Kirsty Blackman MP (SNP, Aberdeen North) visited Hanover Scotland’s Bridge of Dee Court site last Friday and spoke directly to a number of residents.

During a tour of the development, Janice McDonald, head of housing for Hanover Scotland, described some of the ways Hanover Scotland is helping residents with energy efficiency such as access to a communal boiler which enables tenants to pay only £17 for their monthly heating costs. A number of other initiatives were discussed including utilising grants available to alleviate fuel poverty across Hanover’s developments within Scotland.

The MP was shown the flat of Mrs Scott who has been a resident at Bridge of Dee Court for 11 years and another home belonging to Mrs Lawson who has been living there for two years. She then went on to meet with more residents in the communal area for a further discussion where residents described the different challenges they were facing and how Hanover Scotland was helping.

Speaking after the visit, Janice McDonald said: “We are very proud of how we serve our residents and try to help them live as independently as possible.

“We are very grateful to Kirsty Blackman for coming to see Bridge of Dee Court today. It was a great opportunity to tell Kirsty about how Hanover Scotland is helping to support residents during challenging economic circumstances.

“The squeeze on the cost of living is affecting everyone, and pensioners are one of the hardest hit groups. I was really pleased to hear about the action Hanover are taking to help protect residents in Aberdeen. It was also amazing to see the refurbishment work undertaken since the floods in 2016. I really enjoyed the chance to have a cup of tea and put the world to rights with residents and staff.”

Kirsty Blackman, MP for Aberdeen North, added: “The squeeze on the cost of living is affecting everyone, and pensioners are one of the hardest hit groups. I was really pleased to hear about the action Hanover are taking to help protect residents in Aberdeen.

“It was also amazing to see the refurbishment work undertaken since the floods in 2016. I really enjoyed the chance to have a cup of tea and put the world to rights with residents and staff.”

Aaron Hill, director of policy and membership from SFHA, commented: “Housing associations, like Hanover Scotland, are key to supporting their tenants through the cost of living crisis by providing help directly and by signposting to other partner organisations.

“We were delighted to co-ordinate this visit, so Ms Blackman could learn more about Hanover Scotland’s work. We will continue to work with politicians, across all parties, to ensure housing associations are a key part of Scotland’s social and economic renewal post-pandemic and response to the cost of living crisis.”