News

The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations’ head of public affairs Sarah Boyack is to leaving the organisation to return to her previous role as an MSP at the Scottish Parliament. Previously an MSP from 1999 to 2016, during which she served as minister for the environment, planning and tr

A homelessness prevention project is under way to investigate ways to improve the performance of section 11 notices in the north and islands of Scotland. Whenever a landlord raises proceedings to end a tenancy, by law they must serve to the relevant local authority a section 11 notice, to allow the

Affordable homes are to be developed in Aberdeen city centre after offices at Exchequer House were acquired by developer Swan Group. Previously used as commercial offices, the four floors above the currently occupied ground floor has recently received planning permission for a 37-unit development.

Housing and homelessness charity Shelter Scotland said the underlying causes of poverty must be tackled as new figures revealed nearly a third of a million low income households accessed emergency funding to help with the costs of essentials such as food and heating in the past six years. The Scotti

Melanie Rees from the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) reflects on a social housing research project by the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE) and introduces new research on social housing allocations. One of the key questions posed in our 2018 research project Rethinking socia

An exciting mural project has been taking shape on the fence that surrounds the vacant site of the former Tweedbridge Court. Eildon Housing Association and Hart Builders Ltd have been working in partnership with the Peebles youth led organisation Tweeddale Youth Action, and local artists Ross Macrae

Consumers will automatically receive compensation from today if they suffer energy switching errors or if suppliers are late in refunding credit when they leave. Ofgem said the new requirements, which will see customers awarded at least £30 compensation, have been introduced to give customers

Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) is taking action to help the estimated 80,000 low income households in Scotland who could be paying too much Council Tax. The charity has today launched a new online tool to help people check if they are entitled to reductions, deductions or exemptions.

West Dunbartonshire Council has already met the carbon emission reduction target it was aiming to reach by 2020. Officers anticipate that the council will now far exceed the 15% reduction they committed to back in 2012.

Plans to transform a former Fife maternity hospital into housing have been approved by councillors. The site of the Forth Park Hospital in Kirkcaldy, which has lain empty since it closed in January 2012, will be given a new lease of life in the form of 41 homes and the conversion of existing buildin

Scotland’s minister for energy, connectivity and the islands Paul Wheelhouse MSP will be visiting the inaugural Dcarbonise exhibition and conference and All-Energy, the UK’s largest renewable and low carbon energy exhibition and conference, on May 16. Mr Wheelhouse will deliver a ke

A health care provider with 32 homes throughout Scotland has collapsed into administration. Four Seasons Health Care (FSHC) has eight homes in Glasgow, six in Fife, five in Aberdeenshire and four in Edinburgh which could all be affected along with others in Ayrshire and Lothian.

Homes for Scotland (HFS) has appointed Fionna Kell to the position of director of policy. Responsible for developing and driving forward the organisation’s wider policy objectives as set out in its recently published five-year strategy, her initial focus will be on the Scottish Government&rsqu

The independent chair of a commission tasked with tackling poverty in Edinburgh has called for the introduction of strict rent controls in the city. Dr Jim McCormick said that high housing costs has been singled out by the Edinburgh Poverty Commission as the biggest barrier to lifting people through

An Aberdeen electrical company contracted to rewire and install new heating systems in Aberdeenshire Council properties has been fined for failing to put in place adequate barriers and physical warning signs around open floor hatches in a residential property. As a consequence of this failure the re