Metro Mayor visits new homes at Maghull, Sefton

MAYOR of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram, visited a major new housing development in Maghull last month to officially open the show homes.

Built by Countryside Partnerships, the UK's leading provider of affordable mixed-tenure housing, Eastbrook Village is providing a total of 408 new 2, 3 and 4 bedroom homes in Sefton.

The development will include 222 homes for open market sale by Countryside Homes, with 3 stunning new showhomes now available to visit. 133 homes will be for affordable rent managed by local housing provider, Livv Housing Group, and the remaining 53 homes will be for private rent with Gatehouse Investment Management.

The 1st few properties at Eastbrook Village officially completed last month, with the purchasers already settling into their new homes.

Just a 10 minute walk from Maghull Train Station and close to Crosby Beach, Eastbrook Village is set to become a major new community.

As part of the build programme, Countryside Partnerships is making environmental improvements to the local area including:- Whinny Brook, which will provide important habitats for toads and water voles, a protected species.

Additionally, Countryside Partnerships is making financial contributions in excess of £1.5m to improve local services including:- Schooling, highways, public transport and health, bringing much needed investment to the local area to accommodate the increase in homes.

As part of their social sustainability commitments, Countryside Partnerships is providing skills and training opportunities for the local community. A number of local T-Level students from Hugh Baird College will be invited to work on the development in a variety of trade roles to gain experience.

Commenting, Mayor Rotheram said:- "I want everyone in our area to have the opportunity to realise their home ownership ambitions. Because, for too long, achieving that dream has been out of reach for many of our residents who have been forced to contend with a broken housing market that simply doesn't work for them. Building new, sustainable homes will help so many local people to get their foot on the property ladder and invest in their future; and create quality jobs and training opportunities for local people along the way."

Gemma Hardy, Managing Director of Countryside Partnerships Merseyside and Cheshire West, added:- "As a partnerships developer, we pride ourselves on building successful communities that offer a range of housing choices for local people. At Eastbrook Village, we have fantastic homes for sale, for rent, and in affordable tenures, making it a place for everyone to enjoy. We're delighted the Metro Mayor visited us to learn more about the development and the work we're doing in the local area, and officially opening our new show homes."

New campaign urges landlords to tell tenants about their right to accept a smart meter

A national awareness campaign has launched to turbo boost the national smart meter rollout across the private rental sector, in readiness for what is going to be the hardest winter for millions of tenants. The UK's leading Smart+ Pay As You Go (PAYG) energy provider,  Utilita, recently publised research that showed 75% of households who prepay for their energy live in rented accommodation.

Following the findings the group have launched:- 'Smart Landlords, Smart Tenants,' a campaign that is designed to help landlords understand the basics about the latest smart meters, and the benefits they can deliver for them, along with the benefits for their tenants. These benefits include both:- life saving connectivity and remote financial assistance.

The awareness campaign has been informed by a focus group with some of Britain's savviest landlords, and anecdotal insights from Utilita customers who rent, as well as a survey of 500 landlords with 954 rental properties, and 1,000 tenants who are responsible for paying for energy.

The research revealed that the UK's smart meter proliferation is 23% greater in owner / occupier properties (68%), than where there is a tenant paying for energy (45%). Upon further investigation, the 2 main reasons became clear.

• Right to accept unclear:- Tenants who pay their own energy bills have a right to accept or request a smart meter. However, 35% of those in private rented properties aren't aware of this, and wrongly believe it is always a decision that only the landlord can make. As such, they have refused a smart meter installation.
   

• Slow supply:- 23% of tenants claim to be waiting for their supplier to install a smart meter, whilst 14% said they have not yet been offered 1 - despite suppliers being mandated to do so. A further 9% have a smart meter that is no longer working, so needs replacing by the supplier.

Campaign Ambassador, Paul Shamplina, is Founder of Landlord Action. He has more than 25 years' experience of reaching solutions that meet the needs of both landlords and tenants across the private rental sector. He comments:- "The latest smart meters are a welcome addition to every property, whether rented or owned. I must admit, I didn't know much about smart meters, and I was completely unaware of the role smart meters have as a safety net for households, especially those struggling to make ends meet, making this campaign very timely. I've worked with Utilita to create a video giving every landlord the facts they need to know about smart meters, and urging them to be proactive in notifying their tenants about their rights to accept a smart meter before the cold weather sets in."

Of those who don't have a working smart meter, 23% are still waiting for 1 to be fitted by their supplier and 14% haven't yet been offered the option to have 1; despite suppliers being mandated to do so.

Of those who are aware of the smart meter benefits, only 21% knew about the access to money saving schemes and only 27% realise they support the country's energy security efforts.

Need to know facts for landlords; smart meters; you can watch the video on YouTube.

These facts in short are as follows:-

• Suppliers are mandated to offer a smart meter in the UK. Energy suppliers are required to offer a free smart meter installation to every customer. Households with a smart meter say they save around £17 a month; more than £200 a year.
   

• Its the bill payer's tight to get 1 installed. Whoever pays the energy supplier is entitled to have a smart meter installed. However, the tenancy or lease agreement may restrict a tenant or leaseholder's ability to proceed with a smart meter installation. In such situations bill payers should speak with their landlord to discuss the benefits of having a smart meter installed.
   

• Faster switching. Smart meter technology and their networks have evolved, so switching suppliers is quicker and easier than it was previously.
   

• Choose how to pay! Once a smart meter is installed, the bill payer can switch between PAYG and credit payment modes where credit checks allow.
   

• PayG Energy Modernised. Smart meters have revolutionised the PAYG energy experience; top ups and much more can be done via the supplier's app. Financial assistance can be provided remotely. Old style prepay meters can leave households at risk of going without the energy they need. Smart meters are a safety net for PAYG households.

Utilita's Founder and CEO, Bill Bullen, comments on the timeliness of the campaign:- "With the affordability crisis continuing to bite and financial resilience at an all time low, millions more households will need financial assistance from their energy supplier this winter, and without a smart meter, that's very hard to do. In 2022 households without a smart meter missed out on £98 million in Energy Bill Support Scheme (EBSS) vouchers; that's £400 each, which would have been the difference between having the heating on or off during winter. Since 2021, the smart meter connectivity between Utilita and our customers has enabled us to provide access to £10 million of energy that our households couldn't afford at the time; without a smart meter, these households would have gone without. Our Smart Landlords, Smart Tenants campaign is calling for landlords and letting agents to be proactive in letting tenants know they can accept or request a smart meter from their supplier; this can be a simple text message, which takes a few seconds, but could make all the difference."

Landlords and Tenants can join the conversation on Utilita's dedicated online community at:- Community.Utilita.Co.UK.

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