We're pleased to say the next Resident Newsletter is now available!
If you have a story for us, or would like to share your thoughts, ideas or feedback, email us at involvement@estuary.co.uk or call 0300 304 5000.
I'm excited to share this newsletter and introduce myself as your new Customer Voice Officer. Having been a Housing Officer for 12 years, I started in this role in February 2025 with one main goal, to champion your input and turn it into real change. I'm excited to work with our diverse communities, giving you plenty of opportunities to get involved and shape our services. You've already made a big impact! Your input, especially from the Customer Voice Roadshows, has directly shaped our new Service Standards – Our Promise, which clearly sets out what you can expect from us.
We're already acting on your concerns, our Resident Voice and Influence Panel (RVIP) have successfully completed a scrutiny project on fly tipping and are moving forward with the recommendations. RVIP launched a scrutiny project on complaints in March to identify areas for improvement. It kicked off with an educational bootcamp workshop, and there are more workshops to come where anonymised complaints and responses will be reviewed in detail. This will help us understand where we can do better.
We've had a busy few months! April saw nearly 80 volunteers participate in the Great British Spring Clean at Woodgrange Drive Estate. In May, RVIP members attended the Tenant & Resident Engagement Conference in London, bringing back valuable insights to enhance our resident engagement.
Thank you for being a part of the Estuary community. Please reach out with your ideas or if you'd like to get involved!
Madeleine Spencer, Customer Voice Officer
The sun has been shining (most of the time), and Estuary in Bloom is back! After such a brilliant response last year, we’re looking forward to even more colourful, creative, and inspiring entries in 2025. Need some inspiration? Visit our Estuary in Bloom page to see last years winners.
Whether you’ve transformed a garden, brightened up a balcony, or nurtured a few pots on a windowsill, we want to celebrate your efforts. You can enter as many categories as you like!
Our categories for 2025 are: Best gardener (indoor or outdoor), best balcony, best young gardener (age 16 or younger), best supported living garden - a fantastic category we introduced last year and can’t wait to see grow!
Prize: £50 gardening voucher for each winner.
The best way to enter is to email your photos by 5pm on Monday 4th August to involvement@estuary.co.uk. Make sure you tell us your name, address, which category or categories you're entering and the best way to contact you.
Photograph by Lee Dobson - Winner of Best Photographer, Estuary in Bloom 2024
We're excited about the next steps in our potential merger, and your input is key as we build an even better future. We will be contacting all households in the coming months to share next steps on the proposal, including details of how to get involved in the consultation.
What a team effort at Woodgrange Drive Estate back in April for the Great British Spring Clean! Residents, our fantastic partners Purdy & AJ Gallagher, Southend City Council, and the charming Patches the miniature pony all joined forces to make a real difference.
We collected almost 100 bags of rubbish and planted some lovely cherry trees. Plus, the Easter Bunny hopped by to say hello to the kids!
Huge thanks to everyone involved, especially residents and sponsors Purdy, AJ Gallagher and Tesco for helping the Easter bunny with the egg donations.
Creating a safe environment for customers is important to us, and tackling ASB is a key part of that. We're pleased to report excellent progress: in 2024/2025, we achieved 89% satisfaction for ASB case handling and 85% of customers were satisfied with their case outcome. One customer shared, ”The Housing Officer was amazing. They were very professional and resolved the issue."
Download the free "Remote Reporting App" from your app store (Apple) or Google Play (Android). It's easy to use and lets you send photos, videos, sound recordings, and files. You can also track your reports.
No Smartphone? Call us on 0300 304 5000 or email info@estuary.co.uk.
We have created an ASB Service Standard which sets out what you can expect from us. Visit our Service Standards webpage to find out more.
We know fly-tipping is a big concern for many of our customers. This came through loud and clear in our recent customer scrutiny review, which looked at how we tackle fly-tipping. As a direct result, RVIP submitted a scrutiny report to our board including recommendations on how they'd like to see us tackle this issue - the board approved all the recommendations.
Launching in July, you'll start to see clearer messaging about fly-tipping. This will include advice on how to correctly dispose of your waste and reminders about everyone's responsibilities. In fly-tipping hotspots, we'll be improving signage, making it easier to contact local authorities for bulky waste collections, and taking enforcement action where needed.
This campaign was co-designed with you, our customers, and shaped by your valuable feedback. We encourage everyone to report instances of fly-tipping when you see them. You can do this by contacting us on 0300 304 5000 or emailing info@estuary.co.uk.
A big thank you to everyone who already takes pride in their neighbourhood and disposes of waste responsibly. Together, we can keep our neighbourhoods cleaner, safer, and better for everyone.
“The (One Estuary) fund provided a vital service which has significantly enabled me to improve the quality of life”. - Customer
We know our customers can face challenging financial times. Unexpected costs or loss of income can tip the balance for those who might already be struggling. We want to prevent the use of high-cost credit or loans from dishonest lenders. The One Estuary Fund is available to help you cope with a sudden emergency or to help with longer-term solutions. Last year we helped 77 customers with the fund, spending a total amount of over £29,000.
Our friendly Income Team are here to help customers. If you have any questions about benefits, or need help with rent payment issues, they are here to help. Please give them a call on 0300 304 5000 or email benefits@estuary.co.uk.
We've partnered with our repairs contractor, Axis, to offer Community Funding of up to £1,000 per project!
We're looking for projects that:
How to Apply: Fill in the Axis Community Fund Application Form and email it to involvement@estuary.co.uk.
Deadline for applications: 31st July 2025
Need a paper form or assistance? Call us on 0300 304 5000.
Every year we publish an annual report. This is to highlight what we have been up to, and give customers an insight into our performance. As this report is designed for you, we would like to know what is important to you. What would you like to see included in our 2025 annual report? Please complete this form by Friday 4th July. Alternatively, you can email communications@estuary.co.uk with your ideas.
Going away this summer? Or just want peace of mind? Home contents insurance protects your possessions from damage, breakage or theft.
We’ve partnered with Thistle Tenant Risks and Great Lakes Insurance UK Limited to offer the My Home Contents Insurance Scheme, specifically designed for social housing tenants. It covers items like furniture, carpets, electricals, jewellery and more.
For more information:
Call Thistle Tenant Risks on 0345 450 7288
Visit the My Home Contents Insurance webpage to learn more, get a quote or request a call back.
Nobody wants damp or mould in their home. If you spot any signs of condensation or mould, it's important to act quickly.
Visit our dedicated Condensation, Damp and Mould page for advice and tips to help keep your home healthy and mould free.
We have updated our events page so it’s even easier to find out what’s on!