Annual Assurance Statement 2024-25 - Scottish Housing Regulator
Perth and Kinross Council · 1 October 2025
Back to Housing and Social Wellbeing Committee — 1 October 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL 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: 1 October 2025 Report Title: Annual Assurance Statement 2024/2025 – Scottish Housing Regulator Report Number: 25/246 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 must approve and submit an Annual Assurance Statement, giving assurance that it is meeting legislative and regulatory standards for social housing in Scotland. This report provides a brief overview of the Framework and appends the Annual Assurance Statement 2024/25 for approval by Committee. 1.2 Sections 1. Purpose 2. Recommendations 3. Background 4. Annual Assurance Statement Overview 5. Improvement Actions 6. Evidence to Support Assurance 2024/25 7. Tenant and Service Users Assurance 8. Self-Assessment 9. Conclusion 10. Impact Value Assessment 11. Appendices
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2. Recommendations It is recommended that the Committee: 2.1 Notes the requirement to submit an Annual Assurance Statement. 2.2 Approves the Annual Assurance Statement as detailed in Appendix 2. 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 must be agreed by the relevant Local Authority Committee.
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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 During 2024/25, Perth and Kinross Council’s Housing Service complied with all but one of the regulatory requirements outlined in Chapter 3 of the Scottish Housing Regulator’s Framework. This confirms that we: • Met all standards and outcomes in the Scottish Social Housing Charter for tenants, people experiencing homelessness, and others who use our services. • Fulfilled our legal obligations relating to housing and homelessness, equality and human rights, and tenant and resident safety. 4.4 The only one area of non-compliance identified relates to the management of our Gypsy/Traveller sites. 4.5 In November 2024, the Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) carried out a serious concern investigation into the Double Dykes and Bobbin Mill Gypsy/Traveller sites, following complaints from residents and an advocacy group. The investigation was prompted by concerns around poor accommodation standards, limited communication and engagement, particularly due to paused meetings and a lack of strategic consultation, and broader human rights issues, including fair treatment and cultural sensitivity. 4.6 The SHR’s findings concluded that Perth & Kinross Council had not met its obligations under the Scottish Social Housing Charter. This included areas such as Equalities, Communication, Participation, Repairs and Maintenance, and standards specific to Gypsy/Traveller sites. Despite the Council submitting extensive evidence to demonstrate compliance and highlighting ongoing actions, such as the implementation of a multi-million-pound chalet replacement programme, the SHR upheld its original findings. 4.7 To provide assurance and demonstrate progress, the Council is now required to submit quarterly updates to the SHR under an agreed Engagement Plan. These updates confirm compliance with the Scottish Government’s minimum site standards and track progress on the improvement programme.
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We continue to submit these updates regularly and remain committed to meeting all requirements. 4.8 To date, two quarterly updates have been submitted, and we have received positive feedback from the SHR on the progress made. The Engagement Plan will remain in place until the SHR is satisfied that the Council is fully compliant with the Scottish Social Housing Charter and the Scottish Government’s minimum standards for Gypsy/Traveller sites. 5. Improvement Actions 5.1 To ensure continuous improvement, the housing service has developed an overarching Action Plan to build on progress, implement targeted improvements, and maintain ongoing compliance with the Regulatory Framework. 5.2 In response to the SHR’s investigation, a separate Gypsy/Traveller Action Plan was established. This plan directly addresses the issues identified at Double Dykes and Bobbin Mill and sets out clear, measurable actions to improve site conditions and ensure full compliance with both the Scottish Social Housing Charter and the Scottish Government’s minimum standards for Gypsy/Traveller sites. 5.3 As a clear demonstration of our commitment to prioritising Gypsy/Traveller accommodation, we have appointed a dedicated Gypsy/Traveller Liaison Officer. This role is central to driving forward the Action Plan, strengthening relationships with residents, and ensuring sustained improvements across all Gypsy/Traveller sites in Perth and Kinross. 6. Evidence to Support Assurance 2024/25 6.1 Alongside our Improvement Action Plan, our management and democratic structures, are all designed to facilitate effective decision making, and the proper scrutiny of decisions and their impact, in terms of performance and the achievement of outcomes. 6.2 This is supported by a range of planning processes, ensuring we meet the needs of tenants and service users, and that targets for quality improvements are set and monitored. Individual Business Management & Improvement Plans set out detailed actions and outcomes for each Service and include performance indicators. This is underpinned by the statutory requirement on local authorities to produce a Local Housing Strategy and provide regular progress updates. This sets out our priorities and plans for the delivery of Scottish Housing Regulator Outcomes. 6.3 Service performance is reported regularly to the Housing Management Team, Executive Lead Team and publicly through the Council’s themed Committees and the Scrutiny Committee. Financial performance is publicly reported through the Finances and Resources Committee.
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6.4 The evidence required by the SHR forms part of the self-assessment process, which informs in part, the Council’s Annual Governance Statement. Appendix 1 details an overview of information that supports the Annual Assurance Statement. 7. Tenant and Service Users Assurance 7.1 The SHR has indicated that it is the responsibility of Committee to consider and approve the Annual Assurance Statement. There is no requirement for this to be approved by tenants or service users. 7.2 However, we held an interactive hybrid session with the tenants and service users during in June 2025, where the Housing Management and the Tenant & Resident Engagement Team presented an overview of the Service’s performance for 2024/25 to enable tenants to assess the Service’s performance and provide feedback on potential areas for improvement. This feedback will be used to support our Annual Landlord Performance Report and the Annual Assurance Statement. 7.3 To strengthen our understanding of tenant experience, we commissioned independent market research firm Knowledge Partnership to carry out a comprehensive tenant satisfaction survey on our behalf. The survey involved a mix of face-to-face and telephone interviews with a representative sample of tenants. 7.4 Conducted between February 2024 and March 2025, the survey engaged 1,200 tenants and assessed satisfaction levels across a range of national key indicators set by the Scottish Housing Regulator. 7.5 The results were largely positive, with 77.3% of tenants indicating a high level of satisfaction with the overall service provided by Perth & Kinross Council as their landlord. Although this figure is slightly below the Scottish Council average of 80.3%, it nonetheless represents a strong endorsement of the housing service and offers a solid foundation for ongoing improvement. It is important to note that the variance in satisfaction levels is, in part, attributable to feedback concerning issues that fall outside the direct remit of the housing service such as dog fouling, litter, the availability of local amenities and the visibility of Police Scotland. To address these concerns, we continue to work collaboratively with other services and community partners, ensuring that tenant feedback drives meaningful and positive change within local communities. 7.6 Combined with our ongoing external scrutiny by tenants, the survey results offer valuable assurance that our services are meeting the expectations and needs of those who use them.
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8. Self-Assessment 8.1 To support continuous improvement and external validation of our performance, the Scottish Housing Network carried out a desktop review of our Annual Return on the Charter (ARC) prior to its submission to the Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR). The feedback received was highly positive, and the findings from this review have been incorporated into the Service’s overarching Action Plan. 9. Conclusion 9.1 Perth & Kinross Council’s Housing Service continues to demonstrate robust performance across all key areas, consistently delivering high levels of tenant satisfaction despite the ongoing challenges posed by cost-of-living pressures and rising demand for affordable housing. This has been achieved while maintaining one of the most affordable rent levels in Scotland, currently the fourth lowest among local authorities, underscoring our commitment to delivering a high-quality, value-for-money service. 9.2 We remain firmly committed to achieving full compliance across all areas of service delivery and are actively strengthening our approach to the management of Gypsy/Traveller sites, with targeted actions and dedicated resources in place. 9.3 Throughout the year, the Committee has received a series of comprehensive reports that provide clear assurance we are not only meeting but, in many areas, exceeding the standards set by the Scottish Housing Regulator (see Appendix 1). 9.4 The Committee is requested to formally approve the Annual Assurance Statement as presented, confirming that the Housing Service continues to meet the regulatory requirements set out by the Scottish Housing Regulator and remains committed to ongoing improvement and compliance. 10. Impact Value Assessment 10.1 IVA For Annual Assurance Statement.docx 11. Appendices 11.1 Appendix 1: Overview of information that supports the Annual Assurance Statement. 11.2 Appendix 2: Annual Assurance Statement.