News

The total amount of derelict and urban vacant land in Scotland has decreased by 716 hectares (6%) in the latest year, according to Scotland's Chief Statistician. The latest annual statistics found that the extent of vacant and derelict land in Scotland has fallen from 11,753 hectares in 2017 to 11,0

Laura Brennan, trainee solicitor at Govan Law Centre, explains the pitfalls of giving equity away to a quick home buy company in times of financial distress. Our recent Sheriff Appeal Court case of Santander -v- C emphasises the importance of homeowners seeking legal advice should their mortgage len

The Angus Integration Joint Board (IJB) has approved the 2019-2022 Strategic Commissioning Plan and the priorities for health and social care in the region. The three-year plan outlines the ambitions for how adult health and social care services will continue to integrate and how Angus Hea

The national movement of local charities which placed sculpture exhibitions in UK train station to raise awareness of youth homelessness has recently launched phase two of the campaign. The #NOWYOUSEEME campaign by End Youth Homelessness (EYH) depicts the stories of three homeless young people

Inksters Solicitors donated £200 to Social Bite after a consultant asked the law firm to donate her fee to good causes. Catherine Brys, who delivered a customer excellence workshop for Inksters staff, asked the firm to donate part of the fee to Social Bite and the other part to the Cyclone Ida

Edinburgh's Capital Credit Union has reported a near 50% increase in new members for the first half of this financial year, compared to 2017/18. Capital has also reported a sharp increase in lending in both personal loans and mortgages for the first two quarters of the year.

Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations (GWSF) director David Bookbinder issues a defence of volunteer-based governance models. Mike Bruce’s article on paying housing association board members was thoughtfully put together, but, as I’m sure he’ll have expected, c

Plans to build 55 affordable new council homes on the site of the former primary school site in Dumbarton have been approved by councillors. The 1.9-acre area has been empty since the former Aitkenbar Primary School was demolished in 2016, following its relocation to a purpose built shared campus ne

Staff and tenants from Dumfries & Galloway Housing Partnership (DGHP) have transformed a disused garden area into a fun and unique space for people of all ages. The area behind flats and shops in Lincluden had become a magnet for antisocial behaviour over the years and families were no longer us

A couple from Milngavie are helping to transform the lives of older people in their area by proving how enjoyable life in retirement can be. Gina and Robert Howieson have been praised by their fellow tenants at Bield’s Oakburn Gardens for their positive attitudes towards socialising and stayin

Claire Frew, policy & impact manager at the Homeless Network, provides the first of four blogs in the lead up to Scotland’s major Housing First conference on 22 May 2019. In just four weeks’ time people will come together from all over Scotland and beyond for the third annual Housing

Stirling Council must better identify where and how it needs to change to meet future challenges despite recent improvements, according to Scotland’s local government spending watchdog. Services at the council largely perform well, with most services above the national average, and the council

A housing-led regeneration of one of the largest brownfield sites in Scotland is among three Scottish planning projects to have won at the prestigious national awards ceremony of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI). The 964-hectare Dargavel Village to the south west of Bishopton has been subjec

The progress made in building Scotland’s new public service has been outlined today, a year since the Social Security (Scotland) Bill 2018 was passed in Parliament. Social security secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said that the £197 million in benefit payments made by the Scottish Gover

Perth & Kinross Council has commissioned a five-month inquiry to establish the factors that lead to people sleeping rough. The local authority has signed a £25,000 deal with Anna Evans Housing Consultancy to carry out the research.