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Alba to call for national rent freeze for social housing tenants

Alba Party are to call for a national rent freeze for social housing tenants in their manifesto. 

Alex Salmond’s party will call for a freeze to rent levels for over six hundred thousand social housing tenants across Scotland. 

Alba say that social housing tenants are among the lowest paid and therefore least likely to have seen their wages increase, even though inflation hit 11% last year. 

Mr Salmond’s party have said that there is a “disregard” for social housing tenants across the country and, too often, landlords’ perspectives take priority over the needs and experiences of the tenants of social housing. 

Salmond’s party were at the forefront of those calling for a Council Tax freeze in Scotland but they say it “made no sense to freeze council tax to help with the cost of living crisis only to hammer hundreds of thousands of some of the least well off households in Scotland with sky high rent increases.” 

Alba Party’s candidate in Glasgow North Nick Durie is a tenant’s rights and housing activist. 

The Alba man says that 41% of social tenants do not receive support with the cost of rent, accounting for around a quarter of a million of the lowest paid households in Scotland, and that those households have been squeezed between stagnant wages, rising costs and rent, without financial support. 

Alba want to see a national social housing rents freeze brought into force and they also want a £500 cost of living payment to be made to every household in Scotland in receipt of Council Tax reduction. 

Commenting Alba Party candidate for Glasgow North Nick Durie said: 

“Hikes to social rents this year have made a cost of living crisis even more difficult for hundreds of thousands of Scotland’s lowest earning households. 

“Quite often, increases were already decided in pre-meetings by the boards of housing associations of local councils and then rubber-stamped through consultations, with a presupposition that rents would increase. In some cases rogue social landlords have abolished any pretence of consultation, instead simply imposing harsh rent rises.

“We hear a lot from the government and social landlords but the voices of social and council tenants are ignored. 

“Too many have told us they are struggling to pay this year’s rent  increases and between that and energy rises they are not making ends meet.

“All too often rent increases are being justified by often unaccountable and undemocratic rent consultations, or not at all. Most social housing providers say that they are consulting on increases and tenants will be able to have a say on what works for them. The reality is that the consultations are an exercise in flimsy democracy, and some rogue social landlords have even shamelessly abandoned the pretence that tenants have a say.

“Alba are calling for a national rent freeze for all social tenants and for a £500 payment to be made to every household in receipt of Council Tax reduction to help them with the cost of living.”

 

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