Scottish Communists

EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE A DECENT HOME - TOO MANY PEOPLE DON'T

Britain today faces its worst housing crisis since the last war. Homelessness is at record levels and rent levels and mortgage repayments are causing real hardship.

Last year 51,000 households in Scotland were homeless - 10 per cent up on the previous year. Households in temporary accommodation have increased by 74 per cent over the past ten years

Rents for public sector housing have doubled as a proportion of average income from 6 per cent in 1970 to 12 per cent in 2000

The Scottish Housing Survey 2002 estimates that £3.45 billion is required to bring housing up to standard. In Glasgow 74 per cent of all housing was below standard and a threat to health. Glasgow has the worst health record in Western Europe.

There were only 32,000 first time house buyers last year compared to 50,000 last year. 81 per cent of urban housing areas were deemed unaffordable to households on an average income.

Since Right to Buy was introduced by the Tories in 1979 400,000 Scottish council houses have been sold

In 2002/3 there were 223,000 Scottish households on council waiting lists. The 6,100 new homes promised by the Scottish Executive falls far short of what is needed.

THE HOUSING CRISIS - CAUSE AND CURE

The cause of the crisis is the continuation of Tory policies by New Labour. The government has slashed funds for house building to almost nothing and maintained the Tory policy of Right to Buy. It is forcing stock transfer to Housing Associations - where rents are 10 per cent higher – by denying local authorities the funds needed to repair council homes.

This government-created housing shortage is only good for speculators. Property development and house construction was by far the most profitable sector of the Stock Exchange in 2003.

The solution is clear. The government must

• honour the 2004 Labour Party conference decision that called for tenants to be allowed to remain with councils without losing access to repairs and upgrading.
• scrap its plans to raise council rents to the level of housing association rents and instead progressively bring down all rents to the same proportion of average earnings as in 1979.
• scrap the Right to Buy under the review announced by Malcolm Chisholm, make funds available for a major programme of council house building and bring the stock transferred to the failing Glasgow Housing Association back under public democratic control.

Lobby your MP to support these policies and join the 129 Labour MPs who have already signed the Commons motion on the Tenants’ Right to Choose. _