Draft new strategic agreement with Wheatley Group considered

The draft new strategic agreement between Glasgow City Council and the Wheatley Group - the largest provider of socially-rented homes in the city - was considered by a Glasgow Council committee today.

(image: Bell Street Stables, courtesy of Collective Architecture)

The new agreement is an update on the first agreement, which was approved in 2016, in recognition of the changes over that period as both organisations seek to deliver more affordable homes in Glasgow. Wheatley Group own over 44,000 homes in Glasgow.

In March 2003, the council transferred its housing stock to the newly-formed Glasgow Housing Association (GHA), now Wheatley Homes Glasgow, part of Wheatley Group.

The draft agreement is a commitment to work together, finding new and innovative solutions to challenges in the housing sector, and coincides with the introduction of the 2023-28 Housing Strategy for Glasgow.

Within the agreement document is the shared vision of working together to deliver vibrant communities, using the benefits of high-quality housing and services to meet the needs and expectation of Glasgow's residents now and in the future.

The aims of the agreement are that the organisations will work collaboratively on six key areas:

housing supply & regeneration; homelessness, health & social care; climate emergency & sustainability; tackling poverty & inequality and increasing opportunity for all; optimising outcomes from joint resources; and city strategic resilience.

The draft agreement will be considered for approval by the council's City Administration Committee at a later date.  The agreement will be reviewed after five years, in line with the frequency of review for Glasgow's Local Housing Strategy.

Councillor Kenny McLean, Convener for Housing at Glasgow City Council, said: "The delivery of Glasgow's housing strategy requires strong partnerships will all organisations in the sector, and given the importance of Wheatley Group in bringing affordable homes to the city, this strategic agreement is key to our aims. It is 20 years since the transfer of the council's housing stock, so now is a good time to agree how best we can work together to bring more high-quality, energy-efficient and affordable homes to Glasgow that meet the needs of people in the city."