March 29, 2010
Plymouth Community Homes meet their 100 day pledge to local people
Plymouth Community Homes today (29 March) confirmed that they have kept all of their ‘100 day’ promises made to tenants when they launched last autumn. They have exceeded targets on a range of actions designed to make a lasting difference to tenants’ homes, estates and lives.
The organisation reported that they have:
- Installed over 700 brand new high security front and back doors (target 100)
- Installed 205 new high efficiency heating systems (target 100)
- Installed 103 new high quality kitchens (target 100)
- Installed 113 new bathrooms and showers (target 100)
- Launched a brand new website for Plymouth Community Homes, with online rent payment and repairs reporting options
- Launched multi-skilled repairs operating
- Launched the £2 million a year Money Tree Fund, with the first project completed
- Provided 100% of uniformed staff with brand new Plymouth Community Homes’ uniforms
- Introduced a fleet of Plymouth Community Homes’ repairs vans
- Held the first Planning for Real event for North Prospect residents
- Produced a comprehensive new Plymouth Community Homes’ Tenants Handbook and launched the distribution to tenants
- Introduced regular programmed Estate Inspections
- Held the first meetings of the joint staff and tenant Continuous Improvement Groups
- Consulted every sheltered housing scheme about improvements to communal areas
Chief Executive, Clive Turner said: “Tenants voted for Plymouth Community Homes to be created on the basis of these promises made to them. We have worked hard to make sure their faith is well placed. We want to let them know how we’ve done so far.”
“It’s about more than bricks and mortar. A high security door is about feeling safe in your home; a website is about us knowing about your needs and a uniform is about pride and trust in what we do. That’s why these promises matter.”
“This is a great start for us, but we’re not for one second complacent about the challenge ahead. We have the opportunity to make a lasting difference to people’s lives. Our tenants and residents deserve that and the team here are determined to do all they can to make it happen.”
Tenant Peter Ebsworth, Plymouth Community Homes’ Chair of the Board, added: “Our new organisation is about affordable housing in the city and a bright new future for tenants. Our first 100 days has exceeded expectations. But we’re about real and lasting change, not just for today’s tenants but for tomorrow’s generation of tenants too. We’re in for the long run!”
New landlord Plymouth Community Homes will have a budget of £168 million to improve its tenants’ homes in the next five years and will spend £1 billion over 30 years to ensure homes are kept up to standard in the future. The Royal Bank of Scotland has provided a £110 million funding package and the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) has invested up to £161 million in support of this investment.
The transfer means tenants’ homes will get the repairs and improvements they need to bring them up to the Plymouth Community Homes Standard in the next five years. This includes up to: 14,000 new kitchens, 14,000 new bathrooms, 15,000 new uPVC front and back doors, electrical rewires in 7,500 homes, full central heating systems in 5,000 homes plus £10 million for environmental improvements.
Plymouth City Council Leader Vivien Pengelly said: “I’m delighted to see that Plymouth Community Homes has hit the ground running. It confirms my belief that the stock transfer was absolutely the right decision and in the best interests of our former tenants.”
Colin Molton, Regional Director of the Homes and Communities Agency in the South West, said: “It is great news that Plymouth Community Homes has met all of its ‘100 day’ promises. The organisation is one of our key priorities for Plymouth, and we have our invested up to £161 million to enable Plymouth Community Homes’ housing to be improved and as a result directly improve the lives of more than 15,000 tenants in the city”.
The an Overview document is available to download as a PDF. This gives a breakdown of each target within the 100 day pledge:
