Castleford Spring into Summer event

We were happy to deliver some pots of Spring joy to customers in Castleford at our Spring into Summer event. 

Every home in the Ings View Bungalows independent living scheme received a free potted plant, originally planted by children during the February half-term Family Fun Day, sponsored by Vico Homes. The event gave our customers the chance to enjoy free hot drinks and cakes and speak to their local team. 

We were joined by volunteers from Friends of the Hut and members of the Castleford Tigers squad to help us bring the joys of the season to the doorstep of our homes. Friends of The Hut, a community support group linked to The Hut Youth and Community Centre, focuses on youth provision but also supports wider community activity. 

Claire Secker, Tenant Involvement Officer, said: “This was a really positive partnership event, with everyone involved focused on supporting the community. Everyone loved the plants grown by the children and it was good to see people spending time outside together. 

“One lady told us she’d had a wonderful day just sitting in the sun and chatting, and that it had done her the world of good.” 

Callum from Friends of The Hut said: “This was our first outreach event as a group. We’re keen to show people what we do, get more people involved and work in partnership to support our communities.” 

Alongside the spring fun, colleagues, partners and customers also took part in a litter pick around the area, with one young resident collecting five bags of litter and later being given his own litter picker to continue helping locally.

Lupset Litter Pick 

In January we carried out an estate walk and audit on the Lupset Estate with one of your elected representatives.

As a result of this walk and audit, we decided to conduct a litter pick to improve the local environment. We returned in March and, with the help of our Environmental Team, we removed 12 bin bags and four industrial sized bags of rubbish from the area.

Your voice matters. By getting involved you can help us make better decisions, improve what we do and create services which work for everyone.

If you'd like to give us feedback about this activity or find out more about how to get involved, email [email protected] or call 0345 8 507 507 and ask for the Resident Involvement Team.

Day of Action at Brooklands Crescent

After hearing customer concerns raised at a recent Police and Communities Together (PACT) meeting, we visited Brooklands Crescent for a Day of Action and Street PACT.

We were pleased how many people came to speak to us! Our Environmental Team were busy on-site removing items of bulky waste agreed with residents. We were also supported by Aico, one of our suppliers who litter picked the area.

In total, we visited approximately 101 homes with colleagues from the police. This included our tenants, owner occupiers, and private tenants. We spoke with 31 residents who told us about local issues. Where there was no one home, we left a questionnaire to give everyone a chance to have their say.

We heard about a range of concerns that confirmed some of the comments made at the PACT meeting, including:

• Drug dealing
• Drug use
• General anti-social behaviour and noise issues
• Speeding 
• Parking problems

Thank you to the residents who took the time to speak with us. It was good to chat so you had a chance to tell us about any issues, we could better understand and provide reassurance or support where needed. Finding out more from customers helps us make improvements.

In the future, we'll continue to work with partners to tackle antisocial behaviour and we'll look into whether it's possible to improve the community with better parking options.

Queensway Day of Action

In January 2026, we held a Day of Action on Queensway in partnership with Wakefield Council.

Together, we removed over two tonnes of litter and bulky waste from the estate. Our grounds maintenance partner, Tivoli, also cleared some self-set trees to help improve the overall appearance and environmental quality of the area.

As part of the day, we visited homes with Councillor Wilton and Councillor Medford to hear your views and share more information about the support we offer. Customers told us they’re mostly satisfied with the area, but some issues were raised about boundary fencing, dog fouling and fly-tipping, and we’re already taking action to improve.

We’re installing new boundary fencing around an open-plan area on the estate, and we’re exploring further improvements to address the concerns. We’ve also reported issues around dog fouling to Wakefield Council, and we’ll keep monitoring the area for fly-tipping so we can act quickly.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to speak with us, and to all our partners who helped make the day a success.

How you shaped our damp, mould and condensation (DMC) procedure:

We consulted 50 customers through focus groups, interviews, surveys and looking at the journey a customer goes through from reporting DMC to us to having the issue resolved. This feedback was then used in every part of our new procedure to make sure we’re empathetic, accessible and focus on our customers when handling DMC cases.

This procedure was also influenced by general guidance from the Housing Ombudsman and learning from our own complaints. These helped us see any repeated problems so we could make improvements.

You said:

• You wanted more ways to report DMC, other than calling or filling in the form in your online account.
• You wanted your health and household circumstances to be considered when prioritising cases.
• You want clear timeframes, named contacts and regular updates.
• You value respectful and knowledgeable surveyors.
• You want the option of temporary accommodation to be provided in severe cases.
• You want us to follow up with you after works have been done with 89% of respondents to our DMC satisfaction survey in 2024 saying they felt their issue was unresolved.
• There are barriers for those with disabilities or language needs.
• You want less formal and more supportive language.
• You need clarity on your rights. 

We did: 

• You can now report DMC to us by visiting our Pontefract or Wakefield Hubs, in person when you see a Vico Homes colleague or through an online form on our website.
• The way we prioritise DMC cases now includes information about a households’ circumstances so the most vulnerable are supported sooner. We also redesigned the questionnaire we go through with customers when reporting DMC. It now asks for the customer’s age, health conditions and risks.
• Before, we had multiple teams involved with DMC cases. Now our Damp Team will handle reported cases, so you know who to speak to. We also changed our procedure to outline the timeframes you should expect at each stage.
• Our procedure includes guidance on clear communication so everyone understands the findings and what will happen next.
• We now consider temporary accommodation in emergency cases where the work can’t be done in time.  
• We send out a follow-up letter within nine to 12 months from DMC works being finished in your home. We’re also looking into carrying out satisfaction surveys after work is completed.  
• The procedure now includes the Recite Me tool (which can translate pages to other languages and read pages aloud) and we’re committed to providing information in alternative formats so you get the information you need.
• We’ve updated our letter templates, website and factsheets to be more supportive and understanding.
• Our procedure explains your options to escalate including the Housing Ombudsman and legal routes under Awaab’s Law.