Hello. I’m Karen Mitchell and I am the Chief Executive at Southway Housing Trust.
I’ve been with Southway since we were set up in late 2007. Whilst we have made massive improvements to our homes, neighbourhoods and services during that time, I know that there is always room to improve. This blog is one way in which we want to improve the way we communicate with you and to have another way for us to listen to your views. Please do use this new route to give us feedback, good and bad, and your suggestions for the future.
I will do a blog at least once a month. This will pick up on one or two big things going on at the time which we would like to hear your views on.
Rent Cut
As we are getting near to a new financial year, which always start in April, we will be writing to all tenants and advising you of the rent you should pay from 1st April. I am really pleased to be able to tell you that all our social and affordable rents will be reducing by 1% for the fourth year. This cut to rents was brought in by the government with the first cut in April 2016. Over the 4 years an average social rent on a 3 bedroom house will have reduced by around £3.70 a week.
This is good news for our tenants at a time when I know many people are worried about money and the cost of living.
We will continue to deliver all our usual services and are working hard to improve our efficiency so that we can do more. We will also continue to invest over £1 million a year in our social and community projects and services including our age friendly work, helping people to get into work, and providing a range of advice and support services.
If you have any views on how we could be more efficient, spend our money more wisely, or new things that you would like to see us do in the future, then let me know using the form below.
Beautiful South
As part of our investment in the communities where we work, we are launching the new Beautiful South Fund.
The fund will provide small grants to local people and groups who want to do something that will improve neighbourliness in the area where they live.
It could be anything from improving a green space to setting up a social event. All we ask of applicants is that Southway tenants benefit.
If you want to know more, or have an idea that you would like to request funding for, drop me a line or contact Maureen Ward.
Is there something you would like me to include in a future blog?
Let me know in the form at the bottom of the page, using chiefexecsblog@southwayhousing.co.uk, or join the conversation on our Facebook page: