Broadland News Spring 201211Best in BroadlandAGMCarpentry&ConstructionWe are a local company and can undertake all your carpentry and construction requirements.l Extensions, alterations & roofs.l Kitchens & bedrooms supplied & fitted.l We specialise in UPVC fascia, soffit & gutter replacement."We guarantee to beat any genuine quote from a national company - on 'price and quality'. Free survey quotations"(01603) 419901 Mobile 07954 786397*Best in BroadlandCelebrating Broadland's CommunitiesWhat's so special about Broadland? The things that make Broadland special are probably not things at all; they are the people and places that contribute to the quality of life in Broadland's communities. The quality of life in Broadland has been recognised twice at the International awards for Liveable Communities, Livcom; both times the Broadland District won a Gold Award. These awards are a tribute to our residents, town and parish councils, youth and community groups and voluntary organisations, who all play a role and work hard to make their area a better place to live, work and visit. Now Broadland District Council wants to recognise local effort and endeavour towards making Broadland a great place and we are delighted to introduce the Best in Broadland Awards. Best in Broadland recognises communities who come together to improve and enhance where they live. We also recognise that sometimes just maintaining an area is a labour of love and takes a lot of effort. Best in Broadland is a competition that is open to all broad-based community groups who represent all sections of the community, such as town or parish councils. Best in Broadland is open to all Broadland communities, large and small, rural or urban. Parishes will be judged in categories from the largest with populations of over 5,000 people, to the smallest with populations fewer than 200.How to EnterEntry is free. You can download an entry form from www.broadland.gov.uk/bestinbroadlandor collect a form from our Reception at the Council's Offices at Thorpe Lodge, 1 Yarmouth Road, Norwich, NR7 0DU.The AwardsEach winning Community will be presented with a wall plaque for permanent display and a trophy, which will be handed on to the following year's winner. Winners will feature in Broadland News - so this really is a great opportunity to celebrate all that's good in your community. If you would like to contact your local parish council, their contact details are published on Broadland District Council's website: www.broadland.gov.uk To talk to someone at Broadland District Council about your award or whether your community group or project would be eligible to enter please contact Susan Flack, Community Engagement Coordinator, e-mail: susan.flack@broadland.gov.uk or telephone (01603) 430594.Susan says: "All our communities have their positive features and attributes. Yours may not be the prettiest village in Broadland, but it might be the most caring. Your community may be especially good at looking after its older members. Perhaps you have a community project which is thriving or a body of volunteers willing to turn their hands to whatever needs to be done. So as the spring approaches, give some thought to what you like about the place where you live. Go out and take photos and talk to your friends and neighbours about what makes your place special. Then consider entering your community for Best in Broadland - it's a chance to celebrate and reinforce those special features and to recognise and thank the volunteers who make things happen."improve & enhance

12Broadland FocusBroadland District Council's New Housing Options Scheme ready for April 2012 launchA review of Broadland District Council's Housing Service has led to a completely new service designed around customers' needs.The new service called Housing Options will be launched in April 2012 although the Council has been trialling the scheme with some customers in recent months.The new Housing Options service is based around a commitment to understand the individual customer's housing problem and to help them to solve it.The new Housing Options service was designed in response to customers' changing needs. The number of people who presented to the Council as homeless increased by 113% in 2011 and people increasingly need help with a wide range of problems such as debt or mortgage arrears, divorce, separation and family breakdown, fleeing from domestic violence, bereavement and change of circumstances, such as losing a job. A Systems Thinking Review of the service showed that the Home Options Scheme, which the Council was operating with partner organisations and neighbouring authorities was not helping those in greatest housing need in the district. A customer in the Gold Band could remain on the housing register for up to 6 years and the system was not able to deal with the more complex issues that people had around their housing need."Officers were spending a lot of time administering the Home Options scheme" explained Broadland District Council's Housing Manager Leigh Booth, "but a review quickly showed that if we were to meet our aim of understanding individual housing problems and helping people to solve those problems then we needed to spend more time dealing with customers in person and by phone and a lot less time collating lists and filling in forms.""Under the new Housing Options scheme we can focus on helping people to solve their housing problems, we can help to access homes to rent in the private sector, we can help with rent deposits, we can provide advice on debt and mortgage arrears and we can help those in greatest housing need to access the social housing sector more quickly than we have been able to in the past. We are confident that the new Housing Options scheme is more efficient and more effective at getting people with the greatest need into housing that meets their needs."The Council has given notice that we will leave the Home Options scheme from 31st March 2012 and we have already started writing to people on Broadland District Council's Housing Register to tell them about the new service that will operate in future.Housing Options (01603) 430641"focus on helping people to solve their housing problemsBroadland District Council is inviting its residents and community groups to take part in a competition to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. The competition aims to create colourful plantings and floral displays to mark Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee. The competition is open to all Broadland residents and community groups. The competition will have two main categories:. Planted Displays . Floral DisplaysWithin each category there will be 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes for the best individual display by an adult. 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes for the best individual display by a child/young person aged under 16 years.And 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes for the best display by a community group.To enter the competition Create your floral display or planting, so that it looks its very best during the Queen's Jubilee weekend from 2nd - 5th of June. Take a photograph of your planted display or floral display during the Queen's Jubilee Weekend.Go to our website: www.broadland.gov/Queensjubileeand follow the link to "Queen's Jubilee competition" where you will be able to upload your photo and fill in an entry form online. We regret that we cannot accept printed photographs for this competition. Closing date for the competition is Saturday 30th June.Judging will take place in July.An invitation to Broadland residents & community groupsCelebration of flowers competition