Still Game for a laugh

With filming underway for the new series, we can reveal the influence of much-loved Scottish sitcom’s/everyone’s favourite foul-mouthed pensioners on North Ayrshire Council future housing strategy.

In the excitement over the show’s return last year, NAC took a novel new approach to meeting tenants’ housing issues with the aid of characters from the sitcom.

While some councils might shun post-watershed popular culture, NAC said using some of the show’s diverse characters could inform the development of its Local Housing Strategy for 2017-2022.

North Ayrshire Council told the Herald the use of Still Game characters in workshops could help stakeholders of the housing strategy better understand housing tenants’ needs.

At a housing workshop last year NAC said Still Game characters were used to provide stakeholders including council officials and landlords with ‘a familiar face they could empathise with’ in what was described an innovative new approach in empathy with housing tenants.

Part one of the session was aimed at identifying key housing issues and solutions, based on meeting the diverse needs of the sitcom characters.

They say the purpose was to develop actions which could allow the particular needs of the characters to be met.

Each table discussed characters with similar profiles, with one concentrated on discussing ‘older people’ issues, another considered the needs of those with disabilities.

It assured “Stakeholders did not require any prior knowledge of the show as they were provided with details of the character profile”.

It added: “Consultation should be less formal, more interactive, shorter and more concise.

“Technical information and jargon should also be avoided to make it easier to process.”

A North Ayrshire Council spokesperson said: “We undertook a consultation workshop last December with key stakeholders aimed at identifying local housing issues and possible solutions which would contribute to the development of our Local Housing Strategy.

“In keeping with the consultation recommendations presented within the Local Housing Strategy 2017-2022, which outlines an ambition for innovative and interesting engagement methods, we decided to use a theme based on the popular Scottish sitcom, Still Game.

“Still Game characters were used as case studies within the workshop to allow discussion on how to address the needs of local residents with similar profiles, for example, older people and those with disabilities.

“Feedback from the workshop showed that participants were supportive of the event format and that it allowed them to engage with the process.”

Despite the positive feedback NAC did not confirm if they intend to use Still Game characters in future workshops.