The accolade, sponsored by the Scottish Government, was awarded to the Tenant Scrutiny Panel for the work it has carried out to establish positive working relationships with Link’s Board and staff.

The Panel has developed its skills and capacity to perform effective scrutiny of the Charter as well as achieving a number of improvements to services and positive outcomes for tenants.

Elsie Boyce, chair of the Scrutiny Panel, said: “We are still buzzing from Friday night! The CIH awards dinner was a wonderful evening and as volunteers it’s immensely pleasing and satisfying to have your work rewarded and is a great motivation for the future.”

June Green, Link’s director of housing services, added: “I am delighted that the work of the Panel has been recognised in this way. Panel members have formed a strong and confident group that is able to scrutinise our performance and deliver their findings to the Link Housing Board. Link is always looking to improve its services and the Panel has a key role in helping us to identify ways we can do this to meet our tenants’ expectations.”

This is the second time that Link’s Tenant Scrutiny Panel has been recognised with an award, having also won the ‘Best Practice In Tenant Led Scrutiny of the Charter’ at the TPAS Scotland Good Practice Awards in 2014.

And Link’s LIFT team was shortlisted in the Housing Team of the Year category at the event on Friday.

The CIH Scotland Excellence Awards highlights the Scottish housing industry’s brightest stars, best projects and innovations.

Annie Mauger, executive director, devolved nations at CIH, said: “I was thrilled to see so many examples of excellent work from across the housing sector in Scotland making this year the biggest ever CIH Scotland Excellence awards. Congratulations to all of our winners and to those who were shortlisted for an award. The standard of entries we received this year presented a tough challenge for our judges!”

Photograph courtesy of CIH Scotland