Why we are engaging with Falkirk Council (Falkirk)
We are engaging with Falkirk about its services for people who are homeless, its site(s) for Gypsy/Travellers, stock quality and tenant and resident safety.
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 Falkirk in particular about its provision of temporary accommodation to people who are homeless.
All social landlords who provide Gypsy/Travellers sites must ensure their site(s) meet the Scottish Government’s Minimum Site Standards and all standards and outcomes in the Scottish Social Housing Charter. To gather further information and assurance, we will speak to all site providers during 2025/26 to discuss the management of their site(s).
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.
A significant number of Falkirk’s tenants’ homes do not fully comply with electrical safety requirements and a small number do not comply with fire detection requirements; both of which came into force in early 2022 and form part of the Scottish Housing Quality Standard. Falkirk is progressing inspections to provide Electrical Installation Condition Reports and to install integrated smoke and heat alarms in all of its tenants’ homes.
We are engaging with Falkirk to monitor its progress in completing this outstanding work as quickly as possible and maintaining future compliance.
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 the information we require in relation to the management of its Gypsy/Traveller site(s);
- 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;
- complete the outstanding electrical and fire safety work as quickly as possible;
- by 30 April 2025, send us a plan for how it will complete the outstanding electrical and fire safety work, including timescales, and how it will maintain future compliance; and
- send us monthly updates on progress on achieving compliance with electrical safety and fire detection requirements.
What we will do
We will:
- review the information Falkirk provides about its homelessness service;
- meet with Falkirk by 31 July 2025 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;
- meet with Falkirk to discuss the management of its Gypsy/Traveller site(s);
- 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 with its plan to achieve and maintain compliance with electrical safety and fire detection requirements and engage as necessary; 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.