Why we are engaging with Midlothian Council (Midlothian)
We are engaging with Midlothian about its services for people who are homeless and performance in service quality.
COVID-19 has significantly impacted the services provided by social landlords in 2020 and will continue to influence how services are provided in 2021. We will continue to monitor, assess and report upon how each landlord is responding and we will keep our regulatory engagement under review so that we can continue to respond to the challenges of COVID-19.
We have reviewed the information on homelessness in the COVID-19 monthly returns. We will discuss with Midlothian the impact of the pandemic on outcomes for people who are threatened with, or are experiencing, homelessness, how it is working with its Registered Social Landlord partners to provide accommodation, and review our engagement.
We reviewed and compared the 2019/20 performance of all social landlords using information on the Annual Return on the Charter and considered other information we have received from landlords in the last year in relation to tenant and resident safety. We are engaging with Midlothian about its emergency repairs.
What Midlothian must do
Midlothian must:
- provide us with the information we may require in relation to its homelessness service; and
- provide us with the information we require in relation to its emergency repairs service.
What we will do
We will:
- meet with Midlothian to discuss its homelessness service and decide whether we require any additional assurance;
- review the information we receive from Midlothian about its emergency repairs service and meet with it to discuss this; and
- update our published engagement plan in light of any material change to our planned engagement with Midlothian.
Regulatory returns
- Midlothian must provide us with the following annual regulatory returns and alert us to notifiable events as appropriate:
- 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.