Pentland housing not being fair to tenents

[dozy]

The board of Pentland are putting a gun to the tenents heads ,but their also breaching the rules and it should stop . Shareholders have been sidelined by a board that is hostile to tenents and their not acting in the tenents best interest . The board should resign on mass as they can't be trusted .

[Bill Fernie]

It would be helpful if you explained what the problem is.

Has it anything to do with rent increases or the move to amalgamate with another housing association.

How are they breaching rules?
Has there been a proposal that shareholders were not consulted on?

Perhaps you could give a more detailed explanation of the problem so readers can understand.

[dozy]

[QUOTE=Bill Fernie;1185902]It would be helpful if you explained what the problem is.

Has it anything to do with rent increases or the move to amalgamate with another housing association.

How are they breaching rules?
Has there been a proposal that shareholders were not consulted on?

Perhaps you could give a more detailed explanation of the problem so readers can understand.[/QUOTE

Yes would be an answer ,shareholders where never consulted .
Pentland. Doesn't need to amalgamate . They need a better board ran by tenants for the interests of tenants ,
just like Dounreay wanted and give their approval in the first place . Let Pentland fix the wrongs and lies ,give tenants what they where legally entitled to . Then see what's left and after that make an action plan, yes Pentland would be smaller but far more flexible and fit for purpose .

[dozy]

Have you got an answer to the question ? Pentland is telling the tenants they have a choice ' hung or shot ' but both mean that it's the tenants that are the losers. We know that the council don't want to rise the point that Council tenants got to buy their homes under the right to buy, but Pentland tenants that meet the exact same cryteria where told NO. Let alone that the paperwork underwritten buy the Council on false figures presented to secure Pressured Area Status only applied to Pentland tenants when it clearly should have applied to all council and RSL tenants . The truth is a hard thing to swallow but it's always the truth . As before maybe an public enquiry into the situation at Pentland would be the best way to go before any stock transfer is used to hide the truth. A suspension of the board or a total change with those who have not being playing by the rules being brought to book would be a start . If not people will always say that those involved COVERED UP the truth . So what side would you be on ?

[Bill Fernie]

The question of Right To Buy has been settled for sometime and Scottish Government finally ended it in 2016.

Pentland Housing Association issued a release about possible amalgamation -
Pentland Housing Association is delighted to confirm that it is looking to develop a constitutional partnership with another Housing Association. It is pursuing this option to ensure that there are more investment opportunities available for the Caithness area – investment in the existing stock as well as the opportunity to investigate new build opportunities in the area.

Jim Hair Chair of Pentland Housing Association explained that “this was an opportunity for Pentland to improve and extend services to existing tenants but also investigate what a larger organisation might bring to Caithness. Going forward we have substantial challenges particularly around depopulation, overheads and keeping rents affordable and being part of a larger Housing Association may bring a different approach that will benefit our existing and future tenants to ensure key targets are being met.”

Mr Hair emphasised that tenants would be at the heart of this process going forward and all tenants have received an early communication confirming that this would not impact on their tenancy, everyone now and in the future would remain a Scottish Secure Tenant with the protection that the legislation brings. Tenant Participation Association Scotland have been engaged to independently advise tenants throughout the process

Neil Robertson Chair of Pentland Community Enterprise confirmed that “PCE is excited at the prospect of a larger organisation that maybe able to better invest in some of the ideas discussed for complementary services to the housing stock in Caithness. This might be the opportunity that we have needed for some time and could bring benefits for not just Caithness but Caithness and North Sutherland.”

A news letter was issued in June 2019 to tenants.

[Bill Fernie]

Questions and Answers in the Newsletter

WHY DO PENTLAND WANT TO CONSIDER LOOKING AT PARTNERSHIP?
Weare a small local organisation and we work in an area where a number of larger Housing Associations work. It makes sense to see whether we could benefit from forming a partnership with them to improve our services and to limit rent increases in the future. However, it may be that there are other organisations, who do not have a local connection, in Scotland that could bring expertise and a desire to work in this area and this is the reason we have advertised externally.

IS THIS BECAUSE PENTLAND IS IN FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES
Absolutely not. We are a financially stable organisation with a strong balance sheet. However in the next 5 years the Association will have to seek potential opportunities for more efficiencies particularly around future borrowing.
We are concerned around the cost of our rents projected into the future so another reason for looking at partnership is to see whether we can keep rental costs at an affordable level going forward.

SOOU HAVE MADE UP YOUR MIND THAT PARTNERSHIP IS A BETTER OPTION THAN REMAINING INDEPENDENT
No. We do not know whether partnership will prove better for tenants or not. We cannot take a view until we know:
Whether there are organisations interested in partnering with us AND
If there are we need to do work to see whether there would be benefits to tenants in relation to services and rents.
If there is no-one interested then Pentland will continue as an independent organisation and we will continue to work on our maintenance planning and improvement.
If there are organisations that are interested then it is important that we look at these options and we provide information to tenants on what this would mean for them.
Ultimately it is for tenants to decide whether a partnership offers better services or whether tenants want Pentland to remain as an independent organisation. Any proposed changes are subject to a formal consultation and a tenant’s ballot.

IS THIS GOING TO AFFECT MY TENANCY
Your tenancy remains a Scottish Secure Tenancy with all the legislative protection that this involves. Joining with another Association will make no impact on this as they are also bound by the same legislation and they will be protected by the Scottish Housing Regulator.

DOES THIS MEAN THERE WILL NO LONGER BE STAFF OR AN OFFICE IN THE LOCAL AREA
Pentland Housing want to keep the office and a staff presence in the area. One area that the Board are stressing in respect of the partnership proposals is the need for a long term commitment by partners to the Caithness and North Sutherland area. Any proposal must secure a long term future for housing in the area. The staff team are central to this work and they are an important stakeholder going forward. One of the improvements that the Board and Staff Group have identified is around more tenant engagement and this is a priority whether we stay independent or whether we look at a partnership with another organisation.

WHATABOUT MY HOUSE – WILL I GET IMPROVEMENTS DONE SOONER
Pentland Housing Association need to spend a significant amount of money in the next few years, by remaining a small Association there is a significant challenge in investing in stock some of which is of a nontraditional build and there will be significant investment requirements in respect of energy in the coming years. A larger partner could potentially have more opportunity in terms of financial investment and this is one of the fundamental reasons behind looking at a partnership is about bringing more investment to the stock. Some of the areas we want to investigate is whether a partnership would bring investment quicker into the stock than if we remained independent.

WHATABOUT MY RENT – WILL IT INCREASE AND WILL IT REALLY MATTER WHETHERTHE ORGANISATION REMAINS INDEPENDENT
We do not have the information to answer this at the present time. If the organisation remains independent then the organisation’s business projections are based on rents increasing each year by RPIX+ 1% on the basis of the existing investment proposals. We are re-working the investment proposals as there is new legislation that impacts on our housing and we will also have to meet new energy standards. Once we have this information we will have baseline information that will give tenants information on the costs and what they get if we remain independent. If there is another organisation interested in partnering the organisation then we can look at what they might offer in terms of rent going forward.

DOES MY VIEW MATTER
Absolutely yes. Your view does matter and that is why Pentland Housing Association have engaged Tenant Participation Association Scotland(TPAS) to be the Tenants Independent Advisor. They will help in collating concerns and ensuring that Pentland Housing Association are listening.
We also want tenants involved in the assessment process to choose a preferred partner organisation going forward so you can be part of the process. Let us know your level of interest by using the form at the back and using a SAE or email or phone.

If there are advantages for tenants in seeking a partnership with another organisation then there is a formal legal process required and tenants have opportunities for their voices to be heard. There are two formal consultation processes where the organisation is required to take account of tenants’ views and prior to the organisation moving forward to change the constitution they have to hold a tenants ballot. Any ballot has to follow the guidance or good practice issued by the Electoral Commission.

[aqua]

Dozy, are you upset because Pentland won’t sell you your house?