​In July ANCHO’s tenants voted overwhelmingly in favour of a new partnership with Cairn Housing Association.  ANCHO’s shareholding members then voted unanimously in favour of the required rule changes at a Special General Meeting.  Final consent for the partnership has now been received from the Scottish Housing Regulator and the Financial Conduct Authority.

This means that the new Cairn Group can now start delivering on the partnership promises made to tenants during the consultation period.  This includes:

• Continued local services from the ANCHO team in Irvine, with support from Cairn
• £4.5m in additional investment to ANCHO tenant’s homes
• An affordable rent guarantee for five years

The first tangible sign of the partnership is underway with the start of an external wall insulation and reroofing programme, delivered by ANCHO with the support of the Cairn Group, in Irvine’s Castlepark estate.  External wall insulation can save hundreds of pounds a year in energy bills (depending on the building design) and will go a long way to ANCHO’s target of meeting the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing by December 2020.  

ANCHO and Cairn are also working closely with colleagues in North Ayrshire Council to explore new build development schemes to meet local needs and contribute to the delivery of the Council’s Strategic Housing Investment Plan.

Jason MacGilp, Group Chief Executive for Cairn and ANCHO, said:

“This is an important day for Cairn, ANCHO, and our local tenants in North Ayrshire. Tenants have shown a great deal of trust in Cairn and we are determined to honour that and deliver the promises we have made.  Joint working and integration planning has been in place for some time.  With all consents now in place, everyone at the Cairn Group team is looking forward to the first steps in our journey together.”

Sonya Campbell Perry, ANCHO’s Chairperson, said:

“We are delighted to have started our new partnership with Cairn.  Both organisations, as part of the new Cairn Group, are committed to creating thriving, well run and sustainable communities that people are proud to call home.  This partnership will bring considerable benefits to ANCHO tenants.”

Jim Montgomerie, Cabinet Member for Place at North Ayrshire Council, said:

"We welcome this news and look forward to working with our partners in the months and years to come as we seek to deliver high quality housing for the residents of North Ayrshire.”

ANCHO tenants have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a new partnership with Cairn Housing Association which will deliver accelerated investment in homes and a five-year rent guarantee with services still being delivered in the local area.

The ballot closed on Friday 15 June and once counted by the independent Electoral Reform Service, 94.2% of votes were in favour of the partnership on a turnout of 60.8% which is considered exceptionally high for a ballot of this kind.

Our new partnership with Cairn guarantees an additional £4.5m in ANCHO’s homes and communities in North Ayrshire with the exciting possibility of new homes being built in the area in future.

Jackie Browne, the Chair of ANCHO’s Board, said: “We are delighted that not only have our tenants shared our vision for ANCHO but that they’ve done so in great numbers with a record breaking over 60% having their say during the ballot.  We have spent over a year consulting with our tenants and we’ve always been encouraged by the strong support they had for the partnership.  This is great news for our tenants and we can’t wait to start delivering on the partnership promises with our colleagues at Cairn.”

Simon Guest, the Chair of Cairn’s Board, said: “We are excited that the ANCHO tenants have backed the partnership between our two organisations.  Both organisations share similar values and a dedication to providing great services and we look forward to working with our new colleagues at ANCHO and North Ayrshire Council.”

Ilene Campbell, Chief Executive of the Tenants Information Service who provided independent advice and support to ANCHO tenants, said: “ANCHO and Cairn went to great lengths to involve tenants at every step of the way and encouraged their participation in developing the partnership promises.  We would like to congratulate the tenants on getting involved and coming out in great numbers to vote on the future of ANCHO.”
​
The results of the ballot will now be considered by the ANCHO Board and then the Scottish Housing Regulator.  Shareholders of ANCHO will then be invited to approve the necessary changes to our company rules at a Special General Meeting to formalise the wishes of residents and give effect to their views on the partnership.

ANCHO and Cairn Housing Association have been discussing the exciting possibility of a new partnership, which will see ANCHO become part of a new ‘Cairn Group’.

The Scottish Housing Regulator has approved ANCHO‘s business case for the partnership and we have now issued a formal Stage 1 Consultation Notice which sets out the promises of the partnership to our tenants.  We invite all tenants  to read through these proposals and make representations to ANCHO by the 6th of March 2018. 

The final decision on whether the partnership goes ahead will be with ANCHO tenants, through a formal ballot, in the next few months.

For more information about the benefits the partnership would bring to ANCHO and Cairn tenants, please visit our Cairn partnership page.

ANCHO and Cairn Housing Association are working together on a potential partnership which, if supported by ANCHO tenants, would see the Irvine based housing association become part of a larger Cairn Group with around 4,000 homes across Scotland.  ANCHO tenants are now being asked for their views on the proposed partnership, with ANCHO aiming to ask tenants to vote in a ballot on the final proposal in early 2018.
​
A panel of tenant volunteers supported by the Tenant Information Service (TIS) who have been appointed to provide independent advice to tenants has already met with ANCHO staff to help shape the plans ahead of two open events planned for later this month at the Redburn Community Centre where ANCHO tenants can meet with staff from both organisations.

Mags Lightbody, ANCHO interim Director, said;
“A new look ANCHO, within the Cairn Group, would be just like the ANCHO we know but even better.  This partnership would allow us to accelerate investment on homes and the environment with £3.2m extra money to spend on tenants priorities, it would deliver lower and guaranteed rent increases for the next 5 years to ensure rents remain affordable and it would also ensure a continued local presence with ANCHO staff based right here in Irvine.  Working with Cairn would allow us to become more efficient and open up the exciting possibility of building much needed new affordable homes in Ayrshire.”

ANCHO tenants are invited to attend a choice of 2 information and consultation events which will be held on the 17th and 31st August from 3.30pm to 6pm at the Redburn Community Centre.  Any tenants who can’t make it along to either of the events, but would like to hear more about the proposed partnership can call ANCHO on 01294 313 121, email on mail@ancho.co.uk  , speak to any of the staff team or call TIS for independent advice on Freephone 0800 731 3772.

Jackie Browne, Chair of the ANCHO Management Board said;
“We’re really looking forward to putting the case for the partnership to our tenants.  We’d encourage as many people as possible to come along and chat to our staff and the team from Cairn so they can make an informed choice on ANCHO’s future when the proposal goes to a ballot.  They’re sure to be lively and informative afternoons and we hope to see a big turnout.  The tenants we’ve spoken to have been enthusiastic and this is a great opportunity for everyone to get involved and share their ideas about what is most important to our tenants and communities.”

At a meeting of ANCHO’s Management Board on 26 January 2017, the Board agreed to withdraw ANCHO’s application for the Community Asset Transfer of Redburn Community Centre at this time.  No further comment will be made in this regard. 

ANCHO and Cairn Housing Association are formally exploring the establishment of a constitutional partnership which will have a total of 4200 homes under management across 22 local authorities.  The potential partnership would increase the financial and business resilience of the combined organisations and put in place an important new housing group in the Scottish sector.
​
In a joint statement from the ANCHO Chair Jackie Brown and Cairn’s Chair Simon Guest, they said:

The prospective partnership between ANCHO and Cairn will bring considerable new investment into the Ayrshire economy, a continued local service based in the community and a guarantee to keep rents affordable.  The partnership also offers the potential capacity for building much needed new homes in Ayrshire.

Subject to due diligence, detailed work on the business case, a positive outcome of a ballot of ANCHO tenants, and final partnership agreement being reached, it is anticipated that there could be significant advantages to ANCHO tenants and the local community.  Indicatively, these benefits could include :-

• An additional £2.2m to invest in improvements to ANCHO properties, including energy efficiency measures and early replacement of kitchens and bathrooms
• A continued ANCHO presence locally, with delegated local decision-making
• An additional £1m to invest in environmental improvements within ANCHO estates
• A rent guarantee of inflation-only rent increases of CPI for 5 years

There will be full consultation with ANCHO’s and Cairn’s tenants over the coming months and any final proposed partnership will depend upon regulatory approval, Board approvals, lender consents and the outcome of a ballot of ANCHO tenants next Summer 2017.