Robust rent controls will prevent Lanarkshire residents from paying 'rip-off' prices
Lanarkshire MSP Gillian Mackay is pushing for robust rent controls to prevent people being 'ripped off' and left struggling to make ends meet.
The Scottish Greens have published plans to end rip-off rents with their proposals for the upcoming Housing (Scotland) Bill, that will save people living in rented accommodation money.
Amendments lodged by the Scottish Greens would allow rents to be increased by no more than the cost-of-living or increases in wages. And in areas where rents are already too high, local authorities could put in place lower increases, freezes or rent reductions.
Statistics show that average monthly rent for a two-bedroomed privately rented property in North Lanarkshire rose from £488 in 2019 to £672 in 2024, a jump of 38 per cent. And in South Lanarkshire it went up to £714 from £533 in the same time period, a rise of 34 per cent. Rent caps during this time would still have resulted in rents rising but at a significantly lower level.
Gillian Mackay MSP said: 'Far too many people in Lanarkshire are being made to pay rip-off rents. It's leaving them with very little left to pay for food, heating and electricity bills, or to simply enjoy their lives.
'All parties agree that we are in a housing emergency, but we need to start acting like it. The proposals we have published will ensure a robust system of rent controls that will support tenants across Lanarkshire and keep rents lower.
'Our proposals would give stability to households and families on the frontline of the crisis, and make sure rents are fairer across the board going forward.
'By tying rents to average earnings, we are establishing an important principle that rents should not rise faster than renters' ability to pay.
'Homes are for living in, not for grotesque profiteering. The Housing Bill was introduced by the Scottish Greens. It gives us the opportunity to transform the broken housing market and protect renters all across our country.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
24 minutes ago
- The Independent
Sturgeon: I was not victim of ‘coercive control' by former mentor Salmond
Former first minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon rejected claims she had been the victim of coercive control by her predecessor Alex Salmond, although she said she wished she had done more to stand up against his 'bullying' of others. She also said that her confidence could be 'knocked' by disapproval from Mr Salmond – saying her former boss and one-time mentor 'probably played on that a little bit'. And while she said she had heard rumours of 'consensual affairs', she had no knowledge of any 'inappropriate sexual behaviour on his part'. The former SNP leader spoke about her relationship with Mr Salmond as she appeared at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on Thursday. While she said they had an 'incredibly successful partnership' at one point, their relationship broke down after allegations against Mr Salmond emerged. The former first minister went on trial on a series of sexual assault charges in 2020, with this resulting in Mr Salmond being acquitted of all the charges against him. Speaking about him to broadcaster Kirsty Wark, Ms Sturgeon said: 'I did not have knowledge of inappropriate behaviour on his part, any inappropriate sexual behaviour.' However, she said: 'I heard rumours over the years about affairs, consensual affairs. I took the view, rightly or wrongly, that that was none of my business, what consenting adults get up to is their business.' Pressing the former first minister on her relationship with her predecessor, Ms Wark said that Ms Sturgeon's newly published memoirs, Frankly, portrayed Mr Salmond as 'almost Svengali like'. The journalist added: 'In a way, there's almost like a thread of coercive control at some times in this book from Alex Salmond.' Ms Sturgeon rejected this, saying she 'wouldn't describe it as that'. She said Mr Salmond, who died in October 2024, had been 'an incredibly strong, incredibly charismatic individual', adding that for much of her life 'he was a force for good'. Speaking about him, Ms Sturgeon said: 'He encouraged me to reach beyond what I would have considered my abilities to be, he pushed me on. 'I once said, ages ago, that he believed in me before I believed in myself.' But she added that 'his approval mattered to me and his disapproval knocked my confidence'. Ms Sturgeon continued: 'Latterly, he probably played on that a little bit.' Ms Wark suggested that Mr Salmond had 'definitely undermined' Ms Sturgeon 'a lot of the time'. The former first minister, however, told her: 'He also bolstered me a lot of the time.' Recalling Mr Salmond, Ms Sturgeon said that to describe him as a bully 'is maybe putting it too strongly', but she added that 'he could behave in a bullying manner'. Asked if she challenged his behaviour, the former first minister stated: 'I don't think I did it enough, but yes, I did. 'I would on occasion, people would have seen me do it, when he was giving the hairdryer treatment to whatever member of staff, I would say, 'enough Alex'.' But she added: 'I wish I had done it more.' After she took over as leader of the SNP, Mr Salmond had advised her not to keep her then husband, Peter Murrell, in his post as chief executive of the party. At the time, Ms Sturgeon rejected this, with Mr Murrell only stepping down from the role in March 2023 – the month after Ms Sturgeon announced her decision to step down as first minister and SNP leader. She said: 'I can look back now and say, maybe, I should have taken a different decision. 'That is something I probably got wrong.' The couple have now separated and, in March this year, the former SNP chief executive appeared in court charged with embezzlement following a police investigation into party finances, However, Ms Sturgeon insisted that she 'did not think' her decision to keep her then-husband in his party role was the start of the the 'fissure' in her relationship with Mr Salmond. 'I don't think that created any tension between us,' she said.
Sky News
34 minutes ago
- Sky News
MoD urged to reveal details of nuclear incident at Faslane
The Ministry of Defence is being urged to reveal details of a nuclear incident that took place at Faslane naval base earlier this year. Figures show that a Category A event occurred at HMNB Clyde between 1 January and 22 April. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) defines Category A as the most serious; however, it has claimed the incident was categorised as of "low safety significance" and did not pose a risk to the public or result in any radiological impact to the environment. HMNB Clyde is based on the banks of Gare Loch at Faslane in Argyll and Bute. It is the Royal Navy's headquarters in Scotland and is home to Britain's nuclear submarines, which includes the Vanguard vessels armed with Trident missiles. Nuclear Site Event Reports (NSERs) detail incidents at nuclear facilities and are classified based on their safety significance and impact. Responding to a written question earlier this year by SNP MP Dave Doogan, Maria Eagle, minister for defence procurement and industry, confirmed dozens of incidents at Faslane and nearby RNAD Coulport - the storage and loading facility for the Trident programme. Nuclear site events (22 April 2024 to 22 April 2025): • Coulport: 13 Category C and 34 Category D • Faslane: 1 Category A, 5 Category B, 29 Category C, and 71 Category D Ms Eagle stated she could not provide specific details of the Category A or B incidents "as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of any relevant forces". She assured Mr Doogan that "none of the events caused harm to the health of any member of staff or to any member of the public and none have resulted in any radiological impact to the environment". However, in the past week, concerns have been reignited over the environmental and public health impact of the UK's nuclear weapons programme. It comes following an investigation by The Guardian and The Ferret, which uncovered radioactive water from RNAD Coulport had leaked into Loch Long due to faulty old pipes back in 2019. The secrecy battle went on for six years. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) reported the discharges were "of no regulatory concern", while the MoD said there had been "no unsafe releases of radioactive material" into the environment. In response to the "catalogue of failures", the SNP's deputy leader is calling for an "urgent explanation" from the UK government as to what actually happened at Faslane. MSP Keith Brown said: "Nuclear weapons are an ever-present danger and this new information is deeply worrying. "With repeated reports of serious incidents at Faslane and now confirmed radioactive contamination in Loch Long, it's clear these weapons are not only poorly maintained but are a direct threat to our environment, our communities, and our safety. "Worse still, the Labour government is refusing to provide any details about the Category A incident." The MoD said it was unable to disclose the details of the incidents reported for "national security reasons", however all were said to be categorised as of "low safety significance". A spokesperson for the MoD said: "We place the upmost importance on handling radioactive substances safely and securely. "Nuclear Site Event Reports demonstrate our robust safety culture and commitment to learn from experience. "The incidents posed no risk to the public and did not result in any radiological impact to the environment. It is factually incorrect to suggest otherwise.
The National
an hour ago
- The National
Nicola Sturgeon tells of fresh abuse after publishing memoir Frankly
While the former first minister said she does not 'spend a lot of time looking at the bowels of social media', she is aware some people online have 'laughed' about her miscarriage, and said they want her to be 'raped in a toilet'. Sturgeon spoke about the miscarriage she had in 2010 as part of events and interviews in recent days to publicise her memoir, Frankly. She says in the book that she 'should have hit the pause button' on controversial legislation to allow transgender people to self-identify and gain legal recognition in their preferred gender without a lengthy medical process. READ MORE: SNP demand UK Government act amid Israeli E1 plan in West Bank Despite fierce opposition from some campaigners who claimed this would give biological males access to female spaces, the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill was passed by Holyrood – though it has never been enacted after being blocked by Westminster. Speaking at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on Thursday, Sturgeon said the debate was 'toxic on both sides'. Highlighting comments made on social media this week, she said: 'There are people who call themselves feminists, standing up for women's rights, saying things about me such as when I described my miscarriage experience the other day 'I haven't laughed as much in years', accusing me of making it up, people saying they hope I am raped in a toilet.' She accepted that 'in all of the tone and tenor of this I am not saying I was blameless at all', saying she 'desperately' wished she had been able to 'find a more collegiate way forward' on the controversial issue. She described transphobia as 'the soft underbelly of other prejudice'. Sturgeon insisted not all opponents of gender reform are either transphobic or homophobic, but the issue of trans rights 'has been hijacked and weaponised by people that are transphobic and homophobic'. She said she was 'worried' that if she paused the gender reforms at Holyrood, this would have seen her 'give in to that'. (Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire) However, she added: 'I might have been wrong, and I probably was wrong about that.' Sturgeon also made clear her support for transgender rights, saying: 'To my dying day… I will just never accept that there is an irreconcilable tension between women's rights and trans rights. 'I don't believe you have to choose between being a feminist and standing up for one of the most stigmatised minorities in our society. 'Who has threatened women for all the years I have been alive – abusive men have threatened women. READ MORE: Leaked document 'leaves Government's Palestine Action case in tatters' 'You get bad people in every group in society but you don't tar the whole group with the bad people, and that, I really regret, appears to be what some are trying to do with trans people, to take some people and say that is representative of the whole trans community. 'My life might be easier if I just gave in on this issue and said 'yeah, I got it wrong' and we should never try to make life better for the trans community. 'But I will never, to make my own life easier, betray a stigmatized minority, because that is not why I came into politics and it is never what I will do in politics.' Sturgeon later told journalists she had not reported the abuse to police. It comes after Sturgeon told the launch event the monarchy should "end quite soon".
