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Tenants Together launches

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Regional Networks changes name to Tenants Together to reflect its bold new brand and vision.

The Regional Networks has unveiled its bold new identity, including a new name, logo, and vision as part of an extensive rebranding exercise, launched at their Annual General Meeting on Saturday 1st June 2024.

The organisation has now officially rebranded to ‘Tenants Together’ to better reflect who they are: a national network of tenants, committed to empowering the tenants of today and tomorrow, ensuring their voices are heard and influence decisions within the Scottish social housing sector, to protect tenants’ rights and make a difference.

Funded by The Scottish Government, network members worked with the Tenants Information Service (TIS) to design and implement the new brand identity, mission statement, vision for the future, and core values. It was important that the approach was tenant-led to ensure the new identity embodied the key priorities and ambitions of the network’s members.

 

Screenshot of Tenants Together AGM 2024

Colin Stewart – Chair of Tenants Together explained:

“This is a major milestone for our organisation. With a clear vision and mission, we can move forward with our commitment to making sure the views of tenants and service users are listened to, acted upon, and are at the forefront of all housing and community developments. It is a very exciting time for us.”

The improved branding will provide the housing sector with a better understanding of the aims of the network – who will speak up to protect tenants’ rights and offer a variety of opportunities for tenants and service users to influence national housing policy, work to ensure tenant participation is embedded within the culture of housing organisations operating throughout the sector, and share a unified voice for tenants and service users on national committees, boards, and taskforces. 

Fawn Russell – communications and media manager at TIS said:

“The new brand identity of Tenants Together encapsulates a renewed sense of purpose for the network and its members. Throughout the rebranding exercise, it was clear that network members have an unwavering commitment to become the leading, unified voice for tenants across the Scottish social housing sector, and to have a national presence and seat at the table.”

The launch of the new Tenants Together brand was aptly timed, as Tenants Together, begin a recruitment drive to encourage tenants and service users of a Registered Social Landlord (RSL) or local authority, operating throughout the Scottish social housing sector, to get involved and sign up to membership – completely free of charge.

As a member of Tenants Together you can decide to get involved at a level that suits you, and will have the opportunity to:

  • Be a part of a national network of likeminded tenants and service users who share a commitment to empowering the tenants of today and tomorrow.
  • Work in partnership with the Scottish Government and other key decision makers to ensure the interests of tenants and service users are at the heart of policy development.
  • Become a champion for the organisation and promote the work that they do at local and national events and conferences.
  • Share your views on national housing policy and development, and best practice relating to tenant participation and engagement.
  • Come together with Tenants Together peers to review information and discuss some of the biggest challenges facing the sector.
  • Engage directly with the Scottish Housing Regulator on the issues of key importance to tenants and service users in relation to the regulation of social landlords.
  • Participate on national committees, panels, boards, task forces, and at ministerial meetings.

Shona Gorman – Vice-Chair of Tenants Together, highlighted that there are a range of benefits that you can gain from becoming a member:

“If you are a tenant or service user of an RSL or local authority and are passionate about making positive change in the Scottish social housing sector, and want to be part of an organisation, and greater purpose, that makes a real difference to the lives of communities across Scotland, then I would encourage you to become a member of Tenants Together. We are a network of likeminded, friendly tenants and welcome you to get involved!”

If you are interested in becoming a member of Tenants Together, please email info@tenantstogether.scot to find out more – or alternatively, stay up to date with the latest work by signing up to their newsletter at www.tenantstogether.scot

 

Scottish Housing Regulator logo

Housing Regulator sets out its plans to review Charter performance indicators

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The Scottish Housing Regulator has today set out its plans to carry out a comprehensive review of the Annual Return on Charter (ARC) during 2024/25.  

To support this review, the Regulator has established advisory groups to work with it to consider the current ARC indicators and help it to develop appropriate and meaningful indicators on tenant and resident safety, including new indicators on damp and mould.  

The advisory groups will include relevant experts and people from the social housing sector and the first meeting of these groups will take place at the start of May 2024.  

The Regulator will use the feedback it received about the ARC indicators during its recent framework review. It also hopes to include the development of appropriate indicators for the Social Housing Net Zero Standard following the conclusion of the Scottish Government’s consultation on the proposed Standard.  

The Regulator will consult formally on the revised ARC indicators later this year. The new ARC will take place for collection year 2025/26, and landlords will make the first return under the new indicators in May 2026. The existing ARC will continue until then.  

Helen Shaw, Director of Regulation said:  

“The ARC allows landlords to report on how well they are delivering services to their tenants. The membership of the advisory groups is drawn from across the sector, including relevant experts. We look forward to working with the advisory groups as we review the current indicators. We will also ensure that we involve tenants and other service users as we develop the proposed new indicators to ensure the information we collect reflects what is important to them.” 

Read more about the ARC Advisory Group

Regional Networks logo

Committees 2023-24

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Region 1

Office Bearers

  • Colin Stewart – Aberdeen City – Chair
  • Liz Richardson – Highlands – Vice-Chair

Committee Members

  • Eric Spence – Argyll & Bute
  • Jackie Budgen – Highlands
  • Kath Fennel – Orkney
  • Linda Lennie – Orkney

Region 2

Office Bearers

  • Gordon Saunders – Scottish Borders – Chair
  • Irina Lazarenki – City of Edinburgh – Vice Chair

Committee members

  • Alan Dalby – Fife
  • Bill Campbell – Fife
  • Isabella Vint – City of Edinburgh


Region 3

Office Bearers

  • Anne Cameron – South Ayrshire – Chair
  • Bruce Cuthbertson – East Ayrshire – Vice-Chair

Committee Members

  • Norma Ferguson – North Ayrshire
  • Margaret Dymond – Renfrewshire





Region 4

Office bearers

  • Shona Gorman – Falkirk – Chair
  • June Anderson – Clackmannanshire – Vice-Chair

Committee Members

  • Frances McGonagle – West Dunbartonshire
  • June Todd – West Dunbartonshire
  • John Duffy – North Lanarkshire
  • Jeanette Arneil – South Lanarkshire
  • Donna Murray – South Lanarkshire
  • William Derrick – Stirling
Housing to 2040 montage

Housing to 2040 Strategic Board

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A strategic board to lead progress towards the delivery of Scotland’s 20-year housing plan will meet for the first time today.

The Housing to 2040 strategy was developed following extensive engagement with the housing sector, wider stakeholders and the public, and sets out a vision for what Scotland’s homes and communities should look like by the end of 2040.

Including representatives from housing providers, landlords, housing developers and tenant organisations, the Housing to 2040 Strategic Board will meet every six months.

The board will be co-chaired by housing secretary Shona Robison and COSLA’s community wellbeing spokesperson, Councillor Maureen Chalmers.

The strategic board membership in full:

  • Shona Robison, cabinet secretary for social justice, housing and local government (co-chair)
  • Councillor Maureen Chalmers, COSLA spokesperson for community wellbeing (co-chair)
  • Patrick Harvie, minister for zero carbon buildings, active travel and tenants’ rights
  • Michael Cameron, chief executive, Scottish Housing Regulator
  • Sally Thomas, chief executive, Scottish Federation of Housing Associations
  • John Mills, co-chair, Association of Local Authority Chief Housing Officers
  • Jane Wood, chief executive, Homes for Scotland
  • John Blackwood, chief executive, Scottish Association of Landlords
  • Colin Stewart, chair, North of Scotland Regional Network
  • Callum Chomczuk, national director (Scotland), Chartered Institute of Housing
  • Chris Birt, associate director for Scotland, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
  • Sean Neill, director local government, housing and planning, Scottish Government

Ms Robison said: “The actions in Housing to 2040 set out how we will deliver on our vision for a Scotland where homes are warm, safe and affordable for everyone, standards are the same across all tenures, people have access to green space and essential services, and where child poverty, fuel poverty and homelessness have been eradicated.

“I’m grateful to the representatives who are joining the strategic board, which will oversee the delivery of Housing to 2040 and work together to progress towards the vision set out in the strategy.”

Councillor Chalmers said: “The Housing to 2040 strategy sets the context for housing across all of Scotland’s local communities. Therefore, it is of great value that the new Strategic Board’s membership has a range of housing stakeholders to provide oversight, as well as to help provide advice on navigating challenges to progress our shared housing aims.”

Homes for Scotland has welcomed the appointment of its chief executive Jane Wood to the Strategic Board.

Ms Wood said: “Housing is fundamental to Scotland’s social wellbeing and economic success. From health and education to jobs and investment, it impacts every area of our lives but we simply don’t have enough homes. This is clearly demonstrated by the shortfall of 110,000 homes that has been accumulated since 2008 yet delivery challenges have never been greater.

“With strong interdependencies between tenures, home builders across all segments of the housing market have a critical role to play in achieving the objectives set out by the Scottish Government and recognition of this through my appointment is very much welcomed.

“The Strategic Board is a critical body which must focus on creating effective policies which deliver both economically and socially, and I look forward to working collaboratively with my Board colleagues to do this.”

Scottish Housing Regulator logo

Scottish Housing Regulator invites applications for volunteer Tenant Advisors to help shape the future of social housing in Scotland

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The Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) is the independent regulator of registered social landlord (RSL) and local authority housing services in Scotland, working to safeguard and promote the interests of tenants, people who are homeless, and others who use social housing services.

Committed to ensuring tenants are at the heart of our regulation of their landlords, the Regulator is delighted to invite applications from across Scotland for the recruitment of twelve motivated and enthusiastic individuals to take on the role of Tenant Advisor for a period of three years, and provide an independent and unique perspective on our work.

Individuals from all walks of life, with focus on protected characteristics, are encouraged to apply for this voluntary positionand be instrumental in shaping the future of social housing services in Scotland.

Tenant Advisors are tenants of either RSLs or local authorities who volunteer to participate in regulation work and support the Regulator by:

· Testing landlord services by acting as mystery shoppers, and assessing information and materials produced by landlords for their tenants;

· Reviewing  SHR draft publications and website facilities, and helping SHR to make sure material is both accessible and user friendly for tenants; and

· Asking other tenants for their views when we assess the quality of service provided by social landlords to give us a direct, user perspective to add to other regulatory evidence.

Experts in housing, community development, and engagement practice, the Tenants Information Service (TIS), will work in partnership and support the Regulator in our recruitment of Tenant Advisors.

George Walker, Chair at the Scottish Housing Regulator explains:

“Our role is to protect tenants’ interests and to drive up the quality of services which social landlords deliver. We can only do our job effectively if we understand what is important to you. Tenants are a diverse group with different needs and priorities and it is important that we work with the most diverse group possible to understand these and take account of them in our work. So, I’d encourage as many different types of tenants with experience of the wide range of services that social landlords provide to apply. We will work with our Tenant Advisors to get your perspective on the services provided by social landlords across the country.”

Applicants do not need any formal qualifications, training, or experience to become a Tenant Advisor, and will receive ongoing support to ensure their role will be fulfilled confidently, although essential skills include:

· Basic IT skills (i.e. navigating emails, websites, and documents)

· The ability to interpret information from reports

· A willingness to learn and build new skills

· The ability to listen to and express views in a constructive way

· Communicating well in both a written and verbal capacity

Ilene Campbell, Chief Executive at TIS added:

“We are thrilled to work alongside the Scottish Housing Regulator in their recruitment of twelve Tenant Advisors. This voluntary role is a fantastic opportunity for tenants across Scotland to get involved and play an active role in improving social housing services.

“Individuals of all characteristics are invited to apply and will gain opportunities to take on new challenges and build on personal development skills. If you are passionate about making a positive change, we would love to hear from you.”

If this voluntary position interests you and you would like to be considered for selection as a Tenant Advisor, please visit:www.housingregulator.gov.scot or http://tis.org.uk/shr-volunteer-tenant-advisors/  to download an information pack and application form. For further information, email info@tis.org.uk or call 0141 248 1242.

Additionally, reasonable expenses (e.g. travel) will be covered to make participation in your role as Tenant Advisor as convenient as possible.

The closing date for applications is 10:00am on Monday 14th February 2022 and appointments will commence 1 April 2022 for three years.

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