Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

Void properties (5)

• Make sure gardens are tidy before tenants move into the properties;
• Having repairs and adaptations done for each person when moved into new home;
• Make sure empty properties are up to standard for new tenant to move in;
• Make sure the houses are up to standard when letting to tenants;
• Higher standards when homes are so called ready to let;
• More help with gardening;

Gardening (14)

• Encourage neighbours to help with other’s gardens – maybe some rewards, plant share, ? swap;
• Respect elderly restrictions ie maintenance of hedges;
• More help with gardening for disabled, elderly and vulnerable people;
• Who is responsible for land between houses – grass cutting, etc;
• Better security for Westlea’s allotments – cameras, etc;
• Take the grass cuttings away with them when they cut the grass;

Personal adaptations and services (19)

• Freestanding shower with seat;
• A stair lift later on;
• Help with decorating your house if you are disabled or elderly people;
• Follow up on requests for people with disabilities ie help with taps, etc;
• Disability equipment around the house – door handles, grips, slopes;
• Information on home maintenance – walk-in showers, tiles, etc;
• Make disabled access for scooters in homes;
• Handrail outside back door making it easier to get in;
• Better security on front door;
• Window locks dodgy at times;
• When building new homes – downstairs toilets and no front steps;
• For the elderly, no fridge spaces under work surfaces and light switch at waist height;
• Can we have water softeners attached to out water system?
• Compost bins;
• Order number for all enquiries;
• Help with setting up Neighbourhood Watch;
• Improvement of heating supply;

Contractors (3)

• RWR from Swindon – contractor was really good;
• My kitchen had a leak which had been going on for a long time undetected so caused a fair amount of damage. The contractors were very good and efficient;

Service excellence (5)

• Overall, all services to do well in the future;
• Look after older persons – priority;
• More contact with Housing Officer, because apart from initial contact or problems, we do not see them!
• More services for older persons who need these services;

Communication (10)

• To be clear and concise, use everyday language when talking with tenants (not office speak!);
• Listen;
• More feedback;
• Empathise and support tenants in  crisis;
• Communication;
• Communicate well between Westlea departments (not good at present);
• Would like feedback with results of problem;

Resident involvement (8)

• More resident involvement;
• More events, open days/meetings for tenants;
• Have evening and weekend meetings;

Rents (1)

• Charge a “fair” rent;

Housing issues/ASB (8)

• Kids laying in car park and kicking cars;
• Neighbours who have dogs that keep barking;
• Neighbour who lives next door has party all night until 4am next morning, and also lots of drinks and drugs;

Repairs and adaptations (17)

• Fit efficient limescale busters to all systems;
• Hedge cutting;
• Do repairs promptly;
• Quick support for repairs and support for disability problems with gardens;
• Gardening service;
• Sort out draughts;
• Walk-in showers – feedback on problems;
• Showers;
• Lofts lagged;
• Better training for electricians;
• Letter boxes so letters do not fall on floor for disabled people;
• Repairs – floating wardens services;
• Lower cupboards in kitchens;
• Walk-in showers;

Environment (21)

• Traffic by schools for safety to children;
• Safety doors to flats would be good;
• Provide “doggy doo” bins;
• Need more members of the Council to go on walkabouts to see what needs doing;
• Stop a service bus parking on the corner of Woodland Road and Layer Street (end of street);
• Pick up grass after grass cutting communal areas;
• More loos for dogs away from play areas;
• Car parking spaces for disabled – more needed;
• Maintain spare ground;
• Fouling by dogs in certain gardens – it smells when hot;
• Need to put play area for kids, not car park;
• Play area in Road for kids – older kids go in there so the young ones do not;
• Litter pick;
• Build more bungalows in Corsham;
• Address parking issues (possibly convert gardens for off-road parking);
• Neighbourhood Watches to catch kids that vandalise;
• North Wilts bowling green field outside would be good for a park for kids if supervised, keeping out older kids;
• Provide play areas for infants and pre-teens;

Keep clean (2)

• Keep place clean when visit home;
• Cleaning up after them;
• Repairs done on time and quickly;
• Repairs quickly;
• Maintenance better for the disabled;

Walk-in showers (16)

• Walk-in showers for old people;
• When one is promised to have a walk-in shower being a disabled person, I was promised a walk-in shower by March. Now I am still without. I’m waiting for the contractor to name a date – may be they meant March 2010;

Extra services (14)

• Cutting my back entrance hedge more regularly;
• Security box for entrance door;
• Letter box for internal doors;
• Communication – a way for me to contact Westlea (deaf);

Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

Staffing

• Staffing levels;
• Staff;
• Staff shortage;
• Not enough staff to go around;

Money

• Lack of funds;
• Not enough money to go around;
• Money or lack of!
• No funds;
• Expense and manpower;
• Funds;
• Money;
• Financial control;

Communications

• Not hearing what the tenants asked for;
• Lack of communication between various parties;
• Not enough information or awareness of issues;
• Residents not at home when Westlea call;
• Time factor;
• Prioritising? Who? What? Where? When?
• What makes up priorities?
• Not enough time to do it in;

Government, etc

• Rather build new homes;
• Too much money goes on taxis;
• MP’s expenses;

Staff

• Staff;
• Lack of staff;
• Staff shortages;
• Inefficient staff;
• No worker - who does the work?
• Backlog of work;

Outside influences

• Government;
• Westlea being taken over by another company, and not being able to provide the service;
• Poor contractors;
• Communications
• Not listening to tenants;
• Indecisive leadership (start a project then have a change of mind and pursue other projects);
• Poor organisation;

Residents

• Unruly/destructive tenants (multiple repairs due to wilful vandalism);
• The residents themselves;
• Not being told anything by Westlea tenants themselves;
• Vandalism (unknown culprits);
• If we didn’t have these forums to put your opinions across as a Westlea tenant;

Cost

• Costs;
• Money;
• Manpower;
• Money - Interest;
• Lack of money;
• Funding cuts;
• Lack of time;
• Time;

Money (or lack of)

• Lack of money;
• Lack of funds/funding;
• Running out of money;

Not enough staff

• Need more staff to carry our request;

Communication

• Lack of communications;

Priorities

• Different priorities;

Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

Miscellaneous

• Be more flexible with criteria for adaptations – not all cases are black and white;
• Financial control;
• Good planning ie heating maintenance;
• Planning - best use not best value;
• Someone allocated to be responsible for complaints on the subject;
• Staff changing;

Home visiting

• If there is a doorbell – use it as the person may have hearing problems and do not hear knocking;
• Make sure Westlea workers wait a bit longer at the door for older people to answer the door;
• Phone first before going out to a tenant;
• Tenants are out when workmen come to do a job;

Communications

• Carry on listening to residents needs;
• Talk to everyone – compare and contrast views;
• Sometimes the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing;
• Listen to what people say and deal accordingly;
• Most of the time Westlea are good but not all the time;
• As always good communications between all parties concerned;
• More aware of residents needs;
• Staff to be aware of ongoing issues when working in different departments, not the one they usually work in;
• See what can be done to close the gap of people “slipping through the net”;
• Communicate and review;
• Select, record, examine, develop, and maintain – ideas!

Staff and training

• Get good contractors;
• Ensure contractors deliver a good standard of service;
• Get the right staff for the job;
• Training staff better;
• Verbal warnings;
• More checkson completion of work – more feedback;
• Do the work they are asked to do;

Planning

• Be realistic with timings and schedules;
• Forward plan;
• Route plan workmen – less “zig zagging” saves time and fuel;
• Anticipate areas of fluctuating need and be prepared (more roofers in winter, more groundsmen in spring/summer);
• Ensure meetings fill a need – not just meetings for meetings sake;

Residents and ASB

• Pursue non-payment veraciously;
• Penalise residents who cause repeated damage;

Communications and involvement

• More advertisements for forthcoming events;
• Involve residents – involved/informed residents have more pride in their areas;
• Have more input form residents;
• Group of tenants to talk to Council on our behalf;
• More feedback on services that have been delivered;
• Feedback on everything;
• Have the Disability Forum involved;
• Listen to residents;
• Listen to Disability Forum;
• You should have groups of people that we can go to, to be heard when we have a problem that they can sort out when Westlea are involved with other important things;

Customer service

• When phoning up, have someone who talks nice at the end of the phone;

Building and maintenance

• Build more;
• Lower cupboards in kitchen;
• Build more bungalows;

Budgets

• Have enough money;
• Budget – plan it out and allocate;
• Build/refit using good quality products – cheap and cheerful needs replacing and is uneconomic;

Rent rise to improve services

• I’m sure people wouldn’t mind rent rise if it could bring more services;

Monitor subcontractors or use Westlea staff

• Monitor subcontractors;
• Use Westlea’s own staff – they are better;
• Extra staff;
• Get good contractors;

Listen to individual needs – flexibility

• Not assuming something without the facts first;
• Listen to our panels;
• Give time for when worker comes so people do not have to stay in all day;
• Understand the needs of residents ie to be more flexible on repair dates and times;

Monitor work of all staff

• Follow up after work is done;

Communications

• To get through to the right person and not to be passed onto to someone else;