Dunfermline Appoints New Head Of Social Housing

 

The Dunfermline has reaffirmed its commitment to the Scottish social housing market with the appointment of Alistair Berwick to lead its Social Housing business.

Alistair is well known in the social housing sector and joins from Tribal where he worked as a treasury consultant. He was previously a private finance adviser to the Scottish Executive and also led social housing finance teams based in Scotland at two other banks.

Alistair will work closely with colleagues in the Nationwide Group to build on existing relationships and also look at new key partners in Scotland.

The Dunfermline has a strong history of lending in the social housing sector and following parent company Nationwide's purchase of the social housing book from the UK Government on 17th June 2009 the business is firmly committed to serving the needs of the Scottish social housing market.

Mark Webster, Head of Housing Finance at Nationwide said:

"I am delighted that Alistair has joined the Dunfermline to lead the Social Housing Finance team.

"Alistair brings a huge amount of experience of housing association funding and knowledge about the sector to the Dunfermline which he has acquired in over 15 years in his various roles.

"I am sure that his appointment will be welcomed by our customers and it also underlines the commitment that the Dunfermline and Nationwide has to lending within the Scottish housing association sector."

Alistair Berwick commented:

"I am relishing the challenge of taking forward Dunfermline's social housing portfolio. This is a brand with a proud history in this area and I look forward to working with existing and new partners across Scotland."

 

SFHA Builds Homes' Profile On Westminster Lobbying Trip

 

The SFHA has this week undertaken a trip to Westminster to meet MPs, ahead of an anticipated General Election in May of this year.

As part of the trip, on Tuesday 2nd and Wednesday 3rd February, the SFHA held a joint reception for MPs with Homes for Scotland, which represents Scotland's home builders.
The aim of the joint reception was to raise awareness of the critical issues relating to affordable housing which could be affected by UK Government policy - including supply and taxation issues.

The event was sponsored by MPs Willie Bain (Labour, Glasgow North East) and Stewart Hosie (SNP, Dundee east). Mr Bain and also John Mason MP (SNP, Glasgow east) addressed the gathering on the importance of working with housing associations and the housing industry.

SFHA Deputy Chief Executive Andrew Field and Homes for Scotland Chief Executive Jonathan Fair also set out the policy direction which they would like to see from the current, or indeed future, UK Government.

Mr Field said:

"This was an extremely successful and interesting trip, which through our reception and several meetings, we were able to bring to the attention of MPs our key themes of supply, climate change and financial inclusion - the areas that we really need to address to ensure strong, sustainable communities for the future."

During the two-day trip, the SFHA delegates, who also included SFHA Chair Lorna Paterson and Vice-Chair Ewan Fraser met with MPs of all parties, including Under Secretary of State for Scotland Ann McKechin, David Mundell MP (Conservative) and Alastair Carmichael MP (Liberal Democrat).

If you have any questions or suggestions for the SFHA during our campaigning ahead of the General Election, please contact Claire Munro, Press and Public Affairs Manager cmunro@sfha.co.uk 


 

Letter To Editor - Petra Biberbach, Planning Aid For Scotland

 

Dear Sir

The Scottish Government's recent consolidation of 17 separate planning policies into one document on topics such as housing, wind farms, flooding and the natural and built environment is to be commended.

The creation of one document will make it easier for communities and developers to understand and interpret planning policy, potentially delivering a more effective and efficient planning system. What is however required is that these communities have the knowledge and experience to take advantage of this new system and play their part in delivering good development.

Having the right planning advice and information in one place builds on ensuring that planning is an aid, not a barrier to economic development, and our continued advice to, and training of these communities, ensure that they are fully equipped to shape and influence the changes that affect their areas.

What is required is the financial support to ensure that all communities, be they rural or urban, have the tools to know how they can influence their environment through the planning system.

Yours faithfully

Petra Biberbach
Executive Director
Planning Aid for Scotland
11a South Charlotte Street
Edinburgh EH2 4AS
Tel: 0131 220 9733

 

Launch Of New Money Saving Scheme At Provanhall Community Centre
River City's Shellsuit Bob Launches Save The Rent Scheme

 

Young people and adults in the East End have celebrated the launch of a new saving scheme by Provanhall Housing Association and Glasgow Credit Union (GCU).

River City star Stephen Purdon joined tenants of Provanhall Housing Association to officially unveil Save with Rent. The new saving scheme is a joint pilot plan run by Provanhall Housing Association and GCU.

The innovative format will allow tenants to become a GCU member and benefit from its range of services as well as allowing locals to build their savings wherever and whenever they pay their rent.  

Patricia Gallagher, director of Provanhall Housing Association, said:

"We are the first housing association in Glasgow to be running a pilot scheme of this kind and it is part of the much wider Financial Inclusion work we do with Greater Easterhouse Money Advice Project and the other community based landlords within the area.  The beauty of this scheme is that everyone who lives or works in Glasgow can have a savings account with GCU, so families can get their children involved and teach them the benefits of saving from an early age."

Local residents have volunteered as peer educators which has resulted in them completing a course in the benefits of the 'Save with Rent' scheme, allowing them to communicate the benefits of the saving scheme to the local community.

Stephen Purdon said:

"This is a great savings plan.  I remember it being drummed into me when I was wee that you should always save some money so that you could do or buy the things you wanted to, or just for in case of an emergency. It's something that has stuck with me since I started working."

Provanhall resident and peer educator, Jean Logan, said:

"This will make a huge difference to the local people.  I think it's important to have a local scheme that residents can get to know and trust, especially from an early age, to show the benefits of saving for a holiday or just for a rainy day.  I am sure that this will have a great impact on the community and local area."

June Nightingale, CEO of Glasgow Credit Union commented:

"Our focus at GCU has always been making fair, transparent financial services accessible to all.  'Save with Rent' is another way of reaching the local community, making it easier for them to manage their money.  What is great about this scheme is its simplicity.  Provanhall tenants will not only have a hassle-free way to save, but will have access to other services, like low cost borrowing, where previously they may have been targeted by high interest lenders.

"We are so pleased to be involved with such a progressive scheme in partnership with Provanhall Housing Association.  Already, we have received enquiries from other landlords interested in offering the scheme to their tenants."


 

Fuel Poverty And Energy Assistance Package Seminar

 

The Energy Saving Scotland Advice Centre is holding a free fuel poverty seminar in Edinburgh on 23rd February.

An increasing number of people in Scotland are being affected by fuel poverty.
The aim of the seminar is to inform about fuel poverty figures in Scotland, how fuel poverty impacts on people's health and what is being done at  national and local levels to tackle the problem. 

The target audience is housing associations, welfare rights advisers, local authorities, health professionals, charities, voluntary organisations and community groups and forums with  the event giving everyone the opportunity to enhance their knowledge of fuel poverty, ask questions about the support available and to network.

The seminar is free and a buffet lunch will be provided after all the speakers.
If you are interested in attending or would like more information, please contact :

Sarah Bromley, Community Liaison Officer 
Energy Saving Scotland Advice Centre South East
Changeworks
36 Newhaven Road
Edinburgh
EH6 5PY

T: 0131 468 8682
M:07786 912 966
F: 0131 555 2768
E: sarah.bromley@se.energysavingsscotland.org.uk
 

 
 

SFHA Training - Housing Benefit Issues
Wednesday 24 February 2010 - SFHA Glasgow Office

 

Housing benefit is very important to housing associations and their tenants.  The system can be complex and subject to regular change.  Many of the regulations are open to interpretation, however the law and guidance can invariably be favourable to you and your tenants but frequently housing associations fail to make best use of them.

This course is aimed at more experienced staff involved in allocations, rent collection, arrears recovery and tenant advice.

The course will be led by Clair Malpas who is a qualified practitioner in the welfare field having gained a Masters in Social Welfare Law.  She currently works for Cassiltoun Housing Association and has worked in the welfare field for over 10 years.  She is an experienced trainer having delivered courses both internally for her own organisation and for external agencies.

The cost of the course is £140 to members and £205 to non-members. To book your place, please e-mail training@sfha.co.uk. Visit our website at www.sfha.co.uk to view forthcoming events and training.
 

Local Authority News - Aberdeenshire
Building Standards Service Performs Well In Government Audit

 

Aberdeenshire Council's Building Standards Service has performed well in a recent Scottish Government Audit.

The service is the subject of regular audits carried out by the Building Standards Division of the Government's Built Environment Directorate.

The purpose is to assess the competence of the council to continue as a verifier of the Building Standards technical requirements.

The principle objective of Building Standards is to "secure the health, safety, welfare and convenience of persons in or about buildings and of others who may be affected by buildings or matters connected with buildings, further the conservation of fuel and power, and further the achievement of sustainable development".

Building Standards has two distinct roles; enforcement and verification.

Verification is principally achieved through the application of the Building Standards (Scotland) Regulations 2004, when considering applications for Building Warrants and Completion Certificates.

Evidence was submitted to auditors by the service in the form of a "Balanced Scorecard", which is a set of customer service standards, a range of internal and external business objectives and an improvement plan covering all these elements.

A self-assessment of progress in achieving the improvement objectives was also submitted.

In addition, an audit team came to Aberdeenshire in late September, visiting building standards offices.

Whilst the audit outcome is encouraging, action is being taken on continuous improvement and details will be presented to councillors in March.

Members of the council's Infrastructure Services Committee acknowledged the efforts of staff within the service at a meeting in Aberdeen.

"This is a service which isn't really in the public eye, so I'm happy its achievements have been recognised," said councillor Peter Argyle, chairman of Aberdeenshire Council's Infrastructure Services Committee.

"Although it isn't highly visible to the public, it does make a positive difference to the quality of development in Aberdeenshire and the environment for residents, so it's important that it performs well."

Committee vice-chair, Jill Webster, said:

 "The audit team also commented informally that taking account of the council's levels of resource and the geographical challenges facing local service provision, the audit was one of the best they had been involved in.

"That is a fantastic endorsement of the team's efforts and I'm sure they will continue to push for improvement."

Job Of The Day - Estates Officer For Dunedin Canmore

 

Estates Officer

Full time - 35 hours per week
Salary in the range of £20,400 - £25,500 dependant upon skills and experience

You will be responsible for assessing, developing, managing and monitoring the common area service contracts and functions for the Group and to provide a Clerk of Works and advisory service on grounds maintenance. With recent relevant experience in related areas, you will be educated to Standard Grade level or equivalent and have a qualification in arboriculture/horticulture or equivalent experience or be willing to study towards a qualification in arboriculture. A driving licence and access to a car and ability to occasionally work out with office hours is essential as are excellent communication skills and IT literacy. Experience of contract management procedures is desirable.

Closing Date for this post is noon on Friday 26 February 2010.

For shortlisted candidates interviews will be held on Tuesday 9 March 2010.

If you are interested in this post please contact Carrie Morrison on 0131 624 5664 or email human.resources@dunedincanmore.org.uk for an application pack, or alternatively download from the link below.

Dunedin Canmore offers substantial benefits including 29 days annual leave plus 9.5 customary days, pension scheme, private health care and financial contribution towards professional fees and further education.

Dunedin Canmore Group is a Disability Symbol user, a silver merit award winner of HWL and is a recognised Investor in People.

www.dunedincanmore.org.uk