Supporting Balanced and Sustainable Communities

We aim to create sustainable and thriving communities that meet residents’ needs and nurture a sense of pride and belonging.

Here’s how we are doing…

Performance

77.93% Of customers satisfied with their neighbourhood as a place to live (target 88%)

75.90% Of tenants satisfied with the way their ASB case was handled (target 88%)

£15.5 Total social value achieved through social, economic and interventions in communities

96.04% Of homes are sustainable (target 95.75%)

Tenant Satisfaction Measures

74.55% Satisfaction that the landlord keeps communal areas clean and well-maintained (TP10)

79.56% Satisfaction that the landlord makes a positive contribution to neighbourhoods (TP11) (target 80%)

76.48% Satisfaction with the landlord's approach to handling anti-social behaviour (TP12) (target 75%)

52.9 Anti-social behaviour cases received per 1,000 units (NM01)

1.01 Hate crimes reported per 1,000 units (NM01)

Key stats

76 Homes transformed in the Courts, Shildon as part of community regeneration

166 Good neighbour management cases managed

£84,257 Investment into our communities through our Community Regeneration Grant

220 People taking part in inclusive activities in our communal lounges every week

£1,033,263 Of external grant funding accessed for community partners

Supporting Sustainable and Balanced Communities – The year in review

We have completed major regeneration work at Jubilee Fields in Shildon, transforming the Courts area and creating homes that better meet the needs of older and more vulnerable residents. The improved homes are now warmer, safer, more attractive and affordable. We have seen a lot of interest from customers for these homes with a higher number of bids placed.

We have also strengthened our Livin Futures employability programme. Over the past year, 353 customers moved into sustainable jobs, 12 started apprenticeships, and 206 took part in training. We helped set up the Housing Employability Network North East (HENNE)—a partnership of 12 housing providers working together to support people into work. In just 18 months, HENNE has supported 6,873 people towards employment and helped 2,140 into jobs.

In Shildon, we helped set up a new management committee for the community centre and secured £100,000 of investment. This has funded environmental improvements, a refurbished digital suite, and better security. Around 400 customers now use the centre every week.

We have continued working with partners to help keep communities safe. Funding from the Police and Crime Commissioner for County Durham and Darlington allowed us to tackle anti-social behaviour in hotspot areas using tools like drones, detached youth work, and community safety equipment.

We have also created new support pathways for health and wellbeing. Through partnerships with the County Durham Social Prescriber and Durham Carers networks, we provided targeted support to 50 customers who needed extra help.

We listened, we acted

We listened (stakeholder group - resident survey)

Customers from the Jubilee Fields Estate in Shildon told us that they wanted to protect their open spaces from off-road vehicles

We acted

We secured funding to install metal railings on land owned by the Shildon Town Council, Durham County Council and Livin across several open spaces on the estate. Other improvements to tackle and prevent ASB include the purchase of a drone, electronic bikes, and other community safety equipment. Multi agency ASB meetings and estate inspections also take place on a regular basis. These measures have contributed to a reduction in crimes reported to the police from 196 in 2021 to 83 at the end of 2024.

We listened, we acted

We listened (stakeholder group, Neighbourhood Perception Survey)

At the end of 2023/24, customers on the Western estate in Newton Aycliffe told us they were not satisfied with their neighbourhood as a place to live because of their concerns about environmental ASB

We acted

With community partners we set up monthly litter picks. 250 bags of litter and rubbish was from the estate. Local Councillors also contributed funding to install new litter bins and a poster displayed in communal areas was designed by local children to help prevent littering.

We listened, we acted

We listened (customer voice survey)

Your feedback told us that not everyone knew that we completed estate inspections, and that you are welcome to take part in an inspection of your estate. You told us that we could do better in promoting this in our communities.

We acted

We promote upcoming Estate Inspections on our social media channels, display posters in communal areas, and have added the estate inspection timetable to the ‘My Documents’ section of the My Livin app, so you can stay informed in a way that works best for you.

Have you read our summarised policies?

We have summarised our customer policies to make them accessible and easy to read.

Summarised Customer Policies

Jump to another section:

Consistently Delivering Excellent Customer Experience and Digital Services

Contributing to a Sustainable Future

Supporting Balanced and Sustainable Communities

Supporting Sustainable Tenancies

Providing Quality Sustainable Homes

Building and Acquiring Sustainable Homes

Finance

How do I apply for a Livin home or bungalow?

We advertise all of our available homes on our Find A Home page, simply visit this page for more information.

Before you can place a bid on one of our homes, you must first have an active account with the relevant Choice Based Lettings Scheme. Almost all our homes are located in County Durham and therefore are allocated through the Durham Key Options scheme. Durham Key Options (DKO) is a partnership between Durham County Council and landlords across County Durham.

We have a small number of homes which are located outside Durham, these are all advertised through Tees Valley HomeFinder, Hartlepool HomeSearch and Darlington HomeSearch; They are similar to Durham Key Options but we do not process applications registered for these schemes. If you wish to register an application for homes advertised in this area, please apply directly.

Once your application is approved, you will then be able to bid on homes that meet your needs. You can access the application form directly by visiting the relevant Choice Based Lettings system.

How long will it take for my application to be processed?

We aim to start processing your application within 10 working days. If we require any further information after this point, we will contact you to ask for this. Once we have received all the required information we will notify you of our decision within 20 days, and if accepted we will activate your account. You can also check your application status online by logging into the DKO portal.

How can I get involved with Livin and help to shape services?

To find out more about the different ways you can get involved, please visit our getting involved section.

Can I apply to buy my home under Right to Buy?

Tenants who have been with Livin since before the transfer from Sedgefield Council in 2009 may have the “Preserved Right to Buy” their property. Full details of the scheme are available on the Government Right to Buy website. If you are thinking of applying, please contact us.

Can I apply to buy my home under Right to Acquire?

If you have been a tenant for 3 or more years you may have the right to buy your property under the Right to Acquire scheme. Full details of the scheme are available on the Government Right to Acquire website. If you are thinking of applying, please contact us.