Latest news with #ScottishEmptyHomesPartnership
Daily Record
08-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
North Lanarkshire to benefit from additional Empty Homes Officers
Additional Scottish Government funding, delivered through the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership in 2025-26, will see councils across Scotland, including North Lanarkshire Council, take a more proactive and targeted approach to tackling local housing issues. Motherwell and Wishaw MSP Clare Adamson has welcomed the announcement that North Lanarkshire will benefit from additional Empty Homes Officers. Additional Scottish Government funding, delivered through the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership in 2025-26, will see councils across Scotland, including North Lanarkshire Council, take a more proactive and targeted approach to tackling local housing issues. The Scottish Empty Homes Partnership, which is supporting the rollout, has confirmed that nine councils, including North Lanarkshire, are on board and recruitment is underway. Ms Adamson said: 'With the housing emergency affecting communities across North Lanarkshire, I'm proud to see our SNP Government delivering vital investment to turn around empty homes for those in my constituency. 'This investment will directly benefit families here in Motherwell and Wishaw, where the need for housing is urgent and growing. 'While Labour talks about the housing crisis, the SNP is delivering real solutions. In contrast to Labour's lack of a credible housing plan, this is yet another example of the SNP putting people first and using the powers of government to make a difference. 'By recruiting dedicated officers to bring these properties back into use, we are helping to address the housing crisis head-on and ensure more people have a place to call home. 'This investment from the SNP Government shows real leadership and a commitment to long-term solutions and tackling the housing emergency.' Figures show that over 43,000 homes across Scotland have been empty for more than six months, with nearly three-quarters vacant for over a year. Since 2010, more than 11,000 homes have been brought back into use thanks to the work of local Empty Homes Officers. However, Councillor Jim Logue, Leader of North Lanarkshire Council, was quick to point out that the local authority are covering half the costs in partnership with the Scottish Government. He said: 'Tackling empty homes has been a long-standing priority for the council. 'We already have an Empty Homes Officer in place who works directly with owners of private empty properties to help bring them back into use. 'The funding announced by the Scottish Government will only cover half the cost of adding a second officer, and only for the next two years. 'The council is funding the other half, so it's disappointing that the MSP hasn't recognised the council's strong commitment to addressing this issue.'
The Herald Scotland
03-07-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Action to tackle 'unacceptable' empty homes in Scotland announced
These officers provide advice and assistance to owners on various options like renting, selling, or renovating their properties. They also work with local authorities to identify and address problematic empty properties. The move comes as Scotland is currently facing a housing crisis after a national emergency was declared in the Scottish Parliament over a year ago. Last year, The Herald launched a seven-point 'charter for change' to help end Scotland's housing emergency including a call to change the law so thousands of Scots found to be at risk of homelessness every year get support earlier to stay in their homes. The Charter for Change also called for the conversion of empty and void properties into affordable, settled homes to be sped up to move people out of temporary accommodation quickly. Last year, council tax data published by the Scottish government showed that 43,538 properties in Scotland were lying empty, and 73% of these homes were empty for over a year. The new posts are being supported as part of a £2 million Scottish Government investment through the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership in 2025-26. The Scottish Government says this funding they have announced will see staff take a "more proactive and targeted approach" to tackling local housing issues. READ MORE: 'Incompetent' ScotGov 'failings' on affordable homes pledge laid bare 'It's time John Swinney got his hard hat on to build more homes' FM faces backlash over 'disappointing' plans on affordable homes Scotland housing charities urge Swinney commit to homebuilding pledge Funding will also be used to train and induct new staff, grow services and ensure empty homes are utilised, including by increasing support for Local Authorities to make compulsory purchase orders. Ms McAllan said: 'Bringing homes back into use is a vital part of our plan to tackle the housing emergency – when too many families are struggling to find somewhere to live, it is unacceptable to me that so many houses are lying empty for long periods. 'It's vital to help councils to step up measures to turn privately-owned empty properties into much-needed homes and it's encouraging that local authorities have already come forward to make use of this support. 'As the First Minister has set out, this government is determined to eradicate child poverty – and tackling the housing emergency by making sure families have access to a home is a crucial part of that.' In a sit-down interview with The Herald, the new housing secretary also pledged to not roll back on house building targets. In 2021, the SNP promised to deliver 110,000 affordable homes by 2032. However, their critics in parliament and the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations have said they will fail to meet this commitment. Asked by The Herald if the target is still credible, Ms McAllan said: 'I think it is. I think that it will require us to step up. It's challenging for a number of reasons not least costs.' The Cabinet Secretary cited inflationary costs that have been 'bearing down' on construction since Covid as well as rising demand for housing. She added: 'These are challenging targets but I think the public expect their governments to challenge themselves. "I'm absolutely not intending to roll back on any of that.' Ms McAllan said the 'core' of action to tackle house building should be the Affordable Housing Supply Programme in which the government is investing £768 million this year in which the secretary says will translate into 8,000 affordable homes. However, she said this is "not enough" and that is why she is exploring "what levers can be pulled to bring empty homes into use" to "turn around social voids". Ms McAllan also said the Additional Dwelling Supplement is also "potentially helping" with the issue of second homes issues. Nine local authorities have so far agreed to employ the additional empty homes officers. Scottish Empty Homes Partnership National Manager Tahmina Nizam said: 'Every home matters as we work together to end Scotland's housing emergency. 'In councils across the country Empty Homes Officers are delivering results, with over 11,000 homes having brought back into use since 2010. The additional posts supported by this funding will expand on that vital work. New Empty Homes Officers are already in post at City of Edinburgh Council, while recruitment is underway in several other local authorities. 'Homes weren't built to sit empty; every empty home has the potential to transform a family or individual's life, but collectively they have an enormous role to play in reducing housing need and tackling the housing emergency. 'We look forward to welcoming more new Empty Homes Officers as they come into post and supporting their efforts to bring more homes back into use.'
STV News
15-05-2025
- Business
- STV News
Government urged to create action plan one year after housing emergency declared
A Holyrood committee has urged the Government to create a national action plan to address the housing emergency. MSPs voted to declare a housing emergency one year ago, following on from a similar move by local councils as homelessness reached record levels. An inquiry by the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee found the housing emergency was 'years, even decades in the making and was therefore both predictable and preventable', according to convener Ariane Burgess. As of September 30 last year, 16,634 households were living in temporary accommodation, including 10,360 children, with both figures the highest on record. Figures for 2024 also show that the number of homes built dropped by 7%, while new homes started by construction firms fell by 9%. The committee's report urges ministers to create a plan and work across all Government departments to tackle the issue. 'The committee recommends that the Scottish Government develop a national overarching housing emergency action plan by the end of this session of Parliament in collaboration with the wider housing sector,' the report said. 'This should include clear milestones and outcomes to enable progress to be measured. 'A whole-systems approach is required that is led by the Scottish Government and its partners in order to stabilise housing in Scotland and help prevent future emergencies. 'The committee therefore recommends that the Scottish Government sets out how it will better coalesce its own departments around tackling housing need and ensure that wider policies across different portfolios can have a positive impact.' Ahead of the anniversary of the declaration, Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville touted the Government's action in the past year and its plans for the future, including spending £768 million on affordable housing, funding local councils, and investing £2 million in the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership to free up unused housing stock. The committee also urged the Government to confirm how the increase in housing spending this year, around £200m from last year, will impact its target of building 110,000 affordable homes by 2032. Ms Somerville said: 'Providing everyone in Scotland the right to a warm, safe and affordable home is essential to our key priority of eradicating child poverty. 'The measures we have taken have meant increased investment in the affordable housing sector and fewer families living in temporary accommodation. 'As a result of our actions, an estimated more than 2,600 households with children have been helped into affordable housing in the year up to December 2024. 'We have delivered 136,000 affordable homes, with 97,000 of those for social rent, between 2007 and the end of December 2024. 'We are also working to identify and turn around empty private and social homes and encouraging more funding streams into the sector through our housing investment taskforce. 'It is encouraging that we are seeing a reduction in families in temporary accommodation in some local authority areas. 'However, we know there is more to do, which is why we have increased the affordable housing budget for this financial year by £200m to £768m. In the longer term, we will also introduce homelessness prevention measures and a system of long-term rent controls in our Housing (Scotland) Bill. 'We are determined to tackle the housing emergency and ensure that everyone in Scotland can have somewhere to call home.' Scottish Labour housing spokesman Mark Griffin described the Government as 'arrogant and out of touch', adding: 'Since the SNP was forced to declare a housing emergency a year ago, housebuilding has plummeted, the number of children in temporary accommodation has risen to a record high, and rent and house prices have continued to climb. 'The SNP's Programme for Government has been described as a 'programme for homelessness' and its incompetent housing minister is still in a job. 'The SNP's desperate spin won't wash with the people who are living through the dire consequences of this housing emergency.' Scottish Conservative housing spokeswoman Meghan Gallacher said: 'This stark report makes it clear the SNP have been missing in action since finally agreeing a housing emergency was occurring on their watch. 'They have continued to recklessly support rent controls, which do not work, and have continued to ask cash-strapped councils to do more with less as they try to meet local demand for housing. 'With a record number of children in temporary accommodation and housebuilding collapsing across Scotland, the SNP Government needs to wake up. 'They should mark this anniversary by accepting that current housing policies are failing, ditch plans for permanent rent controls, and instead encourage much-needed investment into our flagging housing sector.' 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
