Have you considered downsizing?

There are currently 43 families (which include 70 children) from the borough living in temporary accommodation which includes hostels, hotels, bed and breakfasts as far away as Tamworth and Coventry. A further 824 families are registered on NBBC homes, which is the online waiting list for a home.

The demand for family accommodation is so high that we would ask all tenants who live in a family property but don’t need the number of bedrooms to consider downsizing.

However, we realise that everyone’s home means a lot to them. It may be that you have been living in the property for a long time but that you no longer need the space as your family has moved away. We realise that moving may be a difficult process, however, we would ask you to consider the families who are currently living in properties that are too small for their needs, or facing Christmas in temporary accommodation.

You, or someone you know, may benefit from moving into our Independent Living Service properties. We currently have over 80 properties available, and they might not be what you think! Many of our independent living residents still work, drive and live life to the full. The properties come with the peace of mind that there is always someone to contact in an emergency and the reassurance of living in a community.

This year the Council announced a new contractor carrying out gas serving on council homes. Nuneaton and Bedworth Communities Enterprise Limited (NABCEL) is a company set up by NBBC to carry out commercial activity to increase the income of the council. They have set up NABCEL Gas and have taken on the staff and duties of Sure Maintenance who were the previous contractor.

The repairs number for contacting NABCEL gas remains the same 024 7637 6344

STAR Survey

We are currently carrying out our ‘STAR’ survey which is a bi-annual tenant and leaseholder satisfaction survey. Half our general purpose tenants, all our independent living residents and all our leaseholders were sent a paper survey which was then followed up by a phone call. This is the main way how we find out what our tenants and leaseholders think of our services and helps us decide our priorities for next year. Filling out the survey gives you a chance to win a £50, £20 and £10 high street vouchers.

We hope that you took the time to fill in the survey if you received one. If not, this week is your last chance to fill in the survey online.

Resident Involvement Strategy

In January we will be starting our consultation on our Resident Involvement Strategy 2019-22.

This strategy sets out how we are going to involve you, NBBC tenants and leaseholders, in how we run our services. It gives you the opportunity to get involved and have your say about Housing and tell us what you really think!

The consultation will run throughout January and we will let you know how to give your comments nearer the time.

If you would like more information email: resident.involvement@nuneatonandbedworth.gov.uk

Residents Partnership update

After the success of our Good Neighbour Awards and Community Days in the summer we are hoping to expand our projects next year and find new ways of getting feedback from you, our tenants and leaseholders!

We want to collect as many email addresses as possible so we can have a simple way of contacting tenants and leaseholders!

We would use your email to send information or surveys from time to time, so that we can feed back your opinions and comments to the managers at the council. We would send you a copy of our privacy statement to ensure we are conforming to the new GDPR (data protection) regulations.

If you would like to hear from us from time to time and are willing to let us know what you think of council services email us with your name to: resident.involvement@nuneatonandbedworth.gov.uk

How’s your heating?

The unpredictable British weather means we don’t often know how our weather will be from one week to the next, and in winter this can make life quite difficult!

We would always recommend that you test your heating before very cold weather arrives meaning any faults or failures are dealt with before you need it.

We are also aware that some tenants can struggle to work out how to use the heating in their home. We are always happy to help with this problem so please call our repairs team on 024 7637 6344.

You may also be entitled to cold weather payment.

Local Support for Armed Forces Community

The Council was successful in securing funding for the development of veterans hubs and as part of the bid, the employment of an Outreach and Support Officer, to work across Nuneaton, Bedworth and North Warwickshire, supporting Veterans Hubs and providing the support.

So if you are a member of the Armed Forces Community and are in need of help or advice on issues such as housing, finance, health & wellbeing, employment or could just do with a chat please contact or signpost them to the Nick Caswell, Outreach & Support worker, at:

• The Veterans Contact Point, The Horsa Building, Bentley Road, Nuneaton, CV11 5LR
• Tel: 02476 343793.
• Email: nick@veteranscontactpoint.co.uk or contactus@veteranscontactpoint.org.uk