Our Achievements
Award Winning Tenant Led Inspection Guide
Drawing on our experience of conducting Tenant Led Inspections, tenants in Stirling created a guide to Tenant Led Inspections [TLI] for use by other groups. It can also be used as an advertising tool to promote the idea of Tenant Inspections to other tenants who may wish to be involved in the future.
Our guide explains the TLI process from start to finish in plain English. It is in a very user-friendly format showing how to do an inspection step by step. Any group new to TLI will be able to carry out an inspection using our guide. We now conduct inspections using the same process as outlined in our handbook, which has worked well for us and the inspections have proven to be a good way for tenants to influence Council Policies on Housing Services. We will continue to do them and hope that other groups will use our guide to help them to inspect their own landlord’s services.
The Guide was awarded a Tenant Participation Advisory Service's Good Practice Award in 2007. The award was presented to Stirling Council at a civic reception with the Provost and is on display in the council's buildings so that anyone can see it.
Roadshow to promote Tenant Participation
The STA carried out Roadshow visits to all the communities with Council Housing in Stirling district during 2008 and 2009. We had received money from the Scottish Government to promote Tenant Participation [TP] and we were well received throughout the area.
Homeless Accommodation
The group identified the need to reduce the use of B&B’s, to cut cost and increase homeless customer satisfaction especially for those with children. More accommodation was provided by SC and this had reduced the number of people in B&B accommodation.
The group also asked for a dedicated benefits officer to be based at homeless accommodation. This has been introduced at Springkerse House, allowing customers to access all the benefits that they are entitled to which has reduced rent arrears.
One of our members was very influential in getting the Salvation Army to collect household items from void properties to help new tenants, especially those who had travelled the homeless route, to furnish their new homes.
Other things the STA has been involved in
- STA Newsletters – keeping tenants informed
- Stirling Council Open Days – where we had a stall promoting TP
- Winter Shelters – provided over the Christmas/New Year festive period
- Homeless Scrutiny Panel
- Rent Reviews
- Allocation Policy Reviews
- Anti-Social Behaviour Policy reviews
- Housing [Scotland] Act 2010
- Social Housing Charter 2010
- Youth Engagement Services - working with other departments to help engage with the young people of Stirling
- Tenant led Inspections - helping to improve services
- Training Courses - Customer Care/ Estate Management
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