Latest news with #Housing(Scotland)Bill
Scotsman
an hour ago
- Health
- Scotsman
Damp & Mould Action and Awareness Week to return for second year
The UK's first ever Damp & Mould Action and Awareness Week is returning for a second year - promising even more resources, expert insights, and practical solutions to combat one of the most pressing housing and health crises. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Following the overwhelming success of its inaugural year, it will return from October 20-26, continuing its mission to tackle the widespread issue of damp and mould in homes across the UK. This year's campaign comes at a crucial time, as landmark reforms are set to compel landlords to fix dangerous homes or face the full consequences of the law. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Awaab's Law, coming into effect from October, will require social landlords to investigate and remedy damp and mould issues within strict timeframes. Landlords who fail to comply will be held accountable in court, ensuring social tenants have the legal power to demand safe and healthy living conditions. Tony Boyle, Regional Director at Aico The law, a legacy of two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who tragically died after being exposed to mould in his Rochdale home, is a vital step toward transforming the safety and quality of social housing in the UK. Social housing residents in Scotland will also be given greater protection against damp and mould in their homes through the introduction of Awaab's Law. The Scottish Government intends to introduce amendments to the Housing (Scotland) Bill that will broaden Ministers' powers to impose timeframes on social landlords to investigate disrepair and start repairs, through regulation, following engagement with the sector. Launched by home life safety specialists Aico, the first-ever Damp & Mould Action and Awareness Week was dedicated to ending the scourge of damp and mould, and received widespread backing from MPs, landlords, housing professionals, and lobbying groups - earning recognition at the highest levels, including a commendation from the King. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad With an estimated seven million UK households affected by damp and mould, and the issue costing the NHS over £2.5 billion every year, the campaign has become a vital platform for raising awareness and driving action. Last year's campaign saw over 600 participants join expert-led webinars, with media coverage reaching more than three million people across press, radio and TV. It also received the backing of renowned architectural expert Professor Timothy Sharpe from the University of Strathclyde, a member of the government's SAGE advisory group during the COVID-19 pandemic, who specialises in indoor ventilation and transmission, as well as lobbying groups like Healthy Homes Hub and housing groups. As the campaign gears up for its second year, organisers are determined to build on its momentum, with an even greater focus on practical solutions, industry collaboration, and empowering residents with knowledge and resources. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Tony Boyle, Regional Director at Aico, said: 'The response to the first Damp & Mould Action and Awareness Week was fantastic, with huge engagement from housing associations, tenants and policymakers. 'But that was just the beginning. This year, we're aiming to reach even more people, spark more action, and continue making progress towards healthier homes for all. 'With the introduction of Awaab's Law, there will now be a legal mandate to tackle damp and mould with urgency. We want to ensure landlords, tenants and housing professionals have the resources they need to understand their responsibilities and take meaningful action.' Damp and mould produce allergens, irritants, mould spores, and other toxins that are harmful to health. The NHS spends an estimated £1.4 billion a year on treating illnesses associated with living in cold or damp housing. When wider societal costs such as ongoing healthcare are taken into consideration, the figure leaps to £15.4 billion. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The scale of this issue is enormous, but by working together, we can make a real impact. 'We want to see policy changes, investment in housing standards, and a shift in how damp and mould are tackled at every level,' Tony added. For more information and updates, visit
Daily Record
a day ago
- Business
- Daily Record
Robust rent controls will prevent Lanarkshire residents from paying 'rip-off' prices
'Homes are for living in, not for grotesque profiteering' 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.'
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Scotsman
2 days ago
- Business
- Scotsman
MSPs vote down council tax reform despite agreeing situation 'absurd'
Green MSP Ross Greer had tabled proposals for a shake-up of the 'discredited' system Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... MSPs have rejected plans for Scotland's first council tax revaluation in more than 30 years despite admitting the current situation is "absurd" and "ridiculous". Green MSP Ross Greer had tabled proposals for a shake-up of the "discredited" system, which is based on property values from 1991. Experts previously estimated more than half of properties are in the 'wrong band'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Greens say many of those living in smaller and less valuable homes pay more than they should. Meanwhile, the richest people living in the largest properties often pay far less than they would if accurate property values were used. Scottish Green MSP Ross Greer | PA The party said its plans would have made the system fairer while raising vital funds for local services such as schools and social care. Mr Greer lodged amendments to the Housing (Scotland) Bill which, if passed, would have seen a revaluation exercise completed by April 1, 2029. However, this was rejected by the other Holyrood parties. Tory MSP Graham Simpson said the current system was 'clearly absurd, but if you were to change that and revalue, there would be winners and losers'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He told the committee: 'If you just look at the revaluation issue, it is indeed quite absurd, but the bill might not be the place to deal with that. Frankly, Parliament has been playing around with the issue for far too long. 'I think that it falls into the 'too difficult' pile, and that is probably why parties will not deal with it. However, the issue needs to be dealt with, and it is probably one for the next session of Parliament. I am sorry to say that, Mr Greer, but that is the reality.' Fellow Tory MSP Meghan Gallacher agreed the bill was 'not the correct mechanism to make those changes', adding: 'A wider piece of work would need to be undertaken, not just by the committee—which we have already tried to do— but by the Scottish Government, which would need to decide whether to introduce legislation on council tax reform.' Labour MSP Mark Griffin said having a 1991 valuation system was 'ridiculous'. However, he said the proposals needed 'a legislative vehicle of their own, to get the proper scrutiny that they deserve.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Paul McLennan, the minister for housing, told the committee: 'There is broad agreement on the need for council tax reform, but views differ on how it should be reformed. 'The Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities have announced a joint programme of engagement to build consensus on long-term council tax reform. A revaluation exercise might look different depending on the form that that ultimately takes.' Mr Greer, whose plans were voted down by SNP, Labour and Conservative MSPs on Holyrood's local government and housing committee, said: 'We wouldn't tolerate a situation where most people pay the wrong rate of income tax, so why do all other parties think it's acceptable for council tax? 'Using property values from before I was even born means that low-income families in smaller houses typically pay more than they should, whilst the richest get off with an absolute steal. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Every other party agrees this is wrong, but they just don't want to upset the wealthiest people in Scotland, who would pay far more if the system was fixed.
The National
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Scots tenants 'should not be restricted from keeping pets by landlords
The party has lodged amendments to the Housing (Scotland) Bill, currently making its way through the Scottish Parliament, to make it easier for renters to keep pets and service animals in their homes. Current rules mean that if a tenant wants to keep a pet, they must make a request to their landlord, who has 42 days to respond. The Scottish Greens amendment would reduce this to 14 days. And, no response from the landlord would be taken as permission. These changes are backed by charity organisations such as Dogs Trust, Cats Protection and Sight Scotland. READ MORE: Angela Rayner won't say if she thinks Israel is breaking international law MSP Maggie Chapman, who lodged the amendments, said: 'Pets are part of the family, and in some cases are working to keep people safe every day. 'Dogs, cats and other animals are important for many people's physical and mental health, and they play an important role in decreasing loneliness. 'In a world where many feel isolated, having a pet for companionship in return for our care can make us feel valued and get us out of the house more often too.' Chapman added that tenants have 'every right' to keep pets without having to ask permission from landlords. 'Too often, requests are ignored or delayed which leads to uncertainty and stress for people with pets, or people hoping to have one,' she said. (Image: PA) 'That is why I want to amend the Bill so that faster responses are given, and permission granted automatically if no response is received. 'Guide dogs and service animals that detect seizures and other health conditions play a crucial role in the health and wellbeing of many. They are vital companions which landlords should not be able to forbid from living in homes where they are needed. 'Every step the Scottish Greens are taking in this Bill is to boost renters' rights to live in the homes they pay for and fully utilise the space, without having landlords call all of the shots. 'I hope my colleagues from across the Parliament will join me and support these changes to improve renters rights and lives overall.' The Housing Bill also contains plans for rent controls. READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon says Supreme Court ruling 'massively misinterpreted' The Scottish Government's plan would see increases capped by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rate of inflation plus 1%, up to a maximum of 6%. Meanwhile, the Greens proposals would instead cap rent by the CPI, earnings growth or 6%, whichever is lowest. The amendments are set to be scrutinised on Tuesday by the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee. We previously told how an investigation by The National found that hundreds of landlords tried to raise rents above limits set by the Scottish Government, before the protections ended earlier this year.
STV News
13-05-2025
- Business
- STV News
Housebuilding plummets by nearly 4,000 in a year, figures show
Housebuilding in Scotland has plummeted, figures have shown, with nearly 4,000 fewer homes in supply in 2023-24 compared to the year before. Some 20,364 homes were supplied that year, compared to 24,348 in 2022-23 – a decrease of 16.4%, or 3,984 homes. Of these, 97.9% were new builds, 1.8% were conversions, and 0.3% were renovations. As of March 31 2024, there were 177,264 applications on council or common housing register housing lists. The figure represents a 1.2% rise from the year before, although Scots can make multiple applications across different local authorities. Meanwhile, the number of social homes increased by 6,102 last year, reaching 633,030 – up from 626,928 the previous year. There were 325,477 local authority dwellings and 307,553 housing association dwellings recorded. The number of council lettings increased by 7% in 2023-24 to 25,423. A total of 49% of these were made to homeless households, 26% to those on housing waiting lists, while 21% were transfers between existing tenants. Three per cent were classified as 'other'. The number of eviction notices to council tenants jumped 10.2% over the same time to 16,640, although the figure is still 32.2% lower than pre-pandemic levels. A total of 91% of these were due to rent arrears, a spike from the 85% figure recorded in 2022-23. Overall, there were 2.7 million estimated dwellings in Scotland, 60% of which were owner-occupied, 23% were social rented properties, 13.2% were privately rented, and 3.7% were vacant or second homes. Reacting to the figures, housing minister Paul McLennan said he recognised 'these are exceptionally challenging times'. 'However,' he said, 'it is encouraging that affordable housing starts and approvals have increased in the year to December 2024, and we will continue to work with partners to increase these levels even further through our £768 million investment this year, an increase of £200 million when compared to last financial year. 'Providing everyone in Scotland with the right to a warm, safe and affordable home is essential to our key priority of eradicating child poverty.' He said the Scottish Government had a 'strong track record' on affordable housing, including the delivery of 136,000 homes between 2007 and 2024, with 97,000 of those for social rent. 'That's 47% more per head of population than England and 73% more than Wales as of March 2024,' he said. 'Since we declared a housing emergency last May we have been working at pace with a range of stakeholders across the housing system to take urgent action. 'This has involved working closely with those local authorities who are experiencing the greatest and most sustained homelessness and temporary accommodation pressures. 'We are also engaging the expertise of the Housing to 2040 Strategic Board and Housing Investment Task Force to support the response. 'Throughout the development of the Housing (Scotland) Bill we have made sure to strike the appropriate balance between protecting tenants and providing incentives for continued investment in the private rented sector through measures such as rent control areas.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
