Tag: mistake

‘Slip Up’: Clarification as council underlines commitment to short-term lets legislation

Council leader ‘sorry’ for misleading comments

With one month to go until Scotland’s short term lets licence deadline, the Council has reaffirmed its commitment to the scheme and the 1 October start date.

The need for clarity over Edinburgh’s commitment to the scheme followed comments made by council leader Cammy Day where he appeared to support calls for an extension to the deadline.

At the Council meeting on 31 August, councillors agreed the following emergency motion:

Emergency Motion – Short Term Lets

Notes the deadline of 1 October 2023 for existing landlords to apply for a license for a short term let (STL).

Notes the unanimous decision of all members of the Regulatory Committee on 6 February 2023 to “regret” the Scottish Government’s decision to delay the start date for STL licensing for existing landlords from 1 April to 1 October 2023.

Believes that a proper system of licensing is important to help address the significant issues within the short-term rental market which is why there was such strong cross-party agreement for a robust system of regulation.

Therefore, regrets the comments made by the Council Leader on BBC Radio Scotland on 23 August 2023, which might have led operators to assume or believe that the Council Leader, and by extension the Council, was open to a further extension to the 1 October 2023 start date when no such position has been taken, either by the Regulatory Committee or full Council.

Believes these comments, despite further clarifications, were damaging to the ongoing hard work of officers to encourage landlords to meet the 1 October 2023 start date by suggesting a dilution of this Council’s commitment to the proper and fair regulation of the short term let market in Edinburgh.

Therefore, Council:

  • Reaffirms its existing commitment to the licensing of short term lets, expresses its opposition to any further extension to the start date for licensing of existing short term let landlords and requests that this position be communicated strongly through the Council’s communications channels.
  • Agrees that the Council Leader will write to Scottish Ministers to convey that opposition and further welcomes recent comments from the First Minister and the Economy Minister that there will be no further extension to the 1 October start date.
    Calls on all existing STL operators to ensure they submit a licensing application ahead of the 1 October 2023 start date.
  • Agrees the outstanding briefing, outlining the state of readiness of the Council to process applications by 1 October 2023, will be circulated to Councillors before the Finance and Resources Committee meeting of 21 September 2023 to align with budget considerations.
  • In addition, a draft copy of the STL Enforcement report due to be presented to the 2 October Regulatory Committee should be circulated on a confidential basis to all councillors also before 21 September Finance & Resources Committee meeting.

Moved by: Councillor Neil Ross
Seconded by: Councillor Susan Rae

Visit the Scottish Government’s website for further information on the scheme. 

Seven out of ten people in Edinburgh North & Leith agree Brexit was a mistake

ONLY INDEPENDENCE CAN TAKE SCOTLAND AND VOTERS IN EDINBURGH NORTH AND LEITH BACK INTO THE EU, SAYS DEIRDRE BROCK

Local MP Deidre Brock has highlighted the findings of a recent poll that suggest 70% of people in the constituency agreed that Britain was wrong to leave the EU.

More than half strongly agreed, with just 15% disagreeing and 15% not expressing a view. The poll found opposition to Brexit in Edinburgh North & Leith was the seventh highest out of all 650 constituencies in the UK. 

It follows the result in 2016 where every constituency and local authority in Scotland voted to remain, with 62% of Scots backing continued membership of the EU, including an estimated 78% of voters in Edinburgh North & Leith. Recent polls have suggested the figure across Scotland is now as high as 72% as the damage of Brexit hits hard.

Commenting, Deidre Brock MP said: “People in Edinburgh North & Leith and Scotland as a whole voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU in 2016.

 “Instead we’ve been dragged out against our will and forced to endure the economic hardship that’s come with it.

“Brexit has been a disaster for my constituency and for Scotland, decimating industries, exacerbating the Tory-made cost of living crisis and allowing Westminster to ride roughshod over Holyrood with blatant powergrabs.

“Three years in and the UK has nothing to show for it but a declining economy and falling reputation abroad. 

“People in Edinburgh North & Leith deserve better with a return to the EU that only the full powers of independence can deliver.”

UK facing ‘pensions tsunami’

Treasury’s ‘£17bn mistake’ that will take “generations to resolve”

In its report published today the Public Accounts Committee says HM Treasury has “done little to identify and manage the stark differences in average pensions between genders and other groups” and “should have foreseen the age discrimination issue that gave rise to the 2018 McCloud judgment”.

In 2011 and 2015 the Treasury introduced reforms aimed at making public service pensions more sustainable and affordable, but a 2018 Court of Appeal judgement (the McCloud judgement) ruled parts of the reforms unlawful.

The Treasury now wants pension scheme members to pay the estimated £17 billion cost to put that right, despite the unlawful reform having been “its own mistake – a mistake which could have been avoided by listening to advice and which will take many decades to resolve.”

Around 25% of pensioners and 16% of the working-age population are members of one of the four largest public service pension schemes covering the armed forces, civil service, NHS and teachers. The schemes are almost all unfunded, meaning retirees’ pension benefits are paid out of current workforce contributions.

The Committee saw “evidence of public service pensions issues affecting delivery of frontline services, and independent schools opting out of pension schemes because of increasing costs”.

It says HM Treasury doesn’t have the data it needs nor evaluated the impact of its reforms, or whether they are achieving its pension policy objectives – the PAC is “not convinced it is on track”. 

The Treasury also seems “unconcerned about the drop in enrolment by some workers”. The Committee warns on the “a danger of a perfect storm where some young people believe they cannot afford pension contributions because of high costs of living and retire with a reduced public sector pension as a result.

Many younger workers will continue to pay rent in retirement because they cannot afford to buy a home and the cost of supporting this generation will fall on future taxpayers”.

Meg Hillier MP, Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, said: “The Treasury’s £17 billion mistake on pensions reform is a ripple compared to the tsunami of costs to the public purse if Government fails to address the growing number of young people unable to afford to plan for a proper pension.

“It’s lack of curiosity about why nearly a quarter of a million workers are not joining these pension schemes is a concern. Pension planning must be long term; mistakes and poor planning have an impact for decades. Short term cost savings can become long term costs to individuals with lower retirement incomes and the taxpayer who may end up supporting them.”