THE Scottish Government has voted to proceed to the next stage of the Housing (Scotland) Bill, which will make changes to the national rent control system.
Following a rally outside the Scottish Parliament building yesterday, the Scottish Parliament has passed the vote that leads them through the first stage of the bill.
The bill proposes to tackle poverty across Scotland by granting tenants new rights and a system of tighter rent controls.
This comes after a national housing emergency was announced in Scotland earlier this year.
Scottish locals gathered outside Holyrood yesterday in a rally organised by Living Rent, Scotland’s tenants and community union.
After the vote was passed, the union took to social media to say: “Make no mistake, this would not have happened without the work of Scotland’s tenants’ union.
“Right now we need to celebrate the vote bringing rent controls one step closer.
“But landlords are fighting hard and it’s clear there is a lot of work to be done.”
As stated by the government, the bill will also “place a stronger emphasis on homelessness prevention” by imposing a homelessness prevention duty, requiring specific bodies to intervene and take action if a person is found to be homeless when asked.
A similar course of action will be taken towards domestic abuse, requiring landlords to introduce policies to prevent domestic abuse in their properties.
Engender, Scotland’s feminist policy and advocacy organisation, state that though they support many of the reforms outlined in the bll, “Scotland’s housing system is failing women”.
They said: “The housing system in Scotland is biased & women have less access to safe, affordable homes. This is placing increasing numbers of women at risk of homelessness.”
They urge the government, when considering the bill, “to incorporate the different experiences of housing and homelessness that women in Scotland experience due to gender inequality and other intersectional forms of oppression”.
They added: “Women’s experiences of housing are different from those of men because they are shaped by their unequal access to resources and safety.”
Right now, institutions around the world are taking part in 16 Days of Activism to combat gender-based violence, including the City of Edinburgh Council who said: “We’re proud to support the global 16DaysOfActivism campaign to combat gender-based violence”.
On the Housing (Scotland) Bill, Housing Minister Paul McLennan said: “Scotland has led the way in protecting tenants and providing rights for homeless people.
“The Housing (Scotland) Bill aims to create a rental system that improves the rights of tenants while maintaining investment and provides greater support for people threatened with homelessness.”
Scottish Labour MSP Mark Griffin took to social media yesterday to say: “The SNP Government today proposed a Housing Bill that doesn’t build a single house, despite admitting we are in the midst of a housing emergency.
“We’ve got a UK Labour Government that has promised to build 1.5 million houses over the course of the next Parliament.
“That’s the level of ambition that we need to match in Scotland to get us out of this crisis.”
The bill will now progress into stage two, where amendments will be considered.
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