The Scottish Housing Regulator today published an Engagement Plan updating progress of its statutory intervention at Thistle Housing Association.
The plan shows that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has served a Statutory Improvement Notice on Thistle Housing Association in relation to its management of asbestos.
The HSE took this step on 22 August 2019 after it decided that Thistle had failed to comply with Regulations on the Control of Asbestos. Thistle is required to comply with the Improvement Notice by 15th November 2019 and has appointed expert consultants to help it.
The Regulator used its statutory powers of intervention to appoint a manager and five members to Thistle’s governing body in August 2018 after it identified 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 August 2019 the Regulator increased the number of appointees on the governing body to nine.
The Regulator required Thistle to independently review its compliance with tenant and resident safety requirements. The review identified substantial and systemic weaknesses in Thistle’s approach.
Separately, an independent review of the information provided to the Regulator by Thistle about the performance of its services to tenants and residents, identified major shortcomings in Thistle’s approach. The review was only able to verify three of the thirty Scottish Social Housing Charter Indicators.
Ian Brennan, Director of Regulation at the Regulator said:
“Tenant and resident safety is a key priority for us. In June 2019 we established that Thistle had provided inaccurate information to tenants, residents and ourselves about its management of asbestos. As a result we required Thistle to immediately independently review the quality of information provided, including its asbestos management systems. We considered that the reviews showed serious weaknesses in and failures in Thistle’s approach.
Thistle must comply with the Improvement Notice. With support from the Statutory Manager and appointees it will develop plans to address the weaknesses and failures and we will closely monitor its progress. We also require Thistle to provide appropriate information to its tenants and residents about the steps it is taking”.
Read the engagement plan for Thistle Housing Association.
Notes to editors
- 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 scottishhousingregulator.gov.uk
- SHR sets out how it regulates social landlords in its published framework – Regulation of Social Housing in Scotland.