Linkup Summer 2005
The following stories are extracts from our quarterly tenants' newsletter. If you would like a full paper version then please contact Cath Lee.
It’s official – Linkup is amongst the best in Wales!
At an awards ceremony hosted by the Tenant Participation and Advisory Service in Llandudno in May, Linkup was announced as second runner up in the Wales
Communication in Housing by a Landlord category. Some of the Linkup team were at the ceremony and the certificate was received from Owen Burt by Beryl Oliver and David Williams, pictured below. Beryl said afterwards, “It was very encouraging to be able to see how much active tenant participation actually goes on and I was amazed at the fact that most of the people at the ceremony were tenants and that they are all very much involved in the projects put forward for awards.”
The editorial team is already planning changes after seeing some of the other entries and we’ll be back next year looking for a higher placing.
If you’d like to take part in that, why not talk to David about it? You can call him on 029 20 858166.
Meet the new Benefits AdvisorHi, I’m Paul Daley and I’ve just started with United Welsh as the new Benefits Adviser. I’m sure that many of you who were advised by my predecessor, Aled Roberts, were sad to hear of his departure from the Association and I hope to carry on where he left off.
My previous jobs have included welfare rights work for local authorities; generalist advice work for the Citizens Advice Bureau and benefits advice for another Housing Association.
I hope to assist you with any benefit problems that you may have, especially with regards to housing benefit such as delays in claims being processed; underpayments or overpayments of benefit and the like.
Other matters that I can assist you with include dealing with benefit appeals and representation at certain appeal tribunals and reviews.
I am based at the Cardiff area office but I am regularly in the Caerphilly office if you need to see me. I can also arrange to come to your home if you are unable to come into either of our offices.
If you have an issue you think I may be able to help with then let your Housing Officer know and they will pass your details onto me.
For the past decade the Tenants’ Consultative Committee has been a leading light in the United Welsh approach to staying in touch with tenants. The Committee has served its purpose well thanks to hard work from the elected members over the years as well as from individual officers from the association. Thanks to TCC members there has been a tenant voice heard at United Welsh on a wide variety of subjects from policy to planning of surveys and there has been at least one TCC member on the Board of Management throughout.
During the past eighteen months, the current TCC membership has been going through a programme of development. Not satisfied with remaining static, the TCC wanted to review its relevance to United Welsh which has changed considerably since TCC first started and to become more directly involved in Tenant Participation.
As a result, TCC made a decision to replace the existing set up with an organisation which could be more inclusive of all United Welsh tenants and which could become more active in making sure that all tenants have an opportunity to put their views and opinions forward.
In June of this year, the TCC voted to disband itself and to create a body to carry this new objective forward. Some regrets were voiced at the dissolution of TCC and the Committee recorded its thanks to all past members for their efforts. The over-riding feeling, however, was of looking forward to the improvements anticipated by creating its replacement.
From its first Annual General Meeting on 21st July 2005, voice4tenants, a new organisation for the promotion of tenant participation at United Welsh will be established.
Every tenant of United Welsh will get automatic membership of voice4tenants and will be able to attend any of the events they put on.
For more information, please contact David Williams.
UW awarded CharterMark
United
Welsh received the prestigious Charter Mark award for its services to customers
this year. 
Viv Head, Corporate Services Administrator told us, “to achieve Charter Mark we needed to demonstrate that we provide a top quality service against a total of sixty-three individual standards. We have always taken our services to customers very seriously at United Welsh so the tough three day assessment, when a Charter Mark Assessor spoke to staff and tenants, went well. We are all very proud to receive this award.”
“Not that the hard work stops now. The assessment highlighted some areas that need a bit more work and we are already looking at improvements to ensure that the service to our customers gets even better. The Assessor will be back early next year to see how we are getting on and there’ll be a full reassessment after three years”.
A presentation evening was held in Caerphilly for staff to mark the success, attended by the Mayor of Caerphilly, Councillor David Wiltshire.
COMMUNITY NEWS
Dinas Powys - focus on the young
The Dinas United Tenants Association has adopted its constitution and plans are already under way for a summer of activities, including events for the young people as well as a community Fun Day.
The DUTA are looking at some environmental projects to start with. Emphasis is on using the environment to provide facilities for the young people in the area. Following a walkabout of the estate at Caerleon Road with a representative from Creative Rural Communities, Denis Baigent, Chair of DUTA told us, “there is just nothing here for the young people to do and in many ways it’s amazing that there is relatively little trouble and vandalism. The young people are very clear about what facilities they would like to see on the estate and our aim is to meet their wishes in whatever ways we can that are practical and possible.”
If you live at Dinas Powys and you would like to become actively involved in DUTA, you can contact them through Melanie Smith on 07980 997290.
Mornington Meadows - summer
fun day 
The Van Communities First Partnership is holding its second annual Summer Fun Day at the Van Community Centre and Leisure Area on Saturday 16th July 2005.
As well as finding out more about what the Communities First Partnership is doing, everyone is welcome to come along and join the fun. Have your face painted, design a silk screen print and take it away on a T-shirt, learn some circus skills. There’ll be exhibitions by St Johns Ambulance, a chance to try some healthy snacks with the Healthy Living Project and there’s even a football tournament for young people.
Saxon Court - open day with a warm welcome
Saxon Court in Brynmawr held its first Open Fun Day in May and was an opportunity for people considering a future tenancy at Saxon Court to have a look round and talk to people living there now, the day had something for everyone.
For the young and the young at heart a troupe of circus performers offered to teach their skills and an impromptu performance of juggling, unicycle riding and balancing showed they found some good pupils through the day, including a local politician or two.
Alternative therapists were on hand offering head massage and reflexology sessions and the afternoon was rounded off with strawberries and cream.
Well done to everyone involved in organising the day and especially to those who worked tirelessly in the kitchen keeping all those refreshments going.
Services to Older People
During 2004 United Welsh carried out a review of our services to older people. We consulted tenants and applicants for housing and also spoke to the TCC about the kind of services people would like to see.
As well as making recommendations about particular aspects of service delivery the Project Team made a ‘headline’ recommendation that the Association should form a team to specialise in housing for older people.
The review found that there were areas that sheltered housing tenants wanted addressed, for example relief cover for sheltered scheme managers and also a perception that older tenants wanted housing staff who were aware of their specific needs and of the increased expectations of the generation of older people born after the war; the so called “baby boom” generation.
We have now recruited the new team which will be led by a Head of Older Persons Services, Wayne Emery who will join us from Gwerin HA in August. His role will be to develop our approach to the development, regeneration and management of housing and services for older people.
This post will be supported by a Team Leader, Andrew Burns with responsibility for ensuring that a high quality housing management service is provided to all tenants living in housing designated for older people, and a Team Administrator, Hilary Hamilton. Both Andrew and Hilary are transferring from the Blaenau Gwent housing team. It is also envisaged that a new enhanced role will be developed over time for our Sheltered Scheme Managers so that they act as the key point of contact between the Association and its tenants on all day-to-day housing management matters.
In the next edition of Linkup, you will find a full introduction to the new team, with photos.
Under
new legal powers designed to help social landlords deal with anti-social
behaviour, United Welsh has recently launched improvements to its Anti Social
Behaviour policy.
The policy calls for development of a new post of Anti Social Behaviour Co-ordinator, a post to which Michelle Kent, formerly a Housing officer in the Caerphilly Team, was recently appointed.
Michelle will work with cases of serious or persistent anti-social behaviour referred to her by the Housing Officers. She will work with residents and agencies like the police to establish the most appropriate way to deal with each problem.
As well as appointing a new Co-ordinator, United Welsh has trained all of its frontline staff on the new procedure and has produced an advice and information pack for anyone reporting anti-social behaviour, which can range from excessive noise to graffiti, verbal abuse or threatening behaviour, which explains what to do and what happens next.
If anti-social behaviour is persistent and serious, provided there is evidence to support a complaint, United Welsh can:
If you suffer because of anti-social behaviour, it’s very important that you work with United Welsh and the police in taking action. You should:
Want to know more?
United Welsh has produced an advice and information pack for anyone reporting anti-social behaviour. If you want an advice pack please contact the Customer Services Team.