Tenant Focus Group Meeting 30th May 2025
The Association welcomed members of our Tenant Focus Group on Friday 30th May, who joined us for a working lunch in what was the first quarterly meeting of 2025/26. We are indebted to the tenants who attend our meetings for the support they provide and the input they offer in terms of our service delivery – there is no substitute for gaining the perspective of someone in receipt of the services we offer.
Annual performance 2024/25
The main item on the agenda was a review of The Association’s performance during 2024/25, with an opportunity for the tenants to scrutinise our performance and ask questions on any area they wanted to understand more about. The key performance indicators form part of our Annual Return on the Charter, which is submitted to the Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) every year. Tenants were shown the SHR website, where detailed information on performance, comparing with other landlords, can be viewed. https://www.housingregulator.gov.scot/
Audit & scrutiny
As a registered social landlord, we have a duty to ensure we are providing true Value for Money for our tenants, who fund our services through their rents. The Association must continue to operate in a way which is financially viable, following correct Governance and Financial Management rules. In addition to the submissions to the Scottish Housing Regulator, The Association undertakes both internal and external audits every year.
Within the main Management Committee, there is a sub-committee dedicated to Audit & Risk – the chairperson of this committee will attend a future Focus Group meeting to explain the work they do and how they receive assurance from Senior Staff members.
Complaints handling
The Association is committed to handling complaints in a pro-active and transparent way. In total, there were 31 complaints listed on the register in 2024/25, with all complaints being concluded within the 5 working day target (the model used by the Scottish Public Service Ombudsman – SPSO). The majority of cases were relating to maintenance, which is no surprise with over 1700 routine repairs completed during the year. It was confirmed complaints are reviewed with staff at team meetings and, where required, changes are made to practice.
Compliments received
To provide some balance, and as a request from the TFG previously, we reviewed the compliments register for 2024/25. In total, there were 55 entries into the register, which is shared with staff to confirm the impact excellent service can have on our customers and tenants.
Summer Newsletter
The summer version of the Newsletter will be going out to tenants at the end of June. Following a discussion with the group, the following information items will be included;
- Staney-hill update
- Tenant Satisfaction Survey
- 50th Anniversary celebrations
- Speed restriction updates around Lerwick
- RTS Switch-off updates
- Estate Inspections
- Tenant competitions – 50th anniversary theme
- New staff updates
Staneyhill update
Tenants were provided with a short update on the progress of the Staneyhill housing development, the only on-site construction at this time. The infrastructure project is on-going, but the first phase of this contract is due for completion in the coming weeks. Furthermore, the tender process for building the first properties is now live and a contractor should start on the first phases of the house building by the end of the summer.
Tenant Satisfaction
The Association will be completing a full tenant satisfaction survey in the autumn of this year, the results of which will be used as part of future returns to the Scottish Housing Regulator for the next couple of years. The survey will also give us an opportunity to speak with tenants we may not ordinarily speak with – the plan will be to do this over a number of communication methods, including phone calls, emails, Whatsapps and via Royal Mail.
We are always delighted to be joined by new members – if you would like to know more about what we do, please just call the office and we can have a chat about what is involved.