Public appointment: Members reappointed to the Board of Scottish Housing Regulator

The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government, Ms Robison, today announced the reappointment of Ewan Fraser, Colin Stewart and Helen Trouten Torres as Members of the Board of Scottish Housing Regulator.

Members

Ewan Fraser is a retired Chartered Quality Surveyor who has spent a career in construction and then affordable housing. He has expertise in affordable housing, development and management. He has been a member of the Board of Scottish Housing Regulator for four years and was previously a Board Member of the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations. Ewan brings his knowledge of regulation and management in affordable housing to the Board of the Scottish Housing Regulator.

Colin Stewart became involved in the Scottish Housing Sector in 2012 when he moved back to Aberdeen after living in London for 26 years. Colin was a member of the inaugural Citizens Council, a committee set up in 2022 by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to provide a public perspective on overarching moral and ethical issues. Since returning to Aberdeen he has been involved with several tenant groups including being Chair of CaRTO (Castlehill’s Registered Tenants Organisation), a member of NETRALT (North East Tenants, Residents and Landlords Together) and Chair of North of Scotland Regional Network (region 1). Previously he was on the Board of Directors for Castlehill Housing Association, serving on their Housing and Property Services and Finance and Development sub-committees. Colin is also Chair and co-founder of Our Positive Voice, a forum providing support to people living with and affected by HIV.

Helen Trouten Torres has always had a strong interest in social housing, stemming from her family’s journey from the Gorbals clearance to Castlemilk high and low rise, to the new town of East Kilbride. Her own housing journey has taken her full circle through all housing tenures due to changes in life circumstances. Helen has a deep understanding of the importance of good quality social housing on peoples physical and mental health and their ability to take up opportunities in life. As well as seeing first hand, through her own experience and years of working in tenancy support with vulnerable young people, she’s also researched the links whilst studying MA (honours) Social Policy at the University of Glasgow. Helen has a varied work experience including Parliamentary briefing, Charity donor relations, youth support work and spent 7 years living in Rio de Janeiro where she worked as a teacher, academic coordinator, textbook editor and contributing reporter to the Rio times. Throughout all her work, Helen strives to focus on social inclusion, openness, empowerment and equality. She is a local authority tenant, mother of two young sons and is currently studying for the CIH Diploma in Strategic housing Management.

Reappointment

The reappointments will be for four years and will run from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2027.

The reappointments are regulated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner.

Remuneration

The reappointments are part-time and attracts a remuneration of £181.70 per day for a time commitment of one day per week.

Other ministerial appointments

Ewan Fraser, Colin Stewart and Helen Trouten Torres do not hold any other public appointments.

Political activity

All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process.  However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity within the last five years (if there is any to be declared) to be made public.   

Ewan Fraser, Colin Stewart and Helen Trouten Torres have had no political activity within the last five years.

Background

The Scottish Housing Regulator was established on 1 April 2011 under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2010. Its objective is to safeguard and promote the interests of tenants and others who use local authority and Registered Social Landlord housing services. The Regulator operates independently of Scottish Ministers and is accountable directly to the Scottish Parliament. It assumed its full regulatory responsibilities on 1 April 2012. The Regulator currently consists of the Chair and eight Board members.

SHR regulates around 140 registered social landlords and the housing activities of 32 local authorities.  SHR’s current approach to regulation is set out in its regulatory framework – Regulation of Social Housing in Scotland.