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The Herald Scotland
12-05-2025
- Health
- The Herald Scotland
The housing gap that sees 1,300 vulnerable Scots left behind
Despite well-intentioned policies spanning more than 20 years, fragmented funding streams, limited understanding of legislation, and cumbersome commissioning processes continue to create substantial barriers to implementing what should be a fundamental human right – appropriate housing in local communities. Beyond the policy rhetoric, our research reveals a concerning reality. The landscape is marked by persistent systemic barriers spanning three interconnected domains that require urgent action. Structural reforms have proven to be essential to alleviate the critical shortage of fully accessible housing stock. As one policy expert explained, "there isn't sufficient housing with the right sort of care and support and the right sort of design for that group of people. Lots of people have been detained in hospital or in really inappropriate residential care settings for more years than they need to be. This is just because there aren't sufficient options for them in the communities." These constraints are exacerbated by inconsistent interpretation of tenancy agreements, which have become increasingly restrictive since 2018 legislative changes. As our interviews also revealed, how effectively we use existing funding is just as crucial as securing additional resources with a policy expert in our study noting that there's a need to "think about the money that we do have and how we spend it" more effectively. Time constraints also pose difficulties, with extended timelines for planning and implementation often delaying transitions to appropriate housing. Meanwhile, the separation of health and social care budgets creates unnecessary complications, with stakeholders noting that successful outcomes require greater alignment of financial resources across agencies. Collaborative barriers persist despite evidence of goodwill. Multiple interviewees emphasised that successful transitions often depend on informal networks rather than robust systems. "Partnership working has become more difficult over the years because everybody's more concerned about money than they used to be," one commissioner observed. Our research calls for the Dynamic Support Register – a tool for monitoring vulnerable individuals – to be extended to include housing stakeholders. This recommendation addresses a critical gap in planning processes, where housing providers are currently not required participants, despite their essential role. The housing emergency declared by the Scottish Parliament in May 2024 disproportionately impacts people with learning disabilities, making this reform increasingly urgent. Without a fundamental change in how these services are planned and commissioned – giving housing equal importance to health and social care – we risk perpetuating a system that fails those who need it most. Dr Sacha Hasan is Assistant Professor of Human Geography from The Institute for Place, Environment and Society at Heriot-Watt University Agenda is a column for outside contributors. Contact: agenda@
The Guardian
02-05-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
John Hallett obituary
My father, John Hallett, who has died aged 97, had a long career in education that took him all over the world. In 1960, John flew to Ghana with his young family to take up a position teaching undergraduates maths and physics at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, in Kumasi. There, he was an examiner for the West African Examinations Council and chief examiner for O-level, and wrote a physics O-level textbook for use in West African schools. As a Methodist lay preacher, he also preached regularly at village churches. In 1966, he relocated to Ahmadu Bello University in Northern Nigeria just as the area was rocked by political violence and pogroms. As the situation worsened, John returned to the UK and joined the education department at Trent Polytechnic (now Nottingham Trent University) where he was involved in initiatives such as the generalist education degree, and worked with VSO to train volunteers. His concern with the environment led him to co-write, with Brian Harvey, the textbook Environment and Society in 1977. Born in Thornton Heath, south London, to Dennis Hallett, a civil servant, and Doris (nee Wilson), John grew up in north Harrow, where he witnessed the blitz during the second world war, including seeing the home of one of his school friends destroyed, killing the friend and his family. In 1944, aged 16, he left the local grammar school to take an apprenticeship in the design office of the de Havilland aircraft company, which was a protected occupation. As a Christian pacifist, however, John eventually concluded that he could no longer work on military projects, and left in 1952. He trained as a teacher at Westminster College, and in 1955 took up a teaching post at Chatham Technical College, Kent. That same year he married Cecily Leakey, whom he had met through their Methodist church, and who later also trained as a teacher. While working, John enrolled at City University in London for a part-time physics and maths degree, obtaining a first in 1959. The couple had had three children, me, Aidan and Claire, before leaving for Ghana, and another, Greg, was born while there. The family came back to the UK in 1967, and on John's return the following year moved to Ravenshead, Nottinghamshire. John retired from Trent in 1987, and set up a charity, Senior Volunteer Network, which sent volunteer retired teachers overseas to work on educational projects. Cecily died in 1995. John remained active until his 90s, including doing a skydive for his 90th birthday, but his sight loss increasingly restricted his activities. In 2022 he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Greg died in 2020. John is survived by me, Aidan and Claire, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
