Issue - meetings

Consider report by Service Director Customer and Communities on annual assurance statement 2018/19 in respect of landlord services provided by the Council for submission to the Scottish Housing Regulator.  (Copy attached).

There had been circulated copies of a report by the Service Director Customer & Communities seeking approval of an Annual Assurance Statement 2018/19 in respect of landlord services provided by the Council for submission to the Scottish Housing Regulator.  Homelessness Services Manager, David Kemp, joined Mrs Craig to present the report.  In 2019, the Scottish Housing Regulator revised its Regulatory Framework. This placed a new requirement on all social landlords to submit an Annual Assurance Statement to the Regulator by the end of October each year.  Mrs Craig explained that as Scottish Borders Council was a housing stock transfer local authority, it was subject to submitting a Statement that was considerably less involved than an asset-owning authority. However, the Council was responsible for Homelessness Services provision in the Scottish Borders and must give assurance in this area.The Annual Assurance Statement 2018/19, at Appendix 1 to the report, was designed to meet this new requirement of the Regulator.  The Annual Assurance Statement was informed by a Summary Statement of Self-Assessment of Compliance against Regulatory Framework, included as Appendix 2 to the report.  It was the opinion of the Service Director that, although there were a few areas of work to be completed for full compliance with the revised Regulatory Framework, the overall arrangements in respect of landlord services provided by the Council were operating satisfactorily.  Mr Kemp referred to Appendix I where it was noted that, in terms of the provision of Minimum Site Standards for Gypsy/Traveller sites, Scottish Borders Council was one of a number of local authority areas that did not meet the standards by the deadline of June 2018, however there was a Remedial Plan in place for meeting the Standards in full and the Council was liaising with the Scottish Housing Regulator with regard to progress on this. 

                       DECISION

                       AGREED:-

(a)       to note the details of the Annual Assurance Statement 2018/19 in respect of landlord services provided by the Council, as detailed in Appendix 1; and to acknowledge the actions identified by management to improve arrangements; and

(b)       to approve that the Annual Assurance Statement 2018/19 be submitted to the Scottish Housing Regulator.