01 March 2005

Trafford Housing Trust has commissioned Connect to provide secure Internet hosting and web development services.

Trafford Metropolitan Council is transferring its properties to Trafford Housing Trust on the 14th March 2005, making the Trust responsible for delivering £468.5 million of investment for the 10,000 homes in Trafford over the next 30 years.

Connect is developing an internet presence for the newly formed organisation that will coincide with the transfer of housing properties. The site will support the Trust’s key strategies and will include information such as job vacancies, contact information, press releases and annual reports, as well as offering online access to tenant services. The website will be content- managed, enabling Trust staff to keep it up-to-date without the need for outside help, and will comply with accessibility standards, developed to a minimum level AA.

Connect will also be developing the Trust’s content-managed intranet and a fully functional email system for all Trafford Housing Trust staff. Around 380 staff will have access to an online staff database as well as a searchable archive of key documents, including monthly reports and Key Performance Indicators. Secure access will be given to board members to allow the sharing of important information such as meeting minutes and board agendas.

Denise Bryan, Housing Account Manager for Connect Internet Solutions Limited, comments “Winning this contract demonstrates Connect’s growing expertise in providing online solutions that enable housing associations to provide a high-quality service to their tenants.”

Matthew Gardiner, Chief Executive of Trafford Housing Trust, said: “We chose to work with Connect because we want a modern, robust site that will support our business objectives and at the same time be easy and convenient for our tenants to use. Connect is delivering that for us.”