rhondda housing english:rh annual report · 4 rhondda housing association the chair and chief...

Annual Report 2009 / 2010

Moving Forward

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Rhondda Housing Association9 Compton Road, Tonypandy,Rhondda CF40 1BE

Phone: 01443 424200 Fax: 01443 [email protected]

4 Rhondda Housing Association

The Chair and ChiefExecutive are pleasedto present a review of2009/2010

2009/10 was again a year of extreme challenge for theAssociation. During the year the Board of the Associationspent much time considering and debating the future anddirection of Rhondda Housing Association as a member ofthe Hendre Group. The Board reviewed the Association’sposition having primary regard to the Association’s tenantsand the deprived communities in which it operates, andsought to ensure that it was in a position to meet thoseneeds both now and in the future, in accordance with theobjectives identified in the Corporate Plan.

Annual Report 2009/2010 5

Although the current UK economiccircumstances are likely to result inaustere times ahead for the Associationand its tenants, we are confident that theAssociation is well placed to face suchchallenges, and look forward to workinginnovatively to overcome such challenges.

Finally, as we face the future, we wouldparticularly like to thank the Boardmembers who have continued todemonstrate great leadership, strengthand commitment to the Association andourselves over the last twelve months,our staff for their continued hard workand enthusiasm, our partners for theirsupport and expertise and, of course,our tenants, who take the time to getinvolved, and without whom we wouldnot have been able to achieve all wehave done.

We are confident that the range ofservices we provide and our continuedinvolvement in the community,demonstrates that we are much morethan a housing association. We remainfinancially robust and face a difficultfuture with confidence.

The Board resolved that it was in the bestinterests for the Association to cease tobe part of the Hendre Group and thisresolution was carried unanimously atthe Special General Meeting held 24thFebruary 2010.

This process has naturally taken up aconsiderable amount of staff and boardmembers time during the year butnevertheless services to tenants and thecommunities we serve have continued toimprove.

We are pleased that our recent tenantsurvey has indicated that levels ofsatisfaction in the individual services weprovide have increased, and we areextremely proud to have received twovery prestigious awards during the year:The National Business in the CommunityAward for Excellence and The CharteredInstitute of Housing UK Award foroutstanding achievement in Housing inWales.

The following pages highlight the successof some of the traditionally ‘non core’services that we provide to tenants andcommunities, e.g. financial awarenesstraining, individual support services(across the borough not only RHAtenants), advocacy schemes (providingtraining routes into employment/localvolunteering opportunities), educationaltraining (11 people going on to undertakecourses at University) youth work(including Duke of Edinburgh/multicultural exchange visits), and reducingfuel poverty to name a few.

John Andrews Chair

Lesley Davies Chief Executive


Moving HomeDuring the year the Housing Services Dept have reviewedand improved service delivery in a number of key areas,including the way we deal with Anti-Social Behaviour(ASB) and the way applicants are able to apply for housing.

As always, with any review of services weconsulted extensively with our tenants and varioussub-groups of the tenant forum were instrumentalin helping us achieve our outcomes.

For example, throughout the year numerousmeetings took place to consider and improve ourASB Strategy with a view to the Associationmeeting the ‘All Wales Standard for ASB.

Tenants were also involved with the design andproduction of our revised Tenant Information packand our new Applicant Information pack, whichinforms applicants what they can expect whenthey become a tenant of RHA in terms of payingrent, ASB, Tenant Participation etc.

Also during the year Officers have attendedvarious meetings with our Common HousingRegister partners to review the whole applicationprocess, making it more streamlined and easier forpeople to access. Discussions are ongoing and it isanticipated that the new process will be in place in2011.

Housing


Our move to our new Offices in May 2009 hasgiven us the opportunity to improve upon ouralready excellent performance in terms of TenantParticipation and the relationship we have with ourtenants.

A program of training for tenants was startedduring the year, and is ongoing, covering topicssuch as presentation skills, committee skills etc.

Our Tenant Forum has remained as active as everthroughout the year arranging various events aswell as getting on with the main focus of their workthrough the seven sub groups.

Our time exchange project (RHATE) has had a newlease of life since its re-launch in March with over100 tenants actively engaging in volunteering withthe Association. A Volunteering Policy and‘Volunteering Pack’ was designed, again with theinvolvement of tenants, to inform new tenants whatthey can expect in terms of training, support etc.2010 will see the project flourish even further withmany new partners coming on board and hopefullylots more tenants participating.

Our Disability Advisory Group (RHADAG) has alsohad a productive year a large part of which wasforging links with similar minded groupsthroughout South Wales which led to the creationof the South Wales Disability Open Network.

Following discussions with one of our tenants, theAssociation was instrumental in the setting up ofthe RCT Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and TransgenderSupport Network during the year. Originallyintended to be a sub-group of the Tenant Forum,

interest in the group increased rapidly through theborough and it is now an RCT wide initiativesupported by a number of agencies including RHA,the Police, Cwm Taf NHS Trust, RCT HOMES andRCT Community Safety Partnership.

In July we held our annual Tenant Fayre at theRhondda Sports Centre which was again really wellattended and enjoyed by all.

A number of new area based tenant groups haveformed during the year which is further evidencethat tenant participation is alive and kicking at thegrass roots level.

Two groups in particular have been really active;Llys Catwg, Talbot Green who have organisednumerous social events, held intergenerationalactivities and assisted local charities; BethlehemView, Llanharan have also held various social eventsand are also working on the regeneration of thecommunal garden.

In the spirit of ‘continuous improvement’ we will becarrying out a full review of tenant participationduring 2010 as well as our strategy for dealing withRent Arrears.

In terms of Service Delivery our Customer ServiceTeam provide an excellent service as the first pointof contact for our ‘customers’. But we are alwayslooking for new ways to improve our service andagain in 2010 we will be introducing a textingservice as a way for tenants to contact usregarding any housing related issue, for examplerepairs or rent arrears.


OurnewofficesOver the last 30 years, as wehave grown we have moved tobigger premises.

Our new office (which is threetimes the size of our previousoffice and located in the heart ofthe community) allows us toprovide an excellent workingenvironment for our 70 plus staffand will allow for future growth.

The office also providescommunity training facilities aswell as a dedicated communityresource room that is used bytenants and local groups. Thesefacilities have enabled us todeliver education and trainingeffectively to the community.

A special graduation ceremony was held on 11th September for the 19 studentswho successfully completed the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Certificatein Housing level 2 qualification. The ceremony was held in University of WalesInstitute Cardiff (UWIC) and was attended by the students’ families, guests fromCommunity Housing Cymru, UWIC, CIH, the Welsh Assembly Government and theChartered Institute of Housing UK’s Chief Executive Sarah Webb CBE.

Moving on in Housing!

Pauline Thomas, one of our tenants from Maerdy, said: I am the firstmember of my family to go to University. I’m absolutely thrilled.“

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BITC National Award forExcellence – ActiveCommunities categoryThe award was presented to Rhondda HousingAssociation’s Chair, John Andrews, by HRH ThePrince of Wales, President of BITC.

Director of Community Regeneration, LottieMiller, commented: “This award recognises notonly the achievement of the Association butalso the dedicated contribution of many tenantvolunteers including our Youth Forum whosupport the programme. It is their support andguidance that ultimately underpins everythingwe do”

Chartered Institute ofHousing and InsideHousing UK HousingAwards – ‘OutstandingAchievement in Housingin Wales’RHA’s ‘Together We can’ project won the awardfor their work within Rhondda Cynon Taffcommunities, which has accessed externalgrants and used their staff resources to allowlocal people to build their skills and improvetheir quality of life.

Environmentally friendly homes atMill Close, Tonyrefail

Development

Modern town centre flats atCompton Road, Tonypandy


The Advocacy ProjectThe Advocacy Project is funded by the BigLottery to work with our tenants whom areof working age are unemployed or not ineducation or training. The advocates supportindividuals through a variety of confidenceand skills building opportunities. We offertraining routes into employment and sourcelocal volunteering opportunities. We workholistically and keep up to date with localopportunities by working in partnership withexternal agencies.

TheAdvocacyProject isfunded bythe BigLottery

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CommunityDevelopment

One of the projects had an intergenerational themeand participants from the age of 11 years old to 94years young were involved.“ ”

In 2009 we worked with oursenior tenants to help combatisolation and build confidencethrough the Craft in theCommunity – Arts & craftsprogramme. We know that thecreative experience bringsnumerous benefits, enrichinglives, nurturing new socialnetworks and bringing positivemental and physical support.

We held quarterly projects infour different areas of RCT andengaged with over fifty peoplein the creating inspiring artwork that reflected andcelebrated their lives.

One of the projects had an intergenerational theme and participants fromthe age of 11 years old to 94 years young were involved.

All the participants’ learned new skills in various art and craft techniquessuch as: printing, collage, painting, sewing, knitting, mosaic, papier macheand many more. The mural was created using 100% recycled materials andthe two groups collaborated on a textile mural got hung in our busy officesfor the general public, tenants and partners to enjoy.


IntergenerationalProject Intergenerational day on the Capel Farmestate in Tonyrefail. The theme of the daywas alcohol awareness with a piece ofstreet theatre being presented on thesubject. The day itself was a great successwith over 100 people in attendance. Agesranged from 2yrs to 62yrs with manyfamilies enjoying everything on offer onthe day. Volunteers on the day came fromyoung people doing their Duke ofEdinburgh Bronze award and adult forummembers and volunteers from RHA.

Working withSenior Tenants

CommunityDevelopment


SLOVENIA – Youth ExchangeFour young people from the RHA youth forum took theopportunity to attend an environmental themed youthexchange in Slovenia. There where 20 young people aged 6 –25 yrs old from other countries such as Slovenia, Sweden,Latvia, Poland and Romania at the event which promoted localand global ecological exchange.

The young people certainly did Wales and RHA proud and theexchange was not only educational but was also a very good life experience.

The first Duke of Edinburgh award run by RhonddaHousing Association was completed August 2009.“ ”


Fuel PovertyIn 2009 and 2010 over 130 people have received energysaving information. The information provided covers thebasics of domestic energy saving and shows how easy it is toreduce bills. Practical advice and information is also given on the benefits of direct debits, supplier switching advice andsocial tariff guidance.

For the future we are committed to raising awareness of howsimple energy saving measures can have a great effect onreducing fuel poverty.

DUKE OFEDINBURGHAWARD 2009The first Duke of Edinburgh awardrun by Rhondda HousingAssociation was completed August2009. It was a very challenging 6months which took dedicationfrom the young people involved:The award consists of 4 sections:Volunteering, Skills, Physical andExpedition Sections. We willcontinue to run this programthroughout 2010.

For the future we are committed to raisingawareness of how simple energy saving measurescan have a great effect on reducing fuel poverty“ ”


The Include Team continues to provide an excellent housingrelated support service to the most vulnerable individuals andtheir families, across the county borough and across tenure, toprevent homelessness or potential homelessness.

The service is provided free of charge and since April 2009 wehave prevented 15 evictions from taking place and numerouspossession orders have also been suspended. Our expert welfarebenefits advice, has resulted in £178,562 income being generatedfor service users from July 2009 – April 2010.

As a well established service, the Include Scheme forms anintegral part of housing related support services across the countyborough. We work with key partner agencies including housingproviders, Citizen’s Advice Bureau, health and educationprofessionals, Shelter Cymru and other statutory and voluntaryagencies in order to ensure a holistic package of support isavailable and tailored specifically to meet the needs of eachindividual and their family.

To add value and promote participation service user events areorganised and held at regular intervals throughout the calendaryear. Tackling social exclusion is a key area for staff at Include, andthe success of the social events leads service users to achievepersonal goals, as part of the support process.

SupportingHousingDepartmentWorking as part of RCT’s Tenancysupport service the “Include” SupportedHousing Department has had anothersuccessful year, continuing to grow andincrease effectiveness.

The teamcontinues toprovide anexcellenthousing relatedsupport serviceto the mostvulnerableindividuals

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The IncludeTeam continuesto provide anexcellent housingrelated supportservice to themost vulnerableindividuals

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The RHA Older Peoples Support Project has continued to grow since itsinception in May 2009. Floating support is provided to RHA’s twosheltered schemes, and as a result of the success of the service, it isnow being rolled out as a generic service to older tenants across theassociation. Expert welfare benefits advice has resulted in £42,989additional income being generated for individual RHA tenants, fromMay 2009 to end March 2010. Ongoing work is now being undertaken inorder to promote the service to a wider audience, for example, GP’s andother community based organisations.

“I had not heard about Rhondda Include before… but I do now. Thesupport I have received has been brilliant. I nearly lost my home, but Iam still here thanks to Rhondda Include. They helped with my debttroubles and it literally has saved my home. You have made me seethat I can do things by myself. I have more confidence and am noweven happy to pay all my bills! The support has been brilliant.” Elaine,service user.

Ongoing work is now being undertaken in order to promote theservice to a wider audience, for example, GP’s and other community based organisations.“ ”


The aim is to bring about economic prosperity and regeneration with projects that: better equippeople for the workplace, developing projects to maximise resident incomes, generating &supporting community organisations, voluntary agencies and existing local businesses within theTreherbert area. It has been an extremely busy year with the following milestones reached:

CwmNi was formed in 2002 as the ‘Communities First’partnership for the Treherbert ward within the RhonddaValley and is managed by Rhondda Housing Associationas the host and employing body.

CwmNi

Economic ProsperityThe Bolder project (Benefits for Older People) continues togenerate income in much needed extra benefits for older people,many of whom were unaware they were entitled to them. In 2009-2010 an amount of £732,923 was claimed by individuals asadditional benefits, the lowest recipient received – £166 per yearand the highest £15,000 per year


The aim is to bringabouteconomicprosperityandregeneration

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EmploymentAnother positive project benefiting our area recently comes from theFuture Jobs Fund. This project has enabled 11 young people agedbetween 18 and 25 who have been unemployed for 6 months or moreto be employed for 25 hours per week within the community for 6months at a time, over a period of 2 years.

Health InitiativesA number of health initiatives have taken place including: A WinterWarmth Campaign with Fuel Efficiency and Money Saving Tips. APatient Participation Group has been set up at the New TynewyddSurgery where monthly meetings take place between patientrepresentatives, the Surgery, Local Health Board and CwmNi. A reviewand re-structure of the Appointment Protocol has been carried out andquarterly newsletters produced.

Healthy EatingFollowing the setting up of a Fruit and Veg Co-operative at thePenyrenglen project families are able to purchase bags/boxes of fruitand vegetables to assist in maintaining a healthy diet.

Business InitiativesCwmNi has worked hard to promote businesses in the local communityand wider geographical area with access to Business support. We aretaking forward work surrounding the Tapper’s Garage site to produce abusiness incubation hub to help and support fledgling businesses, andassisting to the Treherbert Pool and Tynewydd Art Surgery to becomesustainable by way of writing bids and arranging relevant training.

Community Initiatives A number of activities have taken place including a River & VillageClean Up, a Local Development Plan, Transport Consultation, ChristmasShows in Blaencwm & Blaenrhondda and a Christmas Disco organisedby Friends of Treherbert Pool.

Community SafetyIn July, CwmNi through partnership work with RCT CBC installed askate ramp for young people in Blaenrhondda. The site has beentransformed from a derelict area and is now used frequently by youngpeople – giving them a fun and healthy alternative to congregating onstreet corners. We are hoping to develop the site further in conjunctionwith South Wales Police, to include a BMX Track.

67% of properties we let were to people who wereon the Common Housing Register – this is a waitinglist which operates in conjunction with the localauthority and 2 other local housing associations. Ofwhich 6% were let to applicants who neededadapted properties and were house via the localauthority Pathways to Adapted Housing waitinglist.

20% were let to existing tenants who required atransfer.

7% were to people considered to be homeless bythe local authority or residents of supportedhousing moving on.

6% others for example tenants who needed tomove to allow major works or repairs to take place.

Between January 2009 andMarch 2010 the Association leta total of 177 properties – 15 ofwhich were brand newproperties – 162 were re-lets.

Breakdown ofthose peoplehoused by RHA

Who theAssociationHouses


Before beinghoused by RHA

The rents below exclude any service charge that may bepayable. The Association aims to charge a rent that isaffordable by people on low incomes.

In setting assured rents the Association takes account of theNational Assembly for Wales’ benchmark rents. For thepurposes of setting assured rents, all of the Association’sproperties are put into three bands relating to their locationand the demand for property in that area. This banding isreviewed every year. The maximum rent allowed for eachproperty type is applied to all properties in the “high” band;the “medium” band has a £1 per week reduction and the“low” band a further £1 a week reduction. The average rentfor all the Association’s properties at April 2009 is £64.07

Existing secure tenants have their rents determined by theRent Officer. However the Association charges theequivalent assured rent if it is less than the fair rent.

Rents charged for different sizes of property

33%were privately renting

35%were living with family or friends

7%owned their own properties

15%came from other housingassociations

10% were no fixedabode, or living in a hostel/refugeor in supported housing (move on)

Average rentsat April 2009

1Flats Houses

2


£ 54.29 £ 63.47

2 3£ 56.41 £ 70.47

3 4£ 62.75 £ 80.08


As at 31st March 2010 the projected annual debit for theAssociation was £4,925,024. Rent arrears at the sametime totalled £173,585 which represents 3.52% of theannual rental income. A total of 561 tenants were inarrears at the end of March 2010. The level of arrears isrepresented below:

No. of weeks in arrears No. of tenants

2340-2 weeks

2-6 weeks

6-13 weeks

13+ weeks

Rent Arrears

1899147

The Association completed over6200 works orders in the periodJanuary 2009 to March 2010

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The Association completed over 6200 works orders in the period January 2009to March 2010, 1080 of which were completed by our Direct Labour Operativewho carries out all our carpentry work. From these orders, just over 973 weredeemed to be emergencies and were carried out within 24 hours.

Reactive Maintenance

Number of repairscompleted on targetEmergencyWithin 24 hours

100%

UrgentWithin 5 working days

98%

Non-UrgentWithin 30 working days

98%

The association tries to re-let empty properties as quickly as possible when theybecome vacant. The vast majority of the properties that took over 8 weeks to re-let required extensive repairs or improvements carried out before a new tenantcould move in.

Re-letting properties

10 (7%) Less than 2 weeks

48 (34%) Between 2 and 4 weeks



37 (26%) Over 8 weeks


FinancialStatements


Income and Expenditure for the 15 months ended 31.03.201031.03.2010 31.12.2008

Income received £’000s £’000sRents & service charges 7,148 5,853Interest on bank balances 0 0Other income 12 53Sale of Land 17 71

Total £7,177 £5,977

Expenditure MadeInterest on loans from lenders 749 962Housing costs and services 1,039 1,175Maintenance of properties 1,940 1,398Salaries and office overheads 2,730 1,925

Total £6,458 £5,460

Surplus for the year £719 £517

Balance Sheet as at 31.03.201031.03.2010 31.12.2008

Assets Owned £’000s £’000sHouses & Flats 70,040 68,108Office equipment & cars 3,063 2,469Bank balance 42 60Amounts owed to us 968 390Less: amounts we owe -2,061 -2,379

Total £72,052 £68,648

Funded ByGovernment grants 47,656 46,853Loans (from banks and building societies) 16,568 14,686Restricted reserves (for future property maintenance) 2,959 2,959General reserves 4,869 4,150

Total £72,052 £68,648


Financial Statements


Salaries at 31st March 2010Breakdown of full-time staff (24hrs pw or more) by salary range

Salary (£) Female MaleUp to 5,0005,001 – 10,000 10,001 – 15,000 2 5 15,001 – 20,000 15 6 20,001 – 25,000 11 6 25,001 – 30,000 3 1 30,001 – 40,000 3 4 40,001 – 45,000 245,000+ 3 1

Total full-time staff 2010 37 25 (Total full time staff 2008) 35 21

Copies of the full audited accounts can be obtained by writing to the Association’s Secretary

How each pound of rent was spent 31.03.2010 31.12.2008

£ £Property management costs 0.04 0.03Service costs 0.03 0.03Maintenance 0.29 0.28Housing mortgage interest 0.11 0.19Community initiatives 0.01 0.01Staff costs 0.24 0.23Taxes & Pensions 0.05 0.06Overheads 0.12 0.09Reserves for future maintenance 0.11 0.08

Total £1.00 £1.00

Financial Indicators31.03.2010 31.12.2008

Gearing maximum 35 % (loans as % of grants & reserves) 30.54 % 26.10%Interest cover minumum 2.0 (rents/loan interest) 10.59 4.20


BoardMembership The Board of Management of the Association definesits values and objectives and establishes policy toachieve these objectives. There are 15 places on theBoard including 5 reserved for tenant members.

The oblig ations of the Board are to:be committed to the aims and objectives of the Associationcontribute to and share responsibility for Board decisions act only in the interests of the Associationconfirm that they will meet their obligations

Between them the Board members should possess a range of skills and experience, including

practical experience of receiving the Association’s servicegeneral management experience / business skillsfinancial managementhousing managementlegal workcommunity / voluntary workexperience of the building tradelocal knowledge

The Board reviews its composition regularly to identify gaps in the skills and knowledgerequired.

The Association also strives to achieve a balance of membership in accordance with its equalopportunities policy appropriate to the area in which it works. Also as it is a community-based organisation, it aims to ensure that the majority of Board members live or work inRhondda Cynon Taf.


Policy forAdmitting NewShareholdersShare members act in the interest of theAssociation and for the benefit of thecommunity. Our aim is to develop a strong,representative membership throughencouraging applications from:

people with differing skills and intereststhose of different ages, colour, ethnicorigin and disability, reflecting our area ofoperationtenants of the Association, in accordancewith the tenant participation policylocal community groups

Any one interested in becoming a sharemember should contact the office for anapplication form. All completed formsshould be returned accompanied by thesum of £1 for the share membership fee.The Board of Management have absolutediscretion whether to accept or reject anapplication.

Thank you, None of our work would be possible withoutthe help of others. First, and foremost, are those of ourtenants who gave up their time and expertise to adviseand help. Over the years also, we have had a lot ofsupport from a number of voluntary, statutory and privateorganisations, without whom we would not have beenable to achieve what we have

Specialthanks go toeveryonewho tookpart in theproductionof thisannualreport

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Current Board Members Years Service

Mr John Andrews (Chair)Retired Probation Officer

Ms Avril Page (Vice Chair)Volunteer Support Worker

Mr Paul Young (Chair Audit Committee)Chartered Accountant

Mr Jeff DaviesConsultant

Mr Sid JonesWarehouseman

Mr Charles Middleton Retired Chief Executive

Mr Ken MorganRetired Manager, Mid Glamorgan Health Authority

Ms Janet WhitemanDirector, New Horizon

Miss Julie Williams Care Assistant

Mr Stephen Williams University Lecturer

Board Member movements during the year are shown in our statutory accounts.

During the year, Liz Hayes, Hedd Vine and Katherine Hughes retired from the Board,and we would like to thank them for their contribution to the work of the Association.

rhondda housing english:rh annual report · 4 rhondda housing association the chair and chief...

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