WCVA Training

Looking for new training opportunities? The Wales Co-operative Centre has announced training dates up until March 2009.

Its workshops cover a range of subjects including Business Planning, Marketing, Managing Performance and Recruiting Volunteers.

To get a copy of the timetable call 029 2055 4955 or log on to www.walescoop.com.


The Wales Co-operative Centre is a leading provider of training for the Third Sector in Wales. Its workshops are specifically designed for new or existing businesses including credit unions, co-operatives, social enterprises and other not-for-profit groups. Training is available to members, directors, employees and volunteers. The Centre has been supporting the Third Sector for over 25 years. Its experienced team of trainers are equipped with the specialist knowledge and skills to ensure that all its training is practical, relevant, inspiring and enjoyable.

Key Tenants Advocate Project (KTAP) Update - Statement to Members

The Welsh Tenants Federation has budgeted 3,000 to pay expenses and meet other costs of the key tenant scheme.

There are currently 4 key tenants on our books that have received training. Chris Brock, Phil Davies, (SW) Gerry Stevens (SE), Dave Rimmer (North Wales). CB, PD and GS have been active. Peter Bungay supervises the Key Tenants and Steve Clarke manages the scheme.

The role of the key tenant requires that they commit up to 5 hours per week voluntary and are able to travel in the region to support the development officer to set up new groups and assist in gathering evidence or information concerning helpline cases.

There are currently 3 people who have expressed an interest in being a key tenant. Key tenants have to complete an application form and make themselves available for training. People will be selected on the basis of demand for additional support in that area.

The budget for the KTS is not a designated ring fenced budget, therefore can be used in other ways to support any volunteering required to be undertaken by the management committee. This is a sensible approach since policy commitments may require management committee member to attend WAG or other policy events to ensure the WTF is visible and active on policy consultations.

Requests by national management committee directors to attend events are considered from time to time, the KTS budget is therefore also used as an overflow budget if this exceeds the allowances we have for NMC meetings and events.

In recent years, we have considerably changed the scheme with specific policy’s and procedures. We have developed a lone working policy (recently approved by NMC), data protection, consent enquiry, new forms for recording information and other measures to ensure that the clients and volunteers are safe and secure and protected.

The national management committee have also recently agreed that Criminal Record Bureau checks are also undertaken on volunteers and staff.

We are endeavouring to provide time to support more key tenants and will also seek to ensure that the principles of the scheme are extended to other projects we develop. However, capacity is at maximum at the moment with demand for support around 250 helpline cases p.a. forecast for 2008-9 up from 205 in 2007-8 and 80 in 2006-7.

Cheryl Budge, Company Secretary

Steve Clarke, Policy & Projects coordinator

PRESS RELEASE - Poor report from Wales Audit Office

Bro Myrddin Housing Association has received a ‘scope for considerable improvement’ rating from the Wales Audit Office (WAO), the organisation commissioned by the regulatory to inspect housing association performance in Wales.

The Wales Audit Office discovered there were concerns in seven key areas of service delivery and failed to demonstrate capability and was unlikely to make significant improvements in the future due to limitations in its capacity and weaknesses in its approach to strategic planning, management of performance and organisational support said the Wales Audit Office report.

Jeremy Colman, Auditor General for Wales, said “The services provided by Bro Myrddin Housing Association are consistently below the standard tenants are entitled to receive. The Association clearly needs to implement major changes in nearly all areas of its operations. The recommendations in this report will support the Association to set a clearer strategic direction, improve its planning and monitoring and become more resident-focused.”

The Welsh Tenants Federation are concerned that yet another small association in West Wales has been found to be not providing the level of services we would expect of modern housing associations. We will want to see the recommendations offered by the WAO implemented immediately with closer monitoring by the regulator to ensure that tenants begin to see improvements in the services they pay for.

“The report underlines the importance of a robust independent regulatory inspection system that highlights these failings”, said Steve Clarke, Policy and Projects Coordinator for the Welsh Tenants Federation. “Under the current review of the regulatory function suggested by the Essex report, we will want to see that such inspection processes are at least as robust as those in place currently, and that regulatory response to poor performance support tenants and the landlord to improve service standards”.

1. Further information can be obtained from the www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk

2. A copy of the report can be found at http://www.wao.gov.uk/news_2343.asp or by contacting the Welsh Tenants Federation at the address below.

--- CONTACT DETAILS ---

For further information please contact:
Steve Clarke, Policy Officer & Projects Coordinator
Welsh Tenants Federation
Milbourne Chambers
Glebeland Street
Merthyr Tydfil
CF 47 8AT

Mobile: 07879815479
Tel: 01685723922
Fax: 01685 722801
Email: steve@welshtenantsfed.org.uk
www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk

Breaking News - Ceredigion tenants vote in favour of housing stock transfer

Ceredigion County Council yesterday, (Tuesday 18 November 2008), received the result of a ballot of its tenants on the question as to whether or not they supported the transfer of Ceredigion's housing stock to the Tai Ceredigion Housing Association.

The figures for those who voted are as follows

Yes votes – 1,067 (58.3%)

No votes – 763 (41.7%)

Invalid papers - 3

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Turn-out percentage – 69.93%

Numbers eligible to vote – 2,621

Numbers who voted – 1,833

Further information can be found -

http://www.ceredigion.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=11460


"I am very pleased with the outcome of the vote, we (the tenants) have been working for 2 - 3 years towards this goal and I am looking forward to seeing the houses brought up to the 21st Century." Gail McFee, Vice Chair of the now board of Tai Ceredigion

New Voluntary Standard for Tackling ASB

The Welsh Assembly Government has issued the "Wales Housing Management Standards for Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour". The voluntary standards are aimed at Local Authority Housing Departments and Registered Social Landlords in Wales. The Assembly asks landlords to sign up to the voluntary standard as a demonstration of their commitment to its principles and process. Tackling ASB is a commitment to work towards a fair and just society outlined in the ‘One Wales’ agreement between Labour and Plaid Cymru.

The standard also acknowledges the vital role of other agencies including Community Safety Partnerships in tackling anti-social behaviour and emphasises prevention and enforcement, promoting rights and responsibilities for safe and sustainable local communities.

The standard has 7 key themes: A Commitment to leadership and accountability; Empowering and reassuring residents; Prevention and early intervention; Support to tackle the causes of anti-social behaviour; Tailored services for residents and provision of support for victims and witnesses; Protecting communities through swift enforcement; Encouraging community responsibility. The standard also includes a service-user led focus in the assessment and on-going monitoring of the standards.

Members of the WTF will have heard about these proposals last year. Members welcomed the development of the standard as a step in the right direction to ensure that a more systematic approach is adopted to prevent and tackle anti social behaviour by the minority of bad tenants and visitors. Steve Clarke, policy officer said “we welcome the standard and the voluntary commitment landlords will commit to ensuring the principles are delivered however, the standard should run alongside the good practice in administration which we highlighted earlier in the year as being seen to dealing with complaints around ASB is just as important.

When adopting the standard landlords are signalling their declaration to help create, sustain and improve communities that experience ASB and want to do something to mitigate its causes. There are many tools in the box for landlords to deal with anti-social behaviour including, injunctions, demotion orders, Anti social behaviour orders, Acceptable behaviour contracts and eviction for breach of tenancy agreement. The standard reflects how landlords should react and maintain a standard when using these as well as measures to help prevent ASB from occurring.

A full copy of the standard can be obtained for the Welsh Assembly Government website
http://new.wales.gov.uk/topics/housingandcommunity/housing/social/managment/antisocialbehaviuor/antisocialstandards/?lang=en
Alternatively contact the Welsh Tenants Federation who can provide you with advice on how to develop an action plan, gather evidence and utilise support.

WTF Response to the consultation to Suspend the Right to Buy

We have consulted a sample of our members on the issue of the suspension of the right to buy by local authorities in areas of high demand. Currently WTF members have mixed views. Firstly, tenants believe that the Welsh Assembly Government was not set up to take away rights conferred on them by parliament. However, members do recognise that RTB has significantly depleted the amount of social housing stock. These members were disappointed that capital receipts were not used to re-invest in replacement social housing stock.

A further group of members believe that RTB should be abolished altogether replacing this with a right to take out a capital stake in their home which can only be sold to back to the landlord. These members also believed that government should match fund any investment made by the tenant to provide a pension provision for later life.

The Welsh Tenants Federation are consulting further through the next round of ATTAIN events. If you have any views you would like to express, please contact Steve Clarke or come along to our discussion events.

Mental Health & Homelessness: Joining up to Improve Access

These events are being run by Cymorth Cymru, the second of which is taking place on 30th September 2008 at Technium Cast Centre, Bangor these events are free to attend and are aimed at frontline workers across the health, housing and homelessness sectors.

If you wish to attend, please contact

Cymorth Cymru
Norbury House
Norbury Road
Fairwater
Cardiff CF5 3AS
Tel 029 2055 3687 Fax 029 2056 4165

Web: www.cymorthcymru.org.uk

The last event is:-
19th November – Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth

Additional information will be circulated regarding the North and Mid/West Wales events as we recived it.