The 2040 “Vision” document sets out aspirations. The overall message, that a good home and community, as a human right, is a font of wellbeing, rather than an outcome of wealth-creation, is very welcome. The following suggests the levers necessary to deliver this and its associated aspirations. It also notes the places where associated policy initiatives and campaigns are advancing.
The proposals cover a wide range of policy areas including: Existing buildings, land and planning, regeneration, finance, leadership, diversification, technology and materials, and tax and wealth.
― Scotland needs a national strategy to repair, upgrade and re-occupy Scotland’s 34,000+ vacant and underoccupied homes.
― The UK Government’s repeated refusal to levelise VAT between newbuild and repaired/upgraded work on homes must be challenged urgently and with increased strength.
― Compulsory Sales Orders and Existing Use Land sales can be used to free up land for public housing development and prevent land being banked for price speculation.
― A National Housing Company must be created to increase housing supply and increase the standard of newbuild housing.
― The Scottish National Investment Bank can fund a new generation of social housing but Scotland should also increase the use of alternative ownership models such as co-ownership and collective self-build projects.
― Houses in Scotland should be build to zero-carbon and passive energy standards but should also be designed to eliminate toxic or non-sustainable materials and materials that cannot be easily reused or recycled when the building reaches end-of-life.
― Scotland should increase wealth taxation to reduce wealth inequality across society.
― Too many houses are used essentially as capital investments which has led to house price inflation and unaffordable living for too many. Houses should, first and foremost, be a home.