Consultation is the key to genuine openness and accessibility by social landlords, according to a report published by Communities Scotland.
The study, Open and Accessible? A thematic study into how social landlords share information about performance and governance, aims to provide a national picture of the level of information registered social landlords (RSLs) and local authorities provide to their tenants and other people who have an interest in their services.
The report found examples of positive practice across the social housing sector with the best results coming from organisations that had consulted users about what information they wanted. It concludes that consultation rather than legislation seems to be the key to genuine openness and accessibility.
Thirteen case studies of RSLs and local authorities that demonstrate positive practices in information sharing are highlighted in the report.
Notable differences in the kind of information provided were also found. For example while nine out of ten local authorities said they published committee papers and minutes on their website, only 16% of RSLs did the same.
However, RSLs are more likely than local authorities to publish a tenants' newsletter or annual reports, with local authorities more likely than RSLs to provide information about service standards.
A number of recommendations for RSLs and local authorities are made in the report, including:
Open and Accessible is the sixth in a series of thematic studies by Communities Scotland's Regulation & Inspection division. The thematic study is based on national survey research and involves tenants in reviewing information that landlords produce.
The report and technical annexe are available on the Communities Scotland website at www.communitiesscotland.gov.uk
