36404-voice summer 2010 - moray · the main area of spend under our capital ... lhanbryde blackshaw...

FORRESELGIN

BUCKIE

KEITH

The Tenants’

Summer 2010

BUCKIE01542 837200Buckie Area Housing Office, 13 Cluny Square, Buckie, AB56 1AJ.E-mail: [email protected]

ELGIN01343 563429Elgin Area Housing Office,Council Office, High Street, Elgin,IV30 1BX.E-mail:[email protected]

FORRES01309 694000Forres Area Housing Office,Auchernack, High Street, Forres, IV36 1DX.E-mail: [email protected]

KEITH01542 885500Keith Area Housing Office, TheInstitute, Mid Street, Keith, AB55 5BJ.E-mail: [email protected]

emergency out of hours: 08457 56 56 56

Your local areahousing office

CONTENTS....

Work begins on new council houses 1

Speyside & Cairngorm national parks 2

Investing in your homes 3 - 4

Forum news 5 - 7

Gas safety in your home 8

Catch phrase quiz 9

Housing Performance & ServiceStandards 10 - 11

Interview with Mike Rollo 12

Summer security tips 13

Get set for switchover 14 - 15

Managing anti-social behaviour 16

Work has started on the first newCouncil houses to be built in Morayfor 20 years and tenants will bemoving into their brand-new Councilhomes before the end of the year.

Phase 1 of the Council’s new buildprogramme started on site inFebruary and involves theconstruction of 48 houses on a siteat Reiket Lane in Elgin. The newhouses, which are being built bylocal developer Springfield PropertiesLtd, should be ready for occupationby the end of 2010. The houseshave been designed to minimiserunning costs for tenants. Energy-efficiency features include high levelsof insulation and air source heatpumps. The housing is being built

with the assistance of a £1.2milliongrant from the Scottish Government.

With more than 2,500 people on theCouncil’s waiting list and over 900applications from homeless peoplelast year, the need for new affordablehousing in Moray is greater thanever.

It is hoped that the Council’s newbuild programme will not end atPhase 1. A further application hasbeen submitted to the ScottishGovernment for money to buildmore houses. If successful, theapplication will result in theconstruction of a further 124 Councilhouses at different locations inMoray.

Work begins on newCouncil houses

Dear Tenant,

Welcome to thesummer edition ofTenants’ Voice.

I am delighted to bringyou another edition of

Tenants’ Voice. When Ispoke to you at the end of

last year, we were dealingwith the traumatic aftermath of the

floods. I am glad to say that the Councilresponded quickly and effectively, findingtemporary accommodation for those affectedand repairing flood damaged homes as ahighest priority.

I am pleased to see that work has started onPhase 1 of the Council’s new build programme.Tenants will be moving into these properties atthe end of the year. I hope we have anothercause for celebration in July when we find outfrom the Scottish Government if our bid formoney to build more homes has beensuccessful.

There will be no Tenants’ Conference this year asthe event is now being held every two years. Butwe won’t be without a tenants event in 2010.The Forres Tenant Forum is holding an open dayin Forres in October. I’m sure this will be asinteresting and informative as the conference.

I welcome the Minister’s recent announcementof “pressured” area status for the Speyside andCairngorm National Park areas of Moray. Wehave an acute shortage of affordable housing inMoray and this measure will go some way tohelping protect our affordable stock.

It’s hard to imagine that not so very long ago wewere in the midst on one of the harshest wintersin living memory. Here’s hoping for a goodsummer. Make the most of it while you can!

Councillor Eric McGillivray

PAGE 2 the tenants’ voice

Pressured areastatus forSpeyside andthe CairngormsNational ParkThe Scottish Government granted 'pressuredarea status' for Council houses in Speysideand the Cairngorms National Park area ofMoray on 18 May 2010. Council houses inElgin, Lossiemouth and rural communitiesaround Forres were granted pressured areastatus in March 2006. This was followed inFebruary 2009 by pressured area status forCouncil houses in Forres. This helps us toprotect the amount of affordable rentedhousing in high demand areas, to make surethat there are enough houses for people whoneed them.

We wrote to all tenants in Aberlour,Archiestown, Craigellachie, Dufftown,Glenallachie, Glenlivet, Knockando,Marypark, Tomintoul, Tomnavoulin in May totell them about pressured area status.

If you live in one of these areas ANDyour tenancy began on or after 30September 2002, your right to buy istemporarily suspended for 5 years.You will not lose out on building up timetowards qualifying for right to buy anddiscount. This will continue during thetemporary suspension.

If you signed your tenancy before 30September 2002, your rights stay

the same and you stillhave the right to buy.

If you want more information,contact your local area housingoffice.

the tenants’ voice PAGE 3

During the current financial year, we will spend over£8m on the maintenance and modernisation of ourproperties, with several projects for 2010/11 aboutto commence on site and the majority of worksprogrammed for completion by the end of March2011.

Expenditure for this year will cover the main areas of:• Capital Works - Kitchens; Heating;

Replacement Doors; Adaptations • Planned Maintenance – Roof and Fabric

Repairs; Estates Upgrades; Garage Upgrades • Cyclical Maintenance – Gas and Solid Fuel

Servicing; Smoke Detectors; External Painterwork and Repairs

The majority of projects within the InvestmentProgramme are now being delivered through ourPartnership Agreement between Housing, BuildingServices Direct Labour Organisation (DLO) andProperty Services.

The main area of spend under our CapitalProgramme will again be our kitchen replacementprogramme. In financial year 2010/2011, around400 kitchens will be replaced, at a cost of over£1.9m. Also within the Capital Programme is ourbudget of around £0.6m for door and windowreplacements. This will allow us to complete ourcommon access door replacement programme,and begin a major programme of replacing olderstyle windows in our properties with new timber,

energy efficient and sustainable lifecycle windows. In order to further improve energy efficiency andreduce tenants’ fuel bills, we are also spendingaround £0.5m replacing older style heating systemswith more efficient ones. Some properties willreceive new gas heating systems where we haveaccess to mains gas supplies, and we are alsoinstalling an increasing number of energy efficient,renewable heating systems for tenants who live offthe main gas supply network.

We will also be carrying out a range of major worksunder our Roof and Fabric Repairs budgets,prioritising areas such as external insulation and re-rendering of properties, internal refurbishment, andreplacement of rainwater goods in order to meetthe Scottish Housing Quality Standard. This workwill total nearly £1m.

Our Cyclic Maintenance budget of just over £1m ismainly spent on servicing the Council’s 4,500 gas,coal and oil-fired heating installations, as well as aregular six-yearly programmes of pre-paintworkrepairs and external paintwork. The Council is alsoin the process of renewing a large number ofexisting smoke detectors through our normalservicing contracts.

More details of the current programme can befound on the Council’s website or by contactingyour Area Housing Office or the CapitalProgrammes Team.

Investing in your Homes

Moray Council Capital Programme 2010/11

Works Area Town Street No ofHousing PropertiesTeam

Kitchen Buckie Fochabers Milne Road 13Replacement Fochabers Whiteash Place 4

Elgin Elgin Christie Road 4Elgin East Road 3Elgin Ladyhill Wynd 6Elgin Mossend Place 3Elgin Murdoch's Wynd 11Elgin Nicol Street 5Elgin Ontario Court 4Elgin Pansport Place 10Elgin South College House 2Elgin South College Street 11Lhanbryde Blackshaw Court 8Lhanbryde Cranmoss Court 4Lhanbryde Harestone Court 5

the tenants’ voice

Kitchen Elgin Lhanbryde March Court 4Replacement Lhanbryde Park Road 13

Lossiemouth Coulardhill Terrace 11Lossiemouth Dunbar Street 8Lossiemouth Fairisle Place 27Lossiemouth Ogston Lane 2

Forres Alves Moray Avenue 3Burghead Forteath Street 18Duffus By Elgin Hopeman Road 3Forres Caroline Street 4Forres Cicely Place 4Forres Clovenside 1Forres Fleurs Place 9

Keith Keith Braeside 27Keith Cuthil Road 9Keith Duff Street 2Keith Fife Street 8Keith Mar Place 21Keith Nelson Terrace 31Keith South Street, Newmill 3Mulben, Keith Craighead 3Tomnavoulin Allt-Na-Coire 7

Heating Buckie Buckie Barhill Road 1Replacement Buckie Inward Road 11

Buckie Turner Street 1Cullen Sea Street 2Cullen New View Court 4Lintmill, Cullen Tochieneal Corner 3Portknockie Geddes Avenue 1

Elgin Elgin Beech Walk 2Elgin Rowan Court 3Elgin Duff Place 2Elgin Beechfield Rd 1Elgin Cockburn Place 1

Forres Burghead Davidson Place / Fraser Road / Keith Road 27Forres Strathcona Road / Brig Wynd (flats only) 13

Keith Drummuir Tocher Terrace 4Drummuir Bomakelloch 4Keith Banff Road 1Knockando County houses 2

Window Buckie Buckie Samson Avenue 15Replacement Buckie Shanks Lane 1

Buckie William Street 1Cullen Logie Avenue 15Cullen Logie Drive 1Cullen Seafield Place 1Cullen Victoria place 10Findochty Cliff Street 11Findochty Hall Street 2Findochty Reidhaven Crescent 4Portknockie Addison Street 6Portknockie Craigview Road 1

Elgin Lossiemouth Boyd Anderson Drive 16Lossiemouth Community Way 19Lossiemouth Coulardhill 27Lossiemouth Coulardhill Terrace 11

Forres Dallas Struan Grove 3Keith Keith Isla Road, Newmill 1

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Moray Tenants’ Core Group UpdateMoray Tenants’ Core Group continues to meet ona regular basis. Working alongside Officers fromthe Moray Council and Councillors, the groupendeavours to ensure that tenants are getting thebest service from our Housing Teams. Made up ofmembers from the Local Tenant Forums, the CoreGroup is central to Tenant Participation in Morayand has been very successful in bringing tenantsand officers together to discuss important housingissues.

In recent months the group has discussed itemssuch as rent setting, the revised TenantsHandbook, and the Tenant Participation Strategy.There have also been discussions on items to betaken forward to the Housing Sub-Committee. Andif all this wasn’t enough, members have discussedand answered consultations from the ScottishGovernment on a range of national housing policyissues, the most recent being on the eviction oftenants in the social rented sector.

The Tenants’ Core Group is also responsible fororganising the Tenants’ Conference. This event has

now been changed to a bi-ennial set up with alocal event being held in the years between themain events. This year we will be in Forres TownHall on Thursday 14 October 2010. We lookforward to meeting tenants there.

The Forum Website address iswww.moraytenantscoregroup.co.uk

Housing SurgeriesRothes:

Linnburn Resource Centre, High Street, Rothes

10:00-12:00 on Wednesdays, on a first-come-first-served basis.

However, the Area Housing Officer can seepeople outwith these times, by appointment.

Lhanbryde:Lhanbryde Community Centre,

Robertson Road, Lhanbryde11:00-13:00 on Wednesdays,

on a first-come-first-served basis.

Spey Coast Tenants’ ForumAt our last meeting on 8 April, we consideredwhich projects we would fund this year from ourenvironmental budget. From our walkabouts, wehave identified that Mosstodloch has the mostneed for our resources and we are currentlyobtaining costing for areas of fencing that are indesperate need of replacement.

The other project that we will be contributing to isthe upgrade of lighting in Seaview Place, Cullen.There are going to be a few more walkaboutshappening in the next few weeks and these shouldhelp us identify other uses for the environmentalbudget.

Also at present, we are looking for other suitablevenues to hold our monthly meetings, mainly dueto our current venue being closed during the

summer months. We would like to find somewherethat is more disability friendly in the hope that wecould encourage old and new members to comeand join us.

We are a small friendly group and our meetingsare lively and informative. At the moment, I’m theyoungest member at 47! But we would like toencourage people of all ages to come along toour meetings. We are FREE to join and no onewill be made to do anything. In fact, if you wouldjust like to come along and listen in to a meetingor two you would be made very welcome.

You can contact me:

Helen Milne, Chairperson, by calling meon 01542 834640 or by e-mail [email protected] visit the Forum website at:speycoasttenantsforum.co.uk

• F O R U M N E W S • F O R U M N E W S • F O R U M N E W S •

Bilbohall Estate Forum IncorporatingRothesIn the period since the last issue of the Tenants’ Voice, the Forum members continued to hold regularmonthly meetings. However, the bad weather conditions meant that the members from Rothes were notalways able to attend. Items discussed at these meetings have included the annual environmentalbudgets. Bilbohall members have decided to allocate a portion of their budget to the provision of newgrit bins for the Bilbohall area. At the time of writing this article, other projects for Bilbohall and forRothes have yet to be identified.

There has been discussion on the Flood Alleviation Scheme, which is currently underway in Rothes, andthe impact that this is having on the town. Specific issues such as traffic movement and parking havebeen highlighted. Discussions regarding Bilbohall have included the increase in dog fouling in the areaand the need for a proper pedestrian crossing on Glen Moray Drive as this main road is traversed by alarge number of school children on a daily basis.

At a recently held EGM, the Forum agreed extensive changes to the Constitution. The other tenantforums agreed similar changes to their Constitutions.

And finally, there has been a change to the office of Treasurer with Mr Michael Pirie taking over the postfrom Mrs Elizabeth Miller, who has stood down in order to recover from illness. The Forum members wish

her a quick recovery and thank her for all her hard work during her time asTreasurer.

Further information can be obtained by contacting:

Steven Christie, Chairperson on 01343 540524 or email at [email protected] visit the website at:

www.bilbohalltenantsforum.co.uk


Lossiemouth Tenants’Forum

The Forum last met inApril to discuss our

environmental grant forthis year. It was decided,

after consultation with theHousing Officer, to spend some

of the grant on the painting ofgarage doors. Two other projects

were proposed and these havebeen put foreword for approvaland costing. Work is ongoing in

the Coulardbank Estate from lastyear’s grant.

At present we have only three members on theForum but Lossiemouth is represented on each ofthe following: Housing Sub Committee, HousingBest Value Group, Tenant Participation WorkingGroup and the Moray Tenants’ Core Group,where our representative is Vice Chairman. Ournext meeting will be held in the Seaview Suite inthe Town Hall on the second Tuesday in August at7pm. All tenants are invited to attend our meetingsand perhaps join us. Please use the contact belowto confirm that the meeting is taking place.

For information, contact

Bob Taylor on 07968958657Or visit the website at: www: lossiemouthtenantsforum.co.uk

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Forres Area Tenants'ForumForres Area Tenants' Forum continues to meet atForres House Community Centre on the secondFriday of each month.

The members of the Forum would greatly welcomereturning tenants and newcomers to our meetings.Tenants who have never attended ourinformal gatherings may well be surprised both bywhat they can learn, and what they can give. Wewould welcome suggestions for appropriateallocation of Forum cash for housing andenvironmental issues, or towards projects tobenefit/enhance the area for as many Counciltenants as possible.

Forres Area Tenants' Forum covers a widecatchment area and the forum would be willingand prepared to have meetings in your area, be itAlves, Burghead, Dyke, Findhorn, Hopeman,

Kinloss, or wherever any group of Moray Council Tenants are. Forum Budget money should be usedwhere you, as tenants, consider it could be bestused for the benefit of many.

Previously allocated money has been used forupgrading communal areas of a supportedhousing development, contributing to thedevelopment of a Children’s Play area, fencerenewal, roof moss cleaning, car parkingimprovements, and signage upgrading.

Keep in mind that all Forum members are tenants,as you are. We get together voluntarily, our aim towork together for the betterment of all tenants. Weneed YOU to continue, so please consider theinvitation.

For more information, please contact:Heather (Secretary) on 01309 671154Or visit the website at:www.forrestenantsforum.co.uk

FORRES AREA TENANTS’ FORUM WILL BE HAVING ANINFORMATION MORNING ON:

Thursday 14 October 2010FORRES LESSER TOWN HALL, 10am – 1pm

The aim of the day is to give tenants information on tenant participation and on matters that they may find useful in running their homes

TENANTS’ FORUMMORAY COUNCIL BUILDING SERVICES DLORECYCLINGCOMMUNITY WARDEN – ADOPT A STREETPOLICE - HOME SAFETYC-FINE FOODSSCARF (Energy Advice)MESSAGE IN A BOTTLESPRINGFIELD – COUNCIL NEW BUILD IN MORAY

This will be an informative and interesting event with something for everyone

All tenants and prospective tenants are welcome

Stands will include:


We are committed to keeping our tenants safe intheir homes – so help us by letting us carry outregular servicing and safety checks on gasappliances and other safety features withinyour home.

The Moray Council has a duty under the GasSafety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 to

ensure that all gas installations in its houses are safeto use, and serviced on an annual basis.

The Council’s Direct Labour Organisation (DLO)carries out this servicing work, as well as providing arepairs service for gas heating problems.

The DLO arranges access for servicing on a pre-programmed basis spread throughout the year.Details of your appointments are sent out on aspecially designed card 14 days before access isrequired, giving you an opportunity to rearrange thevisit if the date or time is unsuitable.

It is important that tenants contact the DLO throughthe dedicated Gas Servicing/Repairs line on 01343829111 to make alternative arrangements foraccess if the first appointment offered is unsuitable,or you are not at home when the engineer calls. The Council has an agreed policy that limits the

number of visits made to properties before legalaction is taken to gain entry. In cases where twoarranged appointments are missed, legal action istaken to gain access, and this may involve forcingentry to the house to carry out the service and thetenant being recharged.

In the event of any serious fault occurring in the gasheating system in your home, your safety - and thatof your neighbours - could be affected.The Council has also fitted CO2 detectors in all itsproperties that have either gas or solid fuel heating.These are checked as part of the annual service.

Smoke detectors are fitted in all our properties. Weservice these every two years.

Although the Council is not required by law to fitsmoke detectors in existing properties, or servicethese on a specific basis, we consider the safety ofour tenants a high priority.

When you are contacted to arrange a visit for thesmoke detector servicing contract, we wouldencourage you to allow us to carry out the servicewhen planned, and ensure that these importantsafety devices are operating correctly to safeguardyou, your family and your home.

In a new regular feature in Tenants’ Voice, we will bepresenting archive material relating to thedevelopment of Council housing in Moray. This firstillustration shows architectural plans for Councilhousebuilding in Forres in the 1920’s.

In the aftermath of the First World War, theGovernment, under the Housing Act of 1919,encouraged Councils to build houses throughgenerous subsidies. The 1919 Act followed acampaign by social reformers to tackle problems ofpoor housing and public health in Britain,particularly in working class urban areas. Thecampaign became known as Homes fit for Heroesin recognition that the poor physical condition andhealth of many recruits to the army was directlyattributable to slum housing and overcrowding. Inresponding to this campaign, the Government wasmindful that the housing problem could exacerbatethe widespread social and industrial unrest thatcharacterised the post-war period.

The houses shown in the drawing were built at CastleStreet in Forres and illustrate the generous spacestandards and amenities that were typical of much ofthe cottage-style Council housing built under the1919 Act.

Gas Safety in the Home

Council housing through the ages


Image courtesy of Wittets Architects andMoray Local Heritage Centre.

Catch-phrase QuizWhat or who first made these catch-phrases famous?

1. I'll be back ... ..............................................................................

2. Lovely Jubbly! (or Luvvly Jubbly!)..............................................................................

3. Correctomundo..............................................................................

4. Famous for fifteen minutes...............................................................................

5. And now for something completely different .................................................................................

6. Whassup? (or Wazzup?)..............................................................................

7. Does my bum look big in this?..............................................................................

8. Big Brother (is watching you)..............................................................................

9. And so to bed...............................................................................

10. I love it when a plan comes together..............................................................................

11. Evening all. (or Evenin' all)..............................................................................

12. Show me the money!..............................................................................

13. You bet your sweet bippy...............................................................................

14. Be all that you can be...............................................................................

15. Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better...............................................................................

16. You're going to like this - not a lot ... (but you'll like it)..............................................................................

17. The world is your lobster...............................................................................

18. (It's) Naughty ... but nice...............................................................................

19. To infinity, and beyond .................................................................................

20. He can run, but he can't hide. (also adapted to Youcan run, but you can't hide/They can run, but theycan't hide)..............................................................................

the tenants’ voice PAGE 9Win > Win > Win

Tenants’ Voice Quiz EntryFormName: .....................................................................

Address: ...................................................................

................................................................................

Telephone Number: ...................................................

Email Address ...........................................................

Please return entry forms to: The Tenants’ Voice Quiz,Housing Planning & Development, The Moray CouncilHeadquarters, Elgin IV31 1BX or drop it into your localarea housing office. Entries received after 1 September2010 will not be entered into the prize draw. The winnerwill received a £50 shopping voucher.

Councillors Eric McGillivray and LeeBell present the prize to the winnerof the summer edition quiz to MrsLily Hendry of Forres.

Win £50

Housing Performance andService Standards

Rent ArrearsWe set a target level of rentarrears to be achieved each year.We report our performanceagainst this target.

Our rent arrears figure for 2009/10was 3.18%. Although we didn’tquite meet our target, we consistentlyperform well against the Scottishaverage.

During the financial year, we evictedfive tenants due to rent arrears.

Empty PropertyManagement

We aim to turn around emptyproperties as quickly aspossible to minimise rent lossand maximise the amount ofmoney available to pay formaintenance andimprovements to otherproperties.

In 2008/9, we were amongst the topperforming authorities. In 2009/10,0.49% of net rental income was lost through empty properties,an improvement on the previous year. However we narrowlymissed out on achieving our target of 0.45%.

Repairs

We set and publish targetseach year for carrying outrepairs within timescales.

In 2008/9 we were the topperforming authority in Scotland forcompleting all response repairs withintheir target times. In 2009/10, wemaintained our strong performance,completing 98.2% of repairs withintheir target times.


Anti SocialBehaviour

We monitor the extent to whichintervention in neighbourdisputes and complaints resultsin improvement.

In 2009/10, our intervention resultedin an improvement in 83.7% ofneighbour dispute cases. We havenow introduced a feedback survey toidentify areas where you think we canmake further improvements to ourservice.

Gas Safety

We have valid safetycertificates for 100% ofproperties with gasinstallations.

We are continuing to perform well inensuring properties with gas areserviced annually. In 2009/10,99.9% of our properties with gas helda valid safety certificate.

HandlingComplaints

We aim to respond tocomplaints within target.

In 2009/10, we maintained our goodperformance on handling complaints.

We acknowledged over 94% ofcomplaints within target, a slightimprovement from 2008/09, andresponded to over 92% within target.


1. As the General Manager of Building Services, what is your role within Moray Council?

My role is to ensure that Council properties are repaired andmaintained in accordance with the Housing InvestmentStrategy and Housing Service Delivery Plan. My main role is tomanage 120 staff in Building Services DLO who provideresponse repairs and planned and cyclical maintenance totenants’ homes throughout Moray.

2. How long have you been involved in Housing Services?

I have been in local government with Moray Council in mycurrent role for five and a half years. I also have over 20 yearsexperience in the construction industry, previously all in theprivate sector.

3. Prior to joining the Moray Council, which other jobs have you held?

My previous job was as a Construction Manager with amedium-sized national building & civil engineering contractor.Previous roles have all been in the construction industry bothlocally and abroad, progressing from Assistant Estimator toQuantity Surveyor and then Contracts Manager. I am aChartered Builder and also have an HND in QuantitySurveying.

4. Compared to when you first started, has your role within the Council changed? And if so how?

My role has so far remained similar in my relatively short timewith the Council. Local Government is a completely differentproposition to the Private Sector, with policy and proceduresmuch more onerous and accountability to the public purse verymuch in the public profile.

There are a lot of good points, but in comparison to theprivate sector, the level of autonomy and flexibility is muchmore restricted.

5. Is there anything that you would like to change about your job?

I would like to get away from the desk more often and spendmore time on site as I did in previous jobs. The nature of myjob and level of management and responsibility make thisdifficult though.

6. What are your views on Tenant Participation?

Having grown up locally in a Council house, I feel that tenantsnow get much more say and choice in how services aredelivered. I think this is excellent and would encourage moretenants to participate in their local tenants’ forum, which helpsus deliver a service tailored to suit their needs.

7. You have worked alongside Tenant Representatives on various groups and committees, but how would you encourage other tenants to get involved in Tenant Participation?

I think customer feedback is important. Participation in tenantsurveys, feedback on repairs, etc. helps us improve the service

we provide, as well as gauge how well we are performing. Iwould actively encourage tenants to feedback their views,which can now be done in a number of ways withoutnecessarily leaving the comfort of your home.

8. Moray Council is soon to embark on a programme to Design Better Services (DBS). Howdo you think this will benefit service users (tenants)?

I have been actively involved in the DBS programme over thepast year or so. Service users as well as Council staff will seesignificant changes over the next few years that, in my opinion,will create a modern forward thinking organisation. Keybenefits to tenants include improved access to services throughmodern customer access points and information technologyand a more efficient works scheduling system that will providean improved and customer focussed repairs service.

9. If you could have any job you wanted which would you chose and why?

Apart from my dream jobs of managing Rangers F C or beinga Professional Golfer, I actually enjoy being involved inBuilding & Maintenance. I am a ‘local loon’ and really enjoyproviding a service to the Tenants of Moray. The constructionindustry has taken me to many places even as far afield as theFalkland Islands, but working locally is the best by far and hasmany advantages that include a reduced golf handicap!

10. Outside work what are your interests? And what do you do to relax?

I have a family of 4 and spend a lot of time with my wife andfamily. My main hobby is golf and I play regularly at Elgin GolfClub, where I am also a Committee Member. For relaxation, Iwatch football and occasionallyspend some time at the19th hole.

11. And finally, wehave to ask,would you quityour job if you wonthe Lottery?

Having alreadywon it, a tennerthat is, I have nointention to quituntil such time as Imake at least a£1million.


Interview: Mike Rollo, The Moray Council,General Manager, Building Services

Securing your home needn’t be expensive, or turn itinto an unattractive fortress. There are lots ofsimple things you can do to deter both theopportunist and the determined thief.

Accessible windows and external doors at the rearof houses that are out of sight of neighbours or thegeneral public are especially vulnerable. Groundfloor windows and windows accessible frombalconies, walkways and adjacent roofs are clearlymore at risk than upper level windows that are outof normal reach.

Remember, someone attempting to break into ahouse endeavours to do so quickly and with theminimum of noise.

Keep your doors and windows locked at all times,even when you are in the house. This will preventan opportunist thief from sneaking into your home.Houses that appear empty are more at risk thanhouses that appear to be occupied. If you areleaving your home unattended for any length oftime, use timer switches to switch on internal lightsautomatically, to make it look as if there is someoneat home. Remember to cancel all deliveries, and, ifpossible, have a trusted neighbour collect mail dailyto prevent it piling up behind the door.

As additional security measures, you may wish to fitintruder alarms or exterior lighting which activateswhen movement is detected. Prior to fitting thesefeatures you should contact your Area HousingOffice to ask if they are ok.

Sheds should be fitted with a good quality hasp andlock and non-returnable screws or coach bolts tothe hinges.

Or why not consider joining or setting up aNeighbourhood Watch scheme? This is apartnership where people and organisations,including the police, come together to make theircommunities safer. It aims to help people protectthemselves and their properties and to reduce thefear of crime by means of improved home security,greater vigilance, accurate reporting of suspiciousincidents to the police and by fostering a communityspirit.

Remember, you must NEVER challenge someonebehaving suspiciously or put yourself at risk. If yousee something that concerns you, contact:

Grampian Police on

0845 600 5 700or,

in an emergency, dial 999

Alternatively, the registered charity Crimestopperscan be contacted on 0800 555 111.

Crimestoppers are independent of the police andgovernment. Callers don't have to give their nameor any personal information and calls cannot betraced.

If you require help or information regardinganything mentioned in this article, contact yourlocal Crime Reduction Officer, PC RayWalker, on 01224 307110 or call in atElgin Police Station.

Summer Security Tipsthe tenants’ voice PAGE 13

the tenants’ voice

Get set for switchover

What is switchover?

Digital TV switchover is the biggest change intelevision since the introduction of colour. Analoguesignals are about to be switched off and replacedwith new digital services. This will make Freeviewavailable to almost every home in Morayshire.

Digital UK is the independent organisation set up bythe broadcasters to lead the switchover. It providesan advice line and website to help with generalquestions about getting digital TV and preparing forthe switchover.

Switchover will happen in two stages. If youcurrently receive your TV signal through an aerial,in either analogue or digital format (e.g. Freeview,Top Up TV, BT Vision), then you’ll need to make anote of the information below. Televisionsconnected to a satellite service are not affected.

Stage one – 8 September 2010: In the earlyhours, analogue BBC Two will be switched off andreplaced with a new digital signal. Local ‘relay’ TVtransmitters will also start to broadcast the BBC’sother digital channels for the first time.

Readers switching to digital for the first time viaFreeview, Top Up TV or BT Vision will now be ableto set up their equipment. Homes already watchingthese services should retune their digital boxes orIDTVs.

Stage two – 22September 2010: Allremaining analoguechannels will be switchedoff and replaced withadditional digital services.Everyone watchingFreeview, Top Up TV or BTVision will need to retunetheir equipment again toreceive all availablechannels.

On both dates, thesechanges will happen

overnight. For most viewers, services will be restoredby the morning. Households receiving their TVsignal from local relay transmitters will receive newdigital services later in the day and should tune infor the first time or retune from this point.

To watch a short video showing you how to retune,and for specific re-tuning instructions for the mostpopular Freeview products, visitdigitaluk.co.uk/retuning.

Getting digital TV

If you only receive five or fewer analogue channelsthrough an aerial on any of your sets, you’ll need tothink about converting them for switchover –otherwise you risk being faced with a blank screenonce analogue signals are switched off.

There are three main ways to go digital:• Convert your existing analogue TV using a

digital box (e.g. Freeview, Top Up TV or BT Vision).

• Have a digital TV service, such as satellite or broadband TV, installed for you. Providers include Sky, freesat and Tiscali TV.

• Buy a new TV with digital (Freeview or freesat) built in.

Virtually any TV set, including black and white onesand those without Scart sockets, can be convertedusing a digital box.


Common questions

What about my video recorder? Afterswitchover, video and analogue DVD recorders willstill play back and record, but you won’t be able torecord one channel while you watch another. If youwant to continue doing this after switchover, thesimplest way is to get a digital TV recorder. Thesealso allow you to watch one channel whilerecording another, record a whole series at thetouch of a button, and pause and rewind live TV.

Will I need a new aerial to receiveFreeview? Most rooftop aerials will be fine afterswitchover but a small proportion of aerials arelikely to need replacing to receive Freeview. DigitalUK recommends that you wait until after switchoverto see if your aerial needs replacing in order toavoid having unnecessary work carried out. You cancheck whether your existing aerial is likely to besuitable for receiving digital by visiting the aerial testpage on teletext page 284.

Where can I find a good aerial installer?Look for a Registered Digital Installer (RDI) with the‘digital tick’ logo. Go to rdi-lb.tv/installers.html orcall Digital UK on 0845 650 50 50 for moreinformation. If you can’t find an RDI locally, look forsomeone with Associate RDI or CAI Plus status – orask your local electrical retailer.

Where can I get face-to-face advice onswitchover? Digital UK has been working closelywith charities to organise local advice points duringswitchover. These will be staffed by trainedvolunteers and are open to everyone. There are alsoDigital UK roadshows in the region. To find outwhere your local advice point or roadshow will be,visit digitaluk.co.uk/stvnorthevents or call 08456 5050 50.

What channels will I get? Which channels youreceive will depend on which transmitter you receiveyour signal from. Viewers served by a local ‘relay’transmitter will receive around 15 Freeview channelsfor the first time. These will include BBC One, BBCTwo, STV, Channel 4 and Five, plus all the otherchannels from the BBC (those funded by the licencefee) and some other services from the public-servicebroadcasters.

Viewers served by a larger ‘main’ transmitter willreceive these channels as well as some extraservices from commercial broadcasters. These extrachannels are also available via satellite. You cancheck which Freeview channels are available in yourarea by using the postcode checker atdigitaluk.co.uk, or by calling 08456 50 50 50. Thisalso gives you information about satellite options inyour area.

Digital Switchover: Key Questions forMoray Council TenantsWhat happens if we have our own TVaerial?The Council does not normally provide TV aerialsfor individual properties. In some cases, however,some flatted dwellings or those in areas of poorsignal strength have previously been provided withcommunal TV aerials. If you have your ownindividual aerial at present, then it will be up to youto upgrade the existing aerial to receive digital TV.

What will happen if we have an existingcommunal TV aerial system?The Council has carried out a survey of all its knowncommunal TV aerial installations. During this year,the Council will carry out a programme of phasedworks based on the outcome of this survey.

Where old inoperative systems have been found,these will be removed where tenants have clearlymade their own arrangements to receive TV signalseither through a satellite dish or their own individualaerial.

Some installations in locations such as our shelteredhousing schemes or some larger flatted blocks havealready been upgraded, and are ready to receivedigital broadcasts.

In locations where it has been impossible to becompletely accurate on the number of people stillconnected to some of the systems or indeed theextent of the system, a phased shutdown of somesystems will be implemented. If this results in a lossof signals to properties, the Council will eitherarrange to upgrade whole or part systems or providea cash contribution to tenants in order that they canuse this as part payment towards making their ownarrangements to receive digital signals. The Councilwill keep tenants affected by this situation fullyinformed of its plans as they progress.

Managing Anti-Social BehaviourAsking you what you think of our services is the first step to making them better. We recently introducedchanges to the way we monitor your satisfaction with the way we manage anti-social behaviour complaints.In managing such disputes, the Council employs a range of tools to help resolve matters. In more complexcases this can involve working with other agencies, such as the Police and the Community MediationService, to enable outcomes to be reached and the dispute resolved.

Earlier this year, we started sending out questionnaires to tenants, asking for feedback on the effectivenessand overall satisfaction levels on the service we offer in managing complaints of Anti-social Behaviour. Theviews we gather from these questionnaires will be used to improve how we manage anti-social behaviourand neighbour disputes. Therefore, if you have recently had cause to contact us about a neighbour disputeand received a service from us, it is vital that you take the time to complete and return the questionnaire.We will review the feedback and take action to improve the service we offer you in managing thesecomplaints.

For further information, please contact your local Area Housing Officer.

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● We carried out over 20,000 repairs to our properties – an average of 3.5 repairs per house

● We re-let 298 houses

● We serviced 4,135 gas appliances in our properties

● We processed 2,567 new applications for housing

● We received 901 applications from homeless households

● We sold 38 homes through Right to Buy (68 in the previous year)

● Our Housing Stock at 31 March 2010 was 5,809

● We evicted 5 tenants for rent arrears

FastFactsIs someone you knowCOMMITTING BENEFIT

FRAUD?The Government estimates that Welfare Benefit Fraudcosts each and every family in the United Kingdom £104per year. The Moray Council is committed to protectingpublic funds and tackling benefit fraud and has adedicated anti-fraud team who investigate allegations ofsuspected Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit fraud.

Typical examples of benefit fraud include:• People who work but do not declare this when they

claim benefit• People who claim they are single but actually live with

a partner• People who claim from an address but do not live

there• People who do not tell us their full income, savings or

capital

DO NOT LET FRAUDSTERSTAKE MONEY DIRECTLY OUT

OF YOUR POCKET.If you suspect someone is claiming Housing

Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit to which theyare not entitled PLEASE TELL US ABOUT IT.

You can call us on 01343 563611, e-mail [email protected]

or write to The Benefit Fraud Team, Moray Council,

Revenues Section, High Street, Elgin, IV30 1BX

Any information you give will betreated in the strictest confidence.

Did you know that in

2009/10?

36404-voice summer 2010 - moray · the main area of spend under our capital ... lhanbryde blackshaw...

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