Alan Ferguson, director of the Chartered Institute of Housing Scotland, argues that housing must be a priority of the future Scottish Government regardless of the outcome of the referendum

This is a major year for Scotland. We’re in the throes of determining whether we want to stay within the UK or whether we want to be an independent country. We are determining our future – what kind of Scotland we want to be, what kind of Scotland we want to live in and how we can improve the daily lives of Scotland’s people.

The debate leading to 18 September has given us all the opportunity to explore how we make a different, better Scotland – because constitutional change is not an end itself.

We need a Scotland which deals with the significant income gap between the rich and poor; which tackles the health differences between rich and poor areas and particularly the gap in life expectancy; which eradicates fuel poverty; which provides housing to those desperately in need of a home they can call their own; which improves existing housing, driving up standards, improving energy efficiency and contributing towards meeting Scotland’s climate change targets; and which provides opportunities for people to make positive change at the local level.

We need a Scotland which deals with the significant income gap between the rich and poor

While housing is devolved, other areas which impact on housing, tenants and owners, such as social security and taxation, are not. Whether we vote for independence or get additional powers devolved as promised there will be big decisions to make.

We need to think about what kind of social security system we want; whether housing benefit, or other housing allowance, should be separate from universal credit or whatever we want to replace it with, for example. We need to consider whether we can have reform without cuts and whether we should be looking to tax home ownership. And what carrots and sticks (including tax incentives, regulation, rent control) can we create to drive up standards in the private rented sector and improve the lives of those who live in that sector?

All of that is in the context of pressure on resources – and I believe we’ll see significant cuts especially following the 2015 Westminster election and the comprehensive spending review. Whatever the constitutional arrangements and whoever is in power after 2016 we are going to have to ensure a high profile and demonstrate that housing needs the investment because of the pivotal role it plays in preventing homelessness, preventative care, creating jobs, contributing to educational attainment and tackling anti-social behaviour.

Alan Ferguson is the director of the Chartered Institute of Housing Scotland.

Every week between now and the Scottish independence referendum on 18 September, TFN will examine the issues impacting on a particular area of the third sector. Sign up to our regular ebulletins to make sure you don't miss these articles.