HOUSING COMMMISSION FINAL REPORT

Improving People’s Lives through Radical Change and Reform

SEPTEMBER2019

I am determined that we have a substantial policy offer that is informed by the housing sector and those passionate about decent, affordable homes. I believe that without tackling housing costs we cannot begin to tackle poverty in Scotland. We are already committed to building homes in the social sector and using co-operative models. This report will hopefully allow our policy forums and manifesto process to adopt the innovation and radical edge within this document for our manifesto commitments to the Scottish people.

Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Region

FOREWORD

When I was elected as leader of Scottish Labour I set out my ambitions for Scotland, and housing was right at the heart of my plans for a Labour Government. Everyone has the right to a warm, affordable home of their choice, but yet too many are denied that choice. I want to thank Stuart Gulliver for the energy and enthusiasm he has put into chairing Scottish Labour’s Housing Commission, but also each and every member of the Commission who gave up their time to produce this comprehensive report.

Richard Leonard, Leader of the Scottish Labour Party

COMMISSION CHAIR’S FOREWORD

The central message emerging from this Final Report of the Housing Commission is that there is now a deep crisis in housing in many parts of Scotland and we are not even close to solving it. What is needed now, above all else, is a clear recognition of the sheer scale of the housing problems and the courage by government to genuinely address them with realistic and practical proposals.

It was in mid-2018 that Pauline McNeill MSP, launched the Housing Commission and tasked it with taking a critical look at the housing system in Scotland and examining how it currently operates -what its strengths and weaknesses might be and to make policy recommendations to a Labour Party prepared to consider, and implement, radical change.

I was absolutely delighted to be asked to chair the Commission.

We heard presentations from a series of outstanding housing researchers, practitioners and housing market professionals during our deliberations – some 16 in all – and I am extremely grateful to all of them. Without their involvement and expertise, the Commission’s work would not have been as effective and focused and nowhere near as pleasurable.

I would also like to thank all members of the Commission for sticking resolutely to the joint task and with such good humour. My personal thanks to you all for your involvement and contributions. And thanks also to Pauline’s ‘in-house’ team of Kate Spence and Peter McDade, and of course Maddy Grieve for her support and attendance throughout.

Well, the work of the Commission is now done and we are passing on our policy recommendations to the Labour Party in the hope that they will help make Scotland a better place – for everybody.

Stuart Gulliver FRSEEmeritus Professor, University of GlasgowChair of the Housing Commission

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CONTENTS PageTheEstablishmentoftheHousingCommission

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So,what’sthehousingproblem?

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WhatarethecoreprinciplesthatshouldunderpinScottishLabour’snewhousingpolicy?

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Our10-PartPlanPart1Increasethesupplyofhousing

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Part2Genuineaffordabilityofsocialhomes

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Part3Qualityofnewhousing

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Part4Prioritisingthreeparticulargroupsinthehousingsystem

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Part5ThePrivateRentedSector

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Part6Land

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Part7ANew‘LandandCommunitiesDevelopmentAgency’tobesetup

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Part8HousinginRuralandRemoteAreas

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Part9HousingInnovation

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Part10CrossPartyCommitmentonHousing

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ThoseRecommendationsAgainon1Page

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Appendix1-MembersoftheHousingCommission

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Appendix2-PresentationstotheHousingCommission

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1. TheEstablishmentoftheHousingCommissionThe Housing Commission was set up by Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow (ShadowCabinet,SecretaryforEqualities,HousingandSocialSecurity)in2018.TheaimoftheCommissionwastoworkalongsideScottishLabourandproduceapractical,ambitious and inspirational set of housing proposals which would help provide realisticsolutionstothecurrenthousingcrisisinScotland.ThisFinalReportwillbepresentedtoScottishLabourPolicyForumandtheShadowCabinetasamajorinputintotheconsiderationofHousingPolicyforthe2021ElectionManifesto.The Commissioners included experienced housing practitioners, housing policy makers,researchers and tenants – all committed to making a substantial impact on Scotland’shousingperformance.AcompletelistofCommissionersappearsinAppendix1.TheCommissionmet8 times fromSeptember2018 to its finalmeeting in June2019andheardsome16presentations,submissionsandcontributionsfromarangeoforganisationsandexpertindividuals.AllthemeetingswereheldinTheScottishParliament.AcompletelistofallpresentersappearsinAppendix2.

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2. So,What’sthehousingproblem?Thetragedyis,thereisnosinglehousingprobleminScotland–thereisacartloadofthem.Anddespitesomerecentimprovementsinperformance,theunderlyingrealityisthatthereisnowadeep-rootedcrisisinhousinginScotlandthatwilltakeagenerationtoputright.There isa ‘crisisofundersupply’ inboth theprivatemarketandsocially rentedsectors–particularlyforlowerincomegroups,youngpeopleanddisabledpeople.There is a ‘crisis of unaffordability’ running right across thewhole housingmarket in allsectorsandinallpartsoftheeconomy.There is a ‘crisis of quality’ with space, amenity and environmental standards still notimprovingquicklyenough. Across the stockasawhole,40%ofScottishhomes failed tomeet the Scottish Housing Quality Standard, and only 32% of dwellings had anenvironmentalimpactratinginbandCorbetter1,accordingtotheScottishHouseConditionsurvey:2017.Andoneinfourhouseholds inScotlandstill live infuelpoverty.Newhomesbeing built in in the UK are amongst some of the smallest in Europe. According toCambridgeUniversityresearchundertakenin2014-Irishhousesareonaverage15%larger,Spain28% larger,Germany43% larger,France48% larger,Netherlands53%andDenmark80%larger.And then, of course, there is the outrage that is the ‘crisis of homelessness’ – themostdeprivedanddesperatepartofourhousingsystem.All these crises collectively reflect the fundamental failure of the housing system inScotland. Asanationwehavefailedforyearstobuildenoughhomesforthosepeopleinthegreatestneedandnow,toournationalshame,weareacountrythatcannothouseitspeopleproperly–andthesocialcostofthisismassiveandinplainsight.

3. WhatshouldaLabourgovernmentdoaboutthissituation?- It’sgottobemorethan‘crisismanagement’

Itisclearthat‘businessasusual’willbenowherenearsufficienttodealwiththescaleoftheproblem. Whenperformance is so farbehind, in termsofboth ‘socialneed’and ‘marketdemand’, we must be prepared to consider a more radical approach. Somethingtransformational fromgovernmentwillberequired,somethinganti-neoliberal,somethinganti-austerity.This‘transformationalmodel’willrequireatleast3pre-conditions;

i. Sufficientscaleofinvestment(bothpublicandprivate)–targetedparticularlyatthegroupsinmostneed.

ii. Sufficient legislative power – to help champion and promote real change in themarket.

1TheEnvironmentalImpactRating(EIR)representstheenvironmentalimpactofadwellingintermsofcarbonemissionsassociatedwithfuelsusedforheating,hotwater,lightingandventilation.

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iii. Sufficient direct involvement from government – for government to perform a

merely ‘facilitative’ role will not be sufficient. Government must play a moreinterventionist role and, in particular circumstances, act deliberately as ‘primemover’inordertoenablelargerandmorecomplexdevelopmentstoproceed.

HousingshouldbecomeScottishLabour’s‘flagship’interventionistpolicy.Just as the NHS has championed everybody’s right to good health, so we propose thathousing policy should champion people’s right to a safe, secure and affordable home.HousingneedstobecomethenationalpriorityoftheScottishLabourParty.GoodhousingpolicyhasalwaysbeenatthecoreofLabourPartyvalues.Byprioritisinghousinginthiswayitwouldbecomeacornerstoneofthewelfarestatelikehealthandeducation.We believe there is an urgent need for awhole-system approach to Scotland’s housingproblems,andthiswillrequireus,alongsideothers,tore-thinkwhatcountsasasuccessfulhousingsysteminScotland-whatitisthatwereallywantthehousingsystemtoachieve.RecommendationWe recommend that the Scottish Labour Party is led by long-term ambition rather thanshort-termparliamentarycyclesThisshouldbesupportedbyappropriatetargetsandaimtobuildparliamentaryconsensusonlongtermhousingneed.Socialandeconomicresearchhasshownconclusivelythatgoodhousing,whichindividualsandfamiliescanafford,underpinshealthandwell-beingandfeelingsofself-worth.Tohaveagoodhomeisasourceofoptimism–ratherthanfearanduncertainty.Nowisthetimeforgovernmenttobitethebullet–andsolvethecrisis.

4. What are the core principles that should underpin Labour’s new progressivehousingpolicy?

A set of guiding principles and values have emerged from the Commission’s discussionswhichshouldunderpintheoverallapproachandhelpidentifypolicypriorities

i. ReducingInequalitiesInequality is thedefining challengeofour time– itwill need tobe continuouslyaddressed. Addressing inequalities in the housingmarket is theNo 1 priority towhichweareallcommitted.Inequalitiesinhousingarepervasiveinourcurrenthousingsystem.

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• Inequalitiesinincomearehighandgrowing:weneedtofocussupportprimarilyonthosehouseholdswhoneedrealassistancetoaccesshousingwhichisofgoodqualityandgenuinelyaffordable.

• Thegrowinginter-generationalinequalitiesareofgreatconcern.“At30,peoplewhoseparentsdon’tpossessanypropertywealtharearound60%lesslikelytobehomeowners.”ResolutionFoundationReport2018

• Spatialinequalitiesremainstubbornlyembeddedinoururbanareas.Thoseareasof chronicdeprivation inour townsandcities, clearly identified inthe1891censusarestill,prettymuch,theverysameareasin2019.Wecanstillsee clearlywhere ‘thehaves’and ‘thehavenots’ live.There is a troublingandnaggingpermanenceaboutbothindividualandspatialinequalities.OnlywhenScotlandcanprovidesufficientgoodhomesataffordablecosttoallincomegroupsandgenerations,can ittrulyberegardedasasuccessfulnation.Intherealworld,acountryisonlyasgoodasitsaffordablehousingpolicy.

ii. There is a need for a re-balancing of the relationship between the public andprivatesectorsinhousingItalmostgoeswithoutsayingthattheprivatesectorinbothitsroleasinvestoranddeveloper has a crucial role to play in providing housing solutions in Scotland.However,theprivatesectorshouldnotbethekeydriverofnationalhousingpolicyinthewaythatithasbeenallowedtooverthelastdecades.TheGreatRecessionof2007/8remindedusyetagainof theneed forgovernmentinterventiontocounterthecollapseofthehousingmarket.Buteveninboomtimesthemarketisunlikelytodeliverthescaleofhousingsupplyrequiredatthespeedweneedit.Hencewehaveanationalhousingdeficit.The pace of delivery by private developerswill be determined by expectations ofprofitabilitywhichwilloftenrequirebuilderstorestrictsupply,ratherthanincreaseit,inordertokeeppricesandreturnsup.There is then a fundamentalmismatch of goals between private builders seeking,quite rightly, to optimiseprofits over a short term focus (less than5 years) and agovernment tasked with needing to solve, the national housing problem. Thegovernmenthas to focuson the long termandtheneedsof futuregenerationsaswellasthepresentdayneedsandwillbeparticularlyconcernedwiththespeedofresponse.

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An important part of this re-balancing, therefore,will require amore confident,activeandpurposefulgovernmentwhichispreparedtotakeadirectoperatingroleintheScottishhousingmarket.

iii. Long-termthinkingmustprevail–thereisno‘silverbullet’

ThecrisisissosevereinScotlandthatanycredibleplanmustlookbeyonda5-yearterm.Longtermpoliticalownershipandleadershipwillbecrucial.Thebadnewsisthat systemic housing problems cannot be corrected through short-termpalliativemeasures.There is a need to set out a clear, long-term strategic vision for both homes andcommunitiesinScotland.Avisionthatembracesnotjusthousingnumbers(sooftenthese days manifestos are little more than a ‘numbers war game’) but also thequality of the homes and ensuring they are set in attractive, mixed tenureneighbourhoodsandcommunities.

iv. FocusonDelivery–themissingingredientinthepast

ScottishLabour’shousingpolicyshouldbringastrongfocusondelivery.GettingStuffDone!isultimatelywhatcounts.Weproposetoidentifypreciselyhowtheseambitionswillbedelivered–puttinginplace mechanisms and operational practices to secure implementation andmonitoringdeliveryontheground.• A critical first step of successful delivery is to identify the right target to

actuallydeliver

• Scottish Labour must deliver its housing policy working closely with others.Successfuldeliverydependsupondozensoforganisationspullingtogetherinthesamedirection.Notjusthousingassociations,localcouncilsandotherprovidersbut private developers and builders as well as social and community serviceproviders.TheLabourPartyshould,quiteexplicitly,seektobeobsessiveaboutdelivery.

v. Onlyradicalchangeandastrong‘ReformPlatform’willbesufficienttodeliverthechangerequired.This ambitiousmissionwill require government to show real courage and providethenecessaryleadership.It isclearthattherhetoricalurgencyisbeingrampeduponhousingissuesbuttheactionsonthegroundarestillnotsufficienttothetask.Thereisnowahungerforsubstantialchange.For too long we have not given enough attention and prioritisation to the hugeaffordabilitycrisisinScotland;thepentupneedanddemandforconsiderablymore

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affordable homes for people on low incomes; the problem of the so called‘generationrent’andthescandalthatishomelessness.There has been far toomuch conservatism surrounding housing policy in recentyears.WemustnowrealisticallyaddressthenatureandscaleofthehousingcrisisinScotland.

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OUR10-PARTPLANPART1:INCREASETHESUPPLYOFHOUSING1 IncreaseinSocialHomesfrom2021

Weendorsetheviewof‘Shelter’that;“ThesinglebiggestpriorityforhousinginScotlandisincreasingthesupplyofhouses.”(2018)The Commission sees more social rented housing as a top priority and wesupportScottishLabour’slong-termtargetofbuilding12,000socialhomeseachyear–withregularreviewsbasedonneedassessments.60,000socialhomesover5yearsfrom2021wouldmeana70%increaseinthesupply of affordable homes compared to the Government’s currentcommitment.We believe that building more social housing is the best way we can restorehope,fixthebrokenhousingmarket,buildstrongercommunitiesandmeettheneedsandaspirationsofhundredsofthousandsofpeople.Thereneedstobeaprofoundshifttoseesocialhousingonceagainasanationalasset,likeanyotherformofinfrastructure.And by increasing the scale of social housing production it will be possible tomake more social housing available to more than just the people in greatestneed.Thiswastheintentionwhenthecouncilhousebuildingstartedin1923andwhen social housing programmes were accelerated post-WW2. Social housingshould be available to many more young people trapped in unsuitableaccommodation.

2 We would also look towards parity of grant funding between HousingAssociation and local authorities in order to help stimulate greater localauthorityproductionofsocialhomes.

Atpresentlocalauthoritiesreceivealmost20%lessperunitgrantthanHousingAssociations.Amovetowardsremovingthisgapinfundingmayhelpsomelocalauthorities become less risk averse – which would further stimulate socialhousing output in Scotland. Scottish Labour shouldworkwith local authoritiesandhousingassociationstoensureanynewsettlementreflectslocalauthoritiesaccesstoland.

3 IncreaseintotalannualsupplyofhousingacrossalltenuresThelatestestimatesofannualhousingrequirementinScotlandproducedbythe“2018 UK Housing Review” show a need for approximately 26,000 homes per

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annum.Thisfigureincludesallowancesfor‘suppressedhouseholdformation’byyoungeradultsresultingfrompreviousinadequatesupplyandunaffordability.We agree with the 2018 Review that ‘Building a lot more housing creates avirtuouscircleofeasieraffordability,reducinghousingneedandenablingmorehouseholds togetdecenthousingwithmorechoiceabout location, typeandtenure”. Thus,buildingmanymorehomesacrossalltenureswillhelpusputinplaceahousingsystemthatmeetseveryone’sneeds.The housing crisis will only be solved with long-term vision and by reducinguncertaintyfortheindustry.SottishLabourshouldcommittobuildingconsensusacross Parliament for a long term annual building target reached usingindependentandindustry-expertadvice.

4 Bringingemptyhomesbackintousefaster

Emptyhomesareawastedresource,particularlyatatimewhenScotlandneedsmore homes. Currently there are an estimated 40,000 long-term emptypropertiesinScotland(emptyformorethan6months).Given the potential scale of this resource, we feel that a Labour Governmentcould usefully look at the scope for increasing the speed of bringing emptyhomesback intouse–perhapsby lookingat thepotential forusing the law inordertoforcesalesincertaincircumstancesormaybealow-costloanschemetoincentivisere-occupationespeciallyinruralareas.ALabourgovernmentshouldgiveparticularconsiderationtothelargenumberofempty properties above shops across Scotland as well as other vacantcommercial buildings. The renovation, refurbishment and conversion intohousing of these buildings would simultaneously increase housing supply,reinvigorateourhighstreetsandsupportsmallandmedium-sizebuilders.

PART2:GENUINEAFORDABILITYOFSOCIALHOMESHousingcostsnowhavesucha significant impacton inequality thatweare totallycommittedtotheconceptof’genuineaffordability’.Scottish Labour should commit toproviding sufficient capital subsidy inorder tomakerents‘genuinelyaffordable’tothoseinlow-paidemploymenti.e.thelowestquartileoflocalisedearningadjustedforhousesizeandamenity.Theterm‘affordable’inrelationtohousinghasbeenutterlymisusedbytheToryUKGovernment. TheTorydefinitionof ‘affordability’ relatesbizarrely, to aparticularpercentage of prevailing house prices or market rentals. Whereas we believefundamentallythat‘affordability’hastodowithlinkingthecostofhousingtolocalincomelevelsandlocalabilitytopayratherthanassetvalues.

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Weexpectrentlevelsinaparticularareatoreflecttheeconomicandlabourmarketconditions prevailing there. Genuine affordability requires establishing the cruciallinksbetweenrentsandtheabilityofpeopletoaffordthem.

PART3:QUALITYOFNEWHOUSINGToomuch development in Scotland is amissed opportunity and ofmediocre andindifferentquality.The 2018 report of the Review Panel on Building Standards Compliance andEnforcement for the Scottish Government that there is evidence indicating “thatthere isaproblem inrelationtothe limitedavailabilityofskilledtradesmen inkeytrades in the construction industry often resulting in the employment of workerswithout the requisite skills leading to poor quality, non-safe and non-compliantconstruction.”

Currently, Scotland is lacking any statutory redress for buyers of a new-buildproperty if there is a serious defect in the property. The Federation of MasterBuilders has suggested introducing mandatory and universal licensing to the UKconstructionindustryandhavesetupataskforcetodevelopdetailedproposals.It isprobably timely thataLabourgovernment re-visited the issueofmandatoryminimumspaceandqualitystandardsinnewhousing–whichshouldbeapplicableto all residential units provided through new build, refurbishment, and throughconversionofnon-residentialpremises.

PART 4: PRIORITISING THREE PARTICULAR GROUPS IN THE HOUSINGSYSTEM1) TargetingYoungPeopleinScotland

Greatcitiesget theirdynamismfromtheyoung-andyet fewerandfewerof themaremanagingtogetadecentfootholdinurbanScotland.Thisisanaspectofwhathasbecomeknownasinter-generationalinequality.A considerable amount of housing research over the past five years or so hashighlighted the particularly precarious position of the under-35s in the housingmarket. The fact is thatmany young adults are getting an increasingly raw deal.Young people tend to occupy lower paid and less secure jobs. They find it more

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difficult to get a mortgage than previously and particularly difficult to save asufficientdeposit.Equally,withwaitinglistsforsocialrentedhousingexceeding130,000,youngpeopleare almost permanently at the back of the queue. Private rented housing is nowregarded as their only option which has led to the emergence of the frustratedaspirationsof‘generationrent’.Arecent‘Civitas’reportestimatedthatthepopulationof20-34yearoldslivingwiththeirparentshasrisenbyathirdoverthepast20years.Thepositionoftheunder35sinthemarketisnotgoodandisgettingworse.Bothsectorsneedurgentremedy.Proposalforlowcosthomeownershipforunder35s

Scottish Labour should scrap the existing ‘Help to Buy Scheme’ and switch thefunding intoa substantially re-designed ‘FirstBuyScotlandScheme’. The schemewould offer help to those on low incomes, aiming to tackle capital inequality in awaythatthecurrentschemedoesnot.FirstBuyScotlandwould:

• Exclusively target first-time buyers earning below an income thresholddecidedbytheScottishLabourParty

• Include theability tobuyexistinghousesunder theschemeaswellasnewbuild

• Buyerswouldrequire5%deposit• Governmentwouldprovideuptoamaximumof35%ofthecostintheform

ofa shared-equityagreement, repayable to theGovernmenton thesaleoftheproperty

• Intheeventofthepropertylosingvalue,thevalueoftheloanwouldbetiedtothevalueofthepropertyi.e.ifaperson’spropertylost5%ofitsvaluetheloanwouldalsobe5%lower

• RSLsand local authoritieswouldbeeligible tobuildnewhomes for saleaspartofthescheme

• Increasetheallocationofsocialrentedhousingtotheunder35s

Giventhatourproposals looktowardsasubstantialuplift intheprovisionofsocialrentedhousing,wewouldrequireHousingAssociationsandLocalAuthoritiestoputforward to government their recommendations as to how they would intend toincrease the number of homes for the under 35s. This might involve changingprioritiesorchangingthespecificationofthetypeofsocialhousingtobeprovidedfor example, provision of more one bedroom flats; so called ‘cluster’ homes orsharedaccommodationunits.

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StudentHousingStudentnumbersarerisingandtherearecurrentlyaround300,000studentsinScotland.Studenthousingmustbeastrategicplanningissueandnotanafterthought.Educationalinstitutions must be part and parcel of the dialogue, as well as members of thecommunity.Traditionallyuniversitiesprovidedstudentaccommodationaspartoftheirdutyofcare.Thishaschanged in thepast tenyearswithuniversities increasingly relyingonprivatecompanies to run the university-provided accommodation and build and run privatestudenthalls.Thefinancialisationofstudenthousingisexploitingstudentsandputtingprofitbeforetheirwelfare.

The cost of living is increasinglymaking life harder for youngpeople accessing highereducation,withexcessivehousingcostsakeypartoftheproblem.Rentisunsurprisinglythebiggestcostthey’llfacewhilestudying.Finally, a review of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) is needed: Althoughintroduced to improve safety in student housing, it now serves primarily to increaserevenueforlandlords.HMOflatstendnottohavelivingrooms,orcommunalareas,belowerquality, and studentsarepaying through the roof for theprivilegeof living inaHMOflat.

It is imperative that Scottish Labour should have a comprehensive student housingpolicy.

2) TargetingDisability

Housing for disabledpeople has beendescribed as Scotland’s ‘hidden crisis’ andyetwehaveknownforalongtimethat:• There are 87,000 wheelchair users in Scotland and these numbers are set to

increasebecauseoftheageingofthepopulation• 61,000householdsincludeadisabledpersonwhocan’tgetupordownthestairs

insidetheirownhome• 34,000finditdifficultorimpossibletoaccesstheirownbathroomorshower• 11,000can’tgetaroundtheirhomebecauseofitsdesignorlayout• 9,000finditdifficulttoaccesstheirowntoilet• 8,000can’tleavetheirhomebecauseofthestairstothehouse(Source:ScottishHouseConditionSurvey2015)

Whatisabundantlyclearisthatdisabledpeoplearenotbeingtreatedwithsufficientrespect by the Scottish housing system. They are simply not getting the supporttheyneedtoliveadignifiedandindependentlife.Notsurprisingly,disabledpeoplearereportedasbeingfrustratedanddemoralisedbythehousingsystem–andasa

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resultexperiencegreatersocialisolationandanxiety.The‘kickingofthecandowntheroad’bysuccessivegovernmentshastoend–andwepropose3things;First,aLabourgovernmentshouldcommittoatargetof10%ofnewsocialhousingin Scotland to be built to wheelchair-accessible standards from 2021 – andmakesufficient funding available to achieve this standard. Setting targets will beimportant.Second, anundertakingby a Labour government that itwill seek to find awayofmakingthis10%targetachievableacrossalltenureswithin2yearsoftakingoffice.Third, a Labour government should produce and publish a ‘National HousingStrategy forDisabledPeople’. Thenational strategyshouldbe ledbyadedicateddisabled people’s organisation – like the user-led organisation this Commissionheardgiveevidence(IndependentLivinginScotland–partofInclusionScotland)andwhichwouldbe taskedwithproducinga fully–costednationalprogramme; settingtargetsandidentifyingnewcross-tenurestandards.Wefeelthatitisimportantthattheproductionofthisnationalstrategyisledbyadisabledperson’sorganisation.ALabourgovernment shouldworkwith thisorganisation tocreateandmaintainacomprehensive, national database of accessible and adaptation-ready homesavailableontheprivatemarket,tomakeitaseasyaspossiblefordisabledpeopletofindahometheywanttolivein.

3) TargetingHomelessness

We are all appalled by the outrage that is homelessness and the scale ofhomelessnessinanycountryprovidesclearevidenceofthefailureofourcombined‘socialsafetynets’.Itseradicationisaclearnationalemergency.‘Core’ homelessness in Scotlandwhich comprises; rough sleepers, those inhostelsand shelters; those in unsuitable accommodation e.g. B&B and sofa surfers(e.g.staying with non-family), squatting; has been fairly stable since 2010 at between11,500 and 13,500persons (The HomelessMonitor: Scotland 2019). Although inearly 2019 the reduction in overall levels has stalled, reportedly because of theoperation of the benefits system, lack of affordable stock, rise of in-work povertyandthere-emergenceofthespectreofadrugscrisis.The Scottish Government has clearly recognised the scale and seriousness ofhomelessness. In terms of policy – the ‘direction of travel’ appears at this earlystage, tobe correct viz. rapid re-housing as thedefault positionpluswrap-aroundsupport.Weneedtocloselymonitortheeffectivenessofthisapproachinthefieldandmakeadjustmentsandchangewherenecessary.

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Unfortunately,thegovernment’s lackofcommitmenttopreventionisnotable.TheScottish Parliament passed world-leading legislation on the duty to provideaccommodation,butScotland isnowatriskof fallingbehindotherpartsoftheUKlikeWaleswhereadutytopreventhomelessnessisnowinplace.Homelessness is primarily an implementation challenge and the Labour Partyshould continue its cross-party support on homelessness and, in its own right,emphasise the need for sufficient, sustained long-term funding and support toeradicatehomelessnessacrossthewholesystem.This calls for a commitment to prevent homelessness aswell as respond to thosewho find themselveswithout a home.However, the current government’s lack ofcommitment to prevention is notable. Local authorities, the NHS, Police Scotlandandtheprisonserviceallhaveakeyroletoplayinpreventionandmusthaveclearlydefined duties, developed in partnership with government, and the funding todeliverthem.

PART5:THEPRIVATERENTEDSECTOR“ThePrivateRentedSectorisanimportantpartofthehousingsupplyinScotlandandwillhaveanimportantparttoplayinthefuture.”JohnBlackwood,ChiefExecutiveScottishAssociationofLandlordstotheHousingCommission,Feb2019WecertainlyagreewithJohnBlackwood.

The size of the sector has grown significantly this century. In 1999 5% of households inScotlandwereinthePRSbutby2016ithadgrownto15%-andthismasksawiderangeinthe incidenceofPRS inScotland, forexample, inEdinburgh26%ofhouseholdsare inPRSwhereasinEastRenfrewshirethereareonly6%.At the same time, the level of social housing available has fallen, and changes to themortgagemarketsince2008havemeantthatishasbecomemoredifficultformanytogetamortgage.Thesefactorshavecombinedtomeanthattheprivaterentedsectorisplayingagreater role inmoreofour lives.Notably, theprivate rentedsector isbecominghome tomorefamilies.Theprivate rentedsectorhasmany important roles. It canprovide themeans to live inalocationatenantchooses,allowatenanttosaveforadepositiftheywishtobuyahome,andcanprovideaviable longtermhousingoption.However, fortoomanypeople itdoesnoneofthesethings.

The Labour Party’s concern with PRS relates fundamentally to the need for thesector to treat its tenants fairly, honestly andwith respect, particularly at a timewhenthePRShasbecometheonlyoptionformanyhouseholds,includingfamilies.

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Not unreasonably therefore the Party believes that PRS should be subject tosubstantial regulation and control in order to protect tenants’ rights, particularlythose concerning securityof tenure, the fairnessof rent levels and their increasesandthequalityofaccommodationbeingoffered.

• TheLabourPartyisthereforeproposingtointroducea‘MaryBarbourLaw’whichwouldhelpregulatePRSinScotland.Thiswould:

o Introducemeasurestolimitrentincreaseso Increasetheavailabilityofinformationaboutrentlevels

• Besidesagood‘regulatoryframework’–addressingissuesofsecurity,level

of rents, getting repairs done timeously etc. PRS will also need a good‘enforcement framework’. The whole system needs effective policing,ensuring that the ‘enforcementmachinery’ is effective and that the law isbeingupheldconsistentlyacrossthewholecountry.Currentenforcementofregulation isundertakenby localauthoritiesand,asaresult, thedepthandquality of enforcement varies from one local authority area to another.Thereisalackofconsistency.This rather points to the need to take the ‘policing and enforcement’functionsoutside localgovernmentcontrol –andthataseparatenationalbodymightbemoreappropriatelyplacedtobothregulate thesectorandenforce the law. After all, there is a not dissimilar body, the ‘ScottishHousing Regulator’, performing this role for the social housing sector.ExtendingtheremitoftheScottishHousingRegulatororcreatinganewbodyarebothoptionsthatshouldbeexamined.Theprincipleof‘parityofesteem’isappropriatehere–privatetenantsshouldbetreatednoworsethanthoseinsociallyrentedhouses.Registered social landlords should also be encouraged to become furtherinvolvedintheprivaterentedsector.Manyhousingassociationsarealreadyplayingarole in increasingsupplyandraisingstandards inthesector,alongwithsupportingtenants.ReviewingthisgoodpracticeandencouragingmoreRSLs to participate in the PRSwould complement the growth of the socialsectorratherthancomeatitsexpense.

Short-TermletsviaonlineaccommodationplatformsIt is clear that the issue of short-term lets, directed at the visitor economy, willrequireabalancedandproportionate response. A response that reflectsboth theboost to the local economyon the one hand through increased economic activityandmorelocaljobs,aswellastheimpactonlocalcommunities.Thereisarealriskof permanent loss of much-needed housing from the PRS into short-term letstargeted at the visitor economy and a displacement of long-term residents fromtheir communities in particular neighbourhoods. In some parts of Scotland, themake-upofwholeneighbourhoodsarebeingchanged.

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Needforgooddata:weurgentlyrequiresomegood,impartialdataonthemultipleimpacts of short term lets – particularly its impact on housing supply and localcommunities.Itwouldalsobeveryusefultounderstandthescaleandnatureoftheeconomicbenefitsandwhoitsbeneficiariesmightbe.Itisunderstoodthatresearchonthistopicisbeingorganised.Need for a regulatory framework: the growth of short-term lets targeted at thetouristeconomywillrequiresomeformofregulatoryframework.WerecommendthattheLabourPartypromotetheviewthatifapropertyissolelyormainlybeingusedasashort-termlet–itshouldrequireplanningconsent,basedonclearcriteriaastoachangeofusefromresidential.Thiswouldprovidethebasisnotonlyfortheintroductionofnationalminimumsafetystandardbutalsoforeachlocalauthority,basedontheirownprioritiesandpoliciesdirectedatshort-termlets,tograntconsentornot.PART6:LANDThepriceoflandliesatthecentreofthehousingcrisisinScotland–whereithasalwaysbeen. Governmentmustnowresolvethe landproblem. Itwouldbethesingle most important thing that government could do to improve the housingsituationinScotlandforeveryone.Itisthatimportant.Theinabilityofgovernmenttoinfluencethepriceatwhichpublicbodies,actingonbehalfofthecommunity,canacquirelandforhomesandcommunitydevelopmentaffectseverything.Itaffectsthesupplyofhousing(bothprivateandsocialhousing),itaffectshousepricesandrents, itaffectshousingquality(it influencesthedensityofdwellingsperhectare)anditaffects‘place’quality.

Thisissuecannolongerbelefttolawyersandacademicstoarguethetossoverfinedetail and theory. It is too important and urgent for that. `We have a nationalhousing crisis on our hands. It is time for strong political leadership to drive thisthrough.

• ALabourGovernmentmustresolve,asamatterofurgency,toreformtheexisting law to allow public interest-led bodies and local authorities toacquirelandat,orverycloseto,existingusevalue.This will permit any ‘development gain’ accruing to the community to beusedtofinancethenecessaryinfrastructurefordevelopment(roads,sewers,water, utilities) and community support services (e.g. schools, medicalfacilities). Theseenhancedpowersarevital inorder thatpublicbodiescantakeapositiveroleinlandassemblyand‘landpooling’forhousingpurposesandcommunityandneighbourhooddevelopment.

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We do not believe the present Scottish government is sufficientlycommittedtotheseimportantpowers–and,asaresult,haspermittedyetanother opportunity to create ‘social surplus’ (which arise from publicdecisions) to fail, to the detriment of Scottish society and the Scottisheconomy.TheLabourGovernmentmustchampionthislegislativechange.Thereformofthelawinthiswaywillnotreducetheroleandactivityoftheprivate developers and investors – they would continue to be the biggest’players’inresidentialdevelopment.Thechangeinlawwouldhowevergivethe opportunity for public bodies to help determine the scale, nature andqualityofcommunitybuilding.Also, changing the law in thiswaywould substantially improve the currentdevelopmentprocessforallconcerned–bothprivateandpublicdevelopers– because itwould greatly simplify theprocess by abolishing thenotionof‘planninggain’altogether.Whatisinplacenowisamessysetofdifficult-to-enforceobligations–knownas ‘planning gain’ –which local planning authorities negotiate fromprivatedevelopers in exchange for their granting of planning permission for aparticulardevelopment.Forexample,inexchangeforaplanningapprovaladevelopermight agree tomake available a number of so-called affordablehomes, a play area or amenity space. In practice these gains need to benegotiated, and then re-negotiated, throughout the development period.And many public authorities are no match for the developer and theirlawyers.

Ina studyundertaken in2017by theCentre forProgressiveCapitalism, itwascalculatedthatthe‘planninggain’contributionsreceivedbyEdinburghCityRegionhadavalueof£32mn in2015-16whilst theactual landvalueupliftamountedto£350mn.So,inthiscase,arelativelywell-resourcedand‘professionalised’localauthoritymanagedtoclawbackjust9%ofthevalueoftheuplift ithad itselfgenerated. Whatwouldsmallerpublicbodiesbecapableofsecuring?The law must now be reformed. It would fundamentally change theeconomicsoflandandpropertydevelopmentinthiscountryforthepublicgood.

• Transferlandfromonepublicbodytoanotherpublicbodyinordertobuildhousing.Thistransfertobeatonlynominalcost.

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We recommend that a Labour government should remove the duty onpublic bodies tomaximise the receipts from land sales and to be able totransfer any land and buildings to public interest-led bodies, housingassociationsandlocalauthoritiesfortheproductionofgenuinelyaffordablehousing.Forexample,thiswouldpermittheNHS,whenaparticularhospitalorclinicbecomes,forsomereason, ‘surplustorequirements’,tosimplytransferthehospital landandbuildingsatanominaltransferprice(tocover legals,etc.)to an appropriate not-for-profit organisation for the development ofaffordable housing. Noneed for thehospital tomaximise site sale price –justtransfer.This proposal is simply a matter of changing public sector book-keepingarrangements. Itwouldsimply ‘removethesilos’ insidethepublicsector–and, of course, substantially reduce the cost of land for housingdevelopment.

PART7:ANEWLANDANDCOMMUNITIESDEVELOPMENTAGENCY

It isproposed thata Labourgovernment should setupanewpublic interest-ledorganisation–a’LandandCommunitiesDevelopmentAgency’inScotland.ThisnewAgencywould sitbetween local andnational governmentandworkwithlocalauthoritiesandotherappropriatebodiestodotwothings:1) To be responsible for acquiring, assembling, remediating, servicing and co-

developingderelictandvacantlandinScotlandandmakingavailableservicedsitesforaffordablehousing.Itwouldalsotreatcontaminatedland.

2) Toactas‘primemover’indrivingforwardthedeliveryofanewgenerationofplanned,attractive,mixedtenurecommunitiesinScotland.

• ThetreatmentofderelictandvacantlandinScotland

In 2016, according to The Scottish Vacant and Derelict Land Survey, therewere approximately 16,000 hectares of derelict urban land and 2000hectares of vacant land in Scotland.Not all of thiswill need attention, butwhere there is likely to be demand for housing, then the land would betreated, serviced, and made available to the market. In this activity theAgency could specifically support smaller builders to access sites, self-buildandhousingcooperativesandotherprovidersofaffordablehousingthatareoften‘squeezedout’ofthedevelopmentprocess.

• Thecreationofa‘NewCommunitiesProgrammeinScotland’

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ThenewAgencywouldtaketheleadincoordinatingthekeyplayersandtakeoverallresponsibilityforthedeliveryofthe‘NewCommunitiesProgramme’,workinginpartnershipwithScotland’splanningauthorities.

• Initially it is a proposed there would be around 6-8 ‘New Communities’

established includingbothlargescaleandsmallscaledevelopments(‘urbanvillages’). They should be planned developments from the outset,interwoven with existing neighbourhoods and be part of a process ofexpanding and re-shaping existing cities, towns and settlements. ‘NewCommunitiesin-Town’asitwere.

• Scotlanddoesnothaveaneffective ‘place-productionprocess ‘ – a system

that create good, well designed, thought-through neighbourhoods andcommunities.Weneedtocreategreatplacestoliveaswellasgreathomestolivein.What often passes for ‘development’ in Scotland these days is a rather‘placeless’,anywhereplace.Single-usehousingcharacterisedbypoorestatelayout,over-engineeredroads,dominantparking,pooramenityspace,poorlandscaping,poorconnectivityandbereftoflocalfacilities.Newplacemakingoverthelast20or30yearshasdoneverylittletoupgradethe‘ScottishOffer’–andhasnothadmuchofaneffectonScottisheconomiccompetitiveness intermsof tryingtoattractandretainskilledandtalentedpeopleandactasacatalystfornewbusinessinvestment.ThepreconditionsforthissetofNewCommunitieswouldbeasfollows:- The ability of theAgency to acquire landwithin thedesignated areaof

theproposed‘NewCommunity’at,orverycloseto,existingusevalue- Ready-servicedplotswouldbesoldtobuilders,developers,self-builders

etc.tooffsetthecostofinfrastructureandlandacquisition.- The overall aim of the ‘New Communities Programme’ is to be self-

financingoverthelongterm- Masterplanning; a properly funded Masterplan would be prepared for

each of the proposed ‘New Communities’ with the aim of producing amixedandbalancednewcommunity.

PART8:HOUSINGINRURALANDREMOTEAREASRural Scotland accounts for around 98% of the landmass and some 17% of thepopulationand–itwillneverunlockitstrueeconomicpotentialwhilethereisn’tenoughaffordableruralhousingforworkingagepeopletolivein.Ifwewantourrural economy to make its real contribution to overall Scottish economicperformance through agriculture, agriculture-related businesses, fishing, tourismand new businesses, then much more affordable housing will be required. Thiscriticalshortageofruralhousinghasanenormouslynegativeimpactonanybusinesstryingtoinvest,growandrecruitstaff.

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“Theprovisionof10newaffordableandaccessiblefamilyhomescangenuinelyturnaroundtheeconomicprospectsofaruralcommunity.”SusanTorranceThere have been many initiatives, short term experiments and pilot programmestried in rural areas seeking to increase housing supply including; land reformmeasures,theruralhousingfund,thehousinginfrastructurefund,grantsandloanstosupportself-build,emptyhomesinitiatives,theIslandsHousingFund.Thecurrentsituationisclearlyaconfusingandineffectivemess.TheLabourgovernmentshouldundertakeathoroughreviewoftheinitiativesandmechanismswhichhavebeentriedtoincreasethesupplyofappropriatehousinginruralScotland;decide“WhatWorks”inruralScotlandandcommittoaworkable10-yearstrategyforaffordableandappropriatehousing.The absence of sufficient, genuinely affordable housing in rural areas,where jobsexistandpeoplewanttolive,isleadingtothenearcollapseofthestructureofruraleconomiclifeinScotland.Theproblemdeservesurgentandseriousaction.Any rural housing strategy must be part of a wider plan for transport andinfrastructure.Thesignificantrise inprivaterents intheBorders isstrongevidenceofthelinkbetweenthedesirabilityofhousingandgoodtransportlinks.PART9:HOUSINGINNOVATION1) Where will the money come from to fund this ambitious set of housing

proposals?

“InScotland,thecurrentlywell-fundedsocialhousingmodelbasedongrants, lower rents and loan payments does not particularlyencourageinnovationsinfinance.”UKCollaborativeCentreforHousingEvidence,2018

Theproposals set out in this document are ambitious andwill require energy anddeterminationtoseethemthroughtodeliveryontheground. Further, tomendabroken housing market and address the scale of the housing crisis will requiresubstantialfinancialresource–itisunlikelythatallwillcomefromtaxreceipts.Proposalstopayforinvestmentonthisscaleinclude:

• National/Regional Investment Bank generating cheaper long termfinanceforaffordablesocialhousingandassociatedinfrastructure

• SocialHousingBonds• Wider-useofgovernmentguaranteesusingnationalassetsascollateral

NewfundingmodelneedstobeidentifiedItwillnowbeimportantforaLabourgovernmenttoidentifyitsnewfundingmodelforsocialhousingandthehousingprogrammegenerally.

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The4keyvariablesthatwillaffectthefuturecostofgovernmentinvestmentwillbe:

• Thepriceofland(willbereducedbyproposalsinthisReport)• Construction costs of housing (referenced in the next section of the

Report)• The level of equity/grant (assuming this will not be reduced or it will

conflictwiththe‘genuineaffordability’goal• Financingcosts(through,forexample,RegionalInvestmentBank)

2) ReducingtheconstructioncostsofnewsocialhomesOverthepast50yearstherehasbeenmuchtalkof‘factory-produced’housing,andothermethodsof ‘producing’housesoff-site,asameansof securingamorecost-effectivemethodofdeliveringthesocialrentedproduct.Noneofthisdiscussionhasledtoseriouslyworthwhileapproachesintodrawing,so-called,‘ModernMethodsofConstruction’ (MMC) intomainstream housing production. As a resultMMC hasremainedsomethingofafringeactivity.Ithasbeenestimatedrecentlythat it ispossibletobuilduptofourtimesasmanyhomeswiththesameon-site labourrequiredforonetraditionalbuild. Thiswouldcertainly help circumvent the current building skills shortage. A shortage possiblyexacerbatedbythedevelopmentofBrexit,astherearearound5,000EUcitizensarecurrentlyworkingonScotland’sconstructionsites.ALabourgovernmentshouldtalkwiththeconstructionindustryasamatterofsomeurgency to investigate how a sufficiently large, guaranteed order book of socialhousingmightgiveasufficientboost tothisuntappedcapacity in the industryandreducethecostofthesociallyrentedprogramme.

3) Diversityoftenureandhousetypes

A progressive Labour government will wish to encourage and be responsive to arange of tenure types and housing providers including, for example, co-housing,inter-generationalhousing,coophousing,re-examinationofthe‘shelteredhousing’model,self-buildandopen-sourcedesign.CooperativeHousingThegovernmentshouldfunda3-yeardevelopmentprogrammetocreatesufficientprofessionalcapacityinthecooperativemovementtodevelopmorehousingcoopsinthesocialandprivaterentalsector.4) SustainableHousingandFuelPoverty

Housingpolicymust take into consideration the current and futureenvironmentalimpactofhousebuilding.WebelievethattheprinciplesproposedbytheUKGreenBuilding Council represent a sensible starting point in the discussion aroundenvironmentally sustainable housing policy. We believe that sustainable housing,

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including carbon neutral homes, would be central to Scottish Labour’s housingpolicy.Fuel poverty is a problem across Scotland caused by homes that are not energyefficient,people’slowincomesandthecostofpoweringandheatinghomestothelevelpeopleneed,especiallyinremoteorruralareaswhichareoffgridandpeoplepayapremium for their electricity.One in fourhouseholds in Scotlandare in fuelpoverty. Addressing the climate emergency means that we need to make ourexisting homes both energy efficient and that they move across to low carbonsourcesofheatandpower.

PART10:CROSSPARTYCOMMITMENTONHOUSINGThe Commission felt strongly that we should advocate the setting up of a ‘CrossPartyHousingReformCommission’–orsimilartitle–whichwouldseektobuildamulti-participantcommitmenttokeyhousingreformsandhousebuildingtargetsItshouldnotbeseenasinanysenseanInquiryorevenameansofproducingjointreportsorstatementsbutratheracontextfordiscussionanddebateinordertohelpbuildconsensusonhousingsolutions.Itwasfeltthatsuchagroupwouldreflectthehighimportanceallpartiesattachtohousing inScotlandandthesignificantdegreeofagreement thatalreadyexistsonpolicyandobjectivesandassuchitmighthave‘officialstatus’.

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THOSERECOMMENDATIONSAGAINON1PAGE

• Increasesocialhomesto60,000over5years–a70%increase

• ParityofgrantfundingbetweenHousingAssociationsandLocalAuthorities

• Increasetotalhousingsupplyacrossalltenures

• Bringmoreemptyhomesbackintousefaster

• Providingsufficientfundstomakesocialhousinggenuinelyaffordable

• Areviewofminimumspaceandqualitystandardsinnewhousing

• Proposalsforlow-cost-entrytohomeownershipforunder35s

• Proposalstoincreasetheallocationofsocialrentalhousingtounder35s

• Commitmentto10%ofnewsocialhousingbuilttowheelchair-accessiblestandards

• Seektomakethe10%targetacrossalltenureswithin2years

• Produceandagreea‘NationalStrategyforHousingandtheDisabled’tobeledbyadisabledpersons’organisation.

• ALabourgovernmentshouldworkwith thisorganisation tocreateandmaintaina

comprehensive, national database of accessible and adaptation-ready homesavailableontheprivatemarket.

• Commitmenttolongtermfundingtoeradicate‘core’homelessness

• Introduce and fund clearly defined duties across the public sector to prevent

homelessness

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• Introducethe‘MaryBarbourLaw’toregulateprivaterentedsector(PRS)

• Regulate thePRSby settingup anational body to consistently enforce the laworintegratethisbriefintotheScottishHousingRegulator.

• Reviewthegoodpracticeofregisteredsocial landlordsintheprivaterentedsector

andconsiderhowthesecouldbepromotedandwidenedtoencouragemoreRSLstoparticipateinthisgrowingsectorandraisestandards.

• Strongcommitmenttoreformtheexistinglawandallowpublic interest-ledbodies

toacquirelandatexistinguse-value

• Remove the duty on public bodies to maximise receipts from land sales - andtransfertheirassetsatzeropriceinordertobuildaffordablehomes

• Establishanew‘LandandCommunitiesDevelopmentAgency’

o Toacquire,assemble,treatandservicederelictandvacantlandinScotlando Create a ‘New Communities Programme’, initially comprising 6-8 new

communitieso Oversee,co-ordinateandfacilitatehousingsupplyactivityinScotland

• Undertakeareviewofexisting initiativesto increasesupplyofaffordablehomes in

ruralScotland-andactona‘WhatWorks’analysis

• StartworkoninvestigatingLabour’snewfundingmodelforsocialhousing

• Investigatereducingtheconstructioncostsofnewsocialhousing

• SetupaCrossPartyHousingReformCommission

APPENDIX1 TheMembersoftheHousingCommissionwere;

• PaulineMcNeill MSPforGlasgow• MikeBruce CEOWesloHousingManagement• StuartGulliver,CHAIR EmeritusProfessorUniversityofGlasgow• JudyHamilton Councillor,FifeCouncil• JohnKane Councillor,GlasgowCityCouncil• RitaMiller CoopParty• KirstenMuat ScottishLabourStudents• GordonNelson Director,FederationofMasterBuilders• TanveerParnez DirectorofNationalDevelopment,BEMIS• CraigSanderson CEO,LinkGroup• JamesStrang CEO,ParkheadHousingAssociation• SusanTorrance HousingSpecialist

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• Introducethe‘MaryBarbourLaw’toregulateprivaterentedsector(PRS)

• Regulate thePRSby settingup anational body to consistently enforce the laworintegratethisbriefintotheScottishHousingRegulator.

• Reviewthegoodpracticeofregisteredsocial landlordsintheprivaterentedsector

andconsiderhowthesecouldbepromotedandwidenedtoencouragemoreRSLstoparticipateinthisgrowingsectorandraisestandards.

• Strongcommitmenttoreformtheexistinglawandallowpublic interest-ledbodies

toacquirelandatexistinguse-value

• Remove the duty on public bodies to maximise receipts from land sales - andtransfertheirassetsatzeropriceinordertobuildaffordablehomes

• Establishanew‘LandandCommunitiesDevelopmentAgency’

o Toacquire,assemble,treatandservicederelictandvacantlandinScotlando Create a ‘New Communities Programme’, initially comprising 6-8 new

communitieso Oversee,co-ordinateandfacilitatehousingsupplyactivityinScotland

• Undertakeareviewofexisting initiativesto increasesupplyofaffordablehomes in

ruralScotland-andactona‘WhatWorks’analysis

• StartworkoninvestigatingLabour’snewfundingmodelforsocialhousing

• Investigatereducingtheconstructioncostsofnewsocialhousing

• SetupaCrossPartyHousingReformCommission

APPENDIX1 TheMembersoftheHousingCommissionwere;

• PaulineMcNeill MSPforGlasgow• MikeBruce CEOWesloHousingManagement• StuartGulliver,CHAIR EmeritusProfessorUniversityofGlasgow• JudyHamilton Councillor,FifeCouncil• JohnKane Councillor,GlasgowCityCouncil• RitaMiller CoopParty• KirstenMuat ScottishLabourStudents• GordonNelson Director,FederationofMasterBuilders• TanveerParnez DirectorofNationalDevelopment,BEMIS• CraigSanderson CEO,LinkGroup• JamesStrang CEO,ParkheadHousingAssociation• SusanTorrance HousingSpecialist

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**Note:Participation does not imply agreement with all the recommendations in the Report.

In Attendance Kate Spence, Researcher for Pauline McNeill MSP Peter McDade, Communications Manager for Pauline McNeill MSP Madeleine Grieve, Research and Policy Officer for Scottish Labour

APPENDIX 2 Presentations to the Commission were made by the following persons;

Director of Homes for Good (Scotland)CIC

Professor of Property and Urban Studies, University of Glasgow

Chief Executive, Scottish Association of Landlords

Co-founder, Edinburgh Student Housing Coop

Head of Public Affairs, Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (and now MSP)

• Susan Aktemel

• David Adams

• John Blackwood

• Nathan Bower-Bir

• Sarah Boyack

• Callum Chomczuk

• Douglas Cochrane

• Pam Duncan-Glancy

• Susie Fitton

• Ken Gibb

• Tom Macartney

• Kim McKee

• John Mills

• Craig Sanderson

• Mark Stephens

• Beth Watts

National Director, Chartered Institute of Housing Scotland

Head of Housing Development, Lloyds Banking Group

NHS & disabilities, equalities and human rights campaigner

Independent Living Scotland, Inclusion Scotland

Professor, University of Glasgow; Director UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence

National Development Director, Trivselhus UK

Senior Lecturer, University of Stirling

Head of Housing Services, Fife Council & Co-chair ALACHO

Chief Executive, Link Group

Professor of Public Policy, Heriot Watt University

Senior Research Fellow, Heriot Watt University