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Social landlords will have a "critical" role in driving demand for heat networks and can provide a "leading voice" in how we transform communities, Patrick Harvie has told Scottish Housing News after the zero carbon buildings minister published a consultation on updated energy efficiency s

Any senior staff member or committee/board member from a community-based housing association (CBHA) dealing with significant problems can now ask for assistance from its membership body the Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations (GWSF). The Forum said that assistance, from its ne

Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations (GWSF) director David Bookbinder introduces a new discussion paper regarding annual rent increase consultations. Social landlords’ duty to consult on the annual rent increase is here to stay. But is the process sometimes made out to be

“The best way to encourage tenant participation is to be a terrible landlord”. It sounds like an essay topic for a housing student, but these were the words of David Bookbinder spoken on the Scottish Housing News Podcast. SHN editor Kieran Findlay and I recorded an episode on tenant part

Recorded at this year's TPAS Scotland Annual Conference on June 30th, this episode features a panel discussion hosted by Kieran Findlay and Jimmy Black alongside Anne Marie Brown, CEO at Dalmuir Park Housing Association, and David Bookbinder, the director of the Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of

The falling rates of social housing new build approvals and starts should mean a greater emphasis on the role acquisitions can play in boosting new supply, the Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations (GWSF) has argued. This week’s latest Scottish Government statistics, repor

‘Building Resilience in Challenging Times’ was the theme of the day at the annual Regeneration Conference held by the Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations (GWSF) last Friday 23 June. Attended by over 100 delegates, the particular focus was on how community-based hou

The proposed takeover of Reidvale Housing Association in the east end of Glasgow could be seen as a farce if it weren’t so disturbing, according to the Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations  (GWSF) director David Bookbinder. This week, Reidvale announced that the pref

Following the appointment of a new minister for housing, we assembled a panel of former guests for a snap reaction. David Bookbinder, the director of the Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations and Jane Wood, the Homes for Scotland chief executive, join Kieran Findlay and Jimmy Bl

Housing has a minister all to itself for the first time in a while. Paul McLennan MSP has been appointed and on the face of things, he’s well qualified for the job. He served 15 years in local government; he sits on the Local Government and Housing Committee; and he’s a member of 24 cro

Tenancy sustainment support provided by housing associations is crucial but under increasingly intense pressure, according to a new report from the Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations (GWSF). From research carried out in the second half of 2022, the Forum says that feedback fr

Void properties are remaining empty for unnecessary periods of time because housing association staff are spending tens of thousands of hours trying to contact energy suppliers to sort out meter problems, according to the Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations (GWSF).

An agreed definition of a Scottish equivalent of the Passivhaus standard which will become the minimum for all new housing in the country is to be the subject of consultation between the Scottish Government and the building industry, Patrick Harvie has confirmed. Last month, the

The Scottish Government has decided not to extend rent controls for social housing providers beyond March 2023 with social landlord representatives bodies announcing their members’ plans for below-inflation rent increases for the next financial year. COSLA has issued a statement of intent whic

The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) and CIH have criticised the Scottish Government for reducing its funding for the Affordable Supply Programme as part of its 2023-24 Scottish Budget yesterday.