Housing revenue account business plan

We will support strong, healthy, and socially sustainable communities by working with customers and local partners to bring people together, reduce social isolation, increase resilience, and support all individuals within the community who need it. This will be enabled through improvement initiatives and joint community priorities, delivered through shared community investment plans with CBH which will improve customer and community outcomes.

• Provide cost of living support and life opportunities for customers
• Support strong and socially sustainable communities
• Ensure existing communities benefit from the economic opportunities generated by the Golden Valley development
• Work with CBH to make Cheltenham carbon net zero by 2030

Measures of success

• Delivered 1% of social value from open HRA procurement activities
• Helped over 500 customers into employment and training
• Generated £8m income on behalf of customers supported with benefit & money advice
• Utilise funding opportunities available to CBH to expand community resource base

Provide cost of living support and life opportunities for customers

• Explore external funding opportunities to review and grow the training and employment service offer with a focus on tailoring services to meet individual communities’ needs’ by engaging with residents and local businesses, for example with schools and Gloucestershire College to explore net zero retrofit collaborations.
• Develop the benefit & money advice service and link with other advice services in Cheltenham to increase support available for our most vulnerable customers and residents across our town through awareness raising sessions delivered with local partners and schools.
• Explore and invest in opportunities for further support for customers during the cost-of-living crisis and work with partners to deliver a collaborative approach for customers and residents.

Support strong and socially sustainable communities

• Continue to build trust and resolve anti-social behaviour and crime issues through collaborative and proactive working between our neighbourhood teams, CBH ASB team, with customers and other key partners such as the Police.
• Grow support for the most vulnerable customers and deliver more initiatives such as; Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Housing First and health related opportunities and support for refugees.
• Expand support for customers to work closely with each other and partners, to take ownership of their communities and create more sustainable neighbourhood led groups.
• Enhance targeted youth provision, using data and insight into our neighbourhoods to provide the right support at the right time.
• Develop shared community investment plans in partnership with CBH, focusing on social isolation, financial hardship, young people via No Child Left Behind, mental health and wellbeing via Heads Up, women and girls feel safe and respected, and collaborate in support of a sustainable community facility for St Peters & the Moors.
• Deliver and embed social value into new and existing communities through investment and procurement activities.

Ensure existing communities benefit from the economic opportunities generated by the Golden Valley development

• Employ a shared engagement worker that will build relationships between local residents, community groups and cyber-tech businesses.
• Work with partners including schools and colleges to build excitement and enthusiasm within the local community and create awareness of future opportunities.
• Ensure that the local community has opportunities to influence the shape of Golden Valley plans through effective and accessible engagement.

Work with CBH to help make Cheltenham net zero

• Support communities to become more environmentally conscious by working with partners through, for example, neighbourhood works programmes to deliver improved waste reduction and recycling.
• Manage communal spaces to increase biodiversity gain through projects.