Read our latest newsletter of useful information Tarka Times - Spring 2008.
Torridge residents are the winners following the creation of a new housing provider in Torridge, 'Tarka Housing'. Tarka Housing has taken on management of Torridge District Council's housing stock from 10th December following a tenant vote overwhelmingly in favour of the housing transfer.
Bideford-based Tarka Housing will partner established south west housing provider, Westcountry Housing, within Westward Housing Group.
A launch event took place on 12th December at the modern, well-equipped Tarka Housing offices on Gammaton Road in East-the-Water. Some children from East-the-Water Primary School opened the event by singing Christmas Carols. Chair of the Board, Sue Jones, unveiled a plaque. Bideford Lord Mayor, David Ratcliffe, cut the cake to welcome Tarka Housing to Bideford.
The Chair of Tarka Housing, Sue Jones, said: "Tenants in Torridge have already said that they are reassured that we are going to be working in partnership with a well-respected and established organisation like Westcountry, while retaining our independence. Tarka will start delivering its promises to tenants and helping meet the needs of local people, from day one."
Nigel Barnard, Managing Director of Tarka Housing commented, “With the transfer of the housing stock to Tarka Housing this creates for us a wonderful opportunity to create a new dynamic organisation which has at its heart excellent customer service, values equality and diversity, embraces resident involvement and is performance driven.”
In the housing transfer ballot in Torridge, 78.7% of tenants eligible to vote did so. Of those, 84.1% were in favour of the transfer.
Photo: (l to r) Sue Jones Chair of Tarka Housing, Lord Mayor of Bideford, Julian Tuck of Westward Housing Group, Nigel Barnard Managing Director of Tarka Housing and John van de Laarschott of Torridge District Council.
Formal consultation with tenants over the Offer Document included the following areas:
1. Why Transfer?
2. Tenants Rights
3. Rent and Other Charges
4. Modernisation and Improvements
5. Housing for Older People
6. Improving Neighbourhoods
7. The Housingand Repairs Service
8. About Tarka Housing
9. Tenant Participation and Involvement
10. Independent Advice for Tenants
11. Legal Requirements for Tenant Consultation
12. Tarka Housings Tenancy Agreement
13. Details of Tarka Housings Shadow Board Members
14. Useful Names and Addresses
- Tarka Housing is a not-for-profit organisation, which means that all of its income is used to improve tenants' homes and provide services to tenants
- Tarka Housing is run by a voluntary board of management made up of 4 tenants, 4 council nominees and 4 independent community representatives
- It employs professional staff to deliver the service, most of whom transferred from the Council.
Strength in numbers
This partnership means Tarka Housing can benefit from Westcountry’s experience and expertise, while still taking it's own decisions about investing in residents' homes and running the local housing service.
The partnership also means that Tarka can make tenants' rent go further by buying “in bulk” together with Westcountry, and sharing administration functions such as accounting and legal services.
What Tarka Housing will deliver
- A major programme of modernisation and improvement work to meet the aspirations of tenants
- Improvements to the environment, such as improving parking on estates and lighting
- Specific improvement programmes for sheltered schemes
- Improvements to the housing services including dealing with anti-social behaviour
- Services that are accessible to all, reflecting the diversity of the area
- A promise to not increase rents by more than the Council would charge
- Greater opportunities for tenants to have a major say in how their service is run
- And tenants will still have Security of Tenure with all the key rights they have now
And, in partnership with the Council and Westcountry Housing, we are looking to provide more affordable homes for local people to rent.
How we can keep our promises
With the Council, 20 pence in every £1 of rent you pay goes to the Government to help pay for social housing nationally. After transfer, the Government cannot take this money, so Tarka Housing can use every penny of rent you pay on your homes and housing service.
Unlike the Council, Tarka Housing is able to borrow what it can afford to pay back over a long period. This means we can deliver the major improvements programme without increasing rents by more than the Council would charge.
Remember, for tenants transfer means no loss of key rights, the same rent increases as with the Council but more investment in homes and housing services.
You can also visit the Torridge DC web site for more information: www.torridge.gov.uk