Inside...5. Face lift for Cheshir Hall

6. It’s time to spring into action

7. Little fingers going green

8. Barnet Homes “how may we help you”?

Points make prizes

athomeThe magazine exclusively for BarnetHomes’ tenants and leaseholdersEdition 2: June 2004

A £72,000 scheme to tackle anti-social behaviour onthe Whitefields Estate is to offer young people pointsfor prizes in return for good behaviour.

The innovative project encourages young people to participate inkeeping their environment clean through long and short term projects.These are aimed at making a positive difference to communal spacesand the community.

The children will take part in indoor wall climbing, canoeing, dance anddrama productions as part of a summer programme aimed at findingother outlets for their energy. They will also be encouraged to take partin the weekly homework clubs.

Community or voluntary work involving clean up campaigns, removinggraffiti and gardening, will earn the youngsters points. These can beused to “buy in” to activities such as visits to theme parks, water sports or galleries.

continued overleaf....

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Funding for the project has come from a variety of sourcesincluding Barnet Homes, GenesisHousing Group which will run thescheme, the Community Chest,Local Network Funding andBuilding Safer Communities Unit.

The scheme was first used on the Hendon Way estate. BarnetHomes hopes it will achieve thesame results of a reduction in anti-social behaviour, bring youngpeople from different backgroundstogether, a reduction in the cost of

repairs and less fear of nuisanceand harassment. Following theHendon Way scheme the ActiveCitizens Youth Forum was set up by young people at the end of the summer to continue someof the projects.

Staff, who will be based in anoffice on the estate, will work with the youngsters in the early evenings during term time and during the day in the school holidays.

Sandra Charlemagne, of GenesisHousing Association said: “Theseestates are not necessarily high incrime but there was a significantincrease in the reporting of low levelanti-social behaviour, in particulargraffiti. Prevention of crime orredirection of young people awayfrom anti-social behaviour andcrime helps to create a goodenvironment for us all.”

Points make prizes continued from cover

“Prevention of crime or redirection of young peopleaway from anti-social behaviour and crime helps tocreate a good environment for us all.” Sandra Charlemagne

15-year-old Liam Hudson of Garden House, on the Grange Estate,was handed the anti-social behaviour order (asbo) by magistrates lastmonth. It bans him from behaving in a way likely to cause harassment,alarm or distress or threaten or attempt to cause criminal damage toproperty or premises in the borough of Barnet.

The order, which was obtained by working with the police, residents andBarnet Council, also forbids Hudson from associating with certainindividuals. If he breaks the order he could face up to five years in prison.

Deputy chief executive of Barnet Homes, Derek Rust, said: “We aredelighted to have secured this order because anti-social behaviourruins residents lives. Our tenants should expect to live in peace withtheir neighbours and this is a clear sign that we expect them to do soand will support them when others do not.”

Crackdown on anti-social behaviour“Our tenants shouldexpect to live in peacewith their neighbours andthis is a clear sign thatwe expect them to do soand will support themwhen others do not.” Derek Rust

Barnet Homes is cracking down on anti-socialbehaviour and has issued its first order aimed atstopping a teenager from terrorising his community.

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We hear you loud and clearConsultation, Consultation, Consultation – at BarnetHomes it’s one of our favourite words because we’renot mind readers. Customer feedback is one of the best ways to find out what you really think of ourstaff and services.

We get feedback on servicesusing surveys, focus groups andmeetings with residents andcommunity groups.

As a result Barnet Homes hasagreed six key areas to improveservices. These cover customercare issues, equalities, residentsparticipation, anti socialbehaviour, estate services andrepairs and maintenance.

Recent surveys have shown that:

■ overall tenant satisfaction withthe service is at 67 per cent

■ just over 600 complaints werereceived between January andMarch 2004 of which 80 percent were answered withincorporate deadlines of 10 days

■ 81 per cent of the PartnershipPanels, which are run bytenant representatives, believetheir panels are running well

■ the decoration vouchersystem is proving popular withnew tenants with 87 per centof permanent tenants and 93per cent of temporary tenantsexpressing satisfaction withthe project

■ topping the charts is the bulkrubbish removal system whichreceived a score of 100 percent customer satisfaction.

We will introduce an Asianhousing advice and translationsurgery in Sangam Centre. Two other surgeries should alsobe up and running by October2004 to serve the needs of ourethnic communities.

It is also clear there are areaswhere you would like to seeimprovement. There is a low levelof satisfaction with the responsesto anti-social behaviour fromauthorities in general such as thepolice and Barnet Council. As a

result Barnet Homes is setting upan Anti-Social Behaviour team andhas already secured its first asbo.

Leaseholders, although satisfiedwith their homes and thesurrounding areas are not satisfiedwith their annual service charges.They will be given the opportunityto make their views known in fullat the Leaseholders Open Daywhich is to be held in July.

Barnet Homes will be workingwith tenants and residents tomake good use of the informationyou have given us. By workingtogether we expect to achievedecent homes supported byquality services.

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New board for consultative panelThree new people have been appointed to the Barnet Housing Consultative Panelwhich is the main borough-wide residents forum. Residents on the PartnershipPanel send their representatives to the consultative panel.

Residents Pauline King, DerrickChung were elected to therespective roles of chair and vice-chair and Pat Sullivan wasappointed by the group to thepost of secretary at the annualgeneral meeting on 27th April.

The outgoing chair, Mr KennedyRoss, was thanked for his hardwork and dedication over the lasttwo years by the newcomers andthose attending the meeting. CllrBrian Salinger, Barnet Council’scabinet member for housing and

regeneration praised Mr Rosssaying: “The former chair filled the role admirably. Through hisleadership the panel strengthenedthe relationship between residentsand councillors, helping us towork together to create BarnetHomes and ultimately provideimproved housing.”

If you are interested in joining a partnership panel pleasecontact Yvonne Williams,residents participation officer on 020 8359 4821.

“The former chair filledthe role admirably.Through his leadershipthe panel strengthenedthe relationshipbetween residents andcouncillors.” Cllr Brian Salinger

Improving customer careSeveral services offered by Barnet Homes have beenrevamped to provide a better deal for customers.

These include setting up three teams to deal withNeighbourhoods. These willconcentrate on managing theCaretaking service, monitoring the grounds maintenance service,organising the estate action days and developing residentconsultation and involvement.

The North team covers HighBarnet, East Barnet, Oakleigh,Brunswick Park, Underhill,Coppetts and Totteridge.

The South team covers WestFinchley, Woodhouse, EastFinchley, Finchely Church End,Golders Green, Childs Hill andGarden Suburb.

The third team is the Burnt Oakteam covering Edgware, Hale,Burnt Oak, Colindale, WestHendon, Hendon and Mill Hill.

An anti-social behaviour team will now offer a single point ofcontact for customers reporting

nuisance and anti-socialbehaviour. It will supportwitnesses and victims, identifyhotspots and develop plans towork with other agencies totackle problems.

And the rental income team willwork closely with the BarnetCouncil housing benefits team to help residents maximise their income.

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Face lift for Cheshir Hall

The makeover, which is the firstin 22 years, involves a newkitchen, bathroom, flooring,lighting and freshly painted walls.Pupils from St Mary’s HighSchool have helped to decoratethe walls with paintings basedon an environment, recycling orseaside theme. The best ofthese will be awarded a prize.

As we went to press plans wereunderway to celebrate the newlook centre with an open day.Residents will be able to see theprogress Barnet Homes hasbeen making since it took over

management of council housing.We’ll have more details and aphoto spread in our next edition.

Roy Dunn, a resident caretakeron Belle-Vue Estate for 30 years,is to be honoured at the re-opening of Cheshir Hall for hisdedicated service and to markthis milestone in his career.

He said: “I’ve watched peoplegrow up on this estate, getmarried and have children. There have been sad times when people have passed awayand happy times like when my

son was born 27 years ago andall the elderly residents knittedhim gifts. I get on well with all the children here, they talk to meand I find if you treat them withkindness and respect they do the same to you.”

Roy added: “This may be a 16storey block but it’s lovely. Thereare people of all nationalities hereand they all get on well andeveryone is excited about theimproved kitchens and bathroomsand things planned for the estate.”

More than £35,000 has been spent refurbishing a well-used but rundown community centre in Church End.

“There are people of allnationalities here andthey all get on well andeveryone is excitedabout the improvedkitchens and bathroomsand things planned forthe estate.” Roy Dunn

Roy Dunn, dedicatedcaretaker

The centre’s refurbished kitchen

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Barnet Homes is seeking new allies in the fight againstgrime and disrepair.

It’s time to spring into action

We are launching the ResidentRepresentative Scheme whichgives our customers theopportunity to work more closelywith our officers, act as our eyesand ears and tell us what theythink of services such ascaretaking, grounds maintenanceand communal repairs.

The scheme is just one of theinitiatives introduced by BarnetHomes following feedback fromresidents on areas where they

would like to see improvement.Others include the Estate ActionDays which have been set up tocreate specified dates for BarnetHomes officers to join forces withBarnet Council to carry out work.

Three weeks before the action daya pre-inspection of an estate iscarried out and residents areinvited to attend. A list of issues tobe tackled is drawn up and on theaction day staff aim to completeas many tasks as possible.

Our improved Caretaking Plusteams are also making a differencein keeping our estates clean. Theirhard work is keeping the estatesgraffiti clear. They have drasticallyreduced the level of fly-tipping witha free collection service for bulkhousehold items. The team hasalso carried out hundreds of minorrepairs such as hanging doors,repairing kitchen cupboards andpainting walls in communal areas.

Barnet Homes has also adoptedthe latest hand-held technology tomonitor the estate environment.There are barcodes in and aroundthe blocks which a manager,supervisor or a responsibleresident will swipe with a handheld barcode reader. It will recordthe cleanliness of the estates andproduce reports which can beused to monitor performance andrecord repairs needed.

If you are interested in becominga resident representative thenplease contact Barnet Homes on 020 8359 4864.

Estate Action Days scheduledfor the rest of the year appearin the table.

Month Day/Duration Location

July Tuesday 6th 1 Day Longberries Estate

July Thursday 22nd 1 Day Belle-Vue Estate

July Tuesday 27th 1 Day Ballentrea/Durisdeer

July Friday 30th 1 Day Colney Hatch Lane

August Tuesday 3rd 2 Days Broadfields Estate

August Tuesday 10th 2 Days Elmhurst Crescent

August Tuesday 17th 1 Day Friern Court

August Friday 20th 1 Day Arundel Court

August Tuesday 24th 1 Day Fosters Estate

August Tuesday 31st 1 Day Mount Pleasant

September Tuesday 7th 1 Day Montrose Crescent

September Tuesday 14th 1 Day Rocklands Estate

September Tuesday 21st 1 Day Springfield Estate Finchley

October Friday 1st 1 Day Lynford Close Burnt Oak

Please Note: Pert and Strode and Brook Meadow Estates will be scheduledinto September/October – Dates to be confirmed.

Estate Action Day Schedule – revised 24/02/04July 2004 - December 2004

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RegenerationFour of the borough’s largest estates are to be springcleaned for summer by Barnet Homes.

West Hendon, Grahame Park,Dollis Valley and Stonegrove/SpurRoad are all involved in a majorredevelopment programme totransform them into thriving,economically active and cohesiveneighbourhoods.

These plans are in partnership withhousing associations and won’t becompleted for several years. Whilstwork is ongoing Barnet Homes isresponsible for the day to daymanagement of these propertiesand has set about making someimprovements.

A spring cleaning programme is being carried out on all theseestates. This includes graffitiremoval and painting both theinterior and exterior of thebuildings.

The Caretaking Plus team onDollis Valley is currently in themiddle of a deeper cleanse which includes the stripping andpolishing of all communal floors.

Dave Gould, Caretaking Plusmanager said: “Barnet Homes is responding to the residentsneeds as they raised concernsabout their estates environment.We welcome feedback from our customers and are sendingout survey forms asking them

to tell us what they think of the spring clean and anysuggestions on otherimprovements we could make.”

“Barnet Homes isresponding to theresidents needs as they raised concernsabout their estatesenvironment.” Dave Gould

Little fingersgoing greenPupils from St Mary’sHigh School in ChurchEnd are making a markon their turf – but there’snot a spray can or graffitiart in sight becausethese youngsters aregoing green.

A group of 11-14 year olds areworking to improve theenvironment and change theopinion of some residents on theChurch End estate by provingthat not all schoolchildrenvandalise their neighbourhood.

Debra Gould, Barnet Homes’environmental services manager,said: “We feel we are very much apart of the community and notjust about improving the houses.By working with the children wehope to create a mutual respectbetween residents and the schoolwhilst caring for our environment.”

The young people, from theschool’s ecology group, haveteamed up with Barnet Homesenvironmental team to transformtwo areas of the estate.

continued overleaf....

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Barnet Homes – how maywe help you? A Customer Services Centre has been created byBarnet Homes in a bid to put an end to callers beingpassed from one officer to another.

Following a walkabout to identifypotential sites the children chosean area next to a bench facingthe main road and shops andanother area in the Prince ofWales Close.

The children had begun plantingas we were going to press and installed a climbing rosesurrounded by two small lavenderbushes and bulbs in the firstarea. In the second area they dug out a large circle and plantedin the school’s colours of blueand yellow. A plaque is to beplaced to explain the work andpupils from the school willcontinue to be involved in theestate and any further projects.

Brooke Gibson, a teacher workingwith the children on the projectsaid: “It is great to see that thestudents take such pride in theircommunity. They have workedhard and most of all have hadloads of fun.”

Little fingers going green ...continued

The move is in response toimprovements residents said they would like to see if an armslength management organisationwas set up. Officers are beingtrained to deal with theseenquiries at the first point ofcontact to avoid sending callersaround the houses. The team will work alongside the RepairsReporting Centre and aims totake all non-repair calls.

The customer services team will gradually become the firstpoint of contact for all calls made to Barnet Homes. It willbegin by taking calls concerningissues such as rent enquiries,missing payments, communitycentres, lettings, complaints and general enquiries.

Once this phase is runningsmoothly, the team’sresponsibilities will increase to include issues such asapplications for home swoppingand rehousing concerns. Barnet Homes will let you know about the introduction of the second phase.

The Customer Services Teamcan be contacted on freephonenumber 0800 3895225.

Sheila Oliver, Housing Operationsmanager for Barnet Homes said:“This is a major overhaul of ourcustomer care and it is going tobe well worth it. We ask ourresidents to be a little patientduring the initial implementationbecause we are working toprovide them with improvedservices which responds to their needs. The centre is as a result of customer feedback so we welcome views on how it is running.”

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“Partnership is very much the key to what hasoccurred on the Grange and continued partnershipwill be needed to develop the improvement plan.” Wendy Bohan

It’s great on the Grange! Residents, community groups and staff on theGrange Estate, in East Finchley, have been showingthe borough how successful partnership can be.

The local community has teamedup with staff from Barnet Homes,Barnet Council and voluntarygroups such as the Old BarnYouth and Community Centre, to work together to increaseresident involvement.

Over the last year the partnershiphas produced a holiday footballscheme, a logo competition,sugar craft classes, a play activitygroup and a fun day. Tree plantinghas taken place through LocalAgenda 21 which is anenvironmental group.

So determined are the residentsto develop community activitiesthat several have joined foodhygiene and play work trainingcourses. This will help them to

organise future events such as aseaside trip, run college coursesand start a homework club.

A consultation day held at the end of last year involvedrepresentatives of the housingservice, police, Barnet Collegeand Barnet Primary Care Trust. It encouraged people to give their views on the improvementsneeded on the estate.

The Grange Resident’s Associationhas now been formed. It meetsweekly to take forward a 16 pointaction plan for improvements tothe estate. Issues to be tackledcover communal decorations,CCTV, the community centre anddog litter bins.

Wendy Bohan, Barnet Homes’community development officer,said: “Partnership is very muchthe key to what has occurred on the Grange and continuedpartnership will be needed todevelop the improvement plan. If any residents are interested in getting involved in this work or just want to know more about I would welcome their calls.”

Wendy Bohan can be contactedon 020 8359 4860 or emailwendy.bohan@barnethomes.org

The winning logo by James Hosking,14, which will feature on informationproduced by The Grange.

Keeping the home fires burning

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Help us to help you

Low incomes and rising fuel prices can often lead residents to risk their health byshutting off their heating in an effort to save money.

Many households in the boroughdo not have proper heating andinsulation and can often beextremely cold inside even on a hot summers’ day.

These factors can form a viciouscycle. The lack of heat makesthe house cold, damp and theneven more expensive to heat.

Barnet Homes has appointed an officer, Dina Gillespie, to helpresidents tackle these problems.Her role is to resolve issues

regarding gas and electricity bills and advise on how to save money when using thesefacilities. She can also look atmaximising your income, adviseon the cheapest methods ofpaying for fuel and which supplieris offering the best deals.

If you’ve just had a big bill anddon’t know what to do, or needadvice on how to save energyand money in your home pleasecontact Dina Gillespie on 020 8359 5208.

Dina Gillespie

Independent market researchers are to ask 1,000households about the services Barnet Homes providesand what we can do to make them better.

These surveys are a key part of the Tenants’ Compact Action Plan andresidents who are already working with us to improve services will alsobe helping to draw up the questions we’ll be asking.

The households will be invited to take part by letter from Barnet Homesand be randomly selected. They will be representative of the BarnetHomes community.

If you receive a letter concerning the survey and do not want to becontacted by the market research team please contact Abdul Anjarion 020 8359 4948.

Open Day planned for Leaseholders

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The first borough-wide open day for leaseholders and freeholders, who pay aservice charge, will be held this summer.

Trevor Renouf, Barnet Homes chair, JohnBartram, chair of the Leasehold PartnershipPanel, Margaret McPeake, Barnet Homeschief executive and Cllr Brian Salinger signthe Leaseholders Compact.

We have been awarded a total of £88million by government tobring properties up to the DecentHomes Standard. The first£19million is dependent on a 2* rating from governmentinspectors for the quality of our services.

We would like feedback from our customers on where we aregoing wrong, how to improveand if we are getting things right.

You can find out information on Barnet Homes by using the website or calling thefreephone number.

Website:www.barnethomes.orgFreephone: 0800 3895225

If you would like to contributeitems to this newsletter contact:

Yana De Silva, Barnet Homes,Barnet House, 1255 HighRoad, Whetstone, N20 0EJ.

The event, on 12th July, aims togive them the opportunity to see how the future major worksprogramme will affect their homes.The home ownership servicesteam will be available to discussgeneral leasehold enquiries,service charge queries and to hearresidents views on the service.

Exhibits and information standsfrom departments across Barnet Homes will be on show.Representatives of teams willalso be on hand to answerresidents questions. These teamsinclude the leasehold partnershippanel, housing management

service, environmental services,residents participation, repairsand maintenance and theregeneration team.

Earlier this year a smaller versionof the event was held specificallyfor leaseholders who hadexpressed an interest inparticipation. The LeaseholdersCompact was signed at theevent. The compact sets outhow leaseholders can getinvolved in housing issues and

what they would like to achieveover the year.

A personal invitation to theSummer Open Day, at AvenueHouse, East End Road, Finchley,between 11am and 8pm, will be sent to leaseholders and freeholders over the next few weeks.

If you would like more informationplease contact Jean Jean-Marieon 020 8359 4935.

Barnet Homes meansBetter services, Better consultation, Better council homes.

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Please tell us if you would like this in another language that is not listedor in any of the following formats and send this form to the freepostaddress below.

In large print ■■ On audio tape ■■ In another language, which is

On disc ■■ In Braille ■■

Name and address

Barnet Homes, Freepost Lon 18794, London N20 0BR

Dates foryour diaryBarnet Homes holds boardmeetings every month. Tenantsand Leaseholders are welcometo attend as observers.

The meetings are from 6.30pmto 8.30pm but the venuesvary. For more informationplease contact MarionDowling on 020 8359 4971.

These are the meetings for the rest of the year:

■ 19th July 2004

■ 16th August 2004

■ 27th September 2004

■ 18th October 2004

■ 15th November 2004

■ 20th December 2004