The Scottish Parliament held a special discussion on the state of housing in the country as part of their annual Festival of Politics. Chaired by the Convener of the Cross Party Group on Housing, Graham Simpson MSP, the panel took on some of the big issues of the day. The panel consisted of Professor Ken Gibb from the University of Glasgow, Alison Watson, Chair of Shelter Scotland, and social housing activist and author, Kwajo Tweneboa.

Our public affairs expert, Jack Hope was there to capture the key points. Take a look below to find out more.

It is perhaps not surprising that a panel of people engrossed in housing in the UK would paint a stark picture of the situation we face. But there were certainly no punches being pulled in the Scottish Parliament this week. Although there was a particular focus on social housing, the entire house building sector was being discussed. As a key voice in England, Kwajo Tweneboa provided some interesting insights from there too. 

We’ve distilled some of the key facts and figures as well as panel opinions on how we can improve things here in Scotland.

Panel

Chair - Graham Simpson MSP, Convener of the Cross Party Group on Housing

Alison Watson, Chair of Shelter Scotland

Professor Ken Gibb, Director of the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence

Kwajo Tweneboa, Social housing activist and author

Key topics

Key takeaways from the panel

• Since the declaration of a housing emergency in May of this year, the ‘silence from the Scottish Government has been deafening’ with very little achieved. However, on a more local level it has helped councils identify and prioritise fixing the specific problems in their local area. 

• There are some ’fantastic laws’ in Scotland when it comes to social housing provision, but they are being broken on an ‘industrial scale’.

• Housing should be treated by the government like a necessity like food or water, instead of as a commodity.

• People used to be proud to live in social housing but the media has stigmatised this part of the sector. Significant investment in new homes as well as retrofitting current stock could help address this. 

• The rent freeze in the private sector in Scotland was a ‘blunt instrument’ which only supported a select few who were mid-tenancy, with many people facing huge rent increases when moving. It also had a knock on effect for the economy because build-to-rent investors decided to spend their money elsewhere in the UK.

• The new Scottish Housing Bill going through Parliament will give councils the power to freeze rents, but Professor Gibb believes they do not have the resources to meet the necessary evidence thresholds to implement these.

• Billions is spent on housing benefit every year in the UK but this is just propping up a broken system in need of reform and investment.

Key statistics shared by the panel

• 45 children in Scotland become homeless every day, with around 10,000 without a permanent place to live

• 36% fall in social housing starts since 2022 in Scotland

• England spends £2 billion every year on temporary accommodation and providing enough homes would reduce this cost significantly

• £1.4bn is spent by the NHS on treating people with conditions caused by unsuitable housing like damp and mould

• 7,000 social homes in England have been lying empty for at least a year

Jack Hope is as Public Affairs Consultant for Perceptive Communicators, supporting organisations across the built environment sector, and former political aide in Holyrood and Westminster. Get in touch with Jack at jack.hope@perceptivecommunicators.co.uk  if you want to discuss how your business can benefit from public affairs and public relations support.