Annual Assurance Statement 2025/2026 - Scottish Housing Regulator
Perth and Kinross Council · 30 September 2026
Back to Housing and Social Wellbeing Committee — 30 September 2026 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Our vision is a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality ___________________________________________________________________ Committee or Board: Housing & Social Wellbeing Committee Date of Meeting: 30 September 2026 Report Title: Annual Assurance Statement 2025/2026 – Scottish Housing Regulator Report Number: 26/265 Report Author: Elaine Ritchie – Strategic Lead – Housing & Communities Organisational Lead: Strategic Lead – Housing & Communities ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Purpose 1.1 The purpose of this report is to comply with the Scottish Housing Regulator’s Regulatory Framework. The Council is required to approve and submit an Annual Assurance Statement, giving assurance that it is meeting the legislative and regulatory standards for social housing in Scotland. This report provides an overview of the assurance process and presents the Annual Assurance Statement 2025/26 for approval by Committee. 1.2 Sections 1. Purpose 2. Recommendation(S) 3. Background 4. Annual Assurance Statement Overview 5. Improvement Actions 6. Evidence To Support Assurance 2025/26 7. Tenant And Service Users’ Assurance 8. Self-Assessment 9. Conclusion 10. Impact Value Assessment 11. Background Papers 12. Appendices
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2. Recommendation(s) It is recommended that the Committee: 2.1 Notes the outcome of the Council’s Housing Service’s 2025/26 self- assessment against the Scottish Housing Regulator's Regulatory Framework and the evidence supporting compliance with relevant statutory and regulatory requirements. 2.2 Approves the Annual Assurance Statement, as detailed in Appendix 3, for submission to the Scottish Housing Regulator. 3. Background/Main Issues 3.1 Context 3.1.1 All social housing landlords are required to publish an Annual Assurance Statement in line with guidance within the Scottish Housing Regulator’s (SHR) published Regulatory Framework. The Framework details the SHR’s statement on performance of functions, and sets out how they regulate Registered Social Landlords, as well as housing and homelessness services delivered by Local Authorities. 3.1.2 Within the Framework, the SHR carry out their work in the following broad ways: • Gathering and publishing data in ways that tenants and other stakeholders can use • Seeking assurance from landlords and acting where they need to • Undertaking thematic activity and scrutiny on specific areas of work and performance 3.1.3 Central to their approach is landlords assuring themselves, their tenants and the SHR through landlord self-assurance. 3.1.4 Every Registered Social Landlord and Local Authority is responsible for delivering good outcomes and services for their tenants and service users. The SHR is clear that landlords must be self-aware, analytical, open, and honest about their performance and identify and drive improvement activities. 3.1.5 When considering whether to engage with landlords, the SHR will initially consider what they have done to assure themselves that they are meeting regulatory requirements. In line with this requirement, all landlords must prepare an Annual Assurance Statement to confirm to their tenants and the SHR that they are meeting regulatory requirements. 4. Annual Assurance Statement Overview 4.1 Since April 2019, there has been a requirement for all Local Authorities and Registered Social Landlords to submit an Annual Assurance Statement which
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must be agreed by the relevant Local Authority Committee. Statements should confirm the landlord’s level of compliance with the requirements detailed within the Framework, including: • All relevant standards and outcomes in the Scottish Social Housing Charter • All relevant legislative duties • Details of any areas of material non-compliance, briefly describing plans and a timeframe to improve • Confirmation that the relevant Local Authority Committee have seen and considered appropriate evidence to support the level of assurance 4.2 A signed and unsigned copy of the Annual Assurance Statement must then be provided to the SHR, who will then make the unsigned version publicly available. There is also a requirement for landlords to ensure the Statement is easily and readily available for tenants. 4.3 The Service has assessed its compliance against the requirements of Chapter 3 of the Scottish Housing Regulator's Regulatory Framework and is satisfied that it has substantially complied with all relevant requirements. This confirms that the Service: • Delivered against the relevant standards and outcomes of the Scottish Social Housing Charter for tenants, people experiencing homelessness and other service users. • Met its statutory obligations relating to housing and homelessness services, equality duties and human rights responsibilities. • Achieved a high level of compliance with tenant and resident safety requirements. A very small number of properties remained outstanding for electrical safety inspections (4 properties) and fire detection equipment installations (36 properties) at year end. These cases were primarily linked to properties undergoing refurbishment works and ongoing challenges in securing access to some homes. Robust actions were in place to address the outstanding cases, with further progress made during 2026/27. 4.4 The Service also made substantial progress in delivering the improvement actions set out within the SHR's Engagement Plan for the Double Dykes and Bobbin Mill Gypsy/Traveller sites. This reflects the Service's commitment to strengthening accommodation standards, enhancing communication and engagement, and ensuring services are delivered in a fair, respectful and culturally sensitive manner. 4.5 Significant progress continued during 2025/26 on the major redevelopment of the Double Dykes Gypsy/Traveller site. Despite the complexity of the project and a range of delivery challenges, the programme is now nearing completion, with only final external improvement works remaining. The project has transformed the site through the delivery of 20 new energy-efficient chalets, alongside extensive infrastructure, drainage and environmental improvements.
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The investment represents a significant step forward in improving living conditions, energy efficiency and the overall quality of accommodation available to residents. 4.6 At Bobbin Mill, a detailed feasibility study has been completed to support the replacement of the existing six chalets. Ongoing engagement and consultation with residents is helping to shape the design and specification of the new accommodation, ensuring future investment reflects the needs and preferences of the community. 4.7 To support sustained improvement and strengthen relationships with residents, additional resources have been invested in Gypsy/Traveller services, including the establishment of a dedicated Gypsy/Traveller Liaison Officer post. This role has enhanced day-to-day communication, resident engagement and support, helping to build trust, improve service responsiveness and ensure residents' views continue to influence service development. Whilst significant progress has been made, the Service recognises that further work remains to strengthen outcomes, resident confidence and long-term site sustainability. 5. Improvement Actions 5.1 The Service remains committed to a culture of continuous improvement and maintains a comprehensive improvement plan that is informed by performance reporting, tenant feedback, complaints learning, benchmarking information and Annual Return on the Charter outcomes. This approach enables the Service to identify emerging risks, monitor progress effectively and deliver targeted improvements that enhance outcomes for tenants, residents and service users. 5.2 During 2025/26, improvement activity focused on areas that have the greatest impact on customer experience and service performance, refer to Appendix 2 for further details. Key areas of work included strengthening communication around repairs, enhancing damp and mould prevention and case management, reducing void turnaround times, improving the monitoring and resolution of anti-social behaviour cases, supporting tenancy sustainment, preventing rent arrears and expanding tenant engagement opportunities. 5.3 Maintaining the safety of tenants and residents remains a core priority. Targeted improvement actions have been implemented to address the small number of outstanding electrical safety inspections and fire detection equipment installations, supported by robust contractor management arrangements and regular performance monitoring. These actions are underpinned by strengthened governance arrangements, enhanced management oversight and clear improvement plans, helping to ensure continued compliance and assurance in this critical area of service delivery.
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6. Evidence to Support Assurance 2025/26 6.1 Alongside the Housing Service Improvement Action Plan, robust management, governance and democratic accountability arrangements are in place to support effective decision-making, provide constructive challenge, and ensure clear oversight of service performance, outcomes and impact for tenants, residents and communities. 6.2 These arrangements are supported by a comprehensive framework of strategic and operational planning processes that ensure services remain responsive to the needs of tenants and service users, while driving continuous improvement. Business Management and Improvement Plans set out clear priorities, actions, performance measures and expected outcomes for each service area, providing a structured approach to monitoring delivery and assessing impact. This framework is further strengthened by the Council's statutory Local Housing Strategy, which establishes the long-term vision, priorities and investment plans for housing across Perth and Kinross and supports the achievement of the Scottish Social Housing Charter outcomes. 6.3 Performance and improvement activity are subject to regular monitoring and scrutiny through the Housing Management Team and Executive Leadership Team, ensuring that progress, risks and areas for improvement are routinely reviewed and addressed. Public accountability is provided through reporting to the Council's thematic committees and Scrutiny Committee, with financial performance and value-for-money considerations reported through the Finance and Resources Committee. The Council's Internal Audit, Risk Management and Corporate Governance arrangements also contribute to the overall assurance framework. 6.4 The evidence and assurance framework required by the SHR forms an integral part of the Council's wider self-assessment and governance arrangements. This evidence supports the Annual Assurance Statement and contributes to the Council's Annual Governance Statement, providing assurance that effective controls, governance arrangements and performance management processes are in place. Appendix 1 provides an overview of the key sources of evidence that underpin the Annual Assurance Statement. 7. Tenant and Service Users Assurance 7.1 Listening to tenants and service users remains central to how the Housing Service plans, delivers and improves services. Throughout 2025/26, a wide range of engagement activities were undertaken to ensure tenant views informed service delivery, performance assessment and future priorities. This included tenant satisfaction surveys, tenant conferences, rent consultation, ePanel feedback, focus groups, the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Monitoring Group, Estate Based Initiatives and targeted engagement with specific tenant groups. Collectively, these approaches have strengthened our understanding of tenant priorities and provided valuable insight to shape service improvement.
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7.2 In June 2025, the Housing Management Team and Tenant & Resident Engagement Team hosted an interactive hybrid engagement session with tenants and service users to review the Housing Service's performance during 2024/25. The session provided an opportunity for participants to scrutinise performance information, discuss service priorities and identify opportunities for improvement. Feedback received has informed both the Annual Landlord Performance Report and the Annual Assurance Statement, demonstrating the important role tenants play in the Service’s performance and assurance framework. 7.3 To further strengthen our understanding of tenant experience, the Service commissioned independent market research specialists, Knowledge Partnership, to undertake a comprehensive tenant satisfaction survey. Using a combination of face-to-face and telephone interviews, the survey secured feedback from a representative sample of tenants, providing robust and independent assurance on service performance. 7.4 The 2025/26 survey engaged over 1,200 tenants and demonstrated strong performance across the key indicators set by the SHR. Overall tenant satisfaction increased to 80.0%, reflecting continued improvements in service delivery and customer experience. Satisfaction with communication reached 80.42%, satisfaction with opportunities to participate in decision-making was 75.50%, and satisfaction with the Service's contribution to neighbourhood management was 75.67%. Satisfaction with the repairs service remained exceptionally high at 97.71%, highlighting the continued effectiveness of this core frontline service. 7.5 Tenant participation in the annual rent-setting process continued to demonstrate strong levels of engagement and influence. A total of 2,782 tenants took part in the consultation, with 72.3% supporting the proposed 6.5% rent increase option. Benchmarking undertaken through Scotland's Housing Network identified Perth and Kinross Council as one of the strongest- performing landlords in Scotland for tenant engagement in rent-setting, providing confidence that tenants are meaningfully involved in important decisions affecting housing services and investment priorities. 7.6 Tenant participation and engagement opportunities have continued to expand and evolve. During 2025/26, the revised Tenant Participation Strategy was implemented, supported by dedicated Tenant Participation Workers focusing on Gypsy/Traveller communities, homelessness services and older persons' housing. In addition, plans are being progressed to establish locality-based tenant forums and a Youth Engagement Forum, ensuring a broader range of voices are heard and reflected in service design and delivery. These developments provide strong assurance that tenant feedback is not only being sought but is actively influencing decision-making, service improvement and future investment priorities across the Service.
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8. Self-Assessment 8.1 The Service maintains a robust and ongoing approach to self-assessment to provide assurance on performance, compliance and service quality. Throughout 2025/26, performance was systematically reviewed using a wide range of evidence, including performance and benchmarking data, management oversight, tenant feedback, complaints learning, audit findings and the Annual Return on the Charter. This comprehensive approach has enabled the Service to identify strengths, monitor emerging risks and target improvement activity where it will have the greatest impact on outcomes for tenants. 8.2 Self-assessment considered performance across all key areas of service delivery, including repairs, complaints handling, anti-social behaviour, tenancy sustainment, void management, adaptations, rent arrears, the Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS), tenant and resident safety, and damp and mould prevention and management. This has provided a strong evidence base for the Annual Assurance Statement and supports the Service's commitment to continuous improvement and achieving better outcomes for customers. 9. Conclusion 9.1 The Housing Service continued to deliver strong performance and positive outcomes for tenants, residents and communities throughout 2025/26, while maintaining compliance with the Scottish Housing Regulator's requirements and driving forward a significant programme of service improvement. Performance remained strong across a number of key indicators, with overall tenant satisfaction increasing to 80.0%, repairs satisfaction remaining exceptionally high at 97.71%, emergency repairs completed within an average of 3.53 hours, and 100% compliance achieved for annual gas safety servicing. These results demonstrate the Service's continued focus on delivering high- quality, customer-focused services. 9.2 Alongside maintaining strong day-to-day performance, the Service has taken proactive action to address areas of challenge and emerging risk. Significant progress has also been made in improving Gypsy/Traveller accommodation and engagement, strengthening tenant participation, and ensuring tenant feedback directly informs service planning and improvement. 9.3 Taken as a whole, the evidence presented through performance monitoring, self-assessment, tenant engagement, audit activity and governance arrangements provides a strong level of assurance that the Housing Service is meeting its statutory and regulatory obligations, delivering positive outcomes for tenants and service users, and maintaining a clear focus on continuous improvement.
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9.4 This assurance process supports the Council's wider commitment to ensuring that people can live well, free from poverty and inequality, by maintaining safe, high-quality homes and responsive housing services that meet the needs of tenants, residents and communities. 9.5 The Committee is therefore asked to approve the Annual Assurance Statement, confirming its satisfaction that appropriate evidence has been considered, that the requirements of the SHR have been met, and that effective arrangements are in place to sustain compliance, manage risk and deliver ongoing service improvement. 10. Impact and Value Assessment 10.1 An Impact and Value Assessment is not required for this report as it has been classified as an operational report with no new or additional strategic or resource implications. 11. Background Papers No background papers were relied upon during the preparation of this report. 12. Appendices Appendix 1 – An overview of information to support the Annual Assurance Appendix 2 – Performance Overview Briefing Appendix 3 – Annual Assurance Statement