Scottish Government

A new Rural and Islands Housing Action Plan has been announced in line with the Scottish Government’s plan to deliver 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, with 10% in rural and island areas. The plan brings together the public and private sector working with local communities to deliver more home

The Scottish Government has published a portfolio of examples of graphic and visual communication from existing Local Development Plans (LDPs) following feedback from practitioners.

More parents have been able to start work or progress their careers thanks to an initiative to expand access to school-age childcare, according to a new report. Eight childcare providers across Scotland received a share of almost £600,000 from the Scottish Government to help 650 children from

Stephen Boyle, Auditor General for Scotland, outlines the touch decisions on climate change that await the Scottish Government. The realities of climate change, and their direct link to difficult public spending decisions, are now on our doorstep.

An independent review is recommending wider regulation of social care staff to better protect and help people receiving social care and support. The Independent Review of Inspection, Scrutiny and Regulation in Scotland makes 38 recommendations including updating legislation, Health and Social Care S

A new strategy will help Ukrainians living in Scotland to settle into communities and gain longer term housing. Developed by the Scottish Government in collaboration with the Scottish Refugee Council and COSLA, the Warm Scots Future paper sets out priorities for the next phase of Scotland’s Uk

More than 38,000 payments have been made to families to help with the costs of early learning and starting school. Families who qualify for Scottish Child Payment are now automatically awarded Best Start Grant Early Learning Payment and School Age Payment when their child becomes eligible, without t

Housing minister Paul McLennan has hailed the Scottish Government's work to deliver affordable homes in the face of external challenges after new figures revealed that annual completions were the highest in 23 years. Quarterly statistics on the Affordable Housing Supply programme show there were a t

Up to £960,000 is to be made available to support the delivery of affordable homes and facilities in remote and rural areas. Provided jointly by the Scottish Government and Nationwide Foundation, funding for Communities Housing Trust and South of Scotland Community Housing over three year

The affordable housing supply in Shetland is set to receive a significant boost as an islands housing association has secured funding from the Scottish Government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund. Hjaltland Housing Association will receive £20 million, which will enable the social landlord

Projects across Scotland have been awarded funding as part of the Scottish Government’s Digital Inclusion Programme aimed at helping people to access online support services, initially in mental health and housing services. The thirteen projects, which bid to be one of the ‘Digital Pione

Organisations at the frontline of helping people facing poverty and hardship can now apply for a share of Scottish Government funding to help tackle food insecurity. The £1.6 million Cash-First Fund is aimed at public sector and third sector partnerships to deliver cash grants for food and oth

Owners of short-term let properties are being urged to apply for a licence under Scotland’s short-term licensing scheme before the 1 October 2023 deadline. Short-term let hosts must apply for a licence with their relevant local authority before the deadline. Anyone who operated a short-term le

Housing minister Paul McLennan discusses the importance of the Short Term Let Licensing scheme in Scotland, looking at its benefits to tourism and local economies, and addressing potential safety and housing availability risks. A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of spending a weekend celebrating my

Scotland’s Council Tax Reduction scheme supported 454,350 households in March this year (compared to 462,670 in March 2022) as the total weekly income forgone by local authorities reached £7.364 million (compared to £6.829m in March 2022).