Housing News

The council is currently in the second phase of consulting residents regarding a proposed development at Eastmead Avenue, Ashford, and would love to hear your views about the plans. The site is being earmarked to transform derelict land, that can be blighted by fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour, into 28 new affordable homes as well as plans for a public green space and community project, amongst other ideas. These homes are planned to have strong green credentials such as solar panels, green roofs and water harvesting systems.

If you would like to look at the plans and comment about the proposals go online to the consultation page on the following link Coneybeare Site Development Project | Have Your Say Ashford. You can also provide your views at a public consultation event being held on 9 May at Christ Church Community Hall, Ashford, TN23 7XB. More details about the event can be seen on the consultation page.

There is a chance to take place in a survey looking into the stigma that can sometimes be attached to those living in social housing. It is being conducted by the Stop Social Housing Stigma (SSHS) Campaign, the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), TPAS, Amanze Ejiogu (Sheffield Hallam University) and Mercy Denedo (Durham University Business School). All responses are anonymous and will help them to develop a self-assessment toolkit for landlords, like us, to address this stigma with tenants, contractors and other partners. It is so important that people's preconceptions of those living in social housing are challenged and that their interactions with services aren't biased. If you would like to take part in the survey please use the following link Social Housing Stigma Survey - Stop Social Housing Stigma.

If you are thinking of tackling a spring clean and accumulate any excess waste or rubbish, please make sure it is disposed of in the right way. You can contact a licensed waste carrier to collect items but you must make sure that they have a valid waste carrier’s licence. Without one, waste could be disposed of illegally and you could be liable for a fine for using them. Please visit waste carriers, brokers and dealers to check waste carrier licences.

You can also book a bulky waste collection by the council. The fees for collection are £39 for up to four items. Or for white goods, such as washing machines, fridges, freezers, etc. (but not large American style) the fee is £26 for each item. For a list of what can and can’t be collected, and to book a collection please see the information on how to book a large item collection and which items can be collected.

Alternatively, you can take certain items yourself to the Ashford Household Waste Recycling Centre, located at Cobbs Wood Industrial Estate, Brunswick Road, Ashford, TN23 1EL. You can check which items can be taken there and book a slot using Ashford Household Waste Recycling Centre.

The Housing Ombudsman is inviting tenants across England to apply to join their Resident Panel and contribute to the work that they do in improving residents’ lives through landlords’ services. As a panel member, you will be able to share experiences and suggest improvements through virtual discussions and regular meetings with the Ombudsman. This is a great opportunity for you to be part of their vision to embed a positive complaint handling culture across the Housing sector and make sure residents’ views are heard.

For more information and to apply please visit Join the Housing Ombudsman Resident Panel | Housing Ombudsman (housing-ombudsman.org.uk). Applications will close on 30 April 2024.

The Housing Ombudsman’s website also has a wealth of information and advice for tenants about all things housing. To read more visit www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk

Don’t forget that from 25 March all domestic waste and recycling services for the borough will be carried out by a new contractor called SUEZ. Information regarding the new service and any changes to your collection, if any, will be sent to you in the post. More information is available by downloading the new waste and recycling service guide [pdf] 11901KB.

Surveys to look at the condition of our housing stock will take place across 2024. Regular assessments of homes allow us to prioritise maintenance and improvement projects based on the urgency or severity of issues. Appointments will be made with tenants, and surveys should take around an hour to carry out. We encourage all appointments to be kept, as assessing homes is vital for us to maintain and improve living standards, ensure safety, and promote better well-being for residents. We want to ensure that our homes meet the Decent Homes Standard set by the Regulator of Social Housing. For more information about the upcoming surveys please visit our housing homes survey webpage with frequently asked questions.

People living in homes which don’t have gas heating systems still have time to take advantage of a grant scheme which provides energy efficiency and clean heating upgrades to low-income households. Home Upgrade Grant Phase 2 (HUG2) funds energy-saving upgrades for residents who don’t heat their homes by mains gas. Dozens of Ashford residents have already responded, checking on their eligibility to apply and starting the application process. HUG2 funding is open to private tenants, landlords and home-owners. You can find out more at our Home Upgrade Grant webpage

Our most recent copy of our tenant and leaseholder newsletter is now available. Copies will have been received via post and email. It can also be viewed and downloaded on our Housing Matters dedicated webpage.

Noakes Meadow has funding from Section 106 (Local Development) and Housing to improve the open space. The money can only be spent on improving the area there and replacing/renovating the play area. We asked you what kinds of play equipment and changes you would like to see. Thank you to all those who participated in the survey which closed on the 9 February. It was great to see the community so excited about something positive being done to the area and plans are being put into place based on feedback. The new space is due to be unveiled later this year. We can't wait to see the improvements to Noakes Meadow.

The Tenant Engagement team as well as other housing officers regularly take part in Eat Well, Spend Less Roadshows that are held across the borough. It is a chance for us to meet tenants and residents and help signpost them for our services. The event also has a variety of other participants involved in healthcare, wellbeing and community support, as well as a foodbank and hygiene products.

The next confirmed event is on Wednesday 17 April 2024 - 10am-2pm - St Francis Church and Hall, Cryol Road, Ashford, TN23 5AS

Other dates for events and opportunities to meet us, can be found on our Tenant Engagement webpage. Come and say hi!

Ashford Borough Council Housing recognises that pet ownership can be very beneficial for the wellbeing of our tenants, improving mental health, reducing loneliness and can help maintain a healthy and active lifestyle. We now have a pet policy for all our tenants to allow pets in all our properties while ensuring the wellbeing of every animal and the surrounding community.

The council will liaise with the dog warden and animal welfare organisations to ensure the best possible advice, information and expertise are readily available to help tenants look after their pet.

Please visit our dedicated webpage to find out more www.ashford.gov.uk/pet-policy

We now have a three-year Tenant Engagement Strategy and action plan in place! The document sets out key priorities for how we want to collaborate with tenants and leaseholders to create a better housing service. It details our commitment to engaging with our tenants before we make decisions and ensuring that they are at the heart of all that we do.

It will be a very busy but important journey to bring our plans for engagement to life. More detail of what is coming up and how you can get involved can be found on our dedicated tenant engagement strategy page.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, applies to virtually all premises including communal areas in blocks of flats and other multi-occupied dwellings. Part of the legislation involves landlords taking reasonable steps to reduce the risk from fire and to ensure people can escape safely if a fire does occur.

As part of this process, we require items kept in communal areas to be removed so that they do not cause an obstruction for exiting the building in the event of a fire or potentially catch alight. The biggest risk of fire is the charging of lithium batteries for items such as electric bikes, mobility scooters and electric toys.

Neighbourhood Housing Officers will be working together with our safety team, the local fire and rescue service and tenants to ensure that these safety regulations are adhered to. Notice will be given to tenants for any items that require removal and any items not removed in a set timeframe, will be arranged for removal by the team. Please note that all tenancy agreements state that communal areas in flats must be kept clear.

Our annual tenant satisfaction survey for 2023/24 has closed. The results are currently being analysed, every single comment reviewed and action plans created for us to address areas where we need to do better. We must submit the results and plans to Cabinet in March and then will be able to share those with you shortly afterwards. All satisfaction figures are submitted to the Housing Regulator, so that they, as well as you, can hold us to account. Thank you again to all those who took part.

The project to improve energy efficiency in 727 of our properties is due to start physically being rolled out later this month. You might have seen a small site set up with a portacabin in the parking area behind Swan House on Bybrook Road, Kennington. This site will provide a base for the team from Baxter Kelly who we are working with to deliver the project in selected properties nearby. For further information about the project please visit our Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund webpage.

The government ran a consultation to seek views on its proposals for new requirements and obligations for social housing landlords regarding repair timescales and how they deal with repair works. Tenants were invited to complete an online survey by 5 March 2024 to share their thoughts on the plans.

In 2023, Awaab’s Law became part of the Social Housing (Regulation) Act. Awaab’s Law was founded on campaigning from the family of Awaab Ishak who died in Rochdale in December 2020, due to a severe respiratory condition from prolonged exposure to mould in his home. His tragic death has highlighted the need to eradicate hazards in social homes and to improve standards to ensure that tragedies like this do not occur again.

Following on from the news that our responsive repairs service was coming in-house from 1 December 2023, we ran a consultation to find out from tenants and leaseholders what they would like from the service. Questions were asked to assess demand for services provided by other social housing providers, not currently available to Ashford, as well as other potential service improvements.

Thank you to all those who took part. The results and actions from your feedback can be found on the following repairs webpage. We will be updating this page with our progress against the actions throughout the year.