South Somerset District Council
Residential Gypsy and Traveller Sites
Chubbards Cross Caravan Site
Site Handbook
Everything you need to know
about your site
Welcome to Ilton Gypsy Site
This handbook aims to give you all the information you need to know about
the site.
Page 2 — Site location
Page 3 — Facilities
Page 4 — Security on site
Page 5 — About us
Page 6 — Support workers
Page 7 — Moving to the site
Page 8 — Your tenancy agreement
Page 9 — Your rent
Page 10 — Site safety
Page 11 — Repairs
Page 12 — Getting involved
Page 13 — Service standards
Page 14 — Useful contacts
Page 15 — Useful contacts
Page 16 — Your notes
The site is near the town of Ilminster in Somerset and is managed by South
Somerset District Council.
Your postal address is:
....... Chubbards Cross, Ilton, ILMINSTER, Somerset. TA19 9HW
Page 2
2
Facilities
Your site has a total of 10 pitches, of which
6 include park home accomodation.
Residents living on the other 4 pitches
supply their own accomodation
Each pitch has:
• One Park Home caravan
Please note that the fixtures and fittings
that come with your new Park Home
should not be removed without the Council’s permission.
Your Park Home, and the fixtures and fittings supplied, are covered by a
warranty. Removal of any of the
contents of your Park Home could invalidate the warranty and could lead to
additional expense for the Council.
Any expense reasonably incurred by the Council as a result of your actions
that invalidate the warranty will be recharged to you.
In line with your tenancy agreement, you should not make any alterations
or improvements to your property. To this end, we ask that you do not
carry out any internal decorations unless you request permission.
If you no longer need any of the furniture supplied with your Park Home,
you should contact the Gypsy Site Officer.
• An enclosed tarmac drive
• Access to an amenity block with toilet
• A key metre system for your electricity. The metre is located in the
amenity block
• Your site is a registered Park Home site. You will need to mention
this when applying for insurance. If you have any difficulty gaining
insurance, please contact the Site Officer or your People Can Support
Worker.
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Security on site
Your site is protected by:
A height-limiting barrier at the main entrance. Requests can be made for
the barrier to be lifted, and we will normally help provided:
• The named tenant has requested and been given permission to have
another caravan on the Pitch
• The request is made by the named tenant
• The Council is given at least 24 hours notice and you have asked for the
barrier to be lifted at a reasonable time
The Council has put procedures in place to ensure that the barrier does not
prevent or delay access for the emergency services
Regular visits by the Site Officer and by the Police.
The Council works very closely with the Police to ensure that your site
remains a safe and pleasant place to live. You should feel comfortable
about approaching either the Council’s Site Officer or the Police if you have
any concerns regarding security on the site.
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About us
Staff
South Somerset District Council employs a Site Officer,
Your site office is responsible for ensuring the smooth day to day running of
your site.
You are welcome to speak to your Site Officer when they are on site or you
can call (01935) 462747 or 07968 616085.
The Site Officer is normally available during office hours on Mondays,
Tuesdays and Wednesdays and is also available on Thursday mornings.
The Site Officer is supported by staff based at the Housing Advice Centre in
Yeovil. In their absence, you are welcome to contact the Centre on (01935)
462462 and ask for
To ensure that your site is a safe and pleasant place to live, we will:
Visit your site on a regular basis and resolve any issues as soon as possible
Work closely with other departments of the Council and any relevant
external agencies
Ensure you know who else you can speak to about any issues that the
Council cannot resolve
Recognise that this is your home and treat you with dignity and respect
The Council provides a range of services. Your Site Officer has quick and
easy access to other Council staff who might be able to help you. These
include homeless officers, housing register and welfare benefit staff. We
also have easy links to the Council’s repairs team, Housing Benefits,
Housing Standards and the Planning teams.
5
Page 5
Support workers
You may not always need or wish to speak to
Council staff. If you are aged between 25 and 60
years a locally based Support Worker from People Can
could give you independent housing related support
to:
•
Access specialist health services and a wide range of agencies
•
Speak to other agencies, including the Council, on your behalf
• Help you manage finances and maximise your benefits
• Understand your rights and responsibilities around your Pitch
agreement
• Gain access to other services eg. Training in reading and writing
Your Support Worker will agree an individual support plan with you. You
will be able to monitor progress, review your plan and discuss any new
issues with you at regular meetings and or telephone conversations with
your Support Worker.
Your discussions with your Support Worker will be in confidence. You will
be treated with dignity and respect.
If you are interested in receiving housing related support please contact
the Site Officer on (01935) 462747 or 07968616085 during the times given
on Page 5.
Alternatively, you are welcome to contact People Can directly on (01458)
259619.
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Page 6
Moving to the site
How do I apply for a pitch?
You need to complete an application form. Forms are available from the
Site Officer or from the Housing Advice Centre. Please let us know if you
would like help in completing your application.
What happens after I apply?
We will write to you to confirm that you have been placed on the waiting
list. We will also tell you how many points have been awarded to your
application.
If you think the points are wrong, you can request a review. The review will
be carried out by a senior officer not involved in the original decision.
How does the Council allocate a Pitch?
When we have an empty Pitch it will normally be allocated to the applicant
with the highest number of points. The decision to allocate a Pitch is made
by at least two housing officers.
Points can normally be awarded if you have children or elderly people in
your household, health difficulties, the prospect of work or if you are living
on the roadside in South Somerset. Points are also awarded to reflect good
references.
To ensure our sites remain a safe and pleasant place to live, points can be
taken away from an application if the Council believes that an applicant or
their family might not be compatible with existing residents.
Points can also be taken away if no references are provided.
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Page 7
Your tenancy agreement
When you move on to your Pitch, you will be required to sign a tenancy
agreement.
Your agreement sets out your responsibilities in terms of paying your rent
and water charges, looking after your Park Home and Pitch, and getting on
with your neighbours.
The Council’s responsibilities include maintaining your Park Home and
communal areas. However, please note that if you, your household or your
visitors cause damage to your Park Home or your pitch then the Council will
recharge you for the cost of the repairs. The Council may also recharge you
for a contribution towards the cost of work carried out to rectify damage,
the dumping of rubbish and vandalism on the communal areas of the site.
Why is the agreement important ?
The conditions in your agreement are important because:
• They say what you can expect from us
• They help ensure that your site is a comfortable and safe place to live
for you and for the other residents.
• They say what we can expect from you
The Council will not tolerate antisocial behaviour on your site. We work
very closely with the Police and other agencies to monitor your site and we
will take immediate action against antisocial behaviour.
We take a firm but fair approach to enforcing the conditions of your
agreement. If after warnings from us you continue to breach the conditions the Council may evict you from the site.
If you are evicted from the site then the Council is unlikely to have a duty to
offer you any other accommodation or land because you might have made
yourself intentionally homeless.
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Your rent
Your rent payment is important because it covers the cost of the services
you receive from the Council. If you are having difficulties with your rent,
please let us know as soon as possible.
There are a number of ways we can help. For example, the rent charged
for Park Home accommodation falls well within Housing Benefit limits and
depending on your income you may qualify for this benefit.
We could also refer you to a Support Worker from Novas and / or to the
Council’s Welfare Benefits team.
Failure to pay your rent may lead to you becoming evicted. If you are
evicted the Council is unlikely to be able to help you find other
accommodation.
Your water
Your payment is important because it covers the cost of providing your
pitch with water and waste and sewerage services. Wessex Water bills the
Council for all water services provided to your site and the Council, in
accordance with the Water Industry Act 1991, will invoice you for your
contribution. The amount you pay will be based on previous usage on your
pitch and you can either pay on a weekly basis or by monthly direct debit.
Failure to pay for your water may lead to the Council taking legal action
against you to recover your payment. It can also lead to the Council
serving you with a Notice to leave your accommodation. If you are evicted
the Council is unlikely to be able to help you find other accommodation.
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Page 9
Site safety
Fire
Your Park Home is fitted with a smoke detection system. Your Site Officer
will ensure that you have and understand general fire prevention
information from the Fire and Rescue Service.
Your Park Home is also fitted with a carbon monoxide detector.
Vehicles
To allow emergency services to gain access to all parts of your site, it is very
important that roadways are kept clear.
Most Pitches are large and it should be possible for you and your visitors to
park on your own Pitch. Where this is not possible, vehicles can be parked
on the site but only in allotted parking spaces.
The speed limit on the site is 10 mph.
Gas
You are responsible for providing your own gas (LPG). Bottles should be
stored and disposed of as outlined in your tenancy agreement. Please note
that you will need a sufficient level of gas pressure to ensure your boiler
and all appliances operate fully.
Water
If you have been away from the site for some time, or you have water left
in an external hosepipe, we would advise you to run the tap for a short
period to ensure the supply is fresh.
Rubbish
You should dispose of rubbish safely and according to your tenancy
agreement.
Recycling collection day: General rubbish collection day: 10
Page 10
Every
Every other Wednesday
Repairs
How do I report a repair?
During office hours
You should contact the Site Officer when they are
on site or you can call (01935) 462747 or 07968616085.
The Site Officer is normally available during office hours on
Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays and is also available on
Thursday mornings.
The Site Officer is supported by staff based at the Housing Advice
Centre in Yeovil. In their absence, you are welcome to contact the
Centre during office hours on (01935) 462462 and ask for
Out of office hours
You should call (01935) 462462 and follow the recorded instructions
How soon will we respond?
This will depend on the seriousness and urgency of the problem. As a
guide, we normally apply the following timescales:
One hour response: One hour response: We aim to provide you with
emergency advice and instruct a contractor within one hour if there is a
potentially life threatening difficulty caused by bare electrical wiring,
internal water leaks coming through light fittings, and gas fire leaks
24 hour response: Failure of boiler and gas or electric installations, blocked
drains, exterior flooding and pump failures
14 days: Any other, non urgent, maintenance problem
When you call us please give us as much detail as possible. We will then
decide the level of priority to be given to your repair
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Page 11
Getting involved
We aim to provide you with excellent services. To do this we need to listen
to you, take appropriate action and learn from our mistakes. Comments and Suggestions
If you would like to say thank you or have a suggestion to help improve our
services, we would be happy to hear from you.
Complaints
We define a complaint as “an expression of dissatisfaction, however
made, about the standard of our service, actions or lack of action by the
Council or its staff affecting an individual customer or group of customers”. Complaints are dealt with in a series of stages. A senior officer will look at
your case and make an independent assessment.
If you are dissatisfied about the standard of service by the council, please
tell us. Your comment will then be handled in accordance with our complaints procedure. Details of the procedure are available from the Council’s
area offices or from your Site Officer.
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Our service standards
For all our service users we will
•
•
•
•
•
•
Be polite, welcoming and interested
Act professionally
Treat you with respect & listen to what you have to say
Be willing to help you
Try to deal with your query at the first point of contact
Be responsive and reliable
We aim to
Answer phone calls promptly within normal office hours.
Reply to e-mails and letters within 14 days of receipt
Reply to complaints within 3 working days or if a full reply cannot be done
that quickly, acknowledge receipt of your complaint and send a full reply
within 7 days of receipt
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Useful contact numbers
Your Local Offices:
South Somerset District Council
Petters House
Petters Way
Yeovil
BA20 1SJ
South Somerset District Council
Holyrood Lace Mill
Holyrood Street
Chard
TA18 7LN
Telephone and opening times for both offices: 01935 462462
9:00 am – 5:00 pm (Monday – Thursday),
9:00 am – 4.45 pm (Friday)
Emergency Call Out Procedure (out of hours after 5:00 pm or weekends):
Telephone 01935 462462 and ask for Property Services
Other useful phone numbers
NHS Direct
0845 4647
Southern Electric
0800 980 0414 (meter and key
enquiries. In an emergency, ring
before 7pm for a next day call out).
Western Power
0800 365 900
Floodline
0845 9881188
Wessex Water
0845 600 4600
British Gas
0845 955 5510
British Telecom
150 or 0800 800150
(from a non BT line)
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Useful contact numbers (continued)
Housing Benefit & Council Tax
01935 462462
Refuse Collection
01935 462819
Social Services
01935 422111
Social Services
01458 253241 - Out of hours
Travellers Advice Team
0845 120 2980
Travellers Advice Team
0776 831 6755 – 24 hour emergency
service
Shelter
0808 800 4444 – National free
housing advice
Community Legal Service Direct
0845 345 4345
Fire, Police or Ambulance
Non–emergency calls to the Police
999 in an emergency
To report a crime, incident, or general enquiries please call the Police on
101
You are also welcome to contact the Police Gypsy Liaison Officer. Please
ring 101 and ask for
To report a crime you can call CRIME STOPPERS on 0800 555 111
Your call cannot be traced and you will not be asked your name.
For more information and advice about the service provided by the Police
please visit www.avonandsomerset.police.uk
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Topping up your prepay electric meter
Look for these signs
Ilton site:
Leos Food Store Cornhill Ilminster
Somerset TA19 OAH
Ilminster Post Office
East Street
Ilminster
TA19 OAJ
Martin McColls
2 –4 East Street
Ilminster
TA19 OAJ
CoOp
2/4 St James Street
South Petherton
TA13 5BS
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