Annual Report 2012/13
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Annual Report 2012/13 HOUSING ASSOCIATION Contents Chairperson’s Report 1 Governance 2 Southside as a Landlord 4 Southside as a Property Factor 8 Southside as a Carer 10 Care and Repair Glasgow 12 Southside as an Employer 14 Southside as a Developer 16 Southside in the Community 17 Financial Performance in 2012/13 18 Chairperson’s Report I am delighted to report on my first year as Chair of the Association. We have continued to positively restructure after the massive changes brought about by the three stock transfers in 2011. Despite these changes, thanks to the huge effort and committment of the staff, performance across a range of indicators has improved. These improvements are detailed within the report. Last year saw the continued building on our commitments to tenants made during the Second Stage Transfer, including finishing the refurbishment of St Andrew’s Crescent, completing much of the massive Moss Heights refurbishment work and the upgrading of the CCTV programme leading to greater community safety. These projects have not been without challenges to tenants, staff and contractors and I have been impressed at the forebearance of tenants during this time. The UK government’s Welfare Reform programme will increase the pressure on low income families and will affect financial commitments, including rent payments. The Association is making a positive response to the challenges facing our tenants and the Housing Management team has been allocated greater resources for welfare advice and rent collection. This will have the effect of both protecting our income and helping tenants affected by benefit changes. In addition, the Management Committee, mindful of the financial challenges facing our communities, has approved relatively low rent increases over the past three years. As a progressive, forward thinking organisation, the Association launched its first mid market rent scheme in mid 2013. The 24 flats built in partnership with CCG Ltd in Tantallon Road have all been rented, and there has been positive feedback on the quality and design. Work has started on Manse Brae, Cathcart for 40 affordable homes, with further developments for Mosspark Boulevard and Penilee in the pipeline. The rehousing of residents and the demolition of much of the deck access housing in Pollokshields continues to be a priority. The Association works with the wider community and I am particularily pleased to report on the expansion of our Housing Support and Care and Repair Services. This has been achieved with financial support from both the Change Fund and the Transformation Fund. I am sure that you are aware that the Association has moved to new premises in Cardonald, with a new satellite office in Pollokshields. In addition to the savings on operational and staff costs, the move to a custom built and designed office has had a positive effect on staff. In 2011 the Association took prompt action, when it became apparent that there were difficulties with the housing associations’ pensions scheme, to ensure that sustainable pension arrangements were put in place for our employees. It has become evident in the past year that this response has minimised the risk to staff pensions. During the last year the Management Committee developed a long term business plan. This has received positive feedback from the Regulator, demonstating that, despite the challenging economic and political climate, the Association is financially robust and in a healthy state to meet all challenges. The Management Committee is confident that all obligations to existing tenants will be met, and that the Association will continue to grow through the building of new homes. External consultants were brought in by the Committee to review its own performance and to assist in the setting of its development agenda for the coming year. This demonstrates our commitment to improving the already good governance of the Association. A joint meeting was held last Autumn between the Management Committee and the board of Southside Factoring and Related Factoring Services Ltd (SFARS), the outcome of which was a clearer division of roles and responsibilities. A similar exercise will take place in the coming year with the three Neighbourhood Committees. I would like to thank all the volunteer members of the Management Committee, SFARS, the Neighbourhood Committees and Care and Repair and to also record my thanks to all the staff whose individual and collective efforts have made this a positive year. On a personal note I would like to give my special thanks and appreciation to Betty Macneill, the outgoing chair, whose skilful chairing over the previous years has made my first year as chair a most enjoyable one. Dorothy Murray Chairperson 1 Committee members who served Governance on the Association’s Management Committee and other governance structures over the past year: Who regulates us? Southside Housing Association, like all Southside Management Committee housing associations is regulated by the Scottish As well as these formal regulatory obligations • Dorothy Murray (Chairperson) Housing Regulator. the Association works closely with Glasgow City • Iain Dyer (Secretary) www.scottishhousingregulator.gov.uk Council, the Strategic Housing Authority in relation • Margaret McIntyre (Vice-Chairperson) The Association is also regulated by Social Care to the provision of new homes, tackling disrepair • Hanif Mirza and Social Work Improvement Scotland and poor housing standards and re-housing • Alison MacNeill (the Care Inspectorate) in relation to housing homeless households. The Council also has a key • Betty Macneill support services. commissioning and contract management role in • Alan Ferguson www.scswis.com relation to housing support services. • Abbas Abid • Kenneth Ross As a charity the Association is regulated by the Minutes and agendas of all Management • Anne Lyness (resigned March 2013) Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator. Committee meetings are available on our website. • Surjit Singh Chowdhary www.oscr.org.uk During the financial year 2012/13, there were no The Association’s Factoring Service must now significant concerns raised with the Association Cardonald Neighbourhood Committee (from October 2013) be registered with the by any of our Regulatory bodies. The Scottish • Jeanette Munro Scottish Governments’ Property Factor Register Housing Regulator has classified the Association as • Margaret Burke and is regulated by a Code of Conduct. “medium risk” in terms of our Regulation Plan. • Sam Brown • Alison MacNeill (Chair) Complaints • Brian Watson • Margaret McIntyre If we get things wrong! Governance The Association operates a Formal Complaints Halfway Neighbourhood Committee handling process to allow dissatisfied customers The Association is controlled by the communities it serves. The Management Committee, Neighbourhood • John Cogan (Chair) to gain re-dress. We try and resolve matters Committees and the SFARS Board are composed of local residents and service users who try and ensure that • Jimmy Hobbin (resigned August 2101) informally if possible, but in some cases this is the Association delivers services appropriate to the needs of the local community. Fig 1.1 below illustrates • John Norris not possible. We value complaints and use them the Association’s Governance Structure. The committees operate to clear schemes of delegated authority. • Pat Shields to improve our services. In 2012/13, the way in The Management Committee is the main governing body and had a stable membership throughout the past • May Ballantine which housing associations handle complaints was year. However the Management Committee took the decision to not fill any ad hoc vacancies that occurred • Karen McNab standardised. Now all Associations must follow a during the year while it completed its appraisal of the Committee’s performance. Details of membership are two tier system of presented below. The three Neighbourhood Committees, covering Halfway, Cardonald and Pollokshields, Pollokshields Neighbourhood Committee Stage 1 – Front Line Resolution, and meet monthly and operate as Sub-Committees of the main Management Committee. • Janet McLean Stage 2 – Investigation. • George Thomson The general membership of the Association totals 318. During the past year there were 35 new members. • Rena Lennox If you are still unhappy after going through these All meetings of the Management Committee were quorate in 2012/13. • Dorothy Wason two stages then your complaint can be referred to Fig 1.1 – Governance Structure • Elizabeth Paton the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman. • Francis Killen Scottish Public Services Ombudsman MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE • Betty Macneill (Chair) 4 Melville Street, EDINBURGH EH3 7NS 15 members elected at AGM • Lucy Anne Cowan Telephone: 0800 377 7330 • Parveen Mahmood E-mail: [email protected] • Sadie Swan Text: 0790 049 4372 • Linda Cope (resigned January 2013) Web: www.spso.org.uk Pollokshields Halfway Cardonald Fax: 0800 377 7331 Neighbourhood Neighbourhood Neighbourhood SFARS Board 6 members Southside Factoring Committee Committee Committee and Related Services Ltd The Association was fully compliant with the new 5 members 10 members 10 members • Patrick Mc Grath (resigned September 2013) complaints process by February 2013. Next year • Bob Thompson we will be able to report on all complaints over the • Sue Rawcliffe (Chair) 12 month period, however this year because of the • Dorothy Wason (appointed November 2012) transition to the new system we can only provide Audit Sub-Committee