Third more battling to pay for their home, says study
THE number of people in Scotland struggling to pay for their home has risen by nearly a third in the past two years, according to a study.
Research by YouGov, on behalf of Shelter Scotland, indicated that 12 per cent of a sample size of 600 people said they were struggling to pay their rent or mortgage costs.
The figure is an increase on the nine per cent of BY LEWIS McKENZIE respondents from two years ago when the same survey was conducted.
YouGov say the 12 per cent figure is equivalent to nearly 200,000 households in Scotland.
As many as four in 10 said they would struggle to pay their rent or mortgage if it rose by as little as £50 a month in 2019, while 39 per cent admitted they had at least once borrowed money from a friend, used a credit card or their savings to pay their rent or mortgage.
Graeme Brown, director of Shelter Scotland, said: “A perfect storm of austerity, harsh welfare reforms, stagnant wages, job insecurity and the high cost of housing are making it harder for people to make ends meet and plan for the future.” Delightfully random, he’s from another planet and entirely unpredictable, which makes him a joy to watch. I find it impossible to look at anyone else when he’s on the screen. Len was such a gent. Not only did he know his stuff – when he explained what a “fleckerl” was, it made you care about it – he had a wonderful turn of phrase. Always dapper and still missed. You trust Paul’s judgment and are thrilled when he offers his handshake. The pairing with Mary seemed a genuine friendship. Brilliantly anarchic, he has the knack of pushing things further than anybody else would. It keeps Simon on his toes. His taunting is hilarious – you sometimes hold your breath. The Ant and Dec of cooking – everybody loves John (Dec) but suspects that they don’t like Gregg (Ant). Compulsive viewing. Nicole Scherzinger was stunning and sincere, and Louis Walsh was wise and wily. But the fact you never knew what Sharon would do or say made her compelling.