Housing bosses cancel vote to stop shareholders having say
HOUSING bosses have c a nc e l le d pla n ne d m e e t i n g s w i t h shareholders in a bid to stop them voting against a scheme to transfer management of a scandal- hit social landlord.
Thistle Housing Association’s management committee has asked the Scottish Housing Regulator to direct a transfer of the association to Sanctuary Scotland.
The move comes following an independent ballot that saw 92.4% of Thistle tenants who voted say they were in support of the transfer.
But two Special General Meetings ( SGMs) with Thistle’s shareholders on November 19 and December 9 have now been cancelled.
Thistle said it had been left with no choice but to call off the meetings in case “a small minority” voted against the plans.
Instead it will ask the Scottish Housing Regulator ( SHR) to use its legal powers to further the transfer to Sanctuary.
Lawrie West, Thistle HA chairman, said: “In other situations where there has been broad community support for transfers, housing associations have arranged SGMs to ask shareholders to consent to the transfer.
“Shareholders often include factored owners and others interested in an Association’s wellbeing.
“In this case the Management Committee has reason to believe a small minority would use the SGM process to try to block the transfer, irrespective of the clear wishes of tenants evidenced by the independent ballot.”
The move comes following years of incompetence at Thistle HA, which have seen residents endure a long battle for repairs to botched works to their homes.
Housing watchdog the
SHR stepped in to support Thistle but its interventions were not enough to turn the housing association around and so Sanctuary stepped in to offer operational support.
A group of residents have fought for the past four years to see Thistle held accountable for issues in the Toryglen community. But Thistle said it does not want this group voting against the transfer to Sanctuary.
Lawrie added: “The ballot tells us more than nine in every 10 Thistle tenants who voted want the transfer to Sanctuary Scotland to take place.
“The Management Committee firmly believes that the transfer is the best way to address the problems which our tenants and factored owners have experienced in the past.
“To achieve this we have asked the Scottish Housing Regulator ( SHR) to use its legal powers to direct the transfer of all of Thistle’s assets to Sanctuary Scotland.
“This outcome would secure a positive future for the Association and see every Thistle customer benefit from Sanctuary Scotland’s transfer commitments.”
The independent tenant ballot ran for four weeks, from October 5 to November 2.
The planned next step was two Special General Meetings ( SGMs) with Thistle’s shareholders, on November 19 and December 9.
The SHR has legal powers to direct the transfer to Sanctuary Scotland under Section 67 of the Housing ( Scotland) Act 2010.
It will now make inquiries and consider whether the conditions for a directed transfer are met.
Pat Cahill, director at Sanctuary Scotland, said: “Sanctuary will honour our transfer promises to Thistle customers whichever way the transfer is concluded.”