Joining together

Housing Service and Skills 4 Communities members of staff witness Angela Dearing and Andre Ntenda sign the partnership agreement papers at Kenworthy House

Hull City Council has teamed up with Skills 4 Communities (S4C) to improve opportunities for tenants.
It is hoped the new partnership will enable tenants from ethnic backgrounds to access advice and training.
"This is an innovative and valuable agreement between our two organisations," says Angela Dearing, the council's interim head of housing.
"Hopefully, it will help build closer working relationships, provide new opportunities for tenants from different cultures to work with us and help us to diversify our services to meet their needs."
S4C offers support for local businesses, helps people find jobs and engages tenants from different cultural groups.
"Our aim is to build people's confidence," says S4C co-ordinator, Andre Ntenda.
"We provide a variety of training opportunities, work drives and advice as well as guidance about housing and employment matters."
For more information about S4C call 214675, email info@skills4communities.co.uk or visit www.skills4communities.co.uk

tenant news in brief

Tenants' Forum The next Tenants' Forum is at the Guildhall, Thursday 15 October, 10am - 1pm. Gateway, Chevin Housing and Housing Service strategy and appraisal team representatives will be attending. For more details ring 300300 and ask to speak to the tenant participation team. New members are always welcome. Norwich comes to Hull Norwich council officers visited Hull to learn more about connecting with their tenants and improving participation. "Although we have made progress since our Audit Commission inspection in January, we still have a long way to go and are keen to pick up best practice ideas from Hull's team," says Sandra Franklin Norwich's Customer Service and Liaison Officer. Sandra and her colleague, senior project officer, Sarah Loades, met with Hull's tenant representatives Betty Peck and Bert Dockerty, tenant participation team members, area housing board manager Richard Pawson, and attended a Repairs Service Improvement Group meeting. Christmas is coming! The council charges rent over 50 weeks of the year and tenants keeping a clear rent account have two weeks when they pay no rent. This year, the no rent payment weeks are 21 and 28 December. Tenants with rent arrears should however, continue making rent payments for those two weeks to help reduce their debt. If you are having difficulty paying your rent and you need to make a payment arrangement, call 300300 or visit your nearest customer service centre or information point for help and advice. Training course news Calling all tenants – if you are interested in attending either the Cultural Communications course (29 October) or Gendershift training (10 November) ring 300300 and ask to speak to the tenant participation team. Tenant News New Bilton Grange Residents' Association (NBGRA) The time of the next NBGRA meeting (6 October) at St.Philip's Church, Amethyst Road and all their monthly meetings up to April 2010 has changed. It is now 2pm. Arcon Drive and Lindsey Place Residents' Association The Association's next bi-monthly meeting is at White Lees Court, Arcon Drive, 2pm, Friday 30 November. Everyone welcome.

Did you know

You can invite the Tenants' Information Roadshow team to any of your association meetings or community events, to explain the different ways you, your members, your neighbours and your community can become involved and the benefits of being involved in tenant participation. For more information ring 300300 and ask to speak to the tenant participation team.

Local voices help shape national housing standards

Tenant Services Authority (TSA) senior representatives met with local tenants to discuss the new social landlord standards.

Tenants discuss the TSA's draft national social housing standards in the Guildhall

Sixty invited tenant delegates from Hull, the East Riding and York met with TSA executive director of tenant services, Phil Morgan, at the Guildhall in July, to discuss two of the 17 proposed new standards:

• Antisocial behaviour and security
• Repairs and maintenance.

The TSA selected Hull from among the many other social housing providers. The workshop built upon the city's tenant participation good practice that features in the TSA promotional DVD.
"The TSA was delighted to have the opportunity to return to Hull as part of the National Conversation," says TSA standards advisor, Lesley Barnard. "We really appreciate the number of tenants who came along and the support of the city council in hosting the event. It is important to us that tenants locally have opportunities like this to share their views and influence the new housing standards."
Since becoming operational in December 2008, the TSA have been developing the national standards that will regulate all social housing landlords, once its powers come into force in April 2010.
The National Conversation asks all social tenants and landlords to contribute their ideas and to tell the TSA what matters most to them so they can understand what to include in the standards.
"We are delighted that the TSA has come to Hull to speak to our tenants," says Tenants' Forum chair, Betty Peck.
"The Tenants' Forum and all the Area Housing Boards have worked to improve services for tenants of this city and now, by telling the TSA what is important in a good landlord, we can play our part in shaping standards for social tenants nationally."
Already more than 27,000 social housing tenants across the country have taken part in the National Conversation, the largest nationwide consultation exercise of its type. In the autumn, there will be a more formal paper on its plans before it puts the new standards in place.

For more information visit www.tenantservicesauthority.org

New lease of life Wingfield Road housing office has found a new lease of life as a community outreach centre for Archbishop Sentamu School pupils, thanks to the Park Area Housing Board. Falling visitor numbers led to the closure of the office and services were moved into offices on Elmbridge Parade, now an information point. "We made the decision after consulting with local residents," says chair of Park Area Housing Board (AHB), John Dennett. For more information about area housing boards visit www.hullcc.gov.uk

You told us That people are missing the meeting dates published in the tenant news pages because sometimes they don't receive the magazine until after the meeting has happened..

We did Meeting dates will now be published one month in advance.

STAR TARA Roundtables Recently we surveyed many of Hull's Tenant and Resident Associations (TARAs) to ask whether they felt there was a need for regular cross-TARA meetings. The meetings offer TARA chairs and other committee members the opportunity to meet and share ideas, problems and experiences. After receiving a positive response to the idea, the first TARA Chairs Roundtable is organised for Saturday 10 October 2009, 2pm at the Octagon on Walker Street. "We hope that people will find the Roundtables useful," says James Russell, STAR Service Coordinator. "The first meeting will be fairly informal and will have a buffet. We will discuss in more detail what people want from future Roundtables and talk about practical matters such as when and where the Roundtables should be held." Those wishing to attend the Roundtable must book a place in advance. To book, or to find out more, contact STAR on 485918 or email star@goodwin-centre.org.