You can listen to the email by clicking below.

You can read the email by clicking here.

You can listen to the email by clicking here:

You can read the email here.

You can listen to the tenant email by clicking below.

You can read the tenant email here.

You can listen to the January email by clicking here

You can read the January email by clicking here.

You can listen to the December email by clicking here

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.