Freedom Of Information: Sanctuary Scotland's Publication Scheme
Terms used
| Terms Used | Explanation |
|---|---|
| FOISA |
Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 Places a duty on those organisations covered to proactively publish certain types of information; and to respond to requests for information; and to provide advice and assistance to those making requests for information. |
| EIRs |
Environmental Information Regulations (Scotland) 2004 Those organisations covered by EIRs have a duty to respond to requests for environmental information |
| SIC |
The Scottish Information Commissioner Who is responsible for ensuring that those bodies covered by FOISA and EIRs comply with the terms of the legislation. |
| MPS |
Model Publication Scheme Produced by the SIC – this details all of the information that those subject to FOISA should publish (if they hold it). |
| Guide to Information |
A guide that all organisations subject to FOISA and adopting the MPS must produce to help people access the information it makes available. |
| Classes of Information |
Nine broad categories describing the types of information authorities should publish (if they hold it). |
The purpose of this Guide to Information is to:
- Allow the public to see what information is available (and what is not available) for Sanctuary Scotland in relation to each class in the Model Publication Scheme
- State what charges may be applied
- Explain how to find the information easily
- Provide contact details for enquiries and to get help with access to the information
- Explain how to request information that has not been published
Alongside the Act, the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (the EIRs) provide a separate right of access to the environmental information that we hold. This guide to information also contains details of the environmental information that we routinely make available.
The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) requires that all housing associations/co-operatives in Scotland must produce and maintain a publication scheme. This must detail all of the key information that we publish and how you can access it. The Guide to Information below is our publications scheme, and contains links to where you can find all of the information listed online.
Guide to the information we publish
Sanctuary Scotland has adopted the Scottish Information Commissioner's (SIC) Model Publication Scheme and this Guide has been approved by the SIC.
Formats other than online
All of the information listed is available on our website (unless stated), and completely free to access online. However, we understand that not everyone will have online access and where this is the case you can contact us to view this in one of our offices (where this would be convenient).
If you would like a printed copy of any of the information listed, we may have to charge a small fee to provide this. This fee will never exceed the cost of photocopying and postage. We will let you know any total cost before commencing printing to confirm you want to proceed.
| Format | Charge |
|---|---|
| Online | Free |
| View at our office | Free |
| Print in black and white | 10p per sheet |
| Print in colour | 20p per sheet |
| Posted document | Cost of postage incurred |
Postage costs
Postage costs may be recharged at the rate we paid to send the information to you. Our charge is for sending information by Royal Mail First Class. When providing copies of pre-printed publications, we will charge no more than the cost per copy of the total print run.
We do not pass on any other costs to you in relation to our published information
Charges for information which is not available under the scheme
If you submit a request to us for information which is not available in this Guide, the charges will be based on the following calculations:
General information requests
- There will be no charge for information requests which cost us £100 or less to process
- Where information costs between £100 and £600 to provide you may be asked to pay 10% of the cost. That is, if you were to ask for information that cost us £600 to provide, you would be asked to pay £50 calculated on the basis of a waiver for the first £100 and 10% of the remaining £500
- We are not obliged to respond to requests which will cost us over £600 to process
- In calculating any fee, staff time will be calculated at actual cost per staff member hourly salary rate to a maximum of £15 per person per hour
- We do not charge for the time to determine whether we hold the information requested, nor for the time it takes to decide whether the information can be released. Charges may be made for locating, retrieving and providing information to you
- In the event that we decide to impose a charge we will issue you with notification of the charge (a fees notice) and how it has been calculated. You will have three months from the date of issue of the fees notice in which to decide whether to pay the charge. The information will be provided to you on payment of the charge. If you decide not to proceed with the request there will be no charge to you.
Charges for Environmental Information
Environmental information is provided under the EIRs rather than FOISA.
The rules for charging for environmental information are slightly different.
We do not charge for the time to determine whether we hold the environmental information requested or deciding whether the information can be released. Charges may be made for locating, retrieving and providing information to you e.g. photocopying and postage.
If we decide to impose a charge, we will issue you with notification of the charge and how it has been calculated. The information will be provided to you on payment of the charge.
If you decide not to proceed with the request there will be no charge to you. Charges are calculated based on the actual cost to Sanctuary Scotland of providing the information:
- Photocopying is charged at 10p per A4 sheet for black and white copying, 20p per A4 sheet for colour copying.
- Postage is charged at actual rate for Royal Mail First Class.
- Staff time is calculated at actual cost per staff member hourly salary rate to a maximum of £15 per person per hour.
The first £100 worth of information will be provided to you without charge.
Where information costs between £100 and £600 to provide, you will be asked to pay 10% of the cost. That is, if you were to ask for information that cost us £600 to provide, you would be asked to pay £50, calculated on the basis of a waiver for the first £100 and 10% of the remaining £500.
Where it would cost more than £600 to provide the information to you, however, we will ask you to pay the full cost of providing the information, with no waiver for any portion of the cost.
Other Formats
If you would like to request information that we publish in a format other than online, or arrange a visit to one of our offices to view information, please contact our Customer Service Centre on 0800 131 3348.
How to make a request
To make a request for information, use the button below to visit our Freedom of Information (FOI) Scotland Request Form
Freedom of Information (FOI) Scotland Request Form
Information that we cannot publish
Whilst we will try to make all of the information we have detailed available, in rare cases there may be some information that we cannot make available. For example, sometimes if we were to publish certain [committee/board] minutes, it could reveal personal details about an individual. This would be a breach of Data Protection legislation if we were to do so. When this is the case, we will remove any personal details before publication and highlight where and why we have done so.
For how long will information be published?
We aim, where possible, to publish information for at least the current and previous two financial years. We will clearly mark which version of the information is current and which is previous.
Copyright and re-use
Where we hold the copyright on our published information, the information may be copied or reproduced without formal permission, provided that:
- It is copied accurately
- It is not used in a misleading context
- The source of the material is identified
Contact us
If you have any queries about anything contained within this Guide to Information, or if there is some information that you cannot find that you would like to access, please contact our Customer Service Centre on 0800 131 3348.
Information about Sanctuary Scotland, who we are, where to find us, how to contact us, how we are managed and our external relations.
Descriptions of who we are
| Information | Where to access |
|---|---|
| Mission Statement | |
| Vision and Values |
Sanctuary Group Business Plan (PDF 3.2MB) Sanctuary Scotland Annual Report 2018/2019 (PDF 4.2MB) See also Sanctuary Group: About us page |
| Corporate Objectives | See link to Annual Report above |
| Area(s) of operation | Sanctuary Scotland |
| Key activities; strategic/corporate plan(s) |
Sanctuary Scotland Ops Plan (PDF 121KB) Appendix 1 - see Sanctuary Group Business Plan above Appendix 2 - Values Key Actions (PDF 106KB) |
| Business Plan (or summary) |
See Sanctuary Scotland Ops plan and Sanctuary Group Business Plan links above. |
| Customer Code/Charter |
Customer Contact, Complaints Handling and Compensation Policy (PDF 151KB) |
Location and opening arrangements
| Information | Where to access |
|---|---|
| Address | Details of our local offices, including addresses and opening times can be found on our Local to you pages |
| Telephone number and email address for general enquiries | You can reach our Customer Service Centre by:
|
| Opening times | Details of our local offices, including addresses and opening times can be found on our Local to you pages |
| General contact arrangements | For general enquiries you can visit our Get in touch page |
| Local/area office contact details | Details of our local offices, including addresses and opening times can be found on our Local to you pages |
| Contact details for making a complaint |
Information relating to Freedom of Information
| Information | Where to access |
|---|---|
| Publication Scheme and Guide to Information | This webpage |
| Charging Schedule for Published Information | This webpage |
| Contact details and advice on making an FOI request | This webpage |
| Freedom of Information policies and procedures |
Freedom of Information (Scotland) Policy (PDF 45KB) |
| Charging schedule for environmental information provided in response to requests made under EIRs | This webpage |
About our Governing Body
| Information | Where to access |
|---|---|
| List of Governing Body Members | |
| Description of the role of the Governing Body |
See above link to Sanctuary Scotland Board of Management. See also: Scotland Tenant Participation Strategy (PDF 3MB) |
| How to become part of the Governing Body |
Ways to get involved with Sanctuary Scotland and provide feedback See also above link to Sanctuary Scotland Board of Management for details on how to become part of the Governing Body. |
About our staff
| Information | Where to access |
|---|---|
| List of senior management team, including professional biography and contact details | Senior Management Team page |
| Organisational structure | Sanctuary Scotland Organisational Structure (PDF 26KB) |
Governance Documents and Corporate Policies
| Information | Where to access |
|---|---|
| Rules/Articles |
Rules of Sanctuary Scotland Housing Association Limited (PDF 386KB) |
| Standing Orders | |
| Membership Policy | Group Membership Policy (PDF 49KB) |
| Code of Conduct for Staff | Sanctuary Group Staff Handbook (PDF 3.5MB) |
| Code of Conduct for Governing Body Members | NHF Code of Conduct (PDF 681KB) |
| Entitlements, Payments and Benefits Policy (or equivalent, including arrangements for payments for expenses and subsistence) | |
| Register of Interests | Declaration of Interests register 2019-2020 - Board of Management (PDF 90KB) |
| Equalities Policy | |
| Health and Safety Policy | |
| Sustainability Policy | Not held |
Our relationship with Regulators
| Information | Where to access |
|---|---|
| Engagement plan with Scottish Housing Regulator | Sanctuary Scotland Housing Association Ltd: Engagement Plan (PDF 410KB) |
| Assurance Statement | 2019 Sanctuary Scotland Assurance Statement (PDF 268KB) |
| Annual Return on Charter Submission to SHR | Annual Return on the Charter (ARC) 2018-19 (PDF 338KB) |
| Financial Returns to SHR | 5 Year Financial Return to SHR (Excel 83KB) |
| Charter report to tenants | |
| Internal and External Audit arrangements | Sanctuary Group Annual Report 2018/2019 (PDF 3MB) |
Group Details
| Information | Where to access |
| Details of our subsidiaries/parent organisation |
Key Partnerships
| Information | Where to access |
| Strategic agreements with other organisations |
Nominations & Section 5 Referral Agreement with Renfrewshire Council (PDF 4.5MB) |
How to use our services
| Information | Where to access |
|---|---|
| List of services provided | |
| How to report a repair | Report a repair page |
| Right to Repair information | |
| How to apply for a house | Find a home page |
| How to get information about tenancy support | |
| How to make a complaint |
See our Get in touch page link above |
| How to speak to a housing officer | See our Get in touch page link above |
| How we consult with tenants and other customers to inform and improve service delivery and develop new services | Have your say and get involved page |
Policies and procedures
Governing Body Meetings
| Information | Where to access |
|---|---|
| Governing body meeting minutes |
The next Scotland Board will be held on the 10th December 2019. The agenda, reports and minutes for this board will be published once approved. |
| Governing body meeting reports/papers |
The next Scotland Board will be held on the 10th December 2019. The agenda, reports and minutes for this board will be published once approved. |
| Governing body agendas |
The next Scotland Board will be held on the 10th December 2019. The agenda, reports and minutes for this board will be published once approved. |
Consultation and Participation
| Information | Where to access |
|---|---|
| Tenant Participation Strategy |
Sanctuary Scotland Tenant Participation Strategy 2019-2022 (PDF 3.1MB) |
| Consultation reports noting the outcome of any recent consultations with tenants/others |
Consultation on Proposed Annual Rent Increase Report (PDF 99KB) Appendix 1 - Individual Responses to Proposed Rent Increases (PDF 168KB) Appendix 2 - Responses Received since Report Prepared (PDF 66KB) Appendix 3 - Other Proposed Rent Increases 2019 (PDF 39KB) |
| National Residents Review Panel composition |
The National Residents Review Panel currently has 10 participants representing tenants, garage tenants and Sanctuary homeowners. This also includes one participant who is a former - tenant but acts as a critical friend for the Panel. Participants attend from all Scotland Regions: West, Central and North East. |
| Registered Tenant Organisations | Not applicable |
Information about our strategy for, and management of, financial resources (in sufficient detail to explain how we plan to spend public money and what has actually been spent).
Information about our accounts and budgets
| Information | Where to access |
|---|---|
| Description of funding sources | |
| Audited accounts |
Sanctuary Group Annual Report and Financial Statements (PDF 3MB) |
| Budget policies and procedures | |
| Budget allocation to key service areas |
Refer to 5 Year Financial Return to SHR above |
Our programme of work and projects
| Information | Where to access |
|---|---|
| Brief details of any project funding and how it's being spent |
Sanctuary Scotland receives the following project funding:
|
| Capital works programme/plans information (annual programme figure) | Refer to 5 Year Financial Return to SHR above |
Spending relating to Staff and Governing Body
| Information | Where to access | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expenses policies and procedures | |||||||||||||||||
| Senior staff/governing body member expenses at category level e.g. travel, subsistence and accommodation | |||||||||||||||||
| Board member remuneration other than expenses | Please see the Sanctuary Group Annual Report and Financial Statements (PDF 3MB) | ||||||||||||||||
| Pay and grading structure (levels of pay rather than individual salaries) |
|
||||||||||||||||
| General information about staff pension scheme | Sanctuary Scotland Housing Association automatically enrols all staff into a qualifying pension scheme in accordance with legislative criteria and requirements. This is the Sanctuary Group Retirement Saver (SGRS) which is currently provided by Scottish Widows. This is a contract based scheme which means that the relationship is between the member and Scottish Widows. Once staff have been enrolled or opted into the SGRS, Scottish Widows will send members an information pack and login details to access their personal online account. Contributions will be paid into each member's personal pension pot from the member and Sanctuary - member contributions are deducted from payroll and paid across by Sanctuary. Tax relief is claimed by Scottish Widows and is also added to the member's personal pension pot. If a member of the SGRS leaves Sanctuary Scotland Housing Association prior to retirement, Scottish Windows will contact the member to ask what they wish to do with their pension pot (e.g. continue to pay into it, transfer the pot to another pension provider etc.). At retirement, Scottish Widows will outline the options availale to members to access their pot (e.g. buy an annuity, take a lump sum etc.). |
Human Resources
| Information | Where to access |
|---|---|
| Strategy and management of human resources |
Not held |
| Staffing structure | |
|
Human resources policies and procedures, covering:
|
|
| Trade Union information | Not applicable |
| Summary of professional organisations/trade bodies of which we are a member |
Sanctuary Scotland is a member of the following professional organisations:
|
Physical Resources
| Information | Where to access |
|---|---|
| Management of our land and property assets, including environmental/sustainability reports |
We have office protocols in place outlining responsibilities of staff operating out of the offices, including opening and closing, security, managing visitors and reporting repairs. Our Assets Team manage the annual investment to our office portfolio to ensure it remains fit for purpose and is well-maintained. Our Scotland offices are based at:
Our Energy Team manage the energy ratings of our buildings and any works completed will ensure the energy performance of a property continues to improve in line with any recommendations. |
| General description of our land and property holdings |
General description of land and property holdings (PDF 51KB) |
|
Estate development plans |
Information Resources
| Information | Where to access |
|---|---|
| Records Management Policy | |
| Data protection or privacy policy and procedure |
Data Protection - Group Policy (PDF 55KB) Data Protection - Group Procedure (PDF 172KB) Appendix 1 - Data Breach - Investigating and Reporting Flowchart (PDF 41KB) Appendix 2 - Responding to a Request for Personal Information - DSAR Flowchart (PDF 151KB) |
Information about how we procure works, goods and services, and our contracts with external providers.
Our Contractors and suppliers
| Information | Where to access |
|---|---|
|
Information about our key service delivery contractors who carry out:
|
Key service delivery contractors (PDF 114KB) |
| List of suppliers and contractors used by organisation (provided to staff under our Entitlements Payments and Benefits Policy) |
Please see Key service delivery contractors list above and the Register of contracts awarded list published below. |
|
Information about regulated procurement contracts awarded (value, scope, duration) |
See below Register of Contracts Awarded |
Our Procurement
| Information | Where to access |
|---|---|
|
Procurement policy and procedures |
|
| Information on how to tender for work and invitations to tender | |
|
Register of contracts awarded which have gone through formal tendering, including name of supplier, period of contract and value |
Sanctuary Group Register of Contracts Awarded - December 2019 (PDF 98KB) |
| Links to procurement information we publish on Public Contracts Scotland website | See Public Contracts Scotland website |
| Framework Agreements | See above Register of Contracts Awarded |
| How to supply Sanctuary | See above Sanctuary Group procurement information |
Information about how we perform as an organisation, and how well we deliver our functions and services.
| Information | Where to access |
|---|---|
|
Annual Report |
|
|
ARC report to tenants |
|
| Performance Standards/indicators |
|
| Benchmarking information |
|
| Complaints policy, guidance and forms | Customer Contact, Complaints Handling and Compensation policy (PDF 151KB) |
| Complaints reports or equivalent to show how complaints are handled and influence service delivery (aggregate reports rather than individual outcomes) |
|
| Tenant scrutiny reports |
Information packages and made available for sale on a commercial basis and sold at market value through a retail outlet e.g. bookshop, museum or research journal.
This class of information is not applicable to Registered Social Landlords.
Open data made available by us under the Scottish Government's Open Data Resource Pack and available under open licence.
This class of information is not applicable to Registered Social Landlords.
Sanctuary Scotland Housing Association Limited is part of Sanctuary Group.