Meet your arrears team

Carole, Beckie, Bev, and Sarah

Last month, we interviewed Housing Officer Dan Gould for the Summer newsletter, as well as following him on an estate inspection and putting the pictures on our Flickr site.   You've told us you'd like to read some more about frontline staff, so in August we met up with the income recovery team.

Bev and Beckie both work full time, and Sarah is a mum working part time.  Carole, who is getting married next year, supervises them.

Here's what they had to say when we visited them in the Military Road offices, where they are based.

What does your job involve?

Sarah: We are responsible for council rent collection in Canterbury, Herne Bay and Whitstable, and the surrounding rural areas.  Our aim is to assist tenants who find making payments difficult.  Wherever possible, we try to make arrangements for affordable payments.  This can be done by assisting them with help from Housing Benefit, floating support teams and the Canterbury Housing Advice Centre.

How long have you worked here for, and what did you do before?

Beckie:  I've worked for the council for three years.  I initially joined the Contact Centre and then after a year moved to my position within the Income Recovery team.

Bev:  I've been here for over six years.  Before coming to the council, I was a personal adviser for young people with Connexions, and I also did a Certificate in Personnel Practice.

Carole:  I've worked for the council for 15 years - 5 years as a housing receptionist and then an Income Recovery Officer.  The last two years, I have been a supervisor for the team.

Sarah:  I've also been here for six years.  The first four years I spent in the Contact Centre and on main reception dealing with the public.  In 2009 I moved to housing and began my current role with the Income Recovery team.  Before this I worked for Nationwide.

What do you like most about your job?

Carole:  The satisfaction that you are helping people.  Giving help and advice on financial matters and getting a happy result in the end.

Sarah:  I enjoy the involvement with tenants.  We speak to them on a regular basis either in person, in the office, or making home visits.  The majority of our day is spent in the Canterbury office speaking to tenants over the phone.  I have always enjoyed trying to help people so this job is ideal!

What do you find the most challenging?

Sarah:  A lot of tenants are finding things hard at the moment financially - lost jobs, increasing bills, the rise in petrol, etc.  The hardest thing is trying to sort out payments we know they can afford each week or month.

Carole:  Some tenants bury their heads in the sand when they find themselves in debt.  It is very hard at times to get the tenant to engage with us and so this sometimes leads to court action and, at the last resort, eviction.

What's it like working in the Canterbury offices?

Beckie:  It's a very busy environment to work in, but everyone is friendly and works together as a team.

Carole:  Housing has a very close community spirit, and over the years I've also got to know many people from all sorts of different departments. 

Sarah:  We spend time together outside of work too.  Since joining the council I have made some really great friends in both the Contact Centre and Housing.

Bev:  The council also runs a lot of charity schemes which make us feel that we can make a difference to people's lives in other ways too.  We do Jeans for Genes (for children with genetic disorders), Wear it Pink (for Breast Cancer), and lots of cake sales!  Our team is thinking about running the Race for Life next year.

Finally, tell us a few things about yourselves..

Carole:  I live in Canterbury and am engaged to be married next year.  I love cooking and also growing my own vegetables.

Beckie:  I live in Thanet and I'm shortly going off on maternity leave to have my first baby.

Sarah:  I'm planning on learning to play golf soon.  I hope to get married in 2013 - abroad, hopefully!  I have one son, three stepchildren, and have just become a step nana to little Archie.  I love my family to bits, adore food, drinking good wine, and watching my son play football.  I live in Canterbury with my son and my partner of seven years.

Bev:  I live in Swale and love to go on long walks (as long as there's a pub at the end!).  I have a vegetable patch as well, which I'm very proud of!

Thank you to the girls for taking the time to let us know a bit more about themselves.