Stafford and Rural Homes

• Stafford & Rural Homes will contribute to the range of advice services available in the Borough by maintaining a High Street presence in Stafford and in Stone town centres, and by enabling access to other services
   
• We will recognise the diverse nature of our society and respond positively to it.
   

• We will develop, with customers, Equality and Diversity policies that include:

  • Comprehensive equal opportunities policies including employment and the full range of housing services
  • Diversity policies designed to help ensure that we engage with and serve everyone in the community
  • Translation and interpreting services for people whose first language is not English
  • Disabled access to all its building
  • Help for people with hearing or eyesight difficulties
  
   
• We will settle 80% of all enquiries in one single contact and will review our services in consultation with customers to help ensure that this target is met
   
• The Headquarters building will be designed to ensure that all visitors feel welcome and are provided with facilities for private interviews or meetings
   
• A dedicated team will receive and deal with all telephone calls so that, in the medium term, you would need only one number to deal with all housing enquiries
   
• We will try to reach agreement with other agencies to provide face-to-face access to housing services in other locations in the Borough.
   
• We will take part in the Staffordshire Partnership, which exists to develop a shared computer-based system for handling customer enquiries and service requests at any one of a range of agencies throughout Staffordshire
   

• Stafford & Rural Homes Would Produce Information that Is:

  • In plain English
  • timely, accurate, relevant and produced to a high quality
  • available in audio tape, other languages and other forms of communication as required
  
   
• We will ensure that Councillors have access to senior managers and obtain prompt and meaningful answers when they act as advocates for our customers.
   
• We will employ specialist, trained Tenant Participation staff to work with and support the Federation and local groups. It would provide equipment and administrative support to tenant groups as required
   
• We will develop, with partners, a range of support services for people with special needs
   
• We will have a formal arrangement for sharing information and working jointly with the Staffordshire Police and its local community police units. It would promote and support joint training to maintain a good level of shared understanding among officers working directly with tenants
   
• We will introduce our own easy-to-use complaints procedure so that all customers know how to make a complaint if they are dissatisfied with the service they receive
   
• The Council would confirm it's nominations for the board annually
   
• Stafford & Rural Homes would not be part of any other Registered Social Landlord and would be locally controlled within Stafford Borough
   
• Stafford and Rural Homes will not operate "for profit"
   
• Tenants will be consulted about, and have the means to prevent any fundamental change to, Stafford & Rural Homes
   
• For the first two years, Stafford Borough Council's in-house team would provide grounds maintenance services. During this period we will carry out a service review with tenants, consider the potential costs of ideas tenants want to include, and design the next contract jointly with tenants on the basis of price and quality
   
• Rent increases will follow current Government guidance on rent for Registered Social Landlords
   
• We will offer support to the Stafford Furniture Exchange, which can help new tenants and others to furnish their homes
   
• We will continue to fund appropriate training courses, conferences and events for tenants so that they are well trained and informed about tenant issues in other parts of the country
   
• Members of the board will be unpaid volunteers, receiving only their legitimate out of pocket expenses
   
• Stafford & Rural Homes would keep all tenants informed and involved
   
• Tenants will elect representatives to the board for three-year terms of office. Two will be elected in one year, three elected in the next year and none in the third year of each cycle
   
• The Board will appoint five Independent Board Members, with a fair and open recruitment procedure
   
• The Independent Board Members will serve three years but only one or two will retire in the same year to preserve continuity of the Board. The Board could re-appoint the retiring members or seek fresh candidates
   
• Ward councillors (and local Members of Parliament) would still be assisted and encouraged to be advocates for their constituents on housing matters
   

• Stafford & Rural Homes will keep tenants informed about the housing service in a variety of ways:

  • A tenants' handbook, provided to all tenants
  • Publication of a newsletter produced in partnership with tenants
  • Letters and flyers to individual tenants about matters affecting them
  • A wide range of information leaflets
  • Information via the web site
  • Exhibitions and road shows
  • Briefings and presentations to tenant groups
  • Tenants involved in officer meetings and staff training sessions
  • Tenant representatives will take part in Service Reviews so that tenants could challenge the ways services are delivered and help to set standards for the future.
  • All services will be reviewed with tenants to develop detailed service policies in all areas.
  • Some tenants will be trained to act as "auditors", checking that service delivery lives up to promised standards
  
   
• We will work with partners to ensure anti-social behaviour is investigated, that evidence is compiled in a highly competent manner and that cases taken to court are professionally presented.
   
• We will introduce an affordable home contents insurance scheme for tenants who wished to join, working with a specialist insurance company and with tenants paying the insurance costs
   
• Stafford & Rural Homes will sponsor a new credit union for all of its tenants and its employees, while offering resources that would help with the costs of administering such an organisation in its early years and beyond. It would encourage other credit unions in the Borough and help towards the ambition of one for the entire community
   
• Leaseholders will be consulted prior to any improvements or repair work over the value of £250 that would affect service charges
   
• We will consult with owner occupiers only where its services or improvement plans had a direct effect upon them
   
• We will work with local colleges to secure the best quality training and educational opportunities for apprentices and other employees
   
• We will continue to support a gardening help scheme in partnership with Age Concern
   
• We will also keep leaseholders/owner occupiers informed of future expenditure plans to their areas
   
• Stafford & Rural Homes' Board wishes to expand the use of Lifeline services in partnership with other agencies and would negotiate with the Supporting People authority to secure funding
   
• We will pursue alternative funding sources such as lottery money and government grants to help support new initiatives
   
• Stafford & Rural Homes would have a specific commitment to rural housing issues, reflecting the presence of its housing stock in such a wide area of the borough countryside
   
• We will seek partnerships with Parish Councils, and support their work in measuring and meeting the needs of their communities.
   

• Stafford & Rural Homes would be guided by the new, formal standards that are being put forward by three agencies:

  • Supporting People - the Quality Assessment Framework
  • The Centre for Sheltered Housing Studies
  • The Association of Social Alarm Providers
  
   
• Stafford & Rural Homes will build relationships with other agencies that have resources to assist tenants
   
• We will work with the Council and other agencies towards improving health, education, training and child care services and offer support to vulnerable tenants
   

If you have any queries regarding these commitments and promises, please Email or contact us on 0800 111 4554