LMH News

12 March 2010: Alistair Darling visits LMH for launch of new scheme

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:23:00 +0000

Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling visited Liverpool Mutual Homes to discuss financial issues with tenants and to launch a national project.

LMH tenants were part of the 'moneymadeclear' pilot scheme carried out in the North West which is now being rolled out nationally.

Alistair Darling visited LMH's headquarters to announce the launch of moneymadeclear after its success in helping LMH tenants tackle financial issues.

The pilot project was organised through RAISE, a charitable organisation which receives funding from LMH, and ran from April last year.

It provides specialist benefits and debt advice to tenants by providing them with the support and information they need to maximise their income.

The organisation advises up to 30 LMH tenants every week on Housing Benefit, general benefits, and offers comprehensive advice on financial matters, their rights and actions if they feel they are not getting a fair deal. It also explains the benefits system and provides practical help in submitting claims.

Chief Executive of LMH, Steve Coffey, said: "We are pleased to see RAISE's work in the moneymadeclear project being recognised and now being rolled out nationally.

"Helping our tenants financially is part of our broader strategy to improve their lives and general well-being by reducing anti-social behaviour, tackling fuel poverty, providing opportunities to train and work as well as our core work to improve their homes and neighbourhoods.

"Financial worries can have a detrimental affect on people but by working with RAISE we have been able to offer support and advice to tenants so they are aware of all the benefits they are entitled to and this plays an important role in preventing them from becoming burdened with debt.

"In addition to this support, our �400 million regeneration programme is using the latest energy efficient products to make homes more sustainable and this is reducing fuel bills by more than 70 per cent, meaning tenants have more money at their disposal."

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, said: "moneymadeclear is free, impartial advice for all, whether you are unsure about the small print in a mortgage form, want advice about opening a savings account for your children or grand-children or you want some help dealing with repayments before they get out of hand.

"This service will provide much needed advice for one million people across the UK in the coming year alone."

LMH's commitment to the environmental and social impact of its work has been recognised as examples of excellence within the housing and public sectors that has culminated in it winning five awards in little over a year.

The service will be jointly funded by the government and the Financial Services Authority.

5 March 2010: Hate Crime conference

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:49:00 +0000

The Crown Prosecution Service Merseyside and the Anthony Walker Foundation, present the Liverpool Hate Crime Conference.

Members of Merseyside's diverse communities and Voluntary, Community and Faith Sector are invited to participate in a day of presentations, drama and workshops.

This inclusive event is aimed at raising awareness and working together to develop positive responses to all forms of Hate Crime.

When and Where

Wednesday 24th March

9.30am � 4.30pm

LACE Conference Centre, Croxteth Drive, Sefton Park, L17 1AA

The event is free of charge, but places are limited and booking is essential. Please complete and return the attached booking form as soon as possible and no later than Friday 14March or contact: Natalie Lunt, CPS Merseyside Tel: 0151 239 6112

Email: natalie.lunt@cps.gsi.gov.uk

4 March 2010: New text service launch

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:07:00 +0000

For a limited period, LMH tenants can now obtain your rent balance by text.

All you have to do is text bal and your 6 digit rent reference number to 07538450450.

For example text: bal 123456

We will then text your rent balance back to you.

(You will find your rent reference number in the bottom right hand corner of your rent payment card)

All tenants who have a mobile number that we have on record will be informed of this new service offering on Thursday 4^th March with an introductory text message.

Tenants who agree to join the scheme by responding with a "Yes" to this text will be able to enjoy this new service.

We hope that you find this service useful and we will be looking to launch the service in full in the coming months so please do give us your feedback and let us know if you find it useful.

26 February 2010: Pride in your property competition

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:08:00 +0000

Pride in your Property Award - Win �250

Are you proud of your interior design?
Have you been creative in decorating your home?

Send us a picture of your interior decoration and you could win up to �250.

We want to reward you for taking initiative, being creative and putting excellence into how you decorate and present your home. If you have a room that you are proud of, or if you are about to redecorate and do something special, then enter the Pride in your Property Award 2010. So, take a picture and send it in to us.

Entries will be from 8 Merseyside landlords. One winner from each association will get �100, and, one overall winner will receive the grand prize of �250.

Deadline

deadline for entries is the 30^th September 2010, prizes will be given in early November.

How to enter

You�can�post in to us a picture of the room you wish to enter,��simply�mark�the�envelope�Freepost LMH. All entries must have your name, address and telephone number and LMH Photo Competition clearly written on the back. Or e-mail your photograph to info@liverpoolmh.co.uk.

With Partners In Participation � Merseyside social landlords working together. All prizes will be in the form of vouchers. You may be eligible for discounted paint, see www.communityrepaint.org.uk

25 February 2010: LMH shortlisted in Housing Heroes Awards

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:08:00 +0000

�

Source: 24Dash.com

Liverpool Mutual Homes' work that sees offenders working full-time in the community to repay their debt has been shortlisted from more than 300 entries for the 2010 Housing Heroes Awards.

Click here to read the full article

19 February 2010: 100% for LMH gas certificates

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:59:00 +0000

LMH�has�managed�to�reach�the�landmark�of�issuing gas safety certificates at all its homes across Liverpool.

Every one of Liverpool Mutual Homes' properties received a gas safety check by�specially qualified engineers who are listed on the Gas Safe register that has replaced Corgi as the official safety stamp.

It has taken LMH less than two years since taking the stock of Liverpool City Council's remaining social homes to hit this illusive mark.

The safety of its tenants has been such a high priority for LMH that housing management and technical teams, together with legal and contracting partners, were brought together to ensure access to properties to undertake the checks, carry out any necessary repairs�and issue the certificates.

This priority continues to demonstrate LMH's commitment to reduce the number of preventable deaths caused by gas and fire.

LMH Chief Executive, Steve Coffey, said: "We are really pleased we've been able to�carry out gas safety checks at all our�homes so quickly because tenant safety is the most important aspect of all the work we do.

"We would not have been able to reach the 100 per cent landmark without the hard work of our staff and contractors who have worked tirelessly to complete the checks."

19 February 2010: Housing Minister visits LMH

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 12:57:00 +0000

LMH has recently been visited by a senior Government minister to see the award-winning work carried out by the city's largest housing association.

Housing Minister, Ian Austin MP, viewed first hand Liverpool Mutual Homes' �400 million regeneration programme that is transforming neighbourhoods and lives across the city.

LMH showed the work it has carried out so far on properties in the east of the city with a visit to tenants' homes in Cunningham Road and The Green.

Upgrades to the 19 three-bedroom houses in Cunningham Road include the installation of energy efficient heating systems, boilers, doors and windows, and individually designed kitchens and bathrooms.�

New roofs have been fitted along with metal gates to communal areas and structural and wiring repair work has also been carried out.

In The Green, nearly 130 one and two-bedroom flats have received energy efficient doors and windows, new roofs fitted with cavity insulation and individually designed kitchens and bathrooms installed.

Tenants have also enjoyed the benefits of external structural repairs, upgrades to communal areas and the installation of new door entry security systems.

Ian Austin, who is the MP for Dudley North, the Parliamentary Unders Secretary of State for Housing and Regeneration and the Minister for the West Midlands, was impressed with the quality and innovation of LMH's work and the progress it has made since the housing stock transfer in April 2008.

He said: "LMH is making fantastic progress in upgrading homes across Liverpool and is doing so in the best possible way by using high-quality, sustainable products that are making a significant difference to the environment and tackling important issues such as fuel poverty.

"Housing Associations have a responsibility to their tenants and the environment which LMH is addressing head-on, and it is clear why they have won so many awards in such a short period of time."

LMH Chief Executive, Steve Coffey, said: "The excellent work we have carried out as part of our improvement programme in the east of the city mirrors what we are doing to all our properties across Liverpool.

"Along with tenants' safety, the green agenda is at the top of our list of priorities and not just in terms of providing tenants with energy efficient homes, but the implications that come with this such as tackling fuel poverty issues, worklessness and linking this together to provide all-round benefits to neighbourhoods."

Of the 3,000 LMH properties in the east area, more than 1,000 now have new heating systems and 1,300 have new double glazing.

LMH has won awards organised by the HCA, Housing Excellence, TPAS and Stonewall.

18 February 2010: Instant Coffey: The danger of �glossing� over Customer Service

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 09:29:00 +0000

Customer Service is always at the forefront of our mind at LMH � after all it is one of the cornerstones (or focuses) upon which we have been established. Over the last week or so this has been even more the case for me personally as I have been a close observer of how the NHS deals with its customers (otherwise known as patients or their families).

More of the NHS shortly, however, an example of how not to treat customers was in the news this week regarding a pensioner from Dorset. It seems that the retired office worker popped out on a shopping trip and purchased a �3.75 can on non-toxic green paint to do a spot of DIY at home. Unfortunately, he was unable to travel home as he was denied access to the bus presumably in case he used the paint for graffiti � I suppose the bus may have been running on bio-fuel and was 'green' enough but it does seem a bit silly to me. Surely Customer Service is about doing the right thing but also about using a bit of common sense.

Turning to my recent experiences of the NHS I don't really want to go in to the details other than to say how disappointing it has all been. People attend hospitals as customers (either patients or family members) at times which are very worrying to them and are all too often met with apathy and even sometimes contempt.

As I have already said Customer Service is right at the top of our agenda and I would like to think that we would never treat customers in such a way. I am very keen that we do, however, acknowledge when we get it wrong � put it right � and learn lessons for the future. Our complaints procedures, are, therefore, very important to help with this and we should actively encourage complaints so that we can learn and improve.

Complaints are a means for our customers to give us a view of when they are unhappy and other ways need to be established to identify when things go well and where we make the lives of our customers better. Two good examples that we are using to do this are, firstly, our use of a third party independent company to carry out all of our satisfaction surveys. Voluntas (who are the company we use) get truly independent feedback from our customers rather than filtering it through the lens of forms filled in while staff look over the shoulder of customers. This cutting edge approach will help us in getting real customer insight rather than just chasing good scores or a few 'green ticks' on a balanced scorecard (perhaps drawn with green paint!!).

The second area which is important is third party assessment of whether we provide a good service. We are in the midst of an assessment against the Government's Customer Service Excellence Standard and hopefully this will show that we are providing an excellent service � not because the badge is important but because an independent assessment is of far more value than self praise.

If we get these things right then we will know exactly what kind of service we give and the pensioner from Dorset can use it to gloss over his own cracks.

16 February 2010: Community funding

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 13:28:00 +0000

Liverpool Charity and Voluntary Services (LCVS) working in partnership with Liverpool City Council, ward councillors, and other partners, are hosting a new round of 'Your Community Matters' events.

This round focuses on Community Funding Events which give residents the chance to vote on small pots of funding for local projects which will improve their ward. There will also be the chance to meet key decision makers and voice concerns residents have about their local area.

These public meetings will be held across Liverpool's 30 wards and are an opportunity for local people to discuss the issues that are affecting their neighbourhood with ward councillors, Merseyside police, council officers and other partners.

At previous events residents have voted on pots of funding for successful community projects. In St Michaels for example, residents voted to give �3000 to fund a 'Growing Old Together' project, which will run free courses for young and old people, aimed at improving participant's physical health and mental well being.

The meetings have also led to problems such as fly-tipping, anti-social behaviour and a lack of facilities being identified and improved.

For more information contact Stuart Smith on 0151 227 5177 or stuart.smith@lcvs.org.uk or visit the website at www.lcvs.org.uk

11 February 2010: Tenant and Leaseholders' Conference 2010

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:16:00 +0000

We've had a fantastic year, we have achieved a lot but there is still plenty to do. To find out what we have done, and to hear about our plans for the future, come to our annual conference and open day.

When and where?

When: Friday 26th March at 10.00 am

Where: St Georges Hall, Liverpool

The LMH team will make sure you can:

Ask questions about our achievements and plans for the future
Talk to LMH staff about neighbourhoods and safer estates
Find out how you can get involved in LMH decision-making
Get advice on rents, benefits and other issues

As part of the day you will also have the chance to:

Give us your views in our video diary room
See displays and exhibitions from our suppliers and other organisations
Enjoy specially arranged entertainment throughout the day
Talk with us and other visitors over refreshments and during the free buffet

We�hope you can join us, there will be:

Free refreshments and lunch buffet� (tell us your special dietary needs when you book)
If needed, a contribution of up to �20 towards childcare costs� (valid receipt needed)
Translators available (please book in advance)

Booking essential, reserve your place now

Tenants�and�Leaseholders�who�wish�to�attend�must book before Monday 15th March 2010. To book your place, complete the online booking form. Alternatively, call Lesley Kendrick on 0151 235 2301

10 February 2010: Beware of bogus officials

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 10:09:00 +0000

LMH have been made aware that there have been a numbers of incidents in the last�few�months, where people claiming to be from the water board, council, gas board and housing associations have knocked at houses and gained access.� They have then gone on to steal money and jewellery.� Some of these men have been wearing work clothes and in one case, a man had on a Liverpool Mutual Homes jacket.

We�would�like�to�remind�tenants�that just because someone looks official, it doesn't mean they are. LMH staff will always carry indentification. Do not allow anyone in without checking his or her identification first.� Make sure that they have indentification, If they�do take if off them & close the door � do not allow them access until you have confirmed they are who they say they are.� No identification means no access!

Keep a list of useful numbers for utility companies and housing providers so that you can dial the correct number and check.� Never use a number they give you � it could be the phone box round the corner.

Remember � if in doubt, keep them out!

If you witness a crime dial 999 or if you have any other information ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 and quote 'Neighbourhood Alert'.

5 February 2010: LMH does the double at TPAS awards

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:36:00 +0000

�An innovative project that sees offenders working full-time in the community to repay their debt and an officer's outstanding community work have won national awards.

The LMH-led scheme won the 2010 Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS) Connecting People Award and in a different category,�Dave Pye was recognised for his outstanding efforts improving the lives of tenants in the west area of Liverpool.

Liverpool Mutual Homes' Intensive Community Payback scheme;�Justice Seen, Justice Done has been delivered in�partnership with a variety of partners including the Community Justice Centre, Merseyside Probation Service and the police. The work resulted in a 50 per cent�reduction in�the number of reports of anti-social behaviour in North Liverpool compared to the three months before.

The scheme�allows Judge David Fletcher to sentence offenders appearing at the Community Justice Centre with a new Intensive Community Payback order whereby they have to work five days a week until they complete their unpaid hours, with work starting within two days of sentencing.
Offenders are shown the affects of their crimes and, motivated by role models, they are able to gain experience of full-time work, complete their hours and rehabilitate quicker whilst also seeing the results of their work. �They are also given practical help to turn their experience into paid employment.
Police involvement in the scheme has eased fears about attacks on site and reassured residents. �The high visibility of the scheme has given residents the confidence to suggest further work and is helping offenders to successfully rehabilitate into the community motivated by direct praise from residents and partners, taking real pride in their achievements and developing a work ethic.
The Intensive Community Payback order has been successfully used as a last chance for offenders who have breached previous community orders to avoid custody. The work is also seen by the community as a tougher alternative to a short spell in prison. Tenants say they feel safer in their homes and now have a renewed sense of community spirit.

LMH customer involvement officer Dave Pye�(pictured)

won the Tenant Involvement Officer of the Year award for his efforts in the West neighbourhood housing area for LMH.

After joining LMH in 2008 he has worked tirelessly with numerous organisations and agencies to improve the area and his enthusiasm means he can engage with groups of all ages across the community and raise levels of participation in a diverse range of initiatives.

He has also been instrumental in making sure LMH tenants are aware of the �10,000�Community Initiative Funding that is available for their area every year and helps them apply for grants of up to �500�per scheme to get their projects started.

Dave helped the Merseyside Chinese Community Development Association create an allotment club targeting hard to reach groups to get them involved in�the community event, worked with a junior school to give an insight into the building and construction industry, helped reduce�anti-social behaviour, supported a dance group and promoted employment and training opportunities.

Liverpool Mutual Homes Chief Executive, Steve Coffey, said: "We are delighted to see the hard work of our staff, tenants and partners has been recognised because they are exceptional examples of the work we are doing to make a significant difference to tenants' lives.

"Dave's work and commitment has brought the local community together by improving cohesion and integrating hard to reach individuals into society.

"Likewise, the Justice Seen, Justice Done project has really transformed north Liverpool with a reduction in crime and anti-social behaviour and has made huge strides in rehabilitating offenders quickly and giving them a renewed sense of purpose.

"It has resulted in tenants feeling safer in their homes and community and the importance of this can not be underestimated."

Over the past two years the TPAS Connecting People Awards have recognised and rewarded tenants and people who work with them for the work they carry out in communities across England.

1 February 2010: Steve Coffey Podcast - Communal areas

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 09:04:00 +0000

From day one at LMH we started delivering on our improvement programme. Which focused on doors, windows, kitchens, bathrooms and all these issues that the transfer document had said that we needed to deliver on and we have said on many occasions about the quality of products and the standards that we're putting in our homes and that's right, that's the best standard that I've ever seen in social housing, but its not just about what's inside your front door its also about what is outside your front door and environmentally we needed to do lots of work around our communal areas. Whether that's internal communal areas or external communal areas and those surrounding areas and so we recently carried out an environmental focus day. That focus day involved all of our staff, whether you're a housing officer on the patch or a finance officer at the head office we had everybody right across the organisation going out and we did an audit and inspection looking at all of our communal areas right across the city and coming up with a priority order of where we need to invest. We have come up with a product for our communal areas which will see, and is already seeing, massive changes in these areas because that needs such a big investment and that focus day will transform the quality of our flatted accommodation and will see that over the next six to twelve months where all of these areas are transformed.��This will generate a much better neighbourhood and a much better environment for most of our customers to live in and that's the next stage that we're stepping up to,�to�move beyond our initial investment requirements.

18 January 2010: Instant Coffey: Let�s do our bit for the World and our Neighbourhoods

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 15:31:00 +0000

Like everybody else my thoughts this week have been dominated by the events in Haiti.

It is very upsetting that people who have already suffered so much over many years through real deprivation, poor governance and corruption can also suffer such a great natural disaster as the recent earthquake. The sheer scale of human misery and the loss of life cannot fail to upset all observers. I, like everybody else, hope that the international aid efforts can provide some much needed help and respite for those Haitians who have survived.

It is heartening that survivors were still being found over the weekend, although the likelihood of more, obviously, diminishes with time. It seems that, according to recent reports 200,000 people may have died � which is just awful.

Safety issues and the world around us are, as I have said, at the forefront of people's thoughts at these times and I also find myself thinking of what is ahead of us if we don't do something urgently about global warming. We have had Copenhagen but if we don't deliver on the ground natural disasters will become even more common with effects like those we are seeing in Haiti.

Given that housing is a major source of CO₂emissions we have a duty to 'Act on CO₂' and we certainly take that responsibility seriously at LMH. Over the coming year we will be looking to build upon our approach at the Daneville Estate, which won the HCA's Low Carbon Award, with further 'retro-fitting' to our stock. We will look to work with Government, the City Council, our tenants and others to do our small part and we hope that others do likewise.

On a local safety point, we have made huge progress since transfer on ensuring that our tenants have gas appliances which are safe. We have had 100% of our properties either with safety certificates or in the legal system for some time and we are very near to having every single property of ours with a current safety certificate. This shows that the hard work done by both our housing management and technical teams pays real dividends for our tenants.

If you want to make a donation to the international effort for Haiti, follow this link:� www.dec.org.uk.� Lets all do our bit locally and wider a field!!!

18 January 2010: Steve Coffey Podcast - Anti Social Behaviour

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 08:54:00 +0000

Anti Social Behaviour is a key issue for our customers and our tenants. Clearly, they live in the communities and for those customers and tenants who are suffering from Anti Social Behaviour � it's a blight on their lives. At LMH we take a very firm line on these instances, but also we recognise that not every young person, for instance, is guilty of Anti Social Behaviour and young people are just young people. We need to facilitate them to have something that can play a positive part in our communities � but we do take ASB very seriously. One of the first things the Board did at LMH was to make resources available to recruit 5 extra Safer Estates Officers who deal with those very difficult Anti Social Behaviour cases and again we are reaping the benefits of that investment that the Board made there. Recently we have had a visit from Louise Casey who is the Government's Advisor on Anti Social Behaviour and who specifically asked to come and look at our Westminster Road estate where we have done lots of work with the Community Justice Centre in North Liverpool. We have had a community payback scheme, where people who are offenders put something back in the community � restorative justice � because they see then that for the offences they commit in the community they need to put something back in that community.

We have engaged and worked with the Probation Service and the Community Justice Centre to actually put something back in that neighbourhood and that has been recognised by Government. Louise Casey specifically came and was delighted with the work and the way agencies have joined together at a very local level. The Louise Casey visit wasn't coming to see me, or Senior Officers, or Board Members, it was to see a number of local people and our local staff in that area because they are the people that make the difference in that area. Very positive things are going on in North Liverpool.

Likewise, we very recently in South Liverpool carried out an Injunction and achieved an Exclusion Order in relation to somebody who was making the lives of some of our tenants and residents in the area a complete misery � and was actually picking on, and focusing on, some very vulnerable tenants one of whom was none speaking and deaf for instance. Clear behaviour which was just not acceptable so we took a firm stand, we got the injunction and an exclusion order which meant that that particular perpetrator spent almost a week in custody waiting for that to happen. That shows the very firm line we will take at LMH but also we will be very fair with people and support and help people, and help young people to find positive things to do in our communities. So Anti Social Behaviour moving forward is a big issue for LMH.

11 January 2010: Instant Coffey: I�ve crossed the Rubicon to Dance on Ice

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:37:00 +0000

This week in 49 BC Julius Caesar made his momentus decision to take his army across the Rubicon and head to Rome for War. Like Julius, I found myself facing the point of no return last evening.

What particular 'dancing' mast should I nail my colours to (sorry about the mixed metaphor)? Would it be Arlene and 'So you think you can dance', Holly and 'Dancing on Ice' or Davina and 'Got to Dance'. I decided to go with Holly in the end even though I do find that Jason bloke particularly irritating � so Dancing on Ice it is for the next few weeks.

As everybody knows there has been a fair bit of dancing on ice going on following the recent weather conditions and it seems to have affected every walk of life. LMH services were affected during the worst of the weather and in some instances we needed to go to an emergency repairs approach given that it was very difficult for our contractor just to get from one place to another given the thick snow and ice on side roads.

As I say, it seems that everything has been affected by the weather and it is at times like this that people really come in to their own by helping others out and checking on the more vulnerable members of the community. I am sure that other parts of the country are the same but it does make you feel proud to be a scouser when you hear many stories of people popping to the shops for elderly neighbours or clearing paths etc. On this particular point, I would have to give great credit to our neighbours Cobalt Housing who made contact with all of their potentially vulnerable customers during the worst of the weather to make sure that they were OK. Well done Cobalt and this is certainly something we will be picking up on in the future!

It has warmed up a little in the last couple of days and we seem to be back to normal but if it did persist I think we could have 'danced' our way across the Rubicon. Apart from Sinitta that is!!!!.

4 January 2010: Instant Coffey: New socks and a whiff of Hai Karate

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 12:58:00 +0000

In the words of John Lennon there is 'another year over, a new one just begun' and the whole Christmas and New Year thing seems like a distant memory.�Like most men over 40 I have stocked up on my socks, boxers and smelly's so I can now face whatever 2010 (or is it twenty ten?) throws at me.�Like many others, I will also have to loosen the waistband a little over the next couple of weeks or even get a new wardrobe in the sales.

I am not sure whether I am slowly turning into Victor Meldrew but I found myself getting depressed on New Years Day at the sight of joggers already hitting the local streets to burn off those festive excesses. Whilst the efforts of theses zealots are to be admired for their commitment to keeping in shape it can also be a little demoralising when you know you should do it but are frightened of a cardiac arrest after 100 yards � I did console myself though with the knowledge that they probably haven't got as many new pairs of socks as I have!!!

The ability and desire of our tenants and staff to 'muck in', get on with things and make the best was also shown to me once again over the holiday period with the failure of the heating system in one of our sheltered schemes.� Such a failure in any circumstances would demand an immediate response, however, given the particularly cold weather and the vulnerable client group it was certainly a case of all hands to the pump (sorry about the pun!!!).

With many staff unexpectedly breaking away from their own families to check things out I was very impressed and even more so by the way tenants dealt with quite difficult circumstances.� Yes we put emergency measures in place, such as temporary heating, and began straight away to fix the problem but now that Christmas and the New Year is out of the way we will need to look at any other similar areas where the long term lack of investment prior to transfer can so quickly affect our tenants.

On a final note, I have stopped making New Years Resolutions but looking ahead and once again the in the words of John Lennon 'lets hope it's a good one', the socks should last until 2011 (or twenty eleven) and I hope nobody complains about the Hai Karate!!!!.

21 December 2009: Instant Coffey: Am I just being 'Dopey' or is it a 'Wonderful Life'?

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:36:00 +0000

Well then it is here � Christmas 2009 � and we have even had the snow over the weekend. What more can we ask for? In fact, we have also had the release of the �Winner�s Song� from X Factor and the usual march towards it being the Christmas No. 1. But alas, it seems that �Geordie Joe� has been beaten to the No.1 slot by Rage against the Machine. I do, however, find myself asking whether Mr Cowell is behind the whole thing and whether his label has both artists?

He (Simon that is) seems to be able to deliver success after success and whilst you have to say �Fair play to the bloke � he obviously works hard and is good at what he does�, I must say that I am a little envious that he also seems impervious to any negative publicity whatsoever. Others less fortunate than Simon work equally hard, often in a voluntary capacity, and deliver tangible success in what they do but they are sometimes sniped at from the sidelines by those who only see the world from their own narrow viewpoint � or simply don�t get their own way even though they are wrong.

So many of us will be off to spend time with friends and family over the festive season where we can recharge our batteries and top up with the food and drink. Christmas though can also be a lonely and sad time for many so it is also important to reflect on the plight of those that may be less fortunate.

On a personal basis, I can�t wait for the Christmas Eve ritual of watching �It�s a Wonderful Life� and getting that happy festive feeling. I am also sure that I will take a trip to the cinema over the holiday period, although I doubt I will be as lucky as those cinema goers on this day in 1937 when Walt Disney premiered his animated movie about a beautiful young woman and seven little friends � but then again maybe I am just being Dopey!

18 December 2009: LMH Focus Awards Video

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 11:03:00 +0000

Watch the video of the 2009 LMH Focus Awards. Held at the Liverpool Town Hall, attended by staff, board members, partners and guests the LMH Focus Awards are a celebration of the many good things that are happening at LMH and in our neighbourhoods. The night was hailed a great success and promises to be even bigger and better in 2010.

16 December 2009: Steve Coffey Podcast - Florence Melly Estate Improvements

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:45:00 +0000

Watch�the�latest�video�podcast�from�the�Chief�Executive�of� LMH�Steve Coffey.

To make our podcasts and videos accessible to everyone, we also provide a text version which is available below.

Text version of the video

Our first year or so at LMH saw us embarking upon our Daneville project and that was immensely successful in terms of turning that neighbourhood around, reducing the void levels on the estate and changing people's lives who live there � creating demand for that neighbourhood that just wasn't there in the past. Whilst that was very successful and got recognition at a national level with a number of awards such as at the Housing Excellence Awards being selected as the Regeneration Project of the Year and the Home and Communities Agency Low Carbon Project of the Year. So lots of recognition for that project, but LMH wants to improve constantly, so we don't want to rest on our laurels. We want to deliver better products, better projects and better solutions moving forward, so we have now moved onto our Florence Melly estate which is adjacent to Daneville and has got lots of similar issues around structural defectiveness etc.

The big difference on that estate is the number of owner occupiers. There is a large proportion of owner occupied properties on that estate, so we have taken that on board, and have linked with the owner occupiers to come up with a solution where they can tap into our project to get the similar solution to their homes as well as ours. We recognise that LMH does not exist in a vacuum, we are trying to create communities as well as create homes and trying to get a solution that generates real community ownership regardless of the tenure of the property � whether it's a social home or owner occupier � to improve the lives of the people living in that particular community.

We have linked in with the City Council and with other agencies; with our energy partner EDF, to facilitate a low cost solution not just for our own properties but also where owner occupiers can buy into that project at very minimal, if any, cost and there is grant support available to help facilitate that.�

I think that is an excellent project and will make a big difference to that part of the city. To that extent we have recently hosted a visit from Joe Montgomery from the Government's Communities Department who is a Senior Civil Servant in that department and who specifically asked to come and look at what we have done in Daneville and the solution we are putting forward in Florence Melly. Once again, a recognition that the project is moving forward and helping us engage with other communities and people within our communities.

11 December 2009: Steve Coffey Podcast - Status Survey and performance

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 10:41:00 +0000

Watch the latest video podcast from the Chief Executive of LMH Steve Coffey.

To make our podcasts and videos accessible to everyone, we also provide a text version which is available below.

Text version of the video

LMH has carried out its first status survey since it took the transfer of the housing stock from the City Council and we have seen a massive increase in satisfaction. Our satisfaction levels have gone up to 75.6% and whilst in the overall scheme of things compared to other landlords that's not a massive figure when you look at prior to transfer the City Council did a similar survey and satisfaction levels were 54%. Now that in itself in such a short space of time since transfer shows the massive improvement that we have had already, although we have still got lots to do and that's fair to say. Nevertheless, that's the biggest increase I have ever known in social housing and in many cases satisfaction tends to drop a little just after transfer. So all in all that's very good performance and something we should be proud of but no way should we sit back and rest on our laurels because we still have a fair way to go to get up to top quartile performance.

In terms of performance, we have also seen lately that we have turned the corner to some extent on some performance. Prior to transfer there were lots of areas where we needed to significantly improve and some of those have now seen dramatic improvements. The plans we put in place right at the beginning are coming through to fruition now. For instance, we have now cleared the backlog of repairs that we inherited prior to transfer and with our poorly performing contractor in the first year. All those repairs are now done and we have got a clear baseline to move forward.

Likewise, when we transferred we had in the region of 500 void properties. Empty properties that people couldn't live in and that were unsafe or just not fit for habitation. That level has now come under the 300 mark and that's a massive reduction already with plans to significantly reduce that further but its a big physiological barrier to get under that 300 and lots of work has been done to achieve that � it's something we should certainly be proud of.

The other area where we have seen significant improvement is that we have now, cumulatively, hit the 100% mark on our rent so we are now actually collecting more rent than is due so we are eating away at the backlog of arrears that we inherited at transfer as well. Again, that should not be underestimated how big a step that is to achieve. It is very high levels of performance when you compare it to everyone. So, all in all, whilst we have lots to do and tenants and customers expectations are increasing dramatically, we are now seeing headway being made to address those areas of historic poor performance and really showing that we are moving toward that quality organisation we want to be.

4 December 2009: Tenant Inspection Advisors needed

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:09:00 +0000

Tenant Inspection Advisors needed - up to �141 per day (depending on location) + expenses.

The Audit Commission are currently recruiting for Tenant Inspectors, who will help carry out Housing Association and local authority housing department inspections nationally. You do not need to be, or have any experience of being a tenant inspector with LMH, and would be conducting inspections on behalf of the Audit Commission. In order to apply for this opportunity you must be a tenant or leaseholder of a social housing provider or have recent significant experience of being a tenant or leaseholder at the time of application. For more information and to apply please see the information attached.

3 December 2009: Steve Coffey Podcast - Rent

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:33:00 +0000

Watch the latest video podcast from the Chief Executive of LMH Steve Coffey.

To make our podcasts and videos accessible to everyone, we also provide a text version which is available below.

Text version of the video

In the social housing sector we have had recent notification of the Government's proposal, or direction as its called, in relation to our rents for next year and beyond. Because of the recession, that rent figure is linked to the retail price index, or RPI as it is known, and RPI in September was running at -1.4% so we will see effectively 1.4% less of a rent increase than what there would have been if the retail price index was positive.

In essence that will mean that rent will be cut, if they were all at target rent by 0.9% and that is a big issue for LMH, as it is for all social landlords, because that in effect is taking �750k out of our income next year and every year in the future which is a big challenge for us and something we need to address.

That won't be easy to do because our business plan is already based on us getting better, more efficient at making savings and now we have got this other obstacle that we need to overcome. Will we overcome it � of course we will, will we still improve services � of course we will, will we deliver our promises set out in the offer document � of course we will, and those things are not negotiable.

But things will be much more difficult because of less resources we are going to receive and I think it is inevitable that we will need to look at where we spend money and whether we can do that more efficiently but also whether we can do it more fairly. I think whether its employee costs, repairs and maintenance, whether its overheads, we will be looking at all those costs to make those efficiencies. To try and close that gap so that we can continue to improve, and continue to get better, and continue to invest, but we will do that fairly, equitably and on a common basis to everybody.

30 November 2009: A message from the South Area Office

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:34:00 +0000

Watch the introduction to the South Area Office from the manager Bob Siner.

To make our podcasts and videos accessible to everyone, we also provide a text version which is available below.

Text version of video

My name is Bob Siner and I am the area manager for LMH's South team, we are based at Smithdown Place, near penny Lane.

We actually manage a large geographical area but the properties that we do manage are confined to very small locations, they are :-

Woolton
Allerton/Springwood
Hunts Cross
Cressington

Since we started here we right away started on the improvement programme. That improvement programme initially concentrated on renewing the windows, installing double glazing and pvc doors, renewing the front and rear doors and providing central heating where no central heating previously existed. Since then the programme has developed quite considerably. So we are now in a position where we can start improving the inside of the properties which includes, kitchens, bathrooms and some of our properties are about to be re-roofed. We have recently embarked on a programme were we are improving the communal areas to our blocks and the rear garden areas to the blocks. These are quite comprehensive improvement programmes using high calibre materials so that the whole environment of our properties and blocks will improve in one go.

We also recognise that to build sustainable communities we need to build on partnerships. These partnerships are working with a number of people working in the same area as ourselves although they are coming at it from a different angle. Recently we have embarked on a partnership with Merseyside Police and the city council's neighbourhood management team to improve a number of different areas with our management team to improve a number of different areas within our management area. They have involved � environmental works, clean ups, painting and general improvements to the areas to make them a much better place to live and visit. I think some of the benefits of this are cross party workmanship are that we actually work with our colleagues so that collectively we can provide the service that we would like for our tenants. That service involves delivering something to them that makes the whole environment and where they live a much better place to be, so that not only do they enjoy living there but that they want to continue to live there and encourage other people to and become part of the LMH community and to live in properties that are sustainable.

There are many different things that you can find here on our website. There is an easy to use navigation function that enables you to explore and find anything that you may need to know about LMH. For example if you want to find out what neighbourhood you live in and what improvement works are going to be carried out. So I would encourage you to explore this site and get as much information of it as possible.

30 November 2009: A message from the West Area Office

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:17:00 +0000

Watch the introduction to the West Area Office from the manager Viv Carlson.

To make our podcasts and videos accessible to everyone, we also provide a text version which is available below.

Text version of video

We cover Liverpool 8, Dingle and Granby area, Colthart Estate, Greenheys Gardens, we also cover parts of Liverpool 3, Liverpool 1 and parts of L17.

I have got a staff of 22 people. I was born in the area, worked all my life in the area, a lot of my staff were either born in the area and have got relatives living in the area, so we all want the very best for the area.

We provide a variety of services here. Firstly the main interest for most of the tenants is the repairs. People can phone the repairs through or they can come into the office at the public counter. We cover rents, so to be able to carry out improvement work and repairs we need to get the rent in. Most people pay their rent. If however you are having problems paying your rent and if you fall into arrears for any reason, we are here to help you. The first thing to do is come and talk to us about it. Don't be afraid, we are sympathetic and we try and resolve your problems, we can refer you for benefits advice. Ultimately if people don't pay their rents we do need to take actions against them and this can result in eviction. Now we don't want to evict people, it is the last thing we want to do but ultimately we do need to have some sort of ultimate action if people are refusing to pay their rent. We also allocate vacant properties. We don't have an awful lot of vacant properties in this area. At any one time we have only got about 10 properties empty and ready to let. We have got a housing waiting list with thousands of people on, so unfortunately people applying for housing wait a very long time for this area and most areas of Liverpool. We are part of Propertypool where people can get on our waiting list but they can also apply for housing belonging to the other housing associations, such as, Plus Dane, Riverside, LHT and all the other housing associations that operate in the area.

One of the other things that we do is the Gas Safety certificates. It is a legal obligation that every tenant needs to have a gas safety certificate once a year. The reason for this is for your own safety and that of your neighbourhoods. If you don't get your gas safety check done and there is a problem with your gas there could be an explosion, you could be killed, your neighbours could be killed, so we need to chase people up for this. Really all of our tenants get this done as soon as possible as soon as the person calls to do it. But some don't and some people refuse to do it or don't respond to letters. Again we have to take them to court and this can involve very high court costs for people. We had someone who had to pay over �900 last year because he didn't get the gas safety check done until it was the very last minute and if he hadn't had it done then he would have been imprisoned as a result of it. We have to take this seriously obviously as it is about your own safety but also about the safety of your neighbours.

Another issue that is very much on the tenant's minds is anti social behaviour. We work closely with the police and with tenant and resident groups where anti social behaviour occurs. This can obviously be noise, it can be drug dealing, a whole range of issues. We take action on this, we can take legal action. We try firstly to help people if they have got a problem that can be solved, the first thing that we would do is we would talk to them, we would try to help and get it resolved, but ultimately again this can lead to eviction and we have had to evict a few people in the past over this because to be fair to neighbours everybody should be able to enjoy peace and quiet living in their own home.

I want the very best for the area and I think the area we do work in is one of the best ones you could. It is very varied, varied in the population, varied in the type of properties, varied in terms of the parks we've got, the cathedrals we've got, the mosques we've got. So we have got one of the very best areas to work in and although we often deal with problematic tenants we also know that the vast majority of tenants are just good decent people who just want to peacefully live their lives and we want to provide the best homes that we can for them.

30 November 2009: A message from the East Area Office

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:46:00 +0000

Watch the introduction to the East Area Office from the manager Ray Ellison.

To make our podcasts and videos accessible to everyone, we also provide a text version which is available below.

Text version of video

My name is Ray Ellison I am the area manager for the East Team of LMH. We look after about three thousand five hundred properties ranging from the Knowsley boundary - Cantrall Farm to the city centre and between West Derby Road and Wavetree Road.

Improving the homes that the real people are living in gives you a real kick, it really makes the job worthwhile. We are a tenant led organisation and I think its really good that we are doing things for the tenants now. We are doing the things the tenants actually want us to do. Now that we're not a local authority we can tap into other funding streams which enables us to do other things, we are not constrained by the pressures that are put on by local authorities.

We provide a full range of housing management services and tenancy management. We have an open counter so people can come and see us and we have officers who go out and visit people. In terms of what we do, we do the main landlord functions, we enforce tenancy conditions and tenancy management, we pursue rent arrears and collect rent when required.

We deal with lots of small scale anti social behaviour in the area, this area is not too bad for ASB, there is pockets of it in different parts of the area but basically it is a good stable community with lots of sustainable properties.

We also provide a lot of signposting to other agencies and organisations and we are about to start embarking on something that's reasonably topical at the moment and its called Workless ness. We are going to act as a sign posting agencies to point people in the right direction of where to find employment hopefully and again to find sustainable jobs for the future.

I have always enjoyed my job. I know that some may say that's a little bit sad, but I have always worked in housing. The fact that I have been here for 35 years must say something about that, but yes, I do, I enjoy every aspect about it, every day is different.

I think the fact that we are a tenant led organisation is our biggest strength and I think we proved that before we even became LMH we have taken our customers and tenants all over the country to choose the materials and contractors that we are still using today and they're at the heart of everything we do, they have been involved in developing and reviewing all of our policies and procedures. Customer involvement is a real major part of what we do today and it is just nice to keep the tenants on board and from what I am hearing from tenants is that's what they want.

What I would like people to do is when we ask people to be involved, I would really like them to be involved! Because we are not asking it to tick boxes we are asking it because we really mean it, because we want to provide the service that you want us to provide and not the service that we think you want.

30 November 2009: Instant Coffey: All that glitters isn�t gold but some things are worth campaigning for

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:32:00 +0000

There is an old saying that 'all that glitters isn't gold' and this was at the forefront of my mind yesterday whilst walking home in the rain from a local sporting event. Whilst I was a little disappointed (or gutted actually!) with the outcome of a derby match where the much better team lost out to good fortune, I also thought that we must be careful what we wish for.

The news that Everton's proposal to move to Kirkby has been consigned to the bin may please many but it also leaves everybody looking for a Plan B. Conversely, the followers of the luckier team have been looking to Dubai for a new owner who will inject new money into the club of a 'Manchester City' magnitude � surely the news that Dubai World (looked at by most as an arm of the government) has gone bust owing billions should make everyone think again.

Are the problems with football reflected everywhere else and has society as a whole lost the plot I ask? We have the cult of celebrity (even though some want to 'get out of here'!) and the quick fix is always preferred to hard work and doing the right thing (or a rich benefactor in football's case). With tough economic times here � and even more ahead for the public sector � lets take it on the chin, knuckle down, make the tough decisions and we will get there in the end.

Talking of doing the right thing, at LMH we have fully committed ourselves to supporting the 'Safe as Houses' campaign being spearheaded by Inside Housing. The campaign, which was launched following the tragic events at Lakanal House in London, has already secured one of its three demands with the news that the TSA will establish a national database of Tower Blocks. I would urge you to join LMH, Inside Housing and other colleagues in the campaign to improve safety for tenants insofar as gas and carbon monoxide are concerned � Find out more about the Campaign via the following link:

Safe as Houses Campaign

30 November 2009: A message from the North Area Office

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:17:00 +0000

Watch the introduction to the North Area Office from the manager Janet Calland.

To make our podcasts and videos accessible to everyone, we also provide a text version which is available below.

Text version of the video

Hi my name's Jan Calland and I'm and area housing manager for Liverpool Mutual Homes. I am responsible for the North Area team which is based on Falklands Approach in Norris Green and my responsibility is for delivering a high quality housing management service to all of our tenants and customers.

The service we provide includes dealing with tenancy and estate management issues and that covers a wide and diverse range of issues. It can be anything to do with the tenancy agreement itself, the actual property, or things that may be going on outside the property and the neighbourhood, so for example it could be anti social behaviour. We are also responsible for managing the housing register, dealing with vacant properties and all the re letting process. We also deal with repair reporting and the gas servicing programme and what that basically involves is ensuring that all of our tenants allow us into their homes every year so that we can undertake the gas safety test. Which is really important for the tenants and also for the neighbours that we maintain their health and safety. We are also responsible for collecting the rents here, really important to LMH as a business if we want to be able to deliver the services that we said we'd deliver and also to keep our promises to the tenants, the promises we made through the stock transfer. We are also involved in helping to deliver the improvement programme and that is something that attracts a great deal of interest from our tenants understandably and it is something that we are really proud of here at LMH. The quality of the kitchens and bathrooms that we are using are absolutely fantastic and the tenants are delighted with the choices that they are able to make. Since the transfer we have actually completed over 500 new kitchens and bathrooms, 1200 gas central heating systems have been installed into the homes and we have done 1400 new windows and doors.

We are also using energy efficient products in all of the projects, so that is really helping to contribute to prevent heat loss from the properties so lots of other benefits there too as well for our tenants.

One of the major projects has been the Daneville Estate in Walton and the achievements that we have made there have been widely recognised in terms of good practise across social housing and since Daneville we have already moved into the Anfield area and last month we started to undertake major improvements to homes in the Florence Melly estate in Walton. If tenants haven't already been along to the open days and seen some of the improvements that we are making they can come along to the area office and we will show them what we are doing. We are also now in a position to tell all of our tenants and basically give them an idea as to when we will be doing improvements on their areas and in their homes.

30 November 2009: A message from the Northwest Area Office

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:17:00 +0000

Watch the introduction to the Northwest Area Office from the manager Mike McDonnell.

To make our podcasts and videos accessible to everyone, we also provide a text version which is available below.

Text version of the video

I am Mike McDonnell the area manager for the North West Office for Liverpool Mutual Homes. I have been here for twelve months, I was previously in the West area and moved here lastOctober.

We are based in Mark Street which is Liverpool 5 off Netherfield Road. Our area runs from the city centre up to the Bottle boundary and easterly as far as Anfield. Most of our properties are in the Kirkdale and and Everton wards. But we have got some in County and Anfield as well. We manage about 3800 properties. We have got a staff of 30 people working in this area including caretaking staff as well as our management team. We are working closely with the LHT to deliver the improvement programme. We have so far put new windows and doors in a thousand properties and that'll be two thousand by the end of this financial year. We've installed 300 new heating systems and by the end of the financial year there will be one thousand new bathrooms and kitchens in the area as well.

We have been involved in a number of clean up days in the area and Respect weeks along with the city council, police and other partner agencies. We have done that in County ward, west Everton, Queens Road area and Anfield. They involve general clean ups of the area, general awareness sessions talking about anti social behaviour and usually end up with a fun day for the residents.

Another initiative in the North West area is the Westminster Road estates neighbourhood agreement. We're working closely with the tenants association there who are very active and excellent team of people. We're looking to involve tenants more in the management of their estate. We're working with the police, youth development and again other partner agencies. We think it's important that people who live in the estate have more input about what goes on there. We are developing that on a daily basis and as it proves successful we'll roll it out to other areas in the North West.

In the North West we have been heavily involved in the community payback system. That is a system of people who have committed offences in the area outing something back into the area. We have worked firstly with the local residents who were at first a bit apprehensive because we are talking about somebody with a criminal record going into your neighbourhood, but they have actually done a great job doing clean ups on the estate, graffiti removal, they themselves have welcomed it, the communities did in the end, certainly we have and it's been in the national press.

5 November 2009: Instant Coffey: Camels, Fish and John and Edward (or is it Jedward?)

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:34:00 +0000

I haven't done the blog for a couple of weeks as I have been away on holiday for a week and spent the following period trying to deal with the long list of emails that were awaiting my return. For those who are interested I visited the land of the Pharaoh's for a break � and a bit of good weather. I was also intending to do a camel ride but he looked particularly miserable when I approached him.

Like many things in life, Egypt is a very complex place with many contrasting features � much of the landscape is desert albeit with some jewels such as the Pyramids and Sphinx but if you look beneath the Red Sea things are certainly different. The eco-system beneath the surface is a multi-coloured odyssey which has to be experienced to be believed with fish of all shapes, sizes and colours � a real kaleidoscope of colour, life, shape and size.

I do think that humans can learn so much from how this kind of ecological system can live so harmoniously whilst respecting each others differences and helping each other along the way.

In my absence it seems that the world continues to go mad � John and Edward (or is it Jedward?), what is that all about? Returning to my holiday, however, I never did get to do the camel ride as he never cheered up for the whole week and I decided that he just must have the hump!!

26 October 2009: Improvement programme video: Introduction

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 23:42:00 +0000

This short film is an introduction to our five year improvement programme. It is designed to act as a guide to what the improvement programme actually means to the customer, how it came about what it will undertake.�

There are accompanying videos for each area of the improvement programme scheme. All customers will be receiving a full copy of the Improvement Programme DVD as and when they are scheduled for work to be done.�

This DVD is also available upon request subtitled in various languages.

26 October 2009: Improvement programme video: Meet your CLO

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:42:00 +0000

This video explains what the role of the Customer Liason Officer (CLO) is and how they are there to help the customer every step of the way through the improvement works.

26 October 2009: Improvement programme video: Bathrooms

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:42:00 +0000

If you are having a new bathroom fitted this video will tell you what to expect, what choices are available to you and how we will do the works.

26 October 2009: Improvement programme video: Kitchens

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:42:00 +0000

If you are having a new kitchen fitted this video will tell you what to expect, what choices are available to you and how we will do the works.

26 October 2009: Improvement programme video: Central heating

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:42:00 +0000

If you are having your central heating replaced this video will tell you what to expect, what choices are available to you and how we will do the works.

26 October 2009: Improvement programme video: Windows and doors

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:42:00 +0000

If you are having your windows and/or doors replaced this video will tell you what to expect, what choices are available to you and how we will do the works.

26 October 2009: Improvement programme video: Electrical rewire

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:42:00 +0000

If you are having an electrical rewire to your property this video will tell you what to expect, what choices are available to you and how we will do the works.

26 October 2009: Improvement programme video: Exterior works

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:42:00 +0000

If you are having exterior work done to your property this video will tell you what to expect, what choices are available to you and how we will do the works.

15 October 2009: Instant Coffey: A Shared (and Successful) Future for Northern Ireland but will I ever fly again?

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:59:00 +0100

This week's blog is a bit later than normal and I would, therefore, like to begin with an apology to regular followers although I think I have this covered as I spoke personally last evening to my mother.

I thought that I would be a little more serious in this weeks blog following a short visit that I took late last week to Belfast.� I had the pleasure of being hosted by colleagues from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and being taken around to look at various neighbourhoods and estates within Belfast.

In a very naïve way I had assumed that following the cessation of the troubles the various walls and gates separating communities (or 'peace lines' as they are known) had been dismantled and this is clearly not the case.� However, massive progress has been made in recent years by these communities to integrate and achieve a sense of normality (whatever normality is!!). �I felt very humbled during the visit when comparing our own circumstances to the difficulties faced by the Executive's staff and the communities themselves.� I was also greatly impressed by the enormous strides taken to address real difficulties and improve the everyday life of ordinary people.� The 'Shared Future' approach that has been adopted is a great template for the future and with the continuing hard work of the Executive I am sure that it will be a future that is not only shared but is also successful.

Having hosted our visit I am sure that Belfast was comfortable in then receiving other guests who followed in our footsteps.� The US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton, arrived on Sunday evening and I am a little disappointed that she hasn't given me a ring so that we can compare notes.

On a lighter note, I was very pleased that I travelled from Liverpool Airport rather than Manchester with the news that they now have a 'naked scanner' installed for security checks at Manchester Airport.� I believe that the scanner can view passengers without any clothes and thereby identify anybody who is carrying anything untoward.� Whilst I may have moaned on occasions about having to take my coat and belt off at the security checks it is, of course, very important so I like everybody else am happy to accept the position.� I am concerned, however, that if this new scanner is rolled out at all airports I may never be able to fly again!� Up to now I have managed to get through the security checks without them noticing the several 'spare tyres' that I have hidden under my clothes but this may now be exposed!!!!