You can listen to the December email by clicking here (not yet available)

You can read the December email by clicking here.

Do you live in Belle Isle?

Could you spare some time?

Do you want to help make a difference to services and the community?

Could you be a BITMO Board Member?

What is Belle Isle Tenant Management Organisation (BITMO)?

BITMO is a tenant-controlled organisation that has been responsible for managing Leeds City Council’s housing and estate management services in the Belle Isle neighbourhood of Leeds since 2004.  Services are delivered through a Management Agreement under the ‘Right to Manage Regulations’. BITMO manages the following services for the Belle Isle Estate (about 1,830 Council properties).

Repairs, planned investment, caretaking, lettings, dealing with anti-social behaviour, support to vulnerable tenants, Retirement Life (housing for older tenants), rent collection and tenancy changes and community development.

BITMO is an independent organisation whose Board of management has a permanent majority of local tenants and is elected by local tenants (who are its Shareholders) on an annual basis.

What are BITMO Board members responsible for and what do they do?

The BITMO Board sets the strategy, direction and policies for;

•            Letting empty houses

•            Repairs and maintenance

•            Rent arrears

•            Tenancy management

•            The GATE community activities and development

•            Maintaining the estate.

Board members do not run these services directly, instead there is a team of staff who report to the Board and run things on a day to day basis.

Board members attend about six Board meetings per year. These meetings are held in the BITMO offices on the estate.

 The Board has a Chairperson who is elected every year and manages Board meetings.  BITMO has two Vice Chairs who support the Chair.

Amongst other things Board members decide and discuss the following;

•            How the organisation spends its money

•            Priorities for the estate – including managing improvement work and contracts to homes and the estate

•            How the organisation is performing and how things can be best delivered – for example whether repairs are being done quickly enough and on time.

BITMO provides training to Board members.

Who can become a BITMO Board member and how does it happen?

BITMO has two types of Board members – Tenant Board members and Co-optees.

To become a tenant Board member you must be;

•            Over the age of 18

•            A Council Tenant in the BITMO area

•            A Shareholder of BITMO (with a simple sign-up procedure and no cost)

•            Elected at the Annual General Meeting

To become a co-opted Board member you must be elected by the Board itself.

Where can you get more information?

Please contact Karen Hoole on 0113 378 2182 or complete the form below and we can arrange for you to receive more information or to arrange a discussion with the Chair of the Board or the Chief Executive Officer.

Name *

First

Last

First line of your address *

Are you a BITMO tenant*?

• Yes
• No

*Leeds City Council tenant in the BITMO area

Can we contact you by phone?

Please give a phone number we can contact you on

Would you prefer to be contacted by email?

Email

Confirm Email

Submit

Click here to read the email sent to Belle Isle tenants in November 2024.

We want to provide different ways for tenants to have their say. You telling BITMO what is important to you is fundamental to successful tenant management. Please complete this short survey below:

Do you want to be asked your opinion by *

• Coming to a meeting at BITMO’s GATE
• Joining a focus group that meets “virtually” online
• Filling in online surveys
• A phone call from BITMO
• Going to a local meeting for your area

You can choose as many of these options as you like

What other ways could you give BITMO your opinions?

Name *

First

Last

First line of your address *

Email

Email

Confirm Email

Please give your email address if BITMO can contact you further about our consultation policy

Phone number

Please give your phone number of BITMO can contact you by phone or text about our consultation policy

Submit

Click the link below to listen to the email sent to Belle Isle tenants in October 2024.

Click here to read the email sent to Belle Isle tenants in October 2024.

by BITMO Financial Inclusion Officer Michelle Pearson

British Gas

British Gas are able to install smart meters or pre-payment meters to assist with managing your energy bills. Vulnerable customers are advised to register their details on the Priority Services Register. Customers can also apply for the fuel direct scheme where  energy debts are deducted directly from the customers’ benefits. If you are struggling to keep up with current payments British Gas can be contacted on 0800 294 8604 or go to their website.

British Gas also manage the British Gas energy trust. This is a grant giving organisation intended to help customers reduce or clear their energy debts. You do not have to be a customer of British Gas to be eligible to apply for this scheme. Follow this link to apply online.

Eon

Eon are also able to offer free installation of smart meters and pre-payment meters to assist customers in keeping track of their energy usage. Eon have partnered with Paylink to assist customers who are struggling to afford their current energy bills.  Eon also has their own grant giving scheme called Eon Next energy fund which gives grants to clear customers current energy debts. You need to be a customer of Eon to be eligible for this scheme. You can apply for the scheme by contacting them on 0808 501 5088 or go to their website.

Eon ran a scheme over winter 2023-2024 for vulnerable customers who were struggling with energy bills. We are still awaiting details of the scheme for winter 2024-2025.

OVO

  OVO have a dedicated team who can support customers in debt with setting up repayment plans. They can also offer installation of prepayment meters and smart meters to assist with tracking your energy usage. They also offer the fuel direct scheme for customers who would prefer to have their energy costs deducted directly from their benefits. The team can be contacted on 0330 303 5063/ 0330 175 9669 or go to their website.

Utilita

 Utilita have an Extra Care Team who are able to provide advice and support to utilita customers who are struggling with their energy bills. They can also provide top ups in certain situations. The POWER UP scheme allows pre-payment meter customers to top up their meters (£60 maximum on gas and £40 maximum on electric) when they don’t have the funds available. This is then repaid over an agreed period. They can be contacted on 0330 053 5669 or go to their website.

Yorkshire Water

Yorkshire water have several schemes available to assist customers who are either struggling to pay their current bill or are already in debt. Customers can also now request a water meter free of charge which can be removed again within 2 years if the customer doesn’t find this to be a cheaper option for them. It is advisable to contact Yorkshire water to discuss the best scheme to apply for as some schemes cannot be run in conjunction with each other. The contact number is 0345 122 299 or go to their website.

by BITMO Chief Executive, Deborah Kelly

We were delighted to be able to announce at the BITMO Annual General Meeting last week that tenants have voted in favour of BITMO continuing to manage the Belle Isle estate for a further five years. As you know tenants are asked every five years whether they support Tenant Management, and this is the fourth time that Belle Isle tenants have overwhelmingly supported continuation.  Being tenant- led means that BITMO tenants continue to benefit from everything that BITMO provides that is unique in Leeds.  There is no other estate in Leeds that has a housing office that is open five days a week, a tenant-run community centre open five days a week and one Saturday a month,  which provides free activities for children in the school holidays, a community café and a whole range of support for people who need it, not to mention our caretaker service. No other estate in Leeds has a dedicated team of caretakers to look after the estate, do minor repairs, and help people out when they need it.

BITMO’s Board is made up of some people who have been involved with BITMO from the beginning, and there are some new members who want to make a difference in the community they live in.  We believe that tenant control leads to better decisions for the people who live here, better services, and a more vibrant community that benefits everyone.

We have lots of challenges ahead but with our tenant-led board, the tenant volunteers and our dedicated staff team, we will continue to deliver our plan built around a safer, stronger, greener Belle Isle. Tenant management is going from strength to strength in meeting the needs of the people who live in Belle Isle. We are all very proud of what we are achieving and delivering on your behalf, and grateful to you for putting your faith in us for a further five years.

We know we have still got a lot of work to do to and over the next three months our staff will be working with the Board and tenant shareholders to develop a renewed vision and plan for the work we do. We want to do more to improve the appearance of the estate, and to help people who are in hardship. We want to continue to help the people who live here to thrive and achieve their goals. We want to increase the voice of Belle Isle tenants in everything that we do.

Tenant management only works because tenants like you get involved. If you would like to be more involved and make a difference the community, we would love to hear from you.  There are so many opportunities to be involved, from volunteering in the GATE or our community garden, or our community orchard, to joining a service improvement workshop, or becoming a board member yourself. If you want to talk about how you can play more of a part in the success story of BITMO we would love to hear from you. Please contact Peter, Jo and Tracey in the BITMO Community Development Team on 07891 270094 or 0113 378 2190 or gate@belleisletmo.co.uk

Click here to read the email sent to Belle Isle tenants in September 2024.

You can listen to BITMO News for Belle Isle Tenants here

You can read the news here.

 Paul Truswell has been a member of the BITMO Board since 2014.  He came to Leeds almost exactly 50 years ago. During that time, he served as a Councillor for 26 years, a Member of Parliament for 13 years and worked as a journalist and social services manager.

Tell us about your background.

You could say that council housing is in my DNA.  I was brought up on a very large Sheffield council estate by low paid parents.  My mum was a laundrette attendant (think of a Yorkshire version of Eastenders’ Dot Cotton).  My dad was a steel foundryman.  They and my brother moved into that newly built council house in 1949 and a Truswell remained a tenant for the next 72 years. 

I cannot imagine what life would have been like for our family without the security of having a decent and affordable roof over our heads. That background has made supporting council housing and tenants one of my greatest political passions.

What are the challenges facing people in this area?

We know people in Belle Isle face huge inequalities in terms of factors like health, housing, income, illness, disability, and education. 

The recent talk about a cost of living crisis ignores the fact that many local people have had to contend with those pressures for years. These have obviously grown much worse in recent times, partly as a result of higher bills for things like fuel and food, but also cuts in Council, police and NHS services.  In partnership with other services BITMO is playing a key role in supporting residents.

How did you get involved with BITMO?

I became a Councillor for Middleton Park Ward in 2012 and a Council nominee to the BITMO Board in 2014.  When I stood down as a Councillor last year I was asked if I would consider being co-opted onto the BITMO Board.  Given my passion for promoting council housing and supporting tenants, I agreed.

What are the benefits of tenant management?

When the Council carries out its tenant satisfaction surveys, BITMO generally comes in the top two or three housing management areas.  That can’t be a coincidence.  Having a team of officers overseen by a Board largely comprised of tenants brings a dimension to managing the estate that doesn’t exist elsewhere.  The highly valued caretaker service is a prime example of how the Board reflects tenants’ priorities.

Board members have a huge responsibility.  Tenant management can only work effectively if there are committed people who are prepared to volunteer, to get to grips with the detail and the issues facing BITMO and its tenants, and to challenge its paid officers constructively where necessary.  In my 10 years on the Board there have been some real stalwarts who have been very effective at doing that. 

What would you say are BITMO’s achievements?

Managing, repairing and improving properties is obviously BITMO’s prime purpose. This includes setting and monitoring budgets, coping with increasing funding pressures, holding contractors to account and dealing with complaints.

But the BITMO Board strives to go well beyond a basic tenant/landlord relationship.  It provides a very wide range of services and activities at the GATE and in the community that support the needs and wellbeing of residents – often in partnership with other public services and third sector organisations.  That includes providing support like affordable meals, training, benefits advice, activities and tutoring for young people, access to computers and digital skills, local environmental and social projects, and enhancing green spaces like the Circus… to list just a few of BITMO’s many tenant-centred initiatives.

What do you see as BITMO’s future if tenants vote to continue with a TMO?

There’s no rocket science involved.  To maintain the trust of tenants BITMO needs to build on its strengths, such as the sort of initiatives listed above.  It equally has to recognise those aspects of its activities that need improving through listening closely to tenants and responding to their needs. As an organisation led by tenants it is well placed to respond to those challenges.