social housing – Page 13 – The NEN

Right to Buy no more

Notice period cut to two years

Calls to reduce the timescale for abolishing Right to Buy social housing have been answered by Housing Minister Margaret Burgess during the Stage 1 debate on the Housing (Scotland) Bill. Mrs Burgess announced that the government will amend the notice period for Right to Buy from three to two years after the date the Bill receives Royal Assent.

The Bill, which was introduced to Parliament in November will enhance housing conditions, retain much needed social housing for people in Scotland and safeguard social and private tenants.

The Minister said: “I am grateful to the Infrastructure and Capital Investment (ICI) Committee for its endorsement of the principles in the Housing Bill and for acknowledging that these measures will improve housing in the social, private rented and owner-occupied sectors.

“Increasing the supply of social housing is essential and that is why we want to end the Right to Buy.

“I have now taken on board the ICI Committee’s concerns that the proposed three-year timescale to abolish Right to Buy is too long. Going forward we will reduce the period to two years which will give tenants time to consider their options and find financial advice if they want to exercise their right to buy their home.

“These measures will protect up to 15,500 social houses from sale over a ten-year period and safeguard social housing stock for future generations.

“With 185,000 people on waiting lists for council and housing association houses, we can no longer afford to see the social sector lose out on badly needed homes.”

Other measures in the Bill include:

* establishing a new housing tribunal to consider private rented housing cases.
* introducing regulation of letting agents.
* strengthening the licencing regime for mobile homes sites with permanent residents.
* giving local authorities new discretionary powers to tackle poor housing conditions in the private sector.

Mrs Burgess continued: “This Bill will help us to deliver better outcomes for communities, safeguard the interests of householders and strengthen the quality of Scotland’s housing.

“There is universal support for strengthening regulation of letting agents and for our moves to transfer private rented sector cases from the sheriff to a tribunal.

“Housing is and will remain a priority for this government and through the Housing (Scotland) Bill we will continue to support improvements across the private, private rented and social sectors.”

Port of Leith’s excellent inspection

Port of Leith Housing Association receives glowing praise from Care Inspectorate

Port of Leith Housing Association’s (PoLHA) sheltered housing complexes have been classified as ‘excellent’ by the Care Inspectorate for the quality of care and support to their 131 residents.

Findings from the Care Inspection report issued this week revealed that the sheltered housing complexes in the Leith area of Edinburgh – Hermitage Court, St Nicholas Court and Jameson Place – were awarded a grade six (excellent) for ensuringthat residents’ health and wellbeing needs are well catered for. Helping people stay well in their tenancy is a priority for staff and the benefits of an active and healthy lifestyle were recognised through exercise classes, coffee mornings and charity fundraising events.

Following a ‘short notice’ inspection, follow on visits and attendance at tenants’ meetings over a four week period, a series of service records, including evidence of activities and social events, newsletters and supervision and development, were sampled to enable the inspector to review the work being done and deliver a grade.

In addition, 40 per cent of tenants were issued care standards questionnaires. Of the 29 completed questionnaires, 100 per cent were happy with the quality of support they received.

Keith Anderson, Chief Executive of PoLHA, said: “This is a tremendous achievement. We are delighted to have been awarded a grade six for the level of care and services our staff provide. We are committed to delivering the best possible care for our residents and the staff do a wonderful job in ensuring their needs are met are at all times.”

The Association was also awarded a grade five (very good) for the quality of staffing, management and leadership.

Maureen Tait, PoLHA’sSenior Sheltered Housing Co-ordinator, said: “We’re delighted to have been recognised for our efforts. We strive to make our tenants feel comfortable and ‘at home’ while they stay with us. Many residents still like to have their own independence, but also be part of a close-knit team, which is why they enjoy getting on board with our fundraising activities.”

Tenants urged to take up rent payment help

Nearly half the Council tenants in Edinburgh subject to the UK Government’s under-occupancy charge – better known as the ‘bedroom tax’ – have not applied for extra help to pay their rent despite facing growing arrears and debt, it’s been revealed.

Almost 3,000 Council tenants are under-occupying their home and face paying between £14 and £25 per week as their housing benefit doesn’t pay for their extra room, but only around 1,500 of these tenants have applied for extra help available from the Council through Discretionary Housing Payments.

The Council was awarded extra funds from the Scottish Government in September this year, bringing the total available for Discretionary Housing Payments to over £3 million.

Recent figures from the Council’s housing service showed an estimated £1.25 million of arrears are attributable to people not paying the under-occupancy charge, which has been dubbed the ‘bedroom tax’.

City Housing Leader Councillor Cammy Day said yesterday: “It’s critical that hard-pressed tenants seek the extra help the Council is offering in the form of Discretionary Housing Payments, otherwise they face getting deeper into debt.

“Staff from the Council and advice agencies have been holding special surgeries and writing to, visiting and calling tenants over the last few months but ultimately tenants need to apply for the assistance available or they will lose out. I would urge any tenant who hasn’t yet applied for extra help to get in touch with their local housing office without delay.”

The under-occupancy charge was introduced to encourage tenants with a spare room to move to a smaller home. On average there is only ever one single bedroom property available to let for every 80 under-occupying households in the city.

Council tenants affected by the under-occupancy charge are encouraged to contact or call in to their local housing office for advice.

Edindex is ten years old

EdIndex, Scotland’s largest choice based letting system for social housing celebrated its tenth anniversary yesterday (Monday 11 November).

The system was introduced in 2003 by the City of Edinburgh Council to allow people the chance to bid for social housing, while providing greater choice when applying for homes. EdIndex was used to replace a complex system that involved numerous applications to individual landlords, by providing access to 23 housing associations and co-operatives throughout the city, through one single application.

Since it’s creation, more than 32,000 people have been housed in Edinburgh through EdIndex. Over 3.6 million bids have been received over the last ten years, including people going into social housing for the first time and existing tenants looking to move home.

The system is designed to be as accessible and flexible as possible and bids can be made online, in person, by email, letter or telephone. When homes become available they are advertised online and in the weekly publication ‘EH – Your Key to Choice’, to help applicants choose the most suitable property for them.

Housing Leader Councillor Cammy Day, said: “This marks an important milestone for EdIndex, which represents a modern, user-friendly system that puts choice at the heart of bidding for social housing. As the number of applications continues to increase, it is more important than ever that we have an easy to use process that is fair for all applicants. Over the years, EdIndex has gone from strength to strength and has been adopted by a number of other organisations across Scotland, demonstrating its value and success.”

Demand for social and affordable housing in the capital continues to increase and an average of 946 people are registered on EdIndex every month. Applicants are prioritised depending on their housing need. Applicants’ points increase the longer they are registered on the system.

Social housing cash boost

Local authorities and registered social landlords (RSLs) are to benefit from a £44 million increase in housing subsidies, allowing them to create more social housing.

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced the increase, which will give councils and housing associations an extra £16,000 per home, on the same day as the publication of a report on Affordability, Financial Capacity and Subsidy Rates, which recommended introducing higher subsidy levels.

The report was put together by a short life working group, with representatives from the Chartered Institute of Housing Scotland, the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA), the Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum (GWSF), the Association of Local Authority Chief Housing Officers (ALACHO) and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA).

Councils currently receive up to £30,000, towards the cost of building a new home, while RSLs get around £42,000.

Ms Sturgeon said: “I would like to extend my thanks to the working group for their hard work and commitment on this report. We are aware of the pressures being faced by councils and housing associations, and support the recommendations of the working group in full, including increasing subsidies by £16,000. Housing is and will remain a priority for this Government and today’s announcement of £44 million in funding brings our total budget for affordable housing to nearly £900 million over three years. Increasing the supply of affordable housing is a vital part of our efforts to build a better and fairer Scotland.

“We are now two years into our five year target of delivering at least 30,000 additional affordable homes and we are collectively making good progress towards making this target, with last month’s housing statistics showing that we have already completed almost 12,900 additional affordable homes. In announcing the end of Right to Buy last week I also signalled our commitment to ensuring that we keep and make the best use of our existing housing stock.

“Housing is central to the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities and I am confident that the additional resources announced today will strengthen our commitment to provide the people of Scotland with high quality, sustainable homes that they can afford and which meets their needs.”

COSLA President Cllr David O’Neil said: “COSLA is pleased that councils and housing association will receive an increase in the development subsidy for social housing. This increase will assist councils in responding to local housing need. It will create greater confidence amongst councils to plan for a sustainable new build social housing programme. This in turn will provide a boost to local economies and employment opportunities.”

Susan Torrance, Policy Manager for Investment, Asset Management and Development, who represented SFHA on the Working Party said: “I am delighted that the recommendations of the Working Party have been approved by the Scottish Government, representing as it did, the unanimous views of all of us who are working to build social rented and affordable housing for those in need in Scotland. New homes are needed urgently and these measures will enable us to build with the right level of subsidy to ensure rents remain affordable to those working in low paid jobs and on low incomes.”

Jim Hayton, Policy Manager for the Association of Local Authority Chief Housing Officers (ALACHO ) added: “ALACHO very much welcomes the announcement that subsidies for new social housing construction are to be increased by an additional £16,000 per home for councils and RSLs alike.

“There is a pressing need for social housing throughout Scotland, and this increase will give councils and their partners much needed scope to plan and deliver sustainable social housing development programmes for their communities. We also commend Scottish Government for the inclusive manner in which the working group has been encouraged to develop its report and recommendations on this important issue.”