A Busy Month For Governance

September and October are always a busy few weeks for our Governance team, with some of the key events and milestones in our calendar occurring within a short time of each other. We always relish this period, and are pleased to say that it has been successful again.

AGM

We held our Annual General Meeting this year on 18 September, whereby all of our members are invited along to hear an update on the Association's activities over the past year, to be briefed on our finances and to elect (or re-elect) our voluntary Committee members for another year.

Our Chairperson, Yvonne Alexis, highlighted some key topics including our continued adoption of technology to improve how we deliver services - in addition to HomeMaster (housing management software), development of a brand-new website is well underway. Yvonne also noted the tremendous amount of work that went into the window replacement programme along Argyle Street, our early plans to revamp the Overnewton Centre and the outstanding results for residents through the Welfare Rights Officer.

Attendees then heard from our financial auditors (Azets), who reported on our financial position and was pleased to note that we are in good health. Members then approved the appointment of Azets to audit our accounts for the next year, too.

We were delighted to welcome the election of 2 new Committee members, and as always if you are a local resident or interested person we would encourage you to contact us to chat through whether Committee involvement might be for you.

Finally, for something different, members enjoyed a game of bingo - with staff handing out some great prizes!

Committee Arrangements

Following the AGM, Committee met on 9 Oct. With this being the first meeting of their 'year', they must approve certain governance documents, sign acceptance of our Code of Conduct, and declare any personal interests. Governance staff have worked throughout the year to update all of these to bring them into line with best practice and sector guidance - ensuring that our organisation is well run and compliant. 'Office Bearers' are also elected for another year, meaning certain members have additional responsibilities or areas of focus.

We are pleased to confirm that our Committee (at 24 Oct) consists of:

• Yvonne Alexis - Chairperson
• Mic Ralph - Vice Chair
• Billy Docherty - Secretary
• Malcolm Green - Treasurer
• Colin Armstrong
• James Wilson
• Jennifer Xu
• Michael Chang

We are always on the lookout for new members, and have reignited an active recruitment drive in the area. We'd love to hear from any interested individuals on Committee involvement, and how they can help scrutinise our performance and shape strategy in the area.

Assurance Statement

At the same meeting on 9 October, our Committee approved the signing of the Annual Assurance Statement - this is a regulatory requirement whereby Committee must formally declare their confidence in the Association's compliance, which is achieved through the quality of information provided to them by staff on all of the various activities they undertake.

As voluntary members more concerned with having oversight of how we are performing and operating, it isn't possible for Committee to have the same expertise as staff on the day-to-day operations. This makes it crucial that they are kept updated with these operations, and need to have all the information they need to be assured that we are compliant with legal and regulatory requirements.

An assured statement goes a long way towards the view the Scottish Housing Regulator takes towards us, and the requirement to have high assurance levels means that compliance is always at the forefront of staff actions, and high on the agenda at Committee meetings.

Given how varied our work is, navigating the challenging but rewarding world of compliance in the housing sector can be exciting, so if you'd like to learn more or get involved with this then please contact us to discuss Committee membership opportunities.