Autumn has arrived with its cooler temperatures and plenty of rain!

I’m pleased to share this latest update covering key discussions from our recent Community Voice meeting. Our group is made up of myself and other tenants who live in the Stockbridge Village area.

We work together with ForHousing to take action on the things that affect the Stockbridge Village neighbourhood and signpost to partners when it’s needed.

Together we understand the importance of listening and learning from tenants, like me and you. We want to have our voices heard and be a part of influencing what happens in our homes and communities.

Let’s get into all the latest news and essential updates from our September Community Voice meeting.

Steph Tomlinson, Chair of Community Voice

Everyone has the right to feel safe and proud of their home and neighbourhood. As Community Voice members, we meet with

ForHousing to talk about any concerns or worries people have.

ForHousing listens to our feedback and speaks with the council and other organisations who work together to improve our neighbourhoods.

At June’s meeting, we talked about the fallen tree next to the school. The tree has not yet been taken away, but ForHousing agreed they would check on this and give an update soon.

We also asked ForHousing about which organisation is responsible for maintaining green spaces in the neighbourhood. They will check the contracts again, as some paths were missed out of the contracts, meaning these paths don’t get cleaned. A map showing who is responsible for maintaining each area will be shared.

ForHousing updated us on the signage issues from our last meeting. An application was made and planning permission has been granted. The next step is to arrange a contractor, which should be in place by the next meeting.

We brought up ongoing issues with pests and suggested that ForHousing should consider how we can report problems with pest control. The ForHousing team agreed and will be including this in its Scrutiny review. This will involve the Stockbridge Village community giving feedback to ForHousing, and they will work with us to come up with an action plan.

We were updated on the redrafted Communal Areas Policy. This makes sure all communal areas are kept clean and clear from safety hazards, such as electric scooters and bikes. Any items found in these areas may be taken away, with people facing fines for their storage and return. ForHousing confirmed there will be a grace period from November, and the new rules will be enforced from January.

After the sale fell through back in January, there has been no change to the ownership of The Ploughman’s. ForHousing is still negotiating with the owners.

Fly-tipping and stolen bins are still an issue for the shops by Round Hey, so ForHousing will take another look at how to stop this from happening.

ForHousing looked at the possibility of introducing automatic gates behind the shops. Unfortunately, this won’t be possible, but they spoke with the chip shop owners who are happy to make sure the gate is locked.

We spoke about the need for CCTV again and ForHousing confirmed that budget has been set aside to set up cameras around the shops. They’re currently waiting for installation times to be confirmed by the contractors.

By listening and learning from our experiences, ForHousing is committed to continuously improving its services for tenants.

We talked to ForHousing about missed appointments for repairs. ForHousing told us they were already working on this, and the Customer Connect Hub will be looking into this specifically.

The response time for the Hub has been increased to 90 seconds. This creates more time for outward-bound and follow-up calls with tenants where an appointment has been missed.

From looking at complaints and satisfaction data, ForHousing told us there was a trend of dissatisfaction with gas repairs. A new

Repairs and Maintenance Group has been created, with 11 involved tenants, but there is space for some Stockbridge tenants to get involved. Let us know if you’d like to take part with the group.

We had a meeting with Jamie McDonald, the new Executive Director of Repairs – Customer Service on Thursday, October 3, and he will be invited to join us at the December Community Voice meeting.

ForHousing’s Performance report will be updated and shared soon, with a meeting planned for January 2025 where the Community Voice Chairs can review this information.

We asked ForHousing about the rock wall insulation for properties in the Stockbridge neighbourhood. This was started by British Gas before it was taken over by Knowsley Council. As we reported issues with the insulation degrading and the need for specialist paint and cleaning chemicals, ForHousing will look into a programme for maintaining the insulation.

The Right Care Right Person Act is an agreement between police and health services to ensure that people get the right response to mental health incidents. Although there have been some delays, Merseyside Police will be adopting this approach soon, and ForHousing will provide us with an update in March 2025.

ForHousing updated us on its Play Streets group, which holds activities for children during the school holidays. This service will be going through a review and could be closing down soon. As Play Streets gets government funding, other groups can apply for this funding so Stockbridge doesn’t lose out on this resource.

ForHousing’s Community Fund offers financial support to local groups who deliver activities in our neighbourhoods. The Fund recently went under review, with ForHousing working alongside Community Voice members to assess the scheme and its impact. You don’t have to be a ForHousing tenant to apply, you can find the application form here.

At our next meeting, we’ll discuss any updates on the Youth Task Group, funding for Volair, and progress with grounds maintenance.

We are actively recruiting new members to the Community Voice, so if you are interested in representing your local community and working with ForHousing to make improvements, please get in touch here.

ForHousing wants to understand what matters most to us and we really appreciate more tenants giving their time and input to groups like these so ForHousing can listen and learn.

We’ll continue to share future updates with you. Do spread the word about the tenant newsletter with your family and friends, this is published every three months, and you will be able to view the latest version here.