Posted on 30 April 2024
Councillor Stuart Collins recently welcomed Daniel Duncan-Whyte (pictured left with Andrew Venner our caretaker) as Hyde’s new Neighbourhood Officer at a resident meeting at Gary Court in Croydon.
Cllr Collins said: “Welcome Daniel. This is such a refreshing change. You seem very proactive and that’s just what your residents here at Gary Court need.”
Daniel, a South London local himself, started as the Neighbourhood Officer at Gary Court in January, following the launch of our new Neighbourhoods and Specialist Service.
Since he started managing the Croydon tower block, Daniel has resolved several long-standing concerns, ensuring resident and building safety. Daniel is committed to being Hyde’s eyes and ears on the ground and assured residents that they’ll see him on site regularly. Through improved IT functions, Daniel can action orders right from site, providing residents with immediate updates.
Gary Court resident, Mr Smith*, said: “We welcome Daniel in this new role. He seems proactive and is a positive change to Gary Court. We’re looking forward to working with him on a regular basis.”
Daniel works closely with our contractors, coordinating repairs at Gary Court. During a recent repair of an entry door, an Engineer from Alphatrack commented: “Daniel is the best! He gets the job done.”
Getting closer to our residents
In January we launched our new Neighbourhoods and Specialist Housing Service, changing the way we manage homes, schemes and neighbourhoods to improve services to our customers.
The average number of homes in our new neighbourhoods is around 750 - that's more than a third lower than before we introduced this new way of working, helping us to be closer to customers and communities.
Our 55 new neighbourhoods (previously 37 patches) are aligned with council wards and managed by a dedicated Neighbourhood Officer.
Neighbourhood Officers
We’ve introduced the neighbourhood officer role, which replaces the property manager role. Neighbourhood officers work in and around our neighbourhoods and look after the communal areas within our buildings, schemes and estates. They complete estate inspections and health and safety compliance checks. Neighbourhood Officers are residents’ point of contact for cleaning and grounds maintenance, building decorations, repairs and ASB. They are champions for the neighbourhoods they manage.
This new service will improve our services to customers, and bring us closer to the communities we serve.