| Foreword |
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| Most
landlords now accept that tenants should be given
opportunities to make an input to decisions affecting
their housing, but I believe that there is considerable
scope to raise the baseline. Greater tenant involvement
is one of the key themes of our housing policy agenda set
out in our recent Green Paper. |
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| In
May 1998, I convened a meeting of tenants, landlords and
key housing and advice agencies to establish a Working
Group to advise on ways of improving tenant participation
across the public and social rented sectors in Scotland.
The Working Group's consultation paper, 'Partners in
Participation', issued in October 1998 with the aim of
establishing a consensus on a National Strategy for
Tenant Participation for Scotland. |
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| The
responses received were very heartening and I am
delighted that the Working Group has now endorsed the
final Strategy which is attached. I too am very happy to
pledge my support for the Strategy and commend it to the
new Scottish Executive, who will be invited to endorse
it. |
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| I
firmly believe that the consensus that has been
established around the key principles set out in the
Strategy lays the foundations for real advances in tenant
participation. It is crucial however that we move quickly
to consolidate this progress. All public and social
sector landlords and tenants groups should now begin to
consider how best to work in partnership to raise the
baseline and to invest in the success that real
participation will deliver. |
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| The
Strategy contains an Action Plan with commitments from
all concerned, including Central Government: we will play
our part. I have announced a significant new funding
package to help deliver a national programme of training
for tenant participation, and I have invited the Working
Group on Tenant Participation to continue to consider
matters of detail relating to the implementation of the
Strategy so that it can report to the new Executive. It
will be for the Executive to take forward the question of
a statutory right to participation. |
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| In the
meantime, I urge all local authorities and other public
and social sector landlords, in partnership with their
tenants, to draw up their own local strategies drawing on
the principles set out in the National Strategy and to
commit to agreed statements of action to bring about
effective tenant participation. I would stress the need
for landlords to commit sufficient resources to make the
strategy a reality and would urge that tenants are given
a real say about the use of these resources. Like any good relationship, the
landlord and tenant relationship requires mutual trust,
respect and commitment, and time to develop and grow in
strength. I am aware that some strong relationships
already exist, and I hope that this Strategy will bring
about the growth of many more.
I want as many landlords
and tenants as possible to discover for themselves the
value of working together in partnership towards a common
goal of better housing conditions and housing services
across Scotland.
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Calum MacDonald MP
Minister for Housing |
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