Black's Blog

Jimmy Black reflects on Caledonia Housing Association's ‘agile’ staff strategy and gets misty-eyed about his old place of work in a Broughty Ferry mansion house. I came across the term “agile” when working in technology-enabled care. A bunch of expert software developers crea

Let’s start with the basics. We should build houses and plan communities that people can live in. Ok… which people? I’d like to answer “everyone” but that’s not what we do. Is the answer “people who can drive, think clearly and are able to walk and climb st

Jimmy Black rounds up a lively discussion on the Scottish Housing News Podcast about tenant participation and how it has evolved since the pandemic. Who gets to have housing fun? Not the staff and not the board members at their very serious conferences. It’s the tenants who have the fun.

Jimmy Black ponders rent freezes, inflation, land reform, housebuilding, planning and community buy-outs, all in one blog ... and notes a sterling lobbying effort from Homes for Scotland on National Planning Framework 4. Much has happened since Scottish Housing News published the recent podcast with

Stephen Llewellyn grew up in a multi. He felt warm, safe and is happy to say that he had a great childhood there. Yet he is leading the demolition of 48 high rise blocks in North Lanarkshire. Stephen acknowledges the contradiction. Speaking on the Scottish Housing News podcast, he spoke with some pr

Jack Rillie leads the Glasgow Alliance to End Homelessness, and he says, “if by 2030 … it’s the same service providers delivering the same services as in 2022 then I’ll have monumentally failed in my job.” It’s a dramatic statement and to get the full context you

Abolishing mandatory evictions is the subject of the latest episode of the SHN podcast. Co-host Jimmy Black predicts dramatic change will result ... A cynic might think that decades of rent controls, different rent controls, no rent controls and better tenancies have made little difference …

Scottish Housing News Podcast co-host Jimmy Black looks back on a conversation with Alistair McIntosh, CEO of Housing Quality Network.

After sitting down with Places For People Scotland’s managing director Tom Norris for the Scottish Housing News Podcast to discuss the stigmas that still surround social housing in Scotland, Jimmy Black reveals how his experiences have shaped his outlook to this day.

Jimmy Black reflects on the recent Holyrood launch of the Scottish Housing with Care Taskforce report. The challenge of housing our older people was the main focus of a recent reception in Holyrood, sponsored by Paul McLennan MSP. Some at the event, however, took a broader view of the meaning of Hou

Scottish Housing News Podcast co-host Jimmy Black rounds up a lively debate on the topic of housing affordability from the latest episode.

Scottish Empty Homes Partnership national project manager Shaheena Din appeared on the latest episode of the Scottish Housing News Podcast to outline the importance of having an Empty Homes Officer and empty homes strategy, podcast co-host Jimmy Black explains more.

Jimmy Black reflects on a meeting of minds between Aaron Hill of the SFHA and Kirsty McKechnie of the Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland.

Jimmy Black ponders procurement, the subject of the tenth episode of the Scottish Housing News Podcast.

Scottish Housing News Podcast co-host Jimmy Black shares his thoughts on the discussion with Community Land Scotland chair Ailsa Raeburn, the community buy out on the Isle of Gigha and the parallels with community-based housing associations. Folk singer Dougie McLean sings of the myst