Completed Reviews  

Below are details of outcomes of policies we have put out for consultation over the past 2 years. Please note that you can see the policy documents in our 'Our Polices' section by clicking here.

We would like to thank all those who took the time to respond.  If you are interested in becoming a member of the Tenant Panel or want to know more about tenant participation or consultation please contact Eleanor McEwen, Community Development Manager on  01224 628436.

Some of the documents referred to are in Adobe Acrobat® format. Please contact us if you require any of the documents in an alternative format or language.

Housing Management Customer Feedback Strategy - Outcome of Consultation  (Mar 2008)

The Housing Management Section of the Co-operative has developed a Customer Feedback Strategy to show how it will involve members and other customers in influencing the delivery of its services. Throughout February we consulted with the members who participate on the above Sub Committees to see what they thought of the Strategy.

The responses were very favourable and The Strategy was formally approved by the Housing Management Sub Committee on the 26th of March 2008.

The Housing Management Customer Feedback Strategy covers the following:

The full report on the consultation exercise can be seen by downloading the document by clicking here (Adobe Acrobat format, 67.25 Kb) or contact Pat Cahill or Cearda McGregor on 01224 628418 between 10.00a.m. or 4.00p.m. and we will be happy to issue you with a copy.

Rent Arrears Policy Review – Outcome of Consultation (Mar 2008)

The review of the Rent Arrears Policy was commenced in February this year. The key changes made were as follows:

The Layout

The layout of the document was changed to reflect the Co-operatives standard policy layout.

Emphasis on homeless prevention and support for members

The wording describing how we want to support and help members who are in rent arrears was strengthened. We also included information on the Co-operatives involvement in two support projects (ASSIST and SMART) that can help our members in arrears. 

Monitoring, reporting and target setting 

This information was updated to reflect current reporting and target setting practices.

We then carried out a consultation exercise to get the views of members. We did this by sending out the draft document, a letter and a questionnaire to 75 members on the Tenant Panel and to all members of 6 Registered Tenant Organisations. A total of 26 replies were received as follows:

The replies were analysed and the vast majority agreed with the content, layout, presentation and clarity of this Policy. As a result of the consultation exercise, one area of the policy document was altered to promote a clearer understanding of the term ‘violent profits’.

The full report on the consultation exercise can be seen by downloading the document by clicking here (Adobe Acrobat format, 99.88 Kb) or contact Pat Cahill or Cearda McGregor on 01224 628418 between 10.00a.m. or 4.00p.m. and we will be happy to issue you with a copy.

Abandonment Policy - Outcome of Consultation (Feb 2008)

Abandonment Policy review – outcome of consultation with Tenant Panel Members of the Co-operative.

The Abandonment Policy was reviewed at the end of last year. During December 2007 we carried out a consultation exercise to get the views of members. We did this by sending out questionnaires to 65 Tenant Panel members and six Residents Tenants Organisations (RTOs) and asked them to comment on the document.

A total of fourteen Tenant Panel and RTO members replied. The replies were analysed and showed a very positive response to the document, its content, presentation and clarity. As a result of the consultation the policy document no changes required to be made to the Abandonment Policy.

Housing Management Service Standards Charter - Outcome of Consultation (Feb 2008)

The Housing Management Section of the Co-operative has developed Service Standards as a statement to members and customers what kind of service they should expect to receive from us and how they will know that we are delivering what we promise. Throughout February we consulted with the members who participate on the Customer Relations and Housing Management Sub Committees to see what they thought of the Service Standards and how these would be monitored.

The responses were very favourable with relevant suggestions being added to the Charter. The Charter was formally approved by the Housing Management Sub Committee on the 26^th of March 2008.  

The Housing Management Service Standards Charter covers the following subjects:

The Housing Management Service Standards Charter will be available to you in the following ways:

The full report on the consultation exercise can be seen by downloading the document by clicking here (Adobe Acrobat format, 56.48 Kb) or contact Pat Cahill or Cearda McGregor on 01224 628418 between 10.00a.m. or 4.00p.m. and we will be happy to issue you with a copy.

Rent Policy - Outcome of Consultation (Nov 2007)

In November 2007 we carried out a consultation exercise to get the views of our members on the Rent Policy. We did this by sending out a questionnaire and a fact sheet to 1,154 members of the Co-operative. 156 replies were received by the deadline date representing a 13% response rate.  

From the responses the following key conclusions and actions were drawn:  

The Rent Policy was approved by the Committee of Management on 3^rd December 2007.

The full report on the consultation exercise can be seen by downloading the document by clicking here (Adobe Acrobat format, 97.16 Kb) or contact Pat Cahill or Cearda McGregor on 01224 628418 between 10.00a.m. or 4.00p.m. and we will be happy to issue you with a copy.

Review of Membership Policy, Void Policy, Management of Credit Balances Policy - Outcome of Consultations (May-Aug 2006)  

Throughout this year we carried out consultation exercises to get the views of members on the review of the above policies.  We did this by including articles in the Tenants Tribune that encouraged tenant members to view and comment on the draft documents via our Website or by contacting the Housing Managers directly.  

There were, unfortunately, no responses to the articles.  

No changes were made to the draft review of the policies and these have now been approved and ratified by the Committee of Management.  

If you want to see the outcome report please click on the links below or contact Pat Cahill or Cearda McGregor , Housing Managers on 01224 628418 between 10.00a.m. or 4.00p.m. and we will be happy to issue you with a copy.

Click here to view the Membership Policy outcome report (Adobe Acrobat format, 54.45 Kb)

Click here to view the Void Policy outcome report (Adobe Acrobat format, 47.68 Kb)

Click here to view the Management of Credit Balances outcome report (Adobe Acrobat format, 35.49 Kb)

Formal Complaint’s Policy Review - Outcome of Consultation (June 2006)

As part of the review of this policy consultation took place during December and January with questionnaires being sent to:

The majority of respondents agreed with the aims of the policy and felt it was easy to read and clearly set out. However some feedback did state that the policy was long.  A summary leaflet will be produced to explain the main points of the formal complaints procedure. This will be issued to all tenant members.

The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman was also contacted and some additions and changes to the policy were suggested, which have in the main been incorporated.

The policy was approved by the Customer Relations Sub Committee on 1 June 2006 .

The full report on the consultation exercise can be seen by downloading the document by clicking here (Adobe Acrobat format, 98.73 Kb) or contact Jane Yule , Corporate Services Manager on 01224 628402.

Estate Management Physical Environment Policy Review - Outcome of Consultation (May 2006)

The review of the Estate Management Physical Environment Policy commenced in February 2006. In May 2006 we carried out a consultation exercise to get the views of our tenant members and members of the Registered Tenant Organisations. We did this in by:  

14 members of the tenant panel responded and all 3 Registered Tenant Organisations gave a response. The replies have been analysed and showed a very positive response to the document, its content, presentation and clarity. No changes to the wording of the Estate Management Physical Environment Policy were made as a result of the consultation and the Policy was approved by the Housing Management Sub Committee on 7 June 2006 and will be ratified by the Committee of Management on the 31 July 2006 .

The full report on the consultation exercise can be seen by downloading the document by clicking here (Adobe Acrobat format, 70.86 Kb) or contact Cearda McGregor or Pat Cahill , Housing Managers on 01224 628418 between 10.00a.m. or 4.00p.m. and we will be happy to issue you with a copy.

Openness and Confidentiality Policy Review - Outcome of Consultation (April 2006)

As part of the review of this policy consultation took place during March/April 2006 with questionnaires being sent to:

It is difficult to know exactly why there was no response from the Tenant Panel, but it is probably reasonable to assume that there is a degree of “consultation fatigue” as there have been a number of policy consultations in recent months. The Community Development team are working at increasing the numbers on the Panel so that the work can be spread around without the need to involve the same people time after time.

The majority of respondents agreed with the aims of the policy and felt it was easy to read and clearly set out. However some comments were received and a number of these resulted in several small changes being made to the draft before it was presented to committee.

The policy was approved by the Finance and Corporate Services Sub Committee on15 May 2006 .

The full report on the consultation exercise can be seen by downloading the document by clicking here (Adobe Acrobat format, 70.86 Kb) or by contacting Jane Yule , Corporate Services Manager on 01224 628402.

Introduction of Choice Base Lettings as the Co-operative’s new method of allocation - Outcome of consultation (Mar 2006)

The Co-operative is introducing a new method of allocating its properties, jointly with Castlehill Housing Association, from 5 June 2006 .Empty properties will be allocated through a system commonly known as known as ‘Choice Based Lettings’. In December 2005 we carried out a consultation exercise to get the views of all our tenant members about this change. We did this by sending out a newsletter providing information that explained the process of choice based lettings, along with a reply form designed to allow tenant members to use free text so that they were able to fully comment on the new allocation process. These documents were sent to all 1209 tenant members.  

Of the 1209 tenant members contacted a total of 114 reply forms were returned, representing a 9% response. The replies were analysed and showed that the majority of tenant members felt positive about the new allocation process and that the choice base letting method would be easier to understand, be more accessible and would promote inclusion. Some tenant members felt that the choice base letting method would be fairer and more transparent than the current ‘points’ system. Some concerns were also noted. A few tenant members felt that applicants considered ‘vulnerable’, such as the elderly, may not understand the new system and would therefore be excluded as they would not have the means, or understanding, of how to access available properties. These concerns have been noted and will be addressed by the Choice Based Letting Implementation Group. 

The Consultation Outcome Report detailed above was approved by the Housing Management Sub Committee on 8 March 2006 and will be ratified by the Committee of Management in due course.  

If you want to see the outcome report you can download the document by clicking here (Adobe Acrobat format, 59.53 Kb) or contact Cearda McGregor or Pat Cahill , Housing Managers on 01224 628418 between 10.00a.m. or 4.00p.m. and we will be happy to issue you with a copy.

Allocations Policy review – Outcome of Consultation (Mar 2006)

The review of the Allocations Policy commenced in November 2005.It was a particularly significant review because Choice Based Lettings was to be incorporated into the document. Throughout February we carried out a consultation exercise to get the views of our customers. We did this in three key ways:

7 members of the tenant panel responded and 7 housing applicants responded. The replies have been analysed and showed a very positive response to the document, its content, presentation and clarity. Changes to the wording of some areas of the Allocations policy were made as a result of the consultation and the Allocations policy was approved by the Committee of Management on the 6th of March 2006 .

If you want to see the outcome report you can download the document by clicking here (Adobe Acrobat format, 280.92 Kb) or by contacting Pat Cahill or Cearda McGregor, Housing Managers on 01224 628418 between 10.00a.m. or4.00p.m. and we will be happy to issue you with a copy.

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