The Scottish Housing Regulator today published an updated Engagement Plan for Thistle Housing Association. The new plan sets out progress of the Regulator’s statutory intervention at Thistle.
Thistle has completed an independent review of the best way forward for the organisation and its tenants and service users. It has decided that the interests of its tenants and service users are best protected through a transfer of its homes to another Registered Social Landlord (RSL).
The Regulator will review with Thistle its proposed strategy for delivering a transfer. The Regulator will continue its statutory appointments to ensure that Thistle has the necessary support and expertise to deal with the complex and serious issues it is facing.
The Regulator is closely monitoring Thistle’s progress towards compliance with tenant and resident safety requirements, in particular its management of asbestos after it was served with a Statutory Improvement Notice by the Health and Safety Executive on 22nd August.
The Regulator used its statutory powers of intervention to appoint a manager and five members to Thistle’s governing body in August 2018. This followed the Regulator identifying serious and widespread failures at Thistle to comply with the Regulatory Standards of Governance and Financial Management and to meet outcome two of the Scottish Social Housing Charter in how it communicates with its tenants and service users. In August 2019 the Regulator increased the number of appointees on the governing body to nine.
Ian Brennan, Director of Regulation at the Regulator said:
“Thistle is now addressing the underlying weaknesses in its governance that led to our decision to intervene. We will continue to work with Thistle to ensure that, in future, its tenants and residents have the benefit of a registered social landlord which complies with the Regulatory Standards of Governance and Financial Management. We welcome the recent apology that Thistle made to its tenants and residents for its past failures.”
Notes to editors
1. The Scottish Housing Regulator was established on 1 April 2011 under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2010. Its objective is to safeguard and promote the interests of tenants and others who use local authority and RSL housing services. The Regulator operates independently of Scottish Ministers and is accountable directly to the Scottish Parliament. It assumed its full regulatory responsibilities on 1 April 2012. The Regulator consists of the Chair and eight Board members. More information about the Regulator can be found on its website at www.scottishhousingregulator.gov.uk
2. SHR sets out how it regulates social landlords in its published framework – Regulation of Social Housing in Scotland.