|
|
|
Winter edition - December 2024 |
|
LATEST NEWS FROM COTTSWAY |
|
|
Winter has arrived, bringing with it snow, ice and storms so far. The recent adverse weather has meant that our staff have been very busy responding to both emergency and non-emergency calls and repairs, including flood damage.
While we always try to minimise disruption, we must prioritise emergencies, and this can sometimes impact routine repairs. If your appointment was affected, please accept my apologies, and thank you for your understanding and patience.
Emergency repairs: While we are closed over the festive season (see times below), we always try to respond to emergencies within 24 hours. If you have an emergency repair – something which could cause danger to your health or safety, or serious damage to property – please call 01993 890000 anytime.
Home contents insurance: Sadly, some of our homes in West Oxfordshire were flooded during ‘Storm Bert’ and we moved affected customers into temporary accommodation. We are responsible for buildings insurance in our rented properties and deal with any claims that arise, but protection for personal belongings needs to be covered separately by contents insurance - and this is not covered in your tenancy agreement.
It can be devastating being affected by flooding, fire or other emergency situations like water leaks and we would urge you to take out home contents insurance cover to protect yourself and your family. Further information is available on our website: Home insurance
More advice about your home and keeping yourself safe is in this bulletin, along with some of our latest information. |
|
 | As always, you can find out about our work and services available to you, and how to get involved and have say, via our website or social media channels.
Wishing you all the best for 2025, Richard Reynolds - Chief Executive |
|
|
CUSTOMER SURVEY - HAVE YOU HAD YOUR SAY? |
|
From publishing our Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) every quarter, annual report and customer charter to complaints and feedback, financial statements and regulatory judgements, and this ‘Homepage bulletin’, we try to share information with you throughout the year to be open and transparent so you can hold us to account.
We’re carrying out our latest 3-yearly customer survey to find out your views on the information we provide, how we communicate with you and how you think we can improve.
Look out for a text or email with a survey link. If you haven’t already, please spare a couple of minutes to give your views – by taking part you could WIN a £50 gift card! |
|
|
TENANT SATISFACTION MEASURES - LATEST UPDATE |
|
On the topic of feedback, we reported in the last Homepage on our Tenant Satisfaction Measure results for 2023-24. These were submitted to the Regulator for Social Housing (RSH) who has recently published the annual results for all social housing providers across England. |
|
|
|
The rent you pay helps us to manage, maintain and improve Cottsway homes. We follow Government guidelines when setting rent charges and we are currently carrying out our annual rent review.
We will write to you early in the New Year to let you know what your new rent amount will be from April. If you are struggling to pay your rent in the meantime, please get in touch. |
|
|
|
Be water aware We hope you don’t ever encounter it, but a frozen pipe may burst, or a minor leak may remain undiscovered for months. Water can cause serious damage to your home and your belongings such as furniture, carpets, curtains, clothes, bedding, electrical items etc. Please take a look at this advice to ensure you’re prepared: |
|
|
Be fire safe With many people getting new electrical items for Christmas, increased use of candles and being at home more over the festive season, we want to remind you of the importance of fire safety and some simple steps you can take to protect yourselves, your families and your homes. |
|
|
Stop Loan Sharks Sadly, with the cost-of-living crisis, loan sharks have become more prevalent. Stop Loan Sharks investigates and prosecutes illegal money lenders and provides support for borrowers. If you have borrowed from a loan shark or are worried about someone, they can help and keep you safe. Their specially trained staff will provide you with emotional and practical support, tailored to your needs. |
|
|
|
Supporting our communities and customers So far during 2024-25, we’ve grant aided over £17,500 from our Community Fund to help local projects and offer learning opportunities to help customers like you increase their prospects.
Cynthia, 26, recently completed a professional course in Change Management and received a £208 grant towards the cost. She said: “I’m very grateful for Cottsway’s support as completing this course has enabled me to widen my knowledge base in this area and will hopefully open up more career opportunities for me in the future.”
We still have funding available in this year’s £30,000 funding pot, so if you’re undertaking a training or coaching course or need help with materials to support your learning, please apply. |
|
|
Being a good neighbour Please treat your neighbours with the respect and consideration that you’d like to be treated with. Neighbourhood nuisance and anti-social behaviour encompasses a wide range of issues such as noise, drunkenness, aggressive dogs, vandalism, drug abuse / dealing, hate crime and racism.
If you are experiencing an issue with a neighbour, we suggest you discuss this with them directly first - often issues can be down to a simple misunderstanding which can be resolved through talking. However, if this is not possible, you can report issues to us, and we’ll investigate. |
|
|
MORE HOMES FOR THOSE IN HOUSING NEED |
|
So far this year, we have taken handover of 135 new homes in areas including Carterton, Moreton-in-Marsh, Swindon and Witney.
This has more recently included 30 apartments at St Marys Court in Witney, where we recently met with companies involved in the regeneration of our former 1960s sheltered housing scheme. Pictured is how the site looked before and now. |
|
We have other developments for both rent and shared ownership in the pipeline for the New Year as we continue our work to provide more homes for people in need. |
|
|
SIGN UP TO MY COTTSWAY
Over 1,900 customers have signed up to My Cottsway to view their rent balance and payment history, make payments, set up Direct Debits, request some routine repairs and update their contact details online 24/7. We’re working to add more services to the portal, so sign up now! |
|
CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR OPENING |
|
We’ll be responding to your calls, emails and messages at the following times over the festive period: - Tuesday 24 December: 8.30am - 3pm
- Wednesday 25 – Friday 27 December: Closed
- Monday 30 December: 8.30am - 5.30pm
- Tuesday 31 December: 8.30am – 4pm
- Wednesday 1 January: Closed
Don’t forget! If you: - Have an emergency repair while we are closed, please call 01993 890000
- Want to tell us how we are doing – good or bad – please contact us.
Foodbank Witney and West Oxfordshire Foodbank is closed on Wednesday 25, Thursday 26 and Friday 27 December, and on Wednesday 1 January. For more information see: Witney and West Oxfordshire Foodbank
Citizens Advice - Oxfordshire The drop in service at The Old Print House, Marlborough Lane, Witney, closes on Monday 23 December and phonelines close at 4pm on 24 December. Both services reopen on Thursday 2 January. Alternatively, for lots of useful information, see: Citizens Advice West Oxfordshire |
|
|
|
|
This has been sent to you as a Cottsway customer. We follow data protection regulations and you can view our full privacy statement on our website. If you do not wish to receive this newsletter you can unsubscribe at any time. Click here to unsubscribe. |
|
