Chairman's Statement June 2006
Welcome to the twelfth Annual Report of Weslo Housing Management – and the first one with a photograph of me accompanying the Chairman’s Report! As we noted in last year’s report, Robert Lee did indeed retire in December and it was an honour and a privilege for me to be elected by my fellow board members as his replacement.
May I start then by paying tribute to Robert’s work with Weslo. As Chairman of Weslo Housing Management since its early days, he brought to the organisation a wealth of experience gleaned from his time as a long standing elected member of West Lothian Council and one-time Housing Convenor of both the Council and the influential Convention of Scottish Local Authorities. His experience will be missed greatly. I hope to bring my own rather different experience to this role. One other key outcome of Robert retiring was the appointment of Mike Bruce as Weslo’s first Chief Executive. I know that Mike, with the support of his strong management team, is looking forward to meeting whatever lies ahead for all of us involved in the provision and management of social housing.
We’ve also introduced some structural change in our maintenance operation, which will assist our excellent reactive maintenance performance and also bear fruit in the field of planned maintenance. It is in this latter area that a major challenge lies in the shape of the Scottish Housing Quality Standard, to be achieved by 2015. All this change brings to mind the words of one of the great American captains of industry who said “if the world is changing faster outside your organisation than in – the end is near!” Although not a message to be taken literally, as far as we’re concerned, the point is well recognised by the Board of this organisation!
In his report last year Robert also made mention of the imminent Tenants’ Survey. The proof of the pudding, he said, would be in the eating. How right he was! I can now report that we were extremely gratified with the results. It really is encouraging to know that over 91% of our tenants are happy with the service we provide, that 95% found our staff helpful and that 89% of our tenants are happy with their homes. Limitations of space prevent more detailed coverage of the survey here. Throughout this report, however, you can read quotations taken from some of the many tenants who took the time to comment extensively on our service. For those who want more detailed information the full survey and appendices can be found on our web-site www.weslo-housing.org.
I’m delighted also to report improvements on last years figures in all three key performance indicators detailed elsewhere in this report. Voids and arrears will probably always be with us but to minimise these losses to the extent we have over the past few years is very pleasing indeed. Another stunning performance in the reactive maintenance field has also surely played a part in the satisfying returns received in our survey. Figures like these are no accident and I would like to record my thanks to the staff concerned whose hard work and application deliver such standards.
It was also good this year to consolidate our work with our partners in the West Lothian Strategic Alliance. This coming year should see the first houses under this arrangement. Although, while we remain unregistered, we cannot play as full a part in this Alliance as we would wish, it is encouraging to see these developments coming to fruition. On that note I am, pleased to report progress being made on the long standing matter of our registration as a social landlord with Communities Scotland. At the time of writing we have had a series of positive meetings with the regulator. I believe everyone will benefit from what seems to be a more pragmatic, less theoretical focus on what we achieve rather than on the details of our legal structure. Consequently the Management Team are working hard internally and externally with Communities Scotland staff to deliver registration requirements and I hope to refer to a successful conclusion to this vexed matter in my report next year.
It only remains for me this year to thank the Management Team for their assistance in easing me from Board Member to Chairman, and to thank the Weslo staff at large for their unstinting efforts in delivering the levels of performance you can now read about in the following pages.
Peter Robson
Chairman
.
|
