YOU SAID

WE DID

• All customers had received a copy of the Home User Guide with nearly three quarters using it. Of those, 80% said it contained the answer to their question.
• The sections that people found the most useful were Introduction, Services and Looking after your home.
• The sections that people found the least useful were Local amenities or local information, Waste/recycling/refuse, Finishing schedule and Transport.
• Hard copy was the preferred format with 71.4% of respondents selecting this format. However electronic formats were also selected, and the ORG mentioned having an audio version for those who find it difficult to read.
• Analysis of the 5 Home User Guides by the ORG provided a variety of suggestions for the Development Team to consider.

• The Development Team will be introducing one Home User Guide in June 2024.

SATISFACTION WITH THE ESTATE SERVICES

You are less satisfied with all aspects of the estate services (appearance of your neighbourhood, gardening, cleaning of internal/external communal areas and communal window cleaning).

The most common reasons you gave for lower satisfaction were:

• A general decline in the service.
• Areas are missed/uncared for.
• Hedges and grass overgrown.
• Frequency and quality of maintenance.
• not enough resources.
• Inconsistent service standards/poor attention to detail.
• Litter/fly tipping on estates.
• Poor communication about the service and when it will be delivered.
• More plant diversity.

You suggested the following improvements:

• provide better information about the service and tenants’ responsibilities.
• Improve communication and action comments.
• Staff to take more pride in their work, increase the frequency of service/provide more resources.
• Provide a better gardening service.
• Tackle litter with those responsible.
• Provide education on recycling/cleaning bins, undertake regular checks of tenants and properties and offer additional services.

Rounds are reviewed annually and adjusted accordingly if required. We have recently reviewed the resources available within the team and we will be looking at extending the hours for current staff from 37 hours to 40 hours per week to provide increased capacity.

The hourly rate for the service is reviewed annually and shared with tenants as part of their service charge statements. 

Due to the complexity of managing different service standards and associated costs, we are only able to offer one service level which is consistent across all sites. 

We have previously trialed for tenants to take responsibility for areas. This has worked well at first, however due to a variety of reasons i.e., death, loss of interest and tenants moving, the work doesn’t get completed and is often not up to standard. 

Therefore this is something that we will not be able to offer.

We do not cut hedges during March and September due to the 1981 Countryside and Wildlife Act; we will however cut back overhanging branches on footpaths or roads.

As mentioned previously, we will implement a QR code so that tenants can find out when their service is due.

We have just carried out a recent audit of the teams’ qualifications which are all up to date. We will consider implementing incentive schemes for staff in 2024.

Orwell continually reviews its practices to ensure we are delivering a service that provides the least harm to the environment. Within the last few years we have:

• Moved to battery rather than petrol equipment.
• Recycle 95% of our green waste.
• Streamlined the rotas to reduce travel time and fuel used.
• Used at least 80% native species when re-planting.
• When removing a tree, we always replace with 2 trees.

We will identify further sites where re-wilding may be possible and undertake consultation with tenants in those areas.

The plants we use on our estates are selected because they suit the changing environment. A list of these will be made available on the website.

You would like the following services to be offered: window cleaning, DIY/handyman service, gutter cleaning and painting service.

Unfortunately, this is something that we cannot offer at the present time. We will however provide details of contractors that are affiliated with Orwell on our website, Orwell app and noticeboards.

WASTE MANAGEMENT

YOU SAID 

WE DID

The majority of you know how to dispose of your rubbish or bulky items but more information was requested.

Information about recycling is available on your local council website. We will also publicise information on Orwell’s website including links to the various district council's websites.

You wanted Orwell to take action against perpetrators of fly-tipping and tenants who leave rubbish in their gardens

Orwell tackles litter and fly tipping by reporting it to Environmental Health where possible. We have successfully managed to share information which has led to 5 convictions.  CCTV coverage has also been extended throughout our estates. We also share intelligence with police if there is any criminal activity.

We will publicise information on the website and Orwell app for anyone who wishes to report fly tipping to Orwell. To continue to raise awareness of the ways in which tenants can help us solve fly tipping on their estates, we will provide regular updates via social media, the website and tenant newsletter.

Some of you said your estate was untidy with litter and bins/bin areas overflowing and in need of attention.

You asked for further information about how to recycle/clean bins, replace broken bins, provide dog poo bins.

Some of you requested additional bins/bottle banks and for Orwell to work in partnership with the local district council to provide estate tidy ups.

The number of bins allocated to an estate is decided by the local council. Where there is a particular problem and it is clear that the number of bins does not reflect need, we will work with the local council to obtain further bins.

We will carry out an audit of the condition of bins annually and then request replacements from the council.

Where tenants have identified a particular need for a specific bin i.e., bottle bank on their estate, we will work with the local council to implement this. If this is not possible, we will provide information to tenants about the options available in their local area.

YOU SAID

WE DID

• Be more accessible.
• More community based content.
• Security of method used to send newsletter.
• Many customers were unaware of the level of information they could access relating to their tenancy via the Orwell website.

• The new format of our newsletter will be in a video style using a newsreader. This will be 3-4 minutes long and broadcast weekly with options of printable PDF, large font print and screen reader.
• Our newsletter will now be focusing on three to four current topics of interest, for example, providing information to help with the cost of living. These will be determined on feedback from our customers.
• Introducing multiple forms of communication have allowed us to minimise the use of links. We are considering how we continue to use email for those who prefer this method with fewer links.
• Our weekly video newsletter often makes reference to our website and the information available on it. Our communications team are working with our designer to display a banner at the top of the website to highlight advice on topical issues and any urgent messages we feel our customers should be aware of.

YOU SAID

WE DID

• Ease of use.
• A defined area where customers can interact and leave feedback.
• Timely updates.
• Test app following launch to avoid errors.

• Our communications team are working with our designer to display a banner at the top of the website to highlight advice on topical issues. They have also redesigned the front page with quick links to most of the common queries and information.
• Currently we contact customers for feedback through surveys and on our social media channels. We are looking to design a platform on our website where customers can be more interactive real time through polls etc.
• We have put in place a system to ensure that all sections of the website are regularly reviewed to ensure the content is relevant and up to date.
• We're still in the testing process and we have been compiling suggestions for our FAQ section.

YOU SAID

WE DID

• Contact number not clear on front of document.

• Information in leaflet was duplicated from a different leaflet (i.e comments re bathroom in leaflet for kitchens) Some of the grammar and spacing were not correct, which made a section illegible.

• This has been changed to highlight the number stated was for Customer Services.
• All documents have been corrected and going forward, all leaflets will be proofread by an independent party.

YOU SAID

WE DID

• Change the wording to be less complicated and add more space on the feedback box.

• Use surveys to promote engagement and collection of preferences.

• All surveys have now been simplified to eliminate any confusion. The box to add feedback has been made bigger.
• There has been a new "shaping services" section added to each survey. Each customer's contact and engagement preferences are also recorded, following communication with each customer.