Latest news with #HousingBill
Glasgow Times
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Glasgow Times
Pledge to stop women fleeing violence becoming homeless
More than one in four homeless applications from women are from those suffering domestic abuse. James Dornan, SNP MSP for Cathcart, called for action to ensure women are not left homeless if they are forced to flee domestic abuse. READ NEXT: Thousands expected for march and rally to support refugees in Glasgow He asked Mhairi McAllan, the Housing Secretary, to ensure safe options are available for women. He said: 'Given that domestic abuse is the leading recorded cause of women presenting as homeless in Scotland, accounting for around 23% of female-headed homelessness applications in 2023/24, what further specific steps are being taken to ensure safe, stable and immediate housing options are available to survivors?' The Housing Secretary said steps were being taken under the Housing Act to strengthen the safeguards for women to help women remain in their home. She said: 'Under the Housing Bill, we will introduce a duty on all social landlords to develop and introduce a domestic abuse policy. 'This should set out how they report their tenants experiencing abuse and it includes keeping the tenant in their home and removing the perpetrator if that is what they want.' READ NEXT: Tenant-led campaign to halt rent hike praised by MP 'We will also update the definition of domestic abuse, as it applies in housing, to take account of an increased understanding of what actually constitutes domestic abuse and the bill also introduces a duty on social landlords to fully consider domestic abuse and support individuals experiencing it if its causing any financial arrears before any legal action to recover possession of a property on account of rent arrears can be taken forward.' McAllan said the Bill would improve the rights of women in a domestic abuse situation. She added: 'The measures in this act mark a critical shift in preventing women's homelessness in the first place by giving social landlords greater control to transfer tenancies to a victim survivor. 'I place great priority on protecting the housing rights of women and children and those suffering domestic abuse, so I'm always open to new ways that we can do that.'
The National
12-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
Mairi McAllan: I'm back and I want quick progress on housing emergency
Returning to work after almost a year of maternity leave, the SNP MSP for Clydesdale was immediately summoned to Bute House by the First Minister and appointed Housing Secretary. 'Mairi McAllan has been tasked with tackling the housing emergency,' John Swinney said afterwards. 'Including ensuring we have energy efficient homes to help bring down bills and tackle the climate emergency. These are two of the biggest challenges facing people across the country.' READ MORE: UK Government announces £200m funding for Scottish Acorn carbon capture project And as the party is looking to reset after a tough by-election loss in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse and with the 2026 Holyrood election on the horizon, the 32-year-old has also been appointed to the unofficial role of lead minister for media interviews. It's further confirmation of how highly the SNP thinks of McAllan – who has often been tipped to be a future party leader. When The National spoke with McAllan on Wednesday afternoon in her office in Holyrood in her first interview since returning to government, she didn't confirm nor deny whether she harboured such ambitions. 'I have worked closely with leaders of our party and leaders of our government. I have seen up close how grueling and demanding the job is, and it's not something that should ever be taken on lightly,' she said. 'And I do not spend my days thinking about becoming leader of the SNP. However, the SNP means the world to me, [the] pursuit of Scottish independence means the world to me. So, right now, my job is to support the man that I back 100% to be leader, but it's flattering to have those things said nonetheless.' In any case, tackling the housing emergency will certainly be no mean feat for McAllan – with the potential to make or break any future leadership bid. When it was declared by the Scottish Government in May last year, homelessness was already at a record high with house building slowing down. Sat in front of a stack of papers and notes just hours after she was announced as Housing Secretary, McAllan said she is a minister who 'really likes to get into the details of things'. 'Particularly before I pontificate about what needs to be done,' she added. 'But it strikes me that there's funding and planning issues to be looked at, and then there's legal issues to be considered as well. And, obviously, there's a Bill that's quite well through just now which I'll be assessing very closely.' The Housing Bill is currently at Stage 2, with MSPs set to debate amendments in the coming months. It includes plans to cap rent rises at a maximum of 6% for tenants living in rent control areas. But Scotland's housing woes and homelessness crisis will need much more than that. Since the emergency was declared, figures have suggested it has only gone further downhill. READ MORE: SNP minister responds to 'secret meeting to discuss John Swinney leadership' reports Data released earlier this year showed there were a mammoth 17,424 households in Scotland assessed as being either homeless or threatened with homelessness in the six-month period from April 1 to September 30, 2024. Housebuilding in Scotland has also plummeted, with nearly 4000 fewer homes in supply in 2023-24, compared to the year before. McAllan said she "will not accept things not improving". "I think it is a bit like turning a tank around sometimes though, but I want to see quick progress," she added. McAllan also said the housing brief becoming a Cabinet position for the first showed the 'importance' the Scottish Government is placing on the issue. 'It has been an issue that the SNP have prioritised since we came into government and that's backed by statistics,' she claimed. 'We know that, per 10,000 head of population, affordable housing supply is 47% higher in Scotland than it is in England since we came into government, but clearly there is lots to be done.' The Scottish Government previously pledged to build 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, but some, including Labour, have said they are not on track to meet that target. For the last three years between 9500 and 10,400 new affordable homes were completed per year, with the most recent Scottish Budget statement pledging funding that would apparently enable a further 8000. (Image: free) 'I want to discuss with my officials where exactly we are on that,' McAllan said. 'But it's my priority that it continues to happen and we continue to build and deliver new properties.' She added: 'But I'm not going to wait for that slightly longer term piece of work to be done because there are disused properties that can be brought back into use much more quickly and with less money whilst we build and deliver them. 'So, there's no one answer. But I want to understand the full spectrum of options and make sure that each of them is working as fast as they can. McAllan, when pressed on some of the homelessness figures – specifically surrounding the number of children living in temporary accommodation – admitted that it was 'unacceptable'. Scottish Government data revealed that as of September 30 last year, there are a record 10,360 children living in temporary accommodation. 'It's completely unacceptable. In my view, and I'm sure this is one shared by the First Minister, a home and a roof over someone's head that they can be comfortable in is a fundamental aspect of both a dignified life and a successful life,' she said. 'The First Minister making this a Cabinet post is because he understands how connected it is with his principal goal of eradicating child poverty, but stimulating our economy at the same time and tackling the climate emergency.' McAllan added: 'So, I can't wait actually to get started, to get to know all of the actors in the industry, to understand what's been working to date, because I will defend the Scottish Government's record, but we now need to ramp up our actions rapidly in order to be commensurate with the scale of the challenge.' Angela Eagle – the UK Government's immigration minister – had been invited to a meeting in April with representatives from Glasgow City Council, the Scottish Government, and the Scottish Refugee Council. It comes amid concerns that the amount of refugees declaring as homeless is putting 'unprecedented pressure' on the local authority. But it went ahead without her after the minister's visit was cancelled last minute, with repeated calls from the SNP-led Glasgow Council for a follow-up meeting then ignored according to the city's homelessness lead Allan Casey. Asked about this, McAllan said the UK Government are 'far from where they need to be' on the issue. And asked whether she will be writing to the UK Government to call for a meeting, she responded: 'Absolutely'. 'For the whole of Scotland, I want to have a good working relationship with the UK ministers that are responsible. I haven't spoken to them yet because I was only appointed a few hours ago, but that will be something that I'll be looking to do.' She added: 'The UK Government, Scottish Government and local government need to be tied in very closely in order to make this work.'
The National
12-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
Mairi McAllan on being back and tackling Scotland's housing emergency
Returning to work after close to a year of maternity leave, the SNP MSP for Clydesdale was immediately summoned to Bute House by the First Minister and appointed Housing Secretary. 'Mairi McAllan has been tasked with tackling the housing emergency,' John Swinney said afterwards. 'Including ensuring we have energy efficient homes to help bring down bills and tackle the climate emergency. These are two of the biggest challenges facing people across the country.' READ MORE: UK Government announces £200m funding for Scottish Acorn carbon capture project And as the party is looking to reset after a tough by-election loss in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse and with the 2026 Holyrood election on the horizon, the 32-year-old has also been appointed to the unofficial role of lead minister for media interviews. It's further confirmation of how highly the SNP think of McAllan – who has often been tipped to be a future party leader. When The National spoke with McAllan on Wednesday afternoon in her office in Holyrood, she didn't confirm nor deny whether she harboured such ambitions. 'I have worked closely with leaders of our party and leaders of our government. I have seen up close how grueling and demanding the job is, and it's not something that should ever be taken on lightly,' she said. 'And I do not spend my days thinking about becoming leader of the SNP. However, the SNP means the world to me, pursuit of Scottish independence means the world to me. So, right now, my job is to support the man that I back 100% to be leader, but it's flattering to have those things said nonetheless.' In any case, tackling the housing emergency will certainly be no mean feat for McAllan – with the potential to make or break any future leadership bid. When it was declared by the Scottish Government in May last year, homelessness was already at a record high with house building slowing down. Sat in front of a stack of papers and notes just hours after she was announced as Housing Secretary, McAllan said she is a minister who 'really likes to get into the details of things'. 'Particularly before I pontificate about what needs to be done,' she added. 'But it strikes me that there's funding and planning issues to be looked at, and then there's legal issues to be considered as well. And, obviously, there's a bill that's quite well through just now which I'll be assessing very closely.' The Housing Bill is currently at Stage 2, with MSPs set to debate amendments in the coming months. It includes plans to cap rent rises at a maximum of 6% for tenants living in rent control areas. But Scotland's housing woes and homelessness crisis will need much more than that. Since the emergency was declared, figures have suggested it has only gone downhill. READ MORE: SNP minister responds to 'secret meeting to discuss John Swinney leadership' reports For example, data released earlier this year showed there were a mammoth 17,424 households in Scotland assessed as being either homeless or threatened with homelessness in the six-month period from April 1 to September 30, 2024. Housebuilding in Scotland has also plummeted, with nearly 4000 fewer homes in supply in 2023-24, compared to the year before. McAllan said she "will not accept things not improving". "I think it is a bit like turning a tank around sometimes though, but I want to see quick progress," she added. McAllan also said the housing brief becoming a Cabinet position for the first showed the 'importance' the Scottish Government is placing on the issue. 'It has been an issue that the SNP have prioritised since we came into government and that's backed by statistics,' she claimed. 'We know that, per 10,000 head of population, affordable housing supply is 47% higher in Scotland than it is in England since we came into government, but clearly there is lots to be done.' The Scottish Government previously pledged to build 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, but some, including Labour, have said they are not on track. For the last three years between 9500 and 10,400 new affordable homes were completed per year, with the most recent Scottish Budget statement pledging funding that would apparently enable a further 8000. (Image: free) 'I want to discuss with my officials where exactly we are on that,' McAllan said. 'But it's my priority that it continues to happen and we continue to build and deliver new properties.' She added: 'But I'm not going to wait for that slightly longer term piece of work to be done because there are disused properties that can be brought back into use much more quickly and with less money whilst we build and deliver them. 'So, there's no one answer. But I want to understand the full spectrum of options and make sure that each of them is working as fast as they can. McAllan, when pressed on some of the homelessness figures – specifically surrounding the amount of children living in temporary accommodation – admitted that it was 'unacceptable'. Scottish Government data revealed that as of September 30 last year, there were a record 10,360 children living in temporary accommodation. 'It's completely unacceptable. In my view, and I'm sure this is one shared by the First Minister, a home and a roof over someone's head that they can be comfortable in is a fundamental aspect of both a dignified life and a successful life,' she said. 'The First Minister making this a Cabinet post is because he understands how connected it is with his principal goal of eradicating child poverty, but stimulating our economy at the same time and tackling the climate emergency.' McAllan added: 'So, I can't wait actually to get started, to get to know all of the actors in the industry, to understand what's been working to date, because I will defend the Scottish Government's record, but we now need to ramp up our actions rapidly in order to be commensurate with the scale of the challenge.' Angela Eagle – the UK Government's immigration minister – had been invited to a meeting in April with representatives from Glasgow City Council, the Scottish Government, and the Scottish Refugee Council. It comes amid concerns that the amount of refugees declaring as homeless is putting 'unprecedented pressure' on the local authority. But it went ahead without her after the minister's visit was cancelled last minute, with repeated calls from the SNP-led Glasgow Council for a follow-up meeting then ignored according to the city's homelessness lead Allan Casey. Asked about this, McAllan said the UK Government are 'far from where they need to be' on the issue. And asked whether she will be writing to the UK Government to call for a meeting, she responded: 'Absolutely'. 'For the whole of Scotland, I want to have a good working relationship with the UK ministers that are responsible. I haven't spoken to them yet because I was only appointed a few hours ago, but that will be something that I'll be looking to do.' She added: 'The UK Government, Scottish Government and local government need to be tied in very closely in order to make this work.'
Daily Record
04-06-2025
- 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.'
The National
03-06-2025
- Business
- The National
'Mansion tax' for £1 million Scottish homes rejected by MSPs
The Scottish Greens had tabled an amendment to the SNP Government's Housing Bill in order to bring in a new top tax rate for properties which sell for more than £1 million. Currently, Scotland levies a Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) on residential property sales above £145,000. READ MORE: SNP reject Reform UK claims they 'organised protests against Nigel Farage' For homes between £145,001 and £250,000, a 2% rate is paid, which goes up to 5% for properties between £250,001 to £325,000, and 10% for sales worth £325,001 to £750,000. The current top rate of 12% is charged on properties sold for more than £750,000. The Greens' 'mansion tax' amendment would leave those bands unchanged but would create a new tax rate of 15% on residential sales worth more than £1m. The party tabled other amendments to the same bill, including an additional charge for overseas buyers of Scottish properties, plans which would enable councils to further increase council tax on holiday homes, and proposals which would make it easier for tenants to keep pets and service animals in their home. However, on Tuesday the proposal was rejected by SNP, Labour and Conservative members of Holyrood's Local Government and Housing Committee. MSP Ross Greer (above), who tabled the amendment, told The National that it was 'disappointing' that MSPs rejected the proposal and that 'only the very wealthiest people in the country, who can afford to pay more, would have been impacted' by the new tax. The MSP continued: 'Scotland has enough wealth to end injustices like child poverty tomorrow, but far too much of this money is in the hands of a tiny number of super-rich people and big corporations. READ MORE: Scottish MPs panned over up to £3500-a-month taxpayer-funded London homes 'Property taxes are important to ensure the wealthiest people pay their fair share back into our public services. I hope other MSPs remember that when they next complain about cuts to public services due to a lack of money.' The SNP's Housing Bill is currently at Stage 2, where MSPs are considering amendments. The deadline for the end of Stage 2 proceedings is on June 6, after which an updated version of the bill with approved amendments will be published. Scrutiny of the bill was split between Holyrood's Local Government, Housing and Planning and Social Justice and Social Security committees.
