Wheezerweiner

Fed up with the scruffy look along my street I am thinking of joining some of my neighbours in neighbouring streets and cutting the verge outside my home. Before I undertake such a role thought it was a good idea to email Herefordshire Council about the rules of undertaking such a role, and to ask the question will I have to pay for the Green Bags that Herefordshire Council issues for grass collections. If the answer is yes then I will decline to take on the role of helping to keep my street tidy. As I don't see why I should also pay for green bags to clear a public area. I shall let you know the reply to my email as soon as I get it. I know that it has been said in the local papers that Herefordshire Council would like the community to get more involved, well I think anyone who is willing to cut the verge outside their home that is pubic property should check with Herefordshire Council, about rules and the collection of the waste grass afterwards. Wheezer Weiner

Today I received a phone call from HHL about the updating of mine and other properties in the Putson district, it would appear that due to an admin error that I was one of a few tenants who did not get notified officially about these works. Had a lovely conversation where I was fully informed about why and when works were able to take place, and I was able to ask lots of questions. All of this proved very helpful. Without my original post on here which HHL picked up on, and via a little detection work tracked me down, none of this would have come about, so I am glad to have had a space where I could voice my concerns. What did come out of this conversation was also interesting, though! It would seem that they find it difficult to decide how to discuss future issues regarding HHL tenants homes with tenants, because past events haven't always proved successful. For example when Ross Roads was due to have extensive works to the outside, they had open days where tenants could visit and discuss any concerns etc, over two days just 18 tenants went to the open day. So whilst on this occasion HHL had made an error hadn't communicated with me, perhaps also we has tenants when given the opportunity should also where possible try and engage more with our housing associations. Finally a public thank you to Lesley of HHL this morning, it was enlightening and much appreciated. Wheezerweiner.

Thank you Glenda really appreciate your help, to my knowledge and what Hereford Housing hasn't told anyone offically in Winston Road about the works, or the fact that tenants have to an energy efficiency survey done before any rendering works can be undertaken. As I say just feel that Hereford Housing could have done more before all of this.

Saw a good one on Facebook the other day, someone somewhere had planted a pothole with flowers. Thought it was a hilarious way to highlight the problem. You have guerrilla knitters, like the ones that highlighted the trees in Edgar Street, perhaps we should have people going out and planting potholes up to highlight them. Make them more obvious to the many car drivers who have their cars damaged by them day in day out.

Thank you for your reply Glenda, appreciate it. A lot of people in my area are asking the same question, feel it would be good if Hereford Housing just told their tenants the same thing, then people wouldn't get so frustrated. Feel that Hereford Housing really need to work on their communication skills. And still feel that they should have informed me formally about my forth coming window replacements. Just would hate to see bogus contractors taking advantage of those who unlike me trust anyone who rings/ or calls in person. It does happen sadly

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So then Glenda you had your flat upgraded and you have benefited which is great. But you state that they did it in order to meet new decent home standards. So that means they knew about the decent home living standard and yet wasted money two years ago painting mine and many others homes. Whilst I am grateful that my home is to be improved, still think they wasted money painting my home 2 years ago. The mess and inconvenience is not an issue, it is the lack of communication between tenant and housing association. Sadly this is a problem I have battled with Herefordshire Housing many a time, and know of others who have suffered too. Have a fancy front office, and a new look logo,and new unifroms/vehicles but ask Herefordshire Housing to do something as simple as talk to their tenants, and they are next to useless. Oh and Roger our rents go up again next week, so nothing is for free!

I live in one of the many Cornish Style Flats that are dotted around Putson in Hereford. I have been here for 12 years and like many others see and live with the ups and downs of these type of properties. Just two years ago Hereford Housing spent I imagine an enormous amount of money painting the exterior of these properties. Those of us living on the ground floors were given a choice of a selection of colours available, and over a period of several months Long Meadow, Winston Road, Hoarwithy Road, the Homestead, Ridgeway Avenue and Holme Lacy Road, all received a make over. And very nice too they all looked. Just last week Hereford Housing recommenced work on the same properties starting in the Homestead re-roofing and installing new windows, fair enough the windows needed doing (I know mine do) and some people have been having problems with leaky roofs and we had heard that the properties were due to be re-roofed in 2014. What I don't understand is why now when only two years ago all the properties were painted, are they now being rendered and insulated. Yes it will hopefully improve the insulation values of these properties and improve energy saving values. Which is a good thing for the tenants, but why did Herefordshire Housing waste so much money repainting them what is a relatively short time ago. I have tried to phone Herefordshire Housing about it, but no one was availabe to answer my questions. I was further annoyed to today to receive a phone call from a window company today asking me if I was available to have my windows changed. Whilst as I mentioned earlier in my post that my windows need doing I have received no official communications from Hereford Housing about what works are to be carried out on my home or who will be undertaking them. I have the good sense to ring Hereford Housing to check whether this window company were legit. But my concern is that with the fact that there are many people out there willing to take the vulnerable and abuse them, by using Hereford Housing works program to enter people's homes acting as bogus contractors. I have rang Hereford Housing about this and expressed my concerns about their lack of communications with their tenants about the works programme. They did sort of thank me for raising this point, and suggested that perhaps they should do a leaflet drop to tell their tenants about the works programme in this area. For a housing association who claims to care about its tenants, I feel they are doing a very shoddy job.