Scotland’s For Council Housing Demonstration

Houses await demolition: a neighbourhood in limbo.

Backed by the Scottish Tenants Organisation.

In support of tenants in Hamiltonhill fighting for investment in their community.

National Demonstration.  Thurs, 24th Sept.

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The story was broken to the public at large by the Burgh Angel community newspaper in Glasgow this week, that tenants in Hamiltonhill have been fighting for investment to improve security and safety in the scheme.  The Hamiltonhill Action Group is demanding that the GHA fit steel doors to closes in the scheme, as a means of improving the safety and security on the scheme.

Burgh Angel Story: Drawing Steel From Granite; Hamiltonhill Hits Back

[Pdf file]

Syndicated from BBC: Shelter report confirms housing squeeze (“Social housing hits 50-year low”)

Shelter said more affordable housing was needed to meet rising demand

The number of council and housing association homes for rent is at its lowest for 50 years, according to Shelter Scotland.

The charity has warned of a “growing chasm between the number of homes needed and the number available”.

The Building Pressure report said there were 142,000 households on the waiting list for council homes.

The housing and homelessness charity said the right to buy scheme was partly to blame for the shortage.

Its report said the number of social homes for rent last year was at its lowest level since 1959.

SNP Government to Build 900 new houses

From SNP website:-

A return to council housing was launched today as the SNP Government announced support for over 900 new council homes across Scotland.

Funding of £17 million will see homes built from East Lothian to Orkney as the SNP continues to turn around Scotland’s social housing.

Under Labour only 6 council homes were built in eight years.  The SNP has also moved to abolish right to buy on new build houses.

Half of the funding will support homes in Edinburgh and the Lothians were housing is under pressure.

Housing Minister Alex Neil announced the funding saying;

“The Scottish Government is investing record amounts in affordable housing, more than 1.5 billion pounds over three years, despite the tightest settlement from Westminster since devolution.

“These are hard times for businesses and families across Scotland and this government is working hard to meet this challenge, refocus activity and ensure Scotland gets through the economic downturn in the strongest possible position.

“Building on this, the announcement today will help the successful local authorities to reverse decades of decline in council house building as well as safeguarding jobs, supporting the construction industry and keeping the economy moving.”

Areas benefiting from the government funding include Aberdeenshire, Edinburgh, East Lothian,Falkirk, Fife,Midlothian, Moray, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire – 1 million pounds for 40 homes, Orkney, Perth and Kinross, South Lanarkshire, Stirling and West Lothian.

Lothians MSPs welcomed the announcment which will see over 600 new homes built in Edinburgh and the Lothians.

Shirley-Anne Somerville called on the UK Government to offer similar support by writing off the housing debts of local authorities;

“672 new homes in Edinburgh and Lothians will have a positive impact on housing in the region.

“Ending the right to buy on new build council homes has given councils the freedom to begin building social housing again.

“In contrast to this support from the SNP it remains disappointing that Labour refuse to right off the housing debts of local authorities – brought about by the imposition of right to buy.  When Alasdair Darling can bail out the banks he should look strongly at supporting Scotland’s councils.”

Livingston MSP Angela Constance added;

“After only 6 council houses were built in the Labour years this funding will deliver 970 new homes, on top of those council’s are already building themselves.

“That West Lothian has won over £2.4 million of funding for 248 homes is a real recognition of the work the council has put in to bringing housing back onto the agenda and to meeting the challenges of our ever expanding population.

“Too often housing concerns are focussed on our cities.  This funding shows the SNP Government recognises the need for housing across the country, whether in urban areas like West Lothian or rural parts of Aberdeenshire.

“Affordable good quality housing is essential and the SNP is delivering better housing across Scotland.”

Press Release: Tenants Demand Housing Policy Changes from Holyrood

The Scottish Tenants Organisation

Suite 633, Claymore House, 145 Kilmarnock Road, Shawlands, Glasgow, Scotland, UK,G41 3JA

Tel: 07 826 834 116 or  01698281488.  Email: agahst2003@hotmail.com

Tenants  Demand Housing Policy Changes from Holyrood

SCOTLAND’S FOR COUNCIL HOUSING

The Scottish Tenants Organisation will make the case for changes to present Government housing policies at a lobby of the Scottish Parliament today, Thursday 12 February 2009.

The lobby organised jointly with the Scottish Trade Union Congress will give tenants the opportunity to meet MSPs, to call for a return to council house building through a mix of direct investment and housing debt write off. The STO also want;

• an end to housing stock transfers
• an  end to unnecessary demolitions
• an end to the right to buy
• an end to the give-away of land to the private sector.

MSPs call for audit over home improvement costs

Glasgow MSPs are shocked at an alleged lack of transparancy and openness at Glasgow Housing Association (GHA).

A high powered group have written to the housing regulator after Glasgow Save Our Homes campaigners made the allegation in connection with GHA’s home improvements programme and its handling of lease holder billing.

Dear Chancellor, be a darling, and wipe out Scotland’s housing debt!

We the undersigned call on the Chancellor Alistair Darling to write off Scotland’s housing debt, without housing stock transfers.

Landlord’s break-up under threat over contract breaches

The Scottish Government could be summoned to appear before the European Court of Justice in a move which also threatens the break-up of the country’s biggest social landlord.

After two years of investigations, the European Commission has now issued a “letter of formal notice” to the government stating that contracts awarded to dozens of tenant-led housing organisations in Glasgow to manage their properties appear to have breached public procurement laws – despite the previous executive passing legislation in 2005 to prevent this.

‘Drastic action needed’ over housing crisis [Dundee]

[From the Evening Telegraph] Dundee’s housing crisis is real and will only get worse unless drastic action is taken now to halt further demolition of council houses and increase the supply of affordable homes (writes Bruce Robbins).

That was the consensus that emerged from a public meeting on the subject in a Ward Road church.

Academics, housing professionals, tenants and two of the city’s SNP councillors made it clear that, from their point of view, housing difficulties are greater now than at any time for decades.

And, they said, ongoing demolition of council stock and the global credit crunch, which is making it harder for first time house buyers to secure a property, will only increase the pressures already apparent in the rented sector.

The meeting was called in response to concern raised in the Evening Telegraph that the city is facing a housing crisis following the publication of figures by the SNP group which showed there are almost 10,000 people on the waiting list.

Scottish tenants want Chancellor to write off debt

[Herald Article] The Scottish Tenants’ Organisation is demanding a meeting with the Chancellor, Alistair Darling to discuss writing-off local authorities’ £2.2bn historic housing debt.

The organisation cites a report from Audit Scotland which showed that this would be neutral in terms of the public purse. Debt write-off was previously dependent on council tenants agreeing to vote for transfer to new landlords.

But one of the cities to suffer most from not going down the stock transfer route is Edinburgh and with Mr Darling an MP for the city the STO hopes to impress on him their case.

John Carracher, convener of the organisation said: “Writing off this debt would release huge amounts of money to allow councils to invest in stock thereby solving virtually all our council housing investment problems in one act.”

He said “stock transfers amount to coercion which is being pursued for purely ideological reasons and that a change of direction needs to take place.

“We believe there are no good financial reasons for denying debt write-off and a change of direction could take place now with no need for legislation, so what are we waiting for?”

The STO cites the report by Audit Scotland which said: “This form of debt repayment is not in itself a cost to government in cash terms. The original borrowing – and the investment it funded – was a cost to government. But subsequent debt interest and repayments are transactions entirely within the public sector, so there is no net effect.”

Mr Carracher said: “Improvements to people’s homes and a change of landlord are two quite separate issues and should be treated as such. Housing stock transfers are an illogical approach to public housing provision and the approach must change.”

He said that at a recent meeting with the Scottish housing minister the STO argument had been accepted and he hoped Holyrood would back them in their fight with the Treasury.

Answer Time

A programme looking at some of the answers behind housing questions.