Housing
Information: Latest News (Update
1st April 2008) From 1st April 2008 there are changes to the way Scotland's social housing will be directed and regulated. Communities Scotland was abolished on 1 April 2008. On that date, most of its non-regulatory functions were transferred to the Scottish Government's Housing and Regeneration directorate. The work of Communities Scotland's Regulation and Inspection division has been transferred to the new Scottish Housing Regulator. This means that the Tenant Participation Development Team (headed by Anne Cook) will move to Social Housing division within the Housing and Regeneration directorate. In the north of Scotland there continues to no Tenant Participation Development Officer but we understand that this will be addressed in the near future. The nine regional networks, which were set up to provide tenant representatives with the opportunitiy to be consulted on national housing policy, continue to develop and flourish. Evaluating Scottish Social landlords' Progress on Tenant Participation This study which was undertaken last year by ODS Consulting for Communities Scotland, is now availalbe in Precis Form. http://www.scr.communitiesscotland.gov.uk/stellent/groups/public/documents/webpages/pubcs_021541.pdf The research indicated that whilst landlords, overall, had adopted a more focused and formalised approach to engaging with tenants, more needs to be done to ensure that strategies are implemented and reviewed and that their momentum is maintained. It was disappointing to note that key decisions are still being taken by some landlords without involving their tenants.
Government Discussion Document - Firm Foundations. On 31st October the Scottish Government launched a discussion document on the future of housing in Scotland. Amongst the proposals currently subject to consultation were;
Consultation on the document ended on 25th January and on 12th January TIGHRA held a consultation event with members and others. On the basis of the information gathered TIGHRA responded to the Discussion document. TIGHRA Response to Firm Foundations Tensions Between Allocations Policy and Practice A new report published on the Scottish Government website explores the views and concerns of housing professionals about how homes should be allocated (or let) to housing applicants. This is an area which tenants should be consulted on and it is important that both officers and tenant representatives fully understand and can implement the legal and best practice requirementswhen it comes to lettings policies. The report indicates that there is uncertainty about what is meant by the requirement to give 'reasonable preference' to housing people in particular categories of need. Also, there is doubt about the meaning of 'balanced communities' and a lack of clarity about how and when the objectives of balancing communities are justified. Housing providers also find it difficult sometimes to identify and access support for new or potenital tenants who are vulnerable and need help to sustain their tenancies. See www.scotland.gov.uk/socialresearch for details of the report. Fuel Poverty Few people can fail to be aware of the rising costs of keeping homes warm. For those with restricted incomes and those who are disabled or elderly the choice can sometimes be 'heat or eat'. It is estimated that there were approx. 650,000 households in fuel poverty in Scotland in 2007 and Communities Scotland have calculated that for every 5% increase in fuel prices, a further 30,000 households will become fuel poor. The SFHA (Scottish Federation of Housing Associations) currently has a campaign to tackle fuel poverty in Scotland. It is urging its members, on behalf of their tenants, to write to the key players in the energy market. By joining together to call for the equalisation of pre-pay tariffs with standard credit tariffs, SFHA members can ensure that their voices are heard on this important issue. TIGHRA would urge tenant representatives to discuss fuel poverty issues with their landlords and to ensure , when homes are being upgraded to meet the Scottish Housing Quality Standard, to consult with tenants on fuel poverty and energy-efficiency matters.
ARCHIVE NEWS Crerar Review (2007) Professor Lorne Crerar has been conducting a review of regulation, audit, inspection and complaints relating to public services including social housing and care. His report 'The Crerar Review' was published in September. The report recommends that there should be greater 'proportionality' with external scrutiny being considered where;
Movement away from external scrutiny to improved and extended self-assessment and audit by housing providers should involve consultation with tenants and further engagement with the processes. Communities Scotland Thematic Study - 'Open and Accessible?' This is a a study carried out by Communities Scotland which is aimed to provide a national picture of landlords' openness and accessibility to their tenants and others who have an interest in their services. The report provides examples of good practice and focuses on information about governance, performance and complaints. The report made a number of recommendations for improved practices of both housing associations and local authorities, although it concluded that there was no evidence of a deliberate lack of openness amongst landlords. it was commented that ' ... it was clear that the best examples of performance information came from organisations that had consulted service-users about what they wanted. This, rather than legislation, seemed to be the key to genuine openness and accessibility'. TIGHRA would suggest that tenant representatives and landlords discuss the recommendations of this report, with a view to assessing whether improvements could be made in their own housing service.
Accommodating Sex Offenders Finalisation of a National Accommodation Strategy for Sex Offenders in Scotland (NASSO)is now complete. New legal requirements will mean that public bodies (especially police and Criminal Justice departments) will have to work closely with social housing providers to ensure there is appropriate accommodation for offenders returning to the community. Research indicates that risks to community members are best reduced by ensuring that offenders are not driven underground through a lack of suitable accomodation, supervision and support. Under the new regulations, local plans and strategies for community information and engagement about the accommodation of sex offenders will be drawn up. Every social landlord will have a 'Link officer' and every local authority an additional 'Sex Offender Liaison Officer' (SOLO) whose role it will be to co-ordinate the housing issues relating to the risk management of sex offenders. Communities should expect to be consulted about the general approaches to sex offender management in their areas but information about individuals will remain confidential and only disclosed where the Chief Constable considers this to be essential. Landlords across Scotland have recently received training (which TIGHRA was involved in) about the new regulations. See our latest Information Sheet - Sex offenders and Housing in Scotland.
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