Response to Green Paper on Modernisation
An Agenda for Scotland's Housing

 

1. Introduction

2. Promoting Social Inclusion

3. Promoting and Ensuring Good Quality Housing for All

4. A New Approach to Public Rented Housing

5. Valuing Housing Staff

1. Introduction

UNISON Scotland welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Green Paper Investing in Modernisation – An Agenda for Scotland's Housing.

UNISON Scotland is the main union for housing workers. Our members are employed by Scotland's local authorities, housing associations, co-operatives, and housing companies. In addition many thousands of our members work in partnership with housing staff to provide vital services to the community eg home helps, social workers, health visitors, etc.

2. Promoting Social Inclusion

UNISON welcomes the Government's emphasis on tacking social exclusion and agrees that housing cannot be divorced from wider social issues. Housing policy must be placed in the context of a situation where one in three people in Scotland are badly housed. It is not just that some have been left behind. Conditions have been created which should have been banished for ever and a legacy of badly built unsuitable and, in many cases, damp houses have been left for the tenants of the 21 century. The real challenge for Scottish Executive and Scottish Parliament is to find resources, build better homes and create inclusive societies. In UNISON's view this work is best done by properly funded local authorities, directly accountable to local communities.

Much of Scotland's housing is amongst the worst in Europe. £6 billion is needed to modernise Scottish homes. The problem is not quantity but quality - not enough is being spent on housing in Scotland.

In the same way that housing cannot be divorced from the wider social issues they, in turn, cannot be divorced from housing. Social provision and care without housing will fail. Housing provision outside the context of comprehensive care will also fail. Housing conditions have more impact on the health of the Scottish population than diet yet they are given neither the same publicity nor the same level it seems of priority.

UNISON believes that Scotland's citizens are entitled to homes which are accessible, adequate, affordable and of good quality. We also believes that people in social housing are also entitled to live in an environment which is safe and free from crime and the fear of crime. Citizens from minority ethnic communities are further entitled to live in an atmosphere which is free from racial abuse and harassment. UNISON therefore believes that housing policies must be developed which deal not only with the provision of housing but which also take account of the social needs of tenants. In particular, housing providers must develop responses to anti-social behaviour which cater for the needs of tenants in general, while of course protecting the rights of individuals.

3. Promoting and Ensuring Good Quality Housing for All

The law on housing provision for the homeless should be reversed so that all genuinely homeless people are entitled to permanent secure accommodation. The local authorities should not be the sole providers of housing in these situations. Particularly in the context of the New Housing Partnerships, housing associations, tenants co-operatives and local housing companies must also be required to provide accommodation for homeless people.

Local assessments of housing need should be undertaken as well as national projections of housing demand. These should include a national strategy to maximise the use of existing housing stock.

The major part of the shortfall in housing needs should be met by increasing the supply of social rented housing.

Social rented housing must be affordable and accessible to all who need a home.

There should be strict controls over the sale of social housing in areas of housing shortage and a halt to subsidise sale in general.local mandatory licensing scheme should be introduced for houses of multiple occupation under a framework set down by the Scottish Parliament.

UNISON believes the best quality, most responsive public services are generally those which are provided publicly. We therefore have concern at Best Value regimes focused on cost and competition to the detriment of quality.

UNISON believes that a national programme of quality improvements should be introduced in all types of housing to include the provisions of the 1995 Home Energy Conservation Act and the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme.

UNISON believes local housing providers should develop combined heat and power/district heating schemes for the supply of heat and light to homes and buildings.

UNISON believes that all housing development should be environmentally sustainable.

4. A New Approach to Public Rented Housing

UNISON is keen to ensure that housing continues to be subject to democratic oversight and control by periodically elected local authorities and councillors.

UNISON is concerned that community ownership through the transfer of housing stock to housing associations and private companies will not give tenants greater control over decisions affecting their own homes.

The Scottish system of council housing provides a direct route for tenants to access their elected local councillors if they have problems or complaints. It also gives tenants the opportunity to vote out local councillors if they think they are doing a bad job.

While UNISON welcomes and values diversity in the provision of social housing we do not believe the wholesale transfer of housing stock to community ownership will be in the interests of democracy. It would be ironic and regretable if the newly elected Scottish Parliament pursued a policy which reduces democratic accountability over the nation's housing stock.

While we welcome improvements in the capital infrastructure we do not believe the £300 million being invested in Scottish housing as a result of the Comprehensive Spending Review should be tied to one particular policy – ie New Housing Partnerships. Flexibility is required. A new financial regime for housing is required. This would obviate the need for stock transfer.

There should be an immediate change to the financial regime to allow local authorities to use capital receipts for investment in new housing.

Local authorities capital debt should be written off.

The PSBR should be replaced by a new accounting measure, the General Government Financial Deficit, to enable borrowing by local authorities for housing investment. Most local authorities have a very strong asset base and borrowing on the strength of these assets subject to appropriate safeguards is one potential method of service provision. This is something the Scottish Parliament and Scotish Executive should campaign for at a UK level.

5. Valuing Housing Staff

UNISON would urge the Scottish Executive and Parliament to value the housing team

This requires housing staff to be treated fairly with decent pay and conditions – there has been an erosion in recent years in comparison to other parts of the public and private sectors.

There is an urgent need to ensure proper training for staff – putting lifelong learning into practice.

Job security is also key – there is a growing trend to casualisation and temporary contracts which needs to be reversed.

Matt Smith
Unison Scottish Secretary

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