Login

Transparency

Learn how we make decisions, manage money and share important information.

Transparency in our decisions, services and governance

Transparency is about the visibility of the decisions we take and the factors that influence them, including what our plans are and how we recruit and pay Board members. It is also about how we design and prioritise our services, how we procure and pay for them, and how services perform.

Transparency statement

Riverside aims to be open and accountable to customers, stakeholders and other service‑users. We make information easy to find for interested parties including partners, regulators, politicians and local communities. We also encourage employees or anyone with serious concerns about our work to come forward and raise them.

Although we adopt an open approach, only Riverside Scotland is classed as a public authority under Freedom of Information legislation.

For more information on how organisations handle personal data, please see the Information Commissioner’s Office website.

Our commitment to transparency

Riverside aims to be open and accountable to customers, stakeholders and other service‑users. We make information easy to find for interested parties including partners, regulators, politicians and local communities. We also encourage employees or anyone with serious concerns about our work to come forward and raise them.

Although we adopt an open approach, only Riverside Scotland is classed as a public authority under Freedom of Information legislation.

For more information on how organisations handle personal data, please see the Information Commissioner’s Office website.

Our guiding principles

We will:

  • Provide information in a way that reflects the needs of customers and other interested people.
  • Make information available about our plans, decisions, policies, standards and performance.
  • Provide information on how we are governed, our finances and how we deliver value for money.
  • Ensure information is easy to find, relevant, accurate and as self‑explanatory as possible.
  • Respond to requests in a way that is cost‑effective and proportionate.
  • Always act lawfully and comply with our regulators' requirements.
What this means in practice

We publish information in a range of formats to meet diverse needs. This includes our website, printed documents such as leaflets and newsletters, and social media channels such as X (Twitter) and Facebook.

What we publish routinely

Financial information

  • Annual Financial Statements
  • Executive and non‑executive directors’ remuneration, including salary banding for colleagues earning over £60k
  • Composition of our Board and workforce by protected characteristic
  • Gender and Ethnicity Pay Gap
  • Details of all expenditure over £500 on regeneration work funded via the regulated Affordable Homes Programme

Our service standards, performance and plans

  • Our main group policies
  • Information on services and property management
  • Customer care information on planned maintenance
  • Planned regeneration projects
  • General information on improvements and repairs
  • Annual Report to Customers

Value for money

  • Value for Money information included in our Financial Statements and Annual Report to Customers
  • Comparisons of our costs and performance with other social landlords

How we are governed

  • How we are governed, how Board members are appointed, with biographical details and photographs
  • Declared interests of Board members
  • Minutes of Group Board meetings (with redactions)
Requesting information

Individuals and groups can request information not routinely published. We will respond within 20 working days wherever possible.

When we may not provide information

We may be unable to provide information when:

  • It would disclose personal information under the Data Protection Act 2018
  • It is confidential or commercially sensitive
  • It is in draft form
  • Disclosure is prevented by law
  • The information is not readily available or is difficult to access

In these cases, we will still respond within 20 working days and explain why the information cannot be provided.

For more information on accessing personal data, please refer to our privacy notice.

Is Riverside subject to Freedom of Information legislation?

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 provide public access to information held by public authorities. However within The Riverside Group only Riverside Scotland is classed as a public authority for the purposes of Freedom of Information legislation.

How do I find out more about Riverside?

The website is a good place to start but you can also get information from the Customer Service Team (see the Contact us page) and information that we send you regularly such as newsletters and our annual report to customers.

You can access our model publication scheme for the upcoming Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements scheme (STAIRs) here.

For general information about Riverside visit our About Riverside website. For information about the area you live follow the links to the pages for your area here.

What if the information I need is not readily available?

You can contact us and ask if we can provide the information, either by completing our webform or visiting the Contact us page on our website. 

How quickly will you respond?

We normally respond to letters within five working days and email, telephone or social media enquiries within one working day. If we are able to provide all or some of the information you have requested we will do this within 20 working days.

Are there any reasons why you might refuse my request?

In some cases we will be unable to provide the information. This is likely to be the case where:

  • It would involve disclosing personal information as defined by the Data Protection Act 2018.
  • The information is confidential or commercially sensitive.
  • The information is in draft form.
  • Disclosure is prevented by law.
  • The information is not readily available/ is difficult to access.