Celebrating our Housing Heroes
Good neighbours, resident organisations and local
landlords have all been recognised for their outstanding service at the fourth
annual Housing Heroes Awards.
The awards were handed out at a special ceremony on
Wednesday 19 July by Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing, Cllr
Stephanie Cryan.
Winners include
Eileen Piper who was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for her 25 years of
dedicated service to the Brandon community; setting up the local youth group
and organising events for pensioners and vulnerable people. Read more on the winners
MySouthwark Homeowners Board
To improve services with our homeowners we
have recruited an independent board that consists of an independent chair, six
Southwark homeowners and two professional members.
The
board was set up to provide an independent, bespoke service specifically for
Southwark homeowners.
As part of our continued commitment to our
homeowners we are launching a new arbitration service for disputes relating to
service charges from 2014 onwards. If you would like more information on the
service please contact arbitration@southwark.gov.uk.
We will also be providing more information on our website shortly.
Barbara Walsh, independent chair said: “I am delighted to be taking on the role as part of this innovative
venture. We will focus on finding ways to improve how
we deliver communications between homeowners and the council.”
For information visit southwark.gov./homeowneragencylaunch
We’ve teamed up with leading charity Shelter to prevent homelessness
Across the capital, more than
18,000 households were accepted as homeless by their local council in the past
year, a rise of 42 per cent in just five years. Analysis of
the latest government figures show the number in
Southwark over the past year was 891 households, a rise of 70 per cent in five years.
In response to the demand, we are working with leading housing and homelessness
charity Shelter to tackle homelessness
in a new integrated way. Read more
Cycle with confidence
Whatever your age or ability, we have free cycling training tailored for you. There is individual training for residents aged 18 years and over, or you can make it a day out for the entire family and sign up for our family course. We also have free training for all school children. To register, visit southwark.gov.uk/cyclewithconfidence
Small grants available for community groups
Are you involved with your local Tenant and Resident Association, Sheltered Housing Unit or Tenants Management Organisation?
If you’re planning a community event that encourages neighbours to get to know each other, you can apply for up to £1,000 through our Tenant Fund Small Grants Programme.
Each organisation can make more than one application in the course of the 2017/18 financial year but the total awarded in one year will be a maximum of £1,000.
This is a great opportunity to raise the profile of your organisation and promote getting involved.
To apply and for further information, please contact tenants grants officer, Maurizio D’Antona by emailing
Maurizio.D'Antona@southwark.gov.uk
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Top
fire safety tips
As a council, we are doing all
that we can to keep our residents safe from the devastating consequences of a
major fire, but you can help too by following this advice:
- Make sure you have a working smoke alarm in your home
-
Keep balconies free from clutter
- Please don’t leave rubbish or bikes in communal areas or obstruct escape routes
- Make sure you know where your nearest fire exit is
- If you live in a council property, please don’t smoke in common areas
- Always fully extinguish cigarettes smoked in your home and dispose of them carefully and safely
- Please don’t use barbecues on balconies or common parts because of the risk of fire
- If you are concerned that your neighbours may be compromising fire safety in your block or home, please report this to the council
National fire safety expert appointed to review our fire safety
strategy
We have appointed national
fire safety expert, Ben Bradford, and his specialist firm of consulting
engineers, to carry out an independent review of the council’s fire strategy
and fire risk assessments.
Following the tragic
Grenfell Tower fire in North Kensington, we committed to commissioning a
review, to reassure residents and ensure that all fire safety policies and
procedures are appropriate. Read more
Universal
Credit – are you ready?
Universal Credit (UC)
is being rolled out across the UK. If you claim certain benefits including
housing benefit, income support, working and child tax credits, these will all
fall under UC and will be paid to you as a monthly payment in arrears. Prepare
yourself for the change by visiting the government’s website
gov.uk/universal-credit for more information.
Landlord sentenced for
illegally
sub-letting council flat
A man was sentenced to
six months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, at Woolwich Crown Court,
after being found guilty of illegally sub-letting his council flat in Elephant
and Castle.
At his trial, Mohamed
Muse Guled, 37, was convicted by a majority verdict of illegally subletting his
council tenancy on the Rockingham Estate, and of trying to illegally evict his
subtenants.
Council
officers began investigating Guled in July 2015, after police were called to
the flat by the two tenants who had returned home to find their possessions on
the pavement and that they were locked out, with no notice. Read more
Greg’s cooking up a new career in the kitchen
Having started out working in building construction, Greg is now constructing meals in the kitchen after completing an apprenticeship with Brigade Bar and Bistro. Greg is just one of many people across the borough choosing to start or change career by taking up an apprenticeship. Greg said: “It’s been a fantastic opportunity. I’d encourage anyone to do it if you need to retrain – it can never hurt to gain new qualifications.”
Apprenticeships are open to people of all ages and many Southwark businesses are signed up to the scheme. Visit southwark.gov.uk/apprenticeships
Summer library events
We have lots of
activities for children and young people at Southwark libraries this summer
with competitions, library events, creative workshops and more.
Our summer reading
challenge is a great way for young people to join in the fun by reading six
books throughout the summer and collecting gifts along the way.
Budding young artists
can also showcase their drawing skills by entering our graphic art competition with
the opportunity of winning a prize. Read more about summer library activities
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