Are you ready to take the Plastic Free July challenge?

We know it’s important to reduce our waste to help protect our planet. Therefore, this month why not take on the Plastic Free July challenge. This is your chance to make a difference and be a part of the solution. We have put together some hints and tips to help get you started.

• Coffee cups: Swap single use cups for reusable cups. Many coffee branches offer a discount if you bring your own coffee cup.
• Loose produce: When buying loose fruit and vegetables at the supermarket or market, why not bring your own reusable bag instead of using single use plastic bags.
• Reusable shopping bags: Bring your own shopping bag to the shops instead of having to buy a plastic one.
• Ditch the one use plastic straws: Instead buy reusable plastic, metal, or bamboo straws. Paper straws are also an option as they are biodegradable.
• Water bottles: Swap single use water bottles for a reusable one. Filling up your water bottle at home will also save you money in the long run.
• Soap: Swap shower gels and shampoos in single use plastic bottles for soap bars instead.
• Sanitary products. One way to save plastic and money when on your period is using a menstrual cup or period underwear.
• Events and celebrations: Why not save party decorations and gift bags after you have used them for another occasion. This is a great way to save the planet and some pennies.

For more tips, please visit the Plastic Free July website.

Whether you stayed up through the night, or awoke to the news this morning, we all started today with change – a new government.

This is the first labour government in 14 years, and the change does not stop there. There will be a lot of new faces when the new Parliament sits on Tuesday.

In response to the general election results 2024, Kate Henderson, Chief Executive at the NHF, says:

“With one in five children living in overcrowding, and 4.2 million people in need of a social home, the scale of the challenge facing the new government cannot be underestimated. Today’s election result represents a clear mandate to meet this challenge by delivering the biggest boost to social housing in a generation. This is a message from voters that the status quo cannot continue and our short term, piecemeal approach to housing must change.

“Housing associations stand ready to work in partnership with the new government to drive growth and deliver the homes the country needs. After 14 years of cuts and policy uncertainty, we will require urgent action to shore up the sector’s finances, protect vital services, ramp up delivery of new homes and deliver for residents. We want to establish a collaborative relationship with our new government and work together to secure the future of social housing as part of a long term plan for housing.”

Anne Waterhouse, Chief Executive of Wandle said , “We look forward to working with the newly elected MPs who represent our residents living in our boroughs.              

“Social housing provides real value for our communities, and Wandle are ready to sit at the heart of any long-term plan to end the housing crisis and improve outcomes for Londoners.”

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is moving everyone off ‘legacy benefits’, and on to Universal Credit.

If you’re claiming any of the benefits mentioned below then soon you’ll have to take action, and switch over to Universal Credit (UC).

These are income-based and/or income related benefits:

• Working Tax Credits
• Child Tax Credits
• Housing Benefit (HB)
• Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Income Support
• Jobseeker’s Allowance.

If you receive any of the benefits listed above, look out for your ‘notice of managed migration’. If you’re in any doubt about moving over to UC then please contact us or seek advice. You’ll receive a letter through the post from the DWP.

On getting this letter, you’ll have three months to act. If you fail to act, your benefits will end. 

If your legacy benefit ends for that reason, the DWP will allow you another month to make your UC claim. There’ll be no gaps in your benefits and you may still be eligible for ‘Transitional Protection’. However, we strongly recommend making the transition within the first three months.

The DWP have published a schedule for the types of benefits that will be receiving their letter and when, but the important thing is to look out for yours, and act when you get it. Or you could lose out.

The schedule is:

• April 2024 – Tax Credits and Housing Benefits
• April – June 2024 – Income Support and HB residents
• June 2024 – HB claimants only (unless HB is your only legacy benefit, and you are living in ‘specified’ or ‘temporary accommodation’).
• July 2024 – Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Child Tax Credits (with HB)
• August 2024 – Pensioners with Working Tax Credits/Working Tax Credits and Child Tax Credits. Also Mixed Aged Couples (a couple where one partner is a pensioner, and the other is under pension age)*
• September 2024 – Job Seekers Allowance
• September 2024/25- All remaining ESA and HB residents (as-well as ESA-only residents).

The DWP plans to have sent out all manage migration notices by the end of 2025.

*Some Mixed Aged Couples age couples are ‘protected’ from the change in the rules, and it’s important to know if you fall in this protected category as you may be able to claim Pension Credit or Pension age Housing Benefit, or both. People over state pension age in receipt of Child Tax Credit only, who aren’t already claiming Pension Credit, will be invited to claim Pension Credit before their Child Tax Credit stops.

You must look out for your letter from the DWP. But you can get prepared. Check how much you will receive on UC, it might be less than you’re getting now, but it might be more. You can make the switch to UC earlier than when you’re invited, but if you’re due to receive less after the switch over, it’s better to wait for the managed migration notice letter.   

If you’re struggling or can’t claim online, you can also contact:

• The Managed Migration Helpline: 0800 169 0328, (calls are free from mobiles or landlines) or  
• Citizen Advice Help to Claim Service.

Alcohol Awareness Week campaigns for change and this year’s theme is ‘Understanding alcohol harm’.

Alcohol Awareness Week is coordinated by Alcohol Change UK. Each year over 5000 public health services, workplaces, pharmacies, hospitals, charities, community groups and GPs take part to raise awareness and share the support that is out there for those struggling with alcohol addiction.

Alcohol can sometimes play a big part of our lives, especially in the warmer months when it is promoted during sports games, advertised on our commutes, and discounted in our supermarkets.

It can be used when we celebrate, but sometimes it can become a problem and a way to cope. Each year thousands of people become addicted to alcohol and experience long-term health problems that can lead to death from alcohol related causes.

This year’s theme explores what is meant by ‘alcohol harm’ and its aim is to get the country talking about what the role of alcohol plays in our lives, society, families and communities. By getting people talking, this provides an environment for open discussions around alcohol, and encourages those who are struggling to come forward and ask for the help they need.

If you would like to discuss this further, or talk to someone, please see below a list of services that can help:

• NHS www.nhs.uk/live-well/alcohol-advice/alcohol-support/
• Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk
• Drink Aware www.drinkaware.co.uk/advice-and-support/

Battersea local Jeanne Rathbone will be unveiling a blue plaque in honour of Tom Taylor and Laura Barker at 84 Lavender Sweep SE11 1HP.

Laura Barker (1819-1905) was a renowned composer and musician, who lived at the property with her husband Tom Taylor from 1858 until his death in 1880.

Tom Taylor (1817 – 1880) was an English dramatist, critic, biographer, public servant and editor of Punch magazine.

Both Laura and Tom held regular Sunday musical soirees, and celebrities at the time such as Lewis Carroll and Charles Dickens would attend.

Jeanne Rathbone is a local historian and Battersea Society member, and has been instrumental in securing plaques to commemorate notable Battersea residents, in particular women who have been under-represented in both local and national commemoration schemes.

Battersea Society members are local and former residents, businesses and even visitors who fell in love with this vibrant part of South West London/ Through our work we investigate and honour Battersea’s rich heritage, promote and protect our open spaces, and ensure community is at the heart of development across the historic borough.

The unveiling will take place on Saturday 28 September at 2pm. There are more details to follow.

You can read more about both Laura and Tom on Jeanne’s blog.

Love your lungs week is an initiative started by the British Lung Foundation to raise awareness surrounding lung health.

What is the British Lung Foundation?

The British Lung Foundation is a UK charity, and they’re aim is to highlight the importance of research, with the aim to improve care as well as preventing, treating and curing lung conditions. They also provide support for those who are suffering with lung disease.

What is the aim of Love your lungs week?

The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness of lung conditions and increase support.

How to keep your lungs healthy

You can help keep your lungs healthy by improving the air you breathe in. Living in an urban area can make it difficult to make changes when you’re outside, but there are small changes you can do to improve the air you breathe in your homes:

– Regularly open your windows when cooking or showering to keep the airflow moving.

– Vacuum your space at least once a week to remove dust and dirt particles.

– Keep the temperature of your home between 18-21 degrees to prevent damp and condensation.

– Have a smoke free house and ensure if anyone does smoke, they do it outside. Smoking is one of the biggest causes of lung cancer. For more information and support, click here.

– Use products that are chemical free and are allergy free.

– Being active and maintaining a healthy lifestyle can also improve the health of your lungs. Exercises such as walking, jogging and other aerobatic activities can make your lungs stronger.

For further information, please visit here.

We know that despite best efforts, mistakes can happen, and we don’t always get things right, or meet the expectations of our customers. When something goes wrong, we need to find out why and put it right as quickly as possible. We aim to ensure that complaints are addressed fairly, effectively, and promptly.

We’ve produced a full report reviewing our performance and learnings in 2023/24:

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Board Response to the Complaints Performance and Service Improvement Report 2023/24

We welcome the Housing Ombudsman’s new Complaint Handling Code and the opportunity this report gives us to show customers how we have performed over the last year and the areas we as a Board want to focus on going forward. We are very disappointed that we have let down too many customers over the last year. 

When it comes to customer service, we know we can do better and that change is needed. We’ve heard this from our customers through responses to our customer surveys, through our complaints, and from our Customer Excellence Panel and Customer Experience Committee. We also know that expectations in the sector are, rightly, changing and that customers expect better from their landlords. 

While we have seen improvements in our overall customer satisfaction this year, which rose to 59.5% from 51%, the level of satisfaction that our customers have with our approach to handling complaints was much lower, at just 12.6%. It’s clear that our customers aren’t happy with how we’re handling their complaints, and that needs to change. 

We expect training and improved processes will reduce the number of complaints escalating to stage two and the Ombudsman over the next year. Meanwhile, the new learning log and service improvement plans will ensure we are using feedback from customers to improve and make changes to our services. 

The Board wants to see that our teams are learning from customer feedback, not just to improve our complaint handling, but also to improve our services, so that customers don’t have to complain in the first place. 

The Board and our Customer Experience Committee receive regular updates on complaints. We have set improvement targets for 2024/25 and will continue to hold teams to account, to ensure that our complaints handling and service provision continue to improve over the next year.  

Andy McWilliams 

Vice Chair of the Board, Chair of Customer Experience Committee 

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You can read our Complaints policy in full here, and our latest self-assessment against the Complaint Handling Code here.

The HMT Empire Windrush docked at Tilbury Docks on 22 June 1948. This defining moment, is now celebrated as Windrush Day marks its 76th anniversary.  

Our boroughs are home to many residents from, and descendants of the Windrush generation. There are many local community groups offering a range of events celebrating the history, achievements, and contributions of the Windrush generation.

Below is a snapshot of activities and events tacking place across South London.

Irie! Dance Theatre – Friday, 21 June, Grinling Gibbons Primary 

A 76th Windrush Anniversary celebration with storytelling, folk singing, dancing, and steel pan performances for all generations. 

Brownhill Road Baptist Church – Saturday 22 June, Brownhill Road Baptist Church, Catford 

Windrush Friendship Space at Brownhill Road Baptist Church features cultural activities, live music, poetry, dance, storytelling, and a Caribbean-style shared meal. Timings TBC. 

Bellingham Community Project, Saturday 22 June, 12-4pm, Bellingham Green 

Celebrate Windrush at the Bellingham Festival with the Bonus Pastor School steel pan band, community stories, and Caribbean food. 

Windrush @ 75: Exhibition, until Wednesday 31 July, 10 – 8, Streatham Library

Rush – A Joyous Jamaican Journey , Friday 11 October, Fairfield Halls

Rush tells the story of reggae music and the Windrush generation. Hear how their music took the UK and the world by storm. Book your tickets now! 

Windrush and World Reggae Day, Saturday 22 June, 930 – 130, Socco Cheta

The Windrush generation legacy association, 11am – 5pm

‘Gaan a Farin’ is a free exhibition that gives you the opportunity to visit a recreation of a Windrush era home.

Brixton’s Black Cultural Archives 

Located on Windrush Square, the Black Cultural Archives are home to a reading room, library and exhibition space, dedicated to collecting and recording the stories of African and Caribbean people in Britain. 

There are hundreds of events taking place to celebrate Windrush Day, and the best place to keep up to date with events and information is www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk. 

Gas leaks can be fatal, therefore it’s important to know how to keep your family and neighbours safe.

As a landlord we have a legal duty to check your gas appliances and ensure your flues are safe. We carry out an annual safety check for all our homes and an annual service for any gas appliance we own. Please let us in when we book an appointment for these checks. If you cannot make an appointment, please contact us so we can rearrange.

If we are not able to complete your gas service and safety check after several appointments, we will request court permission to force entry into your property. To read more about these checks and our safety requirements, please click here.

If you think you can smell gas:

• put out any flames
• do not touch any electrical appliances
• open all windows and doors
• turn off the gas emergency valve control if you can
• leave the property

Then call the National Grid immediately on 0800 111 999. If you are deaf or hearing impaired and need to contact Cadent, you can download the free Relay UK app, and contact us using the prefix 18001 0800 111 999.

Do not use your phone within the property. Make sure you follow all the advice given to you by the emergency adviser and wait outside for the engineer to arrive.

Our annual gardening competition is back for 2024 and by entering you could be in the chance of winning £150 or £300.

Gardening and tending to plants are a great form of exercise as well as being a positive mindful activity which can boost your mood and help with your mental health.

This year we have three categories:

Community Project: We have loved seeing your community gardens over the years, creating beautiful spaces to share and build together. This year, we want to see examples of how you are using gardening to bring your community together.

Prize: £300 cash prize for first place and £150 cash prize for second place, to put towards your community garden.

Best Back Garden: If you love spending time in your garden, attending to your flower beds and creating your own space to enjoy alone or with loved ones, then we want to hear from you and see your beautiful botanical creations!

Prize: £100 Amazon voucher for first place and £50 Amazon voucher for second place.

Best Balcony: Living in London means that some of us have limited outdoor space, so we want to see your beautiful balconies. We are looking for a creative space that is sustainable and wildlife friendly, helping to protect our planet.

Prize: £100 Amazon voucher for first place and £50 Amazon voucher for second place

Entries are now open and will close on Sunday 18 August.

Click here to enter!