in

Your magazine from Autumn 2008

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Fun in the sun,
summer fete
Page 4

Making warmth
affordable
Page 11

Teign Housing
In Bloom garden
competition results
 Page 6
 q Contact us
Welcome to In Touch If you are deaf, hard of hearing, speech–
impaired or deafblind you can contact us
using the free Typetalk service. Simply
Welcome to your autumn issue of In Touch. Read on for lots of useful dial 18001 before the number you
information about your homes and communities. require (remember you’ll have to include
our area code 01626 even if you’re
Along with your usual favourites we have pictures from the summer
calling from the same area).
fete on page four. We also have the results of the 2008 Teign Housing
In Bloom garden competition, and the results of our first ever Repairs hotline and gas repairs
photography competition. Turn to the kids page for some spooky q FREEPHONE: 0800 1979790
Halloween craft ideas. @ repairs@teignhousing.co.uk

The editorial team Customer services

Whatever your query regarding your
homes – our Customer Services
Advisors are here to help.
COVER PHOTO - Bungee run, so much fun.
q 01626 322722
Monday-Thursday 8.30am-5pm

Is this clear? @
Friday 8.30am-4.30pm
info@teignhousing.co.uk
Do you or someone you know have any difficulty reading this Minicom: 01626 322797
magazine? In Touch is available in large print, Braille, translated Teign Housing, Templar House,
Collett Way, Newton Abbot
into your choice of language or on audio cassette or CD - please
TQ12 4PH.
call 01626 322722 (Minicom 01626 322797) or e-mail www. www.teignhousing.co.uk
intouch@teignhousing.co.uk to request a copy.
Planned maintenance
q 01626 322717
@ planned@teignhousing.co.uk
Getting involved
For information on your local tenant
group, the Tenants’ Forum, Sheltered
Panel or how you can get involved.
q 01626 322750
@ getinvolved@teignhousing.co.uk
TeignCare community alarm
q 01626 355135
@ teigncare@teignhousing.co.uk
TeignCare Control Centre, Freepost
(SWB30849) PO Box 228, Newton
Abbot, TQ12 4ZZ.

In Touch is written by an editorial board made up of customers,

Board Members and staff. Thanks to everyone who has helped put
together this issue or sent in articles, including Frances Axon, Ann
Hext, George-Alfred Husband, Darren Mann, Joe Williams and Scott
Winter. If you’d like to get involved, please contact us on 01626 Calls to Teign Housing may be recorded.
322722 or e-mail: intouch@teignhousing.co.uk Teign Housing is a Registered Social
Landlord number: LH4403
VAT Registration Number: 825180931
This magazine is printed on paper sourced from sustainable forests. Registered Charity Number: 1112196

2
 News
AGM report
Teign Housing’s Annual General
Meeting (AGM) was held at Teign
Housing’s office in Newton Abbot on
Wednesday 23rd July
Chair, Peter Wharf reported that it
had been a challenging year for the
organisation and was an exciting
time as the company entered the final
year of Tenants’ Promise improvement
works and had just built its first new
Sit back and relax homes at Wildwood Hill in Newton
Abbot.

Play in the park Company members voted to re-

appoint Jacqui Butler, Sandra Heath,
Donald Joint and Stan Rodliffe as
The TEPEE Teignbridge Play Network is a local charity that has been Board Members and to re-appoint
commissioned by Teignbridge District Council to run one of their lottery Teign Housing’s auditors, KPMG.
funded play schemes – The Play Ranger project. TEPEE promotes the
importance of play and provides play opportunities for children in Teignbridge Redundant back-boilers
through their many projects. By listening to young people, the play activities
Some homes might have a
are organised using their ideas. The TEPEE Play Rangers can be found on
redundant back-boiler that we have
Mondays from 3pm – 6pm in Sandringham Park, Buckland, Newton Abbot
decommissioned behind a blocked fire
come rain or shine!
place. It is safe for a redundant back-
The aim of the play sessions are to: boiler to be left like this, provided
• Help young people enjoy being outdoors and learn through play; that you don’t unblock the fire place,
• Create a positive environment for play; and light a fire in front of it.
• Teach new skills and create opportunities to try new things; Redundant back-boilers are now being
• Work with the community to tackle issues like anti-social behaviour and removed through the improvements
bullying. programme and when somebody
The play sessions are a great way to boost young people’s self-esteem and moves out of their home. We would
confidence. Over the last few months they have enjoyed some excellent Play like to remind customers that
Ranger sessions in Sandringham Park. The children have joined in with all you should let us know if you are
sorts of activities including den building, making hammocks, badge making, planning on opening up a blocked fire
story telling, football, cricket and hide and seek games. place, so that we can make sure that
it is safe to do so. Please contact
Parents, come and join in too! us on 01626 322722 or info@
“The project only allows for two workers for each session so parental support teignhousing.co.uk
is essential for the young people’s enjoyment of the sessions and the
continuation of the project.”
Robin and Steve, Tepee Play Rangers, Sandringham Park
The Play Rangers are now in Teignmouth with a new project in Coombe Valley
Park on Tuesday 30 September and will be there each Tuesday from 3pm. Why
not go and find them and see what they are up to?
If you and your child would like to join in, please contact Robin on 07807
812455, e-mail: tepeeplayrangers@yahoo.co.uk or visit www.tepee.org.
uk for more information. Parents will need to fill in a registration form and be
fully contactable throughout the sessions that their child attends.

3
 Fun in the sun
Summer finally arrived just in time
for the Teign Housing summer Sunny summer day
fete held at Sandringham Park,
Newton Abbot on Saturday 19th
July. Many of you joined us for
a day of fun in the sun, and with
entertainment ranging from a
bungee run to croquet and from
face painting to bingo, there was
plenty to see and do.
As well as a fun day out, it was
also an opportunity for customers
and staff to meet and chat about
different aspects of your homes
and neighbourhoods.
We also launched our ‘bag it and
bin it’ campaign to encourage dog
owners to pick up after their dogs.
A display highlighted the health
risks and dog treats were given
away as prizes for the hugely
popular game, ‘poop-la’.
The Teign Housing contractors all
joined in as well, Rok supplied
copious amounts of cream teas,
Connaught and Ian Williams
provided prizes for the draw and
Gibbs and Lugg sponsored the
choc ices and ice lollies.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the

day, as did the rest of Teign
Housing’s staff. The whole
day had a very friendly
atmosphere with a real sense
of community spirit. It was
fantastic to see so many of
you there - thank you to
everybody who came along
and I hope you enjoyed it as
much as I did.”
Peter Wharf, Teign Housing’s
Chair of the Board

Thank you to everyone who filled

in the feedback forms. They will
help us organise an even better
event next time! An audience with Mike Hanrahan, Teign Housing’s Chief Executive

4
 Food glorious food

Never too old to join in

You’re nicked, Peter Wharf

A great turn out

5
Teign Housing In Bloom
garden competition 2008
Judging for the annual Teign Housing
1st prize, individual garden
garden competition was held in July,
just before the wet weather set in.
Luckily, we got to see all the gardens
looking at their very best.

As in previous years, the judges had

a difficult task picking the winners.
The winners in each category were
presented with a cup, a certificate
and a £25 garden centre voucher. This
year the judges also gave a special
prize to Mr and Mrs Collins, who
have transformed their garden from a
difficult grassy slope into a terraced
garden, which has become a haven
for wildlife.

1st prize, container garden 1st prize, communal garden

Judges’ special prize Emma Ford and Teign Housing’s head judge, Donald Joint

6
Individual Garden
First Prize – Emma Ford, Dawlish
Judge’s Special Prize –
Mr and Mrs Collins, Christow
Photography competition
Thank you to everyone who entered the Teign Housing photography
competition. We had so many fantastic entries. The winners are:

Highly Commended:
Mr and Mrs Dennis, Ashburton
John Nutley, Ashburton
Emma Scott, Bovey Tracey
Leslie Linton, Chudleigh
Mr and Mrs Jones, Kingsteignton
Jenny Preece, Kingsteignton
Mrs Williams, Starcross
Mrs Budd, Tedburn St Mary

Container Garden
First Prize – Moray Murby, Christow
Highly Commended:
Mrs Hume and Mrs Jeffery,
Buckfastleigh
Dawn Lee, Dawlish
Mrs Voisey, Kingsteignton
Lily Moss, Newton Abbot Overall winner 18 and over – Sarah Windsor, Teignmouth wins £50

Communal Garden
First Prize –
Bradley Court, Newton Abbot
Highly Commended:
Mill Path, Ashburton
St Mary’s Court, Newton Abbot

Overall winner 17 and under –

Sam Holmes, Teignmouth wins £50

Portrait - Sarah Windsor,

Teignmouth wins £10

Moray Murby, Christow

Wildlife – Pat Boogaerdt, Landscape – Eric Brown, Dawlish wins £10

Newton Abbot wins £10
Donald Joint with Mrs Collins, Christow

7
 Children’s page

Kids colouring competition

Winners

Chloe Docksey aged 6 Rocho M’Quire, aged 7 Danielle Clarke, aged 11

Well done to everyone who entered our summer colouring-in

competition. Once again, we had so many entries that were What
d
birds o
all really good. Our lucky winners this time are:

s
Hallo ay on
6 years and under Chloe Docksey

sa
How doe gin ween
7 to 9 years Rocho M’Quire
10 years and over Danielle Clarke
be Trick ?
We also had a lot of lovely stories written monster ? -
twee or-
about the picture. We particularly liked this one
fa i r y t ale t!
because running for a charity is a fun way to a
raise money for a good cause.
O n c e u pon
“ ”
and there
a slime…
It was the summer holidays
er, and
was a sponsored race for Canc
lots of people joined in. Danielle
and
ng e on
Sammy were best friends and
they
a t ’ s ora c l e ar
thought of having the sponso
red race. Wh side and
n
They both entered the race bec
ause one the i outside?
e
of their mates had suffered fro
m Cancer.
got a box
on th i n i na
Danielle won the race so she
d it with p u mpk !
of chocolates, but she share A c b ag
i
her mates. Altogether they rai
sed £516.27! plast
12
Story by Jamie-Lee noble, age
8
 Children’s page

Get crafty for Halloween

Get ready for Halloween with these
spooky craft ideas.

Pumpkin mask
Materials needed for the pumpkin
mask:
• A paper plate;
• Coloured crayons, pens or paint;
• Scissors;
• Hole punch;
• Elastic, string or ribbon.
Draw a face onto the back of the paper
plate with a pen or pencil.
Cut out the eyes, nose and mouth with
a pair of scissors - you might need
to ask an adult to help you with the
cutting.
Decorate the front of the paper plate
with your coloured pens or paint to
make it look like a pumpkin.
Punch a hole in each side of the mask
and tie a piece of elastic, string or
ribbon through the holes, making sure
that the mask fits comfortably around
your head.
Bertie Bat
Materials needed for the bat clips:
• Black paper or card;
• Pencil; Scissors;
• Clothes peg; Glue.
Draw the bat’s body and wings onto
the black paper or card using a pencil,
making sure the body is big enough to
cover the clothes peg.
Glue the wings to the clothes peg first,
and then stick on the body and eyes.
Decorate your home on Halloween
by clipping
these bats
onto curtains,
furniture and
anywhere else
you think a
bat would like
to perch!

Halloween
maze
Help the witch through
the maze to find her cat.

9
Anti-social behaviour
With Teign Housing’s Neighbourhood Support Advisor, Trevor Vincer

Foul play
update
During the summer fete (see page four) we launched our ‘bag it and bin it’
campaign. Dog mess makes gardens and communal areas look dirty. It is also a
risk to public health. If you own a dog, you should make sure that you pick up
after it and dispose of mess in the appropriate bins.
Did you know?
• Over a ten year lifetime, a dog can produce up to half a ton of faeces;
• All faeces contains bacteria that can cause stomach upsets if ingested;
• The greatest risk to public health from dog faeces is Toxocariasis.
what is Toxocariasis?
There are two types of Toxocariasis - one affects the liver, causing abdominal
pains. The other affects the eye, causing significant visual impairment and in
severe cases, blindness.
THE LAw
Toxocariasis is an infection of the round worm ‘Toxocara canis’, which can be
spread via dog faeces. Young children are at a greater risk because of their • All dogs must wear a collar
weaker immune systems, and they’re more likely to come into contact with it
when playing in grassy areas.
and clearly displayed tag;
• The tag must have the

parking permits name and address of the

dog’s owner;
Following a consultation with customers, a number of Teign Housing car
parks have been identified as ‘hot spots’ where • To enable dog owners to
they are being used by non-residents, clear up after their dog,
making it difficult for customers to
ark ing
park their cars. p mit Teignbridge District Council
The following sites are now
operating a parking permit system:
peVrisitor to 7 conse
cutive
rk
has placed 400 dog bins
around the district, which
r up Car Pa
p arking fo
s
• Hamlyns Way – Buckfastleigh allow are emptied regularly;
ermit hdraw
This p he right
to wit e
e the nt of misu
s
• Douglas House - Teignmouth days
at t
Hous
ing hav
the e
ve

• Bitton Park Road - Teignmouth

Teign permit in
this • If you need to report dog
• St James House – Teignmouth 3227
77
fouling or overflowing
626
s: 01
• St Marys - Newton Abbot l Enq
uirie

• Bradley Court – Newton Abbot

Gene
ra
ExPiR
ES: dog waste bins, call the
• Park View – Kenton Environmental Health
W.J Parking will patrol the car parks and any vehicle not displaying a Hotline on 0800 238 6402;
permit will be issued with a fixed penalty. W.J Parking will also deal with
un-roadworthy and un-taxed vehicles on these sites. • If you allow your dog to
Limited parking permits can be issued to residents, visitors, staff, foul and do not clear up
contractors and recognised care service providers. If you need a parking after it, you may face a
permit, you can request one on our website www.teignhousing.co.uk or
by contacting the Customer Services Team on 01626 322722 or £75 fixed penalty fine.
e-mail: info@teignhousing.co.uk.

10
Making warmth affordable
The cold winter weather will soon be with us, along with
the effects of the credit crunch. Several energy suppliers
announced price rises of 35% this summer and another
rise of 20% is expected in the New Year. This is a huge
worry for a lot of our customers - people are considered
fuel poor if 10% or more of their income is used to pay
fuel bills.

Are you struggling to afford warmth?

If you are, you’re not alone. It is estimated that there are
4 million households in fuel poverty in the UK. However,
it is really important that you keep yourself warm. There
are ways that you can reduce your bills without having to
switch off your heating.
Depending on your gas and electricity supplier, you could
save up to 10% by setting up a monthly Direct Debit to
pay your bills. Some suppliers will also give an extra
10% discount if you have an online account and choose
paperless billing. This means that instead of sending you
a bill in the post, they will e-mail it to you instead.
Most bills sent out are estimated, so whether your bill is
sent on paper, or by e-mail it is really important to give
your supplier regular meter readings so you don’t pay Water
too much. It will also prevent you from being billed for
People living in the South West have always paid higher
a large sum of money if you have been paying too little.
than average water bills. One way you may be able to save
Meter readings can usually be given over the phone or
money on your water bill is to get a water meter fitted. If
online.
they can, South West Water will fit one for free and you will
What if I don’t have an e-mail account or only pay for what you use. This may help if you use little
water or if there are few people living in a larger home.
access to the internet at home?
If they are unable to fit a meter i.e. if you live in a block
Why not use the free internet access which is available
of flats, you can ask for assessed charges.
in the Tenants’ Resource Centre at Teign Housing’s office.
It is open 10am – 3pm Monday and Wednesday and 2pm
What are assessed charges?
– 5.45pm on Thursday. You can contact the Tenants’
Resource Centre on 01626 366862. Assessed charges are a better reflection of your actual
water usage, they can be based on:
Free or low cost IT courses are often available at your
local community centre or school, these courses will help • The type of property you live in;
you gain basic IT skills and usually include lessons on • Your average household bill – a flat rate will be charged;
e-mailing and the internet. Check out Talk Training’s adult • The amount of people who live in your home.
education programme, contact them on 01626 777220 If you are on a low income, you may be referred to their
for more details. WaterCare scheme which has Restart, a charity who run
We have been improving the energy efficiency of your a hardship scheme. What this means is, if the debtor
homes as part of the improvements programme. We have continues to pay £1.40 every week off their debt, Restart
been busy installing new heating, doors, windows and loft will pay off another £1.00 as well.
insulation, which will help keep the cost of your heating This scheme will also involve a home visit by a trained
bills down. See page 17 for the latest improvements advisor from South West Water, who will fit water saving
programme schedule. devices, carry out simple repairs on dripping taps and set-
out an affordable payment plan.
The South West Water debt helpline is 0800 0830 283

11
What do you think of
In Touch and Your View?
At the end of the year we will be reviewing Teign Our Customer Panel were asked a series of questions about
Housing’s magazines In Touch and Your View. We need to In Touch in their last questionnaire. Here are a few of the
do this to make sure that the content in the magazines is results:
useful and interesting.

Which In Touch articles do you enjoy reading?

Competitions 48%
Articles about people at Teign Housing 41%
Your letters 47%
Board/Teign Housing information 50%
People/services in your area 53%
Children’s pages 28%
How to report to Teign Housing 72%
Free courses/activities 35%
Financial information 40%
News from residents groups 46%
Dates for inspections etc 71%
Anti-Social Behaviour update 61%

0% 100%

Which In Touch articles don’t you enjoy reading?

Competitions 16%
Articles about people at Teign Housing 29%
Your letters 16%
Board/Teign Housing information 18%
People/services in your area 12%
Children’s pages 24%
How to report to Teign Housing 14%
Free courses/activities 25%
Financial information 24%
News from residents groups 16%
Dates for inspections etc 12%
Anti-Social Behaviour update 16%

0% 40%

Do you agree?
We would also like to know what you think. Please take a and return to us using the pre-paid envelope. The first
few moments to answer the questions opposite questionnaire to be pulled out of the hat will win a
£25 gift voucher.

12
Please tick up to five boxes in each column A, B and C There are not enough photos 
A. What B. What C. What It’s fine the way it is 
do you do you do you
like the like the find the Do you think we should change
most? least? most how the magazine looks?
useful? No, it’s fine the way it is 
Competitions
Yes, I think it should:
Articles about Look more like a newspaper 
people at Teign Look more like a glossy magazine 
Housing
Be smaller 
Your letters Be bigger 
Board/Teign Have different colours 
Housing
information Or, if you have any other ideas write them here
Services in your ____________________________________________
area
____________________________________________
Children’s pages
What type of competition do you like?
How to report
repairs/ASB…etc Please tick one only
to Teign Housing Wordsearch 
Free courses/ Sudoku
activities
Spot-the-difference 
Financial
information It’s good to have a mixture
News from Other 
residents groups
Do you think?
Dates for estate
inspections In Touch is produced too often
Anti-social We should produce more issues
Behaviour up-date
Or, 4 times a year is enough
At the moment we produce In Touch, which goes out
to everyone, Your View for people living in Sheltered Any other sugestions
Housing and TeignCare alarm customers and Your Voice ____________________________________________
for leaseholders.
____________________________________________
Should we keep producing the magazines ____________________________________________
in this way? ____________________________________________
Yes, it’s good to keep them separate  ____________________________________________
No, I think they should be combined
Your details
It doesn’t really affect me
Name:________________________________________
What do you think about the content of In Touch?
Please tick up to 3 boxes Address:______________________________________

There is too much writing  ____________________________________________

There is not enough writing  ____________________________________________
There are too many photos  Telephone:____________________________________

13
Civil partnership -
rights to housing
and welfare benefits
The Civil Partnership Act 2004 came into action on 5th
December 2005. A civil partnership allows a same-sex
couple to get legal recognition for their relationship.
This legal recognition gives same-sex couples additional
rights and responsibilities, including rights to housing and
welfare benefits.
Civil partnerships and housing
If you rent a property privately or through a housing
association, you are able to have your partner’s tenancy
transferred into joint names. If your partner dies, you may
be able to take over their tenancy, if it was in their name
only. If your partner has the Right to Buy their home, you
will have this right too.
Scrutiny Panel volunteers required
Are you looking for an opportunity to get involved
and learn new skills? Do you have an interest in
Teign Housing and the service it delivers? You now
have the opportunity to work with us at a strategic
level to make the service improvements that
customers want - this is a role where you can really
make a difference.
14
Civil partnerships and welfare benefits
If you live with your same-sex partner, you should claim
your welfare benefits as a couple – even if you haven’t
registered your civil partnership. The following benefits
may be affected:
• Income Support;
• Income Based Jobseeker’s Allowance;
• Pension Credit;
• Housing Benefit;
• Council Tax Benefit;
• Working Tax Credit/Child Tax Credit.
If you get Maternity Allowance, Incapacity Benefit, Carer’s
Allowance or Severe Disability Allowance, you may be able
to get extra benefit for your civil partner.
If you receive any other benefits, you should check
with your local benefit office to find out if your civil
partnership affects them in any way.
Teign Housing is looking for volunteers to attend
the Scrutiny Panel meetings four times a year. You
will be able to claim travel and other out-of-pocket
expenses. Training opportunities are also available
to suit your needs.
For an informal chat or application form please
contact Teresa Warn on 01626 322750 or e-mail:
teresa.warn@teignhousing.co.uk
The word is out!
The Rents Team from East Devon District Council visited 1st Prize £75.00 - Miss Northway, Newton Abbot
Teign Housing in July to get advice on how to improve
2nd Prize £50.00 - Miss Ryan, Teignmouth
their performance in all areas of rent arrears and
collection. 3rd Prize - £25.00 - Mrs Hawksby, Newton Abbot
Francis Bourke, Teign Housing’s Rents Team Leader Pay the easy way and be in with a chance to be a lucky
explained the work that we do, and the improvements winner by signing up for Direct Debit today. Visit www.
that Teign Housing has made over the last 12 months. teignhousing.co.uk or call us on 01626 322765 to set
They were particularly interested in the preventative work up yours.
that has been introduced to reduce rent arrears, such as
rent surgeries and working with Southwest Pound.
L-R Francis Bourke and
It is a significant step for Teign Housing when other prize draw winner Miss
organisations ask us for good practice advice and aspire Northway
to be as good as us! Thank you to everyone who makes
the effort to pay their rent on time and to those who are
working hard to pay any rent arrears, it really does make a
difference.
Our main income comes from your rent. Paying your rent
on time means we can keep the cost of your rent down.
If you don’t pay your rent, it becomes difficult to make
improvements to your local area like providing better play
areas for children.
Our next aim is to encourage more customers to pay
their rent by direct debit. This is the most cost effective
method of payment for Teign Housing as the process is
quick and easy to set-up and it saves us the costs of
chasing payments. It is also is a convenient way for you
to pay your bills.
We have introduced more dates to pay, including the
first of every month and there is also a weekly option
available.
Everybody who signs up for a direct debit will
automatically be entered into an annual prize draw.
The lucky winners of the last prize draw are:

Gone, but not forgotten

We are also looking at ways to manage and collect money still owed by former tenants.
Barbara Stainton has recently joined the Rents Team to work on this, and she has already
made a big impact on collecting this debt.
We are also using in-house computer software called Experian to help track former tenants,
and an external company called Rossendales Collection Agency to help us collect debt from
former tenants.

15
 Dragged Are we nearly there yet?
through The Teign Housing Asset Management Team look after many aspects of your
home, in particular, its maintenance and repair. Every team at Teign Housing

a hedge have action plans, which set targets for staff to aim for. These are some of
the targets that the Asset Management Team has achieved since 2004:

backwards • We have checked the condition of any un-surveyed homes to make sure
that they are in a good condition;
Have you noticed an unkempt • We maintain an accurate data base of the condition of your homes and
hedge near your home? Teign record any completed work that we have done. This helps us plan future
Housing is currently working work;
closely with Teignbridge District
Council to make sure that in • We hold monthly meetings to review the performance of our contractors
every case we know which green against the targets agreed with Tenant Representatives. These targets
spaces and hedges belong to include customer satisfaction, quality of work completed, cost, time, safety
us and which belong to them. and community initiatives.
This will help us to ensure areas • Getting customers involved in the improvements programme through
belonging to us are regularly their street contacts who monitor contractor and staff performance,
maintained. giving feedback on behalf of customers and helping customers report any
Who owns what can be unresolved problems;
confusing. In some areas Teign • We continue to improve communal areas in blocks of flats by providing
Housing owns the majority new floor coverings, door entry systems and new communal doors;
of properties but communal
• Developing a partnership with Ian Williams who make sure that homes
grassed areas are looked after
are maintained when somebody moves out, ready for when someone else
by the Council. In other places
moves in;
private properties are in the
majority but Teign Housing • We have employed an in-house Occupational Therapist to speed-up
customers pay service charges assessments and prioritise disabled adaptations work;
to cut the grass. • The improvement works programme outlined in the Tenants’ Promise is on
We have been identifying the schedule to be completed by March 2009;
cases where this situation • We continue to carry out our other promises to you. These include things
seems the most irregular and like publishing the improvements programme in In Touch, making sure that
are discussing the best way site staff and contractors show their ID badges and regularly visiting sites
forward with the Council. to support you whilst improvements are taking place.
In the meantime, where
ownership isn’t clear, our
policy is to cut first and agree
ownership second. This will
help to make sure that green
spaces in your neighbourhood
are kept looking smart and tidy.
Customers are responsible for
maintaining hedges and grass in
their gardens.
If you spot a hedge or grassed
area in need of cutting,
report it to Teign Housing
by contacting the Customer
Services Team on 01626
322722 or e-mail: info@
teignhousing.co.uk

16
Improvement programme for October – December 2008
The table below shows details of the planned improvement work to your homes between October and December 2008.
If you have any questions about the improvement programme, please contact our Customer Services Team on 01626
322722 or e-mail: info@teignhousing.co.uk

Town When Contractor Kenton Connaught

Ashburton Gibbs and Church View Oct 08
Lugg
Churchill Close Nov 08
Headborough Road Sept – Oct 08
Park View Nov 08
Kingsbridge Lane Sept – Oct 08
St Annes Dec 08
Sunnybank Dec 08
Broadhempston Gibbs and
Lugg
Moretonhampstead Connaught
Churchill Cottages Nov – Dec 08
Embleford Crescent Oct – Nov 08
Hembury Cottages Nov – Dec 08
Fordlands Oct – Nov 08
Radfords Orchard Nov – Dec 08
Mount Pleasant Oct – Nov 08
Queens Road Oct – Nov 08
Buckfast Gibbs and
Lugg Station Road Oct – Nov 08
Abbey Meadow Nov 08
Furlong Close Sept – Nov 08 Newton Abbot Rok
Alexandra House Nov – Dec 08
Denbury Gibbs and Carew Gardens Oct 08
Lugg
Flete Close Oct – Nov 08
Denbury Down Lane Oct – Dec 08
Margaret Gardens Oct 08 – Mar 09
Heathfield Terrace Oct – Dec 08
Sandringham Road Nov 08
West End Terrace Oct – Dec 08

North Bovey Connaught

Kenn Connaught
Ridgnor Oct – Nov 08
St Andrews Close Oct 08

Teigngrace Rok
Kennford Connaught
School Road Oct 08
Beers Terrace Oct 08
Ventiford Cottages Oct 08
Belle Vue Terrace Oct 08
Gissons Lane Oct 08
Sandfords Oct 08

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Green for governance
Our regulators, the Housing Corporation, report on how
well a Housing Association is doing by colour coding areas
of the business:
• Governance – how well the Board works
• Viability - how well we manage your money
• Management – how well senior staff manage day to day
affairs; and
• Development – building homes with funding from the
Housing Corporation
The colour coding follows the colours of traffic lights.
Green means the Housing Corporation has no concerns
about the Association, amber shows some concerns and
red means they have serious concerns. This report is
known as the “Housing Corporation Assessment” or HCA.
In February 2007 the Audit Commission inspected Teign
Housing and rated us as providing a “fair” service with
“promising prospects for improvement”. With this result,
in July 2007 the Housing Corporation awarded Teign
Housing green lights for viability and management and an
amber light for governance.
In July this year the Housing Corporation visited Teign
Housing to assess how well we have progressed since
inspection and we’re very pleased to tell you that they
have awarded Teign Housing a green light for governance.

Here’s what we’ve improved since inspection last year

Inspectors
said we should…
Improve access and customer
care arrangements
Ensure weaknesses in the
responsive repairs service are
addressed
Ensure tenancy and estate
management services better
meet tenant expectation
Improve our approach to
value for money
Ensure key capacity issues
which are impacting on
improvement are addressed
We’ve improved
things by…
• Encouraging 73% of you to complete the resident census, helping us to understand
your needs better. We’ve also encouraged our staff to update this information with
you when you phone us;
• Piloting estate surgeries in several towns and villages – bringing our office to you;
• Providing respite facilities for more vulnerable customers during improvement
works, helping to make sure everyone due a new kitchen or bathroom can benefit
from one without too much upheaval;
• Providing more resources for victims of domestic violence;
• Recording where we install adaptations for the disabled to help make sure that
these are needed when new tenants move in.
• Working with our contractors to raise your satisfaction with repairs from 84% at the
end of the 2006/7 financial year to 87% at end of the last financial year.
• Giving you regular updates on what we’re doing to tackle anti-social behaviour;
• Involving customers in choosing a new grounds maintenance contractor and
monitoring how well they do;
• Organising events to entertain and employ young people;
• Reviewing your tenancy agreement to make it clearer.
• Benchmarking our costs with other Housing Associations to learn more about where
we can save money;
• Setting up an “efficiency fund” to channel savings made across the company into
improvements in services for customers;
• Making savings by “bulk buying” jointly with other Housing Associations.
• Recruiting a new, permanent Chair of the Board;
• Coaching Board Members and carrying out appraisals to identify training needs;
• Reviewing the staffing structure to focus resources on front-line services;
• Reducing staff turnover to the average for the industry.

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Your Letters
Please send us your letters in the pre-paid envelope enclosed
or e-mail: intouch@teignhousing.co.uk
Dear Teign Housing,
I have designed you a new logo for your company because
I think the one you have at the moment is boring. If you
would like to use my logo for your company then send me
a letter.
Thank you, Chelsea, Buckfastleigh
ED - Thank you very much for your logo design, it is
very colourful and I really like your idea of using a
river to underline the words. You would make a very
good graphic designer when you are older!
We have thought about changing our logo one day, so I Making a splash
will keep your design on file for when we do change it. Every so often we receive some fantastic illustrations from
If anyone has any more ideas, please send them to a customer who wishes to remain anonymous. They always
In Touch, Teign Housing, Templar House, Collett Way, make as chuckle in the office, so we thought that you
Newton Abbot TQ12 4PH would all appreciate them too.

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 win £25 can you spot five differences in the right-hand
spot the difference picture? If so, mark them, cut out, fill in your details and return
to us by 28th November 2008 for your chance to win a a £25 Marks
Competition and Spencer gift voucher.

Name:_________________________________ _____________________________________

Address:_______________________________ E-mail:________________________________

_____________________________________ Telephone number:______________________

_____________________________________ _____________________________________

Wordsearch U

I
W

P
E

P
S

E
E

E
E

L
E

S
E

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U

A
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This competition is just for fun – how
quickly can you find the words that are K P U P E V P O E E N
listed below in the wordsearch puzzle? The
G S L M R S A P H A F
words may be forwards, backwards, vertical,
horizontal and diagonal. U K R S P O P E A N R
Good luck!
Y R R E B K C A L B S
Apple Leaves F O R R P N I U L P Y
Autumn Pear
A W B S R E K N O C P
Blackberry Pumpkin
Bonfire W E V E B B A E W O S
Conkers K R B O N F I R E U S
Fireworks
E I P C N C S L E V B
Guy Fawkes
Halloween S F N A U T U M N P S

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