Value for money

How do we provide Value for Money?

Providing Value for Money is something we have always tried to do as an organisation. In these difficult financial times, it is even more important that we provide services in a cost effective way, whilst maintaining high standards.

Value for Money does not just mean saving money. It is also about doing things in a more efficient way or getting more for your money. Value for Money also means providing services that tenants have prioritised and told us are important to them, so we are sure that we are spending money in the right places.

More than ever, we are scrutinising our spending and looking at ways of providing services that are Value for Money.

For example, we constantly review the type of materials we use on the Decent Homes programme. Following consultation with tenants, we changed the type of tap used to one they preferred. This resulted in a saving of £532,000.

Here are a few more examples of how we are providing Value for Money:

• In the South West of Sheffield we have been trialling a new type of treatment that makes graffiti easier to remove. Although it is more expensive, the costs are offset by a reduction in staff time to clean up the graffiti and the result is a better service to tenants. The traditional method of graffiti removal costs an estimated £520 per clean up. The new treatment costs £700, but any follow-up graffiti removals on the treated area are just £20. This provides better value for money in areas that suffer from repeated graffiti. It is also environmentally friendly and follow-up cleans are quick, safe and effective
• We have actively encouraged tenants to pay their rent by Direct Debit, with just under 15% of customers now doing so. This is by far the most cost effective way to collect rent payments, with each payment costing us less than 0.01p rather than the 39p per payment for customers using payment cards
• We have recently developed a new sign-up pack to welcome tenants to their new home. They told us they would like something bigger where they could also store other documents relating to their tenancy. So we developed a brand new folder, which at around 50p each, creates a saving of around £3,500 a year
• We are looking to develop a travel plan that will help staff to improve the efficiency of their car travel and encourage them to use public transport. In the first year we expect to save around £12,500, with a net reduction of 5% in annual £250,000 business mileage costs
• We have launched a switch it off campaign in our offices to encourage staff to turn things off when not in use, especially lighting and IT equipment. This financial year we aim to reduce energy costs by 5%, which will result in an estimated annual saving of £5,000
• Including a Personal Information Collection form in the annual rent statement rather than posting it out separately saved around £15,000

If you have any ideas or suggestions around how we can provide services in a more cost effective or efficient way, please email us at enquiries@sheffieldhomes.org.uk.