LANGSTANE IN GROUP STRUCTURE TALKS WITH GRAMPIAN HOUSING

For some time now, Langstane and Grampian Housing Associations have been working towards setting up a Group Structure, which would involve both Associations being responsible to a jointly owned Lead Association, but with both Grampian and Langstane  keeping their own stock and their separate identity.

Said Chief Executive Alan Grant, “We have been very aware for a long time now of the challenges facing the Housing Association sector, with changes to the grant regime, the need for Associations to be able to contribute to major regeneration, and provide wider tenure options to our growing client groups. We believe that by combining in a Group Structure with Grampian, we will get the best of both worlds. We shall have a greater capacity to take on major challenges, while retaining our own identity and values as an independent organisation. We shall continue to focus on the challenges of homelessness, and the problems facing single people in particular.”

One of the first steps towards the setting up of the Group has been joint working through shared staffing resources in Finance and in Business Development. Following the retrial in March of Langstane’s long serving Director of Business Development, Ken Clark, his opposite number in Grampian, Mike Allan, has taken on the role on a part time basis, splitting his time between the two Associations.

Another example of the move towards the Group has come with the lodging of a planning application to expand Langstane’s still very new offices at King Street, to provide another 14,000 square feet of accommodation which would allow both Associations to be located together. Although the outcome of the application is not yet known, already some of Grampian’s staff are poised to move to King Street. The Development team will move down in early May, as the first step towards establishing joint working across a single function, and it is hoped that the Finance staff will follow suit in September.

The formal stages of the Group structure, are however some way off yet, and will require a substantial amount of tenant and stakeholder consultation before any final decision can be made.

 
Moving On

The last few weeks have seen major changes at Staff and Committee level within Langstane. In February, the Association’s Chairman, Paul Hannan, MBE announced his intention to stand down after four years at the helm. He took the step with reluctance to concentrate on his post as Chief Executive of Aberdeen Cyrenians. He was replaced by Douglas Watson, who had been Vice Chair.

The same month, another long serving Committee member, Keith Moir, also stood down. A Building Surveyor by profession, Keith had been Convener of the Association’s Policy and Development Sub Committee.