Opinion

Drawing on her own experience sitting with families at the point of diagnosis, Esther Wilson, Hanover Scotland's director of customer services, makes the case that the prevailing "loss narrative" around dementia only tells half the story and that stigma, poor housing design and isolation remain the

John Alexander, chief executive at Hillcrest, discusses why building properties is no longer good enough – it’s communities that should be built into plans too. When we talk about building new homes, it can be easy to focus on the numbers. At Ellengowan Drive in Dundee, we’ve recen

The January 2027 analogue switch-off is fast approaching. With around 125 working days remaining, Sharon Hannah, project manager at the ​Digital Office for Scottish Local Government, believes housing providers that still rely on analogue telecare must act now to protect residents, reduce service d

It is results day in Scotland, and for many young people that means uncertainty about what comes next. #NoWrongPath, the campaign led by Developing the Young Workforce (DYW), exists to reassure them: exam results don't determine your future, and there’s more than one way to build a career wort

With just over two years until new homelessness prevention duties commence, Crisis Scotland's senior partnerships and practice officer, James Mullaney, takes a look at the lessons learned from the 15 Scottish Government-funded pilots. Scotland’s journey to embedding homelessness prevention in

The First Homes Fund is to be welcomed, but LBTT reform needed to match it, says Paul Hilton, chief executive officer of ESPC. The Scottish Government’s First Homes Fund has now been fully reopened for over a month, giving us a chance to see how the scheme is working in practice and to as

Darren Wisniewski, policy officer at Community Land Scotland, calls for land ownership reform in Scotland and argues that there needs to be a greater focus on community ownership. The housing crisis. Soaring energy bills. Crumbling high streets. Nature loss. Climate breakdown. Depopulation. Food sec

In the latest CIOB Column for our sister publication Scottish Construction Now, CIOB’s Scottish policy and public affairs lead, Dr Jocelyne Fleming, argues that Scotland needs to have a more honest conversation about housing trade-offs. Much of Scotland’s housing debate understandab

As pressure to act directly on rents continues to build, Alex Marsh and Professor Ken Gibb discuss recent think tank reports which make the case for action, although the actions they advocate differ in their extent and focus.

Ashley Campbell, policy and practice manager at CIH Scotland, shares her thoughts on housing and health ahead of Scottish Housing Day on 16 September. The fact that poor housing is bad for your health is not a new discovery. Every sociology student (including myself many years ago) will know that sq

Associate director at the Scottish Futures Trust Mary Jarvie looks into the housing delivery implications of the long-term infrastructure pipeline for Scotland.  Scotland's transition to a low-carbon economy represents one of the country's greatest economic opportunities. Billions of pounds are

Grampian Housing Association chief executive Craig Stirrat considers the challenges within leadership through the story of the Mutiny on the Bounty. As I draw closer to my retirement I’ve been reflecting more on the Odyssey I’ve been on, and the challenges I’ve faced. One key theme

Amie Brown, a senior associate in MFMac's Commercial Real Estate team, focuses on the impact recent reforms in upward-only rent reviews in England and Wales will have in Scotland. The recent decision to ban upward-only rent review clauses in English commercial leases marks a huge development in prop

Hanover Scotland chief executive Angela Currie argues that traditional risk registers (built on mapping out every individual threat) are no longer fit for purpose in a world where global instability is hitting housing and social care providers directly. The world is becoming harder to predict, and f

In the latest in a series of blogs for Scottish Housing News ahead of the analogue to digital switch-off, Sharon Hannah, project manager at the ​Digital Office for Scottish Local Government, looks at the challenge for organisations to stay connected. As Scotland moves closer to the planned switch-