Herefordshire Housing is just the right size. Big enough to have stability, not too big to be remote. I’ve got an enviable position; our size allows me to meet every new starter. Over time we’ve even made this part of our routine induction process. And it’s great fun. What could be better than chatting with people over a coffee about what they’ve done in the past and how they ended up working with us?

The most illuminating answers come, whilst everything around them is still new, when I ask what they knew about Herefordshire Housing before applying for the job. If they live in the County, it’s often that they have seen our vans around. It might seem a small point but a powerful reminder that marketing and public relations is not about logos, publicity and glossy documents. We have 55 tradesmen in 55 vans. At any moment in the day, up to 55 of our trades colleagues are in or close by customers’ homes and it’s how they look, conduct themselves and treat people that we will be judged. Public relations is about personal contact and mutual respect.

Normally I’ll see one or two new colleagues in their first couple of weeks, the turnover is not large. But unusually this week seven came together. Their individual stories were fascinating but taken together, they drew a picture of the economy. Two were previously self employed but chasing work and then payments whilst competing against numerous other plumbers or electricians had damaged their family life. Four had joined us from a contractor who had failed to perform. One of those was a skilled window fitter but scarcity of work had forced him to take work as a labourer. Finally, one had previously worked for us, left and 18 months later, because Herefordshire Housing is a great place to work, had applied and rejoined us.

It’s a new start for everyone and the discussion is an opportunity let new colleagues know how we do things around here. What’s vital is making things happen and delivering great services. Most importantly, how we respect each other and respect those outside the organisation – that’s how we build and retain the trust of our customers.

Appears in Community

I attended ‘Herefordshire 2020: A Vision for the County’, a half day conference in Hereford. Brilliantly conceived and delivered, it was a brave attempt to demonstrate how the private and public sectors are working together for the future. The lead presenter was Neil Kerr, the Chair of the Herefordshire Business Board. Holding the morning together, Neil introduced a panoply of local leaders describing how the County will look in the year 2020. Laying out a clear vision and actions to achieve those, it was a long overdue and welcome message.  Each speaker’s hyperbole occasionally got the better of them but belief doesn’t always need evidence.

The star of the show, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in Her Majesty’s government, gave a bizarre and disturbing performance.

The theme of Eric Pickles speech was that we need to get away from the central control of policy; the tick box mentality where there are regulations for everything. On entering his department he proudly told us, he gave his civil servants his three priorities; localism, localism and localism. “Localism will support growth and growth will support localism”.

His confidence grew. To a Parish Councillor he chided, “stop being a whimp ... go and kick the door down.” To a member of the local community seeking support, he chose not to use the platform to explain his principles, describe his policies and like any good politician, use his authority to attempt to persuade local people that the governments approach is right. No. Mr Pickles theatrically took a £5 note from his wallet and threw it into the audience - who tittered nervously.

True to his word, he has created Local Enterprise Partnerships and in our neck of the woods, the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership (MLEP) has been approved. Bizarrely, after acknowledging that power attracts resources, the Secretary of State with 9,863 civil servants in his department and 15 of those earning over £100,000 pa, again refused any financial support to help the MLEP build on its early success. The MLEP remains without a single member of staff.

There is a solution. If Mr Pickles is serious about localism, about reducing regulation, about leadership from the private sector, about the future of Local Enterprise Partnerships then why not second five of his best civil servants to work for the MLEP? Easy.

Appears in Community, Policy

The biggest selling items last Monday the 5th December, were the Kindle, Apple iPad 2, iPod touch, Harry Potter DVD and Lego. It was Cyber Monday, the day with the highest online purchases before Christmas. Shoppers spent a total of £456 million in just 24 hours.

However, the Office for National Statistics' third quarterly report on Internet use shows that income and disability remain barriers to getting connected. Britons earning less than £300 a week make up 13.5% of the 8.43m adults who have never used the Internet. People in online households can save more than £200 a year shopping online and are 25 per cent more likely to find work, while children with Internet access achieve two grades higher than those without - many low income households are missing out.

Nearly half of social housing tenants in England do not have access to the Internet or have never gone online.

Back in 2009, Martha Lane Fox, dotcom pioneer and now the government's digital inclusion champion, said, "I don't think you can be a proper citizen of our society in the future if you are not engaged online." A bold statement but, with government pushing the claiming of welfare benefits via the Internet, no claim means no money. Fox may be literally correct.

At Herefordshire Housing, we've been busy. Our ‘Get Digital' Project has been running at two of our older person schemes since the beginning of the year and over the last few months our weekly ‘Help with Computers' support at two other locations has complemented our Job Club for local residents. We've been particularly pleased to be able to support a group of migrant workers overcome barriers to work.

And we're currently installing the infrastructure to roll out wireless coverage to those older person schemes - the first three should be in place by Christmas.

Internet connectivity is fast becoming the fourth essential utility. Access to the Internet will be a necessity, not a luxury. Slowly, step by step, we are making Herefordshire Housing homes the most desirable places to live. Safe and secure. Physical improvements in place. Now exploring how we can bridge the Digital Divide and improve residents' chances of getting employment.

It will take time. We need to keep the momentum so early in the New Year, I'll be meeting a national company who are also an Internet Service Provider to explore how we can get affordable internet connections to our tenants.

Appears in Community, Financial Inclusion, Young people