Why we are engaging with Falkirk Council (Falkirk)
We are engaging with Falkirk about its services for people who are homeless, stock quality, tenant and resident safety and service quality.
During 2023/24, 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 2024/25 with a focus on the provision of appropriate temporary accommodation.
We will engage with Falkirk in particular about the following areas:
- Falkirk’s assessment of homelessness applications;
- the provision of temporary accommodation by Falkirk to people who are homeless; and
- outcomes for people who are homeless.
Following concerns raised by some tenants and residents in a number of villages in the Falkirk area about the affordability and adequacy of their heating systems, Falkirk put in place plans to replace these systems. We will continue to monitor progress in relation to the replacement of the heating systems.
Falkirk has told us that a significant number of its tenants’ homes do not fully comply with electrical safety requirements which came into force in early 2022 and form part of the Scottish Housing Quality Standard. Falkirk is currently progressing inspections to provide Electrical Installation Condition Reports in all of its tenants’ homes.
To assess the risk to social landlords we have reviewed and compared the 2022/23 service quality performance of all social landlords to identify the weakest performing landlords. We will therefore engage with Falkirk about the percentage of anti-social behaviour cases resolved, void management, rent collection and rent arrears.
What Falkirk must do
Falkirk must:
- send us the information we require in relation to its homelessness service;
- tell us about any emerging issues preventing it from fulfilling its statutory duty to provide temporary accommodation when it should and comply with the Unsuitable Accommodation Order;
- send us six-monthly updates on progress with the implementation of the plans for the installation of replacement heating systems;
- send us six-monthly updates on the work it is doing to support and engage with tenants and residents facing difficulties with the heating systems;
- send us monthly updates on progress on achieving compliance with electrical safety requirements; and
- review its performance for anti-social behaviour cases, void management, rent collection and rent arrears and consider what improvement action it needs to take.
What we will do
We will:
- review the information Falkirk provides about its homelessness service;
- meet with Falkirk by 31 July 2024 to discuss its homelessness service and engage as necessary;
- meet with Falkirk to seek assurance if it does not provide temporary accommodation when it should, or if it breaches the Unsuitable Accommodation Order;
- review the six-monthly updates Falkirk provides about its plans to install new heating systems as well as its engagement with affected tenants and residents and engage as necessary;
- review Falkirk’s progress on achieving compliance with electrical safety requirements and engage as necessary;
- review Falkirk’s service quality performance as part of our 2024/25 risk assessment; and
- update our published engagement plan in the light of any material change to our planned engagement with Falkirk.
Regulatory returns
Falkirk 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.