Port of Leith Housing Association has been named the 10th best housing association to work for and the 33rd best company to work for in the UK.
It is recognised as the 11th best company to work for in Scotland. Based in Leith and providing over 3,000 homes across north Edinburgh, it employs over one hundred staff who work closely with local communities.
The Best Companies rankings are based on staff feedback on workplace factors such as leadership, wellbeing and personal growth.
Heather Kiteley, Group Chief Executive said: “It is incredibly important to Port of Leith Housing Association that staff enjoy great working conditions and feel supported and motivated in their roles.
“This is captured in our strategic plan and we believe that employee engagement is key to being a brilliant company. It has been a great success to rank among the top companies to work for in the UK. I am immensely proud of all our members of staff who contribute to making our organisation a brilliant place to work.”
Three key workplace factors that stood out in Association’s Best Companies ranking were work life balance, charitable activities, and that the organisation is run on strong values and principles.
This includes an ‘open-door’ approach to leadership, referring staff members to free counselling and supporting wellbeing during lockdowns, and distributing over £200,000 to local community organisations.
This ranking comes just months after an award for Excellence from the European Foundation of Quality Management last year. The award acknowledged the flexibility and responsiveness with which the Association met the impact of the pandemic.
£33,000 funding secured from the Scottish Government to help with fuel poverty debts
Port of Leith Housing Association (PoLHA), in partnership with Changeworks, has secured £33,000 in funding from the Scottish Government and Scottish Federation of Housing Associations to support tenants with existing fuel poverty related debts.
The fund ensures we can support up to 50 households with this issue until the end of March 2022.
Currently, 21% of Edinburgh households live in fuel poverty, rising to 44% for social housing tenants. In Leith, 24% households live in material deprivation which has been further exacerbated by the pandemic.
Affordable Warmth Services Team Manager at Changeworks, Lisa Bygate, commented: “Through our work on the Link-Up Leith project we have seen increasing demand for support as people find themselves struggling with high bills and fuel debt.
“We are now seeing the highest incidences of households at risk of disconnection since the project started. This much welcomed funding will support people living on low incomes to have improved life skills and confidence to tackle fuel poverty issues themselves.
“We are delighted to be strengthening our partnership with Port of Leith Housing Association to provide support to their tenants and Leith residents with energy debt. We will be working closely with their welfare rights staff and other members of the Link-Up Leith project to identify and provide assistance to those who need it.”
PoLHA Group Chief Executive, Heather Kiteley, said: “I’m thankful that we have secured this funding to help our community during this time of rapidly escalating fuel costs.
“We are committed to ensuring our tenants’ welfare and I’m proud that the PoLHA Group has been able to react so quickly to our tenants’ needs and provide vital support.”
Eligible tenants will be identified for this grant through PoLHA’s Tenant Advice Service and Changeworks existing Link-Up Leith project run in partnership with Edinburgh Community Food and Stepping Stones.
Changeworks will also identify people eligible for support through referrals to their Affordable Warmth Service.
How to apply
Tenants can apply for the fund by speaking to their Housing Officer or our Tenant Advice team who can make a referral to Changeworks.
Other services
PoLHA offers the following support services to social housing tenants: welfare benefits advice, money advice and tenancy sustainment advice.
The City of Edinburgh Council has this month invited the private sector to bring forward proposals to deliver affordable housing on sites not owned by the Council.
The PIN focusses on three key areas: purchase of development sites, purchase of completed homes and an opportunity to propose innovative solutions such as leasehold proposals and partnerships.
The PIN also sets out a range of outcomes that the market must consider when putting forward proposals and overall gives the market an opportunity to tell the Council what they can do.
It will also help to inform the next steps, including whether there needs to be a procurement exercise and what that should look like. Establishing a structured approach to market engagement will allow the transparency and assessment of best value that the public sector needs but there is also a desire to make the process as accessible as possible and allow the Council to react to opportunities over the coming years.
Released through Public Contracts Scotland it is open for everyone to take a look, consider the options and register interest in this engagement process. The PIN will close on 31 January 2022.
Housing Convener, Councillor Kate Campbell, said: “Edinburgh needs more affordable homes. We’re doing everything we can through the Council’s own housebuilding programme, and working with housing associations, to provide social and mid-market homes. But we need to look at every possible way to create additional affordable housing – so I am really keen to see what ideas come from the private sector.
“I hope this process will create new and innovative ways to provide even more affordable homes that are so needed in our city.
“By going out to the market we’re asking the question of housing developers or landowners about what they could deliver now. But we’re also inviting them to start thinking about what might be possible, and how they can contribute to helping us deal with one of the biggest challenges facing our city.”
Vice Housing Convener, Councillor Mandy Watt, said: “We are looking forward to seeing what comes back in through this process. It’s an opportunity for the private sector to consider what they might be able to contribute to Edinburgh in terms of affordable housing.
“We expect any proposals submitted to fit with our strategy of providing affordable, good quality, sustainable homes that deliver value for money. We are open to both traditional and innovative ideas which achieve the outcomes that our citizens need.
“Some landowners or developers maybe interested in this but are unfamiliar with this process, so we’d encourage them to come forward and speak to our procurement team to find out more.”
If you have any queries on the PIN or accessing Public Contracts Scotland please contact Kelly Faulds Kelly.faulds@edinburgh.gov.uk
The city council says it is on track and committed to delivering on its ambition to deliver 20,000 affordable homes by 2027, despite the UK-wide impact on the development of affordable homes following the global pandemic.
In its Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) 2022-27 report being presented to the Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work committee next week (4 November) councillors will be asked to approve the proposals ahead of submission to the Scottish Government.
The SHIP 2022-2027 highlights the progress being made which includes the projection that 7,500 new affordable homes will be approved by 31 March 2022 and 5,790 completed. There are currently over 2,100 homes under construction on 34 sites across the city.
A ‘strong pipeline’ has also been identified of 11,118 affordable homes that could be approved for site start and 10,124 potential completions by 2027.
Despite over 18 months of disruption for the entire Scottish house building sector, it is anticipated that the delivery of the interim milestone of 10,000 homes will be achieved midway through 2023. There are currently 25 projects, equating to 1,456 approvals, that have been delayed, primarily as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 75% of these projects have just slipped into the subsequent year.
This comes in the wake of national pressures on the UK and Scottish house building sector. In the Scottish Government’s “Housing statistics quarterly update: September 2021” it sets out that in June 2021 affordable housing approvals were down 36%, compared to the same time last year. Affordable housing completions are also down 5% year-on-year, but when compared to 2019, there is a reduction of over 15%.
Added to this, as construction projects worldwide have recommenced post-pandemic, a surge in materials demand and prices has been seen which build on the pressures being seen as a result of the UK’s exit from Europe. The Office for National Statistics projects a rise of 7-8% in material prices, with increases for certain materials, such as timber, expected to more than double during the course of the year.
Councillor Kate Campbell, Convener for the Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Committee, said: There are extreme pressures on housing in Edinburgh and a desperate need for more affordable homes.
“We’re doing all we can to drive forward our house building programme so that our residents can have permanent homes that are energy efficient, safe and affordable. There are constraints, from Brexit and Covid, which have had a severe impact on supply chains, material costs and the labour market, which are affecting housebuilding across the UK.
“That said, the good news is that this is the largest ever SHIP brought forward. It sets out a positive long-term picture and shows we are on track to deliver a programme for 20,000 affordable homes over ten years.
“We’ll continue to work hard with our housing association partners to build more homes for social rent. But we need to look at what more we can do. We were the first local authority to develop an Affordable Housing Policy through planning – where 25% of the land on any new development must be given for affordable housing. Now, through the City Plan, we’re proposing to increase the affordable allocation from 25% to 35%.
“We have a strong track record in delivering new social rented homes. This has resulted in an additional £36 million of grant funding being given to Edinburgh over the last five years. We’ll work hard to make sure this continues, alongside making the case to the Scottish Government for increased investment in social housing in our city.”
Councillor Mandy Watt, Vice Convener of the Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Committee said:“The Edinburgh housing market has remained resilient throughout the pandemic, however the full impact of lockdown & the continuation of restrictions, combined with Brexit, on the wider economy & the job market is not fully known.
“Those on low incomes will continue to be the greatest affected and therefore affordable housing needs to play a key role in a green and sustainable recovery.”
In term of delivery, funding and land supply remain two key challenges for delivery. The SHIP will require £329.6m in grant funding, or £65.9m per annum on average, or a 29% required annual increase, based on current benchmarks in order to meet the overall ambition of 20,000 homes. The Council will continue to work with Scottish Government and its partners to stretch available grant funding as far as possible to maximise the number of social rented homes that can be delivered.
While our Registered Social Landlord (RSL) programme is almost entirely dependent upon private developers bringing forward sites for development through the Affordable Housing Plan (AHP), we’re looking to mitigate this risk, through our Land Strategy by working on 20-minute partnerships with private sector & RSLs, inviting interest from the private sector to bringing forward opportunities for Council led delivery and working closely with public sector partners.
Port of Leith Housing Association (PoLHA) has secured an internationally recognised excellence award from the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM).
EFQM’s Recognised for Excellence status enables organisations to evaluate and demonstrate efforts to improve performance against a range of globally recognised definitions of excellence.
PoLHA achieved a Five-Star Excellence Award, following a rigorous, independent assessment process which highlighted the organisation’s main strengths and areas for improvement.
The EFQM Assessment Team identified a wide range of positive practices across customer service, strategic planning and staff engagement among PoLHA’s 107 employees.
The organisation was also praised for the flexibility and responsiveness with which it met the impact of Covid-19 while simultaneously proceeding with ambitious plans to undergo an organisational review and launch a new strategic plan.
PoLHA’s Group Chief Executive, Heather Kiteley, said: “EFQM assessment provides a robust means with which to measure our performance as we work to provide affordable homes and life-changing services and create brilliant communities in Leith and north Edinburgh.
“The Five-Star Excellence Award is testament to the hard work of our staff team, who were praised for their sense of purpose and commitment to high standards of customer service. Our ambition is to push on and meet the challenge of embedding even more good practices to drive continuous improvement across the Association and the rest of our Group.”
Janet Robertson, EFQM Director, Scotland said: “We are delighted to see Port of Leith Housing Association awarded 5-Star Recognised for Excellence.
“PoLHA demonstrated a clear purpose and commitment to delivering high standards of customer service. Their flexibility demonstrated in response to the Covid pandemic, and the dedication to their people during this time of change is a further testament to their drive for excellence. We are proud to recognise PoLHA as a leading organisation in Scotland and a valuable member of our EFQM community.
“Thanks to everyone who took part in the Recognition process, and many congratulations on the well-deserved progression from four to five stars.”
Scotland’s councils are to share more than £3.2 billion in grant funding over five years to deliver more affordable homes.
Local authorities will benefit from an increase of more than £541 million on the previous five year allocation – an uplift of more than 20%.
Housing Secretary Shona Robison said: “We have already delivered more than 102,000 affordable homes since 2007. Building on this, our aim is to deliver 100,000 affordable homes by 2032, with at least 70% of these for social rent.
“Meeting this ambition will require continued collaboration across the private and public sectors. I’m pleased to be increasing significantly the available affordable housing grant funding for council areas to help with this important work.
“The five-year allocations will provide the certainty and assurance the housing sector needs to deliver the ambitious affordable homes target set out in our Housing to 2040 strategy.”
COSLA Resources spokesperson Councillor Gail Macgregor said: “We welcome the Scottish Government’s commitment to contributing to the cost of affordable housing in Scotland. The priority for councils, and housing associations, is ensuring rent affordability and warm, safe, comfortable homes for current and future tenants.
“As we look to recover from the impacts of the pandemic, councils are working side by side with their communities. We maintain a focus on our shared ambitions around tackling child poverty and climate change, alongside building more houses.”
The City of Edinburgh Council also welcomes the announcement from Scottish Government on a five-year funding package for local authorities and housing associations in Scotland to deliver new affordable homes.
Edinburgh is one of the most pressured housing markets in the country and needs more affordable homes to meet the needs of its growing population.
City of Edinburgh Council’s Convener for Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work, Councillor Kate Campbell said: “This announcement of £233.8m funding for housing in Edinburgh from the Scottish Government over the next five years is hugely welcome. Having certainty over future funding puts us in a strong position to continue building that pipeline of social and affordable homes that we so desperately need.
“This will allow us to plan ahead and acquire sites, design and develop new homes and appoint contractors. And not only do we have certainty, we also have an increase of almost £44m from our baseline allocation over the last five years.
“Having recently met with the Cabinet Secretary to set out the challenges in Edinburgh, and the further investment we need, this is a positive response.
“We’ve also consistently received in-year allocations of extra funding when other local authorities have had underspends in their grant. Over the last five years this has amounted to about £40m. Our aim is to continue making the case for any future underspends to come to Edinburgh by making sure that we continue our strong track record on delivery of homes.
“And, because the need for permanent, secure and affordable housing in our city is so great, we’ll also continue to make the case for additional funding for Edinburgh from the national housing budget. But having certainty for the next five years, and an increase in funding, puts us in a fantastic position just now, and gives us a really strong platform to build from.”
Vice Convener for Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work, Councillor Mandy Watt, said: “We have ambitious plans to grow the number of homes we own, which we’ll do by purchasing homes and by building homes through our own housing development programme.
“Alongside this, we’ve got to find ways to deliver more affordable housing through our planning policies. Currently, the minimum amount of land for affordable homes is 25% of any major development. We are proposing that the minimum allocation is increased to 35%.
“As a Council, we’re committed to ending poverty and becoming more sustainable. Our house building programme will make a major contribution towards achieving that.”
One of Scotland’s leading housing providers has launched an initiative to celebrate its community for their acts of kindness.
Housing and care provider, Bield, has launched a platform to recognise individuals going above and beyond in the community, naming the award – ‘You are one of a Kind’.
Running until March 2022, customers, owners, service users, staff and members of the local community will have the chance every month to nominate their local heroes or heroines who have gone out of their way to lend a helping hand.
At the end of each month, a board of judges will select a Bield customer along with a Bield staff member or volunteer to receive the One of a Kind Award and a £50 voucher.
This comes as Bield is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and is looking to get as many people as possible involved in the milestone.
Chief Executive of Bield, Dr Lynne Douglas said: “Many things can go unnoticed as people go about their day to day life and this award gives us the perfect opportunity to recognise all the little things that make a big difference to individuals and their communities – especially in the current climate.
“The community at Bield has rallied together throughout the pandemic so we are really excited to launch this initiative and give those people a platform to share their amazing efforts.
“Our first series of nominations have started to come through and the stories so far have been incredible – it is wonderful to see individuals supporting each other.
“The Bield community is truly one of a kind and we felt this award will help showcase and celebrate the amazing people we interact with on a daily basis.”
This award further amplifies the importance the provider has put on kindness, last year it was added to its core values, building on the ethos staff and customers live by.
Customers, staff and volunteers can cast vote here:
Bield is a registered charity which grew from humble beginnings, starting out with one housing development in Bo’ness which has gone on to become a major provider of housing and care services for around 20,000 older people across 22 local authority areas.
To find out more about Bield and its developments, visit www.bield.co.uk or follow on Facebook @bieldhousingandcare and Twitter @BieldScotland.
More than 100,000 affordable homes delivered – since 2007
Scotland has delivered more than 100,000 affordable homes since 2007, marking a major milestone on the path to a fairer, more equal nation.
Statistics published today show that 102,055 affordable homes have been delivered since April 2007, with 70,866 of these for social rent.
Scotland delivered over 75% more affordable homes per head of population than both England and Wales in the four years to 2019-20, and over nine times more social rented homes per head than in England during the same period.
Housing Secretary Shona Robison said yesterday: “This is a remarkable achievement. Today’s statistics tell the story of more than 100,000 households being given access to high-quality, affordable homes – whether they be for social rent or people owning a home for the first time.
“I would like to thank registered social landlords, local authorities, the construction sector and our other partners for helping us hit this significant milestone.
“Scotland has been leading the way across the UK with delivery of affordable housing, but we know there is more to do to ensure everyone has a warm, affordable home that meets their needs in a vibrant, safe community.
“Our utmost priority over the past year has been to keep Scotland safe from Coronavirus (COVID-19), and this has meant placing restrictions on construction or at times stopping it altogether.
“While this has affected our ability to meet our target of delivering 50,000 affordable homes over the last parliamentary period, we are continuing to work closely with partners across the housing sector to deliver the remaining homes as quickly as it is safe to do so.
“We will then deliver a further 100,000 homes by 2032, with at least 70% of these for social rent. This is just one of the actions set out in our Housing to 2040 strategy for building a fairer, more equal housing sector, alongside taking steps to tackle high rents in the private sector, setting a single set of standards for housing quality and accessibility, and continuing our work to end homelessness and rough sleeping once and for all.”
Triple Point Social Housing REIT has announced that work has completed on its major new development in Leith, which provides high-quality new homes for local people with long-term disabilities.
In April 2019, Triple Point announced its investment in the scheme, developed by HB Villages (HBV), with construction officially started by Deidre Brock, the MP for Edinburgh North and Leith.
Twenty-four new supported housing apartments have been built on West Bowling Green Street in Leith, which are specially adapted to provide long-term homes for people with physical disabilities, learning disabilities and other complex care requirements.
Residents will be referred to the scheme by the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership based on significant local need, with care provided to residents by Lifeways, and housing management services provided by Inclusion Housing.
The £5.4m scheme, called Heron Court, is the first of its type in Scotland and has been developed by HBV, a specialist supported living developer, using funding from Triple Point.
The developers instructed an all-Scottish construction team including Edinburgh-based architects 56Three, structural and civil engineers Curtins, locally-based mechanical and electrical consultants Horizon M&E, and Alloa-based contractor Marshall Construction.
Triple Point uses private capital to acquire, or fund the development of, newly built or newly renovated housing in the community for people with long-term care needs whose rent is funded by government.
This type of housing has been shown to improve the wellbeing of people moving out of institutional care settings, while saving the government money. Triple Point’s portfolio has over 450 properties providing homes for over 3,000 residents.
Based on strong demand, Triple Point is looking to invest in more supported housing schemes like Heron Court across Scotland and the rest of the UK.
Max Shenkman, Head of Property Investment at Triple Point, said: “We are delighted to announce the completion of Heron Court. The development will allow people with disabilities and complex care needs to live independent lives in high-quality and carefully adapted apartments.
“Triple Point is committed to investing in projects that deliver a positive social impact, and Heron Court will provide homes in the heart of the community to support some of Edinburgh’s most vulnerable people. With more Scottish developments in the pipeline, we look forward to delivering further positive impact in the area.”
Oliver Carroll, development director of HBV, the supported living developer, said: “We are delighted to complete delivery of this special scheme in the heart of the community.
“We have had tremendous support from officers at Edinburgh City Council who are responsible for delivering specialist supported care across the city. Everyone we have worked with on delivering Heron Court recognises the need for modern specialist supported living accommodation for Scotland’s most vulnerable people.
“We are tremendously excited by all the interest that is being shown in this particular scheme and we are already progressing discussions with other local authorities and funding partners to deliver more like it in Scotland.”
Judith Proctor, Chief Officer of the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership, said:“The completion of this scheme – less than two miles from Edinburgh city centre and less than two years after works began – is a remarkable achievement and a great example of collaboration between the public and private sectors.
“Accessibility and technology are two important features of the design of the building which will enable residents to live more independently. Many of the residents will have keys to their own front door for the first time which will be a tremendous boost to their independence and a positive impact on their lives.”
Edinburgh’s Lord Provost, Frank Ross, said:“This is a brilliant example of a new-build development that blends seamlessly into the surrounding environment and community not just physically but emotionally as well.
“It is important that we continue to place great emphasis on solving the housing requirements of people in Edinburgh who need extra support and give them the opportunity to live as independently as possible.”
Deidre Brock, MP, who officially started works at the site in 2019, said:“The completion of this development is another important step towards ensuring the most vulnerable in our society are well looked after in accommodation that properly suits their needs.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing folk move into the scheme over the next few months and making their home here in Leith.”
2. Follow the instructions on our website to send a letter to S1 Developments and tell them what you think of the development directly. Make yourself heard!
