Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
SNP have failed to meet manifesto commitments on affordable housing
Housing is a human right. All Scots have a right to live in a warm and safe environment – with a roof over their head.
In order to increase housing affordability and to end homelessness, we need to build more homes across Scotland; however, this will be impossible unless we tackle the skills shortages within the sector.
Research by the Construction Industry Training Board into Scotland’s construction sector found an employment shortfall of three per cent.
The sector is facing a skills shortage, with an ageing workforce and a looming retirement cliff-edge; labour shortages are one of the factors that limit construction activity.
The Scottish Government must target more resources at delivering a sustainable workforce through more modern apprenticeships within the sector.
Scotland’s rate of apprenticeship starts is just half that of England.
There were 26,262 modern apprenticeship starts in Scotland in 2016-17, while in England the equivalent apprenticeship level had 491,300 starts. This means that per 100,000 people, there were 486 modern apprenticeship starts in Scotland against 889 in England.
Scottish Conservatives have recently called for the SNP to ensure that foundation apprenticeships are a part of every single Scottish secondary school’s offer by 2020.
There is considerable evidence that softening the divide between academic and work-based learning is key to a well-performing modern economy.
It is therefore extremely important for our economy and our students that all local authorities offer this real-world work experience.
Homelessness and housing supply are intrinsically linked – and the SNP have failed to meet manifesto commitments on affordable housing. The number of new homes completed has fallen by more than a third under the SNP.
Our ideas would help tackle the housing crisis.
The Scottish Conservatives have proposed a range of ideas to increase the housing stock available – from planning reform, through innovative infrastructure funding, to meaningful action on empty homes – and we urge the SNP to back these ideas.
I’m glad to report that my amendments to the Planning (Scotland) bill, to protect local democracy, were successfully passed by the local government and communities committee.
The bill as originally introduced by the SNP government had a deeply worrying section on performance, councillors and training, on appointing a planning performance tsar who would flag up councils if they were not meeting Scottish Government standards. Ministers could order councils to change their working practices.
This was a dangerous precedent and highlights the SNP Government’s centralising agenda.
I lodged amendments to have these draconian sections of the bill removed.
My view on this, shaped by 10 years as a councillor, is that councillors are elected to take decisions affecting their areas – and it is an affront to democracy for someone to then set them a test to rule on whether they are bright enough to do so.
Softening the divide between academic and work-based learning is key to a well-performing modern economy