COMMUNITY VOICE ORDINARY MEMBERS NEWS MAGAZINE
WINTER EDITION 2016/2017
SUPPORTED BY
ongo Homes
Welcome Hello again folks. A belated Happy New Year to you all and we hope you enjoyed the festive season and had plenty of prezzies and grub. Looking forward to this year the main event of course is Brexit, and no doubt we will experience the ups and downs of our lives. However the human spirit is such that we can overcome the downs and live life to the full, as long as we have friends and neighbours and we are kind and
considerate to all.
Expanding Waistline No doubt most of you have realised that the turkey, roast potatoes,Christmas pud and mince pies etc. have made our clothing a bit tight around the waist. Why not
contact your local leisure centre and sign up for the Gym. Age doesn't come into it as you will receive a training plan from an experienced staff member and Pilates, Yoga and exercises such as weights, treadmills, cycling etc are available. Before you know it you'll be back to your well defined six pack. After 12 payment visits you get one free. You can also sign up on-line at the Pods. For more details contact your local centre.
Hope
The great English Poet Alfred Lord Tennyson once wrote "Hope smiles on the threshold of the year to come whispering that it will be happier" As we look forward in
wonder, I say hope knows a thing or two and we should listen to her.
Police Alert Car Theft - There have been an increase in the incidents of theft from cars. We all lock our cars however they just smash the relevant window. Police are reminding drivers never leave anything of value in your car, such as sat navs, brief cases, handbags etc.
Grooming - A man has recently been prosecuted for grooming a thirteen your girl on the internet, What he didn't realise he was actually in contact with a woman police
officer. Police have warned parents to check what their child is doing on-line especially on social media sites. Their advice is talk to your child about the dangers and gain theirtrust to check what they are doing.
Gardeners World The chafer bug has ruined Normanby Hall cricket pitch and several incidents have been reported around the area, one couple had to dig up their lawn. The bugs feed on the roots of the grass and then birds come along to eat the bugs and tear up the grass in the process. Like the knotweed the bugs need specialised treatment which could run into thousands of pounds also the weather must be right for treatment e.g. warm. Keep your eyes on your lawns and if you notice anything unusual contact Ongo Homes for advice.
Scam Watch £12.5 billion have been garnered by scammers in 2016 which roughly equates to £120 pounds per adult in the Country. To me it's absolutely tragic that this is happening to
our population especially the vulnerable and elderly residents. These pariahs should be ashamed of themselves but be warned they are becoming more sophisticated and inventive, so be on the lookout for anything unusual.It is considered that banks should do more.
Amazon - If you order from Amazon you may get an E-Mail stating that they cannot process it unless you click on thelink. The link then asks you for your bank details. Watch out for it, this is a scam. Don't click.
Restaurants - Have been targeted mainly in London whereby they are contacted by phonefrom people purporting to be bankers saying that there credit card machines were no longer useable due to a software failure. They then provide a phone number to ring for customers to pay by credit cards, then they ask the customer to provide
confidential information regarding their bank details. It even sounds suspicious doesn't it? However the restaurants obviously want to be paid therefore this scam has proven successful in the majority of cases.
North Lincolnshire Council-The council have warned residents regarding door knockers going around touting for business to do drives, landscaping and roof repairs. On their paperwork they have the council logo which indicates they are endorsed by them and are approved. The council have said this is a scam and it is illegal to use their logo without their permission.
Money Advice Service -The service has stated that emails are being sent out
purporting to come from them explaining that they now have to charge for the service, a link is provided to enter bank details. Don't click on the link. The service says they are free and will always remain so.
News from the World of Housing
Government Autumn Statement 1) Housing is now considered to be infrastructure. The chancellor Mr Hammond went on to say " by pitching housing as part of the solution to the key economic problems of productivity.
2) £7.5 billion funding has been allocated to accelerate construction of affordable homes and new housing.
3) A further £1.4 billion for affordable homes was announced it does seem to be new money. However landlords consider that London appears to rake precedence over the rest of the country when it comes to applications.
4) Part of the money will go on increasing flexibilityof provision for housing
associations with not much more information in the statement. However forecasts
revealed from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) assume that there will be a sharp reduction in shared ownership and more emphasis on affordable homes and rent - to - buy.
Comment :- The emphasis for future housing appears to be on affordable homes, this is where future and current residents can apply for a reduction on rent of up to 20% depending on their financial circumstances.
New Social Housing Regulator for the Homes and Community Agency (HCA) The government plans to create a new social housing regulator for the HCA but
independent from it. The HCA will retain its regularity powers and operations. The chair of the HCA said "The HCA welcomes the Government's commitment to have a strong and independent regulator for the social housing sector. The decision to separate the regulator from the HCA will strengthen our ability to promote a viable, efficient and well governed social housing sector able to deliver homes that meet a variety of needs." The consultation document said this move was necessary to address the potential
conflict of interest arising from the HCA funding arm.
Homes and Community Agency - Regulator Fees Consultation. The social housing regulator has launched its consultation into charging fees, with a preferred start date of April 2017. The charges are proposed as a one-off fixed fee for registration of £2,500 and an annual fee based on the number of social housing units owned. Providers with more than 1000 units could be charged £5.00 per unit, and those with less than 1000 could be charged a fixed fee of £300.00.Itis expected to raise £12.5 billion annually.This would cost Ongo Homes approximately £50,000 per annum. Non paying associations could face a regulatory downgrade. The director of regulation of the HCA said. "Overall the amount raised in fees compared to sectors overall debt and overall turnover. In terms of outgoings £12,5 billion is quite a small amount of money". The fees result from the costs associated with regulation following cuts to the HCA budget.
Social Housing Landlords response to the Regulator regarding Fees Social Housing Landlords have criticised the social housing regulators proposal to charge fees, The National housing Federation (NHF) warned that the introduction of fees would reduce capacity to build homes. They also said that bringing in fees in April "should be out of the question " as there wouldn't be enough time for associations to prepare. Julian Ashby chair of the HCA said " at the moment he did not know whether the formal implementation would be on 1st April 2017, October 2017 or April 2018". He went on to say that the regulator needed to demonstrate to the sector how it was using the fees and that it is committed to transparency on this point. It was stated that the fees mean the regulator would need to demonstrate value for money as associations would become customers, holding it to account.
Benefit Cap In November the Benefit Cap was implemented, this limits the total benefits families can receive from £26,000 per annum to £20000, (£23,000 in London). It is estimated
that 116,000 families in Britain will be affected. Some families could lose £115 per week from the change. In total around 320,000 children could be affected, the vast
majority of the families have 2 - 3 children.
Modular Homes In a joint venture, China National Building Material Company (CNBM) has established a £2.75 billion joint venture with a UK Housing Association, Your Housing Group (YSG) based in Warrington and renewable energy group Welink. The venture will
supply 25,000 prefabricated, solar powered, low carbon, energy efficient homes at least 75% of grid per year by 2022 using Spanish technology. Six factories will be built creating 1000 jobs for the project. The partnership is planned to ease the massive
under supply and demand for affordable homes in the UK. The deal has been
endorsed by the UK’s Department for International Trade with CNBM investing £2.5 billion, and housing association YHG £250 million. Five pilot schemes are planned to deliver 2000 homes this year with the first one in Liverpool where planning permission is expected in January. Whist this is a welcome boost with 2500 homes however it is some way short of the 25000 required just to meet UK demand without putting a dent in the shortfall of housing over the last twenty years.
News from North Lincolnshire Council Review of the Year Lincolnshire Lakes Project -Planning permission has been granted for more than 7,300 new homes to be built for the £1.3 billion development which will see the
creation of five new villages. Around 5,000 jobs will be created as part of the project, which is going to be the region's largest housing regeneration scheme for years to come. A new 12,000 seat football stadium will also be included in the scheme. The land is adjacent to Gunness straight opposite the exit from the M181. Permission has been granted for more than 7,300 new homes to be built for the £1.3 billion
development which will see the creation of five new villages. Around 5,000 jobs will be created as part of the project, which is going to be the region's largest housing
regeneration scheme for years to come. A new 12,000 seat football stadium will also be included in the scheme. The land is adjacent to Gunness Straight opposite the exit from the M181.
North Lincs Broadband Project - the £7 million project has been a huge success . The second phase is well underway to give people access to high speed broadband services. The original targets of the project were exceeded ahead of schedule and coverage has now been increased to 99% of properties for the second phase that will be complete in 2018. - exceeding the national target of 95%.
Festival of Skills and Opportunities -Now in its second year the Festival saw 20 events take place throughout October with more than 4,000 people attending. Working with local partner organisations it provides opportunities to help people to get back into work and raises the aspirations of young people and children.
Scunthorpe Town Centre - is definitely attracting more visitors and developments are being made with the £45 million investment plans. This includes the new Ongo head office, improved road infrastructure, extension to Church Square House, specialist lighting to Church Square and plans to improve Scunthorpe Market.
Car Parking - The free parking initiatives are a continuing success by welcoming people to stay longer in our town centres and supporting the variety of shops and
independent retailers.
Scunthorpe Magistrates Court On the 22nd December 2016 the 62 year old court was closed. All cases have been transferred to the court in Grimsby meaning that people attending will be subject to the expense of travelling by road or rail. A senior Solicitor in the town said "The justification for the closure is that on average many were only used for a third of their available time and 97% of users would still be able to reach their replacement court by car or public transport within an hour. Whether this can be achieved is debatable. Grimsby is an already a very busy court centre and it is likely that the progress of existing cases will be delayed as a result of the additional work transferring from Scunthorpe".
Fly Tipping- Figures obtained from the Department for Environment show incidents reported by the Council on fly tipping for 2014 - 2015. The costs to the Council for
incident clearance was £378,999. The council dealt with 5,291 incidents including 3,630 in back alleyways, 573 on highways and 333 on footpaths and bridleways 499 incidents on council land and 119 commercial incidents. Recently a cost of £5000 was incurred by having to clear up a travellers site next to West Common Lane. A further £2,000 was spent on the clear up to the Tent Town which was set up to protest about homelessness (although only one of the protesters was actually homeless and refused the offer of help from the council) Drug paraphernalia and human faeces was part of the clear up. It should be noted that this is tax payers money. If you see fly tipping
taking place try and get the registration number of the vehicle and report it to the Council.
Comment: - What is happening to our green and pleasant land? are we
becoming a nation of litter bugs. As I drive around sometimes I look at the grass verges and see plastic bottles, take away trays, plastic bags etc. It beggars
believe what some people will do to spoil our country.The advice is TAKE IT HOME AND BIN IT.
New Coinage - On March 28th new £2.00,£1.00 and 50p coins will be legal tender and come into circulation. The council have already converted 35 cash payment machines for car parking to accommodate the coins. The total cost so far is approx. £3,500. The present coins will bebecome illegal in October 2017. Spare a thought for the pubs, clubs and bookies who will have to change all their machines.
Support for Young People -Children and young people across North Lincolnshire can now find emotional health and wellbeing support through a new website and an app called Life Central. It will provide children with a range of
information and support including eating well,bullying, exam stress, sexual health and internet safety. Life Central aims to: empower young people with the provision of
information in a young friendly format to help them to help themselves. Promote
self - esteem, good mental wellbeing and resilience and identify positive action to
support good mental health and wellbeing.
News from Ongo Homes 10th Anniversary - This year marks ten years since Ongo Homes (formally North
Lincolnshire Homes) took over from the council to form a Social Housing organisation. As a tenant controlled by both of the authorities, I have never regretted the change. Ongo have proved to be an efficient, committed organisation dedicated to serving their tenants and giving them the opportunity to become involved by setting up a number of options such as Resident Scrutiny Panel, Tenant Inspectors , Community Voice,
Complaints Panel plus many others, refer to the Menu of Options available from Customer Centre at Cole Street. Tenants feel involved and empowered to the extent whereby Community Voice can vote for Policy Changes and Ordinary Members have 51% of the voting rights at Ongo AGM's. There slogan “Everything we do is put back into local communities" is certainly true. The staff from the Chief Executive,down the chain, are all helpful, friendly and approachable. So here's to the next ten years.
Chair of Ongo Communities Police Officer James Main has been appointed as the new chair of Ongo Communities. The voluntary role which is carried out in his spare time, sees him overseeing the community investment work, James said " Our vision is to create truly vibrant
communities where people have aspirations and opportunities and I feel very
privileged to be selected as chair"
HCA Funding Ongo Homes have received £7.75 million from the HCA. The money will be used to build 257 new homes during the next four years. There will be a variety of house types 32 of the homeswill be classed as specialist care, these are the first in North Lincolnshire, with a mixture of wheelchair access bungalows and the dementia care scheme, 200 affordable social homes and 25 shared ownership homes. This meets the criteria set by the HCA.Talks are currently ongoing with the Council regarding locations.
Plan to extend property folio Ongo have unveiled a plan to invest £2 million and is seeking planning permission to build 26 single bedroom town flats and houses on sites in Henderson Avenue, Davy Avenue and Holgate Road. If given approval the work could start in February 2017.