Chamber and committees

We have touched on voids and the potential to bring properties back into use. Some local authorities are working well on that, but in others it is a bit more of a struggle. We also know that there has been a 17 per cent decrease in all-sector house building, and our witness earlier this morning touched on infrastructure and the impact that that can have on how we manage things in communities.

How do you see the sector managing all of that—the voids, the decrease in house building and the way that we are progressing on infrastructure—to alleviate the problems? We have heard about where the finances come from and where they should go to bring certainty back to the sector. However, if that certainty is not created, the emergency will continue into the future.

Good morning. You have already given us a very good appraisal of the system that we are in and indicated some of the changes that should or could have been made in the past to create a good foundation for a sustainable and effective housing system. I thank you for that so far. How effective are the actions of local authorities and the Scottish Government in working towards achieving a system that is progressive in the long term?

As you have identified, councils and local authorities want to promote and expand, but there are some—seven this year, I think—that have not built any houses at all because they do not have the capacity or ability to do that. We need to try to support that and create what is required for the future. You have identified areas that may be looked at to try to amalgamate, change and support one another to make that happen. Like you, I think that that is the right way to manoeuvre it and get it to the right place, but it is funding that always seems to be the problem, in that we do not have enough or the construction costs have changed or the dimensions of what can be achieved are not progressive. How would you try to affect some of that?

You have touched on the finances that you hope will be provided in the upcoming budget. How should the Scottish Government use the additional funding that it will receive as a result of the UK budget? How could that funding tackle the housing emergency that we face?

You touched on the idea of co-operation between the private, social and rented sectors and on the fact that we need to get the balance right across the sectors to ensure that we are not top-heavy on one side or bottom-heavy on the other. An equilibrium would help.

If we are looking at the different roles of the social and private rented sector in providing affordable housing, what differences do you see there being in Scotland? You have touched on what is happening in other parts of the country and other countries across the world and how they are managing, and Scotland has tried to go some distance towards the Scandinavian idea and others, but there still needs to be a balance between the rented and social housing sectors and how we try to fix the situation for the future. It would be good to get from you a flavour of whether you think that there are different things that Scotland should be doing to manage the situation. From what Professor Gibb has said, it is apparent that, down south, people seem to be managing better in some areas. It would be good to get a flavour of what you think we should be doing here in Scotland.

Thank you. Time is tight, convener, so I will stop there.

Christian, do you want to add anything?

Convener, I know that time is tight, so I am content with that.

What role do you see councils having?

You have touched on the actions that are required in the medium and long term and on what the housing system should look like to try to prevent homelessness and housing emergencies.

It would be useful to get a flavour of how effective you think that local authorities’ and the Scottish Government’s current actions are in working to achieve a housing system that is fit for the long term. It would also be useful to highlight areas of good practice that are already moving us towards the goal of achieving something that is more sustainable, as well as the foundations that local authorities and the Scottish Government are putting in that will help manage the crisis. Are there areas in local authorities’ and the Scottish Government’s work where we need to see more progress to ensure that long-term change?