Opinion

RICS head of UK government relations and city strategy Hew Edgar urges the Scottish Government to raise more awareness of the six-phase return plan for construction and issue clearer guidance with regard to the housing market. The Scottish Government should be commended for its clear messaging on he

SFHA chief executive Sally Thomas gives her account of the amendments lodged by Andy Wightman MSP this week and the unintended impact they could have had on social landlords. This week saw the Coronavirus (Scotland) (No.2) Bill enter its final stages in the Scottish Parliament. This was the second b

Martin Armstrong, chief executive of Wheatley Group, outlines what the new norm for will look like in the aftermath of the coronavirus crisis. The new norm! In the aftermath of the coronavirus crisis, what will that really mean, in personal, business and societal terms?

As part of yesterday’s Everyone Home joint plan to permanently end rough sleeping and destitution in Scotland as the country emerges from the pandemic, FourSquare chief executive Jane Devine said the sector needs to capitalise on the steps taken so far with giant leaps. I am relatively new to

Adam McVey, leader of the City of Edinburgh Council, outlines how people in the city can work together to support anyone facing homelessness. Back in late March, when it was announced that the country would be entering lockdown measures, we set about creating a dedicated team to coordinate our suppo

The recent decision of the Inner House in Proven Properties (Scotland) Limited, reported in Scottish Housing News on May 15, raises questions about the effectiveness, or at least the scope, of the Property Factors (Scotland) Act 2011, writes Tom Marshall. Briefly, the case concerned a block of 15 fl

Today, Thursday 21 May, 19 organisations that care about homelessness in Scotland will present a plan to the Scottish Government setting out what they believe needs to be done to end rough sleeping and tackle homelessness in Scotland. Martin Gavin, Homeless Network Scotland’s Head of External

This outbreak has shown how crucial it is to tackle homelessness. As discussions and speculation continue around just how we will move out of lockdown, those experiencing homelessness in Scotland must be at the centre of this thinking.

People require homes, somewhere in which they feel secure and safe. It is not hard to grasp that not all accommodation is suitable to be called ‘home’.   It is not the absence of housing stock so much as the quality of that stock, its location, and environment that is so crucial whe

We tell it like it is as Glasgow Night Shelter; there isn’t enough accommodation for destitute asylum seekers and what there is, isn’t good enough. And we say that because for the past 10 years we have been providing not-really-good-enough accommodation (a mattress on a hall floor, a bun

Briar Homes marketing manager Ainslie McCrone on managing buyer interest as the housebuilding sector awaits the easing of lockdown restrictions. There are certain milestones in life that are set in, well, stone, and serve as evidence of our British-ness – or Scottish-ness for that matter.

CIH Scotland national director Callum Chomczuk and John Blackwood, chief executive of the Scottish Association of Landlords (SAL), argue that further support is required for private landlords, who have a significant role to play in the housing sector’s response to coronavirus. Last month the S

In a guest blog for CIH Scotland, Grampian Housing Association chief executive Neil Clapperton shares what his organisation has been doing to support the current national emergency. Now is the time for associations (and council housing departments) to show what they can really do at a time of nation

Martin Gavin, Homeless Network Scotland’s head of external relations, looks at how to frame discussions about what happens next, so that the best ideas surface quickly. Since the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Group (HARSAG) recommendations were submitted in 2018, centred around rapid

The Springburn office of ng homes is named after Ned Donaldson. But who was Ned Donaldson? Kieran Findlay recalls the contribution of the activist and the post-war battle to stop the privatisation of council housing at Merrylee. It was a cold sleety December day in 1951. Slum landlordism and sublett