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Housing must be at heart of political agenda, says coalition |
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Monday, 30 April 2007 |
Housing must be placed at the heart of the political agenda, according to a 17-strong coalition of organisations from across Scotland.
The coalition, which includes representatives from business,
churches, trade unions, environmental groups and the health and housing
sector, has come together ahead of this week’s election to reinforce
how central housing is to people’s lives.
With more than 200,000 people on house waiting lists in 2006 and over
8,000 homeless households in temporary accommodation in March 2006,
Archie Stoddart, director, Shelter Scotland said that whoever leads
Scotland in the next term can’t afford to ignore the problem of
Scotland’s housing crisis. "Housing has not had the attention it
deserves during this election period. We have come together with these
16 other organisations to reinforce to politicians and the public that
housing is central to everyone's lives,” he said.
“Whoever leads Scotland through its next term cannot afford to ignore
the problem that is Scotland's housing crisis. 2007 presents our best
opportunity to increase investment in housing and build 30,000
affordable homes for rent over the next three years. Housing is central
to the lives of all Scots."
Along with Shelter Scotland, other members of the coalition include:
SFHA; Chartered Institute of Housing; Scottish Churches Housing Action;
UNISON; GMB; Royal College of Nursing; Scottish Rural Property and
Business Association; Scottish Centre for Public Policy; Citizens
Advice Service; WWF; Church of Scotland; Friends of the Earth; Scottish
Chambers of Commerce; Homes for Scotland; Money Advice Scotland; and
The Royal Town Planning Institute in Scotland.
Richard Leonard, Scotland political officer, GMB said: "Investment in
housing means investment in socially useful jobs. It should form a
central part of the ambition to secure full and fulfilling employment.
The GMB is pleased to support the campaign because our purpose is not
just to improve the standard of living of our members at work: but to
improve their quality of life both inside and outside the workplace."
Morag Mylne, convener, Church and Society Council, Church of Scotland,
added: "Few things begin to have as fundamental an impact on the
quality of life and on the relationships within the household, the
neighbourhood and the community as the availability of suitable housing
of a satisfactory standard. The quality of housing available to the
significant percentage of people who cannot afford to buy their own
home is one of the litmus tests of the morality of a nation."
Liz Cameron, executive director, Scottish Chambers of Commerce, argued
that there is a need to fully understand the bigger picture and
recognise the importance of a supportive infrastructure that allows for
economic growth. "Affordable, suitable accommodation plays a key part
in employers' ability to recruit and retain staff,” she said.
“There
have been thousands of inward skills coming into Scotland, without
which, many of our sectors would have been struggling. These are
talented, highly skilled individuals. It is critical that we have a
housing stock now, and planning for the future, to ensure future
investment and location of new business."
Theresa Fyffe,
director, RCN Scotland, also stressed the impact that a shortage of good
quality, affordable housing is having on the health of Scottish
families. "Poor housing standards affect the health of thousands of
families across Scotland. Tonight many parents will be forced to put
their children to bed in damp and unhealthy conditions. This will
inevitably have an impact on their health and well-being,” she said.
“The
lack of affordable housing is also preventing many nurses from living
near their place of work. I am concerned that some NHS employers may
find it difficult to recruit staff in the future as more and more towns
and villages become too expensive. We must achieve the aim of having
the right houses in the right areas to meet the needs of Scotland's
workforce."
Dr Richard Dixon, director, WWF Scotland, said: "The
quality of our homes is a vital issue for people and the environment.
Housing in Scotland is responsible for around a fifth of our climate
change emissions. Although there is now lots of exciting talk about
making new homes zero-carbon, we need much more effort on the buildings
we already have so we can make them affordable and warm at the same
time as reducing their emissions as much as possible."
With
first time buyers now finding it nearly 65 per cent harder to get onto
the property ladder in Scotland than 10 years ago, Yvonne Gallacher,
CEO, Money Advice Scotland, said: "It is imperative that there is more
affordable, available housing for rent. Not everyone is able to sustain
a mortgage or indeed the running costs. In many instances this could
have an impact on individual financial health/debt avoidance.
“This
is currently the case, especially given the increasing house prices and
the lack of first time buying opportunities in Scotland. There are few
or no signs of this changing and action needs to be taken."
No one has commented on this article.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 30 April 2007 )
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