Council’s Housing Annual Assurance Statement Approved

Members of The Highland Council's Housing and Property Committee have approved the Housing Annual Assurance Statement for 2020 which focused on the key themes of statutory requirements, legislation, charter performance, customer satisfaction and engagement.

The Statement is a regulatory requirement monitored by the Scottish Housing Regulator. Highland’s 2020 Statement confirms how it achieves compliance with legislative duties and how it delivers essential services to tenants. It also emphasises the importance the council places on effective tenant participation. The Council has been participating in the Scottish Government’s Next Steps Programme and tenants have been actively involved in drafting a Tenant Participation Action Plan which will be incorporated into the review of the Tenant Participation Strategy in 2021.

Chair of the Housing and Property Committee, Cllr Ben Thompson, provided information on the remit of the Committee in scrutinising the Council’s housing performance when representatives from the Scottish Housing Regulator visited the Highlands earlier this year. A copy of the Regulator’s report on the 2019 Assurance Statement was provided to Committee and their positive comments on Highland’s performance and commitment to tenant engagement were noted.

Cllr Thompson said: “We very much welcome our ongoing engagement with the Scottish Housing Regulator. Our Assurance Statement will provide them with a helpful insight into the processes we follow and the priority we have on tenant safety and rent affordability. This is a very positive report and is testimony to the hard work of our housing service.”

Having gained Committee approval, the Assurance Statement will now be submitted to the Scottish Housing Regulator.