Why we are engaging with East Renfrewshire Council (East Renfrewshire)
We are engaging with East Renfrewshire about its services for people who are homeless and tenant and resident safety.
The context in which local authorities are delivering services to people who are experiencing homelessness has become increasingly challenging in the last few years. In our December 2023 update to our thematic report on homelessness services in Scotland we set out that there is a heightened risk of systemic failure in the delivery of some local authorities’ services to people experiencing homelessness. By this we mean that there is a risk that the demands on some local authorities could shortly exceed their capacity to respond. This is the case at East Renfrewshire. We will continue to monitor, assess and report on East Renfrewshire’s performance in discharging its duties to people who are homeless.
During 2024/25, we reviewed and compared the data for all local authorities from the Scottish Government’s national homelessness statistics. We also spoke to all local authorities to gather further information and assurance about their homelessness services. To assess the risks to people who are threatened with or experiencing homelessness we will engage with all local authorities during 2025/26 with a focus on the provision of appropriate temporary accommodation.
We will engage with East Renfrewshire in particular about the following areas:
- how people access the homelessness services provided by East Renfrewshire;
- the provision of temporary accommodation by East Renfrewshire to people who are homeless; and
- outcomes for people who are homeless.
East Renfrewshire does not fully comply with electrical safety requirements which came into force in early 2022 and form part of the Scottish Housing Quality Standard. East Renfrewshire is progressing inspections to provide Electrical Installation Condition Reports in all of its tenants’ homes.
We are engaging with East Renfrewshire to monitor its progress in completing this outstanding work as quickly as possible and maintaining future compliance.
What East Renfrewshire must do
East Renfrewshire must:
- send us the information we require in relation to its homelessness service;
- continue best efforts to meet its statutory duty to provide temporary accommodation when it should and to comply with the Unsuitable Accommodation Order;
- keep us updated on its capacity to meet its statutory duty to provide temporary accommodation when it should and to comply with the Unsuitable Accommodation Order;
- complete the outstanding electrical safety work as quickly as possible;
- by 30 April 2025, send us a plan for how it will complete the outstanding electrical work, including timescales, and how it will maintain future compliance; and
- send us monthly updates on progress on achieving compliance with electrical safety requirements.
What we will do
We will:
- review the information East Renfrewshire provides about its homelessness service;
- meet with East Renfrewshire on a quarterly basis to discuss its homelessness service and engage as necessary;
- meet with East Renfrewshire to seek assurance about its best efforts to provide suitable temporary accommodation;
- review East Renfrewshire’s progress with its plan to achieve and maintain compliance with electrical safety requirements and engage as necessary; and
- update our published engagement plan in the light of any material change to our planned engagement with East Renfrewshire.
Regulatory Returns
East Renfrewshire must provide us with the following annual regulatory returns:
- Annual Assurance Statement; and
- Annual Return on the Charter.
It should also notify us of any material changes to its Annual Assurance Statement, and any tenant and resident safety matter which has been reported to or is being investigated by the Health and Safety Executive or reports from regulatory or statutory authorities or insurance providers, relating to safety concerns.