The Board Charter consists of nine pledges which demonstrate a commitment of each organisation not only to invest in their communities but to do so in a strategic and impactful way.

The Charter has been developed by the Centre for Excellence in Community Investment’s Influence Working Group, which comprises representatives from across the UK community investment sector.

Andrew van Doorn, chief executive of HACT, said: “We congratulate the board of Barrhead in signing up to the Board Charter for Community Investment. As the first housing association in Scotland to sign up to the Charter, they have demonstrated their commitment to community investment and highlighted their role as one of the leading anchor institutions in East Renfrewshire.

“Since the Centre for Excellence in Community Investment launched the Board Charter in September, we have been inundated with interest from housing providers. Many social housing organisations in Scotland are already driving forward the community investment agenda and they recognise that there is now a significant opportunity for us to speak more collectively, effectively and publicly, formalising our long-term commitment and ensuring our social purpose is embedded across our businesses.”

David McCready, chair of Barrhead Housing Association, said: “As chair of Barrhead Housing Association, I can confirm that our board were delighted to commit to the pledges within the Centre for Excellence in Community Investment Board Charter, and we are pleased to learn that we are the first housing association in Scotland to do so.  

“Our Association has been involved in wider community regeneration activity for many years, and we remain fully committed to strengthening and growing communities through investment in community regeneration activity. Our current regeneration strategy is under review. In doing so, we will seek to ensure that our updated strategy is underpinned by the nine Board Charter pledges which we have committed to, and we look forward to working with the Centre for Excellence to help maximise the impact of our future work.”

Mr van Doorn added: “The role of providers of social housing in tackling both the housing crisis and the poverty crisis is more important than ever. Now, more than ever, they are playing a critical role as anchor institutions within communities.

“We are working with the SFHA and Lintel Trust to support the Scottish social housing sector to evidence and validate the impact they make within their communities. Our Insight tools provide housing associations with the data not only to measure their social value impact, but also to plan future community investment initiatives that are effective and cost-efficient.

“By adopting the Board Charter, we can drive forward an agenda together that recognises and develops the essential role social housing organisations play in their communities.”