Stirling Council Provost Christine Simpson hosted a civic reception at Old Viewforth this week in celebration of the Stirling Tenants Assembly (STA) after it scooped a major accolade.

The group won the 2018 Best Practice in Involving Customers in Services Award from the Tenants Participation Advisory Service (TPAS) Scotland at their annual conference in Aviemore last year.

The STA, a registered tenant organisation which the Council consults with on housing services, was recognised for a survey they carried out called ‘Tenants, Talking to Tenants’.

By identifying issues from the tenants’ perspective, the innovative initiative helped the Council improve and deliver high-quality services. The findings were then fed into a wider service review.

The scheme has also been hailed by the Scottish Government as an outstanding example of good practice in its field.

Mags Hughes, STA Vice Chair presented the award to the Provost at Stirling Council HQ, so it could be displayed in the building, with elected members and Housing Officers also in attendance.

The Provost said: “This award highlights the benefits of strong partnership working between the Council and our tenants, and I was delighted to host this reception in their honour.

“Effective communication is a two-way process, so credit is due to the volunteer tenants who put in so much hard work on behalf of others but also to our housing officers for their part in this success.”

The TPAS Scotland National Good Practice Awards recognise the passion, acknowledge the dedication and celebrate the achievements of tenants and staff from throughout Scotland.

Stirling Council Housing Portfolio Leader, Cllr Evelyn Tweed said: “This is a fantastic achievement for Stirling Tenants Assembly particularly when it faced such stiff competition in this category, with numerous submissions for the award.

“Since becoming Housing Portfolio Leader I have been so impressed by the commitment of the STA volunteers and how much they care about helping tenants, so a huge well done on this special honour.”

Depute Housing Portfolio Holder, Danny Gibson said: “Huge congratulations to the STA on receiving this national recognition which underlines the advantages of collaborative working between the Council and tenants.

“We were pleased to support tenants in this initiative, which will help enhance outcomes for them and applicants, along with ensuring the delivery of a high quality public services.”