Inside Story - February 2009
Staff Conference 2009
The association held its staff conference a little later than normal this year due to the refurbishment of the office. With so many new staff it was a good time to reflect on the work the association had been doing and how we needed to move forward in light of the credit crunch.
Quite fittingly, given the National Housing Federation’s new awards “What we are proud of…”, we also took some time to look at what we were proud of achieving over 2008. The quantity was too numerous to list here, but in a nutshell we agreed that together and individually, “We were proud that we treated our customers as people with individual needs. This showed that our policies and procedures reflected the flexible way in which we wanted to serve our customers.” It gave us great ideas for this year’s Annual Report!
We also discussed and agreed the ways in which we could work as an association wide team. Over the day we worked on a handbook that will promote respect and commitment within the association. We want to ensure we treat each other as internal customers, that is, in just the same we treat our external customers!
Our thanks must go to Olive Strachan who as usual facilitated the day’s programme excellently.
The Staff Conference was also an opportunity to show our appreciation of some of our brightest stars! This year the nominations reflected the hard work and dedication required to keep our refurbishment plans on track. Staff nominated and voted in a number of categories – and the winners were:
- Work Horse Award “for sheer volume of 'stuff' completed” – Lily Hardman
- cool Under Pressure Award “retaining focus whilst balancing tight deadlines” - Elaine Taylor
- Thriving in Chaos Award “speaks for itself!” - Cym D’souza (yippee!)
- Mr/Mrs Universe Award “lifting and carrying” – Jermain Thomas
- The Arawak Cross "... most conspicuous bravery, or some daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice, or extreme devotion to duty ." - Joanne Moon
And last but not least - Employee of the Year - Trevor Benjamin
January Board meeting
At the January Board meeting, the Board approved the following:
- Budget Principles 2009/10 – the Board considered the key assumptions that will be used to set the budget. There was, in particular, discussion around inflation rates, mortgage interest rates, salary levels and rent increase percentages. The Board main concern was to ensure the budget remains within our lenders’ covenants. In addition, the association must retain appropriate surpluses to offset unforeseen expenditure.
- The purchase of five new properties in Stockport which is a relatively new area of operation for the association.
- The management plan and policy review schedule for 2009/10
- The Annual Report timetable
The Board received reports on the outcome of our partnership working arrangements, equality and diversity monitoring reports covering or our staff and tenant population. There were also update reports on our loan facility arrangements and additions to our approved contractors’ list.
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Smaller Housing association conference 2009
It seems to have been the month for conferences! The North West smaller housing associations held their second annual conference at the Village Hotel in Warrington. Speakers included Deborah McLaughlin, regional director from the Homes and Community Agency(HCA), Richard Sorenson, tenants services co-ordinator for the Tenants Services Authority (TSA) and David Orr Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation.
Their thought provoking presentations led to much debate about the key role smaller associations play in providing local management services. It also raised questions about our role in possible smaller scale developments that benefit communities, but can be bypassed by larger mainstream housing associations.
The day ended on a real high with Liam O’Connell giving an excellent presentation on the power of positive thinking. It was also certainly food for thought!
Keeping Fit for a healthier life!
The Tenants in our sheltered scheme at Bougainvillea Gardens and Antilles Close are getting active in their weekly exercise class, Jackie Graham, the Scheme Manager joins in to encourage the tenants through the hour long workout.
Sue Nzilani, Ageing Well Development Worker from Age Concern Manchester who runs the sessions says….. ‘I have been running the chair based exercise class for I think about 18 months. The class is always well attended and the members are mostly women, although there is a man who attends now and again. The tenants who attend have a good laugh as I try to keep the emphasis on fun to make the exercise easier and more relaxed. We always finish with a meditation/ visualisation which gives the tenants an opportunity to take time out for themselves and leaves them feeling calm and relaxed’
For more information on the activities available to our tenants living in sheltered accommodation or if you feel that your organisation could contribute please contact Sandra McKenzie on 0161 272 6094
Dog's Life
Introducing a new member of the Team. This is Josie, our Maintenance Technicians 6 month old Cocker Spaniel. Josie accompanies Janice to work each day and is proving to be an extremely
popular addition!
Arawak Walton Performance
As always we like to keep our residents informed about how we are performing. See for yourself below.
| Feb 09 | Jan 09 | Dec 08 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Voids % (no. of properties) |
0.83% (7) |
1.06% (8) |
1.3% (11) |
| Rent arrears (as a % of weekly rent receivable) |
7.39% |
7.59% |
7.57% |
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