Why we are engaging with Fife Council (Fife)
We are engaging with Fife about its services for people who are homeless, tenant and resident safety and a Serious Concern involving its management of a Gypsy/Traveller site.
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 Fife. We will continue to monitor, assess and report on Fife’s performance in discharging its duties to people who are homeless.
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 Fife in particular about the following areas:
- the provision of temporary accommodation by Fife to people who are homeless; and
- outcomes for people who are homeless.
In September 2023, Fife told us that following a fire safety assessment of its tower blocks it required to replace the existing external wall insulation in two of its buildings. In the same buildings additional internal fire safety works were also required. Fife has agreed a programme of improvements to address these issues.
Fife has told us that a significant number of its tenants’ homes do not fully comply with electrical safety and fire detection requirements which came into force in early 2022 and form part of the Scottish Housing Quality Standard. Fife is currently progressing inspections to provide Electrical Installation Condition Reports and to install integrated smoke and heat alarms in all of its tenants’ homes.
We were contacted in May 2024 by the residents of Tarvit Mill, one of the Fife’s Gypsy/Travellers sites, concerning a number of serious issues relating to improvement works to their site, problems with decant accommodation and a lack of communication from Fife about the works to the site and the problems being experienced by residents on the decant site. The issues raised by the residents included a lengthy delay to the start of improvement works resulting in residents living in decant accommodation for an extended period of time. Residents were not kept informed of the timescales for starting and completing the works to the main site. Residents also reported serious issues with the quality of the decant accommodation which included a number of health and safety concerns.
We met residents and visited the site, we reviewed the information provided to us by the residents and engaged with Fife about the concerns raised by the residents. We considered the evidence and upheld the residents’ concerns. We found the issues raised should be categorised a Serious Concern. We concluded Fife has failed to meet its obligations under the Scottish Social Housing Charter specifically:
- Charter Outcome 1 on Equalities Charter Outcome 5 on Repairs,
- Maintenance and Improvements; and
- Charter Outcome 16 on Gypsy/Travellers.
We also found Fife has failed to meet the Scottish Government’s minimum standards for Gypsy/Traveller sites specifically:
- Standard 1 – Essential Fabric repairs
- Standard 3 – Facilities and Amenities
- Standard 4 – Safety and Security
- Standard 5 - Maintenance and Repairs.
We will engage with Fife to seek assurance it is addressing these serious issues. We will also meet the Tarvit Mill residents quarterly to understand their perspective on the improvements as they are being delivered.
Fife Council has accepted there have been failings on its part. Since we began engaging with the Council it has progressed a number of remedial actions and is engaging effectively with us about next steps. It is undertaking an internal review to identify the causes of the issues and what lessons it can learn.
What Fife must do
Fife 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;
- send us regular updates on progress with completing the replacement of the external wall insulation and the fire safety works; and
- send us monthly updates on progress on achieving compliance with electrical safety and fire detection requirements.
- provide us with assurance that it is prioritising the completion of the modernisation work at the Tarvit Mill site, including providing a timescale and action plan for completing the modernisation work and that it has completed the remedial work at the decant site;
- Provide quarterly updates on the Fife’s progress with the completion of the improvement works at the site. This should include how the Council is engaging with residents, and the related timescales;
- Provide us with the outcomes of the Fife's internal review into the cause of the issues at the site; and
- Confirm what lessons learned have been identified by Fife as a result of the issues at the site and provide us with relevant action plans that have been put in place
What we will do
We will:
- review the information Fife provides about its homelessness service;
- meet with Fife on a quarterly basis to discuss its homelessness service and engage as necessary;
- meet with Fife to seek assurance about its best efforts to provide suitable temporary accommodation;
- review the updates provided by Fife on progress with completing the replacement of the external wall insulation and the fire safety works, and engage as necessary;
- review Fife’s progress on achieving compliance with electrical safety and fire detection requirements and engage as necessary;
- consider the quarterly updates from Fife Council on completing remedial works to the Tarvit Mill decant site, improvements to the main site and the effectiveness of its engagement with residents;
- meet the Tarvit Mill residents quarterly to understand their perspective on the improvements as they are being delivered;
- consider the outcomes of Fife’s internal review into the cause of the issues at Tarvit Mill, its lessons learned and action plans to address the lessons and engage as necessary; and
- update our published engagement plan in the light of any material change to our planned engagement with Fife.
Regulatory returns
Fife 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.