1. Support Services
2. Affordable Warmth
3. Tenant and Community Involvement
4. Children and Young People
5. Affordable Housing for Sale
6. Jobs
7. Community Regeneration
8. Older People
9. Service Improvement
10. Governance
11. Equality and Diversity
12. Facts
13. 2006-07 Annual Review - all the above 12 pages combined into one document

We are getting better at preventing eviction for arrears.
Eviction is a last resort for the Association and our specialist team of Rent Accounting Officers have improved performance on arrears in 2005-06, reaching more people
earlier to help prevent a spiral of debt. 19 tenants were evicted during 2005-06 - 18 were for rent arrears and 1 for rent arrears and Anti Social Behaviour.
In 2006 2.1% of rent was lost to voids and bad debts and 6.5% of rent was owed in arrears.

Average rents as at March 2005 - please click here. These figures are average weekly rents as at 31 March 2005 and show the gross rents including service charges. Figures for 2006 are not yet available. Further breakdowns of individual HAs’ rents are available on request.
Average weekly assured net rents - please click here.

• Complaints -

  We have Leart from the complaints we receive. Both offices received fewer complaints than last year. This year’s complaints figures are still listed separately for Leeds and Huddersfield. In future we will only report a combined set of figures. Click here for a table showing details.
  One complaint from the Leeds Office was not resolved by our internal procedure and the tenant appealed to the Housing Ombudsman. The Ombudsman’s decision went in Connect’s favour. At the Leeds office there was particular concern about the over-representation of ethnic minority tenants among the complainants and we will try and investigate the reasons for this.
  
  We have been listening.

  • We stopped using a contractor in Leeds who was abusive to tenants.
  • In Huddersfield we stopped working with a contractor who was providing an unsatisfactory service.
  • We improved the guidance to our Leeds lettings and duty staff about the points allocation system and, specifically, the lettings of category 1 properties.
  • We stopped using a relatively expensive gardening contractor in Kirklees and Calderdale and changed to a reliable provider who had in the past provided a value for money service.
  • We changed the Leeds procedure for cancelling maintenance works to ensure that the customer is kept informed.

  Changes we made in response to your complaints:

  • Following the many complaints about service charge setting, tenants in Kirklees, Calderdale and Wakefield were consulted about a fixed service charge system that may be easier to administer and explain.
  • Guidance to tenants about the use of laminate flooring and responsibilities for damage was clarified.
  • In Leeds the number of post-inspections carried out on completed work was increased.
  • We changed our customer services procedures so that all letters written by trainees are now checked by a manager before being sent.
  • We reviewed and improved Tenant consultation mechanisms prior to planned maintenance works.
    
    
• Who did we let to?

We made 213 general needs lettings in 2005-06. The lettings we make are an important part of our commitment to build successful communities. So we were pleased that we had less vacant properties this year than in 2004-05 and continued to let to people of different backgrounds and ages including 6% of lettings to people with disabilities. The figures do not include sheltered and supported housing. We are also letting properties faster than last year, and therefore have more rental income to invest for your benefit.
Click here to show a table of who we let to (type of households, ethnic origin).

• Reasons for Rehousing -

  Click here for a table showing reasons why people were re-housing with Connect.

• Repairs Performance -

  Repairs performance is a key priority for Connect. 93% of repairs appointments made were kept.
  Gas Safety - you are in safe hands with Connect! Over 99% of all properties had an up-todate gas safety certificate, showing that we are taking gas safety very seriously. Please make sure you give access to our contractors when your annual gas test is due!
  Please click here for a table showing Repairs figures.

• Anti-Social Behaviour -

  Do we meet our Service Standards for dealing with Anti-Social Behaviour and Harassment? In 2005-06 we received 316 reports about Anti Social Behaviour (ASB) or Harassment,slightly less than in 2004-05. 11 reports related to Racial Harassment, all of which were contacted within 1 working day. In Leeds over 98% of ASB reports had initial
  investigations carried out within 10 working days. This information is not yet available for
  our Huddersfield Office, but our new ASB database will allow us to monitor our performance in both areas next year.
  
  

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Merci.
Obrigado.