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The Scottish Housing News Podcast

The Scottish Housing News Podcast

By Scottish Housing News

Former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner Jimmy Black and Scottish Housing News editor Kieran Findlay discuss the latest news and chat to influential figures from Scotland's social housing sector.
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26 - Racial diversity in the housing profession with Lara Oyedele, Callum Chomczuk and Fash Fasoro

The Scottish Housing News PodcastDec 12, 2022

00:00
36:14
52 - Why ‘fabric-first’ may be the wrong approach for retrofitting with Fionn Stevenson

52 - Why ‘fabric-first’ may be the wrong approach for retrofitting with Fionn Stevenson

“If we have a choice between a tenant having their home flooded or having to put on an extra jumper, which would you recommend?”

For anyone who has encountered architect Fionn Stevenson over her career, her answer to this question will be obvious. It forms part of her claim that a blanket one-size-fits-all fabric-first approach to retrofitting should make way for a considered make do and mend tactic, which considers and effectively measures the embodied carbon costs of building upgrades.

According to Fionn, there is plenty low-hanging fruit such as roof and cavity wall insulation still available for housing providers without having to tackle the “expensive faff” of additional external wall insulation.

A transcript of this episode is available here: https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/why-fabric-first-may-be-the-wrong-approach-for-retrofitting-podcast-transcript

Jimmy Black has written a blog to accompany the episode here: https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/blacks-blog-make-do-and-mend

Further reading:

Kieran Findlay is the editor of Scottish Housing News. Jimmy Black is a former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner.

Feedback on this episode and the podcast is welcome via our social media channels:

⁠https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews⁠

⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/28156734/⁠

⁠https://www.facebook.com/ScotHousingNews⁠


Read all our news and sign up for our free daily newsletter at ⁠https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/

Mar 25, 202448:54
51 - Why it is important to declare a housing emergency with Cllr Jane Meagher and Cllr Allan Casey

51 - Why it is important to declare a housing emergency with Cllr Jane Meagher and Cllr Allan Casey

Almost a year since Scotland appointed its first dedicated housing minister, three councils have declared housing emergencies due to mounting pressures in their local housing systems and dozens of others could be set to follow.

Now housing bodies across Scotland are making a concerted effort to say that it's not just individual regions that are struggling but that the entire country is in the midst of an emergency.

But what is a housing emergency and why is a declaration important?

Joining Kieran Findlay and Jimmy Black to discuss their respective situations and whether they think the Scottish Government is taking any notice are Councillor Jane Meagher, the City of Edinburgh Council's housing convener, and Councillor Allan Casey, the city convener for workforce homelessness and addiction services at Glasgow City Council.


Jimmy Black has written a blog to accompany the episode here: https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/blacks-blog-my-thoughts-on-housing-emergencies


A transcription of this episode is available here:

https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/why-it-is-important-to-declare-a-housing-emergency-podcast-transcript


Further reading:

Kieran Findlay is the editor of Scottish Housing News. Jimmy Black is a former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner.

Feedback on this episode and the podcast is welcome via our social media channels:

⁠https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews⁠

⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/28156734/⁠

⁠https://www.facebook.com/ScotHousingNews⁠

Read all our news and sign up for our free daily newsletter at ⁠https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/

Mar 13, 202441:42
50 - The PRS rent adjudication scheme with Susan Aktemel and Calum Sanderson

50 - The PRS rent adjudication scheme with Susan Aktemel and Calum Sanderson

With the Tenant Protection Bill’s in-tenancy rent cap and eviction measures due to expire in a matter of weeks, the Scottish Government has proposed an adjudication scheme to ease the transition until a long-awaited Housing Bill comes to pass.

Under the proposals, the process for rent adjudication will temporarily be modified from April 1st for one year. Any tenant who wishes to dispute a rent increase notice can apply to Rent Service Scotland or the First-tier Tribunal which will set a fair rent based on a taper formula set out in the new regulations.

But with just weeks before its implementation, it seems neither tenants nor landlords are happy with this new arrangement.

Jimmy Black and Kieran Findlay speak to Calum Sanderson, a member of the tenants’ union Living Rent, and Susan Aktemel, who founded the UK’s first social enterprise letting agency Homes for Good, to find out if there’s another way.


Jimmy Black has written a blog to accompany the episode here:

  • https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/blacks-blog-prs-uncertainty-benefits-no-one


Further reading:


Kieran Findlay is the editor of Scottish Housing News. Jimmy Black is a former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner.

Feedback on this episode and the podcast is welcome via our social media channels:

⁠https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews⁠

⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/28156734/⁠

⁠https://www.facebook.com/ScotHousingNews⁠


Read all our news and sign up for our free daily newsletter at ⁠https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/

Feb 26, 202443:52
49 - Craig Stirrat
Feb 12, 202445:29
48 - Reidvale and the role of tenants in stock transfers with Paul Sweeney MSP and Lesley Baird

48 - Reidvale and the role of tenants in stock transfers with Paul Sweeney MSP and Lesley Baird

With Reidvale Housing Association currently considering its options after shareholders voted against a proposed transfer of engagements to Place for People Scotland, Kieran Findlay and Jimmy Black reflect on some of the issues that have been raised so far. 

They spoke to Glasgow Labour MSP Paul Sweeney, who was a prominent part of the campaign against the transfer and raised concerns about the process with the Scottish Parliament’s housing committee.

Paul shares those concerns, laments the loss of community-controlled housing associations more widely and sets out measures that he believes could protect them in the future.

Another issue raised by the shareholders’ vote is that the majority of Reidvale tenants who took part in the ballot will not now see the transfer they voted for. 

This is a concern shared by tenant participation and engagement specialist Lesley Baird, a former chief executive of TPAS Scotland who is concerned about a loss of voice for tenants.

Lesley also talks through the process of providing tenant advice during stock transfers and stresses the importance of having independent advisors, both to tenants and members.


Jimmy Black has written a blog to accompany the episode here: https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/blacks-blog-issues-from-the-reidvale-transfer-saga


Further reading:

You can catch up with all the news on Reidvale Housing Association here - https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/tag/reidvale-housing-association


Kieran Findlay is the editor of Scottish Housing News. Jimmy Black is a former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner.


Feedback on this episode and the podcast is welcome via our social media channels:

⁠https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews⁠

⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/28156734/⁠

⁠https://www.facebook.com/ScotHousingNews⁠


Read all our news and sign up for our free daily newsletter at ⁠https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/

Jan 29, 202430:24
47 - Design for displacement with Laurence Wood

47 - Design for displacement with Laurence Wood

Kieran Findlay and Jimmy Black step outside the Scottish social housing bubble to consider the impact of housing design in the aftermath of a disaster.

Earlier this year, architect and University of Dundee lecturer Laurence Wood took a group of Year 5 Architecture students to Turkey, which had just suffered from a terrible earthquake, to live in rural camps and experience the challenges of displaced people. 

Drawing on his experience of developing transitional housing in the Philippines and rebuilding New Orleans and Mississippi following Hurricane Katrina, Laurance has been slowly developing research that brings local people and local materials to the forefront of post-disaster reconstruction.

As Scotland grapples with its own housing challenges, are there lessons to be learned about this expeditious approach?


This episode was recorded in Dundee & Angus Chamber of Commerce’s podcast studio on Dundee’s waterfront.


Jimmy Black has written a blog to accompany the episode here:

https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/blacks-blog-can-post-disaster-reconstruction-inform-scotlands-own-housing-emergency


Further reading:

  • They Live in the Dark’: Older people’s isolation and inadequate access to housing amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/eur50/7385/2023/en/


To get in touch with Laurence, email l.y.wood@dundee.ac.uk.


Kieran Findlay is the editor of Scottish Housing News. Jimmy Black is a former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner.

Feedback on this episode and the podcast is welcome via our social media channels:

⁠https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews⁠

⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/28156734/⁠

⁠https://www.facebook.com/ScotHousingNews⁠


Read all our news and sign up for our free daily newsletter at ⁠https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/

Dec 04, 202352:41
46 - Alloa and town centre living with Steve Malone, Johnny Cadell and Grant Baxter

46 - Alloa and town centre living with Steve Malone, Johnny Cadell and Grant Baxter

Kieran Findlay is joined by Steve Malone and Johnny Cadell, both principal architects at Architecture & Design Scotland, and Grant Baxter, the planning & building standards team leader at Clackmannanshire Council, to tell the story of a town centre development at Primrose Street in Alloa.

Together they share their experiences of working to support the multi-generational housing project, explore the collaborative policy, design, community engagement and procurement processes involved in the journey and reveal how the project became a catalyst for regeneration not just in the town centre, but in nearby Alva and across Clackmannanshire.

Jimmy Black has written a blog to accompany the episode here:

https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/blacks-blog-placemakers-of-the-world-unite

Further reading:

Kieran Findlay is the editor of Scottish Housing News. Jimmy Black is a former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner.

Feedback on this episode and the podcast is welcome via our social media channels:

⁠https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews⁠

⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/28156734/⁠

⁠https://www.facebook.com/ScotHousingNews⁠


Read all our news and sign up for our free daily newsletter at ⁠https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/

Nov 20, 202344:37
45 - Scotland's Annual Homelessness Conference with Paul McLennan MSP, Maggie Brünjes, Martin Smith and Allan Jones

45 - Scotland's Annual Homelessness Conference with Paul McLennan MSP, Maggie Brünjes, Martin Smith and Allan Jones

It is difficult to remember a time when global, UK and national events have aligned so acutely to heap even more pressure on Scotland's local housing systems.

Committed professional sectors from across the housing, homelessness and refugee sectors gathered at Scotland's Annual Homelessness Conference on October 31st to unlock solutions to these unprecedented challenges.

So Kieran Findlay and Jimmy Black packed up the recording equipment and headed to Perth Concert Hall for a special episode which captured the themes of the conference. Kieran chats to housing minister Paul McLennan about the Scottish Government's short and long-term plans to reverse the trend of homelessness before Jimmy catches up with Martin Smith, service manager at Perth and Kinross Council, a local authority that has achieved groundbreaking results on homelessness.

They reconvene for a roundtable discussion with Maggie Brünjes, Homeless Network Scotland's chief executive and Alan Jones, the housing manager for options and homelessness at Aberdeenshire Council, to share their thoughts on the conference and their asks of the Scottish Government. There will be biscuit chat!


Jimmy Black has written a blog to accompany the episode here: https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/blacks-blog-homelessness-beating-the-backlog


Kieran Findlay is the editor of Scottish Housing News. Jimmy Black is a former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner.

Feedback on this episode and the podcast is welcome via our social media channels:

⁠https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews⁠

⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/28156734/⁠

⁠https://www.facebook.com/ScotHousingNews⁠

Read all our news and sign up for our free daily newsletter at ⁠https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/

Nov 06, 202326:25
44 - Young professionals with Nicola Dillon, Julie‑Ann Cloherty​ and Collette Anderson

44 - Young professionals with Nicola Dillon, Julie‑Ann Cloherty​ and Collette Anderson

Scottish Housing Day took place last month to celebrate careers across housing by showcasing the variety of roles and routes into the sector and making the case for housing to be recognised as an important and valued career.

But it also served to raise awareness of the need to replace a largely ageing workforce and  support the next generation of housing professionals to continue to meet the increased standards and challenges of the future.

The housing sector employs tens of thousands of professionals, but there is no sector-wide strategy on recruitment, retention or talent development - and there are concerns that young people especially are falling through the cracks.

Joining Kieran Findlay and Jimmy Black on the latest episode of the Scottish Housing News Podcast were Collette Anderson, corporate services & innovation manager at Milnbank Housing Association; Julie‑Ann Cloherty​, learning and development officer at Share, and consultant Nicola Dillon.

The conversation touches on the struggle for housing associations to attract young people and how this is having an impact on recruitment. We then highlight the perception of housing and how this can be more accurately reflected before hearing about Share’s Young Housing Professionals Network and the Investors in Young People Framework.


Jimmy Black has written a blog to accompany the episode here:

https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/blacks-blog-getting-a-job-in-housing


The fair work and meta-skills videos by River Clyde Homes mentioned in the episode are available here: 

Meta-skills: https://youtu.be/p7sVwjb0rFU

Fair Work: https://youtu.be/jNZA4-vp-gQ


Kieran Findlay is the editor of Scottish Housing News. Jimmy Black is a former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner.

Feedback on this episode and the podcast is welcome via our social media channels:

⁠https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews⁠

⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/28156734/⁠

⁠https://www.facebook.com/ScotHousingNews⁠

Read all our news and sign up for our free daily newsletter at ⁠https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/

Oct 23, 202331:19
43 - Planning delays and NPF4 with Janice Russell and Cameron Greig

43 - Planning delays and NPF4 with Janice Russell and Cameron Greig

While financial pressures have undoubtedly played a huge part in a slowdown of new homes being delivered, there is a strong sense among housebuilders that the planning process is also having a detrimental impact.

A recent survey published by our sister publication Scottish Construction Now found that the statutory timeframe for the turnaround of planning applications is being routinely breached in Scotland, with readers blaming under-resourced planning departments and the implementation of NPF4 for increasing delays.

To find out more, Jimmy Black and Kieran Findlay spoke to Janice Russell, the managing director at McTaggart Construction, which delivers hundreds of homes every year for Scotland’s RSLs.

Cameron Greig, a senior associate in Morton Fraser's Litigation Department, also joins to provide a detailed look at a specific planning appeal called in by the Scottish Government, which highlights a post-National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) change impacting unallocated sites.


Jimmy Black has written a blog to accompany the episode here:

https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/blacks-blog-fail-to-plan-plan-to-fail


Other relevant reading:


Kieran Findlay is the editor of Scottish Housing News. Jimmy Black is a former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner.

Feedback on this episode and the podcast is welcome via our social media channels:

https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews

https://www.linkedin.com/company/28156734/

https://www.facebook.com/ScotHousingNews


Read all our news and sign up for our free daily newsletter at https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/

Oct 09, 202335:09
42 - Is the Unsuitable Accommodation Order fit for purpose? with Cllr Jane Meagher and Sophie Berry
Sep 25, 202335:04
41 - Care and technology with Dr Lynne Douglas and Gary Baillie
Sep 11, 202338:42
40 - Bringing Passivhaus homes to Drymen with Angela Currie and Janice McDonald
Aug 28, 202331:48
39 - Housing at Scotland’s Heart with Carolyn Lochhead
Aug 14, 202332:49
38 - A new framework for regulation with Michael Cameron and Helen Shaw

38 - A new framework for regulation with Michael Cameron and Helen Shaw

Jul 30, 202334:00
37 - Using data to create sustainable communities with Dan Blake and Daz Chauhan

37 - Using data to create sustainable communities with Dan Blake and Daz Chauhan

After touching on the use of data in a previous episode regarding Fit Homes, the Scottish Housing News Podcast returns to the issue by further considering other ways in which data analysis is helping inform decision-making across all areas of social housing from creating sustainable communities to assessing the stock condition.

To help with this, Kieran Findlay and Jimmy Black spoke to Daz Chauhan, a principal data consultant at data specialist Housemark, and Dan Blake, the executive director of customer experience at Berwickshire Housing Association (BHA), who is also chair of Housemark’s Scotland Advisory Board.

In the episode, we discover how data is changing how housing associations approach repairs and maintenance and unique initiatives at BHA to tackle domestic abuse and link mental health to void properties and tenancy sustainment.

Jimmy Black has written a blog to accompany the episode here: https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/blacks-blog-count-things-draw-pictures-and-do-stuff

 

Kieran Findlay is the editor of Scottish Housing News. Jimmy Black is a former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner.

 

Feedback on this episode and the podcast is welcome via our social media channels:

https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews

https://www.linkedin.com/company/28156734/

https://www.facebook.com/ScotHousingNews

 

Read all our news and sign up for our free daily newsletter at https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/

Jul 17, 202335:09
36 - Live at TPAS Scotland Annual Conference with Anne Marie Brown and David Bookbinder

36 - Live at TPAS Scotland Annual Conference with Anne Marie Brown and David Bookbinder

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 Housing Associations.


Questions and comments from the conference delegates of tenants and tenant participation staff included the cost of living crisis, tenant participation and housing retrofits.


Jimmy Black has written a blog to accompany the episode here: https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/blacks-blog-communication-key-to-tenant-participation


Kieran Findlay is the editor of Scottish Housing News. Jimmy Black is a former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner.


Feedback on this episode and the podcast is welcome via our social media channels:

https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews

https://www.linkedin.com/company/28156734/

https://www.facebook.com/ScotHousingNews


Read all our news and sign up for our free daily newsletter at https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/

Jul 04, 202342:49
35 - Gas boilers no more! with Richard Orr and Ross Armstrong
Jun 19, 202326:22
34 - ESG and the Sustainability Reporting Standard with Julie McDowell and Nick Pollard

34 - ESG and the Sustainability Reporting Standard with Julie McDowell and Nick Pollard

More than 18 months since we last spoke about environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting (ep 2), Kieran Findlay and Jimmy Black reconvene with Link Group's finance director Nick Pollard to discuss how the parameters have changed during this time and how housing associations can benefit from adopting the Sustainability Reporting Standard for Social Housing (SRS) to access private finance.


Kieran also talks to Julie McDowell, the chair of Blackwood Homes and Care, which is another early adopter of SRS. Julie is also a board member at Sustainability for Housing - the organisation behind the SRS - and is working to help make the framework more suitable for RSLs who may be concerned about the increasingly complicated reporting requirements. 


Jimmy Black has written a blog to accompany the episode here: https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/blacks-blog-navigating-the-requirements-of-esg


Kieran Findlay is the editor of Scottish Housing News. Jimmy Black is a former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner.


Feedback on this episode and the podcast is welcome via our social media channels:

https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews

https://www.linkedin.com/company/28156734/

https://www.facebook.com/ScotHousingNews


Read all our news and sign up for our free daily newsletter at https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/

Jun 05, 202331:33
33 - Homelessness and Shelter Scotland with Alison Watson

33 - Homelessness and Shelter Scotland with Alison Watson

Fresh from the Scottish Government's anti-poverty summit, Shelter Scotland director Alison Watson joins Kieran Findlay and Jimmy Black to share to what extent housing was mentioned during the event.


The discussion also touches on Alison’s early career, Housing First, the Temporary Accommodation Task and Finish Group and finishes with a conversation about whether there is value in short-term accommodation measures and charity sleep-outs.


Kieran Findlay is the editor of Scottish Housing News. Jimmy Black is a former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner.


Feedback on this episode and the podcast is welcome via our social media channels:

https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews

https://www.linkedin.com/company/28156734/

https://www.facebook.com/ScotHousingNews


Read all our news and sign up for our free daily newsletter at https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/

May 09, 202335:50
32 - Fit Homes and rural housing with Kirsty Morrison and Ronnie MacRae

32 - Fit Homes and rural housing with Kirsty Morrison and Ronnie MacRae

As social housing organisations across the country navigate a host of issues from an inadequate number of affordable homes, a cost of living crisis and an ageing population, for those working and living in rural areas, these issues are compounded by a unique set of circumstances such as a lack of local services and an exodus of young families.

Two people coming up with innovative solutions to tackle this are Kirsty Morrison, the chief executive of Albyn Housing Society, and Ronnie MacRae, the chief executive officer at Communities Housing Trust.

Joining Jimmy Black and Kieran Findlay, Kirsty shares Albyn’s Fit Homes, which support vulnerable tenants who require support to live independently at home. Ronnie outlines the partnership working of Communities Housing Trust to increase the provision of affordable homes and services in remote areas.

Both have their say on the specific issues impacting people in rural communities, Modern Methods of Construction and put their case to the new housing minister Paul McLennan.


Kieran Findlay is the editor of Scottish Housing News. Jimmy Black is a former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner.


Feedback on this episode and the podcast is welcome via our social media channels:

https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews

https://www.linkedin.com/company/28156734/

https://www.facebook.com/ScotHousingNews


Read all our news and sign up for our free daily newsletter at https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/

Apr 19, 202340:13
31 - Housing has a new Minister with David Bookbinder and Jane Wood

31 - Housing has a new Minister with David Bookbinder and Jane Wood

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 Black to tell us what they think should be on Paul McLennan’s agenda and gives us their thoughts on whether spreading responsibilities such as tenants’ rights, net zero buildings and community wealth building across several ministerial briefs could work.


Jimmy Black has written a blog to accompany the episode, here:

https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/blacks-blog-a-new-minister-a-new-beginning


Kieran Findlay is the editor of Scottish Housing News. Jimmy Black is a former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner.


Feedback on this episode and the podcast is welcome via our social media channels:

https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews

https://www.linkedin.com/company/28156734/

https://www.facebook.com/ScotHousingNews


Read all our news and sign up for our free daily newsletter at https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/

Apr 03, 202325:03
30 - Taking the politics out of Passivhaus with Andrew Kubski, Jeff Colley and Dan Hyde

30 - Taking the politics out of Passivhaus with Andrew Kubski, Jeff Colley and Dan Hyde

It was back in December that the Scottish Government agreed to progress legislation proposed by Scottish Labour MSP Alex Rowley that will, they said, “introduce new minimum environmental design standards for all new-build housing to meet the Passivhaus standard, or a Scottish equivalent, in order to improve energy efficiency and thermal performance”.

Net zero minister Patrick Harvie said at the time the government would fast-track the process of adopting the standard in law by using secondary legislation and bypassing the need to take a member’s bill through Holyrood.

Since then, while presumably consulting on what this agreed definition will look like, we've witnessed the beginning of changes at the very top of government which could yet have an impact on this Bill’s introduction.

So we thought it would be helpful to step back from the politics of Passivhaus to discuss the realities of meeting the standard in Scotland.

We’ve reached out to Dan Hyde and Jeff Colley of Zero Ambitions Podcast for advice, a podcast about sustainability, the built environment, and zero carbon goals. In 2003 Dan and Jeff co-founded an Irish sustainable building magazine, Construct Ireland, which was rebranded as Passive House Plus in 2012, and expanded into separate UK and Irish editions, with Jeff remaining at the helm as editor ever since.

We are also joined by someone who was faced with the reality of planning a Passivhaus programme and finding the money to do so. Andrew Kubski is the director of development and asset management at West of Scotland Housing Association, which has recently completed Scotland’s largest development of flats to meet the energy efficiency standard.


Jimmy Black has written a blog to accompany the episode, here:

https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/blacks-blog-passive-hooses-for-scotland


Kieran Findlay is the editor of Scottish Housing News. Jimmy Black is a former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner.


Feedback on this episode and the podcast is welcome via our social media channels:

https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews

https://www.linkedin.com/company/28156734/

https://www.facebook.com/ScotHousingNews


Read all our news and sign up for our free daily newsletter at https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/

Mar 20, 202336:34
29 - ALACHO on damp, homelessness and refugees with John Mills

29 - ALACHO on damp, homelessness and refugees with John Mills

ALACHO, the Association of Local Authority Chief Housing Officers, brings together those tasked with dealing with a multitude of issues which are increasingly shaped by worldwide events.

The Covid pandemic led to emergency measures on rents and evictions, while the ongoing conflict in Ukraine prompted efforts to provide homes for refugees. Even the damp and mould in people’s homes can be traced back to a hike in energy costs.

John Mills, head of housing at Fife Council and current co-chair of ALACHO, joins Kieran Findlay and Jimmy Black to share how chief housing officers across Scotland's councils are tackling these issues while managing inflationary pressures impacting the budgets of councils and their tenants. He also reveals the one thing the Scottish Government can do to help most, if not all, of these challenges.


Jimmy Black has written a blog to accompany the episode here:

https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/blacks-blog-the-chief-housing-officers-taking-on-damp-homelessness-and-refugee-accommodation


Kieran Findlay is the editor of Scottish Housing News. Jimmy Black is a former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner.

Feedback on this episode and the podcast is welcome via our social media channels:

https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews

https://www.linkedin.com/company/28156734/

https://www.facebook.com/ScotHousingNews

Read all our news and sign up for our free daily newsletter at https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/

Mar 06, 202337:28
28 - Clyde Gateway and the regeneration of Dalmarnock with Martin McKay and Rosie Robertson

28 - Clyde Gateway and the regeneration of Dalmarnock with Martin McKay and Rosie Robertson

The ongoing regeneration of Dalmarnock and the surrounding area has long fascinated Jimmy Black, both from a personal and professional point of view, so we decided to speak to two people at the heart of it.

Until recently, Martin McKay was the executive director of regeneration at Clyde Gateway, the urban regeneration organisation which is leading much of the transformation of the area, but has since stepped up to the role of chief executive designate ahead of taking on the full role in a few months’ time.

Rosie Robertson is the Glasgow area local community representative on the regeneration board at Clyde Gateway and a long-time resident of Dalmarnock.

Delving into the past, present and future of Dalmarnock, we find out the catalyst for such a transformation, the early benefits of the changes, and what is still to be achieved.


Jimmy Black has written a blog to accompany the episode here:

https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/blacks-blog-finding-the-clyde



Kieran Findlay is the editor of Scottish Housing News. Jimmy Black is a former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner.

Feedback on this episode and the podcast is welcome via our social media channels:

https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews

https://www.linkedin.com/company/28156734/

https://www.facebook.com/ScotHousingNews


Read all our news and sign up for our free daily newsletter at https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/

Feb 13, 202339:40
27 - Decarbonising Scotland's homes with Josiah Lockhart

27 - Decarbonising Scotland's homes with Josiah Lockhart

Josiah Lockhart took the helm of Changeworks late last year to help implement the environmental charity's new focus on decarbonising Scotland’s homes.

Josiah joins Kieran Findlay and Jimmy Black to discuss Changeworks' new purpose, the enormity of the challenge and the tools and resources the charity is using to meet the challenge head on.

He also gives his views on the Scottish Government's plans to introduce a Passivhaus equivalent to become the minimum standard for all new housing in the country.


Kieran Findlay is the editor of Scottish Housing News. Jimmy Black is a former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner.

Feedback on this episode and the podcast is welcome via our social media channels:

https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews

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Read all our news and sign up for our free daily newsletter at https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/

Jan 30, 202329:35
26 - Racial diversity in the housing profession with Lara Oyedele, Callum Chomczuk and Fash Fasoro

26 - Racial diversity in the housing profession with Lara Oyedele, Callum Chomczuk and Fash Fasoro

Continuing with our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) theme, we discuss whether housing associations, membership bodies and other organisations within the sector should be looking to increase diversity among staff, leadership and at board level. Why is it important? And what resources are available for those looking to attract a broader range of backgrounds and experiences?

Joining Kieran and Jimmy are Lara Oyedele, the current president of the Chartered Institute of Housing, who is seeking to raise awareness of the importance of racial diversity within the leadership of the housing sector with her CIH presidential campaign, ‘In My Shoes’, Callum Chomczuk, the national director for CIH Scotland and chair of the internal EDI group which for the past two years has been working to improve EDI throughout CIH and its membership, and Fash Fasoro, the CEO of social enterprise DataKirk. Fash helped organise the recent Scottish Black Talent Summit and offers insight on how to improve diversity and inclusion in the workplace.


If you want to support Lara’s Shoe Aid crowdfunder, here’s the link:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-my-shoes-by-lara-oyedele


Jimmy Black has written a blog to accompany the episode, here:

https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/blacks-blog-is-scotlands-housing-sector-racially-diverse


Kieran Findlay is the editor of Scottish Housing News. Jimmy Black is a former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner.

Feedback on this episode and the podcast is welcome via our social media channels:

https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews

https://www.linkedin.com/company/28156734/

https://www.facebook.com/ScotHousingNews


Read all our news and sign up for our free daily newsletter at https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/

Dec 12, 202236:14
25 - Equality, Diversity and Inclusion with Dr Gareth Young and Pedro Cameron
Nov 28, 202228:36
24 - The Tenant Protection Act with Patrick Harvie MSP
Nov 07, 202245:09
23 - New ways of working with Barry Johnstone

23 - New ways of working with Barry Johnstone

Back in 2020, Caledonia Housing Association carried out a comprehensive staff survey to review the impact of new working arrangements during lockdown and ensure staff are provided with the support to adapt to new practices and maintain key services for tenants. The survey was a part of the formation and implementation of its 'Agile for Everyone' programme - a new way of working which affords staff flexible time and location arrangements. To find out about this programme, co-hosts Jimmy Black and Kieran Findlay visit Caledonia's head office to speak to its director of people Barry Johnstone.

Jimmy Black has written a blog to accompany the episode, here:

https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/blacks-blog-caledonias-agile-people


Kieran Findlay is the editor of Scottish Housing News. Jimmy Black is a former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner.

Feedback on this episode and the podcast is welcome via our social media channels:

https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews

https://www.linkedin.com/company/28156734/

https://www.facebook.com/ScotHousingNews


Read all our news and sign up for our free daily newsletter at https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/

Oct 30, 202235:44
22 - Housing and Dementia with Lesley Palmer and Ashley Campbell

22 - Housing and Dementia with Lesley Palmer and Ashley Campbell

The National Housing and Dementia Forum has published a report that sets out recommendations for how the Scottish Government and partner organisations can better support people to live well with dementia. Over the past year, the Forum gathered evidence from a wide range of experts and people with lived experience of dementia.

Co-chairs Ashley Campbell, policy and practice manager at CIH Scotland, and Lesley Palmer, chief architect of the Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC) at the University of Stirling, speak to Jimmy Black and Kieran Findlay about their findings and why it is so important that any future dementia strategy considers the role of housing and planning.

Lesley highlights the Environments for Ageing and Dementia Design Assessment Tool and Ashley makes a pitch for organisations to sign up to the Housing and Dementia Framework.


Jimmy Black has written a blog to accompany the episode, here:

https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/blacks-blog-understanding-housing-and-dementia


A discussion paper has been developed by the Scottish Government to help people respond to a National Conversation on the future of dementia policy in Scotland. Find out more here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/national-conversation-inform-new-dementia-strategy-discussion-paper/

The Environments for Ageing and Dementia Design Assessment Tool combines the latest research on designing for cognitive change with the expertise of leading architects based at the University’s Dementia Services Development Centre. It replaces DSDC’s Dementia Design Audit Tool which was first developed in 2008 and has influenced the design of care buildings worldwide. Find out more here: https://www.dementia.stir.ac.uk/our-services/ea-ddat

The Housing and Dementia Framework is available here: https://www.cih.org/policy/scottish-housing-and-dementia-framework


Kieran Findlay is the editor of Scottish Housing News. Jimmy Black is a former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner.

Feedback on this episode and the podcast is welcome via our social media channels:

https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews

https://www.linkedin.com/company/28156734/

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Read all our news and sign up for our free daily newsletter at https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/

Oct 14, 202239:52
21 - Tenant participation with Colin Stewart, Louise McNeilage and Helen Barton

21 - Tenant participation with Colin Stewart, Louise McNeilage and Helen Barton

Social housing tenants have a statutory right to have a say in the running of their homes, but what does that mean in practice?

TPAS Scotland has been providing support in this very field for over 40 years and has launched a new campaign to help housing organisations and tenants to build better relationships as we recover from the pandemic.

To discuss this campaign and all things tenant participation, Kieran Findlay and Jimmy Black are joined by Colin Stewart - a Castlehill Housing Association tenant and Scottish Housing Regulator board member, Louise McNeilage – a tenant and community engagement facilitator at Scottish Borders Housing Association, and Helen Barton - an associate at TPAS.


Jimmy Black has written a blog to accompany the episode, here:

https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/blacks-blog-what-does-tenant-participation-look-like-in-practice


More information on Regional Networks is available at https://www.regionalnetworks.org.uk/

The link to the Back on Track programme as well as TPAS’s other services can be found here: https://tpasscotland.org.uk/tpas-scotland-covid-back-on-track-programme/

SBHA and SBTO were runners-up in the Best Practice in Digital Involvement category at the Tpas Scotland Good Practice Awards in June 2022.

Digital Involvement Runner-up Award for SBHA & SBTO | Scottish Borders Housing Association

More information can also be found on:

Tenant Participation How can I get involved? | Scottish Borders Housing Association (sbha.org.uk)

SBTO The SBTO | Scottish Borders Housing Association (sbha.org.uk)

Scrutiny Scrutiny | Scottish Borders Housing Association (sbha.org.uk)


Kieran Findlay is the editor of Scottish Housing News. Jimmy Black is a former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner.

Feedback on this episode and the podcast is welcome via our social media channels:

https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews

https://www.linkedin.com/company/28156734/

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Read all our news and sign up for our free daily newsletter at https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/

Oct 03, 202242:28
20 - Homes for Scotland's new CEO Jane Wood

20 - Homes for Scotland's new CEO Jane Wood

Ahead of Homes for Scotland's Annual Conference 2022, Jimmy Black and Kieran Findlay speak to the organisation's new CEO Jane Wood who is just three months into her new post.

We discuss developer contributions and the recent Homes for Scotland research on the extent of affordable housing contributions by private developers, NPF4 and the availability of land, as well as the need to define modern methods of construction and whether innovation has progressed to desired levels.

The conversation moves on to the impact a potential long-term rent freeze could have on house building and the upcoming Housing Bill and we round up with a preview of the Annual Conference.


Kieran Findlay is the editor of Scottish Housing News. Jimmy Black is a former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner.


Feedback on this episode and the podcast is welcome via our social media channels:

https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews

https://www.linkedin.com/company/28156734/

https://www.facebook.com/ScotHousingNews


Read all our news and sign up for our free daily newsletter at https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/

Sep 20, 202229:16
19 - Future of the high rise with Stephen Llewellyn, Debra Campbell and Mairi Clark
Sep 05, 202235:52
18 - The Glasgow Alliance to End Homelessness with Jack Rillie

18 - The Glasgow Alliance to End Homelessness with Jack Rillie

Jack Rillie is the man charged with leading a new Alliance which aims to eradicate homelessness by 2030. According to Jack, if the same service providers are delivering the same services in 8 years' time as they do at the moment then he'll have "monumentally failed" in his job.

Only a few days into his new post, Jack joined Scottish Housing News editor Kieran Findlay and co-host Jimmy Black to discuss the challenge ahead.


Jimmy Black has written a blog to accompany the episode, here:

https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/blacks-blog-the-challenge-of-ending-homelessness-in-glasgow


Kieran Findlay is the editor of Scottish Housing News. Jimmy Black is a former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner.

Feedback on this episode and the podcast is welcome via our social media channels:

https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews

https://www.linkedin.com/company/28156734/

https://www.facebook.com/ScotHousingNews


Read all our news and sign up for our free daily newsletter at https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/

Aug 29, 202233:08
17 - Evictions and the Coronavirus Recovery and Reform Act with Daryl McIntosh, Mercedes Villalba MSP and Alison Bavidge

17 - Evictions and the Coronavirus Recovery and Reform Act with Daryl McIntosh, Mercedes Villalba MSP and Alison Bavidge

From 1 October, the Coronavirus Recovery and Reform Act abolishes mandatory grounds for repossession (ie for eviction) and the First Tier Tribunal will only evict where the members believe it to be reasonable in the circumstances.


Given these significant changes, Scottish Housing News editor Kieran Findlay interviewed Daryl McIntosh from Propertymark, while co-host Jimmy Black spoke to Labour MSP for the North East, Mercedes Villalba, and Alison Bavidge from the Scottish Association of Social Work. Kieran and Jimmy then catch up to discuss those interviews and the impact of the new legislation.


Jimmy Black has written a blog to accompany the episode, here:

https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/blacks-blog-the-dramatic-changes-brought-by-abolishing-mandatory-evictions

Kieran Findlay is the editor of Scottish Housing News. Jimmy Black is a former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner.

Feedback on this episode and the podcast is welcome via our social media channels:

https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews

https://www.linkedin.com/company/28156734/

https://www.facebook.com/ScotHousingNews

Read all our news and sign up for our free daily newsletter at https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/

Aug 03, 202226:27
16 - Housing standards, Grenfell, regulation and tenant representation with Alistair McIntosh

16 - Housing standards, Grenfell, regulation and tenant representation with Alistair McIntosh

Scottish Housing News editor Kieran Findlay and co-host Jimmy Black embark on a whistle-stop tour of housing issues with Housing Quality Network CEO Alistair McIntosh taking in housing standards, Grenfell, regulation, tenant representation and much more.

Alistair helped to set up the arm's length organisation which operated Grenfell Tower and remembers the strong, capable tenants involved at the start. He's been watching the Grenfell Inquiry closely and is disappointed by the failure of so many professionals to prevent the tragedy.

He is also completely convinced that the trend to fill housing association board positions with professionals to the exclusion of tenants is a big mistake.

As he says in one of his own blogs... "A working-class board member is something to be".


Jimmy Black has written a blog to accompany the episode, here:

https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/blacks-blog-a-working-class-board-member-is-something-to-be


Kieran Findlay is the editor of Scottish Housing News. Jimmy Black is a former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner.

Feedback on this episode and the podcast is welcome via our social media channels:

https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews

https://www.linkedin.com/company/28156734/

https://www.facebook.com/ScotHousingNews


Read all our news and sign up for our free daily newsletter at https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/

Jul 20, 202235:06
15 - Social housing stigma with Tom Norris
Jul 04, 202240:06
14 - The Scottish Housing With Care Taskforce with Gareth Lyon
Jun 21, 202230:37
13 – Affordability with Michael Carberry and John Blackwood
May 16, 202243:58
12 – Empty homes with Shaheena Din
May 03, 202235:01
11 - Poverty and inequality with Aaron Hill and Kirsty McKechnie
Apr 19, 202240:57
10 – Procurement with Simon Payne and Hugh Carr
Apr 06, 202231:18
9 – Gigha and community ownership with Ailsa Raeburn

9 – Gigha and community ownership with Ailsa Raeburn

Fresh from the 20th anniversary celebrations of the community buy out on the Isle of Gigha,  Community Land Scotland chair Ailsa Raeburn joins Jimmy Black and Kieran Findlay to share the community successes, highlight the transformation of the island’s homes and discuss the parallels between community enterprises and community-based housing associations.


Community Land Scotland - https://www.communitylandscotland.org.uk/

Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust - https://www.gigha.org.uk/


Jimmy Black has written a blog to accompany the episode, here:

https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/blacks-blog-you-cannot-own-the-land-the-land-owns-you


This episode was sponsored by DTL Creative, your go to partner for improving the Social Housing Sector through leading edger technology and innovation.

https://www.dtl-creative.co.uk/


Kieran Findlay is the editor of Scottish Housing News. Jimmy Black is a former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner.


Feedback on this episode and the podcast is welcome via our social media channels:

https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews

https://www.linkedin.com/company/28156734/

https://www.facebook.com/ScotHousingNews

Read all our news at www.scottishhousingnews.com and sign up to our free daily newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/bkCDxL

Mar 21, 202228:40
8 - Homelessness with Gordon MacRae and Martin Gavin
Mar 07, 202237:59
7 – Modular construction with Jennifer Higgins and Andy Kennedy
Feb 21, 202234:11
6 – Mid-market rent with Ann Leslie and Matthew Busher

6 – Mid-market rent with Ann Leslie and Matthew Busher

Ann Leslie of Lar Housing Trust and Matthew Busher of Kingdom Group join Jimmy Black and Kieran Findlay to talk all things mid-market rent (MMR).

Find out the typical tenant demographics, funding structure and future expansion plans of both organisations who approach MMR from slightly different angles.

Ann Leslie also expands on her Appreciation of Rani Dhir, who sadly passed away this year.

https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/rani-dhir-an-appreciation-by-ann-leslie


Kingdom Housing Association - https://www.kingdomhousing.org.uk/

Lar Housing Trust - https://larhousingtrust.co.uk/


Jimmy Black has written a blog to accompany the episode, here:

https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/blacks-blog-mid-market-rents-are-they-the-answer


Kieran Findlay is the editor of Scottish Housing News. Jimmy Black is a former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner.

Feedback on this episode and the podcast is welcome via our social media channels:

https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews

https://www.linkedin.com/company/28156734/

https://www.facebook.com/ScotHousingNews

Read all our news at www.scottishhousingnews.com and sign up to our free daily newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/bkCDxL

Feb 07, 202233:13
5 – Technology enabled care with Geraldine Begg and Heather Dorling

5 – Technology enabled care with Geraldine Begg and Heather Dorling

Jimmy Black and Kieran Findlay are joined by Geraldine Begg, technology enabled care in housing lead at the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations and Heather Dorling, the team manager of Loreburn Housing Association’s Later Living Service, to hear about how Loreburn is using technology to provide a range of services to residents in its enhanced housing developments, the infinite potential available if organisations work together effectively and how other housing associations can get involved.


Technology Enabled Care in Housing - https://techousing.co.uk/

Loreburn Housing Association - https://loreburn.org.uk/


Jimmy Black has written a blog to accompany the episode, here:

https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/blacks-blog-your-house-can-hear-feel-and-maybe-rescue-you-if-you-let-it


Kieran Findlay is the editor of Scottish Housing News. Jimmy Black is a former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner.

Feedback on this episode and the podcast is welcome via our social media channels:

https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews

https://www.linkedin.com/company/28156734/

https://www.facebook.com/ScotHousingNews

Read all our news at www.scottishhousingnews.com and sign up to our free daily newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/bkCDxL

Jan 24, 202234:60
4 - Looking back with Craig Sanderson and Lesley Baird
Dec 13, 202133:59
3 – Faulty roofs, lower rents and decarbonising tenements with Councillor Anne Rendall and Professor Douglas Robertson

3 – Faulty roofs, lower rents and decarbonising tenements with Councillor Anne Rendall and Professor Douglas Robertson

Former Dundee housing convener and housing justice campaigner Jimmy Black and Scottish Housing News editor Kieran Findlay speak with Dundee City Council’s neighbourhood services convenor Cllr Anne Rendall who reflects on £4.4 million of faulty roofs, keeping rents down, and building new houses in Dundee. The attention then turns to the private rented sector with Professor Douglas Robertson, who has chaired the Scottish Government’s Private Rented Sector Strategy Group which steered the reforms introduced by the Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016.

He outlines the challenges of decarbonising tenements, particularly in a situation where many suffer from leaky roofs!

Professor Robertson is currently involved in Rent Better, a three year research programme funded by the Nationwide Foundation into private renting in Scotland. (Rent Better invites landlords and tenants to contribute their views below:

https://rentbetter.indigohousegroup.com/call-for-landlords-and-letting-agents/

https://rentbetter.indigohousegroup.com/call-for-private-renting-tenants/

Jimmy Black has written a blog to accompany the episode, here:

https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/article/podcast-carbon-neutral-i-don-t-see-how

A feature on the pioneering retrofit of a pre-1919 tenement to Passivhaus enerPHit standards being undertaken on behalf of Southside Housing Association in Glasgow that was mentioned in the episode is available here:

https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/article/retrofitting-niddrie-road-the-pre-1919-tenement-undergoing-a-21st-century-revamp

Feedback on this episode is welcome via our social media channels

https://twitter.com/ScotHousingNews

https://www.linkedin.com/company/28156734/admin/

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Read all our news at www.scottishhousingnews.com and sign up to our free daily newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/bkCDxL

Nov 29, 202125:41