Summer 2012

A day of fun for all the community!

We have got together with the Community Action Group to put on our biggest community event EVER!We will have a big top featuring live entertainment including music from local bands, comedy, live magic and dance acts.

Meanwhile out on the park there will be fairground rides, stalls from local community groups and charities, food from around the world, face painting, and outdoor games.

Have a ride in giant inflatable ‘zorb’ balls, take your chances in the Circus Run obstacle course, or try the ‘airbourne adventure’!

Plus, you can meet the emergency services and take part in the

What’s next for our improvement programme? Page 2

Benefit changes: how you might be affectedPage 4

Foxhill transformationPage 7

Tell us what you think about sheltered housingPage 8

What’sinside

Saturday 21st July, 12-5pm

Knutsford Playing Fields

Radlett Road, Watford WD24 4LL

red, white and blue fancy dress competition.

There will also be music from the Purcell School, who have been working with us on the Five Gold Rings project.

The event is free so why not come and join us! There will be free car parks signposted along Imperial Way, plus free bus services from Asda at the Dome Roundabout and the Beechen Grove bus stops in Watford town centre.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For further information on Watford 2012, contact our Community Empowerment team on 01923 209 183.

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Service charge review

Gateway News

Chair’s welcome

Welcome to the Summer 2012 edition of Gateway News.Only a few days to go now until Watford 2012 – the town’s biggest community-

organised event! Organised by the Community Action Group and supported by the Trust this will take place on Saturday 21st July, see our cover story. I am really looking forward to having a great time there, do try to come along.

Another great occasion will be the Trust’s 5th birthday celebrations on September 10th. It is hard to believe that we will be five years old, the time since Transfer has passed so quickly. I am very proud that not only will we have kept the promises we made to you then but we will have delivered so much more. On page 3 are more details of the celebrations and you are all very welcome to come and see us abseil down Munden View. I may not be the fittest participant but I will probably be the oldest!

In May we held our Community Champions event to celebrate our local ‘unsung’ heroes. The entertainment was great but the highlight for me was hearing about the time and dedication our nominees put in to make their communities better places for all who live there. Every one of them was a winner really. Read more about the awards on page 6.

Happening now are the elections for tenant board members and the new Gateway leaders group. Those of you who are not yet members can join so you can still take part. Please do use your vote as electing some of your fellow tenants to represent your views is one of the most important rights you have as a member of the Trust.

I hope you all have a lovely Summer, whatever the weather.

Diane Lee, Chair of the Board Watford Community Housing Trust

A few people have asked us what is going to happen after we complete our first five-year improvement programme in September 2012. Will we carry on improving homes? The answer, of course, is yes! We will be starting a new improvement programme from April 2013 which will run until 2017, so your home may be included on this programme if we have not got to you yet.

Over the coming months we will be identifying the homes that we need to place on our next improvement programme and appointing contractors to carry out the works.

As part of this, our Asset Management Surveyors will be carrying out some essential surveys to the exterior of all of our properties. While they do not need to survey the interior of your home, they may need to get into your back garden to assess the rear of the property. We would be very grateful if you could accommodate them by allowing them access if they call. As always, they will be carrying their Trust ID badges, and if you are in any doubt, you can call us on 01923 209 000.

Look out for more information in future editions of Gateway News or on our website at www.wcht.org.uk. Meanwhile we are cracking on with our current improvement programme and are on course to complete it by September 2012.

The housing services we provide are much more than just maintaining your home. Additional services include caretaking, CCTV, grounds maintenance and playgrounds, door entry systems, fire alarms, looking after communal areas… and much more. These services cost the Trust over £3 million

a year. We are reviewing the way we charge for these services. Our aims are to be more accountable, transparent and fair, and to ensure that you only pay for what you get.

Your views on this are very important to us so we will shortly be consulting on service charges. To find out how you can join in the consultation, look out for details on our new website at www.wcht.org.uk.

Improving homes – what next?

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Summer 2012

Help us celebrate our fifth birthday in style!

It’s your Trust – join in!As soon as our new Gateway leaders have been elected in September, we’ll be starting a new programme to give you a say in three key areas of our work: Neighbourhoods, Communications and Making Membership Meaningful. We’re going to make participation easy and enjoyable – no boring meetings! Interested in taking part? Contact the Community Empowerment team on 01923 209 183 to find out more.

This September we will reach our fifth birthday, which means we will have completed all the promises we made to you when we transferred from Watford Borough Council.

We are really proud to reach this landmark so we will be celebrating in style! On Monday 10th September our staff will be spending the day in the Meriden, one of our biggest community areas.

One of the highlights of the day will be our sponsored abseil down Munden View, which is 17 storeys tall and 171 feet high! Around 80 people will be taking part, including tenants and partners we have worked with over the

Trust elections – use your voteDon’t miss out on voting for your representatives on the Board and Gateway this year. You should have received ballot papers through your letter box over the last few days.

They are different colours: pink to vote for your Board members and blue to elect your new Gateway members. The candidate election booklet contains profiles about the people standing to help you make your mind up! The closing date is Friday 3rd August.

The Board sets the strategic direction for the Trust, while the Gateway leadership group provides a representative voice for tenants and residents. This year the candidates have undergone a rigorous selection process involving informal interviews plus training and team building sessions to ensure you are represented by the best candidates possible. If you have any questions about how voting works you can call 01923 209 183 and speak to a member of the Community Empowerment team.

Don’t forget to use your vote! Results will be announced at our AGM on Monday 10th September.’

last five years. Richard Harrington MP, Mayor Dorothy Thornhill and Watford Borough Council’s Chairman Shirena Counter have all pledged to take part.

We aim to raise £50,000 for the Peace Hospice, who do such important work caring for people with terminal or life-limiting illness. You can help us reach our target by donating at https://mydonate.bt.com/events/high5watfordwcht - and remember, anything you can spare will go to a very good cause.

In addition to the abseil, our staff will also be out and about in Meriden on 10 September doing work to improve the local community as part of our fifth birthday celebrations. Watch out for more details over the summer.

Gateway News

Money MattersBenefit changes – will you be affected?If you claim housing benefit you may be affected by changes from April 2013.

The changes mean that some people will get less housing benefit than they did before. If you are concerned about being able to pay your rent, now is the time to contact us. Speak to our Rent and Income team on 01923 209 111.

The ‘bedroom tax’How many bedrooms do you have? From April 2013, if you live in one of our properties and you have one or more ‘spare’ bedrooms your housing benefit may be reduced.

This could affect you: • ifyouare16to61yearsold

• evenifyouonlygetasmallamount of housing benefit – for example, if you are working

• evenifyouaresickordisabled

It does not matter how the ‘spare’ bedroom is used, the new rules will apply even if:

• youandyourpartnerneedtosleep apart because of a medical condition

• yourchildrenhavearoomoftheir own (two children under 16 are expected to share if they are the same sex. Two children under ten are expected to share regardless of their sex)

• yourchildrennormallyliveatanother address, but you have a spare room for when they stay with you.

What happens if you have a ‘spare’ bedroom?

If you have one ‘spare’ bedroom your housing benefit will be cut by 14% of the rent you pay every week.

If you have two or more spare bedrooms, you will lose 25%.

If your benefit is cut you will have to pay Watford Community Housing Trust the difference between your housing benefit and your rent.

Limit on benefits From April 2013, the overall amount of benefit you can receive will be capped. The maximum amount of benefit you will be able to receive will be:

• £500perweekforsingleparents

• £500perweekforcoupleswithor without children

• £350perweekforsinglepeoplewithout children.

This will not apply to you if: • yougetpensioncreditor

working tax credit

• amemberofyourhouseholdis claiming disability living allowance, attendance allowance or the support element of employment support allowance.

What should I do? If you are worried about being able to afford to pay your rent from April 2013 you should ask for advice now. If you don’t pay your rent you could lose your home, so talk to us about different ways to pay. Contact our Rent and Income Team on 01923 209111 for advice. You can also get information and advice from the Citizens Advice Bureau on 0844 411 1444, or from Watford Borough Council on 01923 226 400.

If you are concerned about being able to pay your rent, now is the time to get advice.

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Summer 2012

If you are interested in being self employed and running a business that has a community benefit, we would love to talk to you. We are looking for people who have ideas that could generate work opportunities while improving the community. We want to help get you get started and support you for as long as you need it.

We have set up a new trading company called Gateway Enterprises (Watford) Limited – or ‘GEWL’ – to support social enterprises in Watford and Three Rivers. A social enterprise is a business that creates a profit but is also good for the community and the environment.

We are also working with a training service called TCHC who provide business-startup advice and support. They can also help with the skills needed to start a new job – such as advice in completing application forms and preparing a CV.

For more information on these opportunities, call our Social Enterprise office on 01923 209 218.

Growing our first social enterprise Working with the Herts Mind Network, GEWL opened its first social enterprise, the Green

Social enterprise updateHelping budding entrepreneurs!

Canteen in the Meriden, last month.

This is offering horticultural courses at just £10 to help local residents gain new skills, and the produce that they grow will be sold to create income for the business.

If you are interested in taking a course contact Helen Finn on 01923 805 741 or at helen.finn@hertsmindnetwork.org to find out more.

In the picture you can see us giving a tour of the Green Canteen site to the Hon. Arabella Stuart Smith, the High Sheriff of Hertfordshire, before it opened.

Helping you to get on your bike The next social enterprise we are working on is a project called the

Watford Cycle Hub. This aims to rebuild, repair and recycle bikes, provide accredited training in cycle mechanics, and get people riding again if they have not been on their bike for a while.

We are still working on this but some of our staff had a taster of the Cycle Hub in June, when they were encouraged to take part in the Herts Big Cycle Challenge.

Nitina Lall from our Finance team was one staff member who took part. She said: “I haven’t been on a bike in over seven years. It’s not a long journey home and although I was nervous at first I soon became used to riding again and I know it’s a cliché but it is true – ‘you never forget to ride a bike’. For anyone that is contemplating getting on a bike again – go for it, it’s well worth it!” Pictured is our Chief Executive Tina Barnard taking part with our ‘challenge leader’, Martin Gray.

Watch this space for more details of the Watford Cycle Hub!

When we asked tenants about the advice and support they received from the Trust in regards to rent and income and service charges, nearly 70% were happy with the service they received.

Performance snapshot Compared tolast year

Gateway News

6

Hilda and Luke named Community Champions of Watford

Proving you can never be too old or too young to make a difference, 91-year-old Hilda Wells and 11-year-old Luke Sanneh were among the winners in our Community Champion Awards ceremony at Holywell Community Centre in May.

Hilda, of Woodside, saw off strong competition from four other local ‘unsung heroes’ to be named Watford’s Community Champion for 2012. Her many achievements include setting up Woodside’s very first residents’ association back in 1956, and fostering 42 children. She is still an active force in her community today, continuing to attend meetings of the Woodside Action Group every month despite fracturing her pelvis just before Christmas.

Hilda said, “I’ve never won an award before. I was amazed! I couldn’t believe it – I know what I’ve done but I didn’t do it to get any awards.”

Luke, who lives on the Holywell estate, was named Young Community Champion for his work on the Trust’s new youth project, ‘Yo’, which is helping to give young people a say in what is happening in their neighbourhoods.

The Trust held the awards to recognise local unsung heroes who give up their spare time to help the local community. The nominations were made by residents’ groups across Watford and Three Rivers that work with the Trust.

The ceremony took place during a community fun day at Holywell Community Centre, which included entertainment from local dance groups plus the stars of this year’s Woodside Talent Show.

The full list of nominees and winners is:

• Bright Idea: Meriden Anglers (WINNER), Woodside Talent Show

• Best Community Group Newsletter: Courtlands Residents’ Association (WINNER), Edward Amey Residents’ Association, Leavesden Community Group, Woodside Action Group

• Best Website: Courtlands Residents’ Association, Tudor Tenants’ and Residents’ Association, Woodside Action Group (WINNER)

• Frontline Support Officer: Sarah Askey, PC James Irlan, Jackie Tyrrell (WINNER)

• Young Community Champion: Luke Sanneh

• Special Recognition Award: Vicky Attarzadeh (WINNER), Anne Cook (WINNER), Michelle Hawe, Chris Kronda, Dick Lewis, John Pinder, Erica Tuxworth, Edna Williamson

• Community Champion: Kathy Green, Peter Scott, Len Wakeling, Hilda Wells (WINNER), Gary Wilson

Trust members can see more pictures from the day in our sister publication, Membership Matters.

Star performers on the stage

Hilda with last year’s Community Champion, Dan Holden

Luke with his award

Winners named at ceremony in Holywell

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Summer 2012

Fund Update

Better Communities Fund paves way for new-look Foxhill We were proud to show off the visual transformation of homes in Foxhill and Brushrise at an ‘opening’ ceremony last month.

To complement the 12 new affordable homes we recently completed on the former site of Yeatman House, our Better Communities Fund invested in a ‘facelift’ of the existing properties nearby.

The improvements included:

• Fittingmoderntimbercladdingto the flats and the shop

• Paintinggaragedoorsandbindoors

• Replacingthecommunalentrance doors and adding a new canopy over them

• Providinganewplayground,designed with the help of pupils from Cherry Tree Primary School

The Better Communities Fund also arranged for Cherry Tree pupils to decorate the site hoardings around the new homes while they were being built, turning what could have been an eyesore into an attractive space.

We invited tenants, partners, and Cherry Tree pupils to join us for a barbecue as Mayor Dorothy Thornhill declared the new-look Foxhill officially ‘open’.

Mayor Thornhill said: “It gives me a real buzz to see new homes and a quality refurbishment of the whole area.”

Meanwhile our Chair, Diane Lee, presented Cherry Tree School with a framed picture of their painting on the site hoardings.

Diane said: “Everything here – beautiful new homes, a great playground which the children love and the revamp of the area shows what can be achieved by listening to and working with our tenants and the local community.”

Happy birthday Ethel!

Foxhill and Brushrise transformation complete

Many happy returns to Ethel Cother of Brushrise, who celebrated her 100th birthday last month! As Ethel has hit her centenary in our fifth birthday year, we presented her with a special birthday hamper. Here she is with our Chair Diane Lee, showing off her birthday card from the Queen. Ethel has lived in the Leggatts area ever since she first moved to Watford back in 1939. Asked how she felt to turn 100, Ethel said: “Bloomin’ old!”

Before

After

Gateway News

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It’s an important question to us, whether you currently live in sheltered housing or not. This summer we will be consulting residents of Watford and Three Rivers to find out the aspirations of the housing and support needs of older people in the future.

We want to provide the kind of homes that are suitable for our ageing population. We will be asking sheltered tenants their opinions of the accommodation we currently provide, but we also want other residents to think about their housing needs and

aspirations for the future.

If you are under 50: What would motivate you to move to sheltered housing? What is your understanding of sheltered housing at the moment – and is there anything you find off-putting about it? What kind of accommodation and facilities do you think you’ll need as you get older?

If you are in sheltered housing at the moment: What do you think of the accommodation and the facilities? Is there anything you don’t like about sheltered housing? Do you like the name ‘sheltered housing’ or do you feel

it might put potential tenants off living there?

We’re interested in your answers to these questions. We’ll be holding a consultation at the Trust’s big community event, Watford 2012 on 21st July at Watford Rugby Club. We are also planning a drop-in event on 9th August at Gateway House for you to give us your views.

Or you can call us on 01923 209 236 to give us your opinion on our sheltered housing service. Your feedback will help us to plan retirement housing that is fit for the future.

Young at Heart NewsWhat kind of housing do you want as you get older?

Music project comes to our schemesAs part of our Five Gold Rings project with the Purcell School, we have been providing an opportunity for sheltered tenants to discover their musical side through ‘Singing in the Schemes’.

Here are some pictures from their session at Rutland Lodge. As well as having a hearty sing-song, the

New doorsEarlier this year many sheltered tenants received new doors as part of our improvement and modernisation programme in the schemes.

Our contractor Mulalley worked alongside staff and tenants to provide a high quality standard of work.

Kitty Hammerton from Dale Court said that she is very happy with her door and pleased with the service she received from the team.

“At first I was unable to get out of my door with my walker but Wendy made a telephone call to Neil and he came round within hours and re-adjusted the door,” said Kitty. “It now stays open longer which gives me time to go though, and then closes slowly and quietly.”

tenants were treated to some dazzling performances from the Purcell School’s talented musicians.

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Summer 2012

These valves are very important: they are part of the fire safety system in the high rise blocks, allowing the fire service to connect to the water supply from each floor. Their theft could have posed a serious safety risk to tenants.

Luckily the fire service had a contingency plan to deal with any fires while the valves were missing,

Safer communities news

Stay safe in summer!If the weather gets warm this summer, don’t forget to lock your windows and doors when you go out, and to close your car windows when you park.

Also, the Police have advised us that thieves are targeting older people who visit banks and building societies in the town. They are being watched, and when they come out and go to the shops their bags and purses are being stolen. Apparently Wilkinson’s in Charter Place is a popular place for this to happen at present.

Metal theft – Trust acts quicklyIn May we had to act quickly to replace most of the dry riser valves in Munden and Abbey View when we discovered they had been stolen by metal thieves.

Over the last year, reports of anti social behaviour have fallen by 28% across Watford. We have formed strong partnerships with various organisations, including the Police and Watford Borough Council, to try to bring the figure down even further. We use many ways to deal with anti social

though there could have been a delay to their response time.

You can’t buy new valves ‘off the shelf’, but by working closely with our contractors we were able to replace them all within just one week. We have now welded all the valves down to prevent further theft.

This is an extremely serious issue – not just because of the safety risk, but also because it has cost the Trust money that we could have spent improving tenants’ homes. So please be vigilant, and if you have any information we would urge you to contact Herts Police on their non-emergency number, 101.

Working for a safer Watfordbehaviour, including prevention, working with partners such as the Police, Acceptable Behaviour Agreements or eviction action.

At the Trust we aim to create an environment where residents live peacefully and enjoy their lives. We actively encourage tenants and leaseholders to be good

neighbours. A good neighbour is someone who acts reasonably and considerately, and respects the different values and lifestyles in the community.

If you are affected by nuisance behaviour yourself or have witnessed someone else being affected by it, you can contact our Safer Communities Officers on 01923 209 222 to make an initial complaint, or use the form on our website at www.wcht.org.uk.

You can also contact other agencies who may be able to help you. Where crime is involved and it is not an emergency contact the Police on 101, or dial 999 in an emergency. Alternatively call.Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Over 90% of tenants affected by anti-social behaviour last year were happy with the way the Trust dealt with it. The most common problems identified are noisy neighbours and disruptive children and teenagers but even for those only 12% of our tenants thought they were a major issue.

Performance snapshot Compared tolast year

Gateway News

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We are delighted to unveil our brand new website at www.wcht.org.uk. It was built for us by a company called VerseOne Technologies which has also provided top quality websites for many other housing associations around the country. So far we’ve had some great feedback! Here’s a quick guide to some of the new features we’ve added.

A guide to our new website

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1 More accessible – you can change the text size and background colour to suit your needs.

2 New My Account section – get an instant report on your payments to the Trust, outstanding repairs jobs and more.

3 Your Home section – full of information about your tenancy or leasehold and how we look after your property.

4 Our Services section – a comprehensive guide to the services we offer, from Better Communities Funding to our work with Watford Credit Union.

5 Improved online forms – for feedback and anti-social behaviour – making it easier for you to let us know what you think of our services and report nuisance behaviour where you live.

6 Events calendar – you can see at a glance what’s going on in your area, from community café opening times to local fun days

7 Online polls – making it even easier for you to influence our work.

Nearly 44% of our tenants are members of the Trust. Membership is completely free and it means you can vote on important issues – to find out how you can join, contact our Community Empowerment team on 01923 209 183 or at communityempowerment@wcht.org.uk.

Performance snapshot Compared tolast year

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Summer 2012

As I left home this Monday,I wasn’t going farI lifted up my garage doorAnd it fell down on my car

I tried in vain to lift itBut I was on my ownSo I quickly ran back to the house And picked up the telephone

I couldn’t leave it as it wasTo fix it was a mustSo I dialled up the number ofWatford Community Housing Trust

A cheerful lady answeredI told her of my plightShe listened sympatheticallyAnd then she uttered “Right!

“I’m going to raise it on my job sheet,I’ll write it with my penWe’ll get somebody round todayBut I really can’t say ‘when’.”

I got ready for a long waitAnd put the kettle on,But twenty minutes laterThe doorbell went ding-dong.

A smart chap said, “I’ve had a look”And told me not to panic,“You couldn’t drive a car like that,It’s not aerodynamic!”

Ten more minutes passed and then,Another van and man arrived,They lifted up the heavy doorSo I got in to drive.

As I reversed out carefully,As slow as I could manage,It really cheered me up to see,There was so little damage.

Then both the men began to work,As quick as quick could be,They didn’t even stop to take a break,And even refused tea!

So ninety minutes afterI made the initial call,The door was fixed, my car was safe,No drama after all.

Now some may say, two men, two vansMay be a bit excessive,But for the service I received,I’ll use one word impressive!

So thank you Watford Housing Trust,And all who were involved.No fuss, no bother, and in record time,Another problem solved.

Tenant inspectors at workWho checks and challenges what the Trust does? The answer is you!

Residents have been ‘scrutinising’ evidence and questioning staff to see if we kept the promises we made in our last annual report. They were happy with improvements in some areas but felt we could do better in others and their verdict will be published in the next annual report. If you’d like to see a full copy of their findings please contact Margaret Swift on 01923 209 211.

Your ‘scrutiny panel’ residents will now plan their next inspections and publish their programme in a future Gateway News.

If you would like to join them or know more about what’s involved please contact Margaret. You would need to be able to work together with other residents, be comfortable studying written information and have a questioning frame of mind. The whole aim is to identify improvements on behalf of all tenants and leaseholders.

We recently completed a project to fit new insulation and energy-saving measures to four of our properties and are now looking at extending this to other homes.

We carried out the works at two homes in Abbots Langley and two in Gammons Lane. All the properties were previously poorly insulated. We provided external solid wall insulation, loft

“Another problem solved” – A poem by Brian Scott of Charlock Way.

Trust cuts energy bills for tenants

insulation and solar panels to all the properties, and provided new boilers to the Gammons Lane properties.

Diane Raven, who had the improvements carried out in her home, said: “I’m pleased. Has it made a difference? Oh God, yes. It’s so much warmer now. Hopefully the heating bills will be much lower from now on.”

How to contact the TrustIn person or write to us:Gateway House, 59 Clarendon Road, Watford, Hertfordshire WD17 1LA

Telephone us: Customer Services 01923 209 000Email us: enquiries@wcht.org.ukVisit the website: www.wcht.org.uk

Useful contacts

General Enquiries: 01923 209 000

Repairs Freephone: 0800 218 2247

Repairs line: 01923 209 247

Contact us

Don’t forget you can check your account online. Simply go to www.wcht.org.uk and click ‘See my account’.

Gateway News

Rent enquiry: 01923 209 111

Disabled adaptations: 01923 209 220

Home ownership: 01923 209 216

Community empowerment (resident involvement): 01923 209 183

Neighbourhood team (tenant issues): 01923 209 148

Grounds maintenance (communal areas): 01923 209 055

Anti-social behaviour: 01923 209 222

Need help making your voice heard?The Community Advocacy Service is for people who live in Hertfordshire and need support to deal with an issue they are facing. You can use this service if you:

• Arefindingitdifficulttoputyour views across or don’t feel you are being listened to

• Areinasituationwhereyoufeel vulnerable

• Needhelptoaccessservicesrelating to your health, lifestyle or independence

For more information, contact POhWER on 0300 456 2370.

New gas servicing contractorinto a monthly prize draw for £50. Some of you will be receiving your first appointment letters from PH Jones over the next months, so we wish you every success in the prize draw!

The telephone number for reporting any gas faults such as loss of heating or hot water will not change, so the number to call is still 0800 055 6860. After the 1st August 2012 these calls will be answered by P H Jones’s staff.

An annual gas safety inspection is very important for your safety as well as a legal requirement so you are encouraged to allow access as requested by P H Jones. Should you feel you have not had an inspection in the last year, please do contact us for confirmation or to arrange an inspection.

The Trust is pleased to announce a new three year partnership with P H Jones Ltd., part of British Gas, for the provision of gas servicing and break down, including the annual inspections.

All residents who allow PH Jones access to your homes following the first gas service appointment letter will be automatically entered