The Association will be contacting tenants soon to obtain their views on a document we are due to produce soon looking at Asset Management.  What is Asset Management?  Asset Management has been described as ensuring that current and future assets (houses, land etc) fully support the organisation’s objectives – working towards having the right assets, of the right quality, in the right place at the right time. 

We will also be looking for your views on the Rent Review for 2010/2011. We want to hear your views on the proposed rent increase for next year and the services we provide.

• Do you feel you get value for money from Cordale?
• Does the Association do enough for its tenants and the local community?
• What do you think should be top priority for Cordale Housing Association?
  

Cordale Housing Association, every 3 years, asks an independent company to survey tenants to see what they think of our service.  The Association carries out other types of survey throughout the year relating to repairs, major replacement works, adaptations and settling in visits. 

Rather than wait until 2010 when the next full survey would be completed it was decided to contact all tenants to a carry out a short telephone survey to: -

• to make sure we had the correct contact information for all tenants, 
• to see if they would like to get more involved in the Association’s activities 
• to ask if they would like communication from the Association in an other format e.g. large print
• to remind tenants about the Association’s website
• to ask if they or their family members were interested in finding out more about membership of the Association or becoming a Management Committee member and 
• to find out if the tenants were satisfied with the Association.

This survey was carried out  in August 2008 and is being finalised.  A handful of tenants now have to be contacted whom we have had difficulty reaching by telephone.  These tenants will be visited by Yvonne Reilly, Housing Services Officer. 

We received positive feedback from everyone we contacted and a number of tenants have now joined the following voluntary consultation groups and will be contacted over the coming months: -

Estate Management walkabouts – this involves tenants walking around the estate taking a note of items which require action by the Association in the common areas.  Tenants will be accompanied by Yvonne Reilly, Housing Services Officer and a member of the Housing & Asset Management Sub Committee. 

Editorial panels – tenants will meet with Julie Montague, Office Administrator to provide comments and feedback when newsletters or other publications are due to be issued to tenants.

Mystery shopping – we would like to be able to train tenants to enable them to carry out mystery shopping.  It is likely that this will take place early 2010 once other local housing association identify tenants to take part in the training.

If you did not volunteer during the telephone survey for any of the above consultation groups and think you might like to join please contact Yvonne Reilly, Housing Services Officer for more information.  Yvonne can be contacted at the office, by telephone on 01389 721216 or by email yvonnereilly@cordalehousing.org.uk.

Cordale Housing Association has undertaken a major review of its Complaints Policy and Procedures during this year.

Consultation formed a large part of the review with Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS) conducting a telephone survey of tenants alerting them to the review and directing tenants to either the Association’s website or office to view the suggested draft review. 

The draft policy and procedure was also forwarded to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) who commented very positively.  The Association also received feedback from its solicitor, T C Young and internal auditor, Caroline Shepherd, Shepherd Agency Services.   

Improvements made include empowering front line staff to deal with complaints, recording all complaints including informal, a revised report to the governing body twice a year to drive improvements and identify any service gaps, a new four stage process, satisfaction surveys and improved monitoring of equal opportunities.

At a recent meeting of the governing body, Archie Thomson, MBE, Chairperson of the Association stated: “Complaints are valuable feedback to the Association.  The staff and Committee have taken their time to make sure that the policy review was meaningful for our customers and drives the Association further  to deliver a quality first time service, not always possible, but certainly strived for by everyone who is associated with Cordale.  This policy and approach should be viewed as a model of good practice”.

Cordale’s Management Committee and staff took some time out from the normal day to day business on 19 August 2009, to further discuss the Business Plan for the period 2009/2014 and to consider some key governance documents.  This full day event was a follow up to a previous one held on 6 May 2009, when both Committee and staff agreed on six strategic objectives for this period. 

The day kicked off early in the morning with the Committee and staff receiving training on Equal Opportunities from Caroline Shepherd, Shepherd Agency Services.  The group split into groups to consider various scenarios which would tailor the revised Equal Opportunities Policy and Equalities & Diversity Action Plan. 

Following this session the group then discussed the risks associated with the new Business Plan and how these can be minimised and managed via risk registers.  This session was facilitated by Brian Barnett of Keylink Partnership.  Brian has previously assisted the Association by giving advice on Investors in People assessment back in 2007 and more recently by meeting Management Committee Members individually to inform a learning and development programme.

In the afternoon the Committee reflected on what future Committee Members require as "tools for the job".  This was a lively session which will inform a revised Committee Members Induction Pack and Handbook. 

To complete the day all staff attended a full meeting of the Management Committee.  The agenda for the meeting included the following: -

• A revised Complaints Policy which empowers front line staff to deal with complaints in the first instance.  The review includes a new 4 stage process.  This also introduced a report which will be given to the governing body twice a year to inform any service gaps that require improvements. 
• A new Succession Planning Policy.
• A new Performance Management & Benchmarking Policy. 
• Review of the existing reports Committee receive from staff and how these can be improved.
• Committee Learning & Development Plan for 2009/2010

Frontline staff agreed that it was useful for them to see a full Committee meeting in progress.  Committee has agreed that this will now take place twice a year.   

Renton woman Joanne King is now cooking up a storm in a smart new kitchen – thanks to Cordale Housing Association. The Association has enlisted Glasgow firm MCN to complete a kitchen refurbishment programme across a number of its properties in Renton – and tenants could not be happier with the results. 

Joanne said: “The quality of the kitchen units and tiling is second to none.  I’m a bit of a cook and I love baking, and the kitchen we had before had very few units and little work space.  The new kitchen is fantastic and has units and worktops all the way round.  A relative of mine is a tenant with another local housing association and also recently had a new kitchen installed, but my kitchen far outweighs it, the quality of the units, the handles, the finish, they even replaced the flooring.  The whole job, from ripping out the old kitchen, installing the new units, tiling and replacing the flooring, took four days from start to finish.  There was very little upheaval and no mess.  I can’t praise Cordale and MCN enough.”

Carers and residents of Cornerstone Community Care’s flat in Renton are also singing Cordale’s praises after having their kitchen replaced.  Cornerstone support worker Margaret McGillivray says the refurbishment has made a huge difference to the Main Street flat.  She added: “As well as looking a lot bigger and better, the new kitchen has much more work space which has been great for us and the residents.  The previous kitchen was okay. I think it had just been installed when Cornerstone came here 11 or 12 years ago.  The only problem we had was that one of the drawer fronts had recently come off but the new kitchen is lovely.  It’s modern, dark wood with long silver handles. It just makes such a difference to the place.”

"Fantastic" – that was how delighted Cordale tenant Maureen Eadie described her smart new kitchen.  The new units, flooring, tiling and worktops were recently installed in Mrs Eadie’s Renton home.  As well as benefiting from a beautiful new kitchen, Mrs Eadie was also given a choice of finishes for the units, handles and flooring.  She said: “The kitchen is absolutely lovely. Before I only had four units in the kitchen, now I have seven units and more worktop space. It has made a huge difference to me.  They even moved the kitchen sink, so now I can look out of the window when I’m washing up.  I was given a choice of four or five different colours of wood for the doors and also got to pick handles and flooring, which was great.  I had absolutely no complaints with the workmen who installed the kitchen.  They were very good and even cleaned up after themselves.
I’m full of praise all round.”

Christine Davie had only been living in her Cordale home for a matter of months when the thrilled tenant was offered a smart new kitchen.  Christine was given her say on everything from the units to the worktops and floors.  Thrilled Christine said: “I don’t think you would get a choice with any other housing association but Cordale has a reputation for being fair with its tenants and I think they deserve that reputation.  I moved in to my home last September and a few months later was told they were replacing the old kitchen, which wasn’t to my taste, so I was delighted.  I went for ivory units with a black worktop and floor. Before there was only a few units, now the kitchen is a huge ‘L’ shape. I’m really happy with it.  The kitchen fitters were brilliant. There was no mess or anything.”

Three community-spirited companies have chipped in to help refurbish a Renton community centre.  Renton Community Development Trust, which runs Ma Centre in the village’s Main Street, says the efforts of firms MCN, Peter Gordon and City Technical have ensured the facility’s future.

The building, formerly Renton CE Centre, was closed by West Dunbartonshire Council in 2006 and finally handed over to the community last June.  But the time spent lying vacant had taken its toll and as a result urgent repairs were needed to the roof windows and kitchen – and that’s where the three firms came in.

MCN is currently completing a kitchen refurbishment contract for Cordale in a number of Renton properties.  The firm ripped out the centre’s existing kitchen and replaced it with smart units and tile surrounds as well as a new oven and hob and dishwasher – all free of charge.

City Technical, another Cordale contractor, carried out roof repairs to ensure the building is wind and water tight.

Local man Peter Gordon, who owns Kitchens, Bathrooms, Doors and Floors in Dumbarton High Street offered to complete window repairs which will ensure the centre will now withstand the elements until a full refurbishment programme can be completed.

Colin Smith Maintenance Officer at Cordale Housing Association said the companies were keen to step in when they heard the centre’s plight.  He added: “All of the firms were happy to help and donated their time and materials free of charge.  They all did a fantastic job and it has made a huge difference to the centre.”

RCDT is proposing to completely overhaul the centre which as well as providing facilities for existing clubs, teams and groups could also incorporate childcare facilities and a restaurant.

Archie Thomson of Renton Community Development Trust, said: “The work completed by these contractors has been fundamental to the viability of Ma Centre and has given it a new lease of life.  We had no budget to complete these repairs which would have put a big question mark over the centre.  Since the work has been carried out, we have had enquiries from an after school club and Share Scotland about using the centre facilities so the generosity of these companies has enabled us to explore other avenues.”

Communities across Scotland are being told to take a leaf out of Cordale Housing Association's book.  Regeneration work spearheaded by the community-led association has been highlighted in the Scottish Government's recently published Community Empowerment Action Plan as a model of best practice.  The plan, which aims to give people the power to influence the running of their neighbourhoods, invites communities to look to Cordale and its efforts to empower the people of Renton for inspiration.

Up to £180 million is available to provide training opportunities, give local communities more control over budgets for tackling issues such as anti-social behaviour and boost community ownership of assets.  Alex Neil, the minister for housing and communities, hailed Cordale's role in the transformation of Renton on a recent visit to the village.  He said the best-practice examples featured in the plan, including Cordale, showed how communities could build on the Scottish tradition of people doing things for themselves.

Over the last 15 years, Cordale has built or modernised more than 400 homes in Renton and created an integrated healthy living centre, supermarket, post office and chemist.  Earlier this year the association - which has created over 150 local jobs - unveiled its latest development in the village, 40 extra care apartments at Waterside View.

The plan says it is local people have proved to the "real assets" in Renton.  It states: "Although many people have made important contributions, the transformation of Renton owes much to the imagination, drive and determination of a small number of individuals, particularly Archie Thomson MBE, who was born and bred in the village, chairs Cordale's board and helps a group of teenagers run the local youth centre.

Importantly, community leadership is now firmly embedded in the local culture, not least amongst young people, most of whom have a strong commitment to staying in Renton.  Empowered young people are the future of any community. In Renton, the succession strategy is already in place."