Chamber and committees

As set out in Homes Fit for the 21^st Century the Scottish Government will consult on a number of possible changes to tenancies within the socially rented sector including widening the circumstances in which a Short Scottish Secure Tenancy can be used where the tenant has a history of anti-social behaviour and introducing an initial tenancy for all new social housing tenants.

The Scottish Government is working with all local authorities and their partners to help develop approaches to identifying housing options. This approach is initially focused on preventing homelessness, but will also be extended to looking at the provision of housing health checks.

An independent evaluation of the housing options approach has been commissioned which will influence development of housing health checks. The report is due in early 2012.

Individual social rented landlords are best placed to take housing health checks forward for their tenants. The Scottish Government will work with landlords to enable development of this activity, but will not impose timescales for implementation.

The Scottish Government is working with members of the private rented sector strategy group and other key stakeholders to publish a new strategy for the sector in early 2012.

As of 2 September 2010, there were 70,000 empty properties in Scotland of which 24,598 properties recorded as long-term empty, based on council tax records. The overall empty properties include all properties which have registered for a council tax exemption or discount no matter the length of time empty. Long term empty properties are generally properties, liable for council tax, which have been empty for six months or longer although the exact time when a property becomes a long term empty property depends on the initial reason for being declared empty. Data for 2011 will be available by the end of the year.

Bringing empty properties back into use is primarily a matter for individual local authorities. Where there are significant issues locally the Scottish Government would expect authorities to address these in their Local Housing Strategies.

In order to support local authorities, the Scottish Government is funding the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership, which is run by Shelter Scotland. The partnership supports local authorities and other parties to work with owners to reduce the number of empty homes with a specific, but not exclusive, focus on them being made available for affordable rent or sale. In its first year, the partnership has developed a range of guidance material and run training and awareness raising sessions focussed on tackling empty homes.

The Scottish Government will be consulting shortly on its proposals to enable local authorities to charge a council tax levy on long term empty properties. This will aim both to encourage owners of empty homes to make their homes available for rent or sale and to raise additional revenue to fund affordable housing.

The Scottish Government will be consulting shortly on its proposals to enable local authorities to charge a council tax levy on long term empty properties. This will aim both to encourage empty homeowners to make their homes available for rent or sale and to raise additional revenue to fund affordable housing.

We expect to introduce the legislation to parliament in 2012. Subject to the progress of that legislation, this should enable local authorities to start charging a levy from April 2013.

Housing is and will remain a priority for the Scottish Government. Despite the budget cuts from Westminster, we have allocated over £600 million in the Spending Review over the next three years for housing supply. This will keep us on track to meet our target of 30,000 affordable homes over the lifetime of this parliament. At least two-thirds of the 30,000 affordable homes target will be for social rent. We have already doubled the funding made available through the 2011 Innovation and Investment fund. And we will now discuss with the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, COSLA and others the best way to operate a comprehensive affordable housing supply programme, which will deliver the homes that Scotland needs.

The amount raised will depend on how many local authorities use the new powers, to what extent and also how many owners decide to let or sell their home.

We estimate that local authorities could raise up to an additional £30 million year through the levy, although this would rely on all local authorities using the maximum levy powers.

The Scottish Government proposes that councils should continue to ring-fence the revenue raised from reduced discounts and/or levies on the council tax on long term empty homes for affordable housing. This revenue could therefore be used to fund council house building, but could also fund other types of affordable housing.

The Scottish Government’s Fuel Poverty and Energy Efficiency programmes have made good progress in helping some of the most vulnerable households reduce their energy consumption. The programmes statistics can be found at:

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/scotland/Scotland-Welcome-page/At-Home/Home-Energy-Scotland/Energy-Assistance-Package/Programme-Statistics

It is a disgrace however, that in energy rich Scotland, rising energy prices are limiting the programmes impacts in reducing fuel poverty.