MORE than �640,000 has already been saved this year by Stevenage Homes through efficiency savings and it aims to save even more money next year.

One way to do it is to enlist the help of its customers, the tenants.

A hundred of them took part in Stevenage Homes’ annual conference recently, making it the busiest yet.

The purpose of the event was to ask customers about their priorities for the service, which will help Stevenage Homes become more efficient.

Customers said their top priority was repairs and had strong views about which repairs should be included in the tenancy and which ones should be the responsibility of tenants.

For example, customers at the conference agreed that those who exchange homes should contribute towards the costs of carrying out safety checks that must be done before anyone moves into a property.

They also found out how the company is performing against targets, explored how Stevenage Homes can help them and put their questions to board members and the senior management team.

Participants each took home a goodie bag of useful household items and vouchers and were able to sign up to Stevenage Credit Union and a new discount scheme provided by Buildbase exclusively for Stevenage Homes customers.

Sid Walker, of Ripon Road, won �100 of shopping vouchers in a free prize draw.

Debbie Rabot, director of housing and customer services, said of the gathering: “Our customer conference continues to grow in both size and impact. This year customers have told us what’s important to them so that we can save money on services that they value least.”