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EDITION 13 May - June 2013 Housing News Fuel clubs help save money Help to buy homes


CARMARTHENSHIRE County Council is considering developing a form of co-operative housing in an effort to support struggling first-time buyers. The Housing department is seeking


views from people they know are looking for affordable homes, to find out whether there is sufficient interest in a new scheme called Mutual Home Ownership. The scheme, already successful in


Members and representatives of the new fuel club at the Black Mountain Centre, Brynamman. From left, Ffion James, Linda Maclelland, Scott Davies, Liz Henry and Ann Szulik pictured with the council’s Community Engagement Officer Janet Griffiths


MORE and more people across rural parts of Carmarthenshire are joining fuel clubs to save money on their energy bills. Supported by the Housing department’s


Community


Engagement Team, eight clubs have now been established with hundreds of members saving up to 9p per litre on their oil. The clubs are run by volunteer co-


ordinators who support members to place orders as part of a group. In doing so, they obtain a discount on


the bulk order which is then shared. Buying in bulk also means that the oil companies have to make fewer visits to the area, therefore cutting down the area’s carbon footprint. The most successful club yet –


Ystradowen – currently has 350 members. Its biggest order was for 45,800 litres of oil, with a saving of £3,947.96. Community Engagement Officer


Janet Griffiths said: “It is great to see so many people saving money on their energy bills. At the same time,


the clubs are creating a new community atmosphere – people are coming together and socialising with eachother more, and the volunteer co-ordinators are gaining new skills.” Fuel clubs are currently running in


Betws; Brynamman; Capel Hendre; Drefach/Felindre; Llandybie;


Laugharne


Ystradowen. If you are interested in setting up a


fuel club in your area, contact the Community Engagement Team on 01554 899298.


Sandra Turner became a volunteer coordinator at Ystradowen Fuel Club in January. Having never used a computer in her life, she is now adept at emailing, creating spreadsheets and using the


internet. She said: “I never thought I would be able to work a computer as I didn’t even know how to turn it on! Now I’m using spreadsheets for registering new members and entering oil orders, sending emails, and have even set up an email ordering system for those who are unable to get to the fuel club. “It’s made me feel useful to the community and I’ve had a lot of good feedback from people I’ve met on my travels. I can’t believe I’ve achieved so much.”


Improving homes


Licensing scheme


RESIDENTS, tenants and


landlords in the Tyisha ward are being asked for their views about the potential introduction of a Selective Licensing scheme in the area. Selective Licensing allows councils


to exercise greater controls over private landlords in areas of low housing demand or where there are significant problems with anti-social behaviour. Landlords must meet certain


AROUND half of the council’s housing stock achieves the Carmarthenshire Homes Standard with two years to go before the £203million improvement programme comes to a close. By 2015, all of the council’s homes will achieve the standard, with many of the


work programmes – including loft and cavity insulation - already completed ahead of schedule. The CHS investment is improving over 9,000 homes, as well as communities


and tenants’ general health and wellbeing. Executive Board Member for Housing, Cllr Tegwen Devichand, said: “The


Carmarthenshire Homes Standard has made a significant improvement – not only to the standard of our tenants’ homes but also to their quality of life.”


conditions to gain a license and both landlords and tenants must comply with obligations placed on them as part of the license. Feedback received will form a


report for Executive Board. For further information call Housing Standards team leader Gareth Williams on 01267 234567. To share


your views visit


www.carmarthenshire.gov.uk/consu ltation before June 21.


Llandovery; and


other parts of the UK, sees groups of residents forming a society to build and manage their own homes. The society takes out a 30-year mortgage to cover the cost of the development, and its members then buy shares up to a level they can afford. Should their property value increase, so do


their shares. Once the houses are built, the members – either tenants or owners – democratically control and manage their homes and play an active role in the life of the community. Jonathan Morgan, Housing Services Manager,


said: “Co-


operative housing is very common in other parts of Europe, and we are aware of several successful schemes in the UK. Here in Carmarthenshire, we have many people who have an income, but cannot afford to fund a deposit for a mortgage, and therefore are stuck in the rented sector. “This is just one of the ways we are


trying to help first-time buyers.” Want to find out more? Call 01267


234567. Just the ticket


Want to work in construction? Visit www.constructingcarmarthenshiretogether.co.uk


TENANTS in Taf Myrddin are amongst the first to start earning timecredits in return for voluntary work in their communities. The council has teamed up with Spice – a charity set up to encourage people to give volunteering time within local communities. Timecredits earned can be spent on a range of activities. One of the first was


a film night at Carmarthen’s Yr Aelwyd Sheltered Scheme where tenants paid two timecredits to gain entry. Want to know more? Contact Rachel Gegeshidze on 07453987648 or email rachel@justaddspice.org


Support for tenants A NEW Housing Support Service has been established to help people aged


over 55, and those with dementia. A team of 10 staff are supporting health and social care staff by taking a lead


on delayed transfer of care issues – or bed-blocking - from a housing perspective. The team started by assessing council tenants to get a clear picture of need,


and started taking referrals from April. The service is also available to the wider public, providing a much-needed resource to all Carmarthenshire residents. For further information, email housingsupport@carmarthenshire.gov.uk


People, Homes and Communities - delivering the future together


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