Issue 37 Summer 2015
In Partnership with
Melton Borough Council
Exciting Refurbishment Planned for
Council Homes in Melton Mowbray
A further £3 million is to be spent on
improving local council flats in Granby
House and Beckmill Court this Summer.
This new investment programme, earmarked for
2015-16 will target 90 properties for significant
improvement, which will make these homes fit
for modern living. The work will be designed
to make homes healthy and energy efficient
while the wider improvements planned will also
include improvements to green spaces, waste
management and security. In this way entire
communities will benefit.
The scope of the work will include installing
external wall insulation, which will enhance
the physical appearance of the blocks. While
inside the flats, the old electric storage heaters
will be replaced with new, modern gas central
heating systems. In conjunction with this, the
old aluminium windows, which have long been
a cause of concern, will be replaced by modern
UVPC windows that will not only reduce heatloss and carbon emissions, but will also go
some way into lowering residents’ fuel bills.
Overall, this programme has been designed
to make use of the latest developments in
sustainability and new technology and to meet
residents’ aspirations for their own homes while
looking more broadly to bring about improved
conditions across the whole estate rather than
just individual properties. This means, in real
terms, increased quality of life for all residents
in and around the Melton area.
Message from the Chair…
Just to let you know I and other TFEC members were delighted to be invited to the new
council builds at East Avenue, Greaves Avenue, Tudor Hill and Saxelby Road, Asfordby.
These are the first new builds in Melton Mowbray by Melton Borough Council since the middle
of the 1970s and we applaud the council for taking this initiative and we encourage the council to
carry on with new builds where possible to replace the depleted stock of affordable rented housing.
John Skerritt
TFEC Chair
A newsletter for Melton Borough Council tenants created by the tenants’ forum editorial panel
First Council housing
building in nearly
30 years completed
Melton Borough Council is very pleased to
confirm that their new affordable housing
project has been completed on time and
within budget.
Ten new affordable homes have been built on
three former garage sites, in Greaves Avenue and Tudor Hill in Melton Mowbray and in Saxelby
Road in Asfordby. The garage sites were previously underused and in some cases derelict, new
housing on these sites will help regenerate the area and provide much needed affordable housing.
Melton Borough Council has taken the opportunities provided from the Housing Revenue Account
reforms and made use of New Homes Bonus monies to fund the project. Leicestershire County
Council has also significantly contributed to the project through their new Homes Bonus scheme.
Councillor David Wright, Chair of the Council’s Community & Social Affairs Committee said “This
is a memorable occasion for Melton Borough Council, we have not built new homes for nearly 30
years, we need to do more of these type projects. There is a clear shortage of affordable housing in
the borough and this and future projects will help meet some of the demand and we will continue
to work with our partners in delivering more regeneration schemes”.
All of these ten new homes have now been let to families who were in housing need.
E-Notifications
Social Media
Keep up to date with the latest information
from the Council by signing up to
E-Notifications.
If you are a Facebook user you can add
the Tenants Forum as a friend to keep
up to date with meetings and useful
information about being a tenant.
We will email you information based on the
options that you have selected that we think will
be of interest to you.
Simply type in ‘Melton Borough Tenants’
in the search box on your Facebook and
add as a friend.
Join our Mailing List:
http://www.melton.gov.uk/info/200109/
council_news/668/mailing_list
Follow TFEC on Twitter – TFECMelton
Keeping MBC in the picture
If you update your telephone number, email
address or any other contact information please
ensure you contact Customer Service so that
MBC have up to date contact details for you
in case MBC need to make contact with you.
An example is if MBC need to contact you and
book in a repair visit or inspection. If MBC do
not have the up to date information then they
will struggle getting hold of you.
Don’t get behind on your
Council Tax – Pay the easy
way! www.melton.gov.uk
Issue 37 Summer 2015
2
Home Ownership Grants
Fraud
If you are a Melton Borough Council tenant
and you are interested in buying a home of
your own you may be able to get help through
our new Right to Buy Social Mobility scheme.
The Council is continuing to work hard
to ensure that local residents that are
properly entitled receive the right amount
of Housing Benefit quickly.
The Right to Buy Social Mobility scheme is a
new government scheme that helps our tenants
who would like to buy a home of their own, but
not their council home. The scheme is aimed at
our tenants whose current home is not suitable
for them to buy under the Right to Buy, this
might be because it is too small, too large or it
might not be where they want to live. It might
be because their council home is built in a nonstandard way which makes it hard for them to
get a mortgage to buy their home.
Benefits are in place to help the most
vulnerable people in our society,
particularly bearing in mind the difficult
times the residents of the Borough may be
experiencing during the current economic
situation.
However, it is a fact that there are a few
people who deliberately set out to cheat
the system, and the Council takes its duty
to actively pursue benefit fraudsters very
seriously. The Council continues to have
numerous successful investigations and
since April 2014 alone there have been 4
successful prosecutions, resulting in over
£65,000 in overpaid Housing and Council
Tax Benefit, with several more due to be
heard in the Courts in the coming months.
The actual total benefit overpaid is actually
much more as, in some cases, other benefits
like Income Support were also involved in
the investigations.
The scheme offers our tenants a grant of £20,000
to help them buy a home of their choice, this can
be anywhere in the United Kingdom.
All of our tenants can apply as long as they
would otherwise be eligible for the Right to Buy
their home.
We will have to check, but you are probably
eligible if:
•
The property is your only or main home.
•
You have been a public sector tenant
(usually a tenant of a council or housing
association) for a total of at least 3 years
•
You don’t live in sheltered housing or other
housing particularly suitable for elderly or
disabled people
•
You don’t have any legal problems with debt
•
You don’t have any outstanding
possession orders
•
You (or any other person that you want to
purchase with) do not own or part-own any
other property.
Once a successful investigation is carried
out, the benefit thief may face prosecution
in court, fines or even imprisonment. No
matter what the punishment is, the money
must always be paid back. Courts also
have powers to issue a court order for any
overpaid benefit and any costs incurred to
be recovered more quickly than traditional
methods. The courts can take account of
what capital the fraudster may have and this
can include any houses, cars, or money in
the bank for example.
Committing benefit fraud affects everyone
and there are no excuses for benefit fraud - it
is a crime. If you wish to report a benefit fraud
in confidence please go to the following
link on our website www.melton.gov.uk/
info/200008/benefits_and_grants/169/
report_benefit_fraud or alternatively
telephone Melton Borough Council benefit
fraud team on 0800 028 2196.
Buying a home is a big decision, you
should make sure that you understand the
responsibilities and costs involved in buying a
home before applying for this scheme.
If you would like to apply or for more
information please call customer services on
01664 502 502 or email customerservices@
melton.gov.uk for an application pack.
3
Issue 37 Summer 2015
Register for My Account today!
Start managing your council services online today
It’s so simple to do…
1. Go to www.melton.
gov.uk/myaccount
2. Create an account
3. Sign up for Council
tax services
4. Enjoy a new quick and
easy way to access
your Council Tax
account
Keep an eye out for new online services
on My Account in the near future!
www.melton.gov.uk/myaccount
Issue 37 Summer 2015
4
Budget Update
Housing Services, including services for example repairs, tenant engagement, rent
collection are managed from a budget called the Housing Revenue Account (HRA)
The Housing Revenue Account budget is a complex and large budget; as such it is monitored
on a monthly basis as a key service. The operation of the HRA is governed by the Local
Government and Housing Act 1989 and one of the key requirements is that the Council will
produce and publish an annual budget for the HRA which avoids a deficit; and the Council
has a duty to review, and if necessary revise that budget from time to time. The year ending
2014/15 shows that:
•
The provisional year end position shows an actual deficit of income over expenditure of
£212,738
•
An underspend of £178,515 against the approved budgeted deficit of £391,250
This results in a working balance of £1,120,522.
What this means that we are in 2015/16 able to continue to improve our housing services,
carry out more planned repair works and improve you homes with a fully funded programme
for re-roofing, new kitchens and bathrooms, central heating etc.
Noise Action Campaign
Melton Borough Council is teaming up with
partners as part of a national effort to tackle
noisy nuisance neighbours.
confrontation if both parties spoke to each other
first, especially if it is a one off event. If you are
having a party then it is always a good idea to let
your neighbours know in advance.”
Noise Action Campaign not only urges residents
to be tolerant of those they live close to, but also
ask themselves “am I a noisy neighbour?” In the
past 12 months the council has received a variety
of complaints about noise, including concerns
about barking dogs, DIY, noisy TVs and music,
parties, cars and house alarms.
“We hope this campaign will encourage
neighbours to be both more respectful and more
tolerant when it comes to noise.”
The Anti-Social Behaviour Delivery Group has
also produced a template for a letter which they
hope residents can download and use to inform
their neighbours in a positive, friendly way about
their concerns.
Melton Borough Council is part of the Anti-social
Behaviour Delivery Group, which is made up of
local authorities across Leicester, Leicestershire
and Rutland, and the police.
To report anti-social behaviour contact the council on:
Superintendent Mark Newcombe the force’s lead
Telephone: 01664 502502
on anti- social behaviour, said: “At its worse, this
Email: contactus@melton.gov.uk
type of anti-social behaviour can have a detrimental
impact on a person’s quality of life and can leave
Crimestoppers can be contacted by
them feeling unsafe or cause confrontational
0800 555 111 or via the website
situations to occur. However, there are also times
www.crimestoppers-uk.org
when the matter could be easily resolved with less
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Issue 37 Summer 2015
Issue 37 Summer 2015
6
Asbestos in MBC housing
Asbestos has been extensively used in
building materials in domestic and commercial
buildings in the 20th century, only ceasing to
be used completely in 2000.
This programme is currently running with void
works and will be extended to complete the
surveys over the next 5 years.
The advantage of having the reports is that day
to day repairs (light fittings, water-damaged
ceilings, smoke alarm replacements, extract
fan installations/repairs etc) can be carried out
quickly without the need to commission and
wait for one off reports. Planned maintenance
work cannot start without an asbestos report
in place; these works will be omitted from the
programme where we are unable to gain access.
Prior to this, many common building materials
contained traces of asbestos. This is most
commonly found in asbestos cement products,
(soffit boards, sheds, corrugated roofing sheets,
rain water goods, foul drainage), vinyl floor
tiles and adhesives and textured (Artex type)
coatings. Typically these materials contain less
than 1% white asbestos (chrysotile). This is
considered to be the least harmful type.
The surveys are non-intrusive and take less than
an hour to complete on site. Small samples
of suspected material are taken under safe
conditions and sent away for laboratory analysis
to enable the report to be compiled. This will
not affect decorations.
The asbestos is firmly bound in the matrix of
the material and only becomes an issue if it
is broken, abraded, cut or drilled. In these
circumstances fibres can be released into the air.
In normal use, these materials should give you
no cause for concern; however, we must inform
our contractors of any location that may present a
hazard during any repair works. This can include
replacement of a lighting pendant or batten
holder, or works to soffits and fascias.
In order for this programme to work for the
tenants we would appreciate your co-operation.
Planned maintenance programmes rely on
tenants making appointments for when the
surveys can be carried out. Currently, tenants are
contacted by card and letter to try to arrange
appointments. We would be grateful if all
tenants could respond to these communications
to allow contractors to arrange surveys.
Melton Borough Council holds a register
containing asbestos reports for about one
quarter of the housing stock. We are rolling out
a programme to survey every property in the
housing stock to give us complete comfort that
as much asbestos containing material has been
identified as possible.
TFEC Housing Foyer Visit - Wisbech
TFEC visited the Housing Foyer Project in Wisbech on Wednesday 27th May to hear about the
scheme and have a tour of the property. With the proposal of a similar Housing Foyer in Melton
Mowbray, at Thorpe End, TFEC wanted to get first hand insight into a scheme and how it would
benefit Melton residents.
TFEC were very impressed with what they saw and fully support a Housing Foyer scheme in Melton
Mowbray.
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Issue 37 Summer 2015
Your Tenancy Conditions!
It is really important that as tenants that everyone know what their tenancy conditions
are. These can be found as part of your tenants’ information pack which also has leaflets.
With summer already upon us it is important that as well as enjoying the sun and late evenings that
people remember to respect their neighbours and homes.
There are some key tenancy conditions that we would like to remind you of:
•
Keep your home and garden tidy
•
Do not cause any anti-social behaviour or nuisance (includes noise)
•
Pay your rent on time
•
Only carry out improvements to your property after getting consent from Melton Borough Council
If you are experiencing issues from other residents please inform the Council so we can take action
and investigate any issues.
If you are experiencing difficulty in paying your rent or council tax you should contact us as soon as
possible in order that we can help you.
Intensive Housing
Management
Service
We are now into the third month
of the new intensive housing
management service; 550 of our
tenants currently receive the service.
You will have been visited by now by one
of our staff members who will have asked
you about your needs, ensuring you are
able to manage your tenancy and remain
independent in your own home.
Over the next three months staff will be
offering you a single point of contact
through the new service and will be able
to address repair issues, housing transfer
advice, mutual exchanges, rent payments,
council tax payments, neighbour disputes
and also support with completing housing
benefit forms.
If you do not receive this service but feel
you may benefit from more intensive
support please contact us so we can offer
an assessment.
Issue 37 Summer 2015
8
The New Cleaning Contract
The new cleaning contract, which started
on the 15th April, is now working well and
the company, Cleanjeans, are getting lots
of good comments regarding the thorough
cleaning that has been carried out
they have kept MBC fully informed of all issues
and are performing very well.
I also understand the cost of this service
is raising some questions as to why it has
increased so much. The answer to this is really
in two parts. Firstly when Ace Cleaners took
on the contract, they deflated their costs to
win the contract, and as a result they failed
to make it pay. As a result, poor work was
carried out and the stairwells and communal
areas were neglected for a very long time.
When we finally went out to tender to procure
the new contractor, the market prices we
received back now reflected the true contract
value. In order to test this cost, the selection
of the contractor was done with full TFEC
involvement and approval.
Members of TFEC have inspected the work
and have fed back positive comments. In the
early stages, there have been some issues
which have meant that the contractors have
been delayed in getting to all sites in a timely
way. The dirty state of many stairwells and
communal areas has meant that the work has
taken longer than planned, but the contractors
are now getting on top of the work and
they expect to be back on course this week.
Further to this, all windows have been cleaned
externally and a majority of internal windows
have also been cleaned.
As I have pointed out, years of neglect
and poor service has meant that the new
contractor has had to do a lot to catch up, but
based on recent feedback I fully expect that
once they have settled in they will deliver a
quality service. Residents in areas that receive
the communal cleaning service will see a
schedule insert in the newsletter.
In some areas, notably St Johns, it is
recognised that some blocks were missed on
the first attempt to clean them. This was not a
problem on the part of Cleanjeans, rather they
had not been given the correct amount of keys
to gain access to all blocks. This has now been
rectified by MBC and Cleanjeans will be back
on site the week commencing 1st June.
Richard Whitmore
Housing Asset Manager
All in all, and despite some minor set backs
due to years of neglect by the previous
contractor, the new company is working well
and I expect them to be on programme by
next week. I understand that there are some
concerns at what seems an erratic service, but
Please can residents ensure the communal
areas are clear of personal property so the
cleaners can complete their tasks efficiently.
Let’s be clear at 800
4G at 800 MHz and possible disruption to Freeview in Melton.
Mobile phone operators are now rolling out 4G networks in Melton, which will provide superfast wireless broadband. The 800 MHz frequencies used by some 4G services are next to the
frequencies used for Freeview television. There is a small chance this may cause disruption to
Freeview services.
Typical symptoms could include a loss of sound, pixelated images or loss of some or all Freeview
channels. Freeview is the television received through an aerial; BT Vision and YouView also
provide Freeview services. Cable and TV services are very unlikely to be affected.
If you experience any disruption please call Customer Service on 01664 502 502 to report the matter.
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Issue 37 Summer 2015
Time to Improve Your Finances
With the credit crunch not showing signs of
abating any time soon and with money worries
still hanging over most people’s heads, Clockwise
Credit Union are able to offer a number of
Products and Services which may help.
This ‘Jam Jar’ account allows you to set aside
certain pots of money for expenses like rent and
bills so that you always have money in your account
to make those payments and know how much you
have left over.
Clockwise is one of the UK’s fastest growing
financial co-operatives and because they are a
not-for-profit organisation, they pass on any savings
they make directly to their members.
Clockwise offer loans between £50 and £10,000
based on affordability and are able to tailor
repayments to suit everyone’s budget. Because
they can offer loans for smaller amounts (something
most banks are unable to do) they ensure that
people only borrow what they need. People can
also top up existing loans within a pre-agreed
limit. With APRs as low as 8.7% and no higher than
42.6% compared to some competitors who charge
up to 632%, Clockwise makes it easier for people to
get affordable loans. If members want to pay their
loans back earlier they can do without having to
pay the outstanding interest.
In times of financial worries people often turn to
wherever they can to get extra cash, but end up
having to make huge repayments to doorstop
lenders, money shops and some banks. With
finances having been stretched over Christmas,
Clockwise could help people consolidate debts
or manage money better by offering low cost
loans and budgeting options. Clockwise carry out
assessments to ensure that you do not borrow
more than you can afford to repay.
Among Clockwise’s most popular products is the
Budget Account. A lot of people can lose track
of bills coming out at different dates, often going
overdrawn and attracting charges.
To find out more about Clockwise please visit
www.clockwise.coop or call 0116 242 3906 or
pop into Phoenix House (opposite Sainsburys) on
Nottingham Road, Melton Mowbray every Tuesday
morning between 9:30 and 1:30pm.
Supporting you safely
through your financial life
Quick or same day decisions
No hidden costs
No penalties for paying early
Fair Money Values
Responsible and affordable short term alternatives to payday loans
Affordable flexible repayments
Highly competitive
For more information or to apply online please visit www.clockwise.coop,
email enquiries@clockwise.coop or call 0116 242 3900
Clockwise Credit Union Limited, Reg. No. FRN213498 is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential
Regulation Authority. Clockwise is a member of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, the Financial Ombudsman Service and ABCUL.
Registered Office: 1 St Nicholas Place, Leicester, LE1 5LB
Issue 37 Summer 2015
10
Facebook.com/ClockwiseCU
@Clockwise_CU
Tenant Training Sessions
The next Tenants Awareness Course is on 9th July 2015
from 12:30pm-2:30pm at Phoenix House, Nottingham Road,
Book your place online now.
The course is designed to help anyone who is looking to take up a
new tenancy, or is an existing tenant.
The subjects covered will help you to maintain your tenancy, and advise you how you can selfmanage your tenancy in lots of different ways and where to seek guidance and help when
necessary. Some of the subjects covered will include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Different types of Tenancy - how does this affect me?
Budgeting skills and managing your bills to afford your rent.
Help from other agencies i.e. CLOCKWISE to manage your bills.
Repairs - how to report repairs.
Being a good neighbour and how to report anti-social behaviour
Refuse & Recycling - when your refuse is collected and what to recycle.
How to contact the Council for different services and ‘My account’
The Local Housing Allowance, (benefits and help to pay your rent)
Following a fantastic first year, we are now
in to our second at Me & My Learning.
Some of our achievements last year were:
•
15 different providers on board; all based
in the one building offering a wide range of
support including: Mental Health, Drug &
Alcohol, Computer Skills, CSCS Card, English
& Maths, The Princes Trust, Volunteering,
Careers Advice, Job Search, CV Writing,
Credit Union Bank and many more.
• 53 people into employment
• 20 people obtained their Construction Card
(CSCS Card)
• 10 taking their Forklift Truck course
• 5 completing Care Course
• 6 people secured places at College
• 1 person secured a University place starting
in October 2015
We started on a high with us running the
Lidl pre-employment training alongside
Loughborough College. We saw 10 of those
who attended the training go on to secure
employment in-store and have since been on
their 4 week training before the store opens
on the 4th June. Everyone who attended the
training completed their Level 1 BTEC Award in
Workskills and we are awaiting their results.
What’s to come…
FEEDBACK WORKS!! - Digital Course
Based on your feedback, we have introduced
more flexibility to our digital skills offers. We’re
now focused more on 121 assessment and
support.
Smoking Cessation
We will be running a Smoking Cessation clinic
from Phoenix House once a week starting in
June, date to be confirmed. With the help of
a smoking cessation practitioner and nicotine
replacement therapy, you are 4 times more likely
to quit than trying to do so alone!
Me and My Learning First Birthday
We will be celebrating our first birthday in July,
details will be on our Twitter and Facebook page
once confirmed!
Email: meandmylearning@melton.gov.uk
Tel: 01664 502342
Web: www.melton.gov.uk/meandmylearning
@MeltonBC (search #MeltonLearning for all
Me & My Learning updates)
Melton Borough Council
11
Issue 37 Summer 2015
DO YOU LOOK AFTER
A LOVED
LOVED-ONE WITH DISABILITY
OR HEALTH PROBLEM?
FREE GYM ACCESS FOR
CARERS IN LEICESTERSHIRE
If you are a Carer who feels that attending a gym would help you
relax or maintain your own health then please contact us.
Northamptonshire Carers are working with Carers Trust East
Midlands to offer Carers sessions at local gyms free of charge.
Available at
Waterfield Leisure Centre, Dalby Road,
Melton Mowbray, LE13 0BG
To access this service or for more information
please contact us on 0330 119 2142
Please do not contact the gym directly
.
Please contact us for other services in your area, including a
coffee morning and drop-in sessions
Carers Trust East Midlands, The One-Stop-Shop, Wycliffe House,
Gilmorton Road, Lutterworth, LE17 4DY
This service is funded by a Leicestershire County Council SHIRE
Community Grant
Northamptonshire Carers is incorporated as a non profit Company Limited by Guarantee No. 3328459
Registered Charity No. 1061417
Issue 37 Summer 2015
12
A new and innovative physical activity, designed specifically for women and girls! By
combining football and dance, a completely new and fresh class has been developed.
The concept has been developed by Melton’s
Legacy Maker, Sarah Milner, in partnership with
local Zumba instructor, Donna-Louise Newton.
The concept was created based on a brief given
to utilise football to increase the number of
physically active women and girls in the Borough.
The popularity of dance, Zumba and exercise
classes within Melton is high, particularly with
women. This, coupled with the physiological
and psychological benefits of football, provided
Sarah with the inspiration to create Ballance.
As credit to the development of the project,
the Football Association (FA) are currently in the
development stages for a similar activity aimed at
women and girls. As such, Sarah and Donna have
been asked to deliver Ballance to a target group
of young women on behalf of the FA, in March, as
part of a Youth Sport Trust Programme.
The activity is completely inclusive and anyone
can get involved, you need never have kicked
a ball or been to a dance class before. The
movements are easy to pick up and can be
The class has been piloted with a local Under 16 altered by each individual to suit their ability.
No equipment is needed; just wear comfortable
girl’s football team and was hugely successful.
clothing and flat shoes.
The team picked up the moves straight away
Classes begin Friday 17th July 11:30 - 12:30pm
and were able to follow both the dance and
at The Cove Children’s Centre in Melton, open
football aspects to complete the class, whilst
to women and girls of all ages. No booking is
still having fun. The routines are up-beat and
required and the first four weeks
designed to be a full body work-out. Although
of the programme are free.
the use of the football would have you believe
it is orientated towards the lower body, the
For further information on
movements and aerobic nature of the routines
Ballance contact Sarah Milner
ensure that the entire body benefits.
at smilner@melton.gov.uk or
call 01664 502362.
13
Issue 37 Summer 2015
Anti Social Behaviour Contact Details
Police - 101
Melton Borough Council Anti-Social Behaviour Team - 01664 502 502 or asb@melton.gov.uk
Issue 37 Summer 2015
14
New Training
Centre created
A new training centre has been created at
G. Purchase Construction’s Loughborough
office.
Melton’s responsive repairs contractor, G.
Purchase Construction Ltd has opened a new
Training Centre at its office in Loughborough.
The Training Centre has been created to upskill
existing operatives enabling them to undertake
a wider range of repairs, without the need to be
accompanied by a colleague with the additional
skills required to undertake all of the repairs
needed at a tenant’s home.
This creation of the Training Centre is in direct
response to feedback
received from Melton’s tenants and from TFEC
in particular. The additional skills learned by our
operatives will improve efficiency and increase
the number of right first time repairs carried out.
Please help us to help you!
From time to time we experience considerable
difficulty in getting in to tenants homes to
carry out their repairs because the contact
details we have are incorrect or out of date. It
would greatly help us, and you, if you could
please confirm the correct contact details when
reporting your repairs. We aim to attend all
of our appointments on time, by ensuring we
have your correct details we will become better
at achieving this.
Completing Repairs
Where ever possible G Purchase wish to
complete your day to day repair in one visit, as
we believe this the most convenient for you.
That said, it isn’t always possible to do your
repair in one visit.
Some typical situations where we may need to
arrange to come back are;
•
Larger Jobs jobs like a new
kitchen, lots
of fencing etc.
sometimes need
more than one
day to finish
•
‘Wet Trades’- certain jobs such as
plastering and painting involve one coat
drying before we can finish the job
•
Specialists - for some jobs, such as
roofing, we may need to put a scaffold up
first to do the work safely
•
Glazing - glass needs a first visit to
measure up and then we will book a
second visit once the glass is ready
•
Other materials may involve a second visit
Please remember you can help us to help you
after we have been to measure up.
by letting us have the best phone number to
The operative will let you know (e.g.
showers, heaters, some doors, baths etc.) contact you on when you ring the Customer
Service Centre. That way we can keep you
informed.
15
Issue 37 Summer 2015
Feedback: Tell us
how we are doing!
At the council, we value what our customers have to say and believe it is through your
feedback that we are helped to improve the way we do things and learn from where
things have gone wrong.
We also want to hear from you if you feel that we have provided an excellent service or a member
of staff has gone that extra mile to resolve your enquiry.
GovMetric is a service that Melton Borough Council has implemented to engage and gather the
views of its customers. Customers are already making use of this service and leaving feedback
(complaints, compliments and suggestions) which we have used to improve our services.
Customers have said:
“Very well set out, easy to understand and find my way around!”
“The site was not very mobile friendly”
“I needed more information about what each item meant.”
How to leave feedback
Website - look for the three smileys/faces, which are in the GovMetric icon, displayed on the
council’s webpages to leave feedback online. By choosing one of the ‘smiley faces’ on the web
page, you can let us know:
We’re getting it right
We could do better
We need to improve
When you rate a web page you can also leave a comment - the more information you give us, the
more able we are to improve things.
Telephone - At the end of every phone call, customers are automatically directed to the GovMetric
service to leave feedback to inform us on how we did.
Face to face - We now also have a feedback standing device located by the door in the main
reception at our Parkside offices so that customers are able to leave feedback when they visit the
council building.
What we will do
Melton Borough Council will deal with all compliments, complaints and suggestions:
•
If you leave feedback online with your contact details such as an e-mail address, we will send
you an acknowledgement and deal with your enquiry
•
All suggestions and improvements will be reviewed and where appropriate we will liaise with
the relevant team to help improve our service.
Issue 37 Summer 2015
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