Scottish building and fire safety regulations are set to change significantly in light of the Grenfell Tower fire inquiry, writes Katherine Metcalfe. The Scottish Government’s acceptance of all recommendations from the public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire signals further significant cha

Professor Vikki McCall & Professor Kim McKee from the University of Stirling share this joint piece about the importance of empathy in reflective housing practice. In the wake of Grenfell and the devastating death of Awaab Ishak due to mould in his home, questions around professionalism in housi

Communications specialist Rachael Martin emphasises the double-edged opportunity and responsibility of being a vital community anchor. In recent years the narrative surrounding housing associations (HAs) has been defined by their role as landlords and service providers, amid a severe and growing hou

Jimmy Black relives a few housing decades with Laurie Naumann, a campaigner on single homelessness, and a founder of Kingdom Housing Association. This is a story about Laurie Naumann, who recently retired after 44 years as a board member at Kingdom Housing Association. But it’s also a step bac

Jimmy Black cycled to Stornoway to meet Calum (Barney) MacKay, chair of TPAS Scotland and long-standing tenant activist. Barney is a trade unionist, and that explains a lot. Trades unions teach their active members how to do many useful things, including basic skills, like how to run a meeting or th

Jimmy Black meets the energetic Evie Copland, multi-award-winner and housing evangelist. “The biggest problem is … how do I change the world with this?” Evie Copland is finishing her Master's in Housing Studies, and she has been a distinguished student. In 2021 she won the Malcolm

Below is a full transcript of episode 67 of the Scottish Housing News Podcast titled ‘Amendments to the Housing Bill with Susie Fitton, John Mills and Maeve McGoldrick’. Listen to the episode here. Chapters

The Scottish Housing News Podcast returns with Gillian Campbell, director of the Existing Homes Alliance, and CIH Scotland's policy and practice manager, Ashley Campbell, joining Kieran Findlay and Jimmy Black to discuss the Scottish Government's newly revised Heat in Buildings Bill. They explore th

In the latest episode of the Scottish Housing News Podcast, Kieran Findlay and Jimmy Black catch up with Martin Wilkie McFarlane, who shares insights from his experience with Wellhouse Housing Association during a critical period of regulatory intervention. The conversation explores the challenges f

Below is a full transcript of episode 66 of the Scottish Housing News Podcast titled ‘Martin Wilkie-McFarlane on Wellhouse, regulatory intervention and more'. Listen to the episode here.

Jimmy Black reflects on the Heat in Buildings Bill, and laments the loss of Patrick Harvie’s radical edge.

Jimmy Black gets some sage advice from Martin Wilkie-McFarlane, and hears how regulation was ultimately a positive experience for Wellhouse Housing Association.

Jimmy Black digs into the Scottish Land Commission’s new report, Community Land Scotland’s “Right to Live” and living on Solid Ground.

A trip to Greenock to see the award-winning retrofit project at Prospecthill Court for the Scottish Housing News Podcast provides Jimmy Black with renewed vigour regarding the potential for multi-storey to play a part in Scotland's housing landscape. Take an elderly multi high above the Clyde on an

For the next edition of Our Housing Heritage, journalist and digital history specialist Chris Holme shares the story of how First World War servicemen came to reside in the rural village of Longniddry. Unlikely as it sounds, the Longniddry Piggery provided Britain’s first purpose-built homes f

In the latest article in the ongoing Our Housing Heritage series, Scottish Housing News discusses the Glasgow Rent Strikes of 1915. In the absence of social housing, families across the UK in 1915 were at the mercy of private landlords who could hike rents and evict tenants at will with little restr

The Springburn office of ng homes is named after Ned Donaldson. But who was Ned Donaldson? Kieran Findlay recalls the contribution of the activist and the post-war battle to stop the privatisation of council housing at Merrylee. It was a cold sleety December day in 1951. Slum landlordism and sublett

Duncan Smith, who works in the social housing sector, has contributed this piece as part of his quest for more information about housing architect George Gibson. Several years ago, just after starting my current job, I undertook some research on the properties we were refurbishing at the time. I fou

The Scottish Government's efforts and progress in addressing fuel poverty over the past three years have been outlined in a new report.

Almost half of Scots are worried about being able to afford their household energy bills over the coming year, according to a poll published ahead of the latest Ofgem price cap rise. The Survation poll, conducted for Advice Direct Scotland, found that 46% of people are concerned about their ability

The Scottish Fuel Poverty Advisory Panel has issued a new evidence report reflecting on what the impending increase to the energy price cap means for rural communities and findings from its recent investigation into rural and remote fuel poverty.  

The Scottish Government has called on UK Government ministers to urgently deliver a targeted energy bill discount to protect customers in greatest need and drive down high fuel poverty rates. The final report of the Social Tariff Working Group – comprising energy suppliers, consumer and fuel p

Emergency action to suspend council housing allocations across Edinburgh has been hailed as a bold response to the city's mounting homelessness crisis.

Blue Triangle, a social care provider, charity, and Registered Social Landlord (RSL), marked its 50th anniversary yesterday at the Scottish Parliament against the backdrop of Scotland’s growing homelessness crisis.  Hosted by Paul Sweeney MSP and with a speech by Maree Todd, Minister for

The City of Edinburgh Council is preparing to take the unprecedented step of suspending its general council house letting policy for up to a year, in a move aimed at tackling a mounting homelessness crisis and meeting legal obligations to provide suitable temporary accommodation.

In this episode of the Scottish Housing News Podcast, the discussion revolves around the proposed amendments to the Housing Scotland Bill, particularly focusing on homelessness prevention. The conversation features insights from Susie Fitton, policy manager at the Scottish Federation of Housing Asso

As rent increases ripple across Scotland, Rettie's Rob Trotter argues that landlords are acting now to avoid being locked into long-term losses later. Rent increases are appearing across Scotland—but this isn’t just a short-term reaction to the lifting of rent controls on April 1st.

The Scottish Government needs to encourage and work more with the private rented sector (PRS) to resolve the current housing emergency, according to property firm DJ Alexander. DJ Alexander Ltd, which is the largest lettings and estate agency in Scotland, said that if there is to be an effective res

Karen Gatherum, solicitor and licencing specialist at Gilson Gray, and Neil Gray, director at Gray Planning and Development, reveal what short-term lets operators in Edinburgh can do to try and maximise the chances of their licences being renewed. Four months before the start of the Edinburgh Fringe

Private landlords who have properties to rent are being asked to get in touch with South Lanarkshire Council. The council wants to lease privately owned properties as temporary homeless accommodation.

Pension Age Disability Payment is now open for applications across Scotland. Yesterday, the benefit was extended to 14 more areas - Dumfries and Galloway, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverclyde, Midlothian, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, Scottish Borde

Over £3 million has been put into the pockets of Dundee pensioners, thanks to city-wide efforts encouraging people to apply for Pension Credit.

More unpaid carers in Scotland could benefit from financial support as a key change in eligibility rules comes into effect from 6 April 2025. The earnings limit for Carer Support Payment will increase from £151 to £196 a week. This means that a carer can earn £45 more a week, after

The process of transferring over 66,000 adults in Scotland from Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to the new Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance has begun. Payments will now be managed by Social Security Scotland instead of the Department for Work and Pensions.