Landlord Latest
and Ombudsman, we have established a specialist team to quickly respond to any reports of damp and mould in properties. We have a sound knowledge of our housing stock, with a rolling programme
of stock condition surveys. Tis enables us to make informed investment decisions while keeping our homes safe and decent. Our dedicated and knowledgeable staff are committed to providing excellent
services, listening to our customers’ needs, and offering support and advice where needed.
TENANT WELLBEING & ENGAGEMENT? Enhancing residents’ quality of life is fundamental to Rykneld Homes. Our vision is ‘To be the best housing provider for our communities’, while our mission is ‘Putting our customers at the heart of everything we do’. It’s why Building Sustainable Communities is one of our four strategic
objectives. We view Sustainable Communities as being about strengthening community engagement. In doing that, we are building communities that are engaged, valued, and places where our customers enjoy spending time. Communities in North East Derbyshire experience higher-than-average
levels of deprivation and poverty. For example, the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) shows there are six areas in our district that fall within the most 10% deprived areas across England. Rykneld Homes uses data and statistics from deprivation, crime, health,
education, skills, employment, and housing to formulate plans to tackle those inequalities. As such, our Sustainable Communities strategy means actively going into
our communities to either support existing community projects and groups, or where there is a need, to establish new ones. Projects are varied, but key themes supported under the Sustainable
Communities strategy include: • Improving people’s health (both physical and mental) • Bringing the community together and reducing social isolation • Improving opportunities for children and young people • Enhancing the environment • Tackling unemployment • Reducing anti-social behaviour • Encouraging volunteering.
We provided approximately 270 hours of community engagement in 2023/24, reaching 3,692 people. In March, our Community Involvement Team won the prize for Best Use of an EEM Charitable Donation at the Building Communities Awards 2024. Te award recognised the variety of activities on offer in our communities and the reach of our programme. Our Annual Tenant Satisfaction Survey shapes our strategy and thinking at
all levels of the organisation. Te response rate is good and we are in the process of verifying the data of the 2023/24 survey.
MAJOR PROJECTS We are consistently improving our existing homes. It’s a huge part of what we do. Since 2010, we have undertaken structural repairs and installed External Wall Insulation (EWI) to more than 2,100 non-traditional construction homes with a further 345 planned. In April 2023 we started work on a two-year programme to deliver EWI
and other works to 640 council homes, with the support of £8.2m from the Government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF). Further investment from the Council, together with further external funding
opportunities, will allow this type of work to continue through to 2027 for other homes in the district. Tis award-winning work has delivered significant carbon reductions,
improved the EPC ratings and thermal comfort of homes and reduced the risk of fuel poverty in the district. Tis supports the ongoing long-term programme to regenerate the Council’s
non-traditional housing which forms approximately 40% of the stock. Tere is a combined total of £21m being invested in the Council’s hardest to
treat homes. Te Council has committed £13m through the HRA to the project. Tis is a two-year programme with the external funding to be spent by March 2025, with works to be fully completed by September 2025. Our work in collaboration with Sustainable Building Services UK (SBS) is
one of the largest, most successful solid-wall SHDF Wave 2-funded schemes in the country – already seeing 250 solid-wall properties complete. We are also working on whole house retrofits and the installation of solar
panels to a selected number of homes within the district. Te homes are off the gas network with a range of existing heating systems
including solid fuel and electrical storage heaters. Works include, cavity wall insulation, air source heat pumps (Low Carbon Heating, installations, upgraded ventilation and solar PV systems to the roofs. A further scheme will see 34 homes have external wall insulation installed
through the (SHDF) programme as well as the addition of solar panels through devolution funding. We are also increasing the number of low carbon heating systems being
installed in the housing stock and will be seeking further funding through the next wave of SHDF funding.
20 | HMMAugust/September 2024 |
www.housingmmonline.co.uk
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