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A fresh approach to people, homes and communities

Hate crimeWe are committed to reducing hate crime in Barnsley,and will support victims who experience hate crime.These are our service standards.

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We will deal quickly with any hate crime which ourtenants carry out, as this is breaking our tenancyagreement. If you commit hate crime, you may lose yourhome. This includes people who are visiting or livingwith you – if they carry out hate crime, they can put yourhome at risk.

What is hate crime?

A hate crime means someone chose to commit a crimebecause they are prejudiced against someone becauseof that person’s:

• race, colour, nationality or ethnic origin;• sex (gender);disability;

• sexuality; or• religious belief.

Anyone can be a victim of hate crime, even witnesses ofit. Hate crime hurts, and it is confusing and frightening. Ithas a negative effect on our communities, and makespeople worried and insecure. Hate crime violatespeople’s personal and civil rights.

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What can we do about it?

If you suffer or witness hate crime, you can report it in anumber of ways. We include these at the end of thisleaflet.

By reporting it, you may be able to stop this happeningto someone else. You can help us and otherorganisations tackle hate crime, as they need theinformation to be able to take action and deal with it.

Remember, a person who harasses someone else is atrisk of losing their home. If you witness or experiencehate crime, report it!



What will happen next?

We will:

• respond to reports of hate crime within 24 hours;

• pass on information about the crime to the police, thetenancy enforcement team, the Community SafetyService and Victim Support, if the person affectedagrees;

• get hate crime graffiti removed within 24 hours;

• use the powers in our tenancy agreement, if theperson responsible is, lives with, or visits, one of ourtenants;

• let other landlords know if one of their tenants hascommitted hate crime, as long as the victim agrees;

• discuss any hate crime incidents with organisationswe work with, such as the police and Victim Support,and work out ways to reduce hate crime and getcommunities to live together peacefully; and

• use interpreters to remove language barriers.



How and where can I report it?

By phoning 01226 775555 or visiting any BarnsleyConnects Office. We have Barnsley Connects offices in

• Barnsley town centre;

• Athersley;

•Mapplewell;

• Penistone;

• Royston;

• Cudworth;

• Hoyland;

•Goldthorpe; and

•Wombwell.

Opening hours are 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.You can find their addresses by phoning the numberabove or online at www.berneslaihomes.co.uk.All staff in these offices are trained to deal with reportsof hate crime.

By telling any of the Housing Management Officerson your estate.



By phoning the Contact line for your area. Your callshould be answered and directed to your local SaferNeighbourhood team, who will deal with yourcomplaint within 24 hours.

Cudworth Contact line: 01226 736592

Dearne Contact line: 01709 832138

Darton and Dodworth Contact line: 01226 736395

Hoyland Contact line: 01226 736457

Penistone Contact line: 01226 736387

Royston Contact line: 01226 736361

Town Contact line: 01226 736395

Wombwell Contact line: 01226 736408

Worsbrough Contact line: 01226 736387

By phoning the Principal Hate and Hidden CrimeOfficer at Barnsley Council’s Community SafetyService on 01226 774991.

By phoning Crimestoppers UK on 0800 555 111

If it’s an emergency, such as a violent attack,ring 999.



October 2011


Hate crimeThis leaflet is about helping to reduce hate crime in Barnsley and ourpromise to support people who experience hate crime.

Berneslai Homes Limited is a company controlled by Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council. A company limitedby guarantee, registered in England and Wales, number 4548803. Registered Office: 10th Floor, GatewayPlaza, Off Sackville St., Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2RD. www.berneslaihomes.co.uk

If you need help understanding this information,please call Customer Services on 01226 775555.



Getting InvolvedWorking together for you, your homes and your communities.


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Tenants do not have to do these jobsthemselves. Instead, they can:

employ staff;use council housing staff who will work temporarily for the tenant management organisation (TMO); oremploy a managing agency.

The council will still own the homes and bethe landlord but the TMO works with thecouncil to provide services to the localcommunity, and council representatives canbe invited onto the committee.

Deciding to use the right to manage

If you are interested in managing your estate,it’s best to contact us to find out exactly what’sinvolved and whether it’s the best option foryou and what other options are available.

Where else can I get information about theRight to manage?

The Department of Communities and Local Government has some useful information on their website - www.communities.gov.uk/housingThe National Federation of TenantManagement Organisations (NFTMO) haslots of useful information about existingTMOs and how to set up a new one.Website: www.nftmo.comEmail: [email protected]: 01704 227053

How will I know about the differentinvolvement opportunities, and what’shappened as a result of getting involved.

We use the following methods to keep youup to date.

If you are on our getting involved mailing list we will contact you.In ‘Open House’, our tenants’ newsletter.At tenants meetings, conferences and events.On our website at www.berneslaihomes.co.uk.

How to contact us about getting involved?

If you would like more information about howyou can get involved, please contact ourCommunity Engagement Team in one of thefollowing ways.

Phone:01226 772727Email: communityengagement

@berneslaihomes.co.ukPost: Gateway Plaza, P.O. Box 627,

Barnsley S70 9FZ

For more information about the BarnsleyFederation of Tenants’ and Residents’, youcan contact the Federation Support Officer in one of the following ways.

Phone:01226 240110Email: [email protected]: Federation Resource Centre

Prospect Street, Barnsley, S70 2NR



If you need help understanding this information,please ask one of our staff or phone Customer Services on 01226 772720.

Community CentreWhat is a community centre?

A community centre is a building managedby the community, for the community. Theactivities which take place in communitycentres range from adult learning classes andtraining to social events and sporting orleisure activities.

What do the management committee do?

The management committee:set up a booking arrangement for anyonewho wants to hire the community centre;provide hire agreements;arrange keyholding and cleaning duties;make sure that the community centre meets all health and safety and other legal requirements;promote the centres they manage so that they attract more visitors; andlook into getting funding from other organisations to improve facilities at the centres.

To find out if there is a community centre inyour area, or to get in touch with theCommunity Buildings Officer:

Berneslai Homes Phone: 01226 774379Email:[email protected]: Gateway Plaza, P.O. Box 627, BarnsleyS70 9FZ

Tenant Board MemberWhat is a tenant board member?

We are managed by a board ofdirectors. This board is made up of threecouncil representatives, three independentmembers and three tenants orleaseholders, who are all interviewed for the job, plus an elected chairperson.Our board members all receive a salary. Since 2002, when we were set up, members of the board have helped to make decisions that have changed the lives of thousands of our tenants and leaseholders.If you want to know more about becoming a tenant board member, please ring us on 01226 772725.

To apply to become a board member, youmust be a secure tenant or leaseholder.

Your right to manage – What is it?

This right only applies to council tenants andleaseholders.

Some estates around the country aremanaged by ‘tenant managementorganisations.’ (TMOs), which are tenantorganisations that run their own housingservices. These services include:

collecting rent and service charges;organising repairs and maintenance; andmaking sure that buildings are kept clean and tidy.

Tenants and ResidentsAssociations (TARAs)

You can get involved by starting orjoining a local TARA. For details of yourlocal TARA or for help setting up a newTARA, please contact our CommunityEngagement Team. (see page 9)

What is the role of atenants’ and residents’association

A tenants’ and residents’ association(TARA) is a group of people who act asa voice on housing and communityissues, and work with us in developingour policies. Anyone living in the arearepresented by a TARA can join.

TARAs are responsible for:working with us and Barnsley Council to get local people involved in making decisions about their homes and environment;being a contact between us and the community;organising and encouraging community and social activities; andworking with other voluntary groups to develop a community spirit and bring people together.

How can I set up atenants’ and residents’association (TARA)Our Community Engagement Team canoffer support and advice if you wouldlike to know if there is an association in

your area or you want to set up a new one.See page 9 for how to contact us or fill in thequestionnaire at the back of this booklet.

Barnsley Federation ofTenants and ResidentsWhat is the Barnsley Federation of Tenantsand Residents?

The federation works with us and BarnsleyCouncil to make sure that we and the councilconsider tenants’ and residents’ views in alldecisions that affect them. The federation is runby a management committee, which is madeup of representatives from each TARA inBarnsley and any other resident of the borough.

A main focus for Barnsley Federation oftenants and residents is the BerneslaiChallenge Panels. These panels meetregularly to check that Berneslai Homes isdelivering the service we promise to deliver.This is called ‘scrutiny’. These panels have thepower to hold us to account if we are notdelivering the services you deserve. To test ourservices the panels meet with officers, shadowstaff, interview staff, interview customers andread documents and information we givethem. They will then tell us what they havefound and ask us to make any improvementsthey feel are necessary.

Barnsley Federation are really keen to getmore people involved in the BerneslaiChallenge Panels. You can find out how tocontact the Federation on page 9.

How else can I get involved?

As well as all these methods of getting involved,you can join the management committee ofyour local community centre or become aBerneslai Homes tenant board member. October 2011

Berneslai Homes Limited is a company controlled by Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council. A company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales, number 4548803. Registered Office: 10th Floor, Gateway Plaza, Off Sackville St., Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2RD. www.berneslaihomes.co.uk


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