Community Service

Community Service Plan 2009 - 2012

Introduction

The Community Service is focused on working to achieve the Council’s vision and objectives for the District.

We support the delivery of the Community Strategy, Council Plan and Theme Business Plans.

Community services can be broken down into:

• the Housing Landlord Service – managing the Council housing stock
• Strategic Housing Services – providing more affordable housing and making best use of the District’s existing housing stock
• Community Safety – making the District a safer place to live
• Communications – communicating and consulting with residents and the media
• Homeless and Support Services – providing support for homeless and vulnerable residents
• Cultural & Wellbeing services – promoting cultural and leisure opportunities and healthy lifestyles

Added up, the above services employ 67 members of staff.

What We Aim To Achieve

The Community Service works to:

• to provide a good quality housing and landlord service for Council tenants
• increase the supply of affordable housing in the District and improve private sector housing conditions
• as part of a Community Safety Partnership to make communities feel safer
• to ensure that we communicate well with our residents and the media, maintaining an open two-way positive relationship
• to provide support for vulnerable households , young and old, via homeless support services, the lifeline service and tenancy support.
• to improve access to and opportunities for culture and healthy living

We also play a key role in contributing to the following Corporate Plan priorities:

• providing affordable, decent housing
• improving health
• shared service delivery
• reducing the carbon footprint

You can find more information in our Corporate Plan (pdf, 40 pages, 1.70MB)

Our management structure

Our services are delivered through the following service management team structure:

Key Drivers

The key drivers for Community Services over the next five to ten years are:

• Resident needs and aspirations
• Government legislation
• The national performance indicator set
• Local Area Agreement targets
• Supporting partner and key stakeholder plans and objectives
• Contributing to the Community Strategy and Corporate Plan objectives
• The need to continuously improve Council services
• Comprehensive Area Assessment
• Theme Business Plans

Key Actions

Key actions in support of the Corporate Plan and Theme Business Plans can be found via the following links:

• Corporate Plan
• Healthy Lives Theme Business Plan
• Strong Neighbourhoods Theme Business Plan
• Safe Places Theme Business Plan

Actions to support our service objectives

Landlord Service

The Landlord Service manages and maintains the 1600 Council properties, including improvements, estate management, arrears recovery, responsive repairs and tenancy support.

For details on the key targets for the Landlord Service please go to landlord service plan

For more information on the Landlord Service please contact:

Sara Smith, Head of Housing Management

Hugo Westhoff, Head of Maintenance and Improvement

Gavin White, Head of Supported Housing

Strategic Housing Service

The Strategic Housing Service aims to increase the supply of new affordable housing in the district and improve the condition of existing housing stock. Key work streams are coordinated by a Strategic Housing Action including affordable housing, private sector housing and homeless prevention.

A single Housing Strategy for North Yorkshire is currently being developed and Richmondshire’s Strategic Housing Action Plan will directly support this overarching strategy.

For details on the key targets for the Strategic Housing Service please go to Strategic Housing Action Plan

For more information on the Strategic Housing Service please contact Mark Robson, Housing Delivery Manager.

Community Safety

The Community Safety Team supports the Richmondshire Community Service Partnership, a statutory body set up under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. Key partners work together with the key aim of providing long term solutions to crime and disorder problems.

For details on the key targets for the Community Safety Partnership please go to Community Safety Partnership

For more information on the Community Safety Partnership please contact Pat Wilson, Community Safety Manager.

Homeless and Support Services

The Homeless and Support Team works closely with the Landlord Service to prevent homelessness and, where this is not possible, to provide support for homeless households, exploring all the options available to them.

For details on the key targets for the Homeless and Support Service please go to Strategic Housing Action Plan

For more information on the Homeless and Support Service please contact Sara Smith, Head of Housing Management.

Cultural and Wellbeing Service

The Cultural and Wellbeing Service aims to improve access to and the quality of cultural facilities and encourage healthy lifestyles. The service works with a host of partners, including community groups, to achieve key objectives that make a real difference to the District’s cultural offer and leisure opportunities.

For details on the key targets for the Cultural and Wellbeing Service please go to:

Cultural Strategy

Richmondshire Leisure Trust Business Plan

Health Strategy

For more information on the Cultural and Wellbeing Service please contact Jo-Anne Simpson, Culture & Wellbeing Delivery Manager

Key Risks

The key risks facing the service are as follows:

Landlord Service:

• rental income and /or money to spend on improving homes falls below projected levels
• demand for sheltered housing collapses
• demand for Council housing reduces
• a new partnership approach to improving homes fails

Strategic Housing Service:

• Homes and Communities Agency funding reduces ,leading to a reduction in the supply of new affordable housing
• An insufficient supply of housing land hinders the supply of new affordable housing
• The two points above lead to the Council not meeting its Local Area Agreement affordable housing target

Community Safety

• funding is not available in the longer term to sustain a pro-active approach to community safety
• an increase in crime, particularly domestic abuse, due to the current economic climate

Homeless and Support Services:

• Central Government homeless grant ceases leading to a reduction in prevention services
• homelessness increases significantly due to the current economic climate

Cultural and Wellbeing Services

• Delivery of key initiatives is heavily dependent on contributions from partner agencies, outside the control of the Council
• The rise in obesity cannot be halted, leading to increased health issues among residents
• The current level of binge drinking cannot be reduced leading to increased health issues among residents

Communications

Good communication is a vital part of our business if we are to be truly user focused – engaging with residents, customers and our partners in order to receive feedback and shape future services.

Good communications will be maintained by the following actions:

• annual consultation exercises including tenant satisfaction surveys and Resident Panel surveys
• bi- annual surveys such as the Place Survey
• regular press releases
• regular newsletters such as the "Curlew" and "Grapevine"
• ad hoc themed events such as Park Festivals and Tenant Participation roadshows
• via an increasingly inter-active Council website

Features