Annual Report 2021-22
Welcome from our Chief Executive
As we look back on 2021-2022, we can reflect on our achievements in what has been another challenging year for so many people.
Although Covid-19 still dominated, we continued to deliver our services safely to customers and in ways to meet their needs.
This year’s annual report is about our performance against the priorities set out in our Strategic Delivery Plan 2020-22 and we’re proud of what we have delivered.
We have continued to build much needed new homes – 84 this year, from one and two bedroom apartments to two, three and four bedroom homes which help meet local demand.
Creating thriving communities is important to us, and over the past twelve months our teams have shown how they care and worked hard to offer assistance and support to customers on a range of matters - from paying rent; managing finances; and accessing affordable food; to securing jobs, training and volunteering opportunities; and living well in their homes. This has been against a backdrop of the ongoing effects of the pandemic, rising energy prices, increasing food costs and other changes such as the end of the £20 Universal Credit uplift, which we know have been challenging for many.
We have also strengthened links with community partners and developed new ways to help make neighbourhoods even better places to live. We have made sustainability a focus as we tackle climate change in our homes and neighbourhoods, working towards net zero carbon targets and making a bigger difference to our customers and Oldham, now and in the future.
Continually improving customers’ homes and making sure they are safe places to live is a priority. To deliver excellent landlord services, this year we have invested £16m in improving existing homes, carried out more than 28,000 repairs and maintained 100% compliance across gas, electrical and fire safety requirements to keep customers safe in their homes.
Read more about these and all our other achievements in this year’s annual report.
We know the best way to drive improvements is to listen to our customers and they really are at the heart of what we do. We have learned from the times when we haven’t got things right and this year our Customer Voice Panel (CVP) has gone from strength to strength too, sharing their views and influencing our services to make them better for all FCHO customers and local communities.
Looking ahead, our Big Plan 2022-2025 will guide us through the next few years, providing our route map to achieve great services, great homes, great neighbourhoods and being a great company.
As always, we want to hear feedback from our customers and stakeholders – so if you have any comments about this annual report we’d love to hear from you.
Email communications@fcho.co.uk.
Best wishes,
Donna Cezair, Chief Executive
Welcome from our Customer Voice Panel
Listening to our customers’ views is very important to us and our Customer Voice Panel (CVP) has been set up to give a real voice to those who live in our homes.
This year feedback from our CVP members has continued to make a difference to the way we deliver our services and drive improvements for our customers.
Here’s what one CVP member has to say…
“I joined the CVP in October after being an FCHO customer for three years. I wanted to get involved to shape services and help make them better for everyone who lives in an FCHO home.
“Through a mixture of online and face-to-face meetings, I’ve joined other customers to review strategies, policies and service standards, and I’ve been part of focus groups and consultations, and have even been along to a Board meeting too. There are 86 CVP members who get involved in a wide variety of topics, and we’ve shared our views on everything from grounds maintenance and caretaking, to gas safety, sustainability, equality, diversity and inclusion and more.
“I feel that our input is valued and have seen the difference we can make – like improving the standards that customers can expect when they move into an FCHO home. We’ve worked with the Property Care Voids team and had direct input into shaping FCHO’s policy. The project shows a real commitment from FCHO to listen to their customers to provide the best accommodation they can, and I’m pleased to be playing my part.”
Lee Bolton, CVP member