Regional Networks Newsletter: Spring 2022

Our achievements

The Regional Networks have had many achievements over the years, and despite the challenges and new ways of working during the pandemic, we have been involved with several areas of work:

• Completing a number of Scottish Government and Scottish Housing Regulator consultations, and in the process, bringing a tenant and resident viewpoint to a vast range of areas of work, including homelessness, energy efficiency and heat in buildings;
• Meeting virtually with Shona Robison MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government and Patrick Harvie MSP, Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants' Rights.
• Contributing our views and lived experiences on issues of national housing policy which are important to tenantsand residents, including:
  • The temporary ban on the enforcement of evictions orders in the private and social housing sectors;
  • Housing to 2040 (which sets out a vision for housing in Scotland to the year 2040);
  • The 2021 consultation on the Scottish Social Housing Charter;
  • Current work on the New Deal for Tenants: draft Rented Sector Strategy.
• Contributing to development work for the Regional Networks' new website, which was launched in 2020, and to communications for the Networks, through the establishment of our new Communications sub-group;
• Representing tenants and residents on short-term working groups on areas of key interest to tenantsand residents, including rent setting, affordability and use of local authority Housing Revenue Accounts, as well as the Zero Emissions in Social Housing Taskforce (ZEST). Members of the Regional Networks have also been involved with a range of Scottish Government-led working groups including the Scottish Housing Regulator Liaison Group, the Housing Policy Circle, the Joint Housing Delivery Policy group and the Age, Home and Community group.