Winter Edition 2016

18th January 2016

NEWSLETTER

WINTER EDITION 2016

Dear Resident(s)

I would like to wish you all a Happy New Year.

I am sure like me you all feel the year “2015” flew by and have questioned “where did that year go”. 2016 promises to be an equally busy year for Battersea Fields RMO.

The Board and I are currently in the process of procuring for the repair contracts and we hope by April 2016 we will be able to confirm as to which contractors have been successful and awarded the contract to work on our estate.

For those of you that kindly attended the last General Meeting in October, you may recall that we discussed the current cleaning contract. This is due to reach its term at the end of January 2016 and as such we will be following the procurement process inviting cleaning companies to tender. Please note until further notice Lewis & Graves cleaning operatives will be continuing to work on our estate, on a rolling-monthly contract basis.

Please take a few moments to read our “winter” addition newsletter, which I hope you will find interesting and useful. If you have any comments or suggestions I welcome your thoughts.

Kind regards

Sarah, Housing Manager

Kitchen & Bathrooms – Decent Home Standards

For our tenants, please feel re-assured that this programmed works is still scheduled to go ahead. This is a major works programme that is being run by Wandsworth Council which affects tenanted properties only. I have been updated by the Project Controller that he hopes the works will commence in the April / May 2016.

We will of course keep you updated of any developments.

Mutual Exchange – Tenant Properties

We are often approached by tenants asking if we are aware of anyone on the estate that would be willing to “swap homes” because their property is no longer suitable but they wish to remain living on Battersea Fields estate, i.e they might need a large property or require lower level.

Under the terms of your tenancy, mutual exchange is permitted providing certain criteria’s are met. Whilst tenants would still have to seek permission from Wandsworth Council as the landlord, we feel it would be beneficial if we assisted those interested with their search.

If you are interested please visit our reception to register your interest and obtain information on the process.

For tenants wishing to move off of the estate you can register your details with Home Swapper the largest mutual exchange service for people wishing to swap their homes. For more information log onto or contact the office.

Household Waste and Chutes

There have been a number of reports of blocked chutes in the taller blocks. This is often caused by residents disposing of unsuitable items down the chutes.

Please ensure that large or bulky items i.e pizza boxes and black bags are not put down the chute. These items should be placed in the paladin bins in the bin chamber. If the chute is blocked do not continue to put rubbish down it.

The picture above shows a speaker that was placed in the chute at Walden House Block 23-55 which proved difficult to remove and rendered the chute out of service for a period of time.

Furthermore, please do not leave bags of rubbish outside of the bin chamber, this is a health and safety hazard as foxes tear open the bags which leads to rats.

If you are having works carried out in your property and using an external Contractor it’s your responsibility to ensure that any unwanted items are taken away by the Contractor and not left outside the block or dumped in the paladin bins.

The photos taken show rubbish dumped outside the middle block of Walden House, as well as unsightly and a health and safety risk, dumping rubbish is a breach of your tenancy/lease conditions.

The Board and staff are working hard on your behalf to make our estate a better community for you, our residents. We can only be successful in doing so if we have the support of residents and we work together as a community. It only takes a minority of residents to have a negative effect on the appearance of the estate by not disposing of their rubbish correctly, allowing their dogs to urinate in the lifts, leaving items outside on the communal landings (including rubbish) and general anti-social behaviour.

We trust and more importantly residents trust that we can rely on everyone to dispose of their rubbish correctly and take on board the other matters that have been raised.

PLEASE CLEAN UP AFTER YOUR PETS

We are still noticing dogs mess inside of the blocks, pathways and grassed areas on the estate by dog owners who exercise their dogs. Ground contaminated by dog fouling is a source of disease, with children particularly at risk.

Most dog owners take a responsible attitude towards looking after their pet and keeping it under control, but there is a minority of people who allow their dogs to roam freely or foul estate areas. For more information on the Dog Byelaws, please obtain a leaflet from the estate office or contact the Dog Control Service on 0208 871 7606.

External/Communal Redecorations and Repairs Phase 2 major works.

Smith and O’Sullivan Ltd were appointed to carry out the 2nd Phase of the major works which commenced in December.

The blocks in this Phase are Berry House, Macdonald House, Hopkinson House, Rushlake House, Bishopstone House and Wittering House.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused as the contractors had to locate their site office in the bays at the beginning of Dresden House, we appreciate that the bays were used for the first phase of the communal repair and redecoration however this area is the most suitable area for the contactors to be based.

We are pleased to advise residents that the website is now available to view. You will now be able to access forms such as Standing Order forms, Complaints and Feedback forms and many more. You will also find up to date information regarding your block/estate which may affect you and. dates and times of trips arranged by the Social Sub Committee and up and coming events.

Flytipping

Flytipping is when rubbish is dumped illegally.It is unsightly, can be unsafe, and it attracts pests such as rats and flies.Help keep the estate clean by reporting flytipping, and getting rid of rubbish correctly. If caught flytipping the maximum penalty is £50,000 fine and/or 12 months in prison.

You can report flytipping by either contacting the office or online at www.wandsworth.gov.uk/flytipping

It would be helpful if you can give the following details:

Date,Time,Location, a description of what was dumped, registration numbers and description of vehicles involved also a description of the persons involved.

Housing Benefit- Reporting Change of Circumstances

Any changes to your circumstances (ie change to income, household; members moving in or out) should be reported to the Benefit Service at Wandsworth Council as soon as possible, and within 4 weeks of the change at the latest. Failure to do so could mean that you may have an overpayment of Housing Benefit which you may have to pay back and may also lead to rent arrears.

Please call the Benefits Service at Wandsworth Council on: 0208 871 8080 for more information, or complete a Change of Circumstances Form online at:www.wandsworth.gov.uk and click the link for Benefits and Council Tax on the left-hand side of the home page.

Please note that until your claim is reassessed, you are responsible for paying the full weekly rent.

In order to assist you further with your claim, Battersea Fields can contact the Benefits Service for updates on your claim. However, we need your written permission to do so. Please therefore contact Sue with regards to completing the permission form authorising us to contact the Benefits Service for updates.

Recycling

The Golden Ticket competition has been launched by the Western Riverside Waste Authority (WRWA), which is responsible for managing waste disposal and sorting the mixed recycling collected across the London boroughs of Hammersmith and Fulham, Lambeth, Wandsworth and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

WRWA has been awarded a government grant for the competition to help give residents of the four boroughs extra motivation to recycle more - and recycle correctly.

You should have received a book of golden tickets through your door during September. To be in with a chance of winning, all you have to do is put your contact details on a golden ticket and pop it into a clear sack or mixed recycling bank with your clean recycling.

Golden tickets found at the WRWA recycling facility at Smugglers Way will be entered into a prize draw.The first draw took place on October 30th with a Tooting resident winning the first draw, with three further draws in December, February and March.

Please call into Battersea Fields office to collect more Golden Tickets if needed and also a reusable recycling bag.

Good Luck!!

Repairs

The staff at Battersea Fields RMO take a number of calls from residents regarding repairs that may or may not be the responsibility of BFRMO to repair, and with this in mind we wanted to take the opportunity of sending out this newsletter to highlight a few points that you as residents may not be aware of.

Under our “Module Management Agreement” with Wandsworth Council there are certain repair or maintenance elements that remain the responsibility of Wandsworth Council. In particular, roof repairs, lifts and the heating contract for tenanted properties.

If you should be affected by water ingress from the roof then the first point of call is reporting it to the BFRMO office. However, please note if the ingress is due to a fault with the roof covering then any necessary repairs are referred to the area team at Wandsworth Council Housing Department to action. We will of course still act as your point of contact.

In regards to general repairs and looking after your homes, we would ask residents to take a few moments to read your Tenancy Condition booklet, copies of which are available at the estate office.

For leaseholders, we equally encourage you to be familiar with the terms of your lease, especially when you are considering carrying out alterations within the property and/or if you are considering subletting your home.

Small Improvements to the Estate

You may have been approached by Members of the Board who are currently canvassing residents for views and suggestions on improvements that you would like to have to the estate. With “Health and Well Being” playing an important part in everyone’s daily life, one of the suggestions that we have considered putting forward is for outside gym equipment.

Specific areas situated on the green between the larger blocks could be dedicated to this gym equipment, that would be suitable for all ages. If this is something that you would be in favour of then please contact the office or if you have any other suggestions that you feel would benefit the residents of the estate, your input would be greatly appreciated.

Wooden Flooring within your Homes

We do appreciate that many of us prefer to have laminate flooring installed in our homes and under the terms of your tenancy or lease, this is permitted providing it is substantially covered with material suitable for substantially reducing the transmission of noise. It is recommended that the underlay installed is a minimum of 5mm thick.

Please bear this in mind when installing this form of floor covering. Whilst laminate flooring has its positive elements compared to carpet, it can be the root cause of complaints by your surrounding neighbours that are disturbed by household living noises which are made worse by this type of flooring being installed.

KEEPING WARM AND WELL – ADVICE FOR OVER 60s

Did you know that you could be eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment? This is a tax-free benefit to help pay for heating during the winter. You could be eligible if you were born on or before 5th July 1950 and could get between £250.00 to £400.00 depending on your age, circumstances and whether you receive Pension Credit, Income based Jobseekers Allowance or Income Related Support and Allowance.

For more information please call 03459 151515 (8.30 – 4.30 Mon – Fri). Tenants are welcome to use the Batthersea Fields Office telephone to contact the Winter Fuel Payment line.

Water Booster Pumps

For those of our residents that reside in the larger blocks, we hope you have seen an improvement with the water pressure, now that Thames Water have installed the booster pumps.

The contractor assigned to the works on behalf of Thames Water, Fraser Water Services Ltd worked extremely hard on the project to avoid causing any disruption to residents. They will be back in the Spring time to plant grass seeds on the areas affected by the digging.

ANNUAL CHRISTMAS EVENT

The Christmas workshop last year was a huge success. Over 70 adults and children attended throughout

the afternoon and had fun making Christmas cards and Christmas decorations. The children also enjoyed other activities such as face painting, willow making, jewellery making, and icing biscuits. The children were then able to take the finished items home with them.

If you have any suggestions or feedback following this event thn please contact Board members via the estate office at Walden House.

Christmas Pantomime – Peter Pan

The pantomime was attended at the beginning of January by residents and their families. The second half of the show was staged in 3d with special effects lighting which gave it a very real effect and added to the feel of the production.

Fifty seven adults and children attended and the show was thoroughly enjoyed by both young and old.

Parking on the Estate

If we may remind residents that we do have petition in the office if you wish to sign it, to have Control Parking on the highways that run in and around our estate.

As soon as we have a sufficient amount of signatures we can submit it to Wandsworth Council . If you are unable to visit the office, we are able to accept signatures in writing or via e-mail.

May we also remind residents to be considerate when parking on the estate and in particular do not park your vehicle in front of other vehicles within the bays.

Consultation regarding a 20mph Speed Limit on Residential Streets in Wandsworth

Wandsworth Council has decided for the first time to consult residents across the whole borough as to whether they want a new 20mph speed limit on all residential streets. The date for the consultation has not been decided, but is likely to be early in this New Year.

The most urgent reason for lowering the speed limit is that in 2014 there were 1,124 casualties on our roads. This was an increase of 13% over the previous year. And 200 of the people injured were pedestrians (a 23% increase) and 324 were cyclists (a 12% rise).

Wandsworth Living Streets is a voluntary organisation of residents from across the borough. They work to achieve safer, more attractive and more people-friendly streets. One of the many issues they are active on is speed limits. Wandsworth Living Streets believe a lower speed limit is one effective way to reduce the number of collisions and the likely severity of injuries sustained. They have a website which you can see at

We would like to let you know as soon as the Council’s consultation dates are announced you will be advised.

The office opening times are Monday to Friday 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm (calls will still be taken throughout the lunch time closure).

If we can assist you in anyway please call us on 020 7622 7499 or email