Digital TV switchover in local authority properties

Dear Mr Grade

Please find attached, a copy of the acknoweledgement to your recent FOI
request.

Regards

Jermaine Humes

HackneyHomes

Principal Housing Complaints Officer

Housing Services

136-142 Lower Clapton Road

London E5 0QD

TEL: 020 8356 5022

FAX: 020 8356 5091/2271

Email: [1][email address]

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References

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Dear Mr Grade

Thank you for your Freedom of Information request. The information that
you are seeking is held by Hackney Homes. Hackney Homes are a separate
organisation from the Council who manages the Council's Housing
function. FOI requests need to be made separately to them. I have
forwarded your request to Trish Hail, email:
[email address], Head of IT, in Hackney Homes.

Kind regards.

Aysha Mukhtar
Information Governance Officer

6-15 Florfield Road
London E8 1DT
Tel: 0208 356 4032
Fax: 0208 356 2598
Email: [email address]

show quoted sections

Phone: 020 8356
5022
Our ref: LBH41202-08

Fax: 020 8356
2271
Your ref:

E-mail:
[email address] Date:
13^th August 2008

Mr Michael Grade

[1][FOI #1631 email]

Dear Grade

Re: Freedom of Information Request

Thank you for your request for information which was logged on 11^th
August 2008.

I have attached a copy of the Report: on the installation of an Integrated
Reception System (IRS) to Hackney Homes housing estate properties

which is being provided under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

I hope you will find this helpful.

Yours sincerely

KARL MOORE

Principal Complaints Officer

Housing Complaints Team

Hackney Council may exercise its right to intercept any communication with
any employee or agent of the Council using its telephony or data networks.
By using these networks you give your consent to Hackney Council
monitoring and recording your communication.

If you have received this e-mail in error please delete it immediately and
contact the sender.

For further information about Hackney Council policies please contact
Hackney Service Centre on: 020 8356 3000

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London Borough of Hackney may exercise its right to intercept any
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References

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1. mailto:[FOI #1631 email]

Dear Mr Grade

Please find attached a copy of the response to your FOI request and the
accompanying report which you stated was not received.

Please accept my apologies

Regards

Jermaine Humes

HackneyHomes

Principal Housing Complaints Officer

Housing Services

136-142 Lower Clapton Road

London E5 0QD

TEL: 020 8356 5022

FAX: 020 8356 5091/2271

Email: [1][email address]

show quoted sections

Phone: 020 8356
5022
Our ref: LBH41202-08

Fax: 020 8356
2271
Your ref:

E-mail:
[email address]
Date: 7^th October 2008

Mr Michael Grade

[FOI #1631 email]

Dear Mr Grade

Re: Freedom of Information Request

Thank you for your request for further information in regards to our
original response to the Freedom of Information enquiry -

Digital TV Switchover in Local Authority Properties

Hackney Homes attended seminars on the Digital Switchover and has spoken
to other local authorities in London, as to how they were approaching this
major change. We also contacted local authorities in the North of England,
who already had their switchover plans in progress, to obtain as wider
knowledge as possible, which would enable us to learn from their
experiences; as importantly, what their customers were saying.

The Department for Communities and Local Government advised that we also
need to improve residents access to services and information and to
promote their wellbeing. In terms of the wide and diverse communities that
already exist, within the London Borough of Hackney, this would mean that
we need to consider their choice of viewing options. They went onto say,
in the Digital UK Briefing paper, "The Government has a stated policy of
maximising the choice of digital platforms available for everyone - that
is, receiving digital TV signals through terrestrial, satellite, cable or
broadband means. For communal TV systems, much as for simple domestic
systems, there is a choice of how top upgrade. There are many factors that
will affect how a communal TV system is upgraded - cost and budget, the
services that residents actually want (and languages they require) and the
existing number of self-installed TV aerials and satellite dishes".

Digital UK also said that we should listen to the views of residents, and
take into consideration the choice of viewing options that they wish to
have. In their Good Practice briefing, they state that "TV is an important
part of most people's lives. Talking to residents to determine what they
want and need, now and in the future, may avoid difficulties down the
line".

Other local authorities had stated, that they had taken residents choice
of viewing options into consideration, when deciding what option they
would finally agree upon. Some local authorities, with a more diverse
community, included the option for an ethnic satellite, in addition to the
Sky satellite.

Through our Hackney Homes Residents Panel, at our initial consultation day
and from the initial postal survey, residents were clear, that they wanted
viewing choice options that included Sky and other ethnic satellites.

In terms of our Equalities Impact Assessment, it was clear that we had to
consider the option of ethnic satellites, if we were to meet the demands,
aspirations and needs of all our wide and diverse resident community. The
largest ethnic community in Hackney is Turkish. We had been advised that
the following European satellite providers were Astra (320 TV channels),
Eurobird1 (284 TV channels) and Hot Bird (1098 TV channels). In addition
to which there were others such as Turksat and Arabsat.

From the survey results of 1,756 completed returns (approximately 6% of
residents - tenants & leaseholders); 43% wanted Digital TV, 29% wanted
access to Sky, 5% to Turksat and 5% to Hot Bird. A further 13 satellite
providers were indicated, but these only mentioned by 1 or 2 people for
each option. That is how we arrived at our decision to offer Sky, Turksat
and Hot Bird, as part of the proposed IRS system.

From a planning perspective, we had an excessive numbers of satellite
dishes, erected upon all our blocks of flats and this issue was not going
to be resolved, unless we expended vast staffing, financial and legal
costs to address the problem. We were also aware, that the Courts were not
likely to consider punitive penalties and most unlikely, evicting tenants
or forfeiting the leases of our leaseholders, for non-compliance with
instructions to remove the satellite dishes.

From discussions, it was recognised, that unless we provided a range of
satellite viewing options, the number of satellite dishes would continue
to escalate and have a severe adverse affect upon the communal environment
and further physical damage to the buildings structure.

We are required to have a statutory consultation process, with our
leaseholders, which was in addition to the postal survey forms that we
sent out to every tenant & leaseholder. This is through a Section 20
Notice, served upon every leaseholder and invites them to submit their
comments and any observations. The proposed scheme was outlined to them
and some suggested cost, based upon information that we have obtained.
There was a number of leaseholder responses received and questions raised;
such as to the various aspects of the proposals, including technical
points.

Report by Malcolm Brewer, Neighbourhood Housing Contracts Manager

I trust that this answers the questions that have been raised.

Yours sincerely

Principal Complaints Officer

Housing Complaints Team

Hackney Council may exercise its right to intercept any communication with
any employee or agent of the Council using its telephony or data networks.
By using these networks you give your consent to Hackney Council
monitoring and recording your communication.

If you have received this e-mail in error please delete it immediately and
contact the sender.

For further information about Hackney Council policies please contact
Hackney Service Centre on: 020 8356 3000

**********************************************************************

London Borough of Hackney may exercise its right to intercept any
communication on its networks - for more information see

http://www.hackney.gov.uk/email_disclaim...

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