Scottish Labour

Ministers are being urged to go further in its attempts to deliver change to Scotland’s planning system but have also faced calls that last minute amendments to the Planning (Scotland) Bill could “derail” the system altogether.

The Scottish Government should "fully commit" to housing co-operatives to help tackle Scotland's housing crisis, opposition MSPs have said. A recent report from Co-operatives UK highlighted that Scotland has just 11 registered housing co-ops, compared to 685 across the UK, at a time when 150,000 peo

A proposal for a Bill to protect private sector tenants by introducing measures to limit rent increases and to increase the availability of information about rent levels has been introduced by Scottish Labour. Proposed by Pauline McNeill MSP, the party said its Mary Barbour Bill will see the introdu

Scottish Labour has called on the Scottish Government to use the new powers over social security to ensure automatic payment of the Universal Credit housing element to landlords. Analysis by the party found that fewer than half of eligible households have opted for the direct payments.

Scottish Labour has condemned a lack of affordable homes and “rip-off” private rents it said are driving more families into poverty. The party’s analysis of Scottish Government data reveals that 20,000 children in the private rented sector were living in severe poverty during the t

Amendments to the Scottish Government’s Fuel Poverty Bill to set a target to eliminate fuel poverty in Scotland by 2032 will be tabled this week by Scottish Labour. The current government target to reduce fuel poverty to no more than 5% by 2040 was approved when the Bill was introduced at

A report from Scottish Labour’s Housing Commission has recommended the party scrap and replace Help to Buy with a more targeted scheme to help first time buyers of lower incomes. Labour said the heavily criticised scheme has been handing state support to households on over £100

The number of people still privately renting their home after they have retired has doubled in the last decade, according to new figures. Statistics compiled by Scottish Labour revealed the number of permanently retired adults living in the private rented sector has gone from 20,000 to 40,000 in the

One in four Scottish households will spend Christmas in fuel poverty, according to a new campaign launched today by Scottish Labour. The party will spend the festive season highlighting the issue, with members and activists set to distribute postcards of information which will ask for the public's v

The average rent for a two bedroom property rose in the past year in all but four areas across Scotland, according to the latest figures from the Scottish Government. Increases ranged from 0.3% in Perth and Kinross to 6.5% in Lothian. The areas that didn't see an increase include Aberdeen and Shire,

Proposals to introduce new rights for communities to appeal planning decisions have failed to pass a key stage of the parliamentary legislative process. MSPs on the Scottish Parliament’s local government and communities committee voted against a series of amendments to the Scottish Government’s

Almost half of people made homeless in Scotland due to rent arrears in the last year lived in the private rented sector (PRS), new analysis has shown. A total of 46% of homelessness applications were made due to either rent arrears or defaulting on payments come from the PRS, despite private-rented

The number of people in the private rented sector (PRS) who are living in poverty has increased by 75% over the past decade, according to new analysis. Scottish Government data has revealed that 160,000 people in the sector were living in relative poverty during the three year period between 20

Richard Leonard Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard will visit Parkhead Housing Association today to announce his party’s pledge to build at least 12,000 homes for social rent a year.

Monica Lennon Scottish Labour is to put forward plans to introduce new rights for communities over planning decisions, in a bid to “level the playing field” between developers and the public.