Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
The Committee was established in June 2021. It focuses on:
- local government (including councils)
- the planning system in Scotland
- housing and housing strategy
- building standards
Next meeting
29th Meeting, 2023
Agenda: Decision on taking business in private, Annual Report of the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman 2022-23, Annual Report of the Scottish Housing Regulator 2022-23, Subordinate legislation, Subordinate legislation, Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Bill, Annual Report of the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, Annual Report of the Scottish Housing Regulator, Housing to 2040
09:00am, 05 December 2023
T4.60-CR6 The Livingstone Room
Get in touch
If you want to get in touch, you can contact Euan Donald, the Clerk for the committee.
Address: The Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh, EH99 1SP
Phone: 0131 348 5980 Find out about call charges.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @SP_LocalGov
If you're appearing as a witness at a committee, take a look at our witness guide for more information.
Members
Members of the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
Current Members
Ariane Burgess
Convener
Party: Scottish Green Party
MSP for: Highlands and Islands (Region)
Willie Coffey
Deputy Convener
Party: Scottish National Party
MSP for: Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley (Constituency)
Miles Briggs
Member
Party: Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
MSP for: Lothian (Region)
Stephanie Callaghan
Member
Party: Scottish National Party
MSP for: Uddingston and Bellshill (Constituency)
Pam Gosal
Member
Party: Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
MSP for: West Scotland (Region)
Mark Griffin
Member
Party: Scottish Labour
MSP for: Central Scotland (Region)
Marie McNair
Member
Party: Scottish National Party
MSP for: Clydebank and Milngavie (Constituency)
Substitute Members
Maggie Chapman
Substitute Member
Party: Scottish Green Party
MSP for: North East Scotland (Region)
Gordon MacDonald
Substitute Member
Party: Scottish National Party
MSP for: Edinburgh Pentlands (Constituency)
Alex Rowley
Substitute Member
Party: Scottish Labour
MSP for: Mid Scotland and Fife (Region)
Graham Simpson
Substitute Member
Party: Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
MSP for: Central Scotland (Region)
Committee work
Current
Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) Scotland Bill
Housing Cladding Remediation Scotland Bill
Housing to 2040
National Care Service Scotland Bill
National Planning Framework
Priorities in Session 6
Understanding barriers to participation in local politics
Verity House Agreement and New Deal with Local Government
Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill
Previous
Allotments and the Community Empowerment Act
Community Planning Inquiry: Post-Legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment Act 2015
Coronavirus Recovery and Reform Bill
Non Domestic Rates Coronavirus Scotland Bill
Pre-Budget Scrutiny 2023/24
Regulations on proposals made by Boundaries Scotland
Short-term lets regulations
Future
Future work
At its meeting on 20 June 2023, the Committee agreed a programme of future work. The programme is structured around a set of key themes under each element of the Committee’s remit.
Local Government
At the heart of the Committee’s work on local government is a focus on ensuring that it can be as effective as possible in delivering for the communities it serves and empowering those communities.
This work is connected to the Local Governance Review and New Deal for Local Government, with all other parts of the Committee’s work, linked to these two projects.
In looking at empowering both local government and in turn communities, the Committee will look at the relationship between central and local government, what local government needs to work well and if attitudes should change to ensure that power is devolved to the right levels to provide real community empowerment.
The Committee’s work will focus on the following key themes:
• Are local government and central government working well together as equal partners to deliver on shared priorities and reduce inequalities?
• Does local government have the necessary: clarity on what issues they should deal with and what central government should deal with; certainty of funding; flexibility; and autonomy to work effectively and meet the challenges faced in each local authority area?
• Do we have the right structures in place to allow local government to be effective, maintain services and support its workforce?
• Are communities being empowered and supported to shape their priorities and deliver them?
In pursuing these themes, the Committee will continue to undertake work in relation to:
• The Local Governance Review
• The New Deal for local government
• Understanding barriers to local elected office
• Post-legislative scrutiny of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015
• Community Councils
The Committee will also focus its budget scrutiny this year on the local government budget and more specifically on workforce issues in local government.
In addition, the Committee will consider the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill and will begin work looking at community wealth building.
Housing
The second element of the Committee’s remit relates to housing matters.
Central to the Committee’s work is a focus on ensuring that Scotland has the number of homes needed to meet current and future need and that house building is taking place in the right places and to the right standards.
The Scottish Government sets out its ambitions for housing in Housing to 2040 and the Committee’s scrutiny will focus on the adequacy of that strategy.
The Committee will focus on the following themes:
• Building enough homes or bringing enough homes back into use to meet current and future housing needs
• Building homes with a focus on placemaking
• Creating and sustaining a mix of housing that is financially and physically accessible to all
• Building homes that provide for affordable warmth and zero emissions
• Ensuring that new and existing homes are safe and of a high quality
In pursuing these themes, in the context of Housing to 2040 the Committee will continue to pursue work in relation to:
• the delivery of the affordable housing supply programme
• retrofitting of housing for net zero
• short-term lets
• damp and mould in the rental sector
• cladding
• the Minimum All Tenure Housing Land Requirement and Housing Needs Demand Assessment tool
• the Cost of Living (Tenant Protections) Scotland Act 2022 Regulations
Over the course of this year the Committee also expects to consider the Scottish Government’s climate change plan and a housing bill.
Planning
The Committee’s focus around planning continues to be on the National Planning Framework 4, which came into effect in February 2023.
The Committee has agreed to undertake an annual review to see how it is being translated into local development plans and the extent to which it is achieving its transformational aims.
Correspondence
Committee correspondence
Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill letter 23 November 2023
A letter from the owner of the Argyll Hotel, 23 November 2023
Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
A letter from the Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants’ Rights, heat in buildings Bill and a new Social Housing Net Zero Standard, 21 November 2023
Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
Legislative Consent Memorandum 14 November 2023
A letter from the Minister for Housing, LCM in respect to the UK Government’s Renters Reform Bill, 14 November 2023
Official Reports
Official Reports
Meeting date: Tuesday, November 21, 2023
Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
Decision on Taking Business in Private, Subordinate Legislation
Meeting date: Tuesday, November 14, 2023
Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
Interests, Decision on Taking Business in Private, Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1, Council Tax Freeze, Subordinate Legislation
Meeting date: Tuesday, November 7, 2023
Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
Decision on Taking Business in Private, Interests, Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1, Subordinate Legislation
Meeting date: Tuesday, October 31, 2023
Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
Decision on Taking Business in Private, Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Meeting date: Tuesday, October 24, 2023
Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
Decision on Taking Business in Private, Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Meeting date: Tuesday, October 3, 2023
Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
Decision on Taking Business in Private, Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete, Subordinate Legislation
Meeting date: Tuesday, September 26, 2023
Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
Decision on Taking Business in Private, Pre-budget Scrutiny 2024-25, Subordinate Legislation
Meeting date: Tuesday, September 19, 2023
Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
Decision on Taking Business in Private, Pre-Budget Scrutiny 2024-25
Meeting date: Tuesday, September 12, 2023
Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
Decision on Taking Business in Private, Subordinate Legislation
Meeting date: Tuesday, September 5, 2023
Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
Interests, Decision on Taking Business in Private, Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 (Post-legislative Scrutiny), New Deal with Local Government
Reports
Committee reports
Report tracking the work of the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee 2022-23
This report covers the work of the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee during the second year of the session, considering the progress of its recommendations from last year and its plans to progress them further.
A report on subordinate legislation laid under the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act 2022 considered by the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee at its meeting on 12 September 2023.
This report summarises the findings of the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee's inquiry into Part 2 of the Community Empowerment Act 2015, which covers Community Planning. The inquiry explored whether the legislation is meeting its ambitions for Community Planning Partnerships to effectively collaborate to reduce inequalities across Scotland.
Remit
To consider and report on matters relating to local government and planning falling within the responsibility of the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and matters relating to housing and tenants’ rights within the responsibility of the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice and matters relating to the Local Government Boundary Commission and local governance review and democratic renewal within the responsibility of the Deputy First Minister.