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Book your place for the Residents’ Conference　

We are really pleased to be holding this year’s Residents’ Conference on Saturday 2 October from 10am to 12 midday. It’s an online event and we hope that you will be able to join us.　

This year’s theme is around the government’s new charter for social housing residents. Which includes important new guidance, and regulations updates for all residents. There will also be a presentation from the Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS), plus workshop discussions on the main elements of the Charter, as well as a question and answer session.　

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-charter-for-social-housing-residents-social-housing-white-paper/the-charter-for-social-housing-residents-social-housing-white-paper

Email resident.involvement@redbridge.gov.uk to book your place.

Excellent response to STAR survey results

We recently carried out our STAR survey (Survey of tenants and residents) giving you the opportunity to provide feedback on your housing services. We received over 1,000 responses and would like to say thank you to everyone who completed the survey. The results have shown that there are many things you are happy with, but also some which we can improve. Highlights: Tenants are generally happy with the quality of their homes Tenants feel safe and secure Tenants are generally satisfied with the repairs and maintenance service Tenants generally feel that their rent is value for money Things we can improve: Some don’t always feel their views are listened to or acted upon Leaseholders generally are not satisfied with the repairs and maintenance service Car parking is an issue on many estates Anti-social behaviour is a concern for many We will be giving a full report of the STAR survey in our December newsletter.

Planning permission granted for affordable new homes in Ilford

Following the huge success of Old Mill Court (pictured above with Cllr Vanisha Solanki and the ENGIE team) and Marlyon Road. We are delighted to update you on our next phase of the Affordable Housing Programme.　

Building work is due to start soon at Norman Road, Suffolk Court and Budoch Court in Ilford, which will see 600 new council homes built over the next 2 years.

All our Phase 2 schemes were submitted for planning permission between December 2020 – February 2021. Planning permission was granted for all the following schemes:

https://www.redbridge.gov.uk/housing/council-home-building-programme/

Register today to join TPAS

TPAS is a not-for-profit organisation which promotes, supports and champions tenant involvement and empowerment in social housing across England.　 TPAS gives tenants a voice in the housing sector and provides ongoing support and guidance to help you get involved with your landlord and your community. As we are now a member of TPAS, you can set up a free account with TPAS to access their resource hub. It will also enable you to: Book onto events and webinars Receive the TPAS e-newsletter (TPASezine) TPAS Connect is the exclusive social networking platform for tenants to chat and share good practice with other tenants and housing staff from across the country to support their role with their Landlord. Pictured is Louise Thompson from TPAS who will be speaking at the Residents' Conference next month. Register for TPAS today at: https://www.tpas.org.uk/member-search?type=&region=&stockBand=&search=redbridge

How to share your views – we are listening

We are currently reviewing our approach to resident engagement. We want to achieve the highest standards and your views are needed to help us on our journey towards this aim. “Listening to the resident voice” is a one of the key measures included in the Social Housing White paper. We currently offer the following ways of getting involved:

• resident meeting groups

• “sounding board” email releases; if you have provided us with your email address we will email you occasionally about online surveys and resident events
• online surveys – such as the recent STAR survey
• estate inspections: We will invite you to attend an estate inspection
• our annual conference event
• Resident Association support
• community events
• statutory consultations
• digital engagement

Happy 100th birthday Gladys

Hainault resident Gladys Conway, celebrated her 100^th birthday during the summer and had two unexpected visitors who dropped by to wish her many happy returns: The Mayor of Redbridge, Cllr　Roy Emmett, as well as his fellow Hainault Councillor Mark Santos.

Gladys was a fashion model before the Second World War and showed her lovely photos to the Mayor. While the two councillors were there, the postman delivered a special birthday card from the Queen. Many congratulations Gladys.

Join an upcoming estate inspection

Our Environmental Services team leaders regularly conduct estate inspections which assess standards for communal estate cleaning and grounds maintenance. The inspection is given an A, B or C rating. A is Excellent, B is Satisfactory and C is Unsatisfactory.

Various photos are taken for inclusion in the estate inspection report and to provide evidence of the rating given. A phone app is used by the team to input the inspection details and generate a report.

We have recently invited residents to attend an estate inspection at Beehive Court, Ilford and Henrys Walk, Hainault where attendance was particularly high. Future estate inspections:

• Beechwood Gardens (29 September)

• Hermitage estate (13 October)

• The Whitings (24 November)

• Harbourer Road (12 January 2022)

New recruits required for Resident Housing Panel

The Resident Housing Panel (RHP) is made up of tenants and leaseholders who meet every two months to discuss a wide range of housing services. During 2020-21 the following were discussed:

Affordable homes programme · Repairs contractor procurement · The capital works programme · Covid-19 update · Environmental improvement schemes · Complaints · Support for vulnerable residents (including CORE lettings data) · Housing Management Service Plan · Housing Revenue Account budget report · Resident Engagement Strategy review · Performance Information · Customer Portal update · STAR survey report

New estate improvements

Our estate improvement scheme recently installed new knee rails at Sylvester Gardens (below) in Ilford and renewed parking bay markings at Pershore Close in Gants Hill pitured left.

Out of hours emergencies and other News

The council has an emergency planning process in place to support emergencies that arise outside of normal office hours. Each Department has its own emergency response process in place including the Housing Service. Information on our flooding emergency support can be found at: https://www.redbridge.gov.uk/crime-and-public-safety/preparing-for-emergencies/ Should you wish to contact us out of hours for an emergency you can call Redbridge Contact Centre (0208 554 5000).　 Mears are also contactable for emergencies (0800 393994). Fire Safety We’ve previously written to you about fire safety, something we all need to be vigilant about. If you have any concerns or, in particular, think you may have difficulties in leaving your home in the event of an emergency, please talk to us. Contact us at this email housing.enquiries@redbridge.gov.uk Dates for your Diary Asset Management Group:　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Thursday 30 September (6pm to 8pm) Residents Conference (online event):  Saturday 2 October (10 am to 12 midday) Leaseholder Forum　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 Tuesday 19 October (6 pm to 8 pm) Resident Housing Panel　　　　　　　　　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Monday 29 November (6.30 pm to 8.00 pm)