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ORKNEY ISLANDS COUNCIL ASSET MANAGEMENT AND REPAIRS SERVICE AND HOMELESSNESS SERVICE INSPECTION REPORT

The Scottish Housing Regulator today published its re-inspection report on Orkney Islands Council. Its inspectors awarded the Council a “good” rating for both its Asset Management and Repairs Service and for its Homelessness Service.

The purpose of re-inspection is to provide an independent external assessment of the effectiveness and progress of service delivery, following the award of “poor” ratings at a previous inspection, and make recommendations to help improvement.

Lesley Kerr, Acting Head of Inspection at the Scottish Housing Regulator, said:

“We found that Orkney Islands Council has achieved significant improvements to many aspects of its service delivery over the last three years. The Council has responded well to our previous inspection in 2005 by successfully tackling all of the issues identified by our report.

The Council has a number of strengths in the delivery of its services. It has a good response repairs service and has good information about the condition of its housing. In its homelessness service it has a good approach to access and has increased the number of permanent outcomes it secures for homeless people. The Council works well with its partners and has embedded equalities in all aspects of its housing service delivery. It has made significant progress in implementing its performance management framework.

Orkney Islands Council faces significant challenges in meeting all aspects of the Scottish Housing Quality Standard and it is continuing to investigate alternative solutions to achieving energy efficiency in all of its houses. It is aware that it needs to continue to improve its approach to tenant participation and in particular to involve tenants fully in planning its proposed investment works”.

Councillor Roderick McLeod, Chair of the Social Work and Housing Committee said:

“Our housing services are a very important part of the Council’s provisions to the community. It is good to have it confirmed by the Regulator that these services are well managed and that the Council is working closely with its partners to ensure folk are getting the support they are entitled to expect.

“This success builds on the seal of approval for our homelessness and housing advice services received from Homepoint, the Scottish Government’s quality assurance body for housing advice, in 2008.

“We are committed to encouraging participation by our tenants as we plan the future of council housing in Orkney and will continue to pursue ways to engage with them and with the wider community.”

NOTES TO NEWS EDITORS

1. Inspectors gave the following grades:

2. Full details of the Orkney Islands Council re-inspection report can be found on the Scottish Housing Regulator website at www.scottishhousingregulator.gov.uk

3. The Scottish Housing Regulator came into operation on 1 April 2008. It is the successor to Communities Scotland’s Regulation & Inspection Division. As a government agency the Scottish Housing Regulator has complete operational independence, but remains accountable to Scottish Ministers, and through them to the Scottish Parliament for the standard of its work. The agency sits within the Justice and Communities Directorate of the Scottish Government and will work within the government’s overall purpose and contribute to its strategic objectives.

Iain Muirhead

Head of Policy and Corporate Services

0141 271 3760