First residents move into new Marlyon Road homes
The first residents to benefit from 33 new, high-quality, affordable Redbridge Council homes were handed the keys to their properties last week. The Marlyon Road development in Hainault follows the opening of the 26 homes at Old Mill Court in March. It was delivered by Redbridge Council in partnership with ENGIE and is part of our commitment to build 600 new, permanent, affordable homes by 2022.
 Since April we have been working with Mears to deliver your repairs service. You can contact Mears using the Freephone number: 0800 393 994.
We are confident this new contract will bring improvements such as delivering savings and better technology to allow repairs to be reported online. Mears will handle responsive repairs, gas servicing and repairs plus the re-servicing of void properties.
Whilst there should be no visible difference from a customer’s perspective apart from the obvious use of 'Mears' logos on vehicles and identification badges, some of their new initiatives include:
• More customer notifications
• More automated customer service satisfaction surveys
• Operation of their own ‘out of hours’ service, rather than outsourcing.
Mears are working with the Learning Curve and can provide free training to residents on a wide variety of subjects including Mears Pathways. Contact Mears to find out more.
To report a repair please continue to call the freephone number: 0800 393 994.
Cllr Vanisha Solanki is our new Cabinet Member for Housing and Homelessness.
"Hello, I'm Vanisha Solanki and as a lifelong Redbridge resident, I care greatly about our borough and the welfare of all our communities. Our housing service is one of the most important services we provide.
The harsh reality of the national housing crisis is that many people especially, young people, find it next to impossible to rent at affordable rates let alone purchase their own property.
I am proud our housing service is building new, affordable council owned homes. Temporary accommodation is expensive and doesn’t provide ideal living conditions for local families, often small and outside the borough away from family and friends school and support networks.
We are working hard to make up for years of under building of council homes so local families, many of whom have been waiting for a house for upwards of 10 years can enjoy a secure future.
Building more council owned homes and reducing homelessness are my priorities and I look forward to working with you to deliver them."
Cllr Vanisha Solanki, Cabinet Member for Housing & Homelessness, Redbridge Council
|
 "Hello, my name is Carol Hinvest and I started as the new Operational Director of Housing in March so I am writing this in my third month in the job.
Due to restrictions I have only visited a few locations such as Lynton House, Marlyon Road and the fantastic new Ryedale Project (seen above on the left with my colleague Karen Shaw) but I have plans to get out to the estates around the borough starting in June.
My previous role as Assistant Director, Housing was with Thurrock Council in Essex where I was responsible for the management and maintenance of 10,000 properties, mainly tenanted. Before that I worked at Hackney Council with a stock of 30,000 properties with a large number of leaseholders, so I have experience with a variety of stock management issues.
I have seen the photos of the recently opened new build properties at Old Mill Court and Marlyon Road and they look really impressive. I am pleased to have joined a borough with ambitious targets for new council housing delivery as this helps both our existing residents who need to move and those living in temporary accommodation who need a permanent home."
Is there an improvement we can make to your estate? We want to hear from as many of our residents as possible, to get your ideas and suggestions for proposed improvements to where you live.
Some improvements we have made to our estates this year include:
- better refuse facilities across many of our estates
- new fencing to the green at Aldham Hall (which prevented access by non-residents walking their dogs in the communal garden area)
- installation of new bicycle stands at Atherton Court and
- new bin stations at Redwood Gardens.
All suggestions are welcome.
Send your ideas to resident.involvement@redbridge.gov.uk or call 020 8708 7629.
|
We want to make it as easy as possible for you to get the information and support you need about housing. This short guide explains who to contact:
• Our housing team carries out all aspects of tenancy management, including the management of anti-social behaviour. They provide advice on your tenancy and visit residents to ensure tenancies are being maintained. For help and advice, and to speak to your housing officer, contact housing.enquiries@redbridge.gov.uk / 020 8518 2400
• Our home ownership team carries out all aspects of leasehold management. This includes the administration of the Right To Buy scheme, the processing and recovery of service charges and all enquiries relating to your lease. The team can be contacted at home.ownership@redbridge.gov.uk / 020 8708 7606
• The environmental services team is responsible for the cleaning, care taking and grounds maintenance on all our estates. They can be contacted at housing.enquiries@redbridge.gov.uk / 020 8518 2400
• The asset management team is responsible for overseeing repairs carried out by our contractor Mears, as well as co-ordinating larger programmes on estates like windows, external painting and roof renewals. To report a repair contact Mears at MearsRedbridge.RepairCentre@mearsgroup.co.uk or ring on 020 8498 8000 / 0800 393994
These are just some of our key teams, all of whom are all based at the Orchard Housing Office. For more information visit the Housing pages at www.redbridge.gov.uk
 A former care home in Ilford has been transformed into 18 new high needs supported homes for rough sleepers in Redbridge.
The Ryedale scheme, in Ilford Lane, comprises 18 newly converted self-contained studios which will be let on two-year leases to support local people experiencing homelessness.
Leader of Redbridge Council, Cllr Jas Athwal, who visited the location last week said: "We’re committed to ending rough sleeping in Redbridge by providing sustainable and affordable housing and support for those who experience homelessness. The Ryedale scheme exemplifies our approach, providing a long-term legacy of support to those unfortunate enough to have been made homeless."
If you know someone sleeping rough, you can contact Street Link on 0300 500 0914. Street Link will take note of all the information you provide, and arrange for the rough sleeper to get access to local services and support. Or log on to www.streetlink.org.uk
An unscrupulous landlord who illegally converted a family home into flats has been fined £100,000.
The owner of the property at Staines Road, Ilford, was the subject of an investigation by Redbridge Council's planning enforcement team which looked into the substandard conversion, and an unauthorised subdivision into separate flats.
The owner was fined £100,000 comprising of a confiscation order of £86,488, fine of £4,000 and costs of £9,427.
Do you know anyone experiencing domestic abuse?
Sadly, domestic abuse issues are all around us still. If you are suffering from domestic abuse, or know a friend or family member who is, please report it to the authorities. For further information see our website.
Are you experiencing financial hardship?
If you are experiencing difficulties paying your rent or service charge during these difficult times, please contact our rents team or call 020 8708 7676. For leaseholder charges please contact the home ownership team: home.ownership@redbridge.gov.uk or phone 020 8708 7606. We also recommend the following organisations:
Mary Ward Legal Centre: www.marywardlegal.org.uk
Citizens Advice Redbridge: www.citizensadviceredbridge.org.uk
Stepchange: www.stepchange.org
National Debtline: www.nationaldebtline.org
2021 rent rise
Council housing rents increased on Tuesday 6 April 2021 by 1.5%. This is in line with the Government’s Rent Standard and the Consumer Price Index. All additional income will go towards the maintenance and improvement of our homes and estates.
Keep safe and keep communal areas clear
We have written to all tenants and leaseholders to advise that no resident is permitted to leave any personal belongings or rubbish in the communal areas; these belongings will be removed and the person responsible recharged for any costs incurred by the council. We would also like to remind all leaseholders that they are responsible for the actions of their tenants if they sublet their properties. In the event of a fire these items are hazards which can combust or could cause a trip hazard.
Do you need a replacement controlled entry key?
Contact the Orchard Housing office on 020 8518 2400 or email housing.enquiries@redbridge.gov.uk
Dates for your diary
- Resident Housing Panel meeting: date to be confirmed
- Leaseholder Forum meeting: Tuesday 29 July 2021
The meetings will be held via Microsoft Teams. If you would like to attend please email: resident.involvement@redbridge.gov.uk or call us on 020 8708 7629.
If any resident would like Housing News in hard copy format please contact resident.involvement@redbridge.gov.uk and we will post one to you.
If you have any suggestions for articles or photographs to be included in future editions of Housing News please send them to: mike.mcgann@redbridge.gov.uk
The next edition is due to be published in September 2021.
And finally, we have just heard Wes Streeting MP is not too well. We all wish him the best and a speedy recovery.
|
|
