Spring is here, bringing longer evenings and warmer weather! 

I’m pleased to share the latest news and updates covering key discussions from our March meeting. Our group is made up of myself and other tenants who live in the Stockbridge Village area.  

We work with ForHousing to take action on things that affect our neighbourhood and signpost challenges with partners when it’s needed.  

We understand that tenants, like me and you, want to have our voices heard and be able to influence what happens in our homes and communities.  

Let’s get into the essential updates from our March Community Voice meeting.  

Steph Tomlinson, Chair of Community Voice

As Community Voice members, we meet with ForHousing to talk about any concerns or worries people have.  

ForHousing listens to our feedback and works with us, the council, and other organisations to improve our neighbourhoods together.  

We asked ForHousing to look into installing security cameras at the shops by Round Hey. ForHousing told us that they are waiting on an updated quote before making a decision on the installation, but they’ve committed to getting timescales to us by the end of June. 

We also talked about issues with rubbish and dog poo in the area. While ForHousing tries to keep our neighbourhood as clean as possible, we really encourage everyone to make sure they dispose of waste properly. 

The canopy colouring of the flat regeneration (in front of the Craigs Community Centre) has faded, and ForHousing has now added this to its list of maintenance jobs. 

Safety continues to be one of our top priorities. ForHousing has listened to our concerns and worked on a new community safety app to support us when dealing with anti-social behaviour (ASB). 

Called ‘The ASB App’, this app makes it easier for tenants who have reported ASB to collect and submit evidence, keep diaries, and get updates on their cases. It’s available now on the Apple App Store and Google Play.  

We’re also happy to share that ForHousing has been named Employer of the Year at the Resolve ASB Awards for their efforts in making our communities safer.  

The judges were particularly impressed by ForHousing’s Community Safety Team’s dedication to training, raising awareness around domestic abuse, and their collaboration with other key services and agencies. 

Becky Cottam, our acting Community Safety Coordinator, gave an update on how ForHousing works closely with a wide range of partner agencies to improve community safety. For example, they attend Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference meetings, which bring agencies together to support high-risk domestic abuse cases. 

ForHousing also reminded us that in situations where a serious crime has been committed, they may have to take steps to repossess the home. 

They also advise tenants to report crimes directly to the police wherever possible, as third-party reports (from ForHousing) might not always be treated as urgently. 

Another point raised was that many people don’t realise they’ve been victims of a crime. ForHousing is encouraging us to keep having conversations about what criminal behaviour can look like.  

This could be being controlled or emotionally manipulated by a partner or family member, someone taking control of your money, benefits or possessions without your consent, or being tricked into giving out personal information through online scams or fraud.  

It’s important that we can all stay informed and support each other in speaking up when something isn’t right. 

By continuing to listen and learn from our experiences, ForHousing is committed to improving its services for tenants.  

During the meeting, they asked for our thoughts on the new way of reporting to Community Voices. Instead of having over 100 pages of reports, we now get a shorter version that highlights key headlines and priorities. This new format is easier to follow and works well with dyslexia software.  

At our last meeting, we talked about rock wall insulation maintenance, which has been causing issues in some homes in our neighbourhood. ForHousing is still looking into what needs to be done to resolve this, and we’ll update you once we know more.  

ForHousing also told us about improvements in voids repairs – the work done on homes before they’re re-let. Thanks to the hard work of teams and contractors, repairs are being completed to a higher standard first time around. 

We’ve made excellent progress in reviewing letters, which will inform tenants about upcoming increases to their rent with enough notice time. 

ForHousing has taken our feedback on board and made sure that the language in the letter is straightforward and easier to understand. We even suggested adding QR codes to make it easier to access website links.  

For extra support, any ForHousing Housing Officer will be happy to go through the letter with you once it’s been sent out and answer any questions or concerns you may have.  

ForHousing shared their latest performance report, which looked at how we feel about the services they provide. 

They found that the way feedback is collected can affect the results. People tend to be more negative when replying by email, but face-to-face conversations usually lead to more positive responses. 

Because of this, we suggested that phone calls may be the best way to gather feedback as they get more balanced and varied responses.  

The report also showed that 45.1% of tenants are happy with how complaints are handled, which is a great improvement, especially when you compare it to the national average of 33%. 

ForHousing wants to work with tenants to make a positive difference wherever we live, which is why they have a range of funds for local groups and projects which will benefit our communities.  

This includes the Community Fund, Local Improvement Fund, and Community Group Grant. To learn more about each of these different funds, you can find all the details here. 

ForHousing told us that the Tenants Extra Support Service (TESS) is back under the control of Knowsley Council.  

However, tenants in Stockbridge Village still have access to the Tenancy Support & Sustainment Service (TSS). This free service, also funded by Knowsley Council, offers support to those struggling with rent arrears, debt, or ill health. 

There’s also a new programme called the New Tenancy Support Service (NTSS) being trialled in Salford. It’s been going well so far and ForHousing is hoping to extend this into Knowsley this year, depending on council funding. 

You might have already spotted the new Go, See, Do maps on the ForHousing website! These interactive maps highlight everything available in our Stockbridge Village community – from the local library, the Volair Sports Centre, the Craigs Community Centre, and the Knowsley Town Council Pavilion. 

While there have been a few minor technical issues, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive so far, and things will only continue to improve with time. 

We’re also looking at ways for community volunteers and tenant reviewers to help keep the maps updated with new locations, businesses, and events.  

To find out more about what’s happening in Stockbridge Village, including opening times and local reviews, check out the digital map here. 

ForHousing shared some updates about the structure of the Community Voice group. From now on, the chairperson’s term will last five years instead of three, which will fit better with the way quarterly meetings are set up. 

There will also no longer be a maximum number of members, but each Community Voice group will need to have at least six people. 

Jacqui Holmes, ForHousing’s Tenant Involvement Partner, will now be taking over from Bec Lavin to organise the meetings. 

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. 

In the next update, we’ll share more details on improvements to the repairs service, environmental services, and grounds maintenance inspectors. 

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.