Wanted: Fresh Thinking, New Ideas

Scotland's housing system must adapt with 'radical thinking and bold new ideas' to the financial realities presented by reductions in public spending, according to a discussion document published by Scottish Ministers.

Housing: Fresh Thinking, New Ideas poses fundamental questions about the way homes can be built, allocated, funded and managed in the future and is linked to a new website where members of the public can contribute to the debate.

Scotland is facing 'unprecedented challenges'. Over the next 25 years, the number of households in Scotland is projected to increase by more than a fifth to 2.8 million - an average of an additional 19,000 households per year.

Continued effort is also needed to meet the 2012 homelessness targets, the needs of an ageing population and the annual carbon emissions reduction targets. Domestic emissions are responsible for 25 per cent of Scotland's carbon emissions.

Ministers also unveiled a Scottish Government-funded pilot project, the first of its kind in the UK, which will analyse thermal imaging scans of 10,000 homes across Scotland. The results will help the drive to tackle fuel poverty and reduce carbon emissions.

Housing and Communities Minister Alex Neil added:

"This paper represents a radical new approach to housing policy in Scotland. New ideas and fresh thinking include for example: finding ways to attract pension fund monies for investment in social housing, joint working with developers to allow low to moderate income first time buyers to buy their own home, supporting the private sector in offering more Rent to Buy schemes, an expansion of non-subsidised social housing projects and increasing the role of shared equity schemes.

"In addition to the ideas laid out in this paper, the Scottish Government's two Housing Bills will reform the Right to Buy, make private investment in new housing easier to do, crack down on rogue landlords and introduce a new deal for tenants of both social housing and private landlords.

"Taken together these measures represent a radical departure from the past and bring housing policy in Scotland into the 21st century."

The publication of the discussion document is the starting point for a broad discussion about housing policy. This will take place throughout the summer, with events across the country to discuss the various themes. Towards the end of the year the Scottish Government will publish a paper setting out our housing policy proposals.

Hugh McClung, Chairperson of Stirling Tenants Assembly said:

“This is a major concern to tenants since the original funding put in place by the current and previous administrations in the Scottish Government will be coming to an end soon and a strategy for not only funding but the building of more social housing in Scotland is needed.

We need to develop a simpler way of tackling homelessness as well as a long-term strategy for affordable housing for those who cannot afford to buy their own home, and a more robust scheme whereby we are investing in “whole life” housing rather than quick fix remedies.

This document will go a long way to begin a conversation amongst tenants that will enable them to take part in the debate but also make firm suggestions and contributions that will be listened to by the Housing Policy team in the Scottish Parliament”