We’re delighted to share that

South West in Bloom have awarded the Pembroke Street estate the Serco cup for ‘Best Community Initiative’ recognising the efforts of the EMB maintenance staff working alongside residents who have helped create an attractive and well maintained environment. Jon Wheatley, Chair of South West in Bloom commented:

“Congratulations on an excellent project. The landscape, both hard and soft, is of an excellent standard. Gardening is of a high standard, as is the management and implementation. It is clear that all members of the community have contributed to the ongoing success of the project.”

The EMB was awarded ‘Outstanding’ for the Estate in the Britain in Bloom ‘It’s your Neighbourhood’ national accreditation scheme, which rates projects against criteria which includes environmental responsibility, gardening achievement and community participation.

The Pembroke street estate has a large variety of mature trees and shrubs, which were planted in the 1990’s when the estate was refurbished. The regeneration programme was led by residents, who had an input on all aspects of the design, supported by a community architect. In 1994, Pembroke Street Estate Management Board was formed to manage the estate and is the only one of its kind in the South West.

In the 30 years since the company formed, the gardens have continued to mature and blossom. Each year, new plants are also added. This year they’ve also seen the addition of timber planters made by City College Plymouth Carpentry students. The focal point is a canopy of trees which run through the centre of the estate. Ground floor residents also have their own gardens and the Estate Management Board offer a low cost grass cutting service to help residents maintain their gardens. Some residents have used the space to grow fruit and vegetables whilst hanging baskets and tubs displayed around the estate were created by local residents and children from Mount Wise Primary School as part of the annual ‘Spring Planting Event.’

Then there is the ‘Christmas Tree Corner’ where discarded trees have been replanted over the years. The corner has become so full that one of the trees had to be cut down this year to make space. The EMB were then able to install the tree at the Ker Street Social Club where customers were able to enjoy it over the festive period.

Chalk Farm Housing Group have extended the deadline for applications for the vacant post of Estate Manager.

Applications will now be accepted up to midnight on Sunday 23rd February 2025.

Full details of the post can be found here

The Ministry for Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) has today (14th January) launched a Call for Evidence in order that the government might better understand the governance of both TMOs & ALMOs.

The questionnaire can be found here and we strongly urge all TMOs to respond to this call.

MHCLG state;

‘This call for evidence seeks to better understand the governance arrangements between Arms-length management organisations (ALMOs), Tenant management organisations (TMOs) and their “parent landlords”, namely Local Authorities and Housing Associations.

The responses to the call for evidence will help the Government to understand any challenges faced by TMOs, ALMOs and social landlords, and to explore whether any changes are needed. This is part of the Government’s overarching work to drive up the quality of social housing and ensure tenants receive a good service. 

If you have a query, and/or for exceptional reasons are unable to use the online system, such as due to compatibility issues with specialist accessibility software, you may request and complete a Word document version of the form via email: [email protected]’

This survey will be available until 10th February 2025.

More resources are available from the Housing Ombudsman Service’s Centre for Learning. This is a great resource for anyone who wants to learn about the standards expected of landlords and can be used to equip the tenant management sector to make the case for your landlord to undertake major repairs and improvements to the homes TMOs manage.

Forthcoming webinars include

• Complaint Handling Code for Landlords (various dates) – 1 hour
• Learning from Complaints – 1 hour (3 dates)
• Noise Complaints – 2 hours – 23rd January 2025 or 26th March 2025
• Damp & Mould  – 2 hours – 29th January 2025

If you haven’t used the service before then you’ll need to register but all of the information and access to webinars is free.