Tenants vote in favour of Wheatley Group merger

A total of 84.3% of 1,540 Dunedin Canmore tenants voted for the plan in a ballot that ended on Tuesday, Wheatley Group announced today.

The vote means Glasgow-based Wheatley Group can press ahead with plans to merge with an Edinburgh landlord for the first time to create a 51,000-home association, if the move gets consent from the Scottish Housing Regulator.

In Scotland, an arrangement that would be commonly known as a merger is officially called a ‘group structure’ or ‘constitutional partnership’, where the subsidiary landlord retains its name and chief executive.

Under the plan, Edinburgh-based Dunedin Canmore will retain its name and identity and continue to have full responsibility for its homes and operations.

At 5,000 homes, Dunedin Canmore would be the largest organisation to date that has joined the Wheatley Group.

Both organisations have a commitment to no compulsory redundancies, with staff retaining their existing terms and conditions.

Shareholding members of Dunedin Canmore voted to join the group structure in October. However, since new rules were brought in last year by the Housing (Scotland) Act, housing associations have to put these proposals to a tenant ballot.

Wheatley Group was set up as a holding company by 43,000-home Glasgow Housing Association in 2012, becoming the largest social landlord in Scotland.

The group comprises of Glasgow Housing Association, Cube Housing Association, West Lothian Housing Partnership, YourPlace Property Management, Lowther Homes and Loretto Housing Association.

Inside Housing revealed that Dunedin Canmore and Wheatley Group were looking at a merger in February last year.

Dunedin Canmore chair Tom Mitchell said: ‘We strongly believe we can deliver more for our tenants by sharing expertise and our joint commitment to service excellence. Together we can continue to build homes and to leverage our impact in the communities we support.’

Wheatley Group chair Alastair Dempster said: ‘Dunedin Canmore is one of Scotland’s most-respected social landlords and we look forward to welcoming them into the group.’