NATIONAL CONVERSATION - 2ND PHASE

The National Conversation is your chance to tell the TSA what services are most important to you as a tenant or shared owner of a housing association, council or co-op or if you live in a home managed by an ALMO. Landlords are encouraged to take part too. By helping them to fine-tune the standards they've drafted, you can make sure you get excellent service from your landlord in future.

You can take part in the National Conversation in many ways.

Their website is www.nationalconversation.co.uk

*Respond to the discussion paper*

*You should be able to follow the following links by holding Ctrl and right-click on your mouse.*

Help fine-tune the draft standards by responding in writing to the discussion paper. They've published both *a summary*
and *a full version*

for you.

You can also read an *executive summary*
, *the summary*

or the *full report*

of what tenants and landlords said in the first phase of the National Conversation.

*Go to an event*

Go along to one of the half-day events they're holding in London and Manchester. Or drop in at one the range of events and conferences they're taking part in this summer.

*Take part in an event organised by your landlord*

Lots of social housing landlords are running events with their tenants. Contact yours to find out if they're holding one and how you can take part.

*Hold your own Local Conversation*

Meet up with your friends and neighbours to talk about what you all think of the plans. Download a *resource pack*
to help you run your meeting.

*Make a film *

Tell the TSA on camera what's important to you. Get them to film you at the CIH conference
in Harrogate or simply upload your own film to their YouTube channel.

Come on a Conversation at Trafford Hall

Trafford Hall are holding two facilitated Conversations for any tenants or landlords that want to get involved in the feedback. You will have the opportunity to discuss your concerns and any issues you may have with other interested tenants and landlord representatives from other areas. Your feedback will be fed into the National Conversation.

The facilitator for the day is Tim Morton from Engage Associates - many of you may have been on policy consultation events Tim has facilitated here in the past.

Cost of the day is £60 including lunch and refreshments. There are no free places.

Dates : Thursday 6 August - 10.00am  4.00 pm.

Thursday 27 August - 10.00am  4.00 pm.

To book places on either of these dates, please contact Clair Lawton on 01244 300246 or email mc.lawton@traffordhall.com
.

Please remember that you can take part in the Conversation at no cost to yourself by following the links from the National Conversation website.

Digital Switchover in West Wales

There is under a month to go until the first stage of switchover for the Kilvey Hill, Preseli and Carmel transmitter groups, serving the Swansea area; south-west Wales; and parts of south and central Wales respectively, in the Wales TV region. We are now commencing the final wave of our communications to ensure viewers know when switchover is happening and what to do.

As you know, switchover is a two-stage process:
• Switchover begins at the Kilvey Hill transmitter group, serving 132,000 households, on Wednesday, 12 August 2009 and ends on Wednesday, 9 September 2009
• Switchover begins at the Preseli transmitter group, serving 83,000 households, on Wednesday, 19 August 2009 finishing on Wednesday, 16 September 2009.
• Switchover begins at the Carmel transmitter group, serving 110,000 households, on Wednesday, 26 August 2009 finishing on Wednesday, 23 September 2009.

Switchover will make Freeview available from all 55 relay transmitters for the first time. They carry analogue TV now, but will start broadcasting up to 20 of the most watched Freeview channels at switchover. Once complete, Freeview coverage across the Wales will have been extended from 63 per cent to 98 per cent of households.
On-screen messaging is resuming to remind analogue viewers that they must convert to digital and local advertising will continue. At the two stages of switchover there will be 12 advice points managed by local charities where people can drop in for face-to-face help, as follows:

• Kilvey Hill: Swansea, Neath, Port Talbot, Burry Port
• Preseli : Haverfordwest, Cardigan, Tenby, Carmarthen
• Carmel : Carmarthen, Llanelli, Llandrindod Wells, Builth Wells.

There will also be three roadshows at both stages of switchover in Swansea, Haverfordwest and Carmarthen.
Viewers who already have digital TV or who use Freeview, Top Up TV or BT Vision boxes will need to retune their equipment at both stages of switchover.

As always, if there is any matter that I can help you with concerning switchover, then please do not hesitate to contact me and I will be happy to discuss it with you.

Elinor Phillips

Wales Team Co-ordinator


PS. Please note: All Freeview, Top Up TV and BT Vision viewers in Wales will need also to retune their equipment on 9 September in order to continue receiving S4C.


Digital UK
c/a: S4C l Parc Ty Glas l Llanisien/Llanishen l
Caerdydd/Cardiff l CF14 5DU
e: wales@digitaluk.co.uk
g/w: www.digitaluk.co.uk


Digital TV switchover happens in Wales in 2009 and 2010, starting in west Wales on 12 August this year. Visit our postcode checker - www.digitaluk.co.uk - to find out when you switch, or ring our helpline - 08456 50 50 50.b

DIGITAL SWITCHOVER IN NORTH WALES

It is only around 100 days to go before digital TV switchover starts in north Wales:

· The Llanddona transmitter group with its 22 relays, serving c.95,000 homes in North west Wales switches in two stages on 21 October and 18 November 2009

· The Moel Y Parc transmitter group with its 20 relays, serving c.179,000 homes in north east Wales switches in two stages on 28 October and 25 November 2009

· The Long Mountain transmitter group with its 14 relays, serving c.24,000 homes in parts of east and central Wales switches in two stages on 4 November and 3 December 2009

Our latest research indicates good levels of awareness about the forthcoming change to terrestrial TV services and that the majority of viewers are well prepared:

· Nine out of ten households in the North Wales area (90%) have already connected their main set to digital TV.

· Seven out of ten people in the North Wales area (71%) know precisely what to do for switchover against 70% in the nations/regions yet to switch.


All households will shortly be sent a 20-page guide to switchover, which explains their options for going digital, what happens during switchover and the need to retune. On-screen captions on analogue channels will resume shortly telling viewers to get ready. These will be backed up by TV, press and radio advertising, reminding viewers of the date and their options for going digital.


The Switchover Help Scheme (helpscheme.co.uk) has sent out information packs to all eligible older and disabled people in the last few months. People must respond to the Help Scheme to get help - if they do not reply, they will be contacted twice more before switchover. The Help Scheme will be reaching out to the wider community to encourage people to tell older and disabled relatives, friends and neighbours about the help they can receive to convert one TV set to digital.


Our lead charity covering the Llanddona transmitter group area is Care and Repair Gwynedd, which is co-ordinating charity and volunteer organisation activity, including joint training with the Help Scheme. Age Concern North East Wales is the lead charity for the Moel Y Parc transmitter group area and PAVO (Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations) is the lead charity for the Long Mountain transmitter group area. Charities will be encouraged to carry out presentations, events and one-to-ones, continuing until a month after switchover. A small grants programme is made available to assist with this.


Emyr Byron Hughes

National Manager Wales, Digital UK

c/a: S4C l Parc Ty Glas l Llanisien/Llanishen l
Caerdydd/Cardiff l CF14 5DU

e: wales@digitaluk.co.uk

g/w: www.digitaluk.co.uk

TENANTS VOTE YES TO TRANSFER TO TAI CALON

At 5pm on 23rd July, an announcement was made at Blaenau Gwent’s civic offices in Ebbw Vale on whether tenants have voted to transfer the housing stock to Tai Calon or remain with the council.


The majority of tenants voted to transfer to Tai Calon Community Homes, a new community housing mutual set up to inherit the council housing in Blaenau Gwent. The result of the ballot is as follows:


Turnout: 55%

Yes: 73%

No: 27%

New housing powers sought to protect social housing and rights of tenants

The Welsh Assembly Government today (Tuesday) announced that it was going to seek new, more wide ranging powers to modernise social housing.

Ensuring better quality and more affordable housing remains a top priority for the Welsh Assembly Government and we have undertaken a thorough review of policies over the past two years. This fresh thinking is set out in the draft National Housing Strategy, Supporting People Strategy and Homelessness plans as well as our work with partners to implement the Essex Review. All of these will be complete and published in the autumn.

These strategies address the challenges facing housing through the current economic climate, including the tightening public purse, but also challenges such as climate change which we will face over the long term.

We are now seeking powers so that the Welsh Assembly Government has the legislative and regulatory tools to deliver our vision, and to respond innovatively to future policy challenges.

The new housing Legislative Competence Order will incorporate the aims of the Affordable Housing LCO to preserve social housing stock, which is being withdrawn from Parliament.

It will seek to modernise the system, meet tenants aspirations for home equity ownership and reform the Right to Buy scheme.

Deputy Minister for Housing Jocelyn Davies said:

“There have been some considerable developments in housing since 2007, not least the economic downturn which has impacted on the availability of homes and mortgages.

“Work is already underway to seek additional powers so that we’re able to deliver our wider housing ambitions and it makes sense to incorporate our commitments within the previous LCO into one wide-ranging LCO.

“Since 2007 we have done some considerable work in the area of affordable housing.

“We must look at how we can preserve and protect social housing for tenants now and in the future for the people of Wales.

“We now need powers to deliver social housing that takes on board the Essex Report and our strategies which cover national housing, homelessness and supported housing.”

The Assembly Government needs to address the considerable developments in housing to address the impact of the recession as well as the longer term problems of access to affordable housing and climate change.

The previous LCO looked only at the disposal of land by social landlords but this new LCO will look at much more: supported housing, the recommendations of the Essex Review and powers over tenancy law.

Housing remains a top priority for the Assembly Government and Ministers and officials look forward to working with the Secretary of State for Wales, who has said he will work with the Assembly Government to deliver this.