Changes to our Concierge Service | News

We wanted to inform you about some changes that started on 1 April. These changes affect 497 households across 14 sites with CCTV and door entry systems connected to our Concierge Service.

Following communication with affected residents over the last few months, these changes aim to keep services running smoothly and securely while supporting affordability and ensuring cost efficiency.

We’re committed to ensuring a smooth transition for residents.  

 

What are the changes?

CCTV provision:

Previously, two staff members monitored 175 cameras from a control room at Prince Street. They checked each camera regularly for any unusual activity but couldn’t watch every camera all the time.  Moving forward, CCTV images will be recorded using a new cloud-based system. Authorised staff can access these images at any time, day or night, whenever an incident or concern is reported. Although we no longer have a CCTV control room staffed by Concierge Operators, this change does not compromise security.

Door entry:

OpenView Security Solutions will now manage the door entry systems at the affected properties. They’ll assist residents in emergencies, such as lost or stolen fobs, and help emergency services. Visitors must contact residents directly to gain access to the building. OpenView won’t let visitors in if the resident doesn’t respond, ensuring building security is maintained and unauthorised access is prevented.

OpenView will also install new signage on site with a dedicated telephone number for residents to call in an emergency. For service quality, delivery, and training purposes, calls made to this number will be recorded.

Access fob management:

Residents don’t need new fobs because of this change. If you need to call us about your fob, please phone 01204 328000.

Which sites are affected?

The changes will affect the following sites/schemes: Allerton Court, Tudor Court, Wavertree Court, Sefton Court, Rainford House, Hargreaves House, Blackshaw House, Fernstead House, Rogerstead House, Jubilee House, St George’s Court, Eldon extra care scheme, Merton extra care scheme, and Maxton House extra care scheme.

We’ve carefully reviewed each site to ensure the changes will maintain security and service quality.  

Are service charges affected?    

No, these changes don’t affect service charges, except for the planned annual increase.  

Why are these changes necessary?    

Our CCTV systems were becoming outdated, with footage only accessible at the Prince Street site. The new cloud-based system allows authorised staff to view footage remotely from any Bolton at Home device or through the network video recorder (NVR) at each site. This means we can always access footage without relying on a single building. 

Running the current service from a control room 24/7 costs much more than what we get from service charges. These changes help us to avoid introducing an extra cost and use the money for other important services for more customers.  

If you receive these services, what happens if you need to report an incident?   

If you’re worried about someone's behaviour or thinks a crime is happening, please call Greater Manchester Police first. GMP will ask us to review any available CCTV footage if needed.

You can also call us on 01204 328000 to report an incident. We’ll connect you to staff who can check CCTV footage. If it's outside normal office hours, calls will be redirected to our out-of-hours service. 

What would happen if we didn’t make these changes?

Our CCTV system would stop working, and no images would be recorded.  Upgrading the CCTV system and keeping the Concierge Service control room would require a significant increase in service charges, and likely more than Housing Benefits can cover. We wanted to avoid this, and the new service plan stops a sharp rise in charges for residents.

We explored different options and believe this solution provides the best balance between cost and service quality.