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Scottish Housing Associations need to communicate their positive impact on communities better if Scotland’s housing stock transfer rate is to improve was the main finding from a roundtable discussion event held in Edinburgh last week.
Hosted by Civica, which has supplied software and services to some of Scotland’s most prominent Housing Associations since 1988, the event covered the recent stock transfer announcements where tenants from councils including Renfrewshire, Stirling and most recently, The Highlands, voted against transferring council homes to housing association schemes.
Those against stock transfer have said the run of ‘no’ votes in Scotland is closing off the ‘privatisation’ of housing in the country.
Housing Associations and organisations attending the Civica roundtable included:
Robert McDowall, director – DTZ (Chair) Alan Moat, CEO, Grampian Housing Association Graeme Russell, director of tenancy services, Dunedin Canmore Housing Association Ewan Fraser - CEO Dunedin Canmore Housing Association Calum Macaulay, CEO, Albyn Housing Society Pauline Barber, director, LintelTrust Davie Martin, director of operations, Queens Cross Housing Association Frank McCabe, CEO, Queens Cross Housing AssociationRobert McDowall, director, DTZ, which advises the Scottish Executive and Housing Associations, said: “The Renfrewshire stock transfer no vote saw the local community miss out on £300million of investment in their housing. Housing Associations need to get the bottom of why communities are turning down such massive regeneration schemes and turning their backs on the Associations. It can’t simply be down to the fear of privatisation.”
Graeme Russell, directory of Tenancy Services, Dunedin Canmore Housing Associations, said: “Housing Associations are not as good as they should be at advising and informing communities about the good work we are doing in regeneration, updating and improving housing stock.
“We need to find new ways to provide an environment for interaction that suits our community so people understand we want to work with them and for them to build stronger communities. For example, the use of new technologies may help facilitate a higher level of community involvement to help people understand that Association schemes can bring huge benefits.”
