Social landlord's communities across West Lothian gets top marks in report from leading environmental charity
A social landlord's communities across West Lothian have received top marks in a report from a leading environmental charity.
Wheatley Homes communities were assessed by Keep Scotland Beautiful, the national environmental charity helping create cleaner and greener local environments.
Keep Scotland Beautiful (KSB) staff joined Wheatley Homes staff and tenants to assess neighbourhoods, inspecting back courts and open spaces as well as foyers and stairwells across West Lothian.
Wheatley Homes communities in West Lothian has now been awarded five stars – the highest grade possible – and a score of 88%.
Laura Henderson, Managing Director of Wheatley Homes East, said: 'We want our communities to be places people are proud to live in and this award from Keep Scotland Beautiful is a tribute to the hard work and dedication of our environmental staff across West Lothian.
'They work hard to make sure our neighbourhoods always look their best for our customers.'
The report recognised Wheatley's efforts in a number of streets in West Lothian.
It stated: 'The tenement property scoring benefited from the overall excellent condition of the external grounds of the properties; including the physical condition of the building walls, absence of obstructions in the guttering, and cleanliness and condition of the access paths and back court hard standing.
'Whilst some of these facilities have been built by design for the tenants, of greater merit was the presence of spaces which have been created by the tenants, to enhance the appearance of the gardens, and create a sense of community within the properties.
'This was demonstrative of an interest from tenants in improving their local area.'
Wheatley Group, Scotland's leading housing, care and property-management group, teamed up with Keep Scotland Beautiful in 2016 to help improve neighbourhoods.
Paul Wallace, Head of Operations with Keep Scotland Beautiful, added: 'I'd like to congratulate Wheatley Homes for achieving such high standards in our recent assessment.
'We were so impressed to see excellent commitment and pride of all the staff and tenants involved who are working hard to improve and make their communities better.
'Our work with Wheatley, through a bespoke version of our National Award for Environmental Excellence® has spanned a number of years. It provides a framework for continual improvement, recognising and awarding best practice in environmental management, maintenance, waste management and community engagement.
'Our assessors supported Keep Scotland Beautiful Customer Assessor Days in Edinburgh and joined Wheatley Homes East staff on site visits. The properties were presented well and scored highly, and it was clear there was a real sense of pride from the staff.'
It was previously reported that more than 1200 tonnes of waste were lifted from Wheatley Homes communities, and 13,600 stairwells cleaned, by NETs staff in 2024.
Wheatley's NETs have trained 14 Wheatley Homes customers, in partnership with Keep Scotland Beautiful, to assess green spaces and identify any areas where improvement can be made.
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Wheatley Homes communities were assessed by Keep Scotland Beautiful, the national environmental charity helping create cleaner and greener local environments. A social landlord's communities across West Lothian have received top marks in a report from a leading environmental charity. Wheatley Homes communities were assessed by Keep Scotland Beautiful, the national environmental charity helping create cleaner and greener local environments. Keep Scotland Beautiful (KSB) staff joined Wheatley Homes staff and tenants to assess neighbourhoods, inspecting back courts and open spaces as well as foyers and stairwells across West Lothian. Wheatley Homes communities in West Lothian has now been awarded five stars – the highest grade possible – and a score of 88%. Laura Henderson, Managing Director of Wheatley Homes East, said: 'We want our communities to be places people are proud to live in and this award from Keep Scotland Beautiful is a tribute to the hard work and dedication of our environmental staff across West Lothian. 'They work hard to make sure our neighbourhoods always look their best for our customers.' The report recognised Wheatley's efforts in a number of streets in West Lothian. It stated: 'The tenement property scoring benefited from the overall excellent condition of the external grounds of the properties; including the physical condition of the building walls, absence of obstructions in the guttering, and cleanliness and condition of the access paths and back court hard standing. 'Whilst some of these facilities have been built by design for the tenants, of greater merit was the presence of spaces which have been created by the tenants, to enhance the appearance of the gardens, and create a sense of community within the properties. 'This was demonstrative of an interest from tenants in improving their local area.' Wheatley Group, Scotland's leading housing, care and property-management group, teamed up with Keep Scotland Beautiful in 2016 to help improve neighbourhoods. Paul Wallace, Head of Operations with Keep Scotland Beautiful, added: 'I'd like to congratulate Wheatley Homes for achieving such high standards in our recent assessment. 'We were so impressed to see excellent commitment and pride of all the staff and tenants involved who are working hard to improve and make their communities better. 'Our work with Wheatley, through a bespoke version of our National Award for Environmental Excellence® has spanned a number of years. It provides a framework for continual improvement, recognising and awarding best practice in environmental management, maintenance, waste management and community engagement. 'Our assessors supported Keep Scotland Beautiful Customer Assessor Days in Edinburgh and joined Wheatley Homes East staff on site visits. The properties were presented well and scored highly, and it was clear there was a real sense of pride from the staff.' It was previously reported that more than 1200 tonnes of waste were lifted from Wheatley Homes communities, and 13,600 stairwells cleaned, by NETs staff in 2024. Wheatley's NETs have trained 14 Wheatley Homes customers, in partnership with Keep Scotland Beautiful, to assess green spaces and identify any areas where improvement can be made.
