The Eildon Group and its fellow housing associations operating in the Borders make “a very significant and on-going contribution to the social and economic life of the region and Scotland as a whole”, a new report has concluded.

An independent evaluation of the economic impact of Eildon’s activities found that the organisation’s day to day operations are estimated to have supported 250 full time jobs in Scotland in 2014/15 and to have contributed almost £10.4 million to Scottish income.

The majority of this impact was in the Scottish Borders where 230 jobs and £9.4m of income were generated.

The Eildon Group, which comprises Eildon Housing Association Ltd and Eildon Enterprise Ltd, commissioned independent experts Optimal Economics to undertake the evaluation.

In order to independently assess the economic impact of the Eildon Group, Optimal Economics considered three ‘channels of impact’: ‘operations’, ‘capital investment’ and ‘community impact’. They then added these factors together to conclude the total economic impact of the Eildon Group.

Statistics quoted in the reports include:

The report said: “The Eildon Group Strategy is focussed on further sustainable growth in its activities, and with further excellent partnership working and financial support, will be able to maintain and increase this economic contribution in the years to come.

“As a ‘not for profit’ charitable organisation, all of this economic impact is generated for the benefit of the community as a whole.”

Welcoming the evaluation, Eildon Group chief executive, Nile Istephan, urged the incoming politicians at Holyrood to assist housing associations to continue their positive work.

He said: “This independent report demonstrates the significant and on-going contribution that the Eildon Group makes to the economy of the Scottish Borders and also the wider Scottish economy. Along with our fellow Housing Associations across the country, our activities are hugely significant in both social and economic terms, and we are very proud of the difference we make to the lives of countless families and individuals through our work.

“However, there is much more that we wish to do to increase this contribution to address the substantial on-going need for housing, care and support services across our communities. We call on all candidates in the forthcoming Scottish Parliamentary election to recognise this work and to commit to prioritising the activities of our well-established, innovative ‘not for profit’ sector.”

Eildon Housing Association was founded in 1973 by a small group of far sighted individuals with a vision to improve the lives of the people of the Scottish Borders. Since that time the organisation has steadily grown in both size and reach so that today it is one of the leading housing and care organisations in Scotland and a significant part of the social and economic landscape of Borders’ life.

Independent Economic Impact Study - Full Report

Independent Economic Impact Study - Summary