Jaqueline Norwood

The participation advisory service was responding to the Scottish Housing Regulator’s publication of its thematic review of tenant and Gypsy/Traveller participation in social housing in Scotland, which was published yesterday.

TPAS Scotland carried out a survey and focus group, with social landlords and Gypsy/Traveller tenants/residents respectively, on behalf of the Regulator, which informed the thematic review’s findings.

The landlords who responded to the survey said they use a range of tenant participation methods, and these are tailored to tenants’ needs.

The tenants who took part in the forum also noted that landlords had introduced more flexible and informal ways to enable tenants and tenant groups to participate.

The Regulator’s report also states that both tenants and landlords note that building trust is key for successful tenant participation and some landlords acknowledged the challenges to participation that Gypsy/Travellers face. But Gypsy/Traveller focus group feedback suggested that these challenges were not always recognised or fully addressed.

It also states that many of the landlords who responded were not aware of the level of success of their approach to Gypsy/Traveller participation.

Jaqueline Norwood, TPAS Scotland executive director, said: “We welcomed the opportunity to carry out the survey and focus group on Gypsy/Traveller tenant/resident participation on the Regulator’s behalf and are pleased to see the findings published in the thematic review.

“While we know that overall tenant satisfaction levels regarding opportunities to participate are very high, the findings show there is work to be done to improve Gypsy/Traveller tenants/residents’ participation experience.

“It is our hope that the findings of the review will provide a helpful starting point for social landlords to review their strategies and working practices for engaging with and providing opportunities for Gypsy/Traveller tenants/residents to participate.

“While the review highlights some examples of good practice within the social housing sector, it is particularly important that social landlords ensure they are addressing the barriers to participation identified by Gypsy/Traveller tenants/residents. TPAS Scotland will continue to support social landlords with this important work.”