You said, we did

You said: We need to improve resident engagement before, during and after major works take place.

We did: Contractors and PCH now host meetings with residents in places that large works are happening.

You said: You wanted there to be workshops where residents impacted by major works can meet contractors.

We did: Drop-in sessions have been held by contractors for major works, and new regular PCH drop-ins in neighbourhoods have been introduced.

You said: Improve communication of PCH’s values and customer care expectations to contractors, making sure it forms part of the contract.

We did: Included in the major works procurement process and relevant documents and policies are required. Introduced a new Behavioural Framework describing PCH’s expectations about customer focus.

You said: Make sure poorly performing contractors are challenged and held to account. Make sure complaints are on the agenda when meeting contractors.

We did: Contracts are actively managed and meetings held regularly with performance and complaints on the agenda. Formal notices
(non-compliance notices) are issued when appropriate.

You said: Residents reported that a lack of communication was a consistent frustration when it came to understanding what was happening with the treatment of damp and mould in their home.

We did: The damp and mould team have expanded, with a new Co-Ordinator recruited to provide a single point of contact for damp and mould related matters for tenants, staff and contractors. 

You said: A common reason for damp and mould issues remaining in the home were due to residents not knowing how to report it.

There were inconsistencies with reporting methods, and how accessible these were for PCH residents.

We did: The process and procedure for diagnosing, reporting and raising works for damp and mould has been updated to reflect current practise, to operate more efficiently.

You said: PCH needed to provide clear and transparent information on the progress of any reported damp and mould issue as residents were being left unaware of what was happening, and how long works were expected to take.

We did: Broader reporting measures have now been included to track and monitor damp and mould related performance to ensure PCH is delivering a quality service.

You said: Persistent and returning damp and mould issues was a common issue for residents.

We're doing: PCH will review how it collects damp and mould related data from its stock.

You said: Residents in Southway asked us to look at problems in their area including litter, dog mess and fly-tipping.

We did:

• We’ve worked closely with our Environmental Services team to identify perpetrators of fly-tipping and and remove items as quickly as possible. We've also added a report fly-tipping tool to our website with a map so residents can report it to us quickly and accurately.
• Litter picks were arranged by Southway Community Builder in areas identified by residents. 
• Play parks in the area are owned by Plymouth City Council and we have reported issues to the local Councillor and reporting mechanisms.  
• We're hosting regular drop in sessions so residents can report these issues.

You said: Residents in Plympton St Maurice asked us to look at issues in the area including, considerate parking during school runs, potholes, overgrown gardens and anti-social behaviour.

We are doing:

• We have been reporting issues to Plymouth City Council about the surrounding area, including potholes and overgrown gardens.
• We are working in partnership with the Police and other agencies to tackle ASB including issues with youths in the area (supported by social services, youth workers and schools). 
• We are planning to look at the resources available to ensure cleaning of areas and blocks is consistent across the area.

You said: Residents in Devonport asking us to look at some of the issues in the area including fly-tipping, parking, outdoor spaces and drug use.

We're doing: 

• We've applied for further CCTV and magnetic fob entry doors for some of our blocks in the area.
• We're attending regular meetings with the local Police in the area and are working with the Safer Communities Team to resolve issues. 
• We're asking cars that shouldn't be parked in our spaces to more which is proving effective.

You said: Residents in Liskeard asked us to look at issues including parking, anti-social behaviour and seagulls.

We're doing: We're working with Safer Liskeard to help build relationships in the community and met local Councillors to gain their help. Our Partnership Manager has linked in with service partners in Cornwall to ensure consistency across Devon and Cornwall.

You said: You would like to be supported with transport to training.

We did: We will reimburse training course travel costs including mileage and bus fare. Taxis are also provided by exception where other travel methods are not available.

You said: Residents have asked for more courses to be held in community spaces, not just our head office Plumer House.

We did: Courses are now being held at a variety of locations across the city including The Beacon in North Prospect, Tavy House community room and Unitarian Church, ensuring they are appropriate and accessible. 

You said: There needed to be more courses for people with caring and parenting responsibilities. 

We did: We now offer more courses online which can be completed at your own pace. In-person courses are also run within school hours.

You said: You have witnessed fly-tipping and the incident taking place in your community.

We're doing: Our Community Worker for the area is investigating the issues and working with residents to keep the area a clean and nice place to live.

You said: You weren’t aware of how to report fly-tipping and didn't know what could be disposed of in the communal bins.

We did: We've added more information to the fly-tipping area on our website about this.

We're doing: We will also regularly remind residents how to report fly-tipping to us and how to use the communal bins. We're also working with partners in the area to raise awareness of the issues raised.

You said: Residents told us about the barriers they face when properly disposing of bulky waste including cost and lack of suitable transport.

We're doing: We're going to consider and raise awareness of alternative ways of disposing bulky waste.

You said: You care about the local environment and would like to be involved in projects linked to tackling this issue.

We're doing: We will provide and advertise opportunities for residents to work with us on projects to improve the local area. 

You said: 80% of respondents were aware that PCH ring or text ahead of visiting, with 60% being aware that appointments can be arranged around prior commitments.

We're doing: We will continue to offer both of these services for all residents to ensure we meet the needs of residents whilst fulfilling our obligations.

You said: 20% of respondents stated they had missed appointments due to employment, with 32% citing missed appointments for health reasons. 17.5% for inconvenient date or time.

We're doing: PCH will continue to work with residents to offer flexible appointment dates and times to ensure you are able to have the check completed. If you require support for the appointment, we will work with you to achieve this.

You said: 53% stated that more specific appointment times would reduce missed appointments, with 44% stating that being able to book your own appointment would improve the service. Respondents also stated that offering evening (25%) and weekend (32%) appointments would improve the service.

We did: PCH has taken on board the need to be aware of school run times and now have call confirming in place which has eliminated a lot of access issues.

You said: 95% of respondents indicated that the letters we send out relating to gas checks are both clear and easy to understand, with 91% stating our letters make it clear how important these checks are.

We did: PCH will continue with this current method to ensure that we continue to offer clear and easy to understand literature to our residents.

You said: 68% of respondents stated they were satisfied with the overall experience of having works carried out by an external contractor.

We're doing: We will be looking to increase this level of satisfaction by ensuring effective engagement with tenants during all future works. 

You said: 73% of residents state that they had not heard of PCH's Strategic Business Plan (2023-2025), with 83% stating they had not read it.

We did: Our Strategic Business Plan can be readily accessed on our website.

You said: With multiple options available, 79% of respondents stated they preferred to be contacted by PCH via email. 26% via telephone, 26% via post and 38% via text.

We did: We have liaised with contractors to ensure they are considering tenants communication and engagement preferences during ongoing works, and will ensure this is part of all future works.

You said: Your top preferred methods of accessing information from PCH was via the website (40%), mail (27%) and telephone (17%).

We did: PCH’s communications team regularly undertake work to ensure that PCH is engaging with, and providing information to as many residents as possible. This is supported by the Resident Communication Advisors - an engaged group of residents, that work with PCH to ensure communication is suitable and engaging for all audiences.

You said: The aims and objectives of resident engagement need to be clear and delivery against those aims needs to be obvious.

We did: During the second round of strategy consultation, this was a key focus for PCH to seek clarity. 69.69% (average) of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the five objectives in the draft Resident Engagement Strategy were what you wanted to see from PCH.

You said: Do what we say we’ll do. If PCH services don’t meet what we say we’ll do, there’s no incentive for residents to give up their time to participate in engagement activities.

We're doing: PCH will evidence delivery through performance measures, Tenant Satisfaction measures, adherence to Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS) Empowerment Standards, and commitment to achieve TPAS Landlord Accreditation. We will continuously consult residents on our services to ensure we are delivering high standards.

You said: Online involvement options continue to be a popular choice, with the recognition that this should not become the only form of engagement.

We did: PCH will continue to offer a consistent range of engagement options across all Resident Engagement opportunities, to ensure fair and accessible methods are embedded and utilised across all of PCH’s engagement options.

You said: More options for local engagement are important.

We did: We have revised our approach to Community Development so we can deliver projects across the city. It will enable us to respond to requests and implement improvements outlined in Neighbourhood Plans. We will continue to work closely with partners to provide additional local opportunities to our communities.

You said: Communication services need to meet resident requirements and be delivered in the right way - not everyone uses online services.

We did: One of the 10 key aims for the Communications Strategy - and the 2nd overall priority - became ‘Provide tailored methods of communication’. This outlines how PCH will encompass all methods of communication to meet resident requirements.

You said: PCH needs to know its residents and their preferences for receiving information - digital or print.

We did: The 9th aim is ‘Know and understand our residents’ communications preferences. This aim outlines how PCH needs to ensure we capture, record and effectively use information about residents and their preferences for communication. This includes the import of a CRM being introduced at PCH, the new Data Strategy and keeping records updated internally though a culture shift.

You said: Staff sometimes don’t know what is going on so they can’t tell residents.

We did: The 10th aim is ‘Keep staff informed and engaged to support service delivery’. This outlines how PCH would tailor its internal communications work to make sure staff were kept up to date, and could therefore provide the right information to residents.

You said: 66% of respondents to this consultation stated that you cleaned the communal stairwells yourselves.

We did: We will work towards supporting residents to come together and take responsibility for their shared spaces collectively where appropriate.

You said: 63% of respondents to this consultation stated that they would like stairwell cleaning to be introduced to their block.

We did: We will be introducing stairwell cleaning to the block that has provided enough responses for this service to be introduced. We will be pursuing further feedback for the remaining blocks to support the introduction of this service if desired.

You said: Many residents stated they take responsibility for the areas immediately around their own property, however many residents do not which can make it difficult to maintain standards across the whole block.

We did: We will continue to work closely with local residents to ensure that your buildings are well maintained and looked after. We will review the need/desire for the introduction of these services.