Service plan 2008/9: Community Services

Who we are and what we do

• Cllr Zita Wiltshire - Portfolio Holder - Housing
• Cllr Jo Gideon - Portfolio Holder - Communities, Health & Safer Neighbourhoods
• Cllr Shirley Tomlinson - Portfolio Holder - Keeping Thanet Beautiful
• Brendan Ryan - Head of Service
• Mark Richardson - Community Safety Manager
• Carla Wenham - Housing Renewal Manager & SSCF Manager
• Amber Christou - Strategic Housing Manager
• Paul Martin - Environmental Health Manager
• Madeline Homer - Landlord Services Manager (Tenant Services)

The Community Services portfolio includes the council's housing, community safety and environmental health and car parking responsibilities.

Our aim is to help create an area in which people feel safe and secure, where they respect their neighbours and local environment.  To ensure that people have decent living conditions to provide a platform from which they can develop their potential.

The Community Services Department is responsible for:

• Providing an effective customer focused housing management and maintenance service to the Council's 3,000 tenants

• Providing help, advice and assistance to people having difficulty with their housing including those who are homeless or potentially homeless

• Improving housing conditions across all tenures ensuring that people's homes are fit for purpose and suitable to the occupants needs

• Reducing the number of empty properties in the district

• Ensuring that there is an adequate supply of housing to meet the needs of the area

• Providing the corporate strategic and partnership lead for improving the health and well being of Thanet residents.

• Protecting residents in respect of food safety, health and safety, housing conditions and pollution and contamination.

• Working with the police and other agencies to reduce crime and anti social behaviour in the district

• Controlling parking to ensure that traffic flows safely and freely throughout the District

• Stimulating the regeneration of run down and deprived neighbourhoods like Cliftonville and Margate Central

• Providing the strategic link with other agencies to develop a stronger communities and neighbourhoods

• Providing Corporate Health and Safety Management Systems and Major Emergency Plan for the Council

As well as striving for the best possible service in the areas described above, the Department seeks to make a full and positive contribution to the overall performance of the council and to achieving the key aims and priorities set out in the Corporate Plan.  The Corporate Plan sets out the Council's priorities grouped around six themes:

• Thanet's Economy
• Safe Neighbourhoods
• Beautiful Thanet
• Quality Housing
• Healthy Communities
• Modern Council

What we have achieved during 2007/08 through the Corporate Plan and our Service Plan

• Introduced a new framework for involving tenants in our housing service

• Reduced staff absences through sickness in the department

• Seen a reduction in crime and anti social behaviour in the district

• Re-invigorated our CDRP to respond to the new challenges set out by the introduction of the national standards

• Environmental Health waste enforcement activity is in the top quartile in the Country.

• Brought over 80 new empty properties back into use

• Agreed and signed contracts to provide 56 new units of supported housing for vulnerable people in the district

• Introduced dog control orders on beaches to ensure that Blue Flag accreditation is retained

• Substantially increased enforcement activity against people dropping litter and allowing their dogs to foul public areas

• Best Value Performance for Environmental Health in the top quartile nationally

• Extended CCTV coverage to Newington

• Successfully concluded an inspection of our strategic housing service by the Audit Commission

• Introduced new guidelines for developer contributions to affordable housing

• Assisted 100 households who may be in fuel poverty to access heating and insulation measures

• Introduced a Strategy for tackling poor quality housing in the private rented sector

• Industrial pollution compliance through Environmental Health now 100% and in top quartile nationally

• New Pest Control Shared Service reduces costs with greater resilience.

Next: Key Services Projects and Programmes

• Who we are and what we do
• Key Services Projects and Programmes
• Key Performance Indicators
• Strategic Governance Programme 2008/09
• Related Strategies and Plans

• Download this Service plan (226KB, pdf)

Housing Options Team

E-mail:

housing@thanet.gov.uk

Tel: 01843 577277