Latest news with #MàiriMcAllan
The National
10-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
Four ways Mairi McAllan can fix Scotland's housing crisis
Good evening! This week's edition of the In Common newsletter comes from Dr Craig Dalzell, head of policy and research at Common Weal. Màiri McAllan has returned to the Scottish Government after a well-deserved period of patient parental leave, though has left her former post as Cabinet Secretary for Energy and has been tasked with fixing Scotland's housing crisis. As a writer of policies on both topics I don't exactly envy the position but I can at least lay out some of the options I and my colleagues in Common Weal have published over the years on the topic. Housing is about more than homes – as anyone can attest if they have ever objected to a planning application for a new suburban sprawl on the basis that it would add extra pressure to services such as GPs, schools and other public services without adding to provision – but about building a sense of place, of community and about meeting a fundamental human need for shelter. The task is far larger than I can do justice in these few lines of text but I shall offer Màiri (below) four ideas to help fix housing in Scotland. Actual land reform You cannot build a home without having the land to build on it. This is a particularly acute problem in rural Scotland where despite having the space to build we often cannot access the land due to it being held by mega-estates and is simply not for sale or when it is, the price to buy is being speculated beyond control. We need a land tax and other mechanisms like Mercedes Villalba's proposal to cap maximum land ownership. One of the most powerful ideas though would be to allow councils to buy land at 'existing use value'. That is the value of land as it currently is, not an inflated value based on its 'potential' for housing or other uses. Build 'enough' social housing The central reason why Britain's housing 'market' is broken is because we run housing as a market. Thatcher broke the previous system by selling off social housing and making it impossible for councils to replace them. Social housing should never be the last option before homelessness but the first choice for housing for many. My paper Good Houses for All shows how the borrowing powers of councils and the Scottish National Investment Bank could build essentially unlimited homes for social rent (councils aren't limited in borrowing powers like Holyrood is, so long as the rents are sufficient to pay back the loan). They could be built to the highest possible energy standards to outbid the private sector in both price and quality. And they shouldn't be built to an arbitrary target of 'more houses than the previous government' but based on actual need. Councils should have a waiting list of people who want one of these homes and be resourced to deliver them by a certain date. If we do this, the private sector will be forced to cut rents and increase quality ... or their landlords will decide that they can no longer exploit people for a profit and will have to sell. (Image: Supplied) Fill vacant housing 'But what happens to the houses if the landlords sell?' Scotland already has more vacant homes than we have homeless households. Many of those homes are not being sold, but are still being clung on to as a speculative investment because prices are rising higher than costs. We also have even more vacant housing than appears in those statistics because many high street shops in Scotland have housing units above them that are vacant but are classified as 'commercial use' rather than residential. Look above the ground floor in many places in the centre of Glasgow and you'll start to see them. Policies like increasing council tax multipliers on empty homes and Màiri's announcement this week of extra vacant housing officers will go a long way towards fixing this. Councils should also be resourced to allow them to use their compulsory purchase powers more aggressively – particularly to support them to purchase vacant homes not at 'market rate' but at a fair rate that will include consideration of the costs to repair and retrofit the housing up to the standards expected of newbuilds – this will often be far cheaper than building new and therefore will contribute to the solution to the crisis in a much more resource efficient way. READ MORE: 'Trading people like cargo' UK-France one in, one out deal sparks fury Increase rental building standards For the housing that remains in private rental hands, we need to continue the work already being done around tenants' rights, rent controls and quality standards. As hinted above, many private rented houses in Scotland fall far short of energy efficiency and other environmental standards and urgently need retrofitted. France is rolling out a scheme whereby it will be illegal to rent properties that fall below a certain EPC rating and the minimum rating will keep rising every few years. Scotland should do the same. Before those retrofits happen, many of these properties also need to be repaired first (there's little point in installing solar panels on a leaking roof). The aggressive recapture of housing for social rent mentioned above could also be done with private rented homes that still have sitting tenants if the landlord wishes to sell or is deemed no longer adequately responsible in their management of housing, converting them to social rents and offering a rent-controlled lifetime tenancy to the tenant along with an improving their homes. Conclusion The housing emergency in Scotland is perhaps second only to the climate emergency that Màiri was familiar with in her previous brief. The two are, in fact, interrelated and can't be solved separately. What won't solve it is shovelling more money into the paws of private developers under the guise of 'affordable housing' that is barely either. It's not going to solved by a single tweak anywhere or even if we only do everything on this list but every step we take will lead to more people living more affordably and more securely in a country that can more than afford to provide that, but for too long hasn't by design.
The Herald Scotland
08-07-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Scotland's largest trade unions back calls for rent controls
However, a consultation is currently taking place to consider certain exemptions from rent controls or increases above the rent cap. Tenants group Living Rent has written an open letter to the Scottish Government, supported by the Scottish Trades Union Congress, Unite Scotland, GMB, RMT Scotland, UCU Scotland, and PCS urging it to resist any calls for exemptions. Read More: Addressed to First Minister John Swinney, cabinet secretary Màiri McAllan and cabinet secretary Shirley Anne Somerville it reads: "We, the undersigned, represent a coalition of trade unions, charities, and community groups who stand in solidarity with Scotland's tenants. "We write to you with a clear and urgent message: the situation for renters in Scotland has reached a crisis point. Scotland is in the middle of a housing emergency, as recognised by the Government, with working-class people bearing the brunt. At the same time, Scotland's landlords and their lobbyists are working hard to water down rent controls and make them functionally useless. We need to see bold, urgent action from your Government Scotland, rents are through the roof and the situation is worsening by the day. "With each rent rise tenants' quality of life decreases and your Government moves further away from its target of eradicating child poverty. The Scottish Government made a promise to introduce long-term rent controls to tackle this problem, but it is now buckling under the immense lobbying power of landlords and property investors. "A new consultation is underway which could lead to large numbers of properties being exempted from rent controls. Not only would these exemptions be disastrous for tenants living in these tenures, but they would create a two-tier system which could undermine rent controls overall. "Scotland's tenants deserve better than to be left at the mercy of a housing market driven by greed and inequality. We urge you to act now, ensure there are no exemptions to rent controls and fulfil your promise to introduce robust rent controls before the end of this Parliament." The letter is signed by Aditi Jehangir, chair, Living Rent; Roz Foyer, general secretary, STUC; Gordon Martin, Scotland organiser RMT Scotland; Liz McGachey & John Jamieson, co-convenors of the Scottish Executive Committee, PCS Scotland; Unite Scotland; GMB Scotland, and University and College Union (UCU) Scotland. It can be read in full here. Over 2024, new rents across Scotland increased by 6.2% to an average of £893 per month, up £52 per month compared with the previous year. Data from the Scottish Government published in November revealed that between 2010 and 2024, rents across Scotland have increased on average by 61.3% for two bedroom properties. Living Rent's national campaigns officer, Ruth Gilbert said: 'Introducing exemptions to rent controls will be a disaster for tenants. Exemptions will not only leave thousands of tenants without protections, but they will create a two tier system of tenants whilst undermining rent controls for everyone. "Landlords have been getting away with hiking up rent for too long. Current regulation is simply not strong enough, with landlords exploiting every loophole to increase rent. Exemptions will give landlords even more of a licence to line their pockets whilst tenants suffer. "If done properly, rent controls will be completely transformational for Scottish tenants. The new housing minister has an opportunity to show what she stands for by introducing strong, effective rent controls that bring rents down,increase quality and ensure that everyone in Scotland has a safe, secure, affordable place to call home.'
STV News
18-06-2025
- Politics
- STV News
Housing secretary 'doesn't know number of people on social housing list'
Scotland's new cabinet secretary for housing has told STV News she 'doesn't have the figure' of the number of people waiting for social housing in Scotland. Màiri McAllan was asked the question during a visit to Wheatley Group development in Bathgate, West Lothian on Wednesday. She admitted that she 'didn't have the figure,' which currently stands at nearly 250,000 people. 'I don't have that, I don't have that figure on me today, no', she told STV News. 'So in my office in parliament, I have a dashboard that demonstrates to me the number of people who are waiting, who are in temporary accommodation, unsuitable…it's not that I don't know it, I don't have the figure with me today. 'I think what they'll be more interested in is that I am now taking this brief into Cabinet with a direct line to the First Minister and that housing is one of his absolute priorities. 'That we are investing more than ever in the delivery of affordable homes, and that I am turning over every stone that I can to make sure that more homes are available to more people in Scotland, and I'll be making that my priority.' McAllan took up her new position last week – the same day she returned from maternity leave – as the First Minister upgraded housing to a standalone capital position. The Government Housing (Scotland) Bill is midway through its parliamentary passage, having cleared stage two last week. McAllan's appointment was said to ensure government action is focused on 'tackling the housing emergency and providing energy efficient homes for the future'. STV News Nearly 250,000 people are waiting for social housing in Scotland. Ms McAllan met with tenants from Wheatley Homes on Wednesday before being shown around the homes on-site. The development, which contains 29 homes for social rent, including two and three-bedroom properties, has been funded by £3.1m through the Scottish Government's Charitable Bonds programme. The visit comes after MSPs took evidence on the housing crisis last Thursday, with leading figures calling for the Scottish Government to prioritise the issue at a senior level. At least 12 councils have declared local housing emergencies. Argyll and Bute council was the first to do so in June 2023, followed by Edinburgh, Glasgow, Fife, and West Dunbartonshire councils. The councils cited issues ranging from pressure on homelessness services, rising property prices and high levels of temporary accommodation. The Scottish Government formally declared a national housing emergency on May 15, 2024. In a new report titled 'Still Waiting', the Scottish Federation of Housing Association revealed that nearly 250,000 people across Scotland are currently waiting for a social home. The group, while welcoming the £212m uplift for the affordable homes programme, has said that funding needs to go further, citing the 'devastating' experience of people stuck on waiting lists. 'This devastating research lays bare the consequences of our housing emergency', said SFHA Chief Executive Sally Thomas. 'We know that nearly 250,000 people in Scotland are on a waiting list for a social home: this report shows that they are often trapped in insecure, unaffordable housing which does not meet their needs and takes a significant toll on their physical and mental wellbeing.' Steven Henderson, chief executive of Wheatley Group, said: 'Increasing the supply and maintenance of homes that are affordable, fuel efficient and of high quality has never been more essential in Scotland. It's central to what Wheatley stands for and does. 'Since 2021, Wheatley has committed to building around 3000 new affordable homes. Last year, we were recognised as the UK's largest builder of social homes over the past decade. But we know more can always be done, and even more homes need to be built, as demand for affordable housing continues to outstrip supply. 'This report outlines the challenges and hardship faced by people on waiting lists and the devasting impact it has on the lives of families. 'We are determined to use our scale and capacity to play our part in addressing the acute shortage of affordable housing in Scotland.' 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
Glasgow Times
14-06-2025
- Business
- Glasgow Times
'Our homelessness services are under significant pressure'
We are aware that the number of people living in temporary homeless accommodation is at a record high, from reports provided by Glasgow's Health and Social Care Partnership. Currently, staff at the Health and Social Care Partnership are focusing on supporting people who are living in an emergency situation. At the moment, the demand for housing in Glasgow is much greater than the housing supply. There can be a delay of several years before people who are homeless can access a permanent house or flat. Homeless charities highlight that the cuts by the UK Department for Work and Pensions towards Personal Independence Payment and Universal Credit will lead to a further increase in homelessness. Decisions by the UK Government in the year ahead are likely to exacerbate our already stretched council services. The Scottish Government is mitigating the UK Government's Bedroom Tax. We know that this funding would be better spent tackling the housing crisis and the UK Government should scrap this tax. There is a Housing Transfer Incentive Scheme in Glasgow which can help release large housing association homes by encouraging people in 'under-occupied' properties with three rooms or more, to downsize. Tenants can access appropriately sized homes to meet their needs through specific housing support services. We can welcome the Scottish Parliament's Housing Inquiry by the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee which has published a series of recommendations to support further collaboration by the Scottish Government with housing providers to deliver a national overarching Housing Emergency Action Plan by the end of this session. We need the Scottish Government to provide clarity on whether its additional funding for the Affordable Housing Supply Programme budget will ensure that it meets its target of providing 110,000 affordable homes by 2030. It is vital that housing is a priority and that the Scottish Government considers the importance of increasing the Affordable Housing Supply Programme budget. There has been significant partnership working undertaken to respond to the housing crisis. We can welcome the number of housing associations providing lets to tenants who are homeless across Glasgow. The Scottish Government can explore the opportunities available by increasing social investment in housing. The capacity of housing associations could be developed to increase the number of homes, especially for families, in our local communities. There is a need to ensure clarity for housing providers on the intended statutory requirement for homes to meet net-zero standards. Uncertainty is deterring housing development and this needs to be addressed to help tackle the housing crisis. We can support the appointment of Màiri McAllan as Cabinet Secretary for Housing to ensure that there is increased focus on tackling the housing crisis and providing energy-efficient homes for the future. It is vital that the new Cabinet Secretary can use all the powers at her disposal to address the housing crisis we face.
Times
12-06-2025
- Business
- Times
Swinney promotes ‘rising star' McAllan in cabinet reshuffle
John Swinney has created the largest cabinet since devolution in a 'modest' reshuffle, adding an extra ministerial post to his top team. Màiri McAllan, the MSP for Clydesdale, has returned from maternity leave and been named as the newly created housing secretary, as well as having an extra unofficial responsibility for media interviews. The Scottish cabinet now consists of 12 members with the ministerial team reduced to 11 from 14. Paul McLennan, who had been a junior housing minister, left the government at his own request, it was announced, with McAllan, who had previously been net zero and energy secretary, taking on overall responsibility for the portfolio. With the housing brief promoted to cabinet level, McAllan will be tasked with tackling Scotland's housing emergency as well as passing reforms to ensure homes are more energy efficient — a move that ministers hope can bring down bills while also tackling climate change. Senior SNP sources stressed 'the political significance' of her appointment. McAllan, 32, is highly regarded within the party and seen as a possible leadership contender in future. Some have suggested that Swinney's successor will be one of McAllan, the deputy first minister Kate Forbes and the Westminster leader Stephen Flynn. McAllan's former role as net zero and energy secretary has been filled by the Aberdeenshire East MSP Gillian Martin, who has been covering the post during McAllan's maternity leave. However, Swinney's opponents said that the reshuffle was merely 'rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic' and contained the 'same old faces who have failed Scotland for far too long'. There was no cabinet place for Ivan McKee, the public finance minister, who has been overlooked for a second time by Swinney despite his reputation as one of the few well-performing junior ministers. Swinney described the reshuffle as 'modest' and said that the government was focused on four aims: eradicating child poverty, strengthening the economy, making the transition to net zero and improving public services, in particular the NHS. Speaking on the steps of Bute House, the first minister said: 'I've decided to make modest changes to the government because I think it is essential that the government, which is far advanced in delivering its programme of improvement in the lives of the people in Scotland, is concentrated on that delivery, it's vital that we have all the time available to us in this parliamentary term to improve the lives of people in Scotland and that is what the government is going to do.' The Scottish government is hoping to prioritise housebuilding on the back of the announcement of £39 billion for affordable and social homes over ten years by the UK chancellor, Rachel Reeves, in the spending review on Wednesday. In the wider reshuffle, Maree Todd, the public health minister, has moved to the drugs and alcohol portfolio, replacing Christina McKelvie who died in March. Todd's role as social care minister has been taken by Tom Arthur, the former employment minister. Some within the SNP had been hoping for a more extensive reshuffle to remove, or at least shift, poorly performing ministers, but claimed that Swinney's natural caution and a lack of talent among junior ministers and backbenchers had hampered big changes. One SNP insider described it as a 'missed opportunity' and another nationalist derided it as 'more a wee shuffle than a reshuffle'. Alex Neil, the former health secretary, said it was 'the same old, same old. Nowhere near the changes needed to win next year's election.' The changes follow the party's unexpected loss in last week's Hamilton, Larkhall & Stonehouse by-election to Labour. After the vote Swinney said that the SNP needed a period of 'soul searching' and that the result showed that Scottish voters were no longer prioritising independence. It had been suggested that the first minister would take the opportunity to replace at least one of Shona Robison, the finance secretary, Fiona Hyslop, the transport secretary, and Mairi Gougeon, the rural affairs secretary, who have all announced they will leave the Scottish parliament next year. Rachael Hamilton, the Scottish Conservatives' deputy leader, said: 'Scots will be forgiven for thinking 'is that it'? John Swinney is leading a government that is not only out of ideas, but out of personnel too. 'He's rearranged the deckchairs on the Titanic and ended up with the same old faces who have failed Scotland for far too long.' Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour's deputy leader, said: 'The SNP lost the by-election in Hamilton, Larkhall & Stonehouse because they failed to listen to the priorities of people who have been badly let down by the government at Holyrood. 'If, after 18 years in power, the best John Swinney has to offer as an answer to the issues facing Scots is to shuffle his cabinet around, then that is simply not good enough.'
