Governance
The Association is controlled by the communities it serves. The Management Committee sets the overall strategic direction of the Association and takes all the key decisions with regard to the Association.
The Management Committee is supported by the SFARS Board, Audit Committee and Staffing and General Purposes sub-committee which constitute the three sub-committees of our main Management Committee and complete our governance structure
All of our committees, sub-committees and boards are largely composed of local residents and service users who work to ensure that the Association is accountable and delivers services appropriate to the needs of our local communities.
Our Management Committee acts as our governing body and is responsible for setting our aims and objectives and monitoring our progress in achieving them. Management Committee members meet once a month, ten times a year to:
- Set short and long terms objectives for the Association
- Discuss the overall operation of the Association in its use of resources, achievement of aims and objectives, financial viability and service delivery for tenants and service users
- Ensure that the Association meets its legal and regulatory obligations.
Our Management Committee:
Office Bearers
Chair: Alex Cameron
Year of joining the Management Committee : 2017
Vice-Chair: Ruth McCluskey
Year of joining the Management Committee : 2019
Secretary: Alison Devlin
Year of joining the Management Committee : 2019
Members
Betty MacNeil
Year of joining the Management Committee : 1994
Iain Dyer
Year of joining the Management Committee : 2002
Margaret McIntyre
Year of joining the Management Committee : 2006
Surjit Singh Chowdhary
Year of joining the Management Committee : 2011
Munir Choudry
Year of joining the Management Committee : 2018
Shirley Robison
Year of joining the Management Committee : 2021
Liz Ely
Year of joining the Management Committee : 2022
Elisa Campanaro
Year of joining the Management Committee : 2022
In 2005 the association established Southside Factoring and Related Services (SFARS), a wholly owned subsidiary, in order to deliver commercial activities which could not be provided by the Association as the charitable parent company.
SFARS main focus is on providing a property factor services, it has grown and developed and now incorporates two entities Southside Residential and Southside Letting which together provide the following commercial activities:
Board Members:
Iain Dyer – Chair
Elisa Campanero
Michael Davie
Liz Ely
Lucy Gillie
Ruth McCluskey
The Association is run according to our constitution and rules of association, here are some of our key governance documents:
- Membership Policy – February 2021
- SHA Committee Terms of Reference and Remits – March 2023
- SHA Committee Role Descriptions – March 2023
- SHA Standing Orders – March 2023
- SHA Scheme of Delegated Authority – March 2023
- Southside Rules – September 2020
- Intragroup Agreement between Southside Housing Association and SFARS
- SHA Business Plan 2021-2025
- SHA Business Plan 2012-25 Summary Document
- Code of Conduct for Governing Body Members – September 2021
The Association is made up of a shareholding membership who have voting rights at the Association’s Annual General Meeting, elect members to our Membership Committee and other rights in relation to the way the Association is managed. The Association encourages local residents and anyone else who shares the Association’s objectives to become a member. It’s a great way to ensure that you have a say and a stake in how we operate as a social landlord.
How to become a member of Southside Housing Association.
You can apply to become a member of the Association making a one off payment of £1.00. Anyone who lives in the areas which we operate in, or who shares the Association’s objectives set out in our Rules may apply to become a member. We want to promote as diverse a membership as possible and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds irrespective of their ethnicity, race, religious belief, sexual orientation or gender identity, or disability.
As a registered social landlord, charity and company, the Association’s functions are closely regulated in a number of ways.
The Scottish Housing Regulator
Registered Social Landlords in Scotland are regulated by the Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR). The SHR aims to safeguard and promote the interests of current and future tenants of social landlords and other people who use our services. The SHR closely assess the Association and other social landlords based on:
- How we are performing in delivering our housing services
- Our financial viability and well being, and;
- How we are meeting the SHR’s standards of governance and financial management
The Scottish Housing Regulator has published a helpful guide ‘how we regulate: a guide for tenants and service users .’
The Association has a statutory duty to provide certain information to the SHR throughout the year, key documents which the SHR publish in relation to the Association can be found on the SHR website.
The Association has a Complaints Handling Procedure which you can use when you are dissatisfied with an aspect of how we have delivered our services, or how that may have affected you.
When things go wrong that have a serious and adverse impact on a significant number of people, you can report these issues as a significant performance failure to the SHR who will investigate and take appropriate action to address your concerns.
The Care Inspectorate regulates cares services in Scotland. They support improvement in care services and work to ensure that quality of care in Scotland meets high standards.
The Association’s Saffron Project, which provides accommodation and a floating support service for young people from a Black and Minority Ethnic background is regulated by the Care Inspectorate. Each year The Association has to provide an annual return to the Care Inspectorate. The Care Inspectorate also carry out periodic inspections of the Saffron Project. Here is a copy of the most recent Care Inspectorate inspection report:
Care Inspectorate – Saffron Project Inspection Report May 2019
Scottish Social Service Council
Our Saffron Project staff are also registered with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC), who are the body who regulate workers in care and social services in Scotland.
Find out more about how the SSSC regulate at: https://www.sssc.uk.com/
Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator
As a registered charity in Scotland, we are regulated by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) who monitor our compliance with our obligations in line with the provisions set out in the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005. The Association provides an annual return to OSCR every December.
The Association must also register with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and changes to Association Rules for example can only proceed with the consent of the FCA. We must also provide financial information annually to the FCA, you can find details of the Association’s annual returns below.
See below reports on how we conduct business:
Southside Rules – September 2020
SHA – Annual Assurance Statement 2023
SHA Annual Assurance Statement 2022
SHA Annual Assurance Statement 2021
SHA Annual Assurance Statement 2020
SHA Annual Assurance Statement 2019
SHA Standing Orders – October 2023
SHA Committee Terms of Reference and Remits – March 2023
SHA Committee Member Role Descriptions – October 2023
SHA Scheme of Delegated Authority – March 2023
BP 2021-25 Appendix 4 Benchmarking Analysis
SHA Annual Return on the Charter 2020-21
SHA Annual Return on the Charter 2021-22
SHA Annual Return on the Charter 2022-23
Audited Report and Financial Statements to 31 March 2018
Audited Report and Financial Statements to 31 March 2019
Audited Report and Financial Statements to 31 March 2020
Audited Report and Financial Statements to 31 March 2021
Audited Report and Financial Statements to 31 March 2022
SHA Regulatory Status and Engagement Plan 2023-24
SHA Regulatory Status and Engagement Plan 2022-23
Abandonment Policy – September 2022
Adult Protection Policy – June 2023
Allocations Policy 2022-25 Appendix 1 – Points System
Allocation Policy – Mid-Market Rent September 2023
Anti-Bribery Policy – March 2023
Anti-Fraud Policy – March 2023
Anti-Social Behaviour Policy 2022
Asbestos Policy and Management Plan – May 2022
Asset Management Strategy 2021-2025
Child Protection Policy – June 2023
Community Involvement and Engagement Strategy – Nov 2021
Complaints Handling Procedure – March 2021
Declaration of Interests Policy – November 2022
Delegated Authority Policy – March 2021
Disturbance Payments and Allowances Policy – September 2023
Donations Policy – February 2023
Equality & Diversity Policy – March 2021
Flexi-Time and TOIL Policy – July 2023
Former Tenant Arrears Write-Off Policy – June 2022
Freedom of Information and Environmental Information Policy – November 2022
Gas Safety and Management Policy – September 2023
Group Policy on Entitlements Payments and Benefits – November 2021
IT & Digital Strategy – November 2020
Managing Unacceptable Actions Policy – February 2023
Membership Policy – February 2021
Notifiable Events Policy – October 2022
Policy on Management Committee Review and Renewal – January 2020
Procedure for Handling a Serious Complaint or Grievance against the Senior Officer – October 2022
Procurement Policy – March 2023
Rechargeable Repairs Policy – January 2020
Recruitment and Selection Policy – October 2018
Remote & Hybrid Working Policy – July 2023
Rent Management Policy – April 2022
Repairs and Maintenance Policy – May 2022
Repairs and Maintenance Policy App. 1 Timescales
Repairs and Maintenance Policy App. 2 Tenant & Landlord Resp
Repairs and Maintenance Policy App. 3 Pre Inspection Requirements
Repairs and Maintenance Policy App. 4 Classification of Repairs
Settlement Agreements Policy – July 2022
Stage Three Adaptations Policy – May 2023
Treasury Management Policy – July 2023
Void Management Policy – May 2023
Void Management Policy App 1 – SHA Minimum Lettable Standard – May 2023
Water Quality and Legionella Management Policy – April 2021
Whistleblowing Policy – July 2022
