58 episodes
The Scottish Housing News Podcast Scottish Housing News
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- News
Former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner Jimmy Black and Scottish Housing News editor Kieran Findlay discuss the latest news and chat to influential figures from Scotland's social housing sector.
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58 - Communications during a crisis with Sally Thomas and Chris Fairbairn
“In crisis situations, don't try and save face in front of us. Tell us the warts and all. Tell us the reality of the situation here. If we're going in with one hand tied behind our back, then it isn't going to end well.”
In this episode of the Scottish Housing News Podcast, Kieran Findlay and Jimmy Black discuss the value of effective communications in the social housing sector with Sally Thomas, the chief executive at the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, and Chris Fairbairn, an associate director at public relations consultancy Holyrood PR.
Social landlords have great stories to tell and its important to raise the reputation of your association and your work.
But what about when things aren’t going so well? The increased expectations of social landlords today bring ever-heightened scrutiny, and couple that with a cost of living crisis and a housing emergency then communicating the right message to the right people is crucial.
Listen to the guests share their insights on managing expectations against budget pressures, how landlords can recover their reputation amid a housing emergency and whether the ‘black arts’ are still practised by today’s PR companies.
A transcript of this episode is available here: https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/communications-during-a-crisis-podcast-transcript
Jimmy Black has written a blog to accompany this episode here: https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/blacks-blog-if-you-put-peoples-backs-up-they-go-to-the-papers
Kieran Findlay is the editor of Scottish Housing News. Jimmy Black is a former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner.
Feedback on this episode and the podcast is welcome via our social media channels:
https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews
https://www.linkedin.com/company/28156734/
https://www.facebook.com/ScotHousingNews
Read all our news and sign up for our free daily newsletter at https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/ -
57 - Housing Bill part 4: An interview with housing minister Paul McLennan
Jimmy Black and Kieran Findlay conclude their series on the Scottish Government’s new Housing Bill with an interview with the minister responsible for bringing the legislation through Parliament, housing minister Paul McLennan.
The wide-ranging discussion centred on measures in the proposed legislation such as rent controls, homelessness and domestic abuse.
Mr McLennan also shared details of the first meeting of the Housing Investment Taskforce, which he described as one of many avenues the Scottish Government is looking to boost housebuilding.
The minister also said he intends to share details on an action plan to tackle Scotland's housing emergency over the next few days after a Housing to 2040 strategy group meeting took place last week.
A transcript of this episode is available here: https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/housing-bill-part-4-paul-mclennan-podcast-transcript
Jimmy Black has written a blog to accompany this episode here: https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/blacks-blog-half-an-hour-with-the-housing-minister
Catch up with the rest of the Housing Bill series here:
Podcast: Housing Bill part 1: Rent controls and tenants’ rights with Dr John Boyle: https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/podcast-housing-bill-part-1-rent-controls-and-tenants-rights-with-dr-john-boyle
Podcast: Housing Bill part 2: Homelessness prevention duties with Ewan Aitken: https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/podcast-housing-bill-part-2-homelessness-prevention-duties-with-ewan-aitken
Podcast: Housing Bill part 3: Domestic abuse with Michelle Meldrum, Eileen McMullan and Sophie Berry: https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/podcast-the-housing-bill-part-3-domestic-abuse-with-michelle-meldrum-eileen-mcmullan-and-sophie-berry
For more information on SHN’s Housing & Social Care Accessibility Summit in partnership with Horizon Housing, click here: https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/horizon-announces-summit-to-develop-solutions-for-accessible-housing-and-social-care-crisis
Kieran Findlay is the editor of Scottish Housing News. Jimmy Black is a former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner.
Feedback on this episode and the podcast is welcome via our social media channels:
https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews
https://www.linkedin.com/company/28156734/
https://www.facebook.com/ScotHousingNews
Read all our news and sign up for our free daily newsletter at https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/ -
56 - Housing Bill part 3: Domestic abuse with Michelle Meldrum, Eileen McMullan and Sophie Berry
Kieran Findlay and Jimmy Black continue their look into the new Housing Bill with a look at the duties expected of social landlords regarding domestic abuse.
Under the proposed legislation, social landlords will have to provide support to tenants experiencing rent arrears or risk of homelessness due to domestic abuse, and to publish a policy on how it will exercise these functions.
To help explore what a domestic abuse policy could entail, and the key role that social landlords could have in tackling the issue, the panel included Michelle Meldrum, the chief executive at Berwickshire Housing Association, Eileen McMullan, policy lead at the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, and returning to the podcast was Sophie Berry, a solicitor at Govan Law Centre.
A transcript of this episode is available here: https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/the-housing-bill-part-3-domestic-abuse-podcast-transcript
Jimmy Black has written a blog to accompany the episode here: https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/blacks-blog-violence-in-the-home
Further reading:
CIH Scotland and Scottish Women’s Aid ‘Policies Not Promises’ report: https://www.cih.org/media/znmnr0u2/policies-not-promises.pdf
CIH Scotland domestic abuse knowledge hub: https://www.cih.org/knowledge-hub/tenancy-and-support/domestic-abuse
Social landlords good practice guide: https://www.cih.org/media/krhfduto/guidance-for-social-landlords-domestic-abuse-cv19.pdf
SafeLives knowledge hub: https://safelives.org.uk/knowledge-hub
Kieran Findlay is the editor of Scottish Housing News. Jimmy Black is a former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner.
Feedback on this episode and the podcast is welcome via our social media channels:
https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews
https://www.linkedin.com/company/28156734/
https://www.facebook.com/ScotHousingNews
Read all our news and sign up for our free daily newsletter at https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/ -
55 - The Housing Bill part 2: Homelessness prevention duties with Ewan Aitken
Kieran Findlay and Jimmy Black put the Holyrood turmoil to one side and continue their exploration of various elements of the Scottish Government’s new Housing Bill with a look at proposed new homelessness prevention measures.
The legislation will introduce an ‘ask and act’ duty on social landlords and other bodies, such as health boards and the police, to ask about a person’s housing situation and take proactive steps to avoid them becoming homeless wherever possible.
But what could these proactive steps involve, do the measures go far enough or are they asking too much of already stretched resources?
Ewan Aitken, the chief executive of homelessness charity Cyrenians, has the answers. Ewan co-chaired the Homelessness Prevention Task and Finish Group, on whose report, arguably, the homelessness elements of the new Housing Bill are based.
A transcript of this episode is available here: https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/housing-bill-part-2-homelessness-prevention-duties-podcast-transcript
Jimmy Black has written a blog to accompany the episode here: https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/blacks-blog-homelessness-how-to-ask-act
Further reading: https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/scottish-government-publishes-new-housing-bill
Kieran Findlay is the editor of Scottish Housing News. Jimmy Black is a former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner.
Feedback on this episode and the podcast is welcome via our social media channels:
https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews
https://www.linkedin.com/company/28156734/
https://www.facebook.com/ScotHousingNews
Read all our news and sign up for our free daily newsletter at https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/ -
54 - Housing Bill part 1 Rent controls and tenants' rights with Dr John Boyle
With the long-awaited Housing Bill finally here, hosts Kieran Findlay and Jimmy Black will dedicate the next four episodes to digest various elements of the legislation, including homelessness and domestic abuse, culminating in an interview with housing minister Paul McLennan. But we begin the series with a discussion on increased rights for private tenants and, arguably the most contentious proposal, rent controls.
In previous episodes, we’ve heard tenants' union Living Rent say rent controls are absolutely vital to keep rents affordable and prevent people being priced out from living in Scotland’s cities. We’ve also spoken to landlords who argue that the measures will see reduced investment and more landlords leaving the sector, leading to higher costs for tenants.
To debate the merits of the Housing Bill and its impact on the private rented sector, Kieran Findlay and Jimmy Black speak to Dr John Boyle, the Director of Research & Strategy at Rettie.
Professor Douglas Robertson also contributed to this episode, but we had audio issues and so we can’t use the recording. However, you can find Douglas’ spirited contribution in the transcript.
A transcript of this episode is available here: https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/housing-bill-part-1-rent-controls-and-tenants-rights-podcast-transcript
Jimmy Black has written a blog to accompany the episode here: https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/blacks-blog-rent-controls-mean-well-but-do-they-work
Further reading:
https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/scottish-government-publishes-new-housing-bill
https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/holyrood-committees-launch-joint-consultation-on-new-housing-bill
Kieran Findlay is the editor of Scottish Housing News. Jimmy Black is a former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner.
Feedback on this episode and the podcast is welcome via our social media channels:
https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews
https://www.linkedin.com/company/28156734/
https://www.facebook.com/ScotHousingNews
Read all our news and sign up for our free daily newsletter at https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/ -
53 - Shawfair and clean heating networks with Eoghan Maguire
"Technically heat networks aren't really difficult. It is just large-scale plumbing. The heat's already there, we're just moving it.”
With the Scottish Government’s New Build Heat Standard now in force, the installation of ‘direct emission’ systems for heating for new build homes and other buildings is now banned in Scotland.
Effectively, this means any new build applying for a building warrant will not be able to use polluting heating systems like oil and gas boilers and instead be powered by alternatives like heat pumps and heat networks.
But, how do these clean heating systems operate? And is the industry prepared to meet the huge demand for skills that is coming its way?
Eoghan Maguire is director of heat networks – Scotland at Vattenfall Heat UK, a company that has formed a joint venture with Midlothian Council to deliver low-carbon heating to thousands of homes, education and retail properties at the new town of Shawfair.
Eoghan describes the challenges and benefits of incorporating the large-scale project, which he believes can be a catalyst for other heat networks across Scotland.
A transcript of this episode is available here: https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/shawfair-and-clean-heating-networks-with-eoghan-maguire-podcast-transcript
Jimmy Black has written a blog to accompany the episode here: https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/blacks-blog-shawfair-can-be-a-catalyst-for-large-scale-clean-heating
Further reading:
https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/midlothian-council-and-vattenfall-form-joint-venture-to-deliver-low-carbon-heat-to-homes
https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/first-pipes-installed-at-shawfair-lowcarbon-heating-project
Kieran Findlay is the editor of Scottish Housing News. Jimmy Black is a former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner.
Feedback on this episode and the podcast is welcome via our social media channels:
https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews
https://www.linkedin.com/company/28156734/
https://www.facebook.com/ScotHousingNews
Read all our news and sign up for our free daily newsletter at https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/
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