Bracknell Forest Homes tenants to benefit from new partnership

Bracknell Forest Homes and Northgate Public Services have joined forces in a five year partnership to help transform the housing management and repairs services Bracknell Forest Homes provides to put the needs of tenants first in Bracknell Forest.

In contracts worth over £600,000, Bracknell Forest Homes and Northgate Public Services, which together employ about 340 people locally, will work together as part of Bracknell Forest Homes’ £61 million package of improvements to homes and the housing service taking place in Bracknell up to 2012.

Over five and a half thousand tenants in Bracknell Forest are set to benefit from the new arrangement designed to provide significant service improvements for tenants, and also major efficiency gains through innovation and enhanced working conditions for employees.

The main improvements will be for rents, property and estate management providing tenants with up-to-date and relevant information. The project to design and implement the new system will start in April 2009 with developments coming in the next 18 months.

By the end of 2012 all homes are intended to meet the Bracknell Forest Standard of repair, exceeding the Government’s basic  Decent Homes programme, to provide communities with high-quality housing.

In tough economic times the public private partnership will deliver substantial improvement to tenants through:

• providing personalised service for tenants through improved information so that tenants are provided with the right information and services at the right time;

• a major overhaul in managing repairs and contractors to ensure that tenants get an efficient and effective repairs service;

• raising employee morale by introducing best practice working conditions which reduce travel, promote safety and reduce the carbon footprint;

• reaching tenants who are traditionally ‘hard to reach’ with face-to-face doorstep delivery, including the introduction of palm tops for many of the staff;

• helping identify tenancy or estates issues and dealing effectively with them.

 

Caroline Titley, Chief Executive at Bracknell Forest Homes, said: “This partnership helps us deliver part of our promise to our tenants to radically improve services and will mean we have the foundations for excellent and effective services. We are confident that this new system will help deliver the services our customers want and support employees in their jobs. Northgate’s commitment to placing the citizen at the heart of social housing, combined with its technical expertise and a track record second to none, make it the ideal partner for us. Now more than ever it is important for us to be innovative to find improvements throughout our service for the benefit of our tenants and for our employees.”

Bracknell Forest Homes is the landlord which owns and manages 5,600 homes in Bracknell Forest since the housing transfer took place on 11 February 2008. It was set up specifically to run housing in Bracknell Forest. The Council’s existing housing, repairs and maintenance and sheltered scheme staff were transferred to Bracknell Forest Homes. As part of the transfer Bracknell Forest Homes is delivering a £61 million major improvement programme.

Get the latest local, regional and business news for Bracknell and the Royal County of Berkshire from Radio Bracknell at www.radiobracknell.com or listen in to The Sunday Show with Chris Brant for a weekly round-up, news and interviews.

Send us your news stories and photographs at news@radiobracknell.com or you can e-mail Chris at thesundayshow@radiobracknell.com

 

 

 

 

The Sunday Show: 29th March 2009

 

Chris introduces his popular weekend round-up of local, regional and business news, and what’s on events, in The Sunday Show on Radio Bracknell (www.radiobracknell.com).

This week, it features:

 

Wizard of OZ Competition

For a chance in winning a pair of tickets to see the production of “The Wizard of Oz’ at South Hill Park from 10th – 18th April 2009, answer this simple question.

In the film ’The Wizard of Oz’ what is the name of Dorothy’s dog?

A – Lassy

B – Toto

C – Bouncer

E-mail your answer with you name and address to thesundayshow@radiobracknell.com

 

Closing date: Monday 6th April 2009 at 17:00.

Open to UK residents only.

Radio Bracknell standard competition rules apply.

 

 

Graft – as featured on ‘The Sunday Show.’

Graft is a partnership of local organisations providing information and support to employers regarding employing disabled people, as well as to disabled candidates looking for work.
If you have a disability, we can support you into work. If you are an employer we can help you explore the business potential of an untapped workforce.
www.graft.org.uk 

 

 

The Sunday Show is sponsored by The Green Machine

www.green-machine.org.uk

Rileys’ Bracknell cue club snookered

Rileys’ pool and snooker club in Princess Square, Bracknell has become the latest victim of the recession, as the company went into administration as a result of the credit crunch, changes in gambling laws and the effects of the smoking ban in public venues.

The firm’s assets have now been sold to company Valiant Sports, whose spokesman explained: “We are extremely sorry that we could not rescue all of the clubs and we have worked very hard to save as many jobs as possible.”

Administrators Ernst & Young said Rileys, which employed 1,400 people at 159 sites across the country, had ran into large debts and suffered from the economic downturn.

“The companies have been experiencing tough trading difficulties due to a downturn in trade and a heavy debt burden and were unable to trade outside of administration,” joint administrator Simon Allport.

“Fortunately we have been able to secure a deal, which means 129 sites will continue to trade, and the brand and 1,200 jobs will be preserved.”

Valiant Sports yesterday said Rileys had suffered a series of setbacks, including the smoking ban and changes to gambling laws.

But its biggest had come before Christmas when its lending bank, Icelandic group Kaupthing, went into administration, Valiant Sports said.

 

Get the latest local, regional and business news for Bracknell and the Royal County of Berkshire from Radio Bracknell at www.radiobracknell.com or listen in to The Sunday Show with Chris Brant for a weekly round-up, news and interviews.

Send us your news stories and photographs at news@radiobracknell.com or you can e-mail Chris at thesundayshow@radiobracknell.com

 

Tesco fined £18,000 after out of date food found

Supermarket giant Tesco has been fined after out of date food was found on sale in two of its largest branches in Bracknell Forest.

At a hearing at Maidenhead Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, March 25, Tesco was fined £18,000 for selling food that was past its use by date. It was also ordered to pay a further £13,500 in legal costs to Bracknell Forest Council.

The supermarket pleaded guilty to 14 offences relating to 48 items of food found past its use by date in its Warfield branch and at The Meadows in Sandhurst in October 2007.

Bracknell Forest Council decided to prosecute the supermarket after routine inspections by trading standards officers found food on sale which was up to 26 days beyond its use by date – commonly described as sell by dates. The items of food included sausages, yoghurts, cream, cheese and meatballs.

Use by dates are used on foods which are perishable and could constitute an immediate danger to human health if exceeded.

A district judge decided to issue a maximum fine for two of the offences, in full support of the Council’s action to prosecute to protect public health.

Rob Sexton, Head of Trading Standards, said: “We regularly check food on sale to help ensure all businesses comply with laws which ensure food quality and whether its consumption is likely to put health at risk.

“The support by a district judge of this action proves how it is important such checks are, regardless of the size of the organisation.”

Cllr Iain McCracken, Executive Member for Public Protection, said: “I am pleased with the outcome of both the investigation and the fact that the judge saw fit to levy a substantial fine thereby making the point.

“The offence of selling food after its use by date is there to protect public health. The various items of food on sale at Tesco had the potential to cause harm to those who may consume them – particularly any who may be more vulnerable due to their age or ill health. It is therefore to Tesco’s credit that they pleaded guilty to the charge.
 
“We hope the result of this case will be a wake-up call to all food retailers to review their procedures. This case is also a lesson to us as consumers to always check use by dates on every product we buy.”

Get the latest local, regional and business news for Bracknell and the Royal County of Berkshire from Radio Bracknell at www.radiobracknell.com or listen in to The Sunday Show with Chris Brant for a weekly round-up, news and interviews.

Send us your news stories and photographs at news@radiobracknell.com or you can e-mail Chris at thesundayshow@radiobracknell.com

Reading’s Neighbourhood Wardens Scoop Two Awards

Reading Borough Council’s Neighbourhood Wardens have scooped two awards at the South East Warden Awards Dinner and Conference held at the Kassam Football Stadium in Oxford.

The Neighbourhood Wardens were highly commended in the ‘Team of the Year’ category and Warden George Friel was highly commended in the ‘Outstanding Achievement’ award.

There was stiff competition between the schemes with one overall winner and two highly commended awards in the team category. The judges were so impressed with the sterling work individual wardens are carrying out they awarded three highly commended awards instead of the usual two.

The team was highly commended for their work in assisting Emergency Planning, helping them to target precious resources to those in greatest need, organising a variety of community events, being proactive in the Empty Car campaign helping to significantly reduce car crime in Reading, and their major contribution to producing the Neighbourhood Action Groups’ directories promoting joint working between Reading Borough Council and Thames Valley Police.

George was highly commended for his efforts in promoting and running the Citysafe Radio network scheme, with its aim of reducing crime and increasing the detection of crime by allowing close links between shops, businesses, pubs and clubs in the town. The Wardens are a visible, uniformed presence, playing their own unique part in helping to foster a community spirit and creating safer communities by reducing crime and antisocial behaviour. They also care for the environment by reporting fly tipping and posting, graffiti and abandoned vehicles.

Bet Tickner, Lead Councillor for Communities and Neighbourhoods said: ‘To be shortlisted for these awards is a credit to the Neighbourhood Wardens but to win two awards is a fantastic achievement and a real credit to them. Congratulations to the Neighbourhood Wardens!’

 

Get the latest local, regional and business news for Bracknell and the Royal County of Berkshire from Radio Bracknell at www.radiobracknell.com or listen in to The Sunday Show with Chris Brant for a weekly round-up, news and interviews.

Send us your news stories and photographs at news@radiobracknell.com or you can e-mail Chris at thesundayshow@radiobracknell.com

Bracknell Forest’s Easter holiday egg-stravaganza

Edgbarrow Sports Centre’s Easter holiday clubs are being extended by two hours to help out working parents.

Foxy’s Fun Camp for children aged three to six years, and Club 7-11 for older children, will start at 8am and finish at 4pm. Children can attend for full or half days – half day sessions start or finish at 12noon.

Fun sessions in gymnastics or trampolining for four to 16 year olds run from 4pm until 6pm – meaning children can be cared for from 8am until 6pm.

The sessions at Edgbarrow are just part of the activities organised by Bracknell Forest Council or children during the Easter holidays – which run from Monday, April 6, until Friday, April 17.

At Bracknell Leisure Centre there are sports activities in athletics, gymnastics, trampolining, soccer dribblers and street dance. There are also fun sessions, tweeny tumblers and go-karting.

In the centre’s pools there are a wide range of swim courses for all ages and abilities, including the National Pool Lifeguard Qualification.

For casual swimming, children who have not reached their 16th birthday and are resident in Bracknell Forest will be able to swim for free during public sessions.

Downshire Golf Complex is running its popular kids camps during the holidays. Pre-booking is essential. It includes fun based golf tuition, lunch and refreshments.

For those who dream of swimming in warm waters, Coral Reef Water World is open throughout the holidays. And The Look Out Discovery Centre’s science and nature exhibition has more than 80 exhibits, and will be running its Fire and Light show four times a day throughout half term.

For more details about all the leisure sites, visit www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/be or call 01344 352000.

There is also a range of events being run by the parks and countryside service’s rangers. Booking is required – unless otherwise stated – just call 01344 354400 or 354441 or visit reception at The Look Out.

The events are listed below:
* Heathland bird walk at Wildmoor Heath – Sunday, April 5, from 10am to 12noon.
* Easter Treasure Hunt at Lily Hill Park – Tuesday, April 7, from 2pm to 4pm. Cost £2 for materials.
* Boats and Floats at Sandhurst – Wednesday, April 8, from 2pm to 4pm. Cost £3.50 for materials.
* The Woods on Wheels at Lily Hill Park – Wednesday, April 15, from 2pm to 3pm. No booking required; it is ideal for prams, pushchairs and wheelchairs.
* Creative Easter Crafts at Westmorland Park – Thursday, April 16, from 2pm to 4pm.
* Night-time Newt Hunt (part one) at Pope’s Meadow – Friday, April 17, from 8pm to 9.30pm.
* Daytime Newt Discovery (part two) at Pope’s Meadow – Saturday, April 18, from 8am to 9am.

For more details about the activities and all parks and countryside events, visit www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/parks

Cllr Iain McCracken, Executive Member for Leisure, said: “There is such a wide range of activities being run by Bracknell Forest Council this Easter, no child will have an excuse to be bored during the holidays.

”And with the extended hours at Edgbarrow Sports Centre, our holiday clubs are more helpful for working parents and more fun for children.”

Egg-cellent time to be had at Bracknell Market this Easter

Children will be hop-skipping and jumping around Bracknell Market this Easter in a bid to spot the bunnies and win a chocolate Easter egg.

Bracknell Forest Council has teamed up with the stall holders at Bracknell Market to host the Easter hunt as a fun thing for children to do while their parents browse the stalls at the Market.

On Good Friday and the Saturday before Easter all children visiting the market will be able to pick up a spotters form from Dudman’s fruit and veg stall. They then need to find the names of all the bunnies hidden around the market and exchange their completed form for a chocolate egg at the market’s egg stall.

Graham Mountford, Town Centre Manager, said: “This Easter egg hunt is a great way for children and their parents to have fun around the market this Easter. On the way around the market, spotting bunnies, parents will also be able to discover some of the great stalls and produce on offer and meet some of the friendly traders – and there is a chocolate egg available at the end of it too, so that has got to be a bonus.”

“There is a wide variety of stalls at the market. As well as the excellent fruit and veg, fish mongers, meat and farm fresh egg stall there is a very well stocked haberdashery and sewing supplier and stalls selling accessories for the vacuum cleaner, pet food, back copies of magazines and all sorts of bits and bobs.”

Bracknell Market is open every Friday and Saturday from 9am until 4.30pm. It is located on the ground floor of Winchester House (the former 3M tower) at the bottom of the Broadway, Bracknell.

Restaurant owner fined over rat infestation

The owner of the former Ole Tapas bar and John Chick take away has pleaded guilty to four food safety offences after the building was found to be rat infested.

 

Appearing at Maidenhead Magistrates’ Court on Friday, March 20, Ashfaq Hussain was fined £1,400 and ordered to pay £1,280 in costs to Bracknell Forest Council. A victim surcharge of £15 was also awarded.

 

The premises were visited by a Council environmental health officer on July 10, 2008, for a routine inspection, and found evidence of a rat infestation.

 

There were also a number of food safety offences relating to lack of cleanliness and the absence of wash hand facilities, as well as an offence under smokefree laws.

 

Environmental health closed the premises on July 10 by voluntary agreement with the owner while urgent works were carried out. The rat infestation and other food safety issues were subsequently resolved.

 

Magistrates said the business operator had the ultimate responsibility for hygiene, no matter how responsibilities were delegated to other staff. The magistrates also said it was important to renew and update food safety training for food handlers – the staff at these premises had certificates dated 2004.

 

Finally, the magistrates reiterated the seriousness of risk posed to the pubic by lack of appropriate management. 

 

The restaurant and take away, in Market Street, Bracknell town centre, has since been sold and reopened under different owners.

 

Cllr Iain McCracken, Executive Member for Public Protection (pictured above), said: “Only last week we heard from a public inquiry about how negligence with food safety caused an outbreak of E.coli in South Wales.

 

“Bracknell Forest Council will continue to help residents to feel confident when eating out in the borough that their food is healthy, and prepared by properly trained staff.”

 

Food premises in Bracknell Forest are routinely monitored by environmental health officers who rate them according to inspection. There are currently 191 businesses with four star ratings indicating very good. These can be seen at www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/scores or text SOTD followed by the business name and town to 60060. 

Get the latest local, regional and business news for Bracknell and the Royal County of Berkshire from Radio Bracknell at www.radiobracknell.com or listen in to The Sunday Show with Chris Brant for a weekly round-up, news and interviews.

Send us your news stories and photographs at news@radiobracknell.com or you can e-mail Chris at thesundayshow@radiobracknell.com

 

 

Ranelagh School launches new weather station

The weather is the nation’s favourite topic, closely followed by global warming, and Ranelagh secondary school in Bracknell has launched its own weather station and renewable energy centre to ensure students and the wider community are kept well informed.

The station, launched just in time for the imminent change in our local weather back to winter-like conditions at the weekend, will be able to log meteorological data whilst, at the same time, generating the energy needed to power the computer that is recording the data.

The school’s Key Stage Four STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) group will be overseeing the project and using the data in geography, science, IT and mathematics.

The school, which celebrates it 300 Year Anniversary in June, is clearly not letting tradition stand in the way of progress!

You can find the school’s website here.

 

Get the latest local, regional and business news for Bracknell and the Royal County of Berkshire from Radio Bracknell at www.radiobracknell.com or listen in to The Sunday Show with Chris Brant for a weekly round-up, news and interviews.

Send us your news stories and photographs at news@radiobracknell.com or you can e-mail Chris at thesundayshow@radiobracknell.com

Further jobs blow for Bracknell as Dell warns staff of redundancies

Computer Weekly magazine reports that Dell has today written to UK staff warning them that it may be forced to make compulsory redundancies in light of the continued “challenging economic conditions”.

The US giant reduced its global headcount by 8,900 last year as part of a strategy to hack $3bn off operating expenses by 2011, and said recently that it had raised this cost cutting target by a further $1bn.

Dell has not specified how many staff have been made redundant, but sources suggested up to 20% of the UK workforce could be affected. In a letter leaked to Computer Weekly’s sister publication Microscope, Dell told staff that it needed to protect margins. But it warned the restructuring in January and the resulting redundancies may not be enough to counter the slowdown. “

Dell is confronted with significant cost challenges in a depreciating global economy,” it said, adding that the 90-day staff consultation period begins today. The supplier said there is a “risk” it will be unable to provide work in all sites at Bracknell, saying “therefore, we need to consider making compulsory redundancies.”

 ”Given the current economic conditions the company regretfully expects there is a strong likelihood that redundancies will be necessary in Bracknell; it is possible the redundancies will be across the board,” the letter added. The criteria Dell will apply to decide which staff stay or go will include skills and experience, performance and future contributions.

Dell was unavailable for further comment.

This story originally appeared on Microscope.co.uk.

 

 

 

Get the latest local, regional and business news for Bracknell and the Royal County of Berkshire from Radio Bracknell at www.radiobracknell.com or listen in to The Sunday Show with Chris Brant for a weekly round-up, news and interviews. Send us your news stories and photographs at news@radiobracknell.com or you can e-mail Chris at thesundayshow@radiobracknell.com