L&Q Bexley Homes - creating places where people want to live

L&Q Bexley Homes, part of the L&Q Group, was formed in 1998 after residents voted in favour of the transfer of 4,000 homes from Bexley Council.

Our promise
In 1998 we promised that within 5 years we would;
.  restrict rent increases and
.  improve the condition of the homes

We also promised to;
.  increase resident involvement and
.  continue giving residents their existing rights

We have kept our promises.

We were delighted with the improved levels of residents' satisfaction from the last residents' survey. This showed considerable improvement since 1999 with;
.  85% satisfied with their area, compared with 43% last time
.  80% satisfied with our repairs service, compared with 54% last time
.  83% satisfied with L&Q Homes as their landlord, compared with 56% last time

How we achieved improvement
It was clear, with only 53% of residents voting in favour of transfer, and the survey results in 1999, we had to prove ourselves. We achieved this by concentrating on meeting our promises and sharing the ideals of our partners in the Bexley Council to:
.  make Bexley a place where people choose to live and work
.  seek to improve the quality of life and build strong, sustainable, and cohesive communities
.  work together to make the best use of resources to promote individual wellbeing and development; a safe, secure and attractive environment; economic opportunities and prosperity for all residents.

We have contributed by:
.  arranging and funding activities for children
.  supporting anti-bullying campaigns
.  supervising youths on community service
.  providing an IT suite and training for residents
.  contributing to Age Concern Bexley and Victim Support Bexley to help them provide their services to residents
.  introducing a mediation service
.  entering into Acceptable Behaviour Orders and obtaining an Anti-Social Behaviour Order

We believe it is important to support those with difficulties in coping in the community and liaise with local providers to give support to those who need it. We do not believe that moving families is the answer. But, as a last resort, would evict residents unwilling to moderate their behaviour.

The future
We are keen to help provide more social housing to meet growing need. We also recognise the need for sustainability. With both in mind we are reviewing opportunities for improving our estates and at the same time looking at ways to increase the number of homes During the coming years, we will continue to work with Bexley Council to help meet housing need, improve our residents homes and environment and to introduce improvements to our service to residents generally.

David Gannicott, Director, L & Q Bexley Holmes