Find out howgreen-fingeredtenants canwin prizesworth £130P3

How couldyou help to improve your estate?P5

More than afriendly face.Meet the CaretakingTeamP7

SUMMER 2011

West Dunbartonshire Council is spending £20.5 million this year to deliver a comprehensive programme of improvements and repairs to its housingand local estates.Tenants will benefit from a range ofimprovements including new doorentry systems, lift upgrades, bath-room fitting, roof replacement andheating improvements.

The investment plan was agreed by Councillors earlier this year andwill be rolled out throughout WestDunbartonshire.

The largest project in the programme of works is externalcladding to multi-storey blocks inPappert, West Bridgend and IrvingAvenue which is estimated to cost£5 million.

The Council has also committed £3 million to fund central heatingsystems. Meanwhile, £1.5 millionwill be spent upgrading bathroomsand a similar amount will go towards replacing roofs and guttering.

The Council is very aware that residents believe how their environment looks is very important andhas committed £500,000 to supporting environmental improvements. This will be spent on projects such as repairing pathways, resurfacingcar parks and landscaping areas. An estimated £150,000 is also being spent demolishing unused garages and lock-ups and improving these areas.

Helen Turley, Head of Housing and CommunitySafety, said: “The Council is committed to a comprehensive capital programme of work and we are confident we will achieve the Scottish Housing Quality Standard by working closely with tenants and elected members to prioritise the improvements they need in their particular areas.”

The full report - item 14 from the full Council meeting on 30 March 2011 - can be downloaded at:

wdccmis.westdunbarton.gov.uk/cmiswebpublic

The quarterly newsletter for tenants of West Dunbartonshire Council

“ The Council is committed to a comprehensive capital

programme of works”

Councillors have agreed to sell off two land sites owned by theCouncil in order to kick-start muchneeded regeneration in Alexandriaand Dumbarton.

The sites of Kippen Dairy, on Main Street,Alexandria, and Turnberry Place, Dumb-arton will be sold for a combined value tothe Council of £491,500 and lead to thedevelopment of 53 new homes for rent.The new developments are also a bigboost for the two areas in regenerationterms, as they have been blighted foryears by the disused sites.

The Kippen Dairy site will be sold to theCordale Housing Association for £459,000and, pending planning permission, will bedeveloped to provide 40 new homes forrent with a mix of flatted, quarter villasand semi-detached housing.

The Turnberry Place site, in Castlehill, willbe sold to the Dunbritton Housing Associ-ation, subject to Ministerial approval, for£32,500 and be developed into 13 newsocial rented homes of various sizes anduses. The site has been derelict for sixyears since 24 council homes were de-molished, and the local community hasbeen active in looking for solutions thatcould transform the estate. It is hopedthat by enabling this £1.3 million develop-ment to take place, further projects couldfollow in the Castlehill and Westcliff area.

In light of the concessions the Council hasmade to support the development of the site,Dunbritton Housing Association has agreedthat the Council will control the allocation oftenants to every one of the new properties.It is hoped that the new properties will beavailable for let by Spring 2012.

Councillor William Hendrie, Convener for Housing, Environmental and EconomicDevelopment, said: “Iʼm delighted as inboth cases local communities have beencrying out for something to be done foryears, and Iʼm really pleased that actionnow looks imminent. These sites will provide much needed high-quality housing in West Dunbartonshire.”

Land sales unlockregeneration

Kippen Dairy, Alexandria

COUNCIL SPENDS£20M ON HOUSING

The picture clearly shows the improvements recladding (right)

has on the appearance of Council blocks

P2

If you claim Housing/Council Tax Benefitand have adults over 18 (not your part-ner) in your household and they havetheir own income from benefit or work,deductions are usually made from yourbenefit. They are called non dependantdeductions. These deductions havebeen frozen since 2001.

The introduction of benefit reforms byCentral Government from April 2011means that these deductions will nolonger be frozen. Some claimants will seean increase in the amount deducted fromtheir Housing Benefit which means thatthe amount of housing benefit receivedwill reduce and the amount of rent theyhave to pay will increase.

In future years non-dependent deductionswill increase in line with other prices.

NB. If you are in receipt of Attendance Allowance or Disability Living Allowance(Care) or are registered blind there are no non dependant deductions from yourhousing/council tax benefit.

For more information please telephoneyour local Benefits Team (P8).

The Council has submitted a bid forGovernment funding to build up to 75new Council homes in West Dunbar-tonshire.

A bid has been made to the £50m Innovation and Investment fund that will deliver affordable housing across Scotland.A maximum subsidy of £30,000 is available for each unit of housing andwork must start by 1 April, 2012.

The areas identified for development if the bid is successful are GranvilleStreet in Clydebank (24 units), Valeviewin Dumbarton (36 units - including eightfor sale) and Miller Road in the Vale of Leven (15 units). The units would be amix of semi-detached homes, cottageflats and terrace homes.

Helen Turley, Head of Housing and Community Safety, said: “Everyone is familiar with the fact that in the current financial climate investment is very hard to come by. Previous funding and subsidiesfor building affordable housing has largelydried up.

“This is why it is so important to try andsecure this government funding so wecan maintain the flow of new build affordable housing in West Dunbartonshire,and make use of available land whichwould otherwise lie empty. Fingerscrossed we will be successful.”

The application will now be consideredjointly between the Scottish Governmentand the Confederation of Scottish LocalAuthorities (COSLA).

Changes to Housing Benefit

Council bids tobuild new housing

Alexandria

Dumbarton

Clydebank

Following the recently announced£20.5 million investment in housingin the coming year (see P1) ourstaff and contractors will be busythroughout West Dunbartonshiremaking improvements.

Below is a map showing a snapshot of some of the activities taking place in each ward. These are by no means the only works taking place and many projects will be delivered in a number of wards.

IMPROVING YOURHOMES AND AREAS

As part of the Councilʼscommitment to achievethe Scottish QualityHousing Standard by2015 work will be rolledout to provide a secure

door entry system to commoncloses. This includes door entry system installation, close and backcourt lighting upgrades, close windowrefurbishment or renewal, and closepainting. This will improve the lookof a close and will improve safetyand security for the residents living in a close.

LOMOND

The Council recognisesthat communal areas andfootpaths are hugely important to the appear-ance of neighbourhoodsand can have a dramatic

affect on those with mobility problems.We will be undertaking a range of environmental improvements such as car park and footpath upgrades,as well as specialist projects to enhance the security and attractivenessof a propertyʼs immediate surroundings.

LEVEN

The Council will continueits substantial investmentin the West BridgendMulti Storey flats withClyde Court and LomondCourt being overclad to

make homes warmer, drier andcheaper to run. The work also helpsto make their appearance brighterand more attractive.

DUMBARTON

Officers will be workinghard to install new gascentral heating systemsto houses which havebeen identified as havingobsolete boilers or those

that are approaching the end of theirlife-span. Residents will benefit fromwarmer homes and cheaper bills, as well as avoid the risk of a break-down during cold winter months.

KILPATRICK

As part of the Councilʼsseven year programmefor the upgrade of lift installations across WestDunbartonshire signifi-cant investment is taking

place to replace the lifts at GlenifferView and Garscadden View. BurnsideCourt and Overtoun Court in theneighbouring ward will also benefit.

CLYDEBANK CENTRAL

The recent stock conditionsurvey has identified anumber of propertieswhere the roofs are in needof replacement, othershave defective tiles or are

impossible to effectively maintain.Major investment will be taking placeand housing in Whitecrook has beenidentified as a priority area.

CLYDEBANK WATERFRONT

WARD2

WARD1

WARD3

WARD4

WARD5 WARD

6

WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE

Cllr Hendrie - Convener of Housing

Workinghard foryou

Firstly can I welcome you to theSummer edition of Housing Newswhich I hope youʼll find full of interesting articles and useful information.

Iʼm particularly pleased that this issue isgiving so much space over to the CouncilʼsHousing Capital Programme (P1 & P2). I often speak to tenants who donʼt believethat enough is being done to improve housing and regenerate their areas, but thetruth is this Council is working flat out tobring homes across West Dunbartonshireup to the Scottish Quality Housing Stan-dard by 2015. In addition wherever wecan, we will be improving the appearanceof public spaces through projects such as demolishing unwanted lock-ups andreplacing them with landscaped gardens.

The articles on the housing programmedetail some of the work that has alreadytaken place to achieve these goals, andgive a flavour of what major projects will betaking place in your ward in the next 12months. These are by no means the onlythings going on and many of you will havebeen contacted directly by officers aboutvarious projects taking place from cavity-wall insulation to boiler upgrades. I hopethis will go some way to reassuring tenantsthat we remain committed to improvingyour homes and neighbourhoods.

Iʼd also like to thank our Head of Housingand Community Safety Helen Turley andher team for working so hard under severetime pressures to get a very credible bidinto the Scottish Government for fundingto build up to 75 new Council homes in thearea. This sort of creative and proactiveapproach is just what will be required inthe coming years if we are to succeed inbuilding much-needed new housing forthe local area, despite the reduced levelsof investment caused by the sluggisheconomy.

And finally, Iʼm delighted to see the newgardening competition launched in thisedition and would encourage as manytenants to submit entries as possible.Gardening is a fantastic way of gettingout of the house and staying active, and it also has really positive benefits for theappearance of the local area. Best of luckwith your planting and I look forward toseeing all the entries in the coming weeks.

Best wishes,Councillor William HendrieConvener of Housing

If you need some support to set up a tenantsʼ association or to get organised for stock transfer, thereʼs plenty of helpavailable.

West Dunbartonshire has two areabased tenantsʼ federations; onerepresents tenantsʼ organisationsin Clydebank and the other covers

Dumbarton and the Vale.

If you would like to find out aboutwhatʼs involved in setting up agroup and how to go about it, thenthe federations can provide youwith information and support. They can also tell you if there is agroup in your area and how tomake contact with them.

Contact:Association of Clydebank Residentsʼ Groups (ACRG)01389 8744192A Carleith Avenue, Duntocher

Dumbarton and Vale of Leven Federation (DVLF)01389 7597695 Alexander Street, Alexandria

Housing News is launching a new annual competition to find the ʻbest tenant gardenʼ and ʻbest tenant window boxʼ in West Dunbartonshire.The green-fingered garden winner will receive asteel chimenea garden heater worth £90 from theLoch Lomond Homes andGarden Centre, while the window box winner will get£40 in Farmfoods vouchers.Both will also be featured in afuture edition of Housing News.

The entries will be independ-ently judged by the charitable West DunbartonshireEnvironment Trust based on the quality of floral display, quality of permanent planting, quality of design and use of space, contribution to the visualenvironment and environmental consideration.

Helen Turley, Head of Housing and CommunitySafety, said: “We have so many tenants out therewho are passionate about gardening and do a greatjob of improving the appearance of their estates.We think it is only right to recognise those individuals

through this competition and Iʼd encourage as many people to enter as possible. Hopefully together wecan make sure West Dunbartonshire will be in fullbloom this summer!”

To enter simply send your name, address, telephonenumber and a photograph by Monday 1st August to Joanne Martin, West Dunbartonshire Council, Garshake Road, Dumbarton, G82 3PU.

Alternatively you can sendthe same details via email to housingnews@west-dunbarton.gov.uk

One tenant considering an

entry is Robert Watt, 74, of Alexandria, who has been akeen gardener for most of hislife. He said: “I really enjoy gardening, especially now that I am retired. It gets you out the house which is great.Iʼm not one for a fancy garden but I like to keep it tidy and to have lots of colour.”

P3

We have so many tenants who do a great job of improving the appearance of their estates”

BLOOMINGMARVELLOUS!

“

BESTTENAN

TGARDE

NBESTTENAN

TWINDOW

BOX

Robert Wattʼs garden in Alexandria

is just the sort that could win the

tenant competition

This Council is working flat out to improve housing”“

Tenants supporting tenants

Another smashing tenant garden in Brucehill

P4

Tenants showʻgreat interestʼ ingetting engaged

The Independent tenant advisorsappointed to guide people throughthe complexity of the partial stocktransfer process say theyʼve encountered ʻgreat interestʼ fromtenants wanting to know more.

The Tenants Information Service (TIS)were selected by tenant representativesearlier this year to provide independentadvice to around 4,000 households proposed for transfer.

Since then theyʼve been busy getting outand about in West Dunbartonshire andmaking contact with tenants and residents.

Lynda Johnstone, Development Managerof TIS, said: “Over the last few months wehave been working closely with tenantsand local tenants and residents groups toestablish a Tenants Panel in each of thefour proposed transfer areas. There hasbeen a great interest and Tenants Panelsare now up and running in the Vale ofLeven, Dumbarton and Clydebank Westareas and meetings are taking place tolaunch a panel covering Clydebank East”.

The tenants panels are made up of localtenants and their representatives and havean important role to play in representingthe views of tenants in their area.

The five housing associations are currently developing business plans (see main article). The Tenant Panels willbe meeting with the housing associationsto make sure that local issues and priorities are taken into account.

Ilene Campbell, Director of TIS, updated:“Once the business plan proposals aresubmitted to the Council, TIS will carry out an independent appraisal of these proposals and report to tenants on ourfindings. It is important that tenants continueto influence and shape these proposals.We will keep tenants updated of futureconsultation meetings and events”.

Lynda Johnstone, TIS Ilene Campbell, TIS

The Partial Stock Transfer is approaching another importantmilestone as competing housingassociations prepare to submitsustainable 30-year business plans for scrutiny. The five locally based housing associations whohave expressed an interest in taking on the Councilproperties are expected to spend six weeks completing their business plans. Once businessplan proposals have been received they will be rigorously evaluated by Council officers with inputfrom tenant representatives. On completion, onehousing association will be selected for each of thefour transfer package areas to go forward to an independent ballot of tenants in January 2012.

To help inform the business plans, all tenants livingin transfer areas have been sent a letter asking themwhat their priorities are for delivery if the housingassociation is successful in any future ballot. Tenants can send in their views by Freepost or by e-mail to: stocktransfer@west-dunbarton.gov.uk

Local Area Panels for each transfer area are alsomeeting with the Housing Associations to let themknow what they want to see in the Business Planproposals.

Partial Stock Transfer is when a Council transferssome of its homes to registered Housing Associations.In West Dunbartonshire this would involve around5,000 houses, 45 per cent of its housing stockbeing transferred. If successful, the debt linked tothese properties would be written-off by the UKTreasury leaving the Housing Associations free to invest in improving housing standards, and contribute to the regeneration of housing estatesacross West Dunbartonshire.

During the spring, the Housing Associations reviewed their position on what areas they were still interested in and whether they wished to continue in the process. Five Housing Associationsremain committed to the process and their interestis shown in the table:

Fin McElhinney, Stock Transfer Manager at theCouncil, said: “The independent tenant ballots onwhether to transfer to a housing association arenow fast approaching. Now is the time for tenants to get involved in the process and directly informthe interested Housing Associations exactly whatthey will expect from their prospective landlord. Thiscan then be factored into the business plans andensure that all the prospective housing associations,selected to go to the ballot, are committed to providingthe services that tenants expect and demand.

“We know that tenants are keen to find out whichhousing association will be selected to go forward in a ballot for their area and what they will be ableto offer. We are very close to that stage now andonce the outcome of the assessment of BusinessPlan proposals has been reported to the CouncilʼsHousing, Environmental and Economic Development committee, information andcommunication from those individual housing associations selected will increase dramatically.”

PARTIAL STOCKTRANSFER MOVESFORWARD

“The independent tenant ballots are now

fast approaching”

Transfer Interested package area Housing Association/s

Vale of Leven Cordale Housing AssociationDunbritton Housing Association

Dumbarton Cordale Housing AssociationDunbritton Housing Association

Clydebank West Dalmuir Park Housing AssociationKnowes Housing Association

Clydebank East Clydebank Housing Association

The independent tenants ballot on stock

transfer will take place in January 2012

Tel: 0800 731 3772(freephone during office hours)

Write to: Ilene Campbell orLynda JohnstoneTenants Information ServiceSuite 124 - 128Baltic Chambers50 Wellington StreetGlasgow G2 6HJ

Email: info@tis.org.uk

How to contact TIS:

Fin McElhinney Stock Transfer Manager

said: “ Now is the time fortenants to get involved.”

P5

Helen Turley - Head of Housing and Community Safety

A positivestart

Dear All

Can I welcome you all to the first of my columns in Housing News in whichIʼll be trying to give you an update onwhat weʼve been working on as a teamto improve the services we provide.

Iʼve been with West Dunbartonshire forsix months now and I have really enjoyedworking with officers and meeting tenantrepresentatives. Iʼm extremely impressedby how knowledgeable tenants and residents are and by the passion andcommitment they have for their community and neighbourhoods.

Over the last six months the HousingManagement Team has been workinghard to deliver a number of key priorities -long term capital investment, housing andestate management services, responsiverepairs and homelessness to name a few.

As many of you know, we are currentlyconsulting on the Local Housing Strategyand this will provide lots of informationabout how customers want the Council totake forward housing investment, tenantparticipation and the homelessness service.

Iʼm passionate about increasing the availability and quality of the housingstock in West Dunbartonshire, especiallysince there appears to be a number ofempty sites that would be suitable for re-development. This is why we workedso hard through April and May to pull abid together for funding from the ScottishGovernment for up to 75 new homes. As you might expect there has been a lot of background work to make sure thatWest Dunbartonshire was able to make a really good case for building Councilhousing across the district. Iʼm confidentthat our bid is worthy of consideration andwe all now await the final decision.

Stock Transfer is another area Iʼve beendevoting a lot of time to. We are nowgathering momentum. Weʼve been working with the interested local housingassociations to guide them through thevarious stages and explain to them thelevels of service that would be requiredshould they be successful. These will all be factored into their detailed full business cases which will then be assessed by tenant representatives and officers from the Council.

Housing and Community Safety is firmlyon the list of Council priorities and I lookforward to continuing to work with tenants,residents and other partners to developthe best service which we can.

Best wishesHelen TurleyHead of Housing and Community Safety

Tenant Federations and the Councilare urging everyone to contributeto improving their estates by stickingto their tenancy conditions.

Many tenants do their fair share and more to ensurethat their block or street is kept in good order andcontributes positively to the appearance of the localarea. But a minority are failing to actresponsibly and do the basics.

Every Council tenant has signed aScottish Secure Tenancy Agreementwhich clearly states what the localauthority will undertake, and the responsibilities thateach tenant has in relation to paying rent and abidingby the terms and conditions set out in the agreement.

Tenants contribute to creating safe, clean, attractiveestates by adhering to their tenancy conditions asfollows:

w Taking your turn to clean close area and stairs.

w Maintaining gardens and taking turns if your garden is shared with other tenants.

w Ensuring all household rubbish for collection is placed in the appropriate bin store or other allocated place.

w Ensuring all wheeled bins are put out for collection on the appropriate day and returned to their bin area as soon as possible after collection.

w Having respect for each other. Tenants and their visitors must not act in an anti-social manner within the tenancy or within the neighbourhood.

Kenny Wilson, of the Milton Estate Tenants and Residents Association, said: “These properties are our homes and we believe

all tenants should do their bitto look after the closes andexternal areas for the benefitof the community. If one person starts to avoid their responsibilities then it has a

negative effect on everyone else. Together we canmake a really positive difference.”

Andy Cameron, Anti-Social Behaviour and Estates Manager, said: “It is important that tenants and residents and all Council services work together toensure our estates are clean, safe and attractiveplaces to live. It is your Housing Officerʼs role to discuss the terms and conditions of the tenancyagreement with tenants who are in breach of theirtenancy and to report any issues to other Councilsections to action.”

Together we can make a really positive difference”“

HOW YOU CANIMPROVE YOURESTATE

If you wish to report any issues in relation to tenants not keeping to their tenancy conditions or if there is any reason that prevents you from keeping to your own tenancy agreement then you should contact our Estate Management Team on the number below:

Clydebank Estate Management Service: 01389 738604Dumbarton and Alexandria Estate Management Service: 01389 608912

REPORT IT!

Tenant Kenny Wilson says everyone “needs to do their bit”

P6

MARTIN ROONEYc/o Council OfficesGarshake RoadDumbarton G82 3PUTel: 01389 602562Mob: 07909 890 846

WAR

D LABLOMOND

1

JIM BOLLAN4 Endrick WayAlexandriaG83 0URTel: 01389 756397Mob: 07803 668 766

WAR

D SSPLEVEN

2

MAY SMILLIEc/o Council OfficesGarshake RoadDumbarton G82 3PUTel: 01389 605996Mob: 07961 713 004

WAR

D SNPLEVEN

2

GEORGE BLACKc/o Council OfficesGarshake RoadDumbarton G82 3PUTel: 01389 761449Mob: 07909 890 840

WAR

D INDDUMBARTON

3

GEOFF CALVERTc/o Council OfficesGarshake RoadDumbarton G82 3PUTel: 01389 730983Mob: 07776 467 224

WAR

D LABDUMBARTON

3

DAVID MCBRIDEc/o Council OfficesGarshake RoadDumbarton G82 3PUTel: 01389 767758Mob: 07961 711 664

WAR

D LABDUMBARTON

3

JONATHAN MCCOLLc/o Council OfficesGarshake RoadDumbarton G82 3PUTel: 01389 737511Mob: 07939 002 886

WAR

D SNPLEVEN

2

JOHN MILLAR240 O’HareBonhillAlexandria G83 9DTTel: 01389 737882Mob: 07961 713 003

WAR

D LABLEVEN

2

IAIN ROBERTSONc/o Council OfficesGarshake RoadDumbarton G82 3PUTel: 01389 772140Mob: 07884 113 254

WAR

D SNPDUMBARTON

3

LAWRENCE O’NEILLc/o Rosebery PlaceClydebankG81 1TGMob: 07909 890 842Office:01389 738704

WAR

D LABKILPATRICK

4

JIM FINNc/o Rosebery PlaceClydebankG81 1TGTel: 01389 878397Mob: 07961 713 007

WAR

D SNPKILPATRICK

4

DOUGLAS MCALLISTERc/o Rosebery PlaceClydebankG81 1TGTel: 01389 890623

WAR

D LABKILPATRICK

4

DENIS AGNEWc/o Rosebery PlaceClydebankG81 1TGTel: 0141 952 8954Office:01389 738697

WAR

D INDCLYDEBANKCENTRAL

5

JIM BROWNc/o Rosebery PlaceClydebankG81 1TGTel: 01389 876449Mob: 07961 713 010

WAR

D SNPCLYDEBANKCENTRAL

5

PATRICK McGLINCHEYc/o Rosebery PlaceClydebankG81 1TGTel: 01389 873186Mob: 07961 713 361

WAR

D LABCLYDEBANKCENTRAL

5

WILLIE McLAUGHLINc/o Rosebery PlaceClydebankG81 1TGTel: 0141 951 4595Mob: 07961 714 907

WAR

D INDCLYDEBANKCENTRAL

5

GAIL CASEYc/o Rosebery PlaceClydebankG81 1TGTel: 0141 951 4595Mob: 07909 891 242

WAR

D LABCLYDEBANKWATERFRONT

6

WILLIE HENDRIEc/o Rosebery PlaceClydebankG81 1TGTel: 0141 952 7636Mob: 07943 813 111

WAR

D SNPCLYDEBANKWATERFRONT

6

JIM McELHILLc/o Rosebery PlaceClydebankG81 1TGTel: 01389 875073Mob: 07961 713 009

WAR

D SNPCLYDEBANKWATERFRONT

6

MARIE McNAIRc/o Rosebery PlaceClydebankG81 1TGTel: 01389 738743Mob: 07909 891 237

WAR

D INDCLYDEBANKWATERFRONT

6

CRAIG MCLAUGHLINc/o Council OfficesGarshake RoadDumbarton G82 3PUTel: 01389 758628Mob: 07920 700 954

WAR

D SNPLOMOND

1

RONNIE MCCOLLc/o Council OfficesGarshake RoadDumbarton G82 3PUTel: 01389 772142Mob: 07932 029 380

WAR

D SNPLOMOND

1KNOW YOURCOUNCILLORS

P7

For many tenants the estate caretakers are some of the highestprofile Council staff and often thefirst port of call for a variety ofqueries ranging from cleaning to access.It is no surprise then that they should be so highlyvalued by tenants who often rely on them for support above and beyond thecall of duty.

The role itself is varied with thecore duties being to clean andmaintain communal aspects ofthe Councilʼs housing stock,keep the communal refuse binsin order, open and close any laundry facilities, provide access to CCTV systems as well as toCouncil and external contractors.

The caretaker will also report any communal repair issues and offer advice and assistance to Enforcement Officers and the Anti-Social and Investigation Support Team as well as the tenantsand residents.

In total the Council employs nearly 40 full-time and eight part-time staff, some of whom are mobile caretakers who operate throughout West Dunbartonshire, while the rest are based in multi-storey flats or cover dedicated estates.Pat Miller has been a caretaker covering Rossheadfor 3 years and loves his work: “I really enjoy being

a caretaker because every day is varied and thereare so many different ways you can help the tenants. While cleaning is an important part of ourjob I take my security responsibilities very seriouslyand do everything I can to make sure people areprotected from opportunist crime and anti-social behaviour.”

David Lynch, Manager of the Caretaking Service,said: “Our big plan for the coming year is to 

increase ʻKerbside Appealʼmeaning

we want to makeour properties more attractive to bothprospective tenantsas well as thosewho already live in our communities. The work involved includes making communal areas more appealing, and making our communities better, safer and more enjoyable to live in.”

MUCH MORE THAN A FRIENDLY FACE

Make your tenantvoice heard

There are so many different ways you can

help the tenants”“

If you want more information on Caretaking Services in your area, please call 01389 738604 and ask for the Asistant Team Leader.Call the out of hours controller on0800 1947 1004.

zx

Graham Kickel, one of our

housing caretaking team

The Council is encouraging tenants to get involved in influencing decisions abouttheir home and neighbour-hood in order that they canreceive the service they want.The Council greatly values tenant participation and provides help and support, including everything from transport and childcare costs, to assisttenants set up organised groups. For those who donʼt want to go to meetingsthere is still plenty of ways to engage.

Joanne Martin, Tenant Participation Officer,said: “We want to provide our tenants witha high quality housing service and listeningto your views helps us to achieve that.

“You are the expert about living in yourarea, as a tenant youʼre in a great positionto tell us about the service you receive.By listening to our tenants we can under-stand the problems tenants receive, getvaluable information about what our tenants want, work with our tenants to improve neighbourhoods and focus onareas that need it. But we need tenants to take the first step and get involved.”

Tenant participation should lead to better services for all tenants, it shouldstrengthen your community and ensurethat we are accountable to you. It canalso be an opportunity to make newfriends and learn new skills.

There are a wide range of ways to takepart, so hopefully there will be one thatappeals to you. These include becominga mystery shopper, completing surveys andgetting involved in tenant-led inspections.

If you would like more information aboutjoining the tenantsʼ register or are

interested in getting involved in otherways, contact your local housing officer

or the Tenant Participation Officer on 01389 737281 or email

joanne.martin@west-dunbarton.gov.uk

With life so hectic it can be difficultfinding time to keep your accounts up-to-date. Why not try the automatedpayment line to pay your Council bills- it is simple, easy to use and onlytakes a couple of minutes.

Payment can made anytime that suits you,24 hours a day. The automated payment lineallows you to make payment for all Councilservices, e.g. Council Tax, Rent, invoicesfor Repairs and Social Work Services. Using the automated payment line hasthe added advantage of not having towait in a telephone queue.

Tel: 0845 303 9487 (calls charged at local rate)

Try the automatedpayment line

Caretaker Pat Miller is a popular figure

in Rosshead and ʻloves his workʼ

CONTACT CENTRE 01389 738282

HOUSING - GENERAL ENQUIRIESDumbarton 01389 738282Clydebank 01389 738282Alexandria 01389 738282

HOMELESS EMERGENCY(24 hour freephone) 0800 197 1004

HOUSING - REPORTING A REPAIRClydebank: 0800 073 8708Dumbarton/Alexandria 0800 073 8707Both repairs centres are open between8.30am and 4.15pm, Monday to Friday

EMERGENCY REPAIRS(out-of-hours freephone) 0800 197 1004Gas heating repairs(City Technical) 0800 073 0341Sold Property Team 0141 562 2442Tenant Participation 01389 737281ASIST (all antisocial behaviour servicescan be contacted through this number)

01389 772048

SOCIAL WORK - GENERAL ENQUIRIESDumbarton 01389 737020Clydebank 0141 562 8800Alexandria 01389 608080

FINANCIAL SERVICESCouncil Tax 01389 738282or 01389 737444

HOUSING, REGENERATION ANDENVIRONMENTAL SERVICESSpecial (bulky) uplifts -Contact Centre 01389 738282Grass cutting 01389 738412Litter hotline 01389 772059Environmental Health 01389 738290Pest Control 01389 738282Waste Aware 0845 111 0050Consumer Direct 0845 404 0506Trading Standards 01389 738552Caretaking service 01389 608903or 01389 608904

COUNCILLORS - GENERAL ENQUIRIES:Clydebank 01389 738782Dumbarton/Alexandria 01389 737540

GENERALCitizensʼ Advice Bureau:Dumbarton/Alexandria 01389 604705or 01389 744690Clydebank 0141 435 7590Community Transport Service 0141 333 3252HOME from HOME 01389 733733Energy Advice(Energy Saving Trust) 0800 512 012Samaritans 0845 790 9090Welfare Rights 01389 777050Lesbian andGay Switchboard 0141 847 0447

RELATE(Relationship Scotland) 0141 248 5249Victim Support Scotland 0141 952 2095Dog warden 01389 738652Greenlight 01389 721012

Womenʼs AidDumbarton/Alexandria 01389 751036Clydebank 0141 952 8118

PoliceClydebank 0141 532 3300Dumbarton 01389 822000Alexandria 01389 823000Crimestoppers (freephone) 0800 555 111

P8

Useful phone numbers

Volunteers from across West Dunbartonshire have been hard at work to help spring clean thesurrounding areas and support the ʻKeep Scotland Spring Cleanʼcampaign.During a four hour clean up, four different areas were targeted: Havoc inDumbarton, Bonhill, Hardgate,Knowes, and Bowling with over 200 bags of litter, 46 tyres and gas canisters as well as other fly tipped material removed.

West Dunbartonshire Councilʼs Community LitterControl Officer, Sandra Anton said, “It is very encouraging to see members of the community

getting involved in helping to clean up our areas; however itʼs so disappointing to see the mess that fly tipping has caused.”

Keep Scotland Beautifulʼs National Spring Clean Co-ordinator, Valerie Carson, said, “It really is incredible that so many people, from all walks oflife, get behind National Spring Clean every yearand I would like to say a personal thank you to all

the volunteers who made thatextra special effort.

“The success of the campaign is completely down to those people who want to improve

the appearance of their local areas and hopefully it will make others realise that everyone can make a difference and get involved in the future”.

It is very encouraging to see members of the community getting

involved to clean up our areas”“

SPRINGCLEAN

Look out for more information on how to

get involved in the next clean via the local

papers and come along and help make a

difference to your local environment.

Other formatsThis document can be viewed as a pdf on our website http://www.wdcweb.info/housing/housing-newsIt can also be provided in large print, Braille or on audio cassette and can be translated into different communitylanguages. Please contact: Corporate Communications, Council Offices, Garshake Road, Dumbarton, G82 3PU. Tel: 01389 737000

DALMUIRVALE OF LEVENRENTONALEXANDRIA OLD KILPATRICKBALLOCHHARDGATEGARTOCHARN CLYDEBANKBOWLING

THE HOUSING NEWS WORDSEARCH TEASER

G N I L W O B T H G R E V

A O P H R E T A G D R A H

R E H H F H R I U M L A D

T K L O D N S T H E M P U

O E S R Y W H Q O J N K N

C D F H Q C Z F C D B N T

H F S D O C L P U K L A O

A G F L R E N T O N M B C

R Y L V V S F R T G J E H

N A L E X A N D R I A D E

B U N A D R G E H X V Y R

A I Y H F S E R G D S L X

O L D K I L P A T R I C K

don’t miss the next edition of Housing news due out in the autumn!

Can you find 10 localplace names from thelist below? Answers canbe found horizontally,vertically, diagonally oreven backwards!

Ways to pay your rent...In person...Use your swipe card and pay by:• cash or cheque• cheque or Postal Order by

post to any area housing office• credit or debit card

Through your bank...Pay by standing order or direct debit. This meansyour rent/council tax is paid automatically fromyour bank account. Pick up a form from the rentcounter at any of the local housing offices.

At the Post Office...You can also pay by direct debit at any Post Officeor Paypoint outlet. Use your swipe card and payby:• cash or cheque

By telephone/internet...Use your credit or debit card to make a paymentfor your rent, council tax or debtor account by:• calling our Contact Centre on

01389 738282• calling our automatic telephone payment

service on 01389 732376 at any time• calling one of our officers during

working hours• logging onto our website

www.wdcweb.infoand clicking on the ʻPay Your Wayʼ button to go to the payment pages

try our tea time teaser!