Housing issues to the fore as public invited to grill local politicians
Candidates of the five main parties in Dundee will gather for a housing hustings next week with members of the public urged to give politicians a grilling.
Organised by Angus Housing Association and the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA),
The theme, "housing perspectives on additional powers for Scotland", will challenge candidates about their plans to improve social housing in the city and Scotland and how their parties would ensure that the new powers for Scotland will tackle the housing crisis.
The devolution of further powers to Scotland will have a significant impact on the housing system - Mary Taylor
The debate will also cover a wide range of issues from Universal Credit and housing supply to welfare reform, foodbanks and the right to buy.
Bruce Forbes, director of Angus Housing Association, will co-host the event.
He said: “In Scotland in the 21st Century - despite all the efforts of the last 100 years of social housing provision - we still have the disgraceful stain on our nation of homelessness and children being without a secure home to live in.
“While housing policy is now devolved to the Scottish Parliament, this only relates to the funding of new provision. How much, of their ever diminishing low incomes, that the poorest in our society have to pay in housing costs remains reserved to Westminster.”
Mary Taylor, chief executive of the SFHA, said: “The devolution of further powers to Scotland will have a significant impact on the housing system, landlords and tenants, people who rely on welfare and businesses and organisations that provide services.
"The main parties have committed to passing a bill on new powers for Scotland, after the election, but they are making different promises about the detail of how they will deliver these powers.”
The debate will be chaired by political commentator and former political editor of The Scotsman, Hamish Macdonell and will be held on Tuesday, 28 April from 6:30-8:30pm at the D'Arcy Thomson lecture theatre at the University of Dundee.
