Hello! Want to know how you can get involved and make a difference? The Tenant Times is your go-to!

Meet Chris, our Senior Housing Officer

Hello, I’m Chris Garlick, Senior Housing Officer at Newark and Sherwood District Council.

I’m proud to work alongside a fantastic team of Tenancy Officers, Tenancy Assistants, and Street Wardens, all dedicated to supporting our tenants and strengthening our communities.

Since joining the Council, I’ve been genuinely impressed by the incredible support available to tenants - not just at Castle House, but out in the community too. I’ve had the pleasure of visiting several community centres and attending well-supported ‘Community Link Group’ meetings, which really highlight the value of these initiatives.

I also regularly take part in ‘Community Walkabout’ events and look forward to meeting many of you in the coming months. It’s a privilege to be part of such a committed team, and I’m excited to work together to make a positive difference in our communities!

MyHome offers a seamless and modern approach to managing all aspects of your tenancy.

From rent payments and repair requests to communication with our housing services team, MyHome is here to make our tenants life easier.

What can you do in the portal?

View tenancy details: Access information about your tenancy, view start and end dates, see how much your rent is and view your up-to-date rent details.

Online payments: You can set up Direct Debit payments to ensure your rent is always paid on time.

Report a repair: Submit and track repair requests directly through your account. Describe the issue, upload photos if necessary, and book the appointment for a time to suit you.

Contact us: You can also send messages and inquiries directly through MyHome to Newark and Sherwood Housing Department.

Place a bid on a property: Search for homes that are available for bids

In response to demand from tenants, we have launched a new tenant-focused Facebook page, NSDC Housing Services! This platform has been created to keep you informed about tenancy updates, provide opportunities for involvement, and share information regarding upcoming tenant related events in your area.

We are encouraging all tenants to follow the page on Facebook to stay connected and up to date with the latest developments – so give us a follow!

❄️ Bowbridge Court Care Home Winter Warmer is back from November 24!

Bowbridge Court Care Home in Newark are extending invites to their winter warmer evenings. The events are open to anyone over the age of 65.

You can join them for homemade soup and a roll every evening at 4:30pm free of charge! 

Date: 24 November to 31 December 

🥳 Kids Christmas Party – save the date

Come for a fun-filled afternoon for children with festive activities and entertainment. This is a free event open to all families in the community.

Date: Sunday 14 December 2025

Venue: Bridge Community Centre, Newark

Time: 2pm until 6pm

The Panto - Get Ready for a Beast of a Show! 🧙‍♀️🧹

Be our guest with this year’s pantomime, Beauty and the Beast!

Full of Ooh-La-La-Laughs, live music, stunning sets and sensational costumes. Expect a magical extravaganza that’s simply… the BEAST!

Dates: 5 to 31 December

Venue: The Palace Theatre, Newark

Book your tickets here: https://www.palacenewark.com/whats-on/events/beauty-and-the-beast.php

🎄Plan Your Perfect Christmas with What’s On Newark and Sherwood!

Looking for magical markets, sparkling light switch-ons, festive shows, or family fun? Our What’s On website is your one-stop guide to everything happening locally this season: https://www.whatsonnewarkandsherwood.co.uk/

Our Grant for Local Opportunities and Wellbeing (GLOW) offers up to £1,000 to support local projects improving the lives of District Council tenants.

Over the past 4 years, we've funded £31,500 for initiatives like:

• Resolving community-identified issues
• Reducing anti-social behaviour
• Supporting safety and security measures
• Enhancing wellbeing and mental health
• Tackling waste management, litter, and dog fouling
• Assisting vulnerable groups
• Supporting education, learning, and volunteering opportunities

Take a look at some of the projects we’ve completed recently: https://www.facebook.com/100064435040147/posts/1265197092304780/

Serves: 12 Prep time: 30 mins Cook time: 12-15 mins

Ingredients:

• 115g unsalted butter (softened)
• 115g golden caster sugar
• 115g self-raising flour
• 2 medium free-range eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

 To decorate:

• 200g readymade chocolate icing (e.g., Cadbury)
• 12 Jaffa Cakes
• 36 chocolate buttons
• 6 strawberry laces
• 12 mini white marshmallows
• Mini pretzels (for antlers)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan)/Gas 4. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
2. Beat butter, sugar, flour, eggs, and vanilla together until smooth.
3. Divide mixture into cases and bake for 12–15 mins until golden and springy. Cool on a wire rack.

Decorate:

1. Spread chocolate icing on each cupcake.
2. Place a Jaffa Cake (chocolate side down) on top.
3. Add 3 chocolate buttons for eyes and nose, securing with icing.
4. Twist strawberry lace for the mouth and attach with icing.
5. Halve marshmallows for eyes and dot with icing for pupils.
6. Finish with 2 mini pretzels for antlers.

We had a wonderful afternoon at De Lacy Court in Ollerton! Eighteen residents came together to celebrate the season with plenty of laughter, good food, and festive cheer.

The day was packed with activities - from a lively game of bingo and an exciting raffle to a fantastic fuddle that everyone contributed to. Some residents even showed off their singing talents on the karaoke!

Every resident enjoyed themselves, sharing stories, making memories, and leaving with full hearts (and full plates!). With so much delicious food, everyone went home with a doggy bag.

Thank you to everyone who joined in and made the day so special. Here’s to more fun and friendship in the year ahead!

Have you experienced domestic abuse and feel ready to share your perspective to make meaningful change?

We are inviting survivors who feel comfortable to contribute their insights and lived experiences. Your input can help improve support and create better responses for those affected by domestic abuse.

This will be done in a safe, anonymous way ensuring you are in control of how much you share and what feels safe for you.

If you feel ready and would like to learn more, please contact: christie.conroy@nottswa.org

You are not alone. Your voice matters.

We’ve had a fantastic few weeks of community action!

🎃 Blidworth Halloween Litter Pick

19 tenants joined us and collected seven bags of rubbish. Spooky costumes made the day fun, with many residents signing up for free energy-saving support with The Green Doctor.

🚛 Big Boughton Clean-Up

At Retford Road Estate, around 50 residents and NSDC staff came together to sweep, prune, and clear litter. Local councillors Lee Brazier and Tim Wildgust joined in too. We filled two skips with household waste (around twenty tonnes!).

☕ Hawtonville Litter Pick & Surgery Day

Residents came for advice, support, and a chat with our teams and partners. Coffee and snacks kept everyone going while we made the area cleaner and greener.

A huge thank you to everyone who got involved!

Awaab’s Law is now officially in effect across England. The new law brings major changes to social housing, making it a legal requirement for landlords to act quickly on issues like damp and mould.

Through investment in our housing service, new staff, revised policies and improved processes, we’re making sure our we are ready to meet the new legal standards.

We have taken several steps in preparation for the new law:

• Launched a new Damp and Disrepair Team to focus is solely on damp and mould cases, helping us respond faster and more effectively.
• Delivered targeted staff training across housing, repairs, and customer service teams.
• Held a tenant focus group session to shape how we talk about damp and mould, ensuring our communications are clear, informative, supportive, and free from stigma.
• Improved internal processes to streamline reporting and follow-up.

This December, our Street Scene team have been adding a touch of Christmas magic to our communities with the 12 Sweeps of Christmas. Over several days, they’ve be working hard to make our areas look their best for the festive season.

From 8 to 15 December, the Street Scene Team are out and about giving streets a fresh, clean sweep – helping tenants enjoy a tidier environment as we head into the holidays.

See the the full 12 Sweeps of Christmas Schedule below👇

Stay informed! 🏡 We publish monthly reports on our housing performance, covering repairs, service quality, feedback, and tenant involvement.

Check out our latest updates here: https://www.newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk/housingperformance/

Some of you may have picked up on the big changes coming for local councils. The government has decided that there are too many Councils, doing similar things, which creates confusion for the public and can result in money being wasted. Across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, there are currently nine Councils, and it is proposed that this number will be reduced to two.

For Newark and Sherwood, we’re most likely to be combined with Ashfield, Bassetlaw and Mansfield, with a question mark right now over whether Gedling or Rushcliffe will join us too. These changes won’t be happening any time soon.

The expected start date is 1 April 2028, so you won’t notice any changes for a number of years. When the changes happen, we’ll tell you in good time what that will mean for you but rest assured, the new Council will take over our landlord responsibilities.