TTS Attendees
Shona Gorman (SG); Margaret Dymond (MDy); June Anderson (JA); Liz Richardson (LR); Scott MacLeod (SM – items 1-5 only due to connection issues)
SHR Attendees
Kelda McMichael (KM – Chair); Caroline Cameron-Russell (CCR – secretariat); Marieke Dwarshuis (MDw – SHR Board member/liaison group member); Helen Trouten Torres (HTT – SHR Board member/liaison group Chair – observing only) Gemma Rickman (GR – Regulation Manager, items 1-4 only)
1. Welcome and Introductions
KM welcomed liaison group members to the meeting and advised that, as previously discussed the SHR Board Chair, George Walker, had nominated, Helen Trouten Torres (HTT), an SHR Board Member, to act as the liaison group Chair. KM reminded group members that they already knew HTT, because she had attended previous group meetings. KM advised that due to unforeseen circumstances HTT would be observing today’s meeting and would Chair as of April’s meeting. She also explained that a second SHR Board Member, Marieke Dwarshuis (MDw), has also joined the liaison group today as a new member.
MDw gave an introduction and overview of her interest in housing and added that she was pleased to join a group with such common interests related to tenants’ rights.
2. Declarations of Interest
MDy - TPAS Board member
SM – Albyn Housing Association Board member
SG – Link Housing Association Board member
JA – Paragon Housing Association Board Member
3. Minutes of previous meeting (29 October 2024)
The minute of the last meeting was accepted.
4. Thematic on Tenant and Gypsy Traveller Participation in Scottish Social Housing
KM and GR gave a presentation on all aspects of the thematic. The group thanked KR and GR for their detailed presentation and all staff who took part. The group noted it was a detailed and useful thematic.
SM commented that it was vital that all landlords, regardless of if they had Gypsy/Traveller sites or not, should take time to read and take action on related aspects of this thematic. The group also voiced concerns re lack of data on Gypsy/Travellers and their potential future needs, particularly related to adaptations.
Post meeting note – KM sent slides to SG for distribution
5. Annual Return on the Charter (ARC) indicator review project
CCR advised that as the group had been involved in the consultation process and had an interest as tenants and/or service users, SHR wanted to provide an overview of the outcome from the consultation and summarise the finalised indicators.
CCR gave a presentation to outline briefly the changes made to the ARC indicators, taking account of the responses to the consultation, and added that she would provide links after the meeting if the group wished to look in detail at the responses and consultation documents.
CCR also addressed a question relating to monitoring living conditions related to damp and mould. She updated on the damp and mould indicators that were being introduced, how these would be reported following the first submission (May 2026) and how these would be monitored going forward to ensure that they were fit for purpose. LR enquired regarding the monitoring of damp and mould on Gypsy/Traveller sites, particularly the chalets owned by the landlord, CCR advised that damp and mould was specifically covered in the Scottish Government’s minimum site standards, the landlord would be responsible for the repairs and that there would be complaints processes that could be followed if required, including serious concerns, which the meeting would hear more about later in relation to Fife Council.
Post meeting note – KM sent slides to SG for distribution
6. Tenants Together (Scotland) Update
SG updated that work was progressing well since the TTS AGM in June, subscription services and the committee member application process are in place. SG explained that using technology which is accessible for all committee members has been a challenge and this is being considered further to ensure all committee members have the access they need to participate fully. Public facing social media is also an area TTS will look to strengthen further over the coming year. The first 2025 meeting of committee members will take place on 5 February. There is a full agenda and the meeting will look to encourage TTS committee members onto working groups; and will also welcome a new member from Highland at the meeting. KM enquired re membership of the liaison group (there are currently some TTS vacancies) and SG confirmed that TTS are considering this currently.
TTS are enjoying good working relationships across the sector; and have attended meetings and events with various stakeholders. SG and Colin Stewart (TTS Chair) attended the SHR Board workshop held on 28 January to present to Board members on progress and future plans going forward. SG also noted they had held a positive meeting with SFHA representatives, Sally Thomas (CEO) and Cassandra Dove (Policy Lead); where discussions were held regarding the possibility of joint working in the future to consider sector and tenant views on specific issues.
From 12 February work will commence with TIS representative, Fawn Russell (Communications & Media Manager) to look at updating TTS strategy and development plans. The TTS communication group will meet with Fawn to work on this.
TTS have also been invited to a meeting regarding the building safety and maintenance consultation that the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee are currently calling for views on.
7. SHR Updates
KM provided updates on:
i. Serious failings in Fife Council Gypsy/Traveller site
KM provided an update on the 1 November 2024 report by SHR on a serious failing which had been found in one of Fife Council’s Gypsy/Traveller sites.
KM also addressed a question from LR in relation to how SHR are working with the Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC) on sites and conditions as this had been mentioned at the recent the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee. SHR have been discussing Gypsy/Traveller site standards with SHRC, given their expertise in this area. KM also made reference to the findings of a report that was jointly published by MECOPP and the Scottish Women’s Budget Group.
ii. RAAC
KM provided an update on the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in social housing. On 12 November 2024 SHR published updated information on the presence of RAAC in social housing. At that point, 4 landlords continued to investigate whether RAAC was present in any of their homes. The number of homes still under investigation was 667. Since then, one further landlord has identified RAAC in some of their homes; with some further investigations on a small number of their homes still outstanding. Two other landlords confirmed they did not have RAAC in their homes. This means as at the date of this meeting, two landlords continued to investigate whether RAAC was present in any of their homes with a total of 114 properties still under investigation.
iii. Annual Assurance Statements
KM explained that on 26 November 2024, SHR published the Annual Assurance Statements submitted by social landlords for 2024.
The Regulator requires all social landlords to submit a Statement each year to confirm that they meet regulatory standards and requirements or to set out how they will address any areas of non-compliance. And this year SHR also asked landlords to provide specific assurance in their Statements about their compliance with their obligations in relation to tenant and resident safety.
KM noted that SHR will assess the Statements as part of SHR’s annual risk assessment, which will take account of the challenging context for landlords. SHR will publish the outcomes from the risk assessment in updated Engagement Plans for each landlord by the end of March 2025. This will include any changes to the regulatory status for RSLs.
iv. Risks SHR will focus on
KM noted that on 28 November SHR published a summary of the risks SHR will focus on in its annual risk assessment of all social landlords.
The broad areas for consideration are as follows:
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Homelessness – How councils deliver services for people who are threatened with, or experiencing, homelessness. This includes providing people who need it with suitable temporary accommodation.
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Performance in delivering services – How councils and RSLs deliver services for their tenants and other service users and meet the standards and outcomes from the Scottish Government’s Social Housing Charter. This will also include how landlords that provide Gypsy/Travellers sites ensure they achieve the Scottish Government’s minimum site standards and fire safety requirements for Gypsy/Traveller sites.
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Development – How RSLs manage the impact on their finances of any plans for building new homes.
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Quality of homes – How councils and RSLs ensure that the homes they provide to tenants meet the Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS), and whether they have a good understanding of the condition of those homes.
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Tenant and resident safety – How councils and RSLs meet their statutory obligations on tenant and resident safety.
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Financial health of RSLs – How financially healthy RSLs are and how well they manage their money with a focus on financial planning and compliance with Regulatory Standard 3.
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Good governance of RSLs – How well RSLs are run with a focus on compliance with Regulatory Standards.
SHR will publish the outcomes from the risk assessment in updated Engagement Plans for each landlord by the end of March 2025. This will include any changes to the regulatory status for RSLs.
KM also addressed a question that had been submitted by SG in relation to temporary accommodation. This queried the quality of temporary accommodation and compliance with safety obligations and how SHR will focus on these areas moving forward.
KM advised that some councils had been unable to meet their statutory obligations to provide temporary accommodation when they should, and that some temporary accommodation was unsuitable. She noted this is why SHR have this focus on homelessness within their risk assessment process and explained that SHR monitor the quality of temporary accommodation through the number of breaches of the unsuitable accommodation order. (The Order sets requirements for councils to meet when providing temporary accommodation). SHR also monitors the number children and families in temporary accommodation as they are arguably among the most vulnerable.
This focus on homelessness means SHR speak to every council each year about their homelessness services and require them to let SHR know if and when they have issues meeting statutory obligations. SHR also speak to some councils on a quarterly basis and others on a monthly basis depending on the scale of the issues. KM reminded the group that in their Engagement Plans, SHR have said that there is systemic failure in Edinburgh and Glasgow and that a number of other councils are at risk on systemic failure.
KM noted homelessness will remain a focus going forward, but that SHR’s regulatory options are limited because the issues are systemic therefore a systemic intervention is required.
KM added that SHR always focus on tenant and resident safety because issues of safety can be life and death and are of course paramount. This means SHR very actively consider compliance with gas safety, electricity safety, lift safety and other areas of health and safety. SHR also ask landlords to consider and then tell SHR every year that they meet all requirements in their annual assurance statement.
v. British Sign Language (BSL) Plan
KM gave an update on the recently launched SHR consultation on its second British Sign Language (BSL) Plan. This sets out what SHR will do to support and promote BSL during 2025-2031. The consultation on SHR’s draft BSL Plan for 2025-2032 opened on 13 January and organisations and individuals are invited to give feedback by Friday, 7 March 2025.
SM had submitted a question in relation to whether SHR will monitor how landlords respond to the thematic and recommendations, particularly given limited resources. KM advised that SHR have engaged with the landlord representative bodies about the findings of the BSL thematic that SHR published in September 2024 and discussed the recommendations with those bodies. She explained that the draft BSL plan, which SHR are currently consulting on, notes that SHR will review the thematic during the life of the Plan to examine how landlords have responded to the recommendations from the thematic. This means SHR will consider landlords progress in making the changes and improvements suggested in the thematic. The intention is to publish that new BSL Plan in early March.
vi. UN Convention on the Rights of Children (UNCRC)
KM updated on SHR’s work around the UN Convention on the Rights of Children (UNCRC) as there had been previous interest on this amongst the group since the UNRC (Scotland) Act 2024 was incorporated into our domestic law in Scotland in July 2024. This also tied into a question submitted by JA related to complaints regarding poor quality housing leading to health issues in children.
The Act ensures that children’s rights are central to policy and decision-making, and that their needs are met by public service complaints procedures in Scotland. As a result, SHR have updated internal processes on handling child friendly complaints.
KM further updated that as part of SHR’s work as a Corporate Parent, (and considering the UNCRC) SHR have updated their Equality Impact Assessment process to include ‘Care Experienced’ as a protected characteristic in this assessment process. The term ‘care-experienced’ is used to describe anyone who currently is or ever has been ‘looked after’ in a care setting. This covers anyone who have been looked after at some point in their lives.
KM asked the group if they would be interested in a presentation on this work and they confirmed that they would. Additionally, they would like to hear how SHR are considering monitoring children and young persons’ involvement in tenant participation.
Action: CCR will ask the Regulation Manager responsible for UNCRC and Corporate Parenting to present at a future meeting.
vii. Engagement Plans
KM noted that there had been changes to seven engagement plans since the group last met. These related to Blackwood, Linstone, Cairn, Trust, River Clyde, Link Group and City of Edinburgh. KM gave an overview of the changes.
viii. Tenant Advisors and National Panel
Tenant Advisors – SHR’s next Tenant Advisor exercise is planned to take place in Quarter 4. SHR is currently considering various options for this and planning will be underway shortly. In addition, forward planning is underway for 25/265. This will likely include a recruitment exercise.
National Panel – SHR recently finalised the annual National Panel survey with its contractor, Engage, which has just issued the annual survey to Panel members. The survey consists of questions on:
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Rents / value for money / affordability
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Money and finances
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Damp / mould
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Heating / net zero / planned improvements to home
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Getting information (on landlord performance and reporting, on seeing information from SHR, use of SHR website, preferred methods of finding out more about SHR)
Alongside the survey of all Panel members, the programme of work for the Panel also always includes some strands of more in-depth interviews / discussions.
For 2025, these will take place in the coming months and will focus on three areas –
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people who have used homelessness services
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Gypsy / Travellers site experiences
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Members’ communication preferences (drawing on relevant feedback from the survey)
For these, Engage will be working with a sample of local authorities to promote the work and request participation, alongside drawing on existing panel members who have experienced homelessness accommodation or are resident on a gypsy/traveller site.
KM noted that TTS group members are welcome to complete the survey either as a group or individually and pass this back to her. She also noted that if TTS has any feedback on the in-depth interviews/ discussion topics, these can also be passed on to her.
Post meeting note – KM provided the questionnaire to TTS group members
ix. SHR Board Updates
MDw provided a recent update on Board meetings. Since the group last met on 29 October 2024, the SHR Board met on 06 November, 03 December and 28 January (workshop), there were standard agenda items at each such as the CEO report, performance report and risk, but the highlights of the meetings were:
November:
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Paul McLennan – Minister for Housing attended SHR updated on current priorities and challenges, Minister set out his priorities
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Mid-year review of budget and operating plan
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Corporate parent action plan update
MDw advised that the minutes are available online for the November Board meeting
December:
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Charter indicator report on consultation responses
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Presentation on Tenant and Gypsy/Traveller participation thematic
January:
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Workshop with TTS and Scottish Human Rights Commission
Landlord Groups
KM updated that SHR met with the SHR Systemically Important Forum on 14 November and its Urban Group on 19 November. SHR Board Chair George Walker wrote a blog about the discussions at the groups. On 6 December SHR Rural and Island Group met and SHR Deputy Chair Andrew Watson wrote a blog on that. All blogs are available on SHR’s website.
x. Recent and upcoming publications and events
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On 28 November SHR published the RSLs’ audited financial statements for 2023/24.
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On 5 December SHR published its first annual report on the notifiable events (NEs) which registered social landlords (RSLs) reported in 2023/24.
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On 12 December SHR published a summary financial report on RSL’s finances. The report is a summary of the aggregated financial plans of RSLs for the next five years.
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On 17 December George Walker (SHR Board Chair) and Michael Cameron (SHR CEO) gave evidence to the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee related to the scrutiny of the Scottish Housing Regulator. This followed on from an evidence session on the scrutiny on 3 December where several representatives from across the sector attended to give evidence, including group member SG. The group held a brief discussion on how they found both sessions, with SG providing an attendee's point of view. KM added that SHR had listened closely and taken points on board from the tenant session (3 December) and will consider how it can strengthen tenant engagement moving forward.
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On 14 January, as per the earlier presentation by CCR, SHR published the outcome of our consultation on the indicators social landlords report on in their Annual Return on the Charter.
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Recruitment to SHR Board will begin shortly.
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In March SHR will publish its finalised BSL plan, SHR will also be presenting on the consultation at the SFHA Housing Management conference in February.
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Towards the end of March, SHR will publish risk assessment outcomes and a new set of Engagement Plans for all landlords.
8. Any other business
KM asked the group to consider the best platform for online group meetings, currently Zoom is used but Teams could be more effective due to SHR restrictions on usage of Zoom. SG advised she would speak to TTS group members and come back to KM and CCR.
9. Date of next meeting
The date of the next meeting will be 29 April 2025 at 10am online.