Holyrood Message
Lady Alice Bowling Club hosts ‘come and try’ nd session for youngsters
ON Wednesday, John Swinney was sworn in as First Minister, the third to take the post since the last election.
There’s been much speculation about whether he’ll merely continue the policy prospectus of his predecessor Humza Yousaf. His supporters are briefing the press he will provide ‘stability’.
But what does that mean in practice? If stability just means maintaining the status quo, the multiple challenges facing ordinary Scots face will only intensify.
What’s needed is radical change and one of the most glaring areas this is evident is housing.
Just as the issue has fallen down the list of the SNP’s priorities over the past decade, the country’s housing crisis has worsened.
There are now around 130,000 people on social housing waiting lists at any given time.
And every 16 minutes, a household becomes homeless in Scotland. In one of the wealthiest countries on earth, that’s absolutely appalling.
In 2022-23, there were 39,000 homeless applications made to local authorities a
10 per cent rise on the year before and the number of households in temporary accommodation is 52 per cent higher than a decade ago.
Here in Inverclyde, a recent Homes for Scotland report found over 10,000 households had some form of housing need, whether that’s struggling with overcrowding, living in unfit properties or struggling to aord bills or requiring specialised support such as a stair li.
Given the scale of these issues, you’d think it’d be all hands on deck at the Scottish Government.
Instead, ministers cut the aordable housing budget by £189 million, later partially backtracking but suggesting reinstating £80 million of that sum was an ‘investment’.
Of this, £75 million has been cut from the capital fund used to build new council and social housing.
At a time when councils are declaring housing emergencies, investment in building more council housing should be a top priority, providing homes to those in need and reducing pressures elsewhere in the system.
Meanwhile, around 100,000 properties in Scotland are sitting empty at any time. That’s why the Scottish Government-appointed Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Group recently recommended a ‘large-scale national acquisition policy to buy private sector properties’ as a point of urgency.
The Scottish Government must also unequivocally recommit to an urgent and robust rent controls system, long backed by Scottish Labour.
This has been included in the longawaited Housing Bill, which the Social Justice and Social Security Committee of which
I am a member will be scrutinising, but implementation could be a way o.
The end of the rent cap means many private tenants, who’ve already seen rents spiral by 14.3 per cent this year due to loopholes in the previous system, face further rises. It’s time ministers stopped sitting on their hands. They must commit to a renewed rent controls scheme for tenants. There must be a scaling up of compulsory purchase of existing unused stock. There must be a serious programme to deliver new council housing across the country.
Aer years of neglect, it’s time the housing emergency was treated with the urgency it deserves.
INVERCLYDE youngsters were bowled over when they got the chance to try out a new sport on a sunny day in Greenock.
Lady Alice Bowling Club welcomed young people aged eight to 15 along to a ‘come and try’ event with the aim of getting more youngsters involved in the game.
A group of youngsters were coached by members of the Lady Alice team on some basic techniques to help them succeed on the green.
Coach Joe Carruthers said the event was a fantastic opportunity for people to test out their skills.
Joe added: “It was a great day and the kids loved it. We make it fun for them and they learn a lot as well. We speak to them about things like the bias on the bowl and how you really think about how you’re going to approach the shot.”
Joe says the club have a small group of young people currently on the books but are keen to attract more young bowlers to keep the momentum going.
He says the coronavirus pandemic put the club back a bit in terms of the recruitment of the next generation.
Joe says the last three club presidents at Lady Alice all started out in the junior section, which shows that it’s possible for youngsters to progress in the sport.
The dedicated coach says the sport is great exercise for the whole body.
Joe added: “It keeps you fit and gets you out in the fresh air. It’s good for the youngsters as it keeps them away from their phones. We’re hopeful that we’ll get a lot more young people involved in the sport this year.”
Sessions for youngsters run on Saturday mornings from 10am to noon.
To find out more contact the club on 01475 649191 or email info@ladyalicebowlingclub. co.uk