The establishment of Local Offers (Service Standards) was a requirement of the Localism Act and during 2011, we developed Local Offers in Swindon by asking tenants and leaseholders to tell us their priorities for Housing Services and listening to what was important to them. We have been monitoring these Local Offers (Service Standards) and reporting back how we have been doing to tenants each year through the Annual Report. We want to make sure that Local Offers are still relevant to tenants and reflect current priorities. We would like your help in shaping future Local Offers by letting us know your views on Housing services that you receive. 1. Tenant Involvement and Empowerment Standard - how we listen to you and how you

think you are treated and respected as a customer 2. Home Standard - repairs and maintenance to your home

3. Tenancy Standard - how we let and manage Council properties

4. Neighbourhood and Community Standard - how we look after your neighbourhood and

the communal areas around your home and how we deal with anti-social behaviour 5. Value for Money Standard - do we make best use of the money we have to spend on services we provide to you?

Local Offers

You’ve already told us it’s important

1. Tenant Involvement and Empowerment Standard Customer Service

When you make contact with us by phone, letter or by email, to respond promptly When we visit you at home we show you our identification badge When we receive complaints from you, to fully investigate and re-spond to you promptly and publish details of your complaints

Tenant Involvement

To offer you a wide range of involvement opportunities To receive regular feedback about the difference your involve-ment has made

Meeting the needs of all tenants

Give you choices on how you prefer us to communicate with you To provide you with additional services if you have higher needs To offer additional services to help you in your home if you are older or disabled

2. Home Standard

To provide you with quality accommodation by continuously carrying out work to Council homes to ensure that they meet the Government’s minimum standard, known as the Decent Homes Standard, and carry out work to meet your needs

To improve your home to a Decent Homes ‘Plus’ Standard. This will measure the quality of what you already have in your home against modern day standards by looking at the following elements – roofs, walls, windows, external doors, electrics, central heating, kitchens, bathrooms and communal areas

3. Tenancy Standard

To offer you choice when we let our properties To let our properties in a fair and open way to those most in housing need, including adapted properties for those that need these properties To provide housing options advice to tenants who wish to move To reduce the amount of time each property is empty between tenancies To provide a specialist service to work with tenants who may need extra support to maintain their tenancy To provide you will the information you need including a Tenants Handbook and Tenancy Agreement and regular updates to ensure all rights and responsibilities of being a tenant are known.

4. Neighbourhood and Community Standard Anti-Social Behaviour

To investigate all reports of anti-social behaviour as fully as possible, including noise nuisance, neighbour disputes, domestic violence, all forms of harassment You can report safely and in the strictest confidence your concerns via a range of methods including in person, telephone, email and via the website We continue to contact you whilst we investigate your complaint and provide a clear outcome on conclusion of the investigation We ask you to tell us if you are satisfied with the service we have provided Legal action is taken against the perpetrator where evidence is available, which could result in eviction or imprisonment We work with all agencies, including the Police to resolve anti-social behaviour and use the most appropriate solution to resolve issues

Neighbourhood management

Tenants and stakeholders can take part in the estate inspections Communal areas in blocks of flats, maisonettes and high rise blocks will be regularly inspected Gardens and open areas are maintained to a good standard

5. Value for Money

To inform you of service charges and how they are agreed Setting the annual budget for repairs and major works To keep performance and costs of our services comparable to services across other social landlords

£ If you would like to know more about our local offers or wish to be more involved please contact Arlene Griffin Head of Business Development by email: agriffin@swindon.gov.uk or tel: 01793 464387