On 1 February 2003, Leeds City Council transferred the management of its 'council' homes to six arm's length management organisations (ALMOs), which are all companies that are wholly owned by the Council.
This move was in response to the launch of the Government 'Decent Homes' initiative, which requires all local housing authorities to provide homes that meet a set standard, namely that the property must have reasonably modern facilities, be warm and weatherproof, by 2010.
Each ALMO has its own management board, with one third of the board consisting of tenants and the other two thirds being local councillors and independent members. There are six housing ALMOs in Leeds. Each one is responsible for managing council-owned homes in a particular area of the city. Leeds East Homes is one of the ALMOs, responsible for 12,000 tenants in the areas of Seacroft, Gipton, Burmantofts and parts of Crossgates and Harehills.
The Audit Commission awarded them two stars in September 2004. Following the approval of their Building Cost Model by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Government has given them an extra £62 million in resources to achieve the Decent Homes standard by 2010. They have an almost simplistic vision of what they are trying to achieve; namely to make East Leeds a better place to live, work and play, but this is a philosophy that they are determined to adhere to, and during the last two and a half years they have worked exceptionally hard to introduce numerous initiatives to help ensure that they succeed in their quest.
Recognising Diversity and Building Relationships
Since taking over from the City Council in 2003, Leeds East Homes has vigorously pursued a diversity policy to ensure that the views of all members of the local community are heard.
They are currently carrying out a community profiling exercise, which is due for completion in March 2006. The aim of this is to ensure that the needs of specific groups, whether they are defined by ethnicity, gender, age or physical ability, are adequately met. As a result of the profiling completed so far, Leeds East Homes has amended its language translation service to be more reflective of those who use the service.
Simon Jordan works as part of the Community Involvement and Diversity Team as a Community Involvement Officer, here he explains his role, and how the Team is fostering good relations within the wider community.
“I have a caseload of 25 registered tenants and affiliated groups that I offer advice, guidance and support to on community involvement issues. One of our main priorities is to work more with young people, in particular with the local schools.
The advice and guidance I give to individuals and groups can be anything from how to produce a newsletter or advertise a group meeting, to how to form a tenants group and everything in between. We have developed a Community Involvement Agreement which acts as a user guide regarding the support and services that we offer. The Agreement also gives information about the types of funding we give to groups, such as the Leeds East Homes Environmental Grant.
I regularly attend various meetings within the Community, and as a tenant and member of a tenants association elsewhere in Leeds, I can empathise with people and relate to the issues that they raise, in fact I have probably faced the same issues myself!!”
Security Patrols
In direct response to feedback from tenants, and working in close partnership with Leeds City Councils Security Section, Leeds East Homes has recently introduced mobile security teams who patrol the area throughout the night and on the weekends. The Patrol officers, 6 male & 2 female, are uniformed and operate in teams of two, patrolling both on foot and in marked vehicles. The aim of these patrols is to reduce crime or even the fear of crime, and to reduce the instances of anti - social behaviour. Whilst they are there primarily to provide a highly visible presence and offer reassurance to tenants, they also have a role to play in identifying and reporting any environmental or safety hazards.
Although they do not replace the police service, they are able to provide additional support in identifying individuals who are responsible for committing crime and anti-social behaviour and reporting incidents, providing written statements and giving evidence when required to secure a conviction.
Leeds East Homes Building Services
In a determined approach to having a clear organisational identity, Leeds East Homes decided to transfer the employment of the day-to-day repair service internally, from the Leeds Building Agency. Now, instead of being city workmen, these tradespeople are company employees, in liveried Leeds East Homes uniforms and vans, bearing the Leeds East Homes logo in place of the Leeds City Council logo. By doing this, the company believes not only has the level of service improved, but that it made sense financially. They now have an in-house team of experienced multi-skilled joiners, plumbers and electricians who are able to respond to requests with a great deal more flexibility than had historically been the case.
Employment Opportunities
Leeds East Homes is the largest employer in East Leeds, with over 300 full-time staff and 28 part time staff. As an organisation, it is committed to employing local people where possible, so that their workforce is as representative of the community as it can be. As part of their vision to make East Leeds a better place to work, Leeds East Homes has combined forces with other providers such as the East Leeds Family Learning Centre and the Leeds Training and Skills Agency to promote training and work experience opportunities for members of the local community who want to return to work, maybe after a period of unemployment or having taken time off to raise children.
As part of the Family Learning Centre scheme, Leeds East has had a number of people come on six monthly work placements within the organisation. Whilst they do not guarantee a job at the end of the placement, there have been instances when a person on placement has successfully applied for a position in competition with other candidates. One such applicant was a local resident called Lisa, who initially came on a work experience placement at Deacon House in Seacroft, which is Leeds East Homes Head Office. She was then employed on a temporary contract, before securing a permanent post. Since then, she has been promoted and now works as an Admin Officer in their Finance Team and is currently studying for an accountancy qualification.
Similarly, some unemployed residents were recently given the opportunity to learn bricklaying skills when Leeds East Homes worked in partnership with Leeds City Council's Department of Learning & Leisure, the Construction Skills Learning Centre and the Leeds Training and Skills Agency to create the Barncrofts project, which aims is to train East Leeds young people in construction skills through a mixture of college work and practical experience.
