Housing Regulator launches consultation on its second British Sign Language Plan

Updated

13 January 2025

The Scottish Housing Regulator today launched a consultation on its second British Sign Language (BSL) Plan.

The Regulator’s draft plan sets out what it will do to support and promote BSL during 2025-2031.

Iain Muirhead, Director of Digital and Business Support, said:

“We want it to be easy for all tenants, service users and people with an interest in our work to be able to find out about us and get in touch. It’s also crucial that BSL users can access information about homes and services from their landlord when they need it.

“Our draft BSL plan sets out how we propose to support and promote BSL over the next six years, building on the actions and initiatives we introduced in our first plan. This includes continuing to promote Contact Scotland BSL as a way to get in touch with us, to raise awareness of this amongst our staff, and to continue to make information available for BSL users on our website.  

“Last year, our thematic inquiry on the provision of social landlords’ housing and homelessness services highlighted some of the challenges BSL users face. We shared good practice and made recommendations for social landlords. We propose to review this work during the life of our second BSL plan to examine how landlords have responded to our recommendations.”

The Regulator’s consultation on its draft BSL Plan 2025-2032 opens today and organisations and individuals are invited to give feedback by Friday, 7 March 2025. Contact details are included in the Plan.

Public bodies are required to have a BSL Plan by the British Sign Language (Scotland) Act 2015.

The BSL Plan is available to view on the Regulator’s website where a BSL video version is also available.

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 seven Board members. More information about the Regulator can be found on its website at www.housingregulator.gov.scot
  2. SHR’s current approach to how it regulates social landlords is set out in its current Regulatory framework – Regulation of Social Housing in Scotland.
  3. The Regulator’s thematic inquiry report on BSL users’ access to social landlords’ housing and homelessness services is available on its website:  https://www.housingregulator.gov.scot/about-us/news/regulator-publishes-findings-from-its-thematic-review-of-british-sign-language-users-access-to-housing-and-homelessness-services/

Contact

Tracy Davren Communications Manager