Community action

Kidderminster based The Community Housing Group proudly unveiled the new corporate identity for its building and maintenance division, CHG Property Services this month.

Ian Hancock, Director of Asset Management explained, “this is more than just creating a new logo. We believe that our new corporate identity is the outward reflection of our commitment to delivering quality, professional services to all of our customers in the commercial and residential sectors”

A new uniform and liveried fleet was designed in consultation with the 180 strong workforce who were enthusiastic about adopting a smarter image.

"We included the Trades Teams in the selection of the new uniform because we believed it was important to chose one which was comfortable, durable and met their needs before all other style considerations,” said Marina Banner, Group Director of Strategy and Business Development. “We are particularly pleased to have formed a partnership with a Kidderminster based supplier who not only offers us good value for money, but underlines our commitment to supporting the local business community wherever possible”.

The updated fleet has been selected with the environment in mind. The vehicles are extremely fuel efficient and fitted with a tracking system so that routes can be effectively planned to minimise fuel consumption.

Recently, the team reviewed the way they deliver the responsive repairs service and looked at ways in which they could eliminate waste (in terms of materials, time, cost and labour etc) The new streamlined service has enabled them to select smaller vehicles with specially designed interiors and racking systems to maximise space. Each vehicle carries only the stock required for the work in hand and teams have reported an increase in their productivity and customer satisfaction as a result of the new method of operation.

In addition to providing a complete building and grounds maintenance service to The Community Housing Group’s 5,500 homes and premises, property services has increased their external third party contract work with other organisations such as schools, social landlords and local authorities across Worcestershire and the West Midlands.

Their bespoke joinery shop specialises in quality joinery products such as sash windows, decorative mouldings, restoration works on listed buildings and custom designed and built shop fittings.

Joinery shop supervisor, Colin Davies, has found that customers are moving away from off the shelf “superstore” products and moving back to quality craftsmanship. “They are really surprised at how affordable bespoke work is and when they see the care we take to make sure that their order is an absolutely perfect fit, they rarely go back to the DIY giants”

The property service team is also gaining a reputation for its innovative approach to property adaptations for disabled people.

John Banford, maintenance co-ordinator encourages his aids and adaptations team to “think outside the box” and look at different technologies, materials and solutions.

“Recently, we were approached to help a young girl who was affected by cerebral palsey. Although outgrowing their traditional three bedroom house, her family were anxious not to move to specialist accommodation so that their daughter and her older brother and sister could have as normal a childhood as possible. We realised that we needed to come up with a long term solution which would not only be affordable, but could adapt to her changing needs”

The team came up with the idea of installing a custom built “pod” which would form an extension to the house and would contain all of the required design features and equipment of a traditional brick built extension. The benefit of the pod however, is if the family find themselves in a situation where they do have to move, the pod can go with them.

During the worse storms and floods to hit the region in many years, the property services team was in great demand for grounds maintenance and tree surgery services. Their fully qualified and licensed tree surgeons assisted emergency services to clear roads, homes and business premises of uprooted trees and dangerous overhanging branches.

Peter Minton, environmental maintenance and transport manager explained, “No one expected the storms to be as ferocious or as damaging as they were. However, we had a well-established emergency plan in place and the environmental maintenance and grounds teams were quickly on site to assist with the clear up operation. In times like these, it is essential that everyone knows what they need to do and where they need to be. Grateful customers told us that without our help, the disruption they experienced would have been far worse. They called us because they knew they could rely on us to help”

To support the commercial expansion, the property services team has launched a new website www.pschg.com which offers a fast, logical navigation route throughout the site.

Ian Hancock explained, “Personally, nothing frustrates me more than when I go to a website and have to wait ages to actually see what’s on it because of all of the graphics and animations. Then when you do get to the information, it is hard to understand and difficult to follow. In the end, you give up!”

The website has been designed in-house to be as clear and accessible as possible. “We have kept the “frills” away from the site and you can choose to look at the just the services which will be of benefit to your type of business or organisation” he added. The site has already achieved Accessibility Accreditation Awards from The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and is fully compliant with legislation introduced by the Disability Rights Commission to improve access for visitors with visual impairments or other disabilities, ensuring that users of the team’s services can quickly access essential and clear information, regardless of ability or level of net-savvy, and ensuring a busy year ahead for the team.