In This Newsletter:

• Gas Safety Week
• Cost of Living
• Dates for your Diary
• What is Independent Living
• Scheme of the Month 
• Strength and Balance Classes
• Be a Good Neighbour
• How Are We Performing?
• Environmental Issue Online Form Now Live
• Homesearch - Did You Know?
• Green Festival at Kimberley
• Discounted Bus Travel with Green Rewards

Gas Safety Week

12th - 18th September

Gas Safety Week will be taking place 12^th-18^th September 2022 and is celebrating its twelfth year. This pan-industry event sees everyone coming together for one common goal – keeping the nation gas safe.

As your landlord, Broxtowe Borough Council has a legal obligation to ensure that gas appliances and pipe work in your home are checked for safety at least once every 12 months.  Our in-house Gas Safe Registered Engineers will carry out these vital checks to ensure they are safe for you and your family to use.

We will contact you when your annual gas servicing and maintenance is due, with an appointment. If for any reason you are not able to keep the appointment, please contact Housing Repairs, who will be happy to rearrange this for you.

For further information about Gas Safety, visit our website where you can download our Repairs Handbook.

Please note that we are following government guidelines and installing Carbon Monoxide alarms. If you haven’t had yours installed yet, it will be done shortly.

Gas Safety

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Cost of Living

The Government has announced a range of measures to assist with the rising cost of living.

Visit our website for further details about the measures and maximising your income/benefits, including:

• Universal Credit
• Pension Credit
• Housing Benefit
• Council Tax Support
• Discretionary Housing Payments

Cost of Living

Looking for support to gain employment or develop skills needed to secure work?

Well for Work can support any resident of the Borough who is 15+.  Click on the image below to find out more.

Dates for Your Diary

Housing will be ‘on the move’ this month and will be popping up within your neighbourhood and at community based events.  Employees will be on hand to discuss tenancy and neighbourhood concerns.  We’ll also have lots of information about how you can help develop Housing Services, or you can just pop along to say hello and meet some of the team. Where will we be in September?

You can find out more about opportunities to engage with Housing on our website.

Housing Engagement

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What is Independent Living?

 Broxtowe’s Independent Living Service offers comfortable and affordable housing, along with a Tunstall system which provides 24 hours a day access to an emergency response centre.

Moving in to one of our quality apartments gives you peace of mind with:

• A Tunstall call system linked to a 24-hour response centre staffed by trained operators who are available seven days a week
• A feeling of being safe and secure, without the burden of having to maintain a larger property on your own
• Communal facilities for you to socialise and take part in regular activities brought to you by specialist Activities Coordinators

Interested? Find out more on our website.

Independent Living

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Scheme of the Month

Southfields Court, Chilwell

7 homes available to let now!

Tenants at Southfields Court, Chilwell have a very active life, with a light spacious communal lounge to come together socially and enjoy a range of tenant and Council led activities.

From an externally provided lunch club, to a games club, afternoon tea and crafts, or just getting together for a coffee.  There’s plenty for tenants to do on the scheme and get to know their neighbours.

Our dedicated Activities Coordinator is on hand to support and provide activities tenants want to take part in.

Close to Beeston town centre with great transport links, Southfields Court offers: Private accommodation with fitted kitchen and bathroom Onsite Parking Lift 24hr Pull Cord System Social Activities Laundry Room Communal Lounge with kitchen Guest room available for family and friend visits at a low rate Personalised contact with Independent Living Co-ordinators Find Your Home Today Back to the top

Strength and Balance

 Balance Awareness Week is a national event that take place from 18^th to 24^th September.  It aims to broaden understanding of inner ear disorders and how they affect people’s day to day lives.

Strength and Balance Exercise Classes are available for anyone over the age of 60 who may have balance issues. The classes are held weekly in two of our Independent Living Schemes:

• Tuesdays at 10:00 am, Yew Tree Court, Beeston
• Thursdays at 10:00 am, Westbourne Court, Bramcote

Classes are £2.50 per person and last around one hour. All equipment needed is supplied. Tea and biscuits supplied for an extra 50p per person.

If you are thinking of joining one of the classes, please contact the class instructor prior to attending to have a chat about any medical conditions that may need catering for:

Graham Beech, Strength and Balance Instructor

Graham.beech@hotmail.co.uk

07944 354 435

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Be a Good Neighbour

Whilst we understand that people are enjoying the nice weather being out in their gardens, we would like to remind you that whilst doing so you are respectful of your neighbours. 

Please be mindful and ensure that you are keeping noise levels down so as not to cause a disturbance.

If you would like to talk to the Neighbourhoods Team about a tenant who is causing noise, then please contact us:

tenancy@broxtowe.gov.uk

0115 917 3400

We’re recruiting for Neighbourhood Champions.  Are you interested in?:

• Being a good neighbour
• Helping to improve your neighbourhood
• Sharing neighbourhood feedback

Find out more about our role and how to sign up on our website.

Neighbourhood Champions

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How Are We Performing?

The Housing Department’s Business Plan sets out operational and strategic tasks over three years, and how we will achieve these.

Progress is discussed by the Housing Management Team and is reported regularly to Councillors. We are continually looking at ways to improve the service we offer to tenants and leaseholders, which we do by:

• Setting and reviewing meaningful targets
• Listening to the feedback we receive and learning from complaints.
• Addressing poor performance in a proactive way
• Benchmarking our services against similar housing providers

The data captured for ‘Overall satisfaction with the service provided by Broxtowe Borough Council Housing Department’, is very important and it allows us to identify our strengths and weaknesses and address them accordingly. We ask this question in all of our satisfaction surveys.

Find out more about Housing Performance here.

Have you received a service from us recently?

We’d love to hear your experience of the service you received.  Complete the short satisfaction survey and help us to shape services.

Satisfaction Surveys

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Environmental Issue Online Form Now Live

A new online form to report an environmental issue is now live and has replaced our Love Broxtowe platform.

The online form can be used to report issues such as dog fouling, issues at parks and open spaces, litter, graffiti and more.

You can:

• Pin the report on a map
• Add a description
• Upload a photo
• Provide your contact details
• Get a reference number for submitted reports
• Get an update when the issue has been resolved

Please use this online form where possible, as it helps our Environment Team get all the information they need to resolve reports quickly.

Report an Issue

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Homesearch

Did You Know?

Did you know that on the Broxtowe HomeSearch website you can upload your supporting documents straight onto your application?

It’s quick and easy and can mean that your application will be assessed so you can bid for a new home quicker.

Supporting documents can include ID documents, proof of income, information from a medical professional or any other information that is requested by us or you think is important for the assessment of your application.

There's no longer any need to deliver them into the offices.  Not got a scanner? Don’t worry, a clear photograph should be fine, we will let you know if there are any problems with it.

Broxtowe Homesearch

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Join us for our Kimberley Green Festival on 24 September

Our next Green Festival is on September 24 at Hall Om Wong Open Space in Kimberley between 12pm and 3pm.

If you’re looking for a day that is free, educational and engaging and you want to help yourself and family members learn invaluable skills and methods which will help you to reduce your carbon footprint, consider attending our festival in September. Our festivals are a fantastic way for families and individuals to learn how to live more sustainably and how we can come together to help mitigate the worst impacts of Climate Change.

There will be interactive stalls and fun activities for children and adults alike and guests will learn from leading experts about topics such as Recycling, Composting, Climate Change, Wildflowers, Biodiversity and much more.

Green Festival

Get discounted bus travel and combat climate change with Green Rewards!

Find out How

For more information visit www.broxtowe.gov.uk/housing
E: housing@broxtowe.gov.uk T: 0115 917 7777