(a)

PCH was four years old this year; in 2009 PCH took on 14,000 homes as a result of the housing stock transfer from Plymouth City Council;

(b)

PCH was focused on improving service delivery and had delivered 117 of the 125 promises made to residents;

(c)

new homes were being built in North Prospect however existing homes had replacement kitchens, bathrooms, windows, doors and central heating installed;

(d)

PCH had received a significant amount of gap funding amounting to £130million; there was a promise that every home would be decent by March 2015;

(e)

the first phase of the North Prospect housing transformation had been completed as 128 homes had been demolished and 170 homes had been rebuilt;

(f)

PCH head office was relocating to Crownhill; refurbishments were currently taking place;

(g)

staff members had increased in number from 500 to 650 since the stock transfer;

(h)

customer satisfaction had increased from 78% to 88% based on a recent survey; PCH was very pleased with the improvements made to homes in Plymouth;

(i)

as part of the Decent Homes Programme 300 jobs were made available; PCH had also signed a deal with British Gas to help reduce fuel bills;

(j)

50% of 2012/2013 expenditure was spent on local businesses to try and ensure that a lot of what PCH procured went into the Plymouth economy;

(k)

57% of PCH residents were in receipt of some sort of benefit;

(l)

PCH had an ambitious agenda for the next five years in order to continue to be a leading housing provider;

(m)

the development at North Prospect was part of an accelerated housing delivery programme; there was an aim for several of the 730 planned new homes to have been built within five years;

(n)

PCH rent was the third lowest in the country and was cheaper than any other housing association in Plymouth; rents had been increased by slightly more than inflation however were still considered low as it was significantly below market rent figures;

(o)

the Chief Executive of PCH would provide Members with information relating to refurbishment being undertaken at ward level as well as building plans;

(p)

the increase in rent had not resulted in an increase in rent arrears; this was currently set at 2.9% however was improving;

(q)

the Chief Executive of PCH would provide Members with the specific number of newbuild properties available at North Prospect to buy and those to rent; once complete the housing stock in this area would be 1100 properties;

(r)

all properties available were currently rented; Barratt Homes had sold every property built; it was considered there was a change in the perception of the area due to the significant levels of regeneration;

(s)

PCH was supporting tenants who wanted to downsize their property however there were currently not enough smaller properties to accommodate everyone; this was doubly difficult if residents wished to remain in a specific area;

(t)

PCH paid the living wage to staff members from 1 April 2013;

(u)

PCH was in the top 50% of rent arrears with regards to comparable figures throughout the country of housing providers; this was considered positive;

(v)

Members would be provided with information regarding the cost of maintaining communal gardens and if it was possible for tenants to opt out of this service;

(w)

there was anecdotal evidence, since the implementation of the spare bedroom subsidy, that tenants with spare rooms were sub-letting however this was not considered to be a big problem as the majority of tenants had tried to downsize their property; PCH was providing support to tenants to help them find alternative accommodation if required and discussing finance issues.

(1)

Members would be provided with information relating to refurbishment work being undertaken by Plymouth Community Homes at ward level as well as building plans;

(2)

Members would be provided with the specific number of newbuild properties available at North Prospect to buy and those to rent;

(3)

Members would be provided with information regarding the cost of maintaining communal gardens and if it was possible for tenants to opt out of this service;