News

  As information and advice regarding coronavirus continues to change frequently, we have taken the decision to reduce the amount of face to face contact between employees and tenants to minimise the risk of spreading the virus. We want to make sure that tenants and employees are kept safe and well so we have put a number of measures in place to minimise the risk of exposure to the virus for you and our employees. With regards to the services you can expect from us, we will continue to support tenants and visit homes to carry out repairs where it is safe to do so. If we do need to postpone a visit, we will contact you to let you know. These steps are necessary to reduce the impact on WDH, reduce the spread of the virus and ensure that you receive the services and support you need. From Wednesday 18 March 2020, we will close our receptions, service access points and Hubs across the district. If you need to speak to us, please call us on 0345 8 507 507 or send your enquiry through our online forms. If you are displaying symptoms of the coronavirus, or you have been advised to self-isolate, please let us know if you have an appointment with us, have reported a repair or are expecting a visit from us. Please use the following links for the latest information on the virus: NHS 111 Public Health England We will continue to monitor the situation and will update this page if the situation changes.  

Young achievers and community heroes in the Wakefield district who make a positive difference to our communities will be celebrated in our ninth annual Love Where You Live awards. You are invited to nominate people for the hard work they put in to make the Wakefield district a better place to live. This year the contest will feature eight categories, with each of the shortlisted finalists in with the chance of winning a prize of £200, £100 or £50 thanks to our sponsors Sodexo. Following feedback from last year’s awards, in 2020 we see the return of our working with young people category, which celebrates the work of individuals and groups across the district working with young people to help them reach their potential and make a difference. Our Best Garden award is now open to groups as well as individuals, so if you know of any community gardens make sure to nominate them! Last year, the awards were completely digital and we received over 70 nominations and over 13,000 votes for our finalists! WDH Chief Executive, Andy Wallhead said: “Our Love Where You Live Awards are a community-wide celebration of people who make this a district to be proud of and they become more successful every year. It is important that we celebrate the hard work and dedication that these people put into making their neighbourhoods friendlier, safer and even more enjoyable places to be. You can nominate yourself or anyone you think deserves recognition for their efforts.” To nominate a person or a group for a Love Where You Live award, please complete the form on our dedicated website. If you need help to complete your nomination form please call 0345 8 507 507 and one of our Digital Angels can arrange to meet you and help or visit your nearest Service Access Point and one of our employees will help you. You really can make a difference. So get online and nominate for your community heroes. Nominations close 7 August 2020.    

As the number of people testing positive for coronavirus continues to rise, it is essential that if you are contacting us to arrange a visit or a repair, you tell us if you have been advised to self-isolate. We are taking a number of precautions to reduce the risk of spreading the virus and protecting our tenants and our employees and we need to ensure that we are equipped if we need to visit your home in the event of an emergency. If you are self-isolating, please understand that we will not visit your home during the period of isolation unless it is an emergency. This is to prevent the risk of spreading the virus to other, vulnerable tenants across the district. We want to make sure that tenants feel safe and well in their homes so we have put a number of measures in place to minimise the risk of exposure to the virus for you and our employees. For tenants who are not self-isolating, before visiting or entering your home, our employees will ask some short questions to check you aren’t at risk of the virus.  You will be asked: Are you self-isolating? Do you have a fever or symptoms of breathing illness? Have you been in contact with someone who is self-isolating or with a confirmed case of covid-19 (coronavirus)?  These are not intended to be intrusive but, again will prevent the risk of spreading the virus to other, vulnerable tenants. At this stage, we are continuing to carry out services as normal where tenants are not self-isolating or testing positive for the virus. Anyone who has any concerns about coronavirus should contact 111 and notify us if they are advised to self-isolate.

We are aware that recently a high number of phone calls have been made to WDH tenants ‘offering’ loft insulation.

There are 52 weeks in a normal year, meaning you will pay weekly charges for 48 of these (52 less the four ‘rent free weeks’). However, every five to six years, there are 53 Mondays in a year and 2019/20 is one of those years.  This means that you will pay rent on 49 weeks instead of the usual 48 weeks.  Please note that this has nothing to do with 2020 being a Leap Year. If you need help understanding your rent statement please visit the tenant area of the website where you will find a useful video and guide.

From the 31 March 2020, Wakefield Council will no longer pay a contribution towards the cost of support that tenants living in WDH Independent Living Schemes receive in Extra Care Independent Living Schemes or from a Community Support Worker. We are still able to provide the same level of support to our tenants, however the Housing Related Support Subsidy that Wakefield Council contribute towards their support, will no longer available. You will receive your annual rent information card from 6 April 2020 and this will show you the total you now need to pay for the service. If you are affected by this you can discuss the level of support you currently receive with your Community Support Worker or Extra Care Scheme Manager, who can advise you further and look at options to suit you. Our Cash Wise Team can help if you feel that you need financial support as a result of this change, please visit www.getcashwise.co.uk for more information. If you are worried about being able to afford the additional cost or how this could impact on your ability to remain independent you can contact Social Care Direct and request a Care Needs Assessment.                                                                                                                                                               

This year, we are offering taster sessions at Trident Park, Normanton to show what a career in construction involves.

In line with the severe weather warning, both the OneCall team and the Landscape Team have already put additional resources in place, both in our Contact Centre and Technical Services team.

We have been supporting National Apprenticeship Week with our ‘Break the Mould’ campaign which aims to attract nine new apprentices to the business and show women that they can have a career in the trades.

Six new apprentices, aged between 16 and 19, started their journey with us in 2019. We appointed: • three Apprentice Gas Engineers; • two Apprentice Joiners; and • one Apprentice Bricklayer.