Local offers

Local offers are services or standards that Bracknell Forest Homes has agreed with its customers. The housing regulator, the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), has asked us to make sure that we have a range of local offers that cover:

• Tenant involvement and empowerment (please click for information about this local offer)
• Your home (please click for information about this local offer)
• Neighbourhood and community (please click for information about this local offer).

We believe we have been providing local offers from the moment Bracknell Forest Homes was set up. The Offer Document was developed in consultation and lists all services and promises we agreed to deliver – we’re already delivering 93% of the five year promises.

Some of those offers from the housing transfer include:

• Bracknell Forest Standard – our standard for the major improvements programme including kitchens, bathrooms and heating, which brings homes above the Decent Homes Standard set by thegovernment
• Neighbourhood Estate Action Team (NEAT) – you asked for a uniformed presence on estates to help maintain a clean and safe living environment and the NEAT team has been set up to deliver that service
• Assisted schemes for vulnerable people – we provide help with gardening, decorating and small jobs for older and disabled customers.
• Service standards – we have agreed a range of standards for our key services and report back to you on performance through Spotlight, the annual report and online.

We also understand there is always room for improvement for our services and for our local offers, so we have been reviewing and developing our offers during the past year. This has included:

• Customer Compact – many of you contributed to the review of our customer Compact which was signed by the Chairs of the Board and the Tenants and Leaseholders Panel in August 2010. This sets out how we will consult and involve you. Every customer has been sent a summary of the Compact and we will report back on progress through Spotlight.
• Re-let standard – we are reviewing the standard we use when we let our homes. We have consulted with our Customer Service Inspectors and have used results from our satisfaction surveys, for example about the standard of cleaning.
• Opening hours – we have carried out a number of consultations about our opening hours and have heard from over 300 people – using telephone surveys, questionnaires and the customer conference. The consensus is that our opening hours are suitable, so they will stay the same.

For more information about the HCA local offers please click here.

Contact us

Justine Thompson
Head of Policy and Customer Service
Telephone: 01344 382885
Email: justine.thompson@bracknellforesthomes.org.uk