Assurance statement
As the parent in a Group structure, the Board confirms that we have appropriate assurance that all Registered Social Landlords (“RSL”) which are part of Wheatley Housing Group Limited (being Wheatley Housing Group, Wheatley Homes Glasgow, Wheatley Homes East, Wheatley Homes South and Loretto Housing Association) materially comply with:
- All relevant regulatory requirements set out in Section Three of the Regulatory Framework;
- The Regulatory Standards of Governance and Financial Management
- The relevant standards and outcomes of the Scottish Social Housing Charter;
- Our statutory obligations in respect of tenant and resident safety, housing and homelessness and equalities and human rights
We have gained this assurance following a review and assessment of the evidence provided at our Board meeting on 28 August 2024 and from our ongoing oversight and scrutiny of the Group’s affairs throughout the year 2023/24.
The Board has overseen the assurance exercise that supports this Statement and is satisfied that it is comprehensive in its scope to include each of the group members. The Boards of each of the subsidiaries are involved in the Group assurance exercise in so far as it relates to their RSL and have also, through their representation on the parent Board, contributed to the Group assurance review.
The Group Board confirms that we are assured we have established appropriate systems for the collection of equalities data and confirms that we are compliant with our obligations in respect of equalities data collection.
The Group Board also confirms compliance in relation to our tenant and safety obligations. In particular, we have gained the necessary evidence-based assurance of our compliance in respect of duties relating to gas, electrical, fire, water and lift safety and obligations relating to asbestos, and damp and mould. We have completed our assessment of the potential presence of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in our stock and confirm that none has been identified.
We recognise that we are required to notify the Scottish Housing Regulator of any changes in our compliance during the course of the year and are assured that we have effective arrangements in place to enable us to do so.
The requirement to carry out Electrical Installation Condition Reports on our properties every 5 years. Approximately 0.1% of properties are recorded as not having an up to date EICR. In all cases reasonable attempts to obtain access have been unsuccessful and enforcement action is being pursued to ensure that all properties have a valid EICR by year end March 2025.
For and on behalf of the Board of Wheatley Housing Group Limited.
Josephine Armstrong
Chair
28 August 2024