New faces on the block

Hull Housing tenants will start seeing new faces in their neighbourhoods, as work gets under way on the £189 million Decent Homes programme.
The programme is the largest investment ever undertaken in the city's 28,000 council homes and will make sure that all properties are safe, warm and have modern facilities by 2011.
Meanwhile, workers and vehicles from private construction firms Connaught Partnerships Ltd and Kier Building Maintenance will be seen on Hull estates more and more.
The contractors were chosen from dozens of other companies throughout the country to carry out the work, along with Hull City Council's own construction company Kingstown Works Ltd (KWL).
"All employees working for the contractors will carry identification badges that include the council's logo," says Jean Thorley, member of the tenants' Repairs and Maintenance Service Improvement Group, which has worked with the contractors to ensure they meet tenants' needs.
"They should show the badge before entering your home. If you are in any doubt, do not let them in – call 300300 to check first.
"Reporting any repairs is still as simple – just call 300300. The only difference will be a matter of who comes to your home to fix it."
Contractors' vehicles will also display their own logos as well as the Hull City Council logo, together with the words "working in partnership".

Letting on about success

Kath Tong (centre) chair of Hull's Empty Homes and Letting SIG, and Anne-Marie Wilkinson, tenant participation officer, with members of The North Tyneside Tenants' Association who saw good practice in Hull

Hull Housing tenants are setting a shining example to council tenants in the north-east in the way they have been directly involved in improving their housing service.
Members of the North Tyneside Tenants' Association visited Hull recently and were keen to learn about how tenants have helped to develop a 'Lettable Standard', which ensures all empty council properties are safe, secure, clean and tidy before they are relet.
"We were delighted to have the opportunity to share our work with the Tyneside visitors," says Kath Tong, chair of the tenants' Empty Homes and Lettings Service Improvement Group (SIG), which developed the standard in partnership with Hull Housing officers.
"We hope they picked up some ideas that they can put into practice in their own city.'
Some members of the visiting Tyneside party were also taken on a bus tour around the city to highlight some of Hull's key regeneration projects.

Get involved! Tenant volunteers will be out and around the city over the spring and summer to spread the message about how tenants can become involved in improving the Hull Housing service. You can catch the tenants in your area - watch out at your local Customer Service Centre for more details.

Meet the ancestor

Joe Wilberforce and his ancestor William

The Hull City Council employee who is a relative of William Wilberforce

He admits he doesn't look much like him, especially with the beard and glasses, but Joe Wilberforce is related to Hull's most famous son.
Joe (60), whose niece traced the family tree, is a principal engineering surveyor at Hull City Council.
His job is to make sure blocks of council flats are properly maintained - but if any tenants meet him on their doorsteps it's probably not worth getting his autograph.
Joe is not a direct descendant of the anti-slavery campaigner himself, but of one of his uncles.
"Most of the time tenants don't see me until something breaks down," says Joe, who looks after the maintenance of shared installations including water boosters, aerials, community lighting and controlled entry doors.
"If everything was perfect in this world there'd be no need for me.
"But I enjoy the job. A lot of improvements get made in the way things are repaired. You can learn a lot from breakdowns which in the end improve things for tenants."
Joe has a positive outlook and he helps people – but does he have any other traits in common with his great ancestor?
"My father and grandfather were true-blue Tories and my grandfather was a freeman of Hull, but I've never been interested in politics," he says.
"I'm very proud of the name, however, because my ancestor saw things which were wrong in the world and he put them right."
Joe's family history goes back hundreds of years to the village of Wilberfoss, near Pocklington, from where all the Wilberforce clan are descended.
And the legacy is continuing into the future – because Joe's daughter has just given birth to his first grandchild!