Black's Blog

Craig Sanderson retired after 44 years at the Link Group Ltd, 31 of those as CEO. TPAS chief executive Lesley Baird will step down soon after 25 years. On Episode 4 of the Scottish Housing News Podcast, they cast their minds back to a time when modern housing associations were new and tenants s

Scottish Housing News Podcast co-host Jimmy Black gives his take on today's new episode in which Professor Douglas Robertson tells SHN… if we can’t fix leaky roofs in private flats, how will we ever make them carbon neutral? Meantime, Cllr Anne Rendall reflects on £4.4 millio

Jimmy Black writes about the latest episode of the Scottish Housing News Podcast, with Link Group’s finance director Nick Pollard. I used to sit on the committee of a local authority pension fund, and I made unpopular suggestions. I’d say “Let’s stop investing in tobacco,&rdq

Scottish Housing News Podcast co-host Jimmy Black outlines the roundtable discussion from the first episode of the podcast, which has been launched to kick off our series on how Scotland’s social housing sector is meeting the net zero challenge. Some intriguing possibilities were thrown up in

Jimmy Black responds to a report produced by a team of researchers from the University of Dundee’s Dental Health Services Research Unit which uncovered a geographical disparity in support services available to those who find themselves homeless in the city.

Jimmy Black highlights the importance of bridging the technology gap if people who are homeless or in temporary accommodation are to access vital services.

Jimmy Black, former Housing Convener at Dundee City Council, has been campaigning to stop the demolition of historic tenements in Blackness Road. Previously he wrote that a consultation exercise had been misreported to councillors. Now he says Freedom of Information has thrown up new contradictions.

Jimmy Black Architect Malcolm Fraser did the impossible at the first Andrew Nicoll Lecture (September 22). He made some revolutionary ideas seem sensible.

Jimmy Black Getting the creative digital sector together with charities was the theme of Shelter Scotland’s Building Digital Communities Event on July 19. I went to hear more about the new Shelter ‘I Need Help’ button, which will link homeless people and others in need to Shelter’s extensive

Jimmy Black In sheltered housing you get a pendant to call the warden. Outside sheltered housing, you get telecare. Two very different things, bought by two very different departments, under two very different procurement regimes?

Jimmy Black Former convener of housing at Dundee City Council, Jimmy Black muses about Shelter Scotland’s recent "hackathon".

Jimmy Black Stairs. A complete nuisance if you have furniture to shift, babies to carry, shopping to bring home. That’s all of us at one time or another. And they’re a nuisance for disabled people too.

Jimmy Black Sheltered housing generally involves a warden call system. If tenants press their buttons when the wardens have gone home, the alarm may go through to the council’s community alarm system. Two systems? Why does there need to be two systems which effectively do the same thing?

Jimmy Black Councillor Black reflects on self inflicted silly season stories...

Jimmy Black You are looking for your first rented flat, and a landlord says "give me £200 and I'll keep this flat for you. But back out and the money's mine". Would you know this was an illegal premium? If the landlord then said: "Leave the place in good order and I'll give you back a month's rent"