Housing crisis far worse than previously thought is laid bare in study
A new report has found that Scotland’s housing crisis is far worse than previously thought, with more than a quarter of households struggling.
The most comprehensive survey of its kind has concluded that 693,000 households, about 28 per cent of the total, have at least one form of housing need.
The figure includes 185,000 homes where the occupants struggle with the cost of housing, as well as 123,000 properties judged to be “overcrowded”, 85,000 said to be “unfit”, and 373,000 households where at least one personwants to move out but cannot.
The report was commissioned by Homes for Scotland (HFS), which represents house builders, and carried out by the Diffley Partnership and Rettie & Co.
It follows the declaration of “housing emergencies” by local authorities in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Argyll and Bute last year.
The study, which surveyed 13,690 people, found current Scottish government estimates of housing need, calculated through the Housing Need and Demand Assessment (HNDA) tool, have significantly under estimated how many really face housing hardship.
HFS chief executive Jane Wood, inset, said: “Adequate housing is a human right, but today more than a quarter of households in Scotland are in one or more forms of housing need. there is simply no excuse for Scotland to continue on this path.”
She added: “As this comprehensive report demonstrates, the level of housing need far exceeds the current calculations used to determine where and how many homes need to be built in Scotland.
"It provides local authorities and the Scottish Government with an easy and robust data tool to help them understand true housing need at local and national levels.”
Dr John Boyle, of Rettie & Co, the lead author of the report, said accurate data was key to addressing the housing crisis.
"Several solutions will be required to resolve the wider need that has been identified, such as bringing empty homes back into use, but it is clear that the building of new homes must play a significant part,” he said.
"As such, sufficient land must be allocated in Local Development Plans for much needed homes of all tenures.
“Scotland’s chronic undersupply of housing has already had a drastic and far-reaching impact on its economic and social development.
"If we don’t get this sorted, the consequences across a broad range of national outcomes from health to education to well being-will be severe .”
Housing Minister Paul Mclennan said: “Everyone in Scotland deserves the right to a warm and safe place they can call home.
"The scottish government has led the UK in housing by delivering 126,396 affordable homes since 2007, over 89,000 of which were for social rent, including 23,625 council homes. This is over 40 per cent more affordable homes delivered per head of population than in England, and over 70 per cent more than in Wales.”
He added :“we will invest £556 million in affordable housing next year to increase the delivery of more affordable homes, the majority of which will be for social rent, including supporting acquisitions of existing properties .”
regulator Ofcom could gain enforcement action over BBC News website articles it does not believe meet relevant broadcast standards in new government reforms aimed at improving impartiality at the corporation.
Currently, the communications regulator is only able to issue an opinion on the matter, but Government recommendations say Ofcom will be given increased oversight over the BBC'S online public services, including its news site and Youtube channel.
The Government said its recommendations, which focus on increasing public confidence in the BBC'S impartiality and complaints system, are expected to be implemented in a timely manner, following talks with the BBC and Ofcom.
The Government-approved regulator, which has authority over TV, radio and videoon-demand services through a broadcasting code, has also been given a new legally binding responsibility to review more of the BBC’S complaints decisions.
The new reforms are outlined in the first Mid-term Review, published by the Government today, introduced by the 11-year BBC Royal Charter, which forms the constitutional basis of the corporation and makes clear its public purpose. Alongside the Ofcom reforms is a legal responsibility for the BBC Board to actively oversee its own complaints process.
The review also recommends that the BBC considthe ers how diversity and opinion could be better represented as the Government says some audience groups, including disabled viewers and people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, feel underrepresented by the corporation.
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said the corporation “needs to adapt” to the reforms or risk “losing the trust of the audience it relies on”.
The BBC’S complaint's process, called BBC First, was introduced at the last Charter Review in 2017, and the Midterm Review has concluded that it does allow licence fee payers to hold the BBC directly accountable, but said impartiality continues to be an ongoing issue for audiences.
Under BBC First, audience complaints are normally addressed by the corporation before they can be esca
lated to Ofcom.to improve the complaint's process, the BBC Board, which previously had a responsibility to oversee only the establishment of a complaints handling process, will nowoverseethewholeprocess.
Non-executive board directors and external advisors on the BBC’S Editorial Guidelines
and Standards Committee will also be given greater powers to scrutinise and challenge BBC senior management’s complaint handling.
Furthermore, the role which has responsibility for complaints handling will now report directly to the directorgeneralratherthanthedirector
responsible for editorial policy, to separate pre-broadcast editorialpolicyandpost-broadcast complaints resolution.
Ms Frazer said: “These changes will better set up the BBC to ask difficult questions of itself, and make sure Ofcom can continue to hold the broadcaster to account.”