clerk@salisburyalmshouses.co.uk

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  • in reply to: Quinquennial Reports #167134

    It depends on how many units you have. We have 202 almshouses, 26 general needs flats, 5 investment properties, and were charged £1,000 last year. We have been out for quotations in the past and competitors have quoted much much more.

    susie
    Salisbury City Almshouse & Welfare Charities

    in reply to: Car Parking #166979

    We have got exactly the same problem at two of our sites and the Trustees want me to come up with a parking policy. We state in our handbook that no one has an allocated parking space, there is no right to on site parking if all the bays are full etc etc. I periodically send out letters reminding them of the car parking dos and don’ts, but we still have regular arguments and fisticuffs in the car parks. We thought about giving priority to those with blue badges but most of the residents with cars have them. One site has no permit on-street parking but none are happy to park on the street.

    I am planning to have a meeting with all car owners at one particularly difficult site to try to bash out the problem, but I suspect we will get nowhere and I will just end up being verbally bashed!

    I don’t believe there is a solution and think it is just going to be an ongoing problem as more and more residents come with cars and they all feel that they have more right to park them as close to the front door as possible than anyone else (and a number cannot park properly anyway and take up two spaces).

    I find that car parks and laundry rooms are the areas most prone to ‘vexatious behaviour’….

    Susie
    Salisbury City Almshouse & Welfare Charities

    in reply to: WMC once resident has passed away #166949

    We ask for four weeks’ notice. I reduce it if necessary when a resident has passed away. It doesn’t always work, but it does concentrate the family’s minds on clearing the almshouse!

    Susan Coen
    Salisbury City Almshouse & Welfare Charities

    in reply to: How to define “in need” #166199

    Dear Trevor

    Property prices are also pretty steep in Salisbury, so we have set a capital limit of £150K which is based on the estimated cost of buying a one bedroom sheltered flat in the city. However, this doesn’t take into account the extremely high service charges in private sheltered accommodation…..

    Salisbury City Almhouse & Welfare Charities

    in reply to: Telecare Service #166198

    We have Tunstall equipment, but are gradually getting it replaced by Appello equipment.

    Salisbury City Almshouse & Welfare Charities

    in reply to: Reviewing employee pay #165988

    The Trustees asked me to go through a benchmarking exercise for our staff a few years ago. I found it impossible as there were very few, if any, almshouse charities our size and with the same structure. Eventually we paid Croner to undertake the exercise. Pay reviews are now very simple – Wardens who have an accommodation package receive a rise equivalent to CPI (I have to present the budget to the Trustees in October so I use the August inflation figures), and those without accommodation RPI. When CPI/RPI is high the Trustees can get twitchy, but have accepted, since the Croner benchmarking exercise, that it is only fair to the staff.

    Susan Coen
    Salisbury City Almshouse & Welfare Charities

    in reply to: advertising a vacancy #164190

    We interview all applicants (four times a year, and sometimes out of committee). When a vacancy comes up, we look at everyone on the list, prioritise those most urgent, then try to fit the applicant to the vacancy. This means we always have a pool of possible residents.

    in reply to: Resident trustee #158992

    We don’t have Residents attending Board meetings for all the reasons laid out above. We do, however, have a Residents’ Forum twice a year where a representative from each of our sites can meet with two Trustees, our Buildings Maintenance Officer and me to discuss any recommendations/suggestions. The Forum may discuss any aspect of the services and maintenance provided by the Charities, but not items which fall within the remit of the Wardens or which would be covered under the complaints procedure. The Forum will not discuss matters pertaining to specific individuals other than as an example of a wider concern.

    It has been relatively successful. The Residents from the different sites get to meet one another, they also get an understanding of how much we actually do at the different sites and how much money it costs. If nothing else, they feel that they are being listened to.

    Susan Coen
    Salisbury City Almshouse & Welfare Charities

    in reply to: Not accepting WMCs in a period of notice #158186

    It would be good to have a reason why this is in the SAM.

    Susan Coen
    Salisbury City Almshouse & Welfare Charities

    in reply to: Housing allowance – rent apportionment #156501

    We have a separate Maintenance Charge (eligible for Housing Benefit), and a Support Charge and a Heating & Hot Water charge.

    Salisbury City Almshouse & Welfare Charities

Viewing 10 posts - 1 through 10 (of 10 total)