Why we are engaging with Glasgow West Housing Association Ltd (Glasgow West)
We are engaging with Glasgow West about tenant and resident safety.
Since February 2021 we have been engaging with Glasgow West following notification of a potentially serious tenant and resident safety matter relating to glass on public walkways within some of its high-rise buildings. Subsequently it also identified a potential fire safety issue in the public walkways in these buildings. We have been engaging with Glasgow West about both the immediate and long-term steps it is taking to address these issues and to ensure that it is complying with the Regulatory Standards of Governance and Financial Management (the Regulatory Standards) as well as all tenant and resident safety requirements.
In November 2021 we completed our review of Glasgow West’s regulatory status and were satisfied that Glasgow West had provided us with sufficient assurance about how it was managing these issues and its compliance with Regulatory Standards.
Glasgow West has put in place a number of temporary safety measures to mitigate the risks to tenants and others, and has developed and progressed a plan for delivering a long-term solution to these matters. Glasgow West was also proactive in its decision to commission an independent assessment of its compliance with its other health and safety obligations and has made improvements to its legionella and asbestos management.
Glasgow West has informed us of a material delay in its initial plans for delivering a long-term solution to the tenant and resident safety matters in some of its high-rise buildings and these matters are not expected to be fully addressed until 2024.
We will continue to engage with Glasgow West as it progresses its plans for a long-term solution to the tenant and resident safety matters. Glasgow West is working openly and constructively with us.
What Glasgow West must do
Glasgow West must:
- provide us with monthly updates on progress with the implementation of its comprehensive immediate and long-term plans to address the problems identified with the glass walkways and fire safety issues;
- inform us of any material delay or impact on its ability to address this tenant and resident safety matter; and
- inform us when it considers the tenant and resident safety matter to be fully resolved and provide us with the assurance we require to confirm that our Regulatory Standards and all other health and safety obligations are met.
What we will do
We will:
- engage with Glasgow West to monitor progress with its immediate and long-term actions to address the tenant and resident safety matter; and
- update our published engagement plan in the light of any material change to our planned engagement with Glasgow West.
Regulatory returns
Glasgow West must provide us with the following annual regulatory returns and alert us to notifiable events as appropriate:
- Annual Assurance Statement;
- audited financial statements and external auditor’s management letter;
- loan portfolio return;
- five year financial projections; 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.