Housing: Regional Networks autumn newsletter

Our priorities for the coming year

Each of our Regional Networks has now set our meeting dates for the remainder of the year and we are looking forward to an interesting, varied and challenging year ahead.

Our Rent Affordability working group has recently issued surveys to landlords and tenants on their approach to rent setting and affordability to capture a picture of practice within the sector and tenants' views. The outcomes of the surveys will help the group to shape their work on affordability going forward for the remainder of the year, including a closer look at the lived experience of tenants.

Our Communications working group will be taking on a challenging workload this year to increase awareness of the Regional Networks, and to promote the role and work of the Networks amongst tenants and residents. At this time, we have several vacancies across a range of local authority areas within the Networks and we are keen to reach full membership again this year to ensure the views of tenants and residents across Scotland are being fully represented.

Our Scottish Housing Regulator Liaison group will be continuing to bring the views and priorities of tenants and residents on regulatory issues to SHR at our quarterly meetings.

We will be involved with activities flowing from the New Deal for Tenants: Rented Sector Strategy consultation and Housing to 2040. In particular, our Housing to 2040 working group will be involved with work on the 2040 objective to "put tenant participation at the heart of developing the Rented Sector Strategy. For the social rented sector, we will establish a national network of social rented tenants which will represent the diversity within the social rented sector by including people with protected characteristics, families with children and younger people, as well as people with a wide range of backgrounds, such as those who have experienced homelessness."

We plan to take a closer look at disability-related issues in housing this year, with a planned workshop session on Housing for Varying Needs and a focus on the lived experience of tenants and residents.