Housing investment has to be a priority

For the second time in a few short months many of us woke up with a sense of disbelief, this time at the horror show that is the election of Donald Trump as US President. Many voters in the US rejected values of respect, tolerance, equality and internationalism to elect a man who, as we have seen in Scotland, simply bullies his way to success.

Many US voters felt left behind by an economic system that had failed to trickle down prosperity to their neglected communities. Like some who voted for Brexit in the UK, many Trump supporters felt that sticking it to the established political order might change things. Like Brexit, I suspect that hope will unravel in the months to come, however both results underline the need to take action to address the root causes of poverty.

Trump is also a climate change denier, but the US is doing remarkable work in states such as California to grow jobs in low carbon industries, with big ambitions being driven by strong government regulation, research and business innovation. In the UK we have a Westminster Government increasingly hostile to renewables, but like California, Scotland is on a different path. That’s why I’ve been making the case in the Scottish Parliament in recent weeks for closer collaboration between Scotland and US states so we can work together to deliver the technology and jobs of the future regardless of the direction that Trump and Westminster want us to take.

For many people getting a genuinely affordable home is becoming more challenging with home ownership a distant reality. With social housing waiting lists staying long, growth in the private rented sector continues to expand, including among families with children. Recently released figures show that Stirling has seen the biggest rent increases in Scotland in the last year. We need to look at rent controls to prevent people being priced out of a suitable home or forced into poverty to pay bills. Investment in new housing has to be a government priority.

With that in mind the long awaited closure of the Ministry of Defence’s Forthside facility in Stirling should provide an opportunity. We have been making the case in Parliament for land freed up across Scotland by the closure of barracks to be transferred to the Scottish Government or councils so we can develop social housing at the lowest cost on these sites.

Another side of housing affordability is running costs. Last week I spoke in a debate on fuel poverty in Parliament highlighting how important it is that we invest in our existing housing stock, much of which will still be meeting our needs in 100 years. A coalition of 50 housing, environmental and anti-poverty organisations called the Existing Homes Alliance is campaigning to get all Scotland’s housing stock up to a tolerable energy standard by 2025.

It’s a big ask, but one that could create 9,000 jobs in Scotland in manufacturing and installation work. It would slash costs to our health service too as cold damp homes damage our physical and mental health, which in turn makes finding and holding a job harder. The less families are spending on energy, the more spare income they have to spend locally rather than with big energy companies. Even educational attainment increases as children thrive in warmer homes which are less cramped.

Unfortunately other parties did not vote for our Green amendment to increase spending in this area, but with the budget coming soon, the need to focus investment on housing to tackle poverty, grow the economy and cut carbon will get louder.

Figures show Stirling has seen the biggest rent increases in Scotland in the last year