Insight

Is it fair to say the housing sector workforce is predominantly white? Old white middle-class man Jimmy Black reflects on issues raised by the latest episode of the Scottish Housing News Podcast.

Changes to local connection legislation, which come into force today, that suspends the power of Scottish local authorities to refer people who present as homeless to another area is a long time coming, says Lisa Borthwick at Shelter Scotland. Tuesday 29 November is a momentous day for housing and h

The latest guests on the Scottish Housing News Podcast are gathering stories about the way Scotland’s housing services handle people with protected characteristics. Podcast co-host Jimmy Black says “we only have laws against discrimination because some people do it”. Read on ...

Anthony Morrow and Kevin Carr at Sanctuary Scotland’s Community Investment Team speak about Sanctuary's approach to homelessness through better connectivity with those in tenancies as well as within the organisation. Sanctuary’s Perspective, Anthony Morrow (Community Connector Manager)

Steph Elliot continues the SFHA's monthly TECH column with a call for organisations to sign up to the TEC in Housing Charter. The reach of the housing sector extends across Scotland and services millions of people in every community. Individually and as a collective we have the potent

Mike Staples and Ronnie MacRae reveal how community-led housing helps address repopulation challenges in Scottish communities. Between 2009 and 2013, 40 people left the small Gaelic-speaking crofting community of Staffin in the north of Skye. This was a 6.6% population drop in four years.

Elizabeth Leighton on the tragedy of underspending on energy efficiency funding. Energy prices are causing real harm right across Scotland with thousands of households being pushed into fuel poverty. The good news is, we already know how to fix this – improving the energy efficiency of homes r

Following up on a previous blog in Scottish Housing News regarding market volatility, Ross Barty provides an update on what has changed in the last six months and what housing associations and councils in Scotland should be mindful of now and over the next few months. A new market dynamic is impacti

While the finalised version of the National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) has environmental considerations at its heart, Alastair Wood asks whether it will have the ability to deliver on the Scottish Government’s 2045 net zero ambitions and whether planning will still be able to support the

Both residents and businesses are benefiting from Clyde Gateway's recent investments in green spaces, says Ian Manson. For Clyde Gateway, Scotland’s most ambitious regeneration project, there has been an increased focus on creating new green spaces. Aside from the many environmental reasons br

Jimmy Black and Kieran Findlay spent 40 minutes online with Patrick Harvie, minister for zero carbon buildings, active travel and tenants' rights. Jimmy picks out some of the main points, mostly concerning the Scottish Government’s emergency legislation designed to give tenants relief from the

In a guest blog for the CIH Scotland website, Lucy Malarkey talks about the actions needed to create a truly inclusive culture within organisations. Creating and maintaining an inclusive culture doesn’t happen by accident and it doesn’t happen in a vacuum, it requires action and that act

Hamish Trench talks about the recent Scottish Government consultation on the Land Reform Bill and the Scottish Land Commission’s response. Over the last four months, the Scottish Government has been consulting on its proposals for a new Land Reform Bill. This is a key stage towards development

Jimmy Black reflects on Caledonia Housing Association's ‘agile’ staff strategy and gets misty-eyed about his old place of work in a Broughty Ferry mansion house. I came across the term “agile” when working in technology-enabled care. A bunch of expert software developers crea

The new Tenant Protection Act falls short of expectations, argues the Legal Services Agency. In October 2022, the Scottish Parliament passed the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Bill (which has now received royal assent). This bill aims to introduce new measures to protect tenants in th