• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact

Daily Business Magazine

A magazine complement to the Daily Business website

  • Life, Arts & Leisure
    • Creative
    • Festival
      • Festival Reviews
    • Film
    • Food & Drink
    • Stage Shows
    • Life
    • Leisure
      • Rio Recommends – dog walks and cafes
    • Homes
    • Style
    • Travel
  • Opinion
    • Bill Magee
    • Craig Alexander Rattray
    • Karen Harvie
    • Keith Anderson
    • Russell Dalgleish
    • Terry Murden
  • Interviews
  • Notebook
  • Working Life
    • Careers & Management
    • Finance and legal
    • Technology
      • Tech Talk
    • Well Being
  • Daily Business News
    • All Content

Leonard homes in on ending the housing crisis

November 6, 2019 by Terry Murden Leave a Comment

Terry Murden

As I See It: Terry Murden

There was a campaign a few years ago with the ambition to Make Poverty History. A dinner was held at the Glasgow Hilton where some of Scotland’s well-heeled entrepreneurs bid against each other for baubles they didn’t need to raise money for a project with good intentions.

One self-made tycoon, who at the time was trying to make a name for himself as a TV adviser on how to get rich, confidently told me: “I think we can do this. I think we can rid the world of poverty.”

I gave him a journalist’s hearing (objectivity) before telling him to carry on dreaming and wished him well. The campaign was wound up a year after an estimated 225,000 well-meaning individuals marched through Edinburg, four days before a timescale for eradicating poverty was set out at the G8 summit at Gleneagles.

The entrepreneur whose self-belief proved to be an ambition too far is no longer in Scotland and poverty, sadly, is still with us. The campaign wasn’t helped when it emerged that the wrist-bands worn by supporters had not only become fashionable amongst people who cared little about the original message, but also when it turned out that many were made by forced labourers in Chinese sweatshops.

I was reminded of this when a press release landed on my desk from the Scottish Labour Party in which its leader Richard Leonard promised to end the scourge of homelessness “once and for all”. Mr Leonard has set a target of building 120,000 homes for rent across Scotland.

If Mr Leonard achieves his goal – and we’ve yet to see costed details that are bound to include higher taxes and borrowing – then he will deserve a knighthood, though he’d no doubt see that as too close to becoming part of the elite he denounces.

Richard Leonard

Aside from his personal prospects of becoming a national hero, he deserves some credit for highlighting the need for the state to ensure everyone has a decent home. It is an eyebrow-raising fact that the last major push in council home provision was made under the Wilson Labour government in 1964, which actually led to a surplus.

In the 1980s the Thatcher government offered tenants the right to buy their council homes and altered the balance of provision. Councils were prevented from reinvesting the proceeds of these sales in new housing, and the total available stock, particularly of more desirable homes, declined.

Many Labour supporters denounced the right to buy policy but it was popular with many Labour voters and, although the Labour government of Tony Blair tightened the rules (reducing the maximum discount in areas of most housing need), it did not end the right to buy.

Social housing has emerged as an alternative form of affordable homes provision but waiting lists stretch for years. There are 130,000 Scottish households on local authority waiting lists and a growing population is making the problem more pressing.

Mr Leonard has identified a key need but will require a huge change in mind-set and re-allocation of public funds. To achieve his target he will need to emulate Wilson’s objectives. He is also echoing the view of Labour’s post-war welfare champion Aneurin Bevan, who passionately believed that council houses should be provided for all.

Is Mr Leonard on the right path, or is he deluded? The comedy television series Monty Python’s Flying Circus once did a spoof version of Blue Peter’s feature on making models in which they planned to “rid the world of all known diseases”. Like Making Poverty History and ending homelessness, it was deemed to be another impossible dream. Politics is about trying to make things happen, so it’s worth having a go, however high the odds are against success. There may even be somebody knocking on doors over the next few weeks with the crazy notion that one day Britain will leave the EU.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Cover Story, Opinion, Terry Murden, Working Life

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar



Editor’s Pick

Struan Stevenson

Holyrood must get a grip on the bad bets

Struan Stevenson

… [More...] about Holyrood must get a grip on the bad bets

Bill Magee

Crypto needs rules to rein in volatility

Bill Magee

… [More...] about Crypto needs rules to rein in volatility

Terry Murden

Pay claims still driven by the ‘us and them’ grievance

Terry Murden

… [More...] about Pay claims still driven by the ‘us and them’ grievance

Reston Station

Reston back on track after half a century

Julena Drumi

… [More...] about Reston back on track after half a century

Advertising



Footer

  • All Content
  • Site Map
  • Privacy Policy
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • WordPress

Copyright © 2022 · Design by jPAD Consulting · Magazine Pro · Genesis Framework

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
 

Loading Comments...