City Response Blog

Going for Gold!

cityblog — Wed, 02 May 2012 12:24:01 +0000

We received some fantastic news last week at City Response HQ. I am proud to announce we have been awarded the prestigious level of Investors in People recognition…..GOLD! This is an extraordinary accolade and it’s almost unheard of for businesses of our kind to achieve the Gold award.
So what does this mean for City Response? Investors in People Gold status is made up of a complex framework of standards and achievements which need to be met in order to gain Gold. As a company we have met all of them, in fact, we surpassed the requirements needed to achieve this level of award.
We were assessed by a very experienced business consultant who spent 10 days at our offices, talking to a range of staff from operatives through to senior management. Telephone interviews and on-line surveys were also used during the evaluation process. The assessor also scrutinised our strategies and policies to assess our performance in 5 key areas. The review report that was produced from this revealed that ‘City Response Limited benefits from a clear understanding of its purpose, key targets and values.’
It also found that:
• Many people have been promoted since joining CRL. Others have gained wider experience having moved within the organisation.
• The leadership is seen as being strong.
• There are clear strategies around learning and development.
• Communication is seen as a real strength within the organisation.
We feel proud that our staff described our Senior Management Team as ‘less formal and approachable.’ And that one of the key features revealed by this review is the ‘use of consultation and involvement of employees.’
This prestigious award is limited to the most forward thinking companies in the UK and we couldn’t have achieved it without the hard work and commitment of our staff. We are determined to keep improving and the report did also highlight areas where we can concentrate our efforts to get even better and we are putting a plan in place to do this. However, we believe that by exposing our organisation to this level of scrutiny and achieving Gold status, we can all look forward to an even brighter and more positive future with continued growth and development for staff.

City Response Going for Gold!!!

cityblog — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:05:48 +0000

Charity Walk

cityblog — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 10:46:07 +0000

I am currently in the process of organising a charity walk up Penyghent in Yorkshire in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care. The walk is 9.3 miles and we are inviting staff and their friends and families to take part. At the end of the grueling challenge we will be having BBQ in the carpark as a reward for our efforts. Last year a valued member of our team lost his wife to the cancer so we are holding the event in her memory and to make the anniversary of her tragic passing. All donations are more than welcome so please visit our Just Giving page and dig deep. We thank you in advance and watch this space to see how we get on. http://www.justgiving.com/lorrainemoorecharitywalk

The Green Business Awards

cityblog — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 14:47:28 +0000

Back in January City Response had the honour of being shortlisted for the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce Green Business Award. The annual award was commissioned in order to recognise small and large businesses in Manchester which demonstrate outstanding practices towards sustainability and the environment. We were in the large business category and were up against companies such as Stagecoach, Trafford Centre and Manchester University. Although we didn’t celebrate a victory when the award was presented at Manchester Central in early March, it was still an honour to be shortlisted. Clive Memmott, Chief executive of the commerce said “Our Annual Dinner was a fitting setting for celebrating some of Greater Manchester’s most forward-thinking businesses. This new award underlines the Chamber’s commitment to helping businesses convert environmental risks and opportunities into the competitive advantages that will help Greater Manchester to grow and take a lead in the emerging low-carbon economy.”

Bedroom Tax – Is it a good idea?

cityblog — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:14:00 +0000

Most people in the social housing sector will be aware of the controversial Bedroom Tax plans. If you aren’t aware, ‘Bedroom Tax’ is the government’s plans to tax families which under occupy their homes. In other words tenants will be forced to pay tax for their extra rooms even if this means two children who have their own rooms currently have to share. As expected there has been a backlash which suggests there should be exemptions made and rightly so is the opinion of many. The exemptions include the below.

• disabled people who rely on local family and support networks
• disabled children who need care during the night and cannot share with a sibling
• war widows
• families who foster children who for benefit purposes do not count as part of the household

The question of issue in this blog is should people be forced to pay at all or is it acceptable with the proposed exemptions.

The riots of 2011. Should the offenders be evicted?

cityblog — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:31:12 +0000

None of us will forget the riots we saw in the summer of 2011 in a hurry. Especially business owners and those directly affected by the thefts and damage. Shortly after the riots occurred there was talk from the government and some housing organisations stating that convicted offenders living in social and affordable housing should face eviction as a punishment for their crimes. A lot of us have been left wandering if this was ever going to be followed through….. until today. Inside Housing published an article today stating that Salford Council has served five eviction notices for breach of tenancies due to convictions related to last summer’s riots – including three where the tenancy holder was not involved in the disorder.

Although most people would agree that the people involved need to be brought to justice, is it really fair that people in social housing should be issued this second round of punishment?

Experts warn that ‘The Green Deal’ won’t reduce fuel poverty.

cityblog — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:57:30 +0000

If you work in construction, social housing or maintenance you are likely to have heard of ‘The Green Deal’. So what exactly is it? Set to roll out in late 2012 the green deal it is the government’s intention that the Green Deal UK will revolutionise the energy efficiency of British properties. It is establishing a framework to enable private firms to offer consumers energy efficiency improvements to their homes, community spaces and businesses at no upfront cost, and recoup payments through a charge in installments on the energy bill.

However according John Perry, CIH policy adviser, this doesn’t seem to be the case. John said ‘One of the main aims of the green deal is to tackle fuel poverty and unless the proposals are changed it will indeed go off at half-cock. Latest figures show 5.5 million households in fuel poverty – spending more than 10 per cent of their income on fuel. ‘By the government’s own impact assessment, the new package will only cut this by 1 per cent per year up to 2020. Furthermore, according the Hills report on fuel poverty published at the end of 2011, the green deal measures will add to the fuel bills of most poor families.’

So what does this mean for the green deal, is it doomed before it even starts? Let us know what you think in the comments section.

Insurance companies recognise shortfalls in the new cash back scheme. What do you think?

cityblog — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:53:22 +0000

I posted a blog on December 13^th 2011 about the social housing cash back scheme set to launch in April this year, which now appears to be giving insurers as well as housing providers cause for concern http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/repairs/insurance-concerns-threaten-cashback-scheme/6519811.article.

If you aren’t familiar with the scheme, in a nutshell it’s a new government initiative whereby tenants receive cash payments for carrying out their own repairs and maintenance on their properties instead of using their landlord’s usual contractors. The scheme assumes that encouraging tenants to carry out or organise their own repairs will be more cost effective. Sure it would be fantastic if both landlords and tenants could save money this way, but at what cost are these savings to be made?

Now insurance companies are expressing concern about their liability if tenants cause damage to their properties should a repair go wrong. No one who has been following this story can be surprised at this latest hole in the road. I’m amazed it wasn’t sooner before the insurance companies expressed their concerns about the insurance status of tenants who opt to carry out their own repairs. Who would be liable if any accidents such as falls, serious injuries and damage to contents if repairs were botched?

The government now appears to considering a new watered down version of the policy. One large housing association with over 51,000 properties on its books has excluded all large scale improvements and has put safeguards in place to make sure tenants opting in have adequate insurance. I would welcome these safeguards to be made standard to any housing association which launches the scheme for their customers. It’s not just about who is culpable to pay out if accidents or damage occurs; it’s the general health and safety of residents. Surely this should be the primary concern instead of saving money?

Guest Blogger Eric Alison – Manager of West Gorton FC the team we sponsor.

cityblog — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 15:13:05 +0000

Two weeks ago, I was standing, pitch side, at Mellands Playing Fields, Manchester, reflecting on the joys of Sunday League football. I was watching the team I manage, West Gorton FC play one of our local rivals. The rain had not let up in the couple of hours I had been stood there and there was a biting wind. And we lost! Sheer bliss and so much more bracing than Sunday mornings of yesteryear, when a lie-in would be followed by a leisurely breakfast and a long, slow read of the Sunday papers.
I started the team four years ago, after seeing a group of lads kicking a ball around the streets where I live. I said some of them looked useful and asked why they did not form a team? They said they had no one to organise them and asked if I would do it? Initially, I said no, I had no experience of managing a club and did not have the time. But they persisted and eventually wore me down.
We joined the Tameside League and had a bumpy start, finishing third from bottom in our first season. In the next, we finished fourth from top and last season were promoted as Champions of division Five.
From the start, funding has been a problem. Most of my lads, aged 17-22, are unemployed(Though not from want of trying, the jobs are simply not there.) and their families are of limited means. The City Council has helped us out and, half way through last season, another saviour appeared, Warren Goodall, the Business Development Manager of City Response, the company which maintains properties on estates such as ours. Warren had heard about our club and liked the way football was helping keep the lads out of trouble and forging links with the local community. The funding supplied by City Response means we can pay for floodlit winter training, our travel costs for away games and other associated expenses.
I have a day job, as a journalist for the Guardian newspaper. I write mainly about the criminal justice system and see first hand the problems, particularly in youth crime. When kids go wrong, society picks up a hefty bill. It costs a minimum of 100k a year to keep a young person in custody. (That escalates to a quarter million pounds a year in certain establishments). Does the public get value for their money? Hardly, when four out five young people re-offend after leaving custody. (And those are only the ones caught committing crimes) Running our football club costs a fraction of those sums; or put another way, what the likes of Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez earn in one hour, would keep West Gorton FC going for a year.
West Gorton is like many inner city areas in the current climate, a depressed zone. As witnessed in the recent spate of riots, unemployment and boredom can be a toxic mix. With the support of City Response, our club is developing into more than a team; we are currently exploring the possibility of sending two of our players on an FA course, to attain their Level Three coaching badges, with the eventual aim of them running junior teams in the area.
We are treading in some famous footsteps: most of our lads live around the Bennett St area of west Gorton, the place where, in 1880, another club was formed, St Marks FC. The club was set up by the daughter of the local rector, with the aim of keeping young men out of trouble. Ring any bells? In 1887, St Marks became Ardwick FC and seven years on, made their final name change, to Manchester City FC.
Watch this space!

Would you carry out your own surgery?

cityblog — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 09:22:30 +0000

I was very concerned to read in Inside Housing recently that the government appears determined to compel social landlords to allow tenants to be able to commission or carry out their own repairs (http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/regulation/regulations-promote-controversial-repairs-scheme/6519376.article).

We are one of many organisations working in the sector who think this is an ill-conceived idea. Why? Because repairing and maintaining the nation’s social housing stock in good condition is vital, and it’s a job that should be left to landlords themselves, not tenants, to organise.The risks of shifting this responsibility are that tenants will simply pocket the savings from the allowance they receive by using cowboy contractors or unqualified mates to do the work or by carrying out botched DIY jobs themselves that end up costing more to put right. Potentially more serious is the risk to health and safety. Do we really want to let letting unskilled people loose on potentially dangerous jobs involving plumbing, electrics or works that accidentally disturb asbestos for example?

For those of us who understand the risks involved it makes about as much sense as asking NHS patients to carry out their own operations!Housing providers have to balance the need for cost efficiency with getting the job right first time and ensuring health and safety of their customers. That’s why they choose to work with companies like City Response, who use only highly skilled labour, can achieve significant cost efficiencies through economies of scale and are accountable for their performance. Instead of saving money and ‘empowering tenants’ we believe the government’s ‘tenant cashback’ scheme will only drive standards down and cause more problems for everyone…except perhaps the makers of BBC’s ‘DIY SOS’.