Local Scottish Green MSP urges government to protect renters in Edinburgh

Lorna Slater, the Scottish Green MSP for Lothian, has urged the Scottish Government to support tenants by maintaining protections that are set to expire next month.  

In 2022 the then Green Minister, Patrick Harvie, introduced a temporary cap on most in-tenancy rent increases. Since the end of the cap in March 2024, there has been a temporary rent adjudication system in place, also introduced by Mr Harvie, that has kept rents down for some tenants.  

At the time, the Scottish Government said that the system was to support the transition away from the rent cap to a system of permanent rent controls and to protect tenants from excessively large rent hikes.  

The Scottish Government has said that these temporary restrictions will not be renewed at the end of next month.  

The cost of renting a two bedroom home in Edinburgh is now £1358 which is an increase of 104% since 2010. [1]  

Lorna Slater MSP said: “Rents across Edinburgh have skyrocketed. Renters have paid the price, while private landlords have lined their pockets. And whilst there is legislation on the way to introduce permanent rent controls at last, these won’t come into force until 2027.  

“Right now, renters are protected by temporary controls that were introduced by the Scottish Greens. But these protections are set to expire in a matter of weeks, exposing households across the city to extortionate rent increases.   

“Removing these protections without replacing them would create a cliff edge that risks throwing households and familiesinto financial despair.  

“If the Scottish Government is serious about supporting renters then the least they can do is extend these modest measures to help support renters through the ongoing cost of living crisis.” 

As Fringe returns, Green MSP calls for more support for hospitality workers

With the Edinburgh Fringe opening this week, the government and industry must offer more support to hospitality staff, according to Green MSP for Lothian Lorna Slater, who has submitted a parliamentary motion in support of workers.  

This follows reports from the Unite trade union, which Lorna is a member of, that warned of a “sharp increase of verbal and physical abuse from customers” against hospitality workers. 

The motion notes that Low pay and insecure working conditions were endemic in the hospitality industry prior to the pandemic and calls for employers to introduce proactive anti-sexual harassment policies as well as supporting extra investment in retraining and mental health services and long-term plans to improve incomes and job stability across the sector. 

Scottish Greens MSP for Lothian, Lorna Slater, said: “Nobody should be getting harassed or abused at work, and employers need to support their staff and take steps to ensure that it does not happen again. 

“Many of the people working in our pubs and restaurants are the same young people who have been disproportionately hit by the pandemic in terms of their job prospects, income and mental wellbeing. They are also the ones who are least likely to have been vaccinated against Covid. 

“For far too long, hospitality workers have had to endure conditions and anxiety that would be unacceptable in other industries. Governments and the industry need to step up and support hospitality workers and young people, rather than allowing them to be further punished by this terrible pandemic.” 

Motion text 

That the Parliament notes what it considers concerning reports from the Unite trade union, which warns of a “sharp increase of verbal and physical abuse from customers” against hospitality workers;

believes that low pay and insecure working conditions were endemic in the hospitality industry prior to the COVID-19 pandemic;

understands that many hospitality workers are young workers;

notes the recent Resolution Foundation study that found that, at the end of May 2021, 18- to 24-year-olds were 2.5 times more likely than any other age group to have been out of work or still on furlough, and that more than one in four 18- to 24-year-olds said that they were concerned about finding a job in future due to mental health issues; 

further notes the calls for investment in retraining and mental health services, as well as long-term plans to improve incomes and job stability as part of a new approach to hospitality, and believes that the calls from Unite for extra security for busy venues and proactive anti-sexual harassment policies should be adopted