| April/May 2009 News |
NEW BME ADVICE SERVICE HITS THE WEB
We’re delighted to announce the successful launch of: www.bmehousingplus.com.
For two years CCHA, and our close Cardiff partners Taff and Cadwyn HAs, have been working on a project to improve the information available to black and minority ethnic people living in Cardiff.
In June we produced a Housing Handbook, which is packed with information to assist BME people to access services we all use and need in Cardiff.
The booklet provides information not just on housing and housing related services provided by the three associations, but on subjects such as the Welsh culture and language, banks, health services and education.
The booklet was well received and the project won the Pat Chown Innovation in Housing Award in November 2008.
As planned, and to support the booklet, we’ve now launched the website. It’s an excellent source of information and we hope it provides a valuable service, not just to BME service users, but all residents of the city.
To access the site, please follow the link noted above.
For more information on the project, which received a financial contribution from the Welsh Assembly Government, please contact:
Annette Kerr
BME Project Officer
Email: akerr@taffhousing.co.uk
Tel: 029 2025 9154
OUT IN THE STREET… FFORD OTTOWAY IS THE NEW NAME IN SPLOTT
Fford Ottoway is up on the street signs and a new addition to the Splott streetscape is imminent.
|
Within days our superb new scheme at Sanquahar Street, Splott will be ready. The development of 31 one bedroom apartment and 9 two bedroom apartments is fully let and the new residents will be in their new homes by the middle of April. The five storey scheme is built to excellent standards; the communal heating system will provide not only low-energy, low cost heating and hot water, but thanks to the levels of insulation built into the structure the homes are very warm and fuel-efficient. |
 |
On top of that the apartments, many of which have great views across the city, benefit from a whole host of other amenities such as fully fitted kitchens and high levels of sound insulation.
HOW WE PLAN OUR BUSINESS AT CCHA: A SUMMARY FOR TENANTS
Every year, we produce a Corporate Plan which:
- sets out our Aims for the next three years
- outlines our strategic priorities over the same period
- details our operational objectives for the next twelve months
- provides a summary of the financial resources we have and will need in the next five years
Basically, it sets out our plans for the next 1-3 years and we update it every year. We develop the Plan in consultation with our Board and our Team, and take into account what organisations like Cardiff Council and the Welsh Assembly Government require of us. We also explain our plans to the Tenant Representative Council.
Our new plan, for the period starting on 1st April 2009 was recently approved by our Board and will be available, as usual, following the publication of our Annual Accounts in July.
Our key priorities for next year will be up on the site at the beginning of May.
How We Set Our Corporate Plan.
The Corporate Plan focuses upon delivering our five key objectives, which are:
-
the delivery of excellent customer services
-
providing new homes and maintaining them to a high standard
-
improving the communities where we work
-
taking a prudent, yet innovative, approach to managing our business
-
making Team CCHA a great thing to be part of
Our Strategic Priorities
To put some flesh on the bones of these Objectives we then decide what our priorities over the next three years must be.
For instance, one of our Key Objectives is ‘Excellent Customer Services.’ To develop our customer services over the next three years, we think we must:
-
provide locally accessible high quality customer services that reflects our respect for our customers and our accountability to them
-
develop a modern approach to service delivery
-
offer support services ranging from personal support to enable independent living
advice services, covering tenancy matters, Housing Benefit and community services -
specialist areas such as racial harassment, anti-social behaviour and disabled persons’ housing
-
develop our lettings and property sales service to ensure that it represents the best interests and finds the best solutions for those in housing need
-
ensure a wide range of households in need have access to our homes
-
produce timely, regular, relevant information to our customers
-
maintain our focus on our customers by seeking to inform, consult and involve them in the delivery and continuous improvement of our services
-
keep rents affordable and as low as resources allow
What we’ll do in the next 12 months
We then decide what has to be achieved in the next year to make progress with our objectives. This is our Operational Plan.
We set five main objectives (actually for 2009/10 there will be six!), which link directly to our Corporate Plan Aims, plus a series of others which, whilst of lower priority we still try to achieve.
What’s going well… what’s not?
Through the year we then monitor our progress to keep an eye on what’s going well and, of course, what’s not going to plan. We also review our plans to make sure that we can accommodate the unexpected.
The ‘traffic lights’ give you a good guide to what’s going well and where work needs to be do.
To be specific, our half-yearly review of last year’s Operational Plan showed:
| Green |
Good progress or complete. We rank 24 of our 54 objectives as green i.e. 44% |
| Amber |
Reasonable progress. We rank 25 of our 54 objectives as amber i.e. 46% |
| Red |
Yet to start, or going slower than we’d like. We rank 5 of our 54 objectives as green i.e. 9% |
The one certainty in any plan is that no everything will go to plan. Whilst we set out with a real intention of doing what we say we’ll do, some issues will not be tackled for a whole variety of reasons e.g. other actions not anticipated are required, staff departures or illness, certain projects prove more complicated than expected – and so on.
Left wanting more?
If you would like a copy of our actual Corporate Plan 2008-11 it is available here.
If you do prefer a paper copy, please contact us and we’ll happily send one to you.
If you would like full details of how 2008/09 went for us in terms of operational objectives then click here to review our Operational Plan 2008/09:Progress Report.
If you would like to ask any questions about our Corporate or Operational Plans, please contact our Chief Executive:
Kevin Protheroe
CCHA
2 Ocean Way
Ocean Park
Cardiff.
CF24 5TG.
email: Keivn.Protheroe@ccha.org.uk
tel: 029 2046 8470
