Mary Barbour law to tackle rogue landlords
LABOUR will introduce a ‘Mary Barbour law’ to crack down on rogue landlords in the private sector Richard Leonard will say.
The Scottish Labour leader will outline the plans at the party’s conference today.
He will say the law, named after the Labour councillor who led the rent strikes in Glasgow in 1915, part of the party’s housing policy for the social and private rented sector.
A statue of Mrs Barbour was unveiled in Govan this week, where much of the protests and action against landlords took place.
The Rent Restriction Act would introduce measure to ensure fair rents by lining rents to average wages.
In his first conference speech since becoming party leader last year, Mr Leonard is expected to say: “The Mary Barbour law will regulate the private rented sector to ensure that no-one is forced to rent a home that pushes them into poverty or falls below the standards needed to protect their physical and mental health and well-being.
“I passionately believe a home is a basic fundamental human right. That’s why a Scottish Labour government would ensure access to a safe, secure, habitable, and affordable home.
“It is a government’s obligation to the people to guarantee that everyone can exercise this right to live in security, peace, and dignity.”
He will tell delegates more should be invested in social housing.
Mr Leonard will commit labour to investing cash form public sector pension funds into house building programmes.
He will say “When Scottish Labour was last in power we built 61,000 homes for social rent in Scotland.
“And when we gain power again, we will build again. Not only by funding local Housing Associations not only by stimulating housing co-operatives which we will do, but by restoring powers to local councils as well. So let me be clear, under a future Scottish Labour government we will start building council houses again.
“Building more public homes, tackling rip-off rents and agency fees will create better homes for bringing up our children.”
Mr Leonard said Scottish local government pension funds hold forty two billion pounds worth of assets.
He will say: “So investment in public housing is a logical next step.
“What is needed then is the political will to secure the economic transformation that Scotland needs.”