Archive for May, 2010
WERA Asks…Daniel Idollor
May 28th
Can you please introduce yourself, stating who you are; what your role is; and briefly what this involves?
My name is Daniel Idollor and I am the Tenancy Services Manager for the Clapham Area Housing Office. As the Tenancy Services Manager, I am responsible for five housing officers who in turn are charged with providing general housing services such as, transfers, amendment of tenants’ details, neighbor disputes, nuisance, and mutual exchanges to residents in the Clapham area.
What motivates you to do your job?
Customer satisfaction.
What does community mean to you?
People of different backgrounds being able to live together in harmony.
How many people are in your team?
There are six people in my team and this is made up of five housing officers and one Voids Officer.
Do you feel there is enough communication between Tenancy Services and Residents Associations?
I think there is enough communication between the Tenancy Team and Residents Association because most of the issues that the Tenancy Team would normally deal with relate to individual tenants which cannot be discussed with the Association unless they have the tenant’s written permission because of Data Protection Act.
How do you think Weir Estate has improved?
It has improved in the last two years because they have become very pro-active in taking up issues relating to the estate.
What is your biggest professional ambition?My biggest professional ambition would be to have a very cordial working relationship with all the Residents Associations in the Clapham area.
Who is the most influential person you have ever met and why?
The most influential person that I have ever met is Danny Glover, the actor. This is because we are both called Danny.
Do you think Britain is getting better or worse, and why?
This depends on the period that you are comparing but personally, I think Britain is getting worse because compared to 30 years ago; we are all getting too selfish and no longer care for our neighbours.
Does your team work directly with WERA, and if so, in what way?
My team works directly with WERA by attending their meetings and taking up any issues that fall within tenancy management.
What do you think is most important about working with residents?
To maintain effective communication with residents and the TRA so that the Council can deliver a consistent and good service.
In what ways do you think the Weir Estate Residents Association benefits it’s residents?
Taking up issues on behalf of all the residents on Weir Estate.
Do you like to read? If so what was the last book you read?
I like to read and the last book that I read was Barrack Obama’s ‘Dreams from My Father’.
Where in the world would you most like to live and why?
I would very much like to live in Las Palmas because of the climate and the food.
How do you like to relax after a hard day in the office?
I relax by watching the comedy channels.
Do you have any hidden talents?
I am a keen photographer.
What do you most enjoy about your role?
Helping to re-house the homeless people and ensuring that residents are happy and safe in their homes.
What is the best advice you have ever been given?Best advice that I was ever given was to take a scholarship examination to enable me study in the UK. I was successful and ended up coming over to study in the UK in 1974 on full scholarship.
What job did you do before coming to work for Lambeth Living (or Lambeth Council)?
I worked in the media all my life before coming to Lambeth.
How can residents contact you, and when should they contact you?
I would prefer residents contact me through 0207 926 6000, the Service Centre number so that their calls can be logged.
You never know when this may become relevant.
![DSThompson [800x600]](http://blog.wera.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/DSThompson-800x600-64x64.jpg "DSThompson [800x600]")
WERA Asks…David Thompson
May 14th
Can you please tell us who you are and what you do?
I am David Thompson responsible for the day to day responsive repairs service, planned maintenance programme and decent homes investment that Lambeth Living provides.
Can you give a brief description of what your role involves?
Delivering around £25 million of revenue works and services through 30 contracts and £55 million of capital works through 80 contracts. These contracts and services affect tenants in Lambeth Living and Tenant Management Organisations outside Lambeth Living and the contracts and services also affect leaseholds in all over 30 thousand homes. There are over 130 multi disciplinary staff involved in this work in the Property Directorate that report to me and in addition we use external construction industry specialists to protect our interests.
How long have you been doing this role?
Four years.
What is the biggest change you have seen to Housing during the time in your role?
To date securing increased capacity to deliver new roofs and windows and increased value for money for tenants and leaseholders in Lambeth by joining a local authority purchase club called the London Housing Consortium has meant we have delivered the annual budgets we are given more effectively and have secured over £6 million of savings when compared to traditional small scale contracts that we used four years ago.
How important do you think it is for estates to be improved under the major works programme?
A safe, warm and modernised home can transform the lives of people and that is the objective of our decent homes investment plane over the next few years but we need to compliment this with improved day to day services.
Do you think there could be more investment in bringing council homes up to decent homes standard?
The Decent Homes standard is a minimum and residents could well wish to see further improvements to communal and external areas of their neighbourhood. Also there may be some neighbourhoods that require finance beyond the capacity of an ALMO where discussions will need to take place about the options for further investment to be made.
What are you and your team doing to improve communities and residents lives within Lambeth?
The Property Services directorate has an improvement plan following our view of what it takes to get to a two star organisation. This means that we need to respond to requests for repairs on time, ensure that gas servicing is completely up to date, deliver programmes successfully within budget and above all make decisions in collaboration with residents so that the disruption that goes hand in hand with investment is minimised.
Who has provided the biggest influence in your life?
The biggest influence in my housing career has been that of local residents involved in making key decisions about the management and investment in their neighbourhoods. There is nobody better to see the issues that need resolving and to be part of unlocking successful solutions.
What changes would you like to see being made to improve the way Lambeth Living delivers planned maintenance on estates?
Lambeth Living has plans to devolve and de-centralise housing maintenance and investment as currently it a centralised process. We have plans to devolve into 6 neighbourhoods and bring both accountability for service delivery closer to the 6 neighbourhood representative structures.
Where was your last holiday destination?
My last holiday destination was Centre Parcs in Penrith in Cumbria as it provided an opportunity for
strenuous physical activity with my three sons.
If you could change one thing about Lambeth as a place, what would it be and why?
The one wish I have about Lambeth is that it is seen as a place that delivers excellent housing services. The reason I would wish to see this is for too long residents have been disappointed in the level of services provided.
What is your favourite quote?
My favourite quote is that “individuals are seldom perfect, but teams can be”
How would you say your friends and family would describe you?
Driven
What services would you most like to develop under your remit of responsibility?
The service that I would most like to develop is that of the day to day responsive maintenance as it is that service which residents on average use three times per year and affects their view of their landlord significantly.
How important do you think direct communication with residents associations is in your division?
Direct communication is vital from the start to the end of a project. Without direct communication significant floors and mistakes develop.
What do you think has been your biggest achievement since taking up your position?
Stabilising the Property Directorate following a serious fraud over three years ago!
How do you feel Lambeth Living compares to the former delivery of Lambeth Council’s housing repairs and maintenance?
On a journey to improve and is just about to complete the performance year 2009/10 where improvements in time taken to respond to urgent repairs and resident satisfaction with repairs will show an increase on previous years, as will the ability of Lambeth Living to deliver the annual capital allocation.
What aspects of your role do you find most and least enjoyable?
Most enjoyable in receiving the thanks of a resident; least enjoyable receiving the disappointment of a resident!
What does community mean to you?
A place where people want to live
When should residents contact you, and how can they do this?
My telephone number is 020 7926 3427 or may be answered either by myself or my Support officer, it is also possible to leave a voicemail on this number should I or my support officer not be able to take the call
ALMO Director Visits Estate to See Weir Works Progress
May 1st
Earlier this week, Lambeth Living’s Director of Property Services, David Thompson, was given a tour of Weir Estate to see the transformation one of his departments, Major Works, has made to residents homes and transforming the estate.
A year after Mr Thompson who oversees repairs and major works to Lambeth properties was tackled by WERA over the outdated 60 year old windows and doors which blighted resident’s lives, returned to see the changes made to the estate after the installation of new double glazed windows and more secure doors alongside a new paint job. With works just weeks off completion, WERA’s chair invited the Director of Property Services who was accompanied by Major Works Manager Keith Hardy.
During the visit they were shown the new look blocks and met with site staff from Breyer Group. During the visit they gave an insight into the program which has included four other Lambeth Estates to the estimated tune of millions of pounds of investment to improve home of residents living on Weir Estate and other homes across the borough. The windows program began a year ago, with the sight of finishing moving ever closer.
Mr Thompson and Mr Hardy also met with WERA’s Treasurer, Sue Cranmer who told of the impact it had on her and her family not to mention to the reduction of heating costs.
Mr Thompson was also told of the efforts by WERA to improve the estate with various projects planned such as a new community garden and painting of estate railings.
Following his visit, Director Mr Thompson said of the discussion with Sue Cranmer and the impact the works have had “Particularly impressive was the comments of the resident we met, I think she was the Weir TRA treasurer. She said because of the new windows her home was warmer than it has ever been and her heating bills had reduced and her children had no winter colds which for her family was exceptional.”
Mr Thompson who has been a Lambeth Housing Director for four years, responsible for the day to day responsive repairs service, planned maintenance programme and the decent homes program to bring Lambeth properties up to a decent living standard added “I thought the working relationship with the contractor Breyer was very good with mutual respect for the role of contractor and residents in sorting out any issues. All in all the appearance has been greatly enhanced on Weir Estate.”
Major Works Manager Keith Hardy praised the level of work which has taken place thanks to a joint campaign by WERA’s Chair and local Labour councillors after Weir Estate was left off the LHC5 Program to improve homes “I am very pleased to see the outcome of the Weir Estate major works improvement project and to witness the improvement to the quality of the estate environment as a result of these works. I am delighted that residents welcome the new double glazed windows and high security front entrance doors installed to their homes.”
Over the past year nearly all senior management of Lambeth’s ALMO including the Chief Executive, Cathy Deplessis have made visits to see the transformation of Weir Estate.
WERA Treasurer, Sue Cranmer said after the visit “We are pleased with the impressive impact the works have had on our estate and to the lives of residents and their families which is the main focus of this association.”
Sue added “We are very fortunate to have a great Chair who has worked very hard to make this happen and the work of local councillors. We are glad Mr Thompson and Mr Hardy came to see the difference to the estate and that the decision to include Weir Estate was the right decision after sixty years of neglected windows and doors.”
Work to remove scaffolding across the estate has continued with just three more blocks to see the scaffold removed, which is on course to be completed by the end of May.
Most blocks have now also had a fresh coat of paint.
Mr Thompson has also taken part in wera.org.uk’s exclusive inside interviews which is available now HERE
