Scotland's new income tax!

“Over four long years between 2003 and 2007 the Lab/Lib Dem Coalition built a pitiful SIX council houses in Scotland. Despite coming into office just a few months before the financial crash, under the SNP Government 7,720 new council homes have been built in our first nine and a half years. As construction geared up, this was an average of 348 in the 2007-2011 parliament, 1,102 each year in the 2011-2016 parliament and 817 to December 2017."

The following table shows the most recent quarterly official statistics on local authority new build housing completions to end December 2016, published on 14 March 2017 and available at:

www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/HSfS/NewBuild.

Number of Council Houses Built (units completed)

2003-04 - 0
2004-05 - 0
2005-06 - 0
2006-07 - 6
2007-08 - 28
2008-09 - 336
2009-10 - 413
2010-11 - 614
2011-12 - 1,114
2012-13 - 963
2013-14 - 1,140
2014-15 - 1,157
2015-16 - 1,138
2016-17 (to Dec) - 817

Source: Scottish Government Housing Statistics for Scotland, quarterly new build housing tables. Data provided by Local Authorities in NB1 Returns.

Which still means they built 645 more than Labour! So your statement that Labour did more than the SNP still isn’t true!

NRA... It's amazing how you can twist numbers by changing little things. I just looked at the stats.. By putting it into financial years that article gives the SNP credit for an extra 5000 units when they weren't even in power

No problem Calyx

Thought so Notreallyarsed, thanks

www.scottishhousingnews.com/4958/social-housing-completions-up-almost-20-per-cent-under-snp/

The short answer to that is no. Because it’s not true.

Not to hand Calyx... I could find it if you really want it. Was just to counter that in some way the labour govt when they were only in charge built 6 Council houses.... As they built thousands of housing association homes through HAG funding.

Lichtie do you have any evidence for that statement re: "The numbers of completed new social houses under Labour was actually higher than SNP on a like for like basis"?

Lichtie - no it wasn't.

*howabout (oops)

Hoeabout... I'm not commending the UK govt. I'm not saying they are better, I'm saying we should be doing better with what we've got to utilise it. What they do down south is up to them.

Nyx... The emphasis moved from council housing to other social housing and housing associations. The numbers of completed new social houses under Labour was actually higher than SNP on a like for like basis... But only very slightly

@ItsAllGoingToBeFine do we? I thought they were a figment of our imagination along with an imperfect education system that’s still a shite sight better than the shambolic one in England!

I’m not affected by bedroom tax, and I’m not talking about my situation. Like I said before, I’m not on benefits or renting so personally it doesn’t affect me. However I don’t feel I have the right to expect people to justify every penny they spend or uproot their whole lives on a whim. It’s the attitude of “well we pay for them so they have no choices” that really riles me. It dehumanises people, and that is never good.

Melony We even have motorways and trains and buses in Scotland too!

Litchie relative to the rest of the UK Scotland has far lower levels of housing shortage as a result of higher house building, lower population growth and better affordability. Social housing stock makes up about 25% of the whole with 15% private rented. These percentages are reversed in England. The result is that the Housing Benefit bill per head in Scotland is much lower than for the rest of the UK (half of London spend per head). However as Housing Benefit is not devolved the UK as a whole rather than Scotland benefits from this reduced cost. Otoh Scottish investment in housing and policies such as bedroom tax mitigation are borne directly by the Holyrood budget.

This is the mismatch which needs addressing.

I very much doubt the bedroom tax is freeing up housing in England as the dwindling stocks are increasingly occupied by retirees and long term sick and disabled. Both of these groups are protected from the bedroom tax.

Melody, we have supported housing for the elderly in Scotland too! Plus free personal care for the elderly.

Lichtie "The problem is that by sweeping the Bedroom tax aside the Scottish government haven't solved the problem, they are just saying we are happy with under occupied homes and they will continue to subsidise it.
Bedroom tax isn't ideal but they could have worked with it and applied it differently"

But the Scottish government have been and are building housing - social and affordable. Check out how many council houses labour built when they were in charge...(think it was 6 (yes, six) in their last term). That's a better way of dealing with the problem, surely.

It’s difficult to talk for the whole pop of England but I am in England now and they have motorways and a good train service, buses run all night. I’d probably be happier having treatment on nhs here, possibly because I have heard many stories of poor service where I live in Scotland. Due to lack of staff. Primary school here is excellent but teachers in Scotland are seriously struggling. Lack of TAs and support for DCs withbehavioural probs. There is a great supported housing block for the elderly across the road from me here which don’t exist where I live in Scotland sadly.
Social housing is provided by private cos in England, sounds as if it is still run by councils in Scotland if giv is funding it

NRA... You've lost me too. How can you be affected by bedroom tax if your not on benefits?
I'm not implying they are mooching, I am advocating using what we have to ensure that people who do need it get it

Why would you downsize when someone else is picking up the bill

Now see you’ve lost me again, because you’re assuming everyone affected by the bedroom tax is on benefits, and your tone implies they’re mooching. Neither is true.

There is no perfect solution, but I’d rather have a government that proactively prevented people being forced into poverty than one that put them there in the first place.

I don’t see social housing tenants or people on benefits the way you seem to Lichtie, we don’t and shouldn’t have the right to uproot them, make their lives harder, and to dictate what happens without offering alternatives. I also don’t resent that they are in receipt of funding from the state or subsidised housing. Because I well remember how bloody hard it was, it’s not a cushty life, neither is working in a MW job on a zero hour contract. I’d rather have a government which actually gives a shit about people.

The problem is that by sweeping the Bedroom tax aside the Scottish government haven't solved the problem, they are just saying we are happy with under occupied homes and they will continue to subsidise it.Bedroom tax isn't ideal but they could have worked with it and applied it differently

Not really, it’s a reserved matter and are limited to what they can do, this was the best solution at the time. The Scot gov have been in consultation for a while and will be taking over some welfare powers in April 2018 so we’ll seen then what they can do to improve the current abysmal situation for benefit recipients.

Yes, Westminster attracts a much higher caliber of politician. It offers a different kind of career path and many more areas of government in which to pursue special interests e.g. Defence, which are reserved.

This made me really laugh, thanks. You mean ‘typical’ not higher caliber? The Scottish government works on a consultation and negotiations basis so there are plenty of committees that allow an MSP to ‘peruse special intrests’ too.

I honestly don’t have much time for anyone wringing there hands over these particular tax increase. They really amount to very little compared to how much those on benefits, especially disability benefits have been losing.

If you wish to move because of this and didn’t see the benefits that are available In Scotland that are not free at point of acces or available in other parts of the U.K. then you must be a bit dim.

The problem is that by sweeping the Bedroom tax aside the Scottish government haven't solved the problem, they are just saying we are happy with under occupied homes and they will continue to subsidise it.
Bedroom tax isn't ideal but they could have worked with it and applied it differently

In Scotland there is now no incentive for them to move. Why would you downsize when someone else is picking up the bill