

The workshop will last a maximum of 3 hours and travel expenses will be paid. Each member of the group will also receive a £25 Love to Shop Voucher

Are you interested in becoming a Bassetlaw Tenant Member of TPAS?

Complimentary membership is available for Bassetlaw Tenants.

Bassetlaw District Council are proud to be members of TPAS (Tenants Participation and Advisory Service) as well as a network of social housing landlords that are committed to listening, understanding and being accountable to our tenants.

One of the benefits of being a member of TPAS is that our tenants can access a range of services to help you become more involved in shaping the services we offer.

It is completely free to sign up and you can learn new skills, access free online events and webinars and take advantage of development opportunities through their online resource hub. 

Once you have joined, you will automatically be signed up to a new fortnightly newsletter which is packed with current information about social housing and changes in legislation.

Don’t Miss Out - Find your landlord and register at www.tpas.org.uk and click on the ‘Join’ button in the top right hand corner of the website.

You can also email anita.fairweather@bassetlaw.gov.uk for more information.

Prince's Trust

The Prince’s Trust will be running a 12-week personal development course that aims to support young people to overcome barriers that affect their opportunity of gaining and sustaining employment, education and training.

Young people on the programme will build skills that will empower them and put them in the best possible position to apply and gain work, such as; communication, teamwork, leadership, organisation and much more. Young people will also work towards a nationally recognised Certificate in Employment, Teamwork and Community Skills.

The programme is for unemployed young people between the ages of 16 and 26. There are no exceptions based on backgrounds or barriers, and it’s completely free.

Date: Starts on Monday 29th January 2024.

Location: Worksop Sea Cadets, 74a Gateford Road, Worksop

Contact: Jaye Crew, QTLP and Teaching Delivery Manager, on 07932 649756.

To learn more about the 12-week programme, and read about other young people’s experiences, take a look at Sophie’s Story and the Team Programme leaflet.

Giving back to the Bassetlaw community

This year, some of our Housing contractors have been getting into the festive spirit by giving back to the communities and people of Bassetlaw.

Our Fire Safety Contractors, Ventro, have been out distributing festive hampers throughout December to customers who have helped spread the importance of fire safety to their neighbours and why this type of safety work is important.

United Living, our Major Improvements partners and their sub-contractors, raise money each year for local charities and this year chose Bassetlaw Foodbank as the recipient of their donation. They raised a total of £520 for the local food bank with the help of their subcontractors and staff.

Vanessa Welch, Senior Resident Liaison Officer at United Living said:

"This year we decided to donate to the Bassetlaw Foodbank as this is a great way of helping the community we work in every day. Especially as it is a very challenging time for many families.

“The foodbank staff are very appreciative of cash donations, it enables them to purchase fresh produce and it helps with food packs later on in the year when there can be a lull in donations."

Work Continues at Westmoreland House

Bassetlaw District Council is continuing to make significant investment in its accommodation for older people by modernising and improving its Independent Living Centre in Harworth and Bircotes.

The Westmoreland House project is taking place as part of the Council’s plan to improve all of its Independent Living Centre accommodation across the district as part of a five-year partnership with specialist design and build company Fortem.

The works are on track to be completed by summer 2024 with the buildings’ exterior almost complete and internal works well underway. The finished scheme will offer 32 one-bedroomed flats, all fitted with wet rooms for residents over the age of 60. There will also be a new central courtyard and communal areas across the site.

View the Westmoreland House Progress Tour.