Let's Do It Online

You can’t go anywhere right now without being reminded about how much money you can save by doing things online. For some it’s a double-edged sword. We’ve seen this week that in some circles they’re predicting that one fifth of high street shops could disappear in the next five years – and analysts are putting that down, largely, to the impact of online shopping.

Whether it’s cuddly meerkats or opera singing Welshmen offering to save you money on your car insurance or downloading music –it seems cheaper and far less hassle when you do things online. They say that doing more and more via the internet could save a household more than £500 a year which, in this financial climate, and in the wake of welfare reform, is a really significant sum.

I guess the reality is that people’s habits and customer service expectations are changing. Of course, it’s not for everyone, but we know there’s a sizeable number of out tenants who have, for want of a better phrase, gone digital. For example, our figures show that around 6,500 people visit our website every month whilst more and more people have got access to the internet through smart phones and tablets and are contacting and engaging with us through Twitter and Facebook.



Our Web Wizards are helping to get tenants online



So as our customers’ habits change, we need to change too. Long gone are the days when people have to call us during working hours on Monday-Friday – or, dare I say, write us a letter! We’re investing in online technologies so tenants can report repairs, pay their rent and check their accounts whenever, and wherever they want. It also frees up our phone lines so we can help those who can’t use, or who don’t have access to, the internet. It’s better customer service, simples!



But it’s not just about offering better customer service. With the introduction of Universal Credit on the horizon, the stark reality is people are going to have to get online because for most people, the Universal Credit will mean having to apply online and manage their claim through an online account.

That’s why we’ve got a team of dedicated ‘Web Wizards’ who are working with tenants to help get them online. They’re in our one-stop shops across the city showing people who are queuing up to pay their bills that there’s another way to pay and it doesn’t involve standing in queues!

If you’re reading this already then the chances are you’re already part of the digital revolution. In which case, don’t forget to sign up and register for your ‘Do-it-Online’ account. But if you know someone who’s a tenant or leaseholder of ours and you think they need help to get online then ask them to get in touch with our Web Wizards who’d be more than happy to help.

The times they-are a-changin’ – we need to make sure we do too.

Celebrating LGBT rights

When I worked in a local authority housing department in north London over 15 years ago there was a culture of openness and acceptance around gay and lesbian issues. Two senior management team members were in stable same sex relationships. It was no big deal. Generally most LGBT colleagues seemed comfortable being out. They chatted openly about their partners and their lives (or not, depending on personal preference). I suppose, through this experience, I gained some insight into some of the issues faced by same sex couples; one of whom had a boy at school who was bullied because he had “two mummies”.

I somehow expected all quasi-local government workplaces to be the same until I came to Wolverhampton. Don’t get me wrong:  I have never seen or had reported to me any discrimination or harassment, no unsympathetic behaviour, in fact: no issues have come to my attention.  Our policies on housing appear to be LGBT aware. And that’s what I mean really – everything was okay but there seemed to be a culture of invisibility around LGBT issues. So I am left doubting whether LGBT tenants and applicants feel comfortable in discussing issues with us which could reveal/highlight their sexuality. Similarly, I wonder whether colleagues are not mentioning their sexuality because they feel there might not be an understanding response and whether managers are sufficiently comfortable and can deal appropriately with LGBT human resource questions. No reason to suppose negatives in these areas, but important that I ensure the overall climate is welcoming, supportive, understanding and positive.

So we are working with Stonewall on a campaign to support more LBGT awareness and I am pleased to already feel the climate is changing. This month we’re celebrating LGBT history month. Our offices and shops are decorated with rainbow flags, we’re celebrating the LGBT movement’s history in our internal publications and next Friday we’ve got a rainbow dress down day for staff.

You’ll see from the picture above I’ve also been keen to give this campaign my lead and personal support (I'm in the middle!). This week has seen a fantastic (and long overdue) landmark for the LGBT movement but there is still much further to go. I am proud to support this campaign and for Wolverhampton Homes to be contributing towards moving this agenda forwards in our city.

Let's Get Building

In Wolverhampton, there are more than 12,000 people on the housing register. The sad truth is that many of those people will never be given a Council property as there are simply not enough to go round.

At Wolverhampton Homes, we let about 2000 homes each year but it doesn’t take a genius to work out that the people left over have to live somewhere. Where do they go?

Some are in private rented housing and would prefer the security of Council housing; others are staying with friends or family in cramped, overcrowded conditions and a tiny minority may be living in hostels or on the streets. In short, in temporary, insecure circumstances that can make it harder for children to achieve educationally and for adults to further their careers or contribute to their community. So that’s one problem Britain is facing.

The other problem is that we have a huge deficit to tackle and there is no way we can do it purely through austerity. We need growth – a big, bold move to stimulate the economy – and I believe building new homes is the answer to that.

The great thing about this is that to deliver thousands of new homes, the Government doesn’t have to spend a penny. They can allow councils to build 60,000 much needed new homes over the next five years at the stroke of a pen. All they need to do is increase the amount of debt councils can borrow against their housing stock.

The National Federation of ALMOs, in a report called ‘Let’s Get Building’, makes a compelling case for this move. It says that 92p out of every £1 spent on building stays in the UK and that 56p of this returns to the Exchequer - with 36p of that bringing direct savings in tax and benefits.

When America was in the grip of the Great Depression, they invested in capital projects like the Hoover Dam because they knew that building things was a golden opportunity to stimulate the economy. Let’s hope the Chancellor has the same foresight in Wednesday’s Autumn Statement and helps get Britain building.