Community controlled housing associations have been one of Scotland’s housing and regeneration success stories in the last four decades.
 
The Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations, EVH and SHARE have come together to look at how they respond to the many challenges facing the sector, including housing cooperatives, community controlled and community based housing associations in Scotland.
 
The Scottish Housing Regulator’s recent pronouncements in their publication “Shaping up for Improvement” appear confused and lack clarity. You could interpret their emphasis on criticizing the abilities of local committee members, the need to consider mergers and the need for greater efficiency to be a direct attack on this model. However it also says that there are excellent community controlled housing associations.
 
The Draft of the forthcoming Housing Scotland Bill appeared more interested in bringing forward new private sector models for provision and management than in promoting the existing successful Scottish community-based  model. By comparison it would appear that down south they are now rediscovering the benefits of community empowerment, and community well-being as objectives of housing and regeneration policy and regulation.
 
Faced with these development s combined with the proposed massive reduction in public spending for new Housing in 2010 and the apparent policy vacuum at a strategic level ever since the demise of Communities Scotland, we have jointly agreed that there must be a robust policy response from all three organisations.
 
As a result we have agreed to work closely together and with others, including Local People Leading, to jointly promote the interests of community controlled housing organisations. We will defend and promote the principles of community housing in Scotland which include:-

• The retention and promotion of local control and involvement in strategic and significant decisions affecting local communities
• The importance of owning local assets and revenue generation in relation to financial sustainability and genuine community empowerment
• The ability to appoint and direct local staff in the interests of the local community
• The ability to make decisions and work outwith the confines of a strict housing role to create popular, successful and sustainable local communities

Our joint work will involve as a first step sharing information and meeting regularly to discuss and respond to the key issues we all believe can support the community controlled housing sector. It is our aim that it should not only continue to provide high quality housing services that are accountable to and controlled by local communities, but can also play an important and growing role in helping Scotland recover from the current economic crisis.

EVH and SHARE have members who are not community controlled and nothing in this agreement will be to the detriment of service to them but merely reflects the current environment.

It is useful to think of our modern mixed economy as comprising 3 systems; the first, private and profit driven; the second, for the planned provision of public services; and the third, citizen driven – working for the common good.  This third system or sector is really a disparate collection of sub sectors with their own histories and cultures – but all with an identifiable common purpose to work for social justice.

    To engage seriously with the Govt, the private sector and the wider public – the third sector needs a representative body, so that when necessary it can speak with a single voice. The primary task of this body is the development and promotion of third sector policy – involving a continuous dialogue with member organisations as they adapt to changes in wider society.
   
    This short paper comes out of the view that the present arrangements have lost touch with and cannot legitimately represent large areas of third sector activity; and that a wide consultation is now required in Scotland to agree a more effective framework. There are strong opinions that new arrangements should involve only policy and representation – that the market for training and support services is more appropriately the domain of member organisations.
   
    Across the third sector there are dozens of thematic and functional sub-divisions – but they would all identify with the culture of one or more of its three main branches – the social enterprise, the community or the voluntary sub-sectors.   
   
Perhaps some kind of federal representative structure would allow both sub sectoral diversity and the uniformity required to give common force to our different interests.

    The issue of representation is given immediacy by Scottish Govt’s new requirement that the third sector at local authority level organises to speak with a single voice.  It is Senscot’s position that any such ‘single interface’ would be meaningless unless it incorporates these three separate perspectives.

The Community Sector

DEFINITION: The community sector is the web of local groups, networks and traditions that exist amongst those who share defined neighbourhoods.  Its activities – predominately small scale – are led by and accountable to local people and are the main source of social capital in our communities.

HISTORY/ETHOS: The community sector has its roots in direct action by ordinary citizens to have greater control over their lives – challenging injustice – promoting new ways of doing things.  It uses the language of empowerment, activism and local democracy – often with an explicitly political edge.

REPRESENTATIVE BODY: The community sector needs to agree a national structure embedded in communities and led by local people.  This new body needs to proclaim its authority and independence from the state and academe.

GOING FORWARD: The community sector is probably the largest but least organised of the third sector’s three branches.  Scottish Govt. needs to co-ordinate a specific development strategy with budgets.

The Social Enterprise Sector

DEFINITION: Social enterprises are commercially run, profit making organisations – driven by social aims – whose profits are reinvested into their social mission.  Many organisations which operate as social enterprises don’t always refer to themselves as such.

HISTORY/ETHOS: The social enterprise movement has only emerged within the last 10 years – fuelled by the third sector’s need for sustainable, independent income and by the enthusiastic promotion of the state.  Its language and ethos are a mix of business and voluntary/community cultures.

REPRESENTATIVE BODY: There has been bold govt. investment in an effective support infrastructure – but some intermediaries tend to trip over each other (eg. Senscot and Coalition).  Some consolidation is needed for unified representation. 

GOING FORWARD: The state’s enthusiasm is partly about co-option into service delivery.  This raises issues about social enterprise becoming a construct of govt. and its long term independence.

The Voluntary Sector

DEFINITION: The voluntary sector is often used as a generic term synonymous with the social economy – third sector etc.  It is used here to mean the traditional charities which make up the bulk of the organised third sector.

HISTORY/ETHOS: The history of our voluntary sector mirrors the development of social policy across the whole spectrum of human need.  The ethos is moving away from the condescension of charity, towards co-production and more empowering ways of engaging with individuals who need help.

REPRESENTATIVE BODY: The voluntary sector includes some massive charities – battalions – with very different needs from the platoons.  Is it realistic for one organisation to represent the whole spectrum?  The new organisation, VAS, provides the opportunity for voluntary sector infrastructure to get alongside community and social enterprise representatives nationally and at local level.  Three branches in partnership.

GOING FORWARD: The emphasis on social enterprise has given rise to the myth that the third sectors main mission – the achievement of social justice – can be self financing.  It can’t.  Self financing services for the needy will always be the exception.

A COMMUNITY centre in the east end is celebrating after a £200,000 makeover.

TV star Tam Cowan joined tenants of Provanhall Housing Association to unveil a new mosaic at ‘The Connie’ – a 5,000 sq ft youth club and sports facility on Conisborough Road created out of derelict shop units.

Provanhall resident Eleanor McLaughlin, along with 10 other committed locals, has been volunteering for several months at The Connie – assisting with the set up and organisation and running activities. Today she takes up her new post as Support Worker.

She said: “Everyone is so excited about the new centre and what it will mean for them.

“The kids have never had a purpose-built place where they can spend time doing dancing, drama, sports and IT activities.

“We would never have been able to have done this without all the hard work of Provanhall Housing Association and funding from the Scottish Government, the city council, The Moffat Trust and GHA – everyone is really excited about calling The Connie their own.”

Speaking at the opening, Tam Cowan added: “The kids and volunteers in Provanhall have, with the help of Provanhall Housing Association and many others, turned a derelict and vandalised building into a fresh, bright shared place from which the whole neighbourhood can benefit.

“It’s a shining example to other areas – working together can have a real, positive impact on people’s lives.”

Patricia Gallagher, director of Provanhall Housing Association, added: “The newly established Provanhall Community Trust alongside Wellhouse Community Trust have been working closely with local young people for several months to create a central social facility in a safe environment which not only serves their needs but can also be used for other groups and activities to benefit the whole community.”

As well as the main hall, the new centre also boasts a learning suite.

Visitors at the opening ceremony were treated to special performances from dance groups who practise at The Connie and a special drama performance. The commemorative mosaic was designed by local youngsters as part of the youth club arts project.

We’re going to turn the livestock ring into a cinema!

Cow-tail flicks could be a reality!  Our project is to have fold away cinema seating instead of the wooden boxes that folk stand on during the livestock sales, improved heating (so we don’t have the red glow from the infrared heaters – those who watched Mama Mia in underwater green mode will know what I mean), draughtproofing (sometimes it’s windy) and blackout blinds so we can use the cinema in the summer (it sometimes rains). Oh, and a neon sign and popcorn machine!

Thanks to everyone who voted for us – your all most welcome to come to one of our screenings

Serving the community in the Gairloch and Loch Ewe areas on 106 and 106.6 FM and online
 
Two Lochs Radio is the smallest licensed broadcaster in the UK and is based in a remote area, coastal Wester Ross. Comprehensive local surveys show it has a weekly reach of over 70% – that is to say that over 70% of survey respondents said they tune in at least once per week. The area is not specifically served by mainstream commercial media, newspapers or even billboards, so the radio station provides a very valuable channel for public information, notices and local news.
 
As a community-owned station, Two Lochs operates an open door policy, where any member of the public can get involved. This gives children and young people the opportunity to gain real broadcasting experience and become involved in a local organisation – an opportunity that would not be possible on most larger radio stations. It has also provided a new avenue of interest for older and retired people.
 
 A substantial proportion of Two Lochs Radio output is presented in Gaelic, but surveys show that listening to these programmes is not at all restricted to Gaelic speakers, and many non-Gaels report the Gaelic programmes as among their favourites. The station also presents Gaelic programmes from out with its own area, notably Barra and Cape Breton.
 
Two Lochs Radio also works cooperatively with neighbouring stations, particularly Cuillin FM on Skye, with regular on-air sharing or two-way working of programmes. Recently it mounted an exciting trip for its young trainee presenters who travelled by highspeed craft across the Minch to Portree to present an afternoon of programmes live on both stations.
 
The station supports a wide range of local cultural, charitable and youth events, providing ample opportunities for pre-event publicity, reports and direct participation or broadcasting of some events. It also provides facilities for recording of events or performers either for broadcast or use by other groups. The station has a keen interest in recording and preserving oral histories, and is gradually amazing a large archive of personal experiences and reminiscence recordings in English and Gaelic, likely to be of considerable interest to future generations.

The station’s expenses are funded from a diverse mixture of advertising revenue, donations, grants, membership subscriptions and fundraising activities and competitions. While it has proved relatively successful in obtaining grant assistance for capital expenditure, day-today revenue funding continues to be a major headache for the station, and a large diversion from its core activity of providing the community with a comprehensive and inclusive local radio service.

To find out if there is a local station in your area: http://www.map.commedia.org.uk/processmap.php?areaselect=Scotland

FIVE Scottish communities  -Assynt, Catrine, Upper Eskdale, Isle of Kerrera and West Wemyss – are competing to win a £400,000 lottery windfall and become the stars of a new TV reality show.
They are among 28 UK villages shortlisted today to take part in the National Lottery and BBC-backed project to regenerate rural areas and create jobs.

Each will receive a grant of up to £10,000 to develop ideas.

Next May the final six communities will be chosen to receive the lottery funding and “village champions” will move into each area for a year to help turn their business plans into reality.

Their stories will be followed in BBC1 series Village SOS.

Alison Magee, chair of the Big Lottery Fund Scotland, said: “All five of these groups have made it this far on merit, and it is now the competition really starts.”

Assynt Community Association, in Sutherland, aims to convert a fishermen’s mission in Lochinver into a community hub, including a sea life centre. Spokesman Roger Glover said: “We intend to push ahead with this project regardless of the final result, and this development money will allow us to edge closer to our ambition.”

Catrine Community Renewables, in East Ayrshire, plans to set up a recycling facility to convert waste cooking oil into fuel. It also wants to build a hydro-electric plant and visitor centre, with profit used to buy electric cars.

Residents in Comrie yesterday pledged to dramatically reduce the amount of general waste they throw out as the village launched its Zero Waste Fortnight.

The campaign, which will run until Thursday, November 26, is the first to be held in Scotland and is aimed at encouraging householders to reduce, reuse and recycle more materials, more often.

Attending the launch at the Comrie Boulevard was Perth and Kinross Council’s environment convener Councillor Alan Grant, pupils from Comrie Primary School and members of the Comrie Development Trust.

Members of the public were also welcomed along to have a look at the selection of banners advertising ways of reducing, reusing and recycling waste.

Residents within the Comrie Parish boundary are being encouraged to sign up and pledge their support to the Zero Waste campaign, either by visiting the CDT office or Comrie Library, or sign up online at www.pkc.gov.uk

Author: Jamie Carpenter

Jamie Carpenter, Regeneration & Renewal, 16 November 2009

Last week saw Tory leader David Cameron use a speech to set out his plans to use the state to stimulate social action, which he said would “help families, individuals, charities and communities come together to solve problems”. Cameron’s speech was thin on policy detail, but he suggested that public funding could be used to spread “proven social programmes” across the country by franchising them to social entrepreneurs and that a Tory government could create New York-style “block captains” to help make areas safer and better places to live.

Given the Conservative Party’s substantial lead in the polls, those involved in community regeneration will no doubt welcome Cameron’s recognition of the importance of social entrepreneurship. But some may also feel a little disappointed that his speech did not mention how putting assets such as land and buildings in the hands of community bodies can help to empower communities. This sort of activity is already widespread across England, according to a new report.

The study, published last week by the government-funded Asset Transfer Unit, gives the most comprehensive picture yet of the scale of asset transfer already underway in England. According to the report, 80 per cent of councils have transferred at least one asset to community organisations in the last two years. The study found more than 350 asset transfer projects in progress across the 119 local authorities it surveyed. “The future looks positive,” the study concluded.

Yet the asset transfer agenda faces a considerable challenge over the coming months and years. Councils face steep spending reductions in the next spending review period beginning in 2011, and potentially even earlier should the Tories win next year’s general election. On top of this, the Prime Minister recently announced plans to sell off £16 billion of public assets, including £13 billion of local authority assets, as part of his plans to address the UK’s growing deficit. When faced with these financial pressures, councils may think twice about transferring assets to community groups.

If the Conservatives really are serious about stimulating social action, they should include a commitment to community asset transfer in their election manifesto.

On 17th December, the motion set out below will be debated in the Scottish Parliament. SAGS would urge you t o ask your MSP to support the motion and if possible attend the debate.  The motion is getting good cross party support and is an excellent way to raise awareness.

Jim Tolson (Dunfermline West) (Scottish Liberal Democrats):

Allotments, Community Gardens and Grow-your-own Projects – That the Parliament congratulates the Scottish Allotments and Gardens Society in its role supporting allotment holders and community gardens in Scotland, encouraging the development of new sites, enhancing biodiversity and preserving skills in gardening; acknowledges the valuable work carried out by other organisations in the promotion of community gardens and grow-your-own projects; recognises the links between green space, activity and good health and the social, financial, environmental and health benefits of gardening and growing one’s own food; highlights the need to protect and enhance green spaces, particularly in urban and deprived areas; notes that Crossford Community Council, in conjunction with Crossford Allotment Association and the Carnegie Trust, is investigating the provision of land for allotments, community gardens and social enterprise, and hopes that local authorities and other public bodies examine ways of transferring land to local communities to be used for such projects.

The Third Sector Online Interactive Evidence Library received a resounding welcome at its official launch during the SCVO and University of Edinburgh Joint Research Conference last month.

The Library is an easy to access resource for anyone interested in understanding the Third Sector in Scotland.  The easily searchable library already contains around 1000 documents, covering  a whole range of research and accessible briefings.  It is regularly updated with new publications and individuals can post their own research as well as comment on other peoples.

Mark Batho, CEO of the Scottish Funding Council who spoke at the conference and endorsed the library said:
“I am really impressed with the Evidence Library. It is a great resource which will make it so much easier for people to find out about the latest, up to the minute research.  I urge anyone interested in the Third Sector to have a look at what it has to offer.”

To access the library go to www.scvo.org.uk/evidencelibrary