Spring 2012

www.tamworth.gov.uk

Housing Services

In this issue:-

HomeBuy Options

Page 2

Customer DashboardVisit online for the latest performance indicators in housing:www.tamworth.gov.uk/housing

A good newsstory fromStonydelph

Page 4

New repairscontract

Page 6

How to eat wellon a budget

Page 12

More than 100 counciltenants took part in the firstever housing conferenceorganised by the TenantInvolvement Team atTamworth Borough Council.

The conference was held at theAssembly Rooms to give Tamworthtenants the opportunity to havetheir say on housing services, hearabout the latest developments insocial housing, listen to guestspeakers and ask for advice.

The event was split into twosessions. The first featured anumber of guest speakers and wasattended by almost 70 tenants.

The afternoon session was a drop-inevent, with exhibition stands from anumber of groups and organisationsincluding council staff, new repairscontractor Mears, new gascontractor Morrison, the TenantConsultative Group, TamworthCANand Staffordshire Fire Service.

Throughout the day, more than 100council tenants went along to the

conference to pick up help andadvice, ask questions and putforward suggestion for improvingthe housing service.

The conference was opened by CllrMary Oates, Cabinet member forQuality of Life. Afterwards, shehailed the event as a big success andsaid: “We were delighted with theresponse to the conference and theturnout by our tenants.

“We got a lot of very positivecomments from tenants andorganisations who took part, tellingus how useful they have found theevent. We will build on the successof this first conference by holdingsimilar events in the future and willbe asking tenants what issues theywould like us to focus on.”

First tenant conference a big success

“ The presentations by keyspeakers were interesting,the number of peoplewho attended was greatand we hope this leads tomore involvement for theTeam.”

” Everyone workedextremely hard tomake the day ahuge success.”

“ I found the day veryinformative and wellorganised, so thank youto everyone who madethe day possible. We arenew to this kind ofevent, but found theconference very useful.”

You can afford a home of your ownwith Homebuy

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Older people in Tamworth can now take advantage ofa range of activities, tailored to their own interestsand preferences.

Activity sessions are on offer at Thomas Hardy Court - an extracare housing scheme - and Glenfield - a sheltered housing scheme.The sessions offer a variety of activities in a social and supportedenvironment where having fun and catching up is the aim.

They offer a broad range of activities including balance and co-ordination sessions, information and discussions on keeping fitand active as well as table top games and bingo. They also offersupport on health and wellbeing, eating well and information onlocal services.

For more information please do not hesitate to contact HousingOptions Manager Mrs Lee Birch on 01827 709474.

With all the news of house buyers beingpriced out of the market, lendersdemanding huge deposits and the generaleconomic doom and gloom, many peoplebelieve they will never be able to afford ahome of their own. However, with theGovernment-backed HomeBuy schemesthat are available, that dream of homeownership could become a reality.

The range of HomeBuy options available meansthat - subject to availability - you can choose theone that is right for you and your circumstances.All make owning your own home much moreaffordable.

For those wanting to buy your own home straightaway there are a couple of different options. Oneof these is the Shared Ownership scheme. With thisscheme you take out a mortgage for a share of theproperty and rent the remaining share at adiscounted rate. You can often start with owningas little as a 25 per cent share in your property andcan then purchase additional shares in the future

until you own the property outright.

Alternatively, Orbit HomeBuy Agents work inpartnership with a number of housing developerswho are offering brand-new homes for purchasethrough the FirstBuy scheme. With this scheme,you can take advantage of equity loans providedjointly by the developer and the government of upto 20 per cent of the property value, with nointerest to be paid on the loan for the first fiveyears. You buy the remaining percentage and thenpay back the equity loan over time until you ownyour home outright.

As the HomeBuy Agent for your area, we at OrbitHomeBuy Agents can advise you on whether youcan take advantage of one of the HomeBuyproducts available. To speak to one of our advisers,please call us on 03458 50 20 50 (select option 2)or visit our website:www.orbithomebuyagents.co.uk

Activities for Older People in Tamworth

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ESTATE WALKABOUTS

Tamworth Borough Council invites local residents to take part in estatewalkabouts. These are carried out through the summer and are led by theTenant Involvement Team. The estate walkabouts enable residents, staffmembers and other organisations to see for themselves what needs to bedone on the estates.

Our aim is discuss these issues and decide on possible courses of action toresolve them while the relevant people are together on the estate.

If you would like to request an Estate Walkaboutin your area this year, please contact the TenantInvolvement Team on 01827 709374 or emailtenantparticipation@tamworth.gov.uk telling uswhy your estate should be included.

Would you like an Estate Walkaboutin your area?

Tenant Involvement is a two-wayprocess involving the sharing ofideas and information to allowtenants to help make decisionsabout the services they receive.We want as many tenants aspossible to get involved and weneed your help

During the last 12 months thisgroup has been involved in thefollowing:

l Monitoring customer promisesfrom the Tenant InvolvementStrategy

l Updating the TenantInvolvement web pages tomake sure that information forcustomers is interesting, up-to-date and easy to understand

l Contributing to the content ofseveral publications, includingthe Tenant Involvement ImpactAssessment, TenantInvolvement Strategy andLandlord Services AnnualReport to Tenants

l Helping to develop differentways to capture customerfeedback to help staff carry

out more customer satisfactionmonitoring

l Working with the new repairscontractor Mears to look atcustomer care and satisfaction

Alternatively, if you don't want tobe involved in a group, but stillwant to be active in housingservice provision, you can join ourregister of interested tenants. Ifyour name is on the register wemay contact you as part of ourconsultation on policies or toinvite you to events.

Our Tenant InvolvementGroup needs your help

If you would like more information about the group or would like to get involved, please contactthe Tenant Involvement Team on 01827 709374 or email tenantparticipation@tamworth.gov.uk

Why not get on board and join our Tenant InvolvementGroup? This group meets every three months with theTenant Involvement Team and together they ensure thatthe actions and performance targets set out in theTenant Involvement Strategy are achieved.

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A good news story fromStonydelph

Here in Stonydelph we are proud people. Most of us want the best foreach other, but sometimes in the past, the people of Stonydelph feel letdown by the lack of support given to us. However in the past two yearsthere has been a noticeable change. The area is slowly starting to lookbetter, feel safer and the police and street wardens are familiar andfriendly faces. The Community Hub in Craven has reopened; we have acommunity officer from the Council who is here to help and support usand listen to our issues.

There are good things going on there, like the Job Club, the children’snursery and the many classes put on by Tamworth College. There arenow genuine opportunities to change the face of this community.

This has moved the community forward and many people are activelytrying to make a difference here. The people of Stonydelph don’t justwant this, we need this if our community is to grow and we are going tochange the unpleasant stereotypes and myths sometimes told aboutthis community.

As a long-time resident of Stonydelph, I would like to thank all theorganisations and groups for all the support .. SO FAR .. and lookforward positively. This is only the beginning of the change in Stonydelph.

Matt Brown

Stoneydelph resident

The Arch is located at 44 Craven. It is openMonday to Thursday from 9.30 to 5pm

For more details of activities and servicesplease contact Neil Mushrow, one of theCommunity Development Officers at Tamworth Borough Council

Email neil-mushrow@tamworth.gov.uk or phone 01827 709503

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Since writing this letter, Matt has beenlooking at how he can actively changehis own circumstances and hopefullyimprove things for the widercommunity.

Matt is a Stonydelph resident who was maderedundant eight months ago. He sent off 153job applications off, but only got responses fromfive.

Matt has worked as a Bluecoat and always had apassion for singing. He looked at ways he coulduse this talent to turn his situation around.

Matt asked a number of venues aroundTamworth and surrounding areas if he couldperform free of charge on nights when bandswere on. Matt’s offer was taken up by manypubs and clubs.

He started working with these venues toencourage people to come in, as well aspromoting the venues on social media sites toencourage people to support local bands.

This had an immediate effect with pubs, clubs,and other places benefitting from his supportand publicity. He now works with localmusicians, getting them venues so their musicand talents can be heard. Several of the bandshave since been approached to make ‘demo’discs to be sent off to wider audiences.

Matt made a recording of himself and sent it toa large recording studio in Birmingham. Thestudio has now offered Matt 40 hours oftraining to hone his recording skills. Matt hasjust presented an application to the NewBusiness Enterprise, which has offered a smallamount of funding for training and equipmentto get his venture started and off the ground.

Matt hopes he can work with the communitiesof Tamworth and support local people with aninterest in music or performing. He has beencontacted by the Arts Council of England whichis looking at ways to support him.

One person making a difference

Coming soon...Finding a Garagefor 2012 We are currently working to develop anexciting new initiative to advertise availablegarages on our website. You will be able tosee at a glance which garages are available,their location and will be able to express an interest in renting instantly.

This will be a fresh new approach to letting garages. If you are on our current waiting list you willautomatically be transferred to this new scheme. You do not have to do anything.

We will continue to provide people on the waiting list with information throughout the development phase.

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Two separate housing contracts worth a total of£65 million over the next seven years have beenawarded by Tamworth Borough Council.

Mears has been granted the repairs contract, which meansthat from April 1 this year, it will be responsible for repairsto all of the council’s properties, as well as externalpainting, installation of new kitchens and bathrooms,disabled adaptations and improvement projects.

The specialised contract for the annual gas servicingprogramme, repairs to gas appliances and the installationof new heating systems has been awarded to Morrison andwill also start from April 1.

The council put the two contracts out to tender as requiredby law, as the existing contracts were coming to an end.Eight contractors were invited to tender following an openpre-qualification round.

The contracts were awarded based on both costs andquality. Tenant representatives were involved in the qualityassessment element of the selection process.

Cllr Mary Oates, Cabinet member for Quality of Life, said:“The new repairs contract with Mears combines responsiverepairs with planned and investment works, which willallow us to deliver a much more streamlined and efficientservice to our tenants.

“Over time, this will allow us to move more from responsiverepairs to planned improvements, which are generally morecost effective to deliver and result in higher levels of tenantsatisfaction.

“We are looking forward to working toward our newhousing strategy and delivering healthier homes. These areexciting times for housing in Tamworth."

Council awards new contracts worth £65 million

How do I report repairs

to the council?

Free phone number:

0800 183 00 44

Email:repairs@tamw

orth.gov.uk

“We are looking forwardto working toward ournew housing strategyand delivering healthierhomes. These areexciting times forhousing in Tamworth.”

Cllr Mary Oates

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Subletting, also known as unauthorised occupation or assignment is unlawful use ofhousing stock and deprives people in need of somewhere to live.

Subletting isn’t just about renting a council property out for a profit. Unlawful assignmentfor example could be a tenant leaving to move in with a partner and leaving grown upchildren at the family home.

The National Fraud Authority estimates that tenancy fraud costs the taxpayer around £900million each year. There are 1.8 million households on the waiting list in England for socialhousing and another 250,000 social households are statutorily overcrowded. It is estimatedthat at least 50,000 social homes are being unlawfully occupied at this time.

In spite of many landlords cracking down on tenancy fraud, unlawful occupation is a civiloffence and requires a lot of investigation. As a result, only a fraction of cases get detectedunless they are brought to our attention. The government wants these people to beprosecuted and is looking to make subletting a criminal offence.

Tamworth Borough Council has a subletting policy and procedure and is working as part ofthe National Fraud Initiative to combat this fraud.

If you suspect that a neighbour is committing tenancy fraud by allowing somebody else tooccupy their home whilst they live elsewhere, please contact the Estate Management Teamin confidence on 01827 709491 or by emailing estatemanagementteam@tamworth.gov.uk

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Welfare Reform Bill 2011 and changes to Housing Benefit The Welfare Reform Bill 2011 has been described as the biggestchange to the welfare system for more than 60 years.

The Bill aims to make the benefits and Tax Credits systems fairer and simpler by:

l Creating incentives to get more people into work by ensuring work always pays

l Protecting the most vulnerable in our society

l Delivering fairness to those claiming benefit and to the taxpayer.

The Bill received Royal Assent on 8 March 2012. Important changes will include:

l Changes to Local Housing Allowance

l Introduction of Universal Credit by October 2013 where all benefits will be paid directly to therecipient unless they are exempt.

l Housing Benefit paid directly to the claimant

l Reduced payments to those under-occupying in the social sector – for example, a single personliving in a home with two bedrooms

l Benefits cap of £26,000 per annum and/or £500 per week

l Increased use of sanctions for those not actively seeking work who are able

The main changes affecting council tenants in receiptof welfare benefits have been detailed further below

Continuing increases in non-dependant charges

From April 2012 - 2013 the non dependant charges will be as follows:

Non-dependant Deductions in HB

In receipt of state Pension Credit

In receipt of main phase ESA(IR)

Not in receipt of main phase ESA(IR)

Aged 25 or over and on IS/JSA(IB) or aged18 or over and not in remunerative work

Aged 18 or over and in remunerative work

gross income less than £124.00

gross income not less than £124.00 but lessthan £183.00

gross income not less than £183.00 but lessthan £238.00

gross income not less than £238.00 but lessthan £316.00

gross income not less than £316.00 but lessthan £394.00

gross income more than £394.00

2012/2013

Nil

11.45

Nil

11.45

11.45

26.25

36.10

59.05

67.25

73.85

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Introduction of Universal CreditUniversal Credit will be introduced from October 2013. This replaces working agemeans-tested benefits including Job Seekers Allowance, Tax Credits and Housing Benefits.It will be administered by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). There will be atransition period between 2013 - 2017 by which all claimants will have changed to UniversalCredit. It is likely that claims will have to be made on line. Customers moving into work shouldretain more of their benefit in an attempt to improve work incentives. For people of pension age,housing benefit will be replaced by a housing credit element of pension credit.

Changes to direct payments to landlordsAt the present time housing benefit is paid directly into rent accounts. Universal Credit will be administered bythe (DWP). The housing benefit element will be included in the Universal Credit payment. Therefore tenantswill have to pay rent to the Council - it will not be paid direct into the rent account as is currently the case.

Tenants who move on to Universal Credit should contact the Council to advise by which method they intend topay their rent. Direct Debit is the easiest and quickest way to make a payment. Universal Credit will be paidmonthly in arrears.

At the moment 67% of all council tenants receive either full or partial benefit. This will mean that the council,as a landlord, will have to collect the rent directly as it will not be received as now (i.e. via the housing benefitpayment system).

Reduced payments to those under-occupying in the social sector – the ‘bedroom tax’From April 2013, there will be reduced payments to tenants who are under-occupying social housing. If aworking age tenant is under-occupying their home, the Government is proposing to reduce their HB award by:

l 14% of eligible rent if under-occupying by one bedroom;

l 25% of eligible rent if under-occupying by two bedrooms or more.

l In assessing under occupation the landlord will consider the following (although this not yet confirmed):

l A child aged 16 or under will be expected to share with one other child of the same gender;

l A child aged 10 or under will be expected to share with one other child aged 10 or under, regardless ofgender;

l Those households containing a disabled adult and a non-resident carer will be assessed as having areasonable requirement for an additional room, which will reduce the number of disabled claimantsaffected by this measure.

l An extra bedroom will not be allowed for those tenants who have access to children at weekends or whohave foster child/children.

Tenants who will be affected by these measures will be faced with a choice either to continue to live inaccommodation which is assessed as larger than their household needs and make up any shortfall from otherincome or savings, or move to smaller accommodation (if available) which better reflects the size andcomposition of their household.

For Tamworth, we currently assess around 10% households as under-occupying and this will clearly putpressure on housing.

Benefits capThere is to be a weekly benefits cap of £350 for single people and £500 for families.

This only applies to out of work households. It does not apply to households on Disability Living Allowance,Working Tax Credit, war widows pension or retired people.

Increased use of sanctionsTenants who fail to take up work opportunities and/or training could have their benefit stopped.

Further updates will be given in Open House as more information becomes available. There will be severalbriefing sessions taking place soon to discuss the Welfare Reform Bill. If you would like to attend one of thebriefings, please contact the Tenant Participation Team on 0800 183 0454 or 01827 709260.

Changes are plannedfor Social Housing

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In the news over the last few months,you may have heard about the changesto council tenancies that the Governmentare planning to introduce through theLocalism Act 2011. Alongside theGovernment’s launch of the new HousingStrategy “Laying the Foundations”,proposed changes will give flexibility tosocial housing landlords and localauthorities that will allow them to makebest use of their stock. It wants socialhousing to be flexible and available tomore people and to those that genuinelyneed it.

So what does this mean?l It means that we will have flexibilities that we

have not had before, for example:

l We will be able to choose the length of time wesign up new tenancies for by creating `flexible

tenancies` with a minimum fixed term of twoyears. This will be in addition to, rather thanreplacing, secure tenancies.

l We will have the power to grant additionalsuccession rights.

What happens next?The council is currently preparing its response tothese changes for wider consultation. We will besharing a discussion paper with the TenantConsultative Group in April 2012 that will inform areport to councillors in the summer. This willdetermine whether we choose to introduceflexible tenancies and to which properties thesemight be applied.

Please be assured that there will be no changes tosecure, life-time tenancies in Tamworth withoutproper consultation.

Importantly, this will only affect new tenants – ifyou are an existing tenant then everything willremain the same.

Rents for Tamworth council tenants in 2012/2013 have beenincreased by an average of £5.17 per week (7.1%), in line withthe Government’s Rent Restructuring rules.

Rent increase letters were posted out to tenants at the end ofFebruary, to ensure they have at least a month’s notice before therent increase comes into effect from April 2.

If you pay by Direct Debit, your payments will adjustautomatically to include the new charge(s). This means you willreceive a letter from us 10 days before your payment to let youknow how much your new payments will be.

If you pay by standing order, please let your bank know the newcharges to amend your standing order. We cannot do this for you.

If you receive housing benefit, the amount will be adjusted to thenew charge as above. If you are not in receipt of benefit butthink you may qualify, please complete a housing benefit formonline at tamworth.gov.uk or pick up a form from MarmionHouse and return it quickly as possible.

If your rent account is in arrears, you should clear your account byMarch 31. If you are unable to clear your arrears, you shouldcontact your Housing Officer on 01827 709514.

2012/2013 Rent Increase

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April 201248-Week Rent YearFrom April 2012, your rent will be calculatedover a 48-week rent year.

The 'rent-free' weeks are:27 August 2012 24 December 201218 March 2013 25 March 2013.

If you have rent arrears, you should continue tomake rent payments during these weeks inorder to catch up and reduce your arrears. Ifyou have a court order, you will be in default ofan order if you fail to make a payment.

A 48-week rent year can help you manage yourfinances during difficult times at summer,Christmas and at the end of the financial year.

From April this year, a new rent incentivescheme has been introduced for securetenants. All tenants with a clear and/orin credit rent account will be enteredinto a quarterly draw. The winningtenant will be chosen by the Cabinetmember for Quality of Life and amember of Tenants Consultative Groupand will receive £250, which will be paidinto the credit union on their behalf.

All tenants can take part in the scheme, but onlythose with a clear rent account or those whoseaccounts are in credit will be entered in to thequarterly draws. If you normally clear youraccount at the end of the month, you will not beincluded in the draw unless your account is clearon the dates below.

The draw will take place on the following dates:

22 June 2012 21 September 2012

21 December 2012 and 22 March 2013

Rent IncentiveScheme

Thank you to everyone who has returned a signed copy oftheir tenancy agreement. The 10 winners who weredrawn out of the prize draw have been contacted.

The tenancy agreement is enforceable without signingthe agreement as the variation to the tenancyagreement and conditions has been implemented inaccordance with section 103(2) of the Housing Act 1985.

The information we have received will be used todevelop our services in light of Welfare Reform,changes to Housing Benefit

New Tenancy Agreement

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Budget food shopping –eating well on a budget

Date for your

diary: Weekbeginning June 11

is the National

Food Safety Week.

If you require any further informationor advice on food safety pleasecontact Colin, Sandra, Charlotte andPaula in the Environmental HealthTeam on 01827 709 445.

If you have less money to spend on food, it can seem harder to shop for a healthy andbalanced diet. You may be tempted to pick up everything that’s on special offer, butthere are other ways to save money. Here are 10 ways to reduce your grocery bill andeat healthily.

1. Avoid buying on impulse. Plan your meals a fewdays ahead, make a list before you go shoppingand stick to it. That way you don't buy toomuch.

2. Look up and down the shelves to find cheaperproducts when you go to the supermarket.Shelves at eye level usually contain the moreexpensive items.

3. Swap branded products for the supermarket’sown brand.

4. Buy fruit and vegetables that are in season. Onthe whole, fruit and vegetables grown in theUK are cheaper than imported produce.

5. Buy frozen and tinned fruit and vegetables.They cost less than fresh. All types of fruit andvegetables, whether fresh, chilled, frozen,canned, bottled or dried, count towards therecommended five daily portions.

6. Look out for two-for-one offers on foods thatkeep, such as pasta, rice, cereals (choosewholegrain options as they contain more fibre)and tins of pulses or tomatoes.

7. Check sell-by dates. Supermarkets reduce priceson products that are close to their sell-by date.This can be a great way of picking up bargains,but before you fill your trolley, be sure thatyou’ll eat or cook everything you buy before itgoes off.

8. If you shop online, use a supermarketcomparison website to see which supermarketsoffer the best prices for the products you wantto buy.

9. Cut down on ready meals, especially if you'refeeding two or more people. Ready meals areoften high in salt, sugar or fat. Making yourown meals is not only healthier, but works outmuch cheaper.

10.Buy cheaper cuts of meat, such as shoulder oflamb instead of leg of lamb, or chicken thighsand drumsticks instead of breasts.

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Courtesy of: - NHS CHOICES your health, your choice.

l You can find helpful organisations which can support you to live your life your way, even as you get justthat little bit older.

l You may want to find out about what gadgets and gizmos are available that can help you live saferand more independently at home.

l You may want to find out about the services and organisations that offer the advice and informationyou need, from support groups and organisations offering support and advice about living a healthierlifestyle to those that can help you get into employment, volunteering and learning courses.

l You may even want to know about how to get out and about in your area.

If you do not have access to a computer,please call into Marmion House inLichfield Street, where we have severalcomputers available for customers to use.

Staffordshire Cares Purple Pages

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The Estates Caretaking andCleaning Service is committed tocontinually improving servicesand survey responses are a greatway to understand what tenantsfeel about the services theyreceive. Information provided isused to improve the communalcleaning service andconfidentiality is maintained atall times.

A group of tenant inspectors havenow been formed to inspect thecommunal cleaning areas. Theycarry out independent qualitychecks at different locationsacross the borough. When thechecks have been completed, a

meeting is held between thetenant inspectors and housingstaff to discuss findings and carryout improvements.

The Caretaking Team now has agraffiti removal machine whichdeep cleans large communalareas and walls where accessible.It has been successfully used inTinkers Green during a clean-upoperation of the area and otherareas across the borough wherethis is required.

If you are interested in becominga volunteer tenant inspector,please contact the TenantInvolvement Team on thefreephone number 0800 183 0454

A full report has been compiledon the communal cleaning areasacross Tamworth and the role ofthe tenant inspectors.

A copy of this document can beobtained in the following ways:

l Emailingtenantparticipation@tamworth.gov.uk

l Phoning 01827 709374 to havea paper copy posted out toyou

l Through Tamworth BoroughCouncil’s housing website atwww.tamworth.gov.uk/housing/tenant_participation.aspx

Tenant Inspectors You asked, we listened

If you want to live a healthier and more independent life, then logon to www.staffordshirecarespurplepages.info, call into MarmionHouse or phone 01827 709709 and ask about Staffordshire Cares.

Customer satisfaction surveys were sent out to everyhousehold which receives communal cleaning servicesfrom the estates caretaking team across Tamworth.

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Tamworth Information Centrel Visit, phone or e-mail the friendly, award-winning team in thePhilip Dix Centre

l Get full details of where to stay, where to eat and what to do inthe Tamworth area.

l Get help with that special occasion, plan a day trip, book coachtrips, buy tickets for theatre and Tamworth Castle events.

l Wide variety of local souvenirs and gifts available

Monday to Friday 9.00am - 7.00 pm Saturdays 9.00am - 5.00pm

Welbeing provide residents of Tamworth with telecare equipment, including a whole range of sensors,detectors, monitors and alarms tailored to individual needs. There are some exciting new products availableto Tamworth customers which work with the Lifeline home units, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

01827 709581/709618tic@tamworth.gov.ukText 88020 starting your enquiry with TBCTIC

New Telecare productsfor Tamworth customers

Please call Welbeing on 0845 0766515 if you would like a talk to discuss these products in more detail.

VitalBaseFALL

Fall Detector The wrist-worn fall detector isdesigned to identify a seriousfall. The detector vibrates toalert the user that it is about tosend a radio alarm signal toWelbeing. Traditional falldetectors are worn like a pageraround the waist, this one canbe more comfortable andlighter to wear.

Minuet watchThis has beendeveloped to helpencouragetelecare users towear their personaltriggers throughoutthe day. It replacesthe pendant aroundthe customer’s neck bycombining an alarm buttonwith a Swiss-designed high-quality watch. Users are morelikely to wear it and as a resultwill be provided with additionalprotection as their ability toraise an alarm is increased.

CareAssistThis is proving to be verypopular with onsite carers. It isa portable telecare alarm thatcan receive telecare alerts anddisplay not only the type ofsensor activated but also thelocation of the sensor or thename of the person the sensorhas been assigned to. Itallows carers to bequickly made aware ofany incidents, allowingthem to provide ahigh level of carewhile maximisingtheir efficiency.

Congratulations to Mr Coombeswho was the lucky winner of theSpot the Difference competitionin the December 2011 issue ofOpen House. Enjoy your prize!

Thanks to everybody who sent incompetition entries!

Spot the differencewinner!

Spot the difference to win!Tamworth Borough Council is offering you the chance to win £20 if yourspot the difference competition entry is selected from our prize draw. There are just two competition rules:

l You have to be a tenant of Tamworth Borough Council.l You have to circle three differences between these twophotographs.

Once you think you’ve found all three differences, circle them clearly,fill in and cut out the entry form and then return it by Monday 30April 2012 to:

Diane Hughes, Tamworth Borough Council, Marmion House, LichfieldStreet, Tamworth Staffordshire B79 7BZ.

All correct entries will be entered into a prize draw and the winnernotified soon after the deadline. The competition is open to TamworthBorough Council tenants only. Good luck!

Name:______________________________________________________________

Address: ____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

Telephone No: ______________________________________________________

What’s On

See website for more events anddetails:www.tamworthassemblyrooms.co.uk

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A Right Royal Knees UpWednesday 25 AprilTickets £14, £12.50 conc.Doors 2pm for a 2.30pm start

Lifeboats Concert featuringAmington BandSaturday 28 AprilTickets £10Doors 6.45pm for a7.30pm start

The ELO ExperienceFriday 4 MayTickets £16, £15 concessions Doors 7.00pm for 7.30pm start

All Our Yesterdays Thursday 10 May Tickets £12, £10Doors 2.00pm for a 2.30pm start

Kenny Ball & his JazzmenFriday 18 MayTickets £16, £15 conc Doors 7pm for a 7.30pm start

Film Festival23-25 MayTickets FREE Open daily

T Rextasy - The Slider TourSaturday 26 MayTickets £13, £15 onthe doorDoors 7.30pm for an 8.00pm start

We’ll Meet AgainMonday 28 MayTickets £12.50, £10.50 conc Doors 2pm for a 2.30pm start

Free Outdoor Events inthe Castle GroundsSt. George’s Day CelebrationsSaturday 21 AprilStarts 10am

Olympic FestivalSaturday 30 JuneStarts 10am

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Alternative Formats

If you would like this document in a different form, forexample audio CD, large print or Braille, please contact theTenant Participation team on 0800 1830454.

Designed and Produced by Tamworth Borough Council

Tamworth Borough CouncilMarmion House, Lichfield Street, Tamworth, Staffordshire B79 7BZ.

Enquiries: (01827) 709709 . Main Fax: (01827) 709271

If you would find it easier to talk to us in your ownlanguage please ask an english-speaking friend or relativeto contact 0800 183 0454. We can arrange for an interpreterto contact you to discuss any translation you need.

If you would like to getinvolved then contactTamworth Borough

Council’s TenantParticipation team:

Other useful numbers:

Tamworth Borough CouncilCustomer Services(01827) 709709

Benefits(01827) 709540

Council Tax(01827) 709530

Housing Advice01827) 709459

Housing Office Enquiries (01827) 709491

Tenant Participation(01827 709374)

Rent Enquiries (Income team) (01827) 709514

Estate Management Team(01827) 709491

Allocations and Voids(01827) 709520

Leanne AllwoodTenant Regulatory andInvolvement Manager

01827 709448Diane Hughes

Tenant Participation Assistant01827 709260Helen Rich

Customer Service Assistant01827 709260

Ann SummersLandlord Improvement and

Project Officer01827 709374

email us:tenantparticipation@tamworth.

gov.uk