Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-33936 on 8 June 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

1. The value of each second stage transfer reflects the net present value of the income and expenditure attaching to the transferring stock over a 30 year period. This produces a value at today''s prices. The value can be either positive or negative. When a value is positive, the receiving landlord pays that price to Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) and when a value is negative “ where the level of work required to the properties is greater than the income generated - GHA pays the receiving landlord a dowry. This approach ensures financial neutrality so that no tenants are disadvantaged by these transfers.

Completed Transfers

2. The valuations of the completed transfers are set out in the following table.

RSL	Date of Transfer	No of Units	Valuation
Ardenglen	March 2009	285	£1,803,437
Cassiltoun	March 2009	524	£5,395,673
Parkhead	March 2009	68	-£1,647,612
Shettleston	March 2009	793	-£5,394,857
Glasgow West (Hyndland)	July 2009	127	-£693,379
Provanhall	July 2009	195	£1,131,708
Cernach	March 2010	420	£1,516,600
Queens Cross (Hamiltonhill)	March 2010	548	-£2,522,147
Blairtummock	28 June 2010 (projctd)	178	£2,038,974*
Cathcart	28 June 2010 (projctd)	283	£2,082,565*
Rosehill Co-op (Levernwood)	28 June 2010 (projctd)	69	£740,805*
Thenew (Holmbyre)	28 June 2010 (projctd)	119	£600,269*
Wellhouse	28 June 2010 (projctd)	388	£2,149,899*
Completed Transfers Total		3,997	£7,201,935

Note: *These transfers are due to complete on 28 June 2010 and could, therefore, be subject to valuation changes when they are finalised.

It is important to note that there may be some variance between the number of units listed above and the completed transfers totals in the answer to questions S3W-34287, S3W-34289, S3W-34290, S3W-34291 and S3W-34292 on 16 June 2010. This is due to stock held for demolition and small scale reconciliations related to right to buy applications in the above table only.

3. Tenants voted against transfer in one ballot.

RSL	No of Units	Ballot Date	Valuation
Pineview	103	November/December 2009	£398,610

 

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

(a) Glasgow Housing Association has confirmed that 8,115 units are currently scheduled to be demolished.

(b) It has also confirmed that 60,034 units were available for social rent as at 28 March 2010.

The membership currently stands at 145 members. Details can be accessed at http://www.dtascot.org.uk.

The Development Trust Association Scotland (DTAS) is an independent charity and a national intermediary organisation which supports the establishment and growth of development trusts. The funding they receive from Scottish Government is therefore not targeted to any specific geographic area.

The Scottish Government awarded funding of £240,000, from 2008-11, to support core costs to up skill and build the capacity of those working with development trusts and other organisations involved in community enterprise.

A further £60,000 was awarded, in 2009-11, through the Third Sector Enterprise Fund to set up their consultancy service, The Pool.

In taking forward the action point from the joint Scottish Government/COSLA Community Empowerment Action Plan, the Scottish Government also awarded grant to DTAS, of £250,000 from 2009-11. This was to carry out the asset transfer aspect of support for communities to own assets.

The Development Trust Association Scotland are an independent charity and a national organisation. The details of their activities, can be found on their website. http://www.dtascot.org.uk/.

This information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The Development Trust Association Scotland is an independent charity. Details of their funding sources can be found on their website at http://www.dtascot.org.uk/content/about-dta-scotland.

The Development Trust Association Scotland (DTAS) are currently delivering a wide ranging programme on behalf of Scottish Government to support local authorities and communities to understand the costs and benefits of asset transfer. This will be achieved through:

raising awareness amongst and providing training, toolkits and develop networks for, councillors, local authority officers and communities;

identifying and disseminating lessons from effective practice;

providing targeted support through demonstration projects in selected local authority areas to develop a joint strategy and action plan on assets transfer, and

provide targeted development support for selected community groups to enable them to take on transferred assets.

The purpose of the demonstration projects is to highlight what has worked well and to disseminate lessons learned from each of the projects in order to help local authorities and community groups produce local asset transfer strategies. The process and progress of each project will therefore be recorded, evaluated and reported to Scottish Government officials by DTAS.

The demonstration projects are as follows:

Highland Council “ Muir of Ord, in the Black Isle.

Argyll and Bute Council “ Campbeltown.

Stirling Council “ Dunblane.

Perth and Kinross Council “ Aberfeldy.

Glasgow City Council “ Govanhill.

City of Edinburgh Council “ Portobello.

North Lanarkshire Council - Bellshill and Coatbridge.

Dumfries and Galloway Council “ Moffat Town Hall.

In each case, both the council and the community group have agreed to enter into the process of negotiating the transfer of an asset.

From 1 June 2010 amendments to local authority land disposal Regulations mean local authorities no longer require the consent of Scottish ministers and can decide for themselves whether or not to dispose of their land at less than best consideration. Non statutory guidance has been issued to assist local authorities apply the new Regulations.

Fourteen ballots have taken place in secondary housing stock transfers in Glasgow since 2006.