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Tenants of Scotland’s second-largest housing association vote to join Wheatley
Tenants of Dumfries and Galloway Housing Partnership (DGHP) have voted to join the Wheatley Group, in a move which will bring together Scotland’s two largest housing associations.
A total of 95.5% of DGHP tenants who participated in the ballot voted in favour of the merger, with a 75.3% turnout.
DGHP, which owns over 10,300 properties in Dumfries and Galloway, told its tenants it will build 1,000 new homes by 2025 and cap annual rent increases at 2% if they were to approve the merger.
Once the partnership is agreed, DGHP will become the seventh member of the Wheatley Group, which also includes 40,000-home Glasgow Housing Association.
Plans will now progress to form the partnership, under which DGHP will retain its identity and will continue to have a local board of management.
The move will see Wheatley become a 90,000-home landlord across all its subsidiaries.
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DGHP said there will be no compulsory redundancies, with staff continuing to be employed by at the association in Dumfries and Galloway.
Since 2014, housing associations in Scotland must ballot tenants before entering into mergers such as these, called constitutional partnerships, in which the subsidiary landlord retains its name and chief executive.
Last year the regulator published a regulation plan for DGHP after it was made aware of a potential breach of the code of conduct by one of its senior members of staff.
The engagement plan was revised in July after DGHP announced its proposed merger with Wheatley.
Bill Robertson, chair of DGHP, said: “We are delighted that tenants have shown such great support for the partnership and that so many tenants voted.
“The fact that more than 75% of tenants voted in the ballot is incredible and very encouraging.
“The board of DGHP firmly believe this partnership will offer something for every tenant across the whole of Dumfries and Galloway – and this is a fantastic opportunity.
“We are very much looking forward to what the future holds as part of the partnership.”
Alastair MacNish, chair of Wheatley, said: “We are delighted DGHP tenants have voted to join forces with Wheatley and we look forward to welcoming them into the group.
“Tenants and the other people we work for are at the very heart of everything we do at Wheatley and we will do all we can to make sure that is the case in Dumfries and Galloway.”
