WDC/WDTRO Liaison Meeting Minutes 2026
WDC/WDTRO Liaison Meeting No. 100
Thursday 26th February 2026, 1:30pm, Council offices, 16 Church Street, Dumbarton (plus zoom option)
List of those present at meeting:
- Frances McGonagle, Littleholm TRA (chaired meeting)
- Councillor Gurpreet Johal, Housing Convener (on zoom)
- Harry McCormack, Tullichewan TRA
- June Todd, WDTRO
- Jacqui Peacock, Dalmuir TRA
- Janette Donline, Dalmuir TRA
- Stefan Kristmanns, Housing Development Co-ordinator
- Anton Gillhamn, Maintenance Manager (Building Services)
- Kevin McCrossan, Housing Operations Co-ordinator (Dumbarton & Vale)
- John Kerr, Housing Development and Homelessness Manager
- Alan Young, Housing Asset & Investment Manager (on Zoom)
- Jennifer McKechnie, Housing Development Officer (Tenant Participation Officer)
- Jane Mack, Senior Housing Development Officer (Tenant Participation Officer)
Welcome, introductions and apologies
Apologies received Billy and Elaine Neeson (Westbridgend TRA) and Jim McCarron (HRA Accountant).
Updates on actions from previous meetings
CCTV update – All work now completed.
Update on broken lift at Crescent Court - fully operational since 14/2/26. Action completed.
Update on discussion re HRA charges for grass cutting -discussed at Pre-HACC Forum and confirmation of priority areas will be gathered from Nicola Pettigrew and shared.
Update on Queen’s Quay District Heating System (DHS) – John confirmed that earliest connection would be 2028. Waiting on a formal update but Hospital have indicated that they are interested. Further development of Queen’s Quay could also be a catalyst for speeding up the extension. Janette advised that tenants at Dalmuir have been waiting years. John confirmed that the HRA contribution is built into the Capital plan so ready to go and would also get Scottish Government money.
John asked if the Connected Response had helped and does give more time periods for getting cheaper energy but still too expensive for many. Jacqui advised that she had got a new storage heater and it was working much better. Alan confirmed that they would replace storage heaters when needed and there is different ways to interpret the definition of the Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS) to say whether storage heaters meet the central heating element as do have a central control but not in tenants control. Been assessed that the extension of the Queen’s Quay DHS is the best option in terms of value for money for improving the heating provision at Dalmuir.
June asked what the projected lifespan of the flats at Dalmuir was and it was confirmed as at least 25 years.
Confirmation that Building Services staff carry ‘no access’ cards – written confirmation been given and Anton also confirmed that has been included at team meetings and reminders included in monthly workforce update. Action completed.
Reporting communal repairs online – been confirmed that communal repairs can be reported online but isn’t clear as have to pick ‘other’ option and then describe using free text box. Prior to meeting Craig had confirmed that are working on improving the online reporting tool and is included in an action plan for developing. No firm timeline at present but will update on progress.
Reporting Fire doors- been confirmed that caretakers do report fire doors and also SFRS do quarterly inspections. Anton confirmed that a repair to a fire door hinge or closer would be categorised as urgent and target for completing in 5 days. If the fire door needs replaced, takes longer as need to be ordered.
Briefing note on new Housing Scotland Bill – John confirmed 2 main changes are introduction of Awaab’s Law and rent controls affecting the private sector. John has created briefing note on Awaab’s Law and it will be circulated with minutes.
Caretaker cover and levels of cleanliness (Nicola Pettigrew/Kevin McCrossan)
Copies of an update provided by Nicola Pettigrew, Housing operations Manager on caretaking and cleanliness issues been circulated electronically ahead of meeting and copies given out at meeting. Kevin talked thro the update provided which sets out the
hours and remit of the static and out of hours cover. Currently caretaking service been significantly impacted with staff sickness and are 7 posts short and are exploring are exploring options to try and address this gap. Do accept that level of cleanliness is not what they would like and Kevin apologised for the lower standards due to staff shortages.
Frances raised examples from Littleholm, when a tenant had phoned in at a weekend about blood in the lift they had been told there was no staff at the weekend – Kevin confirmed that there was a small weekend team but they are affected by staff shortage so could have been no-one was available at that time. Frances advised that the blood was there for 8 days and when did get cleaned, wasn’t done well and tenants eventually cleaned it off properly.
Other example was bulk on landings often there for weeks and if daily checks were being done this shouldn’t happen. Kevin confirmed that should be getting daily checks and anything that was a fire risk should get moved and would let HO know so that they take it up with the tenant.
Are also introducing a daily monitoring sheet that all Caretakers will complete when doing their daily checks and this was welcomed. Proposed that could be displayed in foyers in same way as in many pubs /restaurant toilets to be more transparent.
The update provided sets out the standard that should be working to and Stefan highlighted the disconnect between the written standard and what tenants are experiencing therefore the update could be created into a service standard to make it clearer and help monitoring. This was agreed.
Also discussed the deep cleans as they had been hoped to help improve cleanliness standards and make it easier for caretakers to maintain the cleanliness. Deep clean programme is continuing so tenants could be advised when their deep clean is due so that they know when it is happening.
Gurpreet echoed the concerns tenants had raised and he been dealing with similar complaints at Risk Street and need to see improvements.
Actions agreed:
- Add as a regular Liaison agenda item
- Develop a Service Standard for caretaking from update provided
- Clarify what is specified in a deep clean and share with tenants bi-annual schedule of when these are taking place
- Prioritise lift cleanliness
- Display daily monitoring sheets
- Display contact numbers and out of hour arrangements
Reviewed Lift Protocol
copy of revised lift protocol process circulated ahead of the meeting
Discussed reviewed protocol and it was identified that says during out of hours or at weekends, Neighbourhood team/ caretaking team to arrange signage and ASB team to issue text alerts but doesn’t show how they would know to do that. Recent incidents at Westbridgend had been at weekends and text messages hadn’t been received until Tuesday following contact with the HO – process map to be amended to show how ASB team are advised when to send text out when breakdowns happen at weekends.
In terms of vulnerable tenants, says that housing will check records for vulnerable tenants but doesn’t say what they then offer and Kevin confirmed that they would contact such tenants and depending on their needs e.g need food, a prescription or need out to an appointment would provide help. Would also link in with HSCP to assist too. States that vulnerable tenants will be contacted if both lifts are off but even if one lift is off, many immobile or poorly mobile people will not manage 1 flight of stairs – process map to be amended to highlight the support to vulnerable tenants when 1 or 2 lifts are off. Kevin will also check how information on ‘vulnerable tenants’ is shared and kept up to date.
HRA update (Jim McCarron)
In Jim’s absence Stefan clarified that the HRA update given at the Pre-HACC Forum on Monday 2/3 was the most up to date position and rent increase would be agreed at Council meeting on 4/3/26.
WDC response to tackling dampness (John Kerr/Anton Gillham)
update on sensor rollout and update on inspections and repairs completed within timescale distributed ahead of meeting.
Anton confirmed that sensor installs continue. Had been a slight decline in numbers being done but now being offered when EICR checks being done and had good response. BSOs been trained in dampness and more effective in diagnosing issues. They monitor the sensor dashboard and respond to any flags or concerns and can respond quickly with repairs, support and advice. Had lost 2 officers due to internal promotions but 1 new start soon and other post being advertised.
John confirmed that there is funding for 1600 sensors included in draft budget for 2026/27. Update provided shows that the average time WDC are currently taking to resolve cases of damp and/or mould Target to is just under 15 days which means we are well placed already to meet the obligations included in Awaab’s Law. Any tenant can request for a sensor to be fitted.
Alan advised that wouldn’t expect dampness in the MSFs as they have good insulation but ventilation is essential. Contractor doing the annual checks on the internal bathroom vents at Dalmuir has flagged that they need upgrading and options are being considered.
Repairs performance update
performance info distributed ahead of meeting
Anton confirmed that average times have been improving and now under 4 hours for emergencies and 2.7 days for urgent repairs. Right First Time have dropped slightly but still high at 98.8% and have had no gas check failures.
Stefan also highlighted that the number of repairs cancelled due to no access has reduced too which is good to see.
Repair call handling update
performance info distributed ahead of meeting (Anton Gillham)
Improvements continuing – more calls answered, less abandoned and average queue time for all types of calls is 1min 21 seconds. Longest wait time is still over 24 minutes so agreed to continue to monitor.
Rechargeable Repairs Process 6-monthly update
update provided ahead of meeting
Stefan ran thro the update provided and confirmed that new Repairs Policy had made it clearer when repairs should be recharged and staff given clearer guidance on when they should recharge and then raise invoices. Update shows that rechargeable repairs are being raised and invoices issued. Downside is payment recovery and recovery rate is still low. When an invoice becomes a debt, there is a hierarchy of debt repayment and other debts will be prioritised e.g. Council Tax, arrears etc.
Been internal report on assessing options for improving recovery rates but will be limited. Do raise invoices more quickly to help encourage payment. Have also been highlighting tenant responsibilities in the Housing News to emphasis the impact it has on the HRA and the resources available for repairs.
Question was asked if there was leeway within the policy if there were mental health issues and was confirmed there was.
Reviewed walkabout process (Kevin McCrossan)
copy issued ahead of meeting
Walkabout process sets out how they should be done. Tenants happy with the reviewed process and key is that the process gets followed.
One change still to be made is to add in that BSOs will bring list of communal repairs already reported to reduce any unnecessary duplication. Final version of process will then be shared with the WDTRO. Housing operations and Building Services also to reinforce to their teams what the correct process is to ensure that they are as effective as possible.
Walkabouts, updates and any issues (Kevin McCrossan)
updated spreadsheet distributed ahead of meeting
Update shows that process not being followed in Clydebank and number of updates from walkabouts haven’t been shared – Dalmuir and Littleholm.
Drumry’s request for a walkabout also taken 5 months to get organised.
Working well in Tullichewan.
Will continue to monitor until all getting done consistently well and processed followed.
Tenant Priority Budget updates
updates distributed ahead of meeting
Laundries are progressing. Park court being done first and then Kilbowie. Park Court starting on 9/3/26. Timeline still to be confirmed and Anton will get update so that tenants can be confirmed of start and how long work will take.
Alan advised that still delayed re Kilbowie court canopy – SEPA regulations thwarting progress but got an officer investigating. 314K was original cost and won’t be affected by these delays re drainage.
Forward Plan (John Kerr)
More Homes paper approved at Housing & Communities Committee(HACC). Capital Investment Plan paper had also been included to make sure they are sustainable in future and this paper too been approved.
2 modular units at Gilmour Avenue completed and leasing one to the HSCP and other is tenants.
Willox Park now completed and sheltered tenants being assisted to move into new building and good feedback from those who have moved.
Bank Street (Alexandria) and Queen Mary Ave (Clydebank) both on site.
Silverton redevelopment more complex and involve flood prevention issues.
Buybacks also still contributing to increasing stock economically and 35 now completed this year.
Tenant Participation update (Jane Mack)
Jane confirmed that this was 100th Liaison meeting. The first meeting had taken place on 9 Feb 2009 and from the minutes, senior managers and the Housing Convener were present along with a number of tenants. Was pre- the WDTRO and an uncertain time for tenants as partial stock transfer was being considered. The WDTRO was created when the Dumbarton & Vale Housing Federation and the Clydebank Federation came together to create one joint Federation.
Over the years, the partnership approach and co-chairing of the Liaison meetings been developed and the range of teams represented at the meetings increased to ensure all housing aspects can be dealt with. The involvement of the Housing Convener has been from the start and Gurpreet continues the important recognition that holds.
Most other landlords have a version of a Liaison meeting, called different things but when TPAS did our accreditation, the effectiveness of the Liaison meetings was commended. This is mainly due to the input from the WDTRO in bringing issues to the table and sharing their experiences to help improve housing services.
Still much to be done to make sure tenants are at the centre of everything we do. Having managers and the Housing Convener hearing first hand from tenants should help them appreciate the benefits of listening to tenants and the task for them is to cascade that message thro their teams.
Much has been achieved and making sure we respond quickly to issues raised at Liaisons and providing updates is essential. Tenant and staff time is valuable and want meetings to be as effective as possible. Jane thanked staff and tenants for their continued support to the Liaison meetings.
AOCB
Frances raised concerns recently at Littleholm with Scottish Gas Network (SGN) doing work at West Court and they had blocked the back exit door. Has now been cleared and 2 marshalls on duty to keep people from using exit. Had it confirmed that Council is responsible for Health & Safety and no fire door should ever get blocked. Is clear now and scaffolding being removed but Littleholm TRA want to know what precautions were taken at Clyde and Park Court where the work had previously been done – were they blocked? Kevin agreed to get confirmation.
Date of next meeting
Thursday 23 April, 1:30pm at Council Offices, 16 Church Street, Dumbarton, G82 1QL
| Agreed action | Who by | Progress |
|---|---|---|
| Officers to investigate if there were any other options for retaining 24 hr CCTV monitoring. | Nicola Pettigrew |
7/5/25 – update – The Council took the decision to approve saving option HE04 which resulted in the loss of 2 FTE, 1 of which was CCTV Operative. As outlined in the saving option, if this was approved it would mean 24/7 monitoring could no longer be provided. Work is underway via staff consultation to maximise coverage with small team remaining, however I am unable to confirm the revised coverage until this exercise has been concluded, which will be earliest mid-June. Due to on-going financial pressures there is no scope within the HRA to off-set the cost of the saving option approved by the Council. As part of the saving option it was highlighted that there is a national review being undertaken by Police Scotland regarding their contributions towards CCTV. I will continue to discuss progress of this national review and explore any other options with Police to maximise CCTV coverage as much as practically possible. 17/6/25 Update on CCTV progress issued ahead of meeting. 26/6/26 Update discussed at meeting – revised operating hours to be confirmed as soon as known. 24/7/25 – Revised operating hours now consulted with staff and Trade Unions, outcome agreed revised operating hours will be 8am-4am 7 days per week. Expected implementation date September 2025. It must also be recognised there will be periods within these operating hours with no live coverage due to staffing holidays/absence which is unavoidable due to small number remaining within CCTV monitoring team. 28/8/25 Confirmation if programme is still within budget to be provided. 8/9/25 Nicola has confirmed that programme is still within budget. 16/10/25 New update provided ahead of meeting – anticipated completion end of October. 4/12/25 – New CCTV update provided ahead of meeting. 16/2/26 WDTRO visit to control room arranged for 16/3/26. 17/2/16 – all lift works completed apart from Crescent Court which will follow last due to recent lift outage, minimum estimated downtime approx. 1 hour, text will be sent to inform all tenants/residents 24 hours in advance of works being initiated. Project will be completed once Crescent Court done. New cameras at Willox Park will follow on in line with new build development. Completed |
| Updates to be provided on progress to get broken lift at Crescent Court back in full use and tenant communication. | Building Services & Housing Operations |
23/10/25 Confirmed that predicted to be back in operation end of November and weekly updates being sent to tenants. 7/11/25 Update provided and circulated with meeting note- now estimated to be mid-January before it is operational again. 4/12/25 Update- still working towards mid-January to have the Crescent Court lift up and running again and weekly text updates are being sent to tenants. Response to WDTRO’s email sent providing responses to their specific queries. 17/2/25 – Crescent Court lift operational 14/2. Completed |
| Provide updates on discussions re HRA charges for grass cutting. | John Kerr & Nicola Pettigrew |
16/10/25 – Refresh of HRA priority areas has been sent to Greenspace by Housing, awaiting feedback from Greenspace on any issues, operational challenges their end with proposed refreshed areas. 3/12/25 – Committee report will be considered at full Council meeting 17 December 2025 for members to determine where funding split will come from for reinstatement of £300k for grass cutting. 17/2/26 – Members agreed item to be carried forward until full committee meeting March to allow outcome of rent consultation to be understood and considered when making their decision on budget split. 26/2/26 – Confirmed that at Pre-HACC discussion was agreed to ask Nicola to clarify the housing priority list and what level of service has been agreed. |
| Provide updates on the extension of the Queens Quay District Heating system and when connection likely to be made to the Dalmuir multis. | WDC Energy Officer / John Kerr |
24/10/25 Connection to Dalmuir multis is dependant on connection to Golden Jubilee first, otherwise business case doesn't stack up. Meeting with Golden Jubilee planned so hopefully will have an updated programme of connections in the near future. 26/02/26: John confirmed that earliest connection would be 2028. Waiting on a formal update but Hospital have indicated that they are interested. |
|
Lift Protocol to be reviewed and updated to address issue highlighted at meeting:
|
Housing Operations / Building Services |
4/12/25 – A refresh of the lift protocol is underway between Building Services and Housing Operations. An initial meeting was held 11/11 with actions assigned to officers and a further meeting scheduled for 27/11, however this had to be rescheduled and has been rearranged for 9/12 to complete the review. The reviewed protocol will be shared prior to WDTRO’s January meeting. 12/2/26: Protocol been reviewed and copy of reviewed process shared with WDTRO 12/2/26- to be discussed at Liaison meeting 26/2/26.
26/02/26: Process map to be amended to:
Kevin to check how information on ‘vulnerable tenants’ is shared and kept up to date. |
| Confirmation to be provided that all Building Services staff carry the no access cards and know they should leave them whenever they get no access. |
Building Services |
4/12/125 Update - can confirm that all BSOs and Operatives have a supply of no access cards and they are left if they get a no access. The only exception would be if they couldn’t get access into a close. We can take this up with Operatives through our monthly toolbox talks to ensure they have a supply and also include in our monthly Workforce Update which is sent to everyone by email. 26/02/26: Written confirmation been given and Anton also confirmed that has been included at team meetings and reminders included in monthly workforce update. Action completed. |
|
Review walkabout process and make it more specific about internal arrangements so that all staff are clear about what they should be doing and agreed timescales.
26/2/26 Process to be amended to include commitment that BSOs will bring list of communal repairs already reported to share a Walkabout and reduce any unnecessary duplication. Final version to be shared with WDTRO. Housing Operations and Building Services also to reinforce to their teams what the correct process is to ensure that they are as effective as possible. |
Housing Operations / Building Services |
4/12/25 - Initial meeting held across services on 2/12/25 to agree required actions and officers responsible. Actions:
12/2/26 Walkabout process reviewed and updated document shared with WDTRO – to be discussed at Liaison meeting. |
| What is the reason for communal repairs not able to be reported using online form and are there any plans to address this. | Building Services |
4/12/25 Update -Any repairs, including communal repairs can be reported online. Query raised with Building Services as communal repairs can only be logged online by picking ‘other’ option and then giving details in the free text box. 25/2/26 Update (Craig Wilson) -online reporting development has been included in the action plan for improvements. No firm timelines yet but will update as we progress. |
| Do caretakers report fire door repairs? | Housing Operations |
4/12/15: Yes, caretakers would report obvious disrepair / defects, if observed as part of daily checks, however some defects may require a more detailed technical inspection. SFRS also carry out quarterly unannounced inspections which include technical inspection of fire doors, reports are then shared with Building Services for any repair/defect actions and also Housing Operations for any estate related actions noted. Action completed. |
| Briefing note on new Housing (Scotland) Bill to be put together once further guidance issued to landlords. | John Kerr |
4/12/25 – Still awaiting Guidance from Scottish Government. 17/2/26 –Guidance on implementation of the Act still awaited from SG. 26/2/26 – Briefing note provided after meeting and distributed out with minutes. |
|
Caretaker cover and levels of cleanliness:
|
Housing Operations | |
|
What precautions were taken at Clyde and Park Court when SGN were working there – were exit doors there blocked. |
Housing Operations (KMcC) |