Bolsover shows good housekeeping
Filed Under Country Curtain | Posted on April 6, 2008
Bolsovers decision to retain its housing stock rather flew in the face of the Governments desired outcome for the future of council housing. The hard road it might have been but the dissident choice paid off the district council is proving its worth as a landlord
Since taking the decision to retain its housing stock back in 2004, Bolsover District Council (BDC) has forged ahead with the modernisation not only of its homes - but of its services and to that end it has clearly enjoyed some measure of success, having pushed its approval ratings to the high 90s.
Weve always had a policy to keep our properties in good order - thats why we were able to retain the stock, said the housing services Peter Campbell. What we have also been doing is looking at increasing the quality of the management services that go with them.
Thats included the recruitment of a whole new team of tenant management officers. So what we are providing now is a much more holistic service and recognising that there is an increasing demand from people looking to obtain affordable accommodation within the district. We are focusing on the whole range of housing options rather than just offering a basic homelessness and
allocations service.
The district council owns and manages some 5,500 homes across the Bolsover area; one of its primary tasks is, of course, to bring them up to a modern standard. The task is no small undertaking, but given its policy and practice of good housekeeping historically, it is confident of meeting the original 2010 deadline.
Weve got several programmes up and running now, said Grant Galloway, head of the asset team. We finished the windows last year, so every house now has new uPVC windows. Theres the odd %26lsquo;mop up case that we couldnt get into but they will be completed by the end of this year. Theres a programme of electrical upgrades currently running with about 1,300 properties still to complete and weve got the funding and resources to complete that by 2010.
In October last year, the Audit Commission praised BDC for its overall performance when its inspectors went in to assess its comprehensive corporate performance. The verdict was one of %26lsquo;excellent.
The authoritys highlighted strengths included its clear ambitions for the district, based on a good understanding of local needs; strong leadership and effective partnership working; good management of performance;good access to services; and improved quality of life for local people. The councils operations in regeneration, community safety and neighbourhood renewal to create sustainable communities were raised to demonstrate its successful performance.
Bolsover District Council has made good progress since its last CPA inspection, said the Audit Commissions senior manager Andrew Blackburn. It has worked with other organisations to regenerate local neighbourhoods. Community safety has improved and most residents say that they feel safe in the area after dark. Older and younger people have good opportunities to improve their health through the Bolsover Wellness Scheme and the Five60 Scheme in schools. Street cleaning has significantly improved, although recycling rates are still lower than many other councils.
Well, perfection is impossible of course, but then the point of the inspection, and the merit of the %26lsquo;excellent badge, is that BDC stands as an agency capable of addressing the weaknesses and taking services forward. While the inspection covered the broad remit of the authoritys overall corporate provision, it nevertheless shows the attention to detail and determination to be among the best that its teams bring to bear in the field of housing and the needs of the local community.
One might suggest its just as well that external opinion sees Bolsover as delivering the goods, and that it has fostered high satisfaction among its tenants, for the decision to retain the stock went the whole formal ballot mile. Again, though built on the basis of historically maintained stock, and the confidence of the informal strength of feeling in the tenant body in favour of staying with the council, this move showed its determination to go against the prevailing winds of Government wishes back in the days of 2004.
So, its all paid off.
We are now one of the top performing councils in the country, said council leader cllr Eion Watts at the announcement of the inspection results. We have worked extremely hard over the past three years to improve as a council and this is our just rewards. However, we know we still have some areas to improve upon and we will not rest on our laurels, as we will continue to improve our services and the district as a whole for the benefit of our local communities.
One prime example of partnership working got underway in the summer last year. This is an %26lsquo;upgrade to its warden service, providing care and support to elderly people in their own home, so that they can remain independent for longer rather than end up in nursing care. Working in partnership with the local NHS PCT and social services, it has implemented a telecare system to automatically monitor recipients of the technology.
The scheme is a Derbyshire initiative led by the county council, with the districts %26lsquo;plugging in to run the scheme on their own patch. The technical assistance it provides, such as fall detectors, flood alarms, or panic buttons, effectively means a concerned eye is kept on a person at all times, whilst also acknowledging their privacy. In the event of a problem, the alarm triggers an alert to a central call centre, which then alerts either medical personal or carer, or a neighbour or friend - whomever the recipient of the service has nominated. In addition to the %26lsquo;passive monitors keeping an eye out for problems, the recipient can also call for assistance at any time at the bush of a button - either situated by the phone or worn around the neck as a pendant.
The main push of the scheme is to help reduce falls and to support clients with dementia, said Diane Bonsor, housing needs manager. The idea is that people are supported while they remain at home, rather than be in residential or nursing care, and in some cases it allows them to come out of hospital sooner, so it is helping free up hospital space and saving pressure on budgets. It can give early warning signs that something is wrong, so we can help them in their own home, rather than them having to be admitted to hospital.
For the people using the scheme, it gives them peace of mind. It enables them to stay in their homes longer, where theyve got their network of friends and family, rather than being in an institution. It can reduce the fear of being alone. They know theyve always got someone there at the push of a button.
The scheme is set to run for two years,after which time its impact will be assessed, but meanwhile it is already making a clear difference.
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