Council lettings agency receives high praise from tenant

Back in 2021, South Ayrshire Council launched the ‘Your Choice’ social lettings agency.

The agency was set up to help people on low incomes, or those who had experienced homelessness, find a property to call home.

Two years on, we caught up with James, who was one of the first tenants on the scheme. James has been settled into his property for more than a year and is encouraging others to give ‘Your Choice’ a try.

James said: “I have found renting from the Council a very positive experience, I felt they cared about the outcome and they wanted to see me make a success of my tenancy and were happy to support me to do so.

“Whether that was through practical advice or just coming round for a cuppa and a chat and leaving me a wee jar of homemade jam. I would advise anyone struggling to access the rental market or a landlord looking at renting out their property to consider this option.”

James had previously found accessing the rental market challenging due to the shortage of rental properties and the need for credit checks. After being made aware of the scheme, he was allocated a housing officer and soon after visited a flat close to his work.

Councillor Martin Kilbride, Buildings, Housing and Environment Portfolio Holder for South Ayrshire Council said: “Your Choice is a different type of letting agency. We take pride in being accessible and our flexible allocation and eligibility policies make a huge difference. We also take into consideration unique circumstances and housing history. We work closely with tenants, to not only get them the homes they want, but improve their welfare too.

“I’m delighted that James has settled into his new home and I hope his story encourages others to give us a try, even if they have encountered problems with renting in the past.

“We will continue to work with tenants and landlords to ensure even more people have a home they can be proud of.”

We are keen to hear from private landlords that want to help us make a difference. We provide a rent guarantee for the first three months, prepare all the lease documents, and offer support throughout the tenancy.

Landlords can expect the same level of service offered to tenants, a hassle-free full management service, where care is taken throughout the letting process.

For more information and property listings, visit: https://www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk/your-choice-lettings

no 7, April 2023

This is a link to a number of funding opportunities including

Let’s Do Net Zero Community Buildings Fund – information for partners no 7, April 2023

£15 million mental health funding

Projects to support mental health and address social isolation and loneliness in adults will share a further £15 million this year.  Main targets for the funding will be older people, areas of economic deprivation, people with long term health conditions and/or disability and LGBTI communities. The funding will also have a focus on the cost of living crisis. Click link above for further information.

‘The Opportunity is Now’

Charlie McMillan, Chief Executive of Scottish Commission for Learning Disability (SCLD) advises that it is critical to increase ownership of the human rights agenda for people with learning disabilities.  Click link above to read the full article.

What is Realistic Medicine?

Click the link above to watch an interview with Chief Medical Officer for Scotland, Professor Sir Gregor Smith, in which he discusses how Realistic Medicine is creating a culture change in the delivery of health and social care in Scotland.

ALLIANCE response to the Independent Healthcare Consultation Inquiry

The Alliance welcomes the proposed amendments to the regulation of independent health care as this will help provide protection and ensure everyone in Scotland can access high quality healthcare.

Click link above for further information.

As you may know, there has been much discussion in the local press about stations closing at the Hospital and an apparent reduction in the number of beds. I wish to provide further context and clarity to these reports.
 
In response to the Covid-19 Pandemic, NHS Ayrshire & Arran and the three health and social care partnerships in East, North and South Ayrshire responded to the demand for bed-based care by adding temporary beds to the operating model. Now that COVID is a more sustained part of operations the legacy of temporary wards needs to close. There are now 7 temporary wards in acute hospitals plus a temporary ward in the community hospital that cannot be staffed safely or consistently.

Core staff have worked hard to cover these additional wards, but teams are overstretched and exhausted and, as a result, internal efficiency has been compromised.

Closing these unfunded wards has been an ambition since March 2022. Closing wards that should not be in the system will improve hospital site safety by ensuring better staffing numbers and providing better clinical team member ratios to patients.

Please be assured that NHS Ayrshire and Arran will continue to communicate directly with all staff working in additional wards. The staff vacancy rates mean there are jobs for all staff.

I take assurance from NHS Ayrshire and Arran’s strategy and will continue to work closely with them. I will be receiving a further update in the coming weeks.