Tag: report

New protections needed to tackle ‘pervasively ageist culture’, says Westminster Committee

‘Widespread’ and ‘culturally embedded’ ageism requires stronger legal protections against age discrimination and a new cross-Government strategy to address the challenges and opportunities posed by the UK’s ageing population, a new report by Westminster’s Women and Equalities Committee has warned. 

It recommended the UK Government assess the experience in Wales, which has a well-established Commissioner for Older People and a comprehensive network of local authority Older People’s Champions helping to deliver a national strategy, with a view to replicating a similar framework in England. 

Existing age discrimination law and the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) are ‘failing older people’ as their protections are inadequate and rarely enforced, WEC’s report on the rights of older people found, as it called on the Government to commission and fund a wholesale review by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). 

MPs found clear evidence that ageist stereotyping, including portrayals of older people as frail, helpless or incompetent, or conversely as wealth-hoarding “boomers”, is highly prevalent across the UK media and is a significant contributory factor to the normalisation of ageist attitudes.  

Ageism, the report concluded, causes harm both to older individuals, including when self-limiting stereotypes are internalised, and at societal level, pitting generations against each other and breeding unnecessary and unhelpful division. 

 Despite the continuing rise in older age groups across the UK – with 11 million people in England and Wales aged 65 or older and over half a million people aged over 90 – the UK’s equalities framework omits a focus on demographic change and ageing, WEC found. 

It called on the Cabinet Office to establish a unit of data and policy analysts within the Office of Equality and Opportunity (OEO) to build an evidence base on the key cross-departmental challenges, including intersectional issues, facing older people now and in the coming decades.   

The report called on the Government to commission and fund the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to review the effectiveness of protections against age discrimination, including consideration of the impacts of allowing objective justification of direct age discrimination; the adequacy of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) and the case for more specific positive duties in England; the case for a strengthened “reasonable steps” duty on employers to prevent age discrimination; and options to better reflect in the Equality Act the intersectional nature of age discrimination, including but not limited to commencement of section 14 on dual characteristics.  

On digital exclusion from essential services, it warned some older people are at high risk, including in aspects of healthcare, local authority services, benefits and banking, adding it is a ‘considerable failure of government’ that the UK’s digital inclusion strategy has not been updated in over a decade.  

WEC urged the Government to prioritise the development of a new digital inclusion strategy that includes a detailed focus on the needs of older people, including a plan for locally delivered digital skills provision and promotion of best practice in maintaining offline alternatives to digital for as long as needs remain.  

It also called on the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the broadcast media regulator Ofcom and the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) to take steps to strengthen their respective regulatory codes to better protect individuals and society from the harms of pervasive ageism.

Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, Labour MP Sarah Owen, said: “The Committee’s report shows clearly that age discrimination is widespread in the UK and often minimised compared to other forms of discrimination. A comprehensive review of age discrimination law is a necessary step in tackling the UK’s pervasively ageist culture. 

“The UK’s growing and increasingly diverse ageing population presents significant cross-departmental challenges and opportunities, so the lack of a Government strategy on how to respond to these issues is concerning.

“The UK Government should look to the experience in Wales, which has a dedicated Commissioner for Older People and a national strategy, and consider how to give older people a much stronger voice in policy making in England. 

“Technology has become the default for many public services, meaning a refreshed Digital Inclusion Strategy is more important than ever. It is a considerable failure of government that the Digital Inclusion Strategy has not been updated, nor progress tracked, for a decade.  

“Ultimately much more must be done to tackle ageist attitudes and discrimination across society, including in access to healthcare, local services, banking and transport.”

Brexit cost: higher energy bills and lower investment

Scottish Government calls for closer energy links with Europe

The Scottish Government is calling for closer co-operation with Europe to help lower energy bills and boost investment.

Ahead of upcoming UK Government talks with the EU the Scottish Government has published a report, identifying  a number of opportunities to more closely align with the European Union on energy matters.

These include:

  • accelerating the adoption of more efficient UK-EU electricity trading arrangements to bring down energy costs for consumers
  • linking the UK and EU Emissions Trading Schemes (ETS) to help reduce costs and barriers to trade

Estimates from the UK energy industry predict that unless the UK moves toward closer cooperation with the EU on energy and climate, it may lead to additional costs of up to £10billion in 2024-25, through higher energy bills and lower Treasury revenues.

The Scottish Government’s wants Scotland to be an EU member state, however the report published today sets out immediate actions which would rebuild closer collaboration with the EU on energy and climate matters and offset some of the damage caused by Brexit.

Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy Gillian Martin said: “As we approach the fifth anniversary of Brexit, the costs to the people of Scotland are becoming ever clearer.

“The best future for Scotland is to be a member state of the EU. But we will always be a voice for closer co-operation with our fellow Europeans – in particular around issues which impact us all such as lowering energy bills and driving up investment in renewables.

“This paper highlights the key areas where working together is vital for achieving our shared ambitions – driving economic growth, reducing costs, strengthening energy security and substantially contributing to our shared climate goals.

“We have a pivotal role to play and stand ready to work collaboratively with the UK Government and wider partners to re-build a closer relationship with Europe in this space.”

Read the Closer energy and climate cooperation with the EU report

Energy UK Explains: the cost of the UK-EU relationship for energy – Energy UK

Rethink kick-off times during 2026 FIFA World Cup to protect footballers from extreme heat, report warns

Almost 90 per cent of stadiums hosting the 2026 World Cup could face potentially dangerous levels of heat, Queen’s University research has revealed.

With climate change and extreme heat becoming a growing problem for sport, some governing bodies for football recommend delaying or postponing games if a metric of heat stress termed “wet bulb globe temperatures” reaches above 28°C.

Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, Dr Donal Mullan from Queen’s University has modelled this metric using 20 years of meteorological data to predict how hot the host stadiums are likely to get if it’s an average summer or a more extreme one.

Of the 16 stadiums, 14 could exceed the potentially dangerous 28°C level at least some of the time – with up to nine stadiums facing this heat at least half the time in a hot summer. Four stadiums could also reach a more dangerous 32°C level of extreme heat.

His research shows that temperatures are likely to be at their peak in the afternoon, when games are usually scheduled. Outside afternoon hours, levels of extreme heat reduce greatly at all host stadiums.

Dr Mullan comments: “Climate change and extreme heat are becoming bigger issues for all areas of our lives, and this includes sport.

“After analysing 20 years of data, our modelling shows that high temperatures are extremely likely, and these will have a major impact on players. We can see that afternoons are the peak time for higher temperatures, regardless of whether 2026 turns out to be an average or hot summer.

“To protect players, and spectators, organisers must rethink the timing of games. The best solution would be rescheduling kick-off times outside the hottest afternoon hours for the locations with highest temperatures, especially those without air conditioning. This is primarily Miami and Monterrey, but also Philadelphia, Kansas City, Boston and New York.”

The research findings have been published in The International Journal of Biometeorology.

The research was led by Dr Donal Mullan from the School of Natural and Built Environment at Queen’s University Belfast. He worked with a team of researchers from a range of universities across the UK and Canada.

Homelessness crisis places ‘unsustainable pressure’ on local authorities’ crumbling finances, says Westminster committee

‘there seems to be no desire to move away from an unsatisfactory short-term system, leaving local authorities attempting to save a sinking ship with little more than a leaky bucket’

  • Families face long stretches in unsuitable accommodation and the prospect of being relocated.
  • Dire need for housing sector reform and increase in the availability of affordable housing.

Record homelessness levels are placing local authorities’ finances under unsustainable pressure. In a report published today, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) warns of an overreliance on the use of temporary accommodation, due in part to a dwindling and increasingly costly housing stock.   

The PAC is calling for a clear strategy and stronger support for local authorities to address what has become a crisis situation.

Of the estimated £2.1bn spent by local authorities in 2023-24 on temporary accommodation, the report finds that a large proportion was used to meet the urgent need for immediate support, rather than the preventative measures so desperately needed.

Despite there being an overarching homelessness strategy for each of the devolved nations, England does not have one.

The report calls on Government to set out such a strategy, which should clearly outline how preventative measures will be incentivised. It also argues for an exemption from requirements on local connections or residency for all veterans, care leavers under 25 years, and victims of domestic abuse, as well as for competition between local authorities and the Home Office for temporary accommodation to be eliminated.

The report raises deep concerns around the number of families being housed outside their local area. This has risen to 39,000, a practice which alarmingly seems to be becoming increasingly common.

Equally alarming is the fact that 6,000 homeless families with children live in B&Bs, due to the lack of alternative accommodation. The report stresses the detrimental impact that living in this type of accommodation has on people’s lives; particularly children whose safety and wellbeing can be severely compromised as a result. Government should encourage better coordination between local authorities and set out how it will support them to reduce the use of B&Bs. 

With 45% of households facing a shortfall between the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) they receive and the rent they pay, the PAC warns the Government is not considering the impact on homelessness when setting LHA rates.

The decisions made by Government to determine LHA are seemingly subjective. This issue is exacerbated by the lack of affordable housing, on which Government seems frustratingly unable to provide detailed assurances.

Further, poor oversight of the sector and gaps in current regulations are allowing is allowing landlords to provide costly, sub-standard housing with little support, supervision or care.  The PAC urges Government to set out the logic behind LHA rates and details of the proposed new housing strategy along with strengthening its position to provide better oversight of the sector. 

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, Chair of the Committee, said: “My Committee is deeply concerned by the number of people currently being housed in sub-standard, overpriced and at times, wholly inappropriate accommodation, sometimes a long way from their previous home.

“A lack of affordable housing, a focus on short-term solutions and no clear strategy to tackle this issue have left us with thousands of families in deeply troubling circumstances.

“Worryingly there seems to be no desire to move away from an unsatisfactory short-term system, leaving local authorities attempting to save a sinking ship with a little more than a leaky bucket.

“Local authorities find themselves at breaking point as they haemorrhage funds to cover the rising costs of housing families in temporary accommodation.

“We are calling for an overarching strategy that addresses the need for better connectivity across Government departments to tackle the root causes of this crisis. Without one, we fear this will remain an issue into which money is simply poured, without effectively tackling the blight of homelessness.

“Government must learn from the lessons of the past to inform what they will do in the future.” 

Public Health Emergency: People’s panel calls for action on drug related harms

A cultural change and “brave and bold action” are required to tackle a “public health emergency” created by drug use in Scotland, according to a report sent to MSPs by a people’s panel.

The panellists’ report recognises that progress has been made, but says that further action is needed. It calls for public campaigns to raise awareness of drug harm and drug use, recommends funding should be ring fenced and prioritised on prevention and seeks improvements in information shared between government agencies.

However, the introduction of the Naloxone programme to prevent fatal drug overdoses, and the opening of the safer drug consumption room, The Thistle, are welcomed in the report.

The panel’s report also calls for greater involvement of the third sector and people with lived experience. It concludes that a lack of urgency in responding to drug harm and use reinforces the stigma already associated with these issues.

The creation of the people’s panel, formed of 23 people, was requested by the Cross-Committee on tackling drug deaths and drug harms. Members of the Criminal Justice Committee, Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, and Social Justice and Social Security Committee commissioned the panel to gather public views on the question, ‘What does Scotland need to do differently to reduce drug related harms?’. The panel met at the Parliament in October and November 2024.

Over the course of two weekends, members of the panel heard evidence from people with lived experience of drug harms, from academics and researchers, and from stakeholders who work in this area, before developing their report.

The panel’s report will help inform the cross-Committee’s scrutiny of matters related to reducing drug deaths and tackling problem drug use. It’s 19 recommendations cover rights and people’s lived experience, justice, access to treatment, care and support, prevention and harm reduction.

Panel Presentations Weekend 2Download

Mairi McIntosh, from the Highlands and Islands region, was one of the members of the People’s Panel. She said: “I found participating in the People’s Panel humbling.

“The team at the Scottish Parliament organised a diverse range of experts and worked hard to lay out the worrying and rapid escalation in drug related deaths and harms in Scotland. The wide range of speakers gave us great insight into the data and evidence about the complexity of the issue including the causes, impacts and ways they believed the Scottish government could help.

“Hearing from those such as Steph McCutcheon about having success with service users through the East Ayrshire Recovery Hub, matches up with what we heard from others about the importance not only of the third sector’s role in local based solutions but how it is imperative those with lived experiences are valued and involved in every stage of the planning and implementing of measures being taken.

“All the evidence we heard highlighted the urgency for action from the Scottish government to implement brave and lasting change. Change needed to seriously reduce the deaths, impacts of harms to individuals, their families and communities and the pressure this puts on health, care, police, justice, other services and the people who are working to help those suffering.

“I feel it would be a poor reflection on our country to allow this issue to further impact some of the most vulnerable groups in our society.

“I am hopeful that our report shows that as voices from across Scotland, representing different backgrounds and lives, some directly affected by the issues of drug harm and death and others not, that we want the Scottish government to acknowledge the causes and barriers like stigma and discrimination and realise that we cannot afford to not take bold action now.”

Reflecting on the publication of the panel’s findings Audrey Nicoll MSP, Convener of the Criminal Justice Committee said: “We would like to thank the panel for their focused and determined work in delivering this serious and well considered report.

“Our Committees look forward to thoroughly considering the panel’s findings and putting its report’s recommendations to the Scottish Government.”

Read the report

Read the Panel’s report

Report of the Peoples Panel on reducing drug harm and deaths in ScotlandDownload

‘Bombshell’ report shows short-term lets boost Scottish economy by £864m per year – with no evidence of housing impact

BiGGAR Economics challenges ‘false narratives’ surrounding Scotland’s self-catering sector now at risk from heavy-handed government regulation

NEW independent analysis from a respected Scottish consultancy reveals the substantial positive economic impact of Scotland’s self-catering industry which was also shown to have a negligible effect on housing.

BiGGAR Economics calculated that short-term lets (STLs) contribute nearly £1bn gross value added (GVA) to the Scottish economy while supporting approximately 30,000 jobs. By accommodating visitors, STLs generate economic activity across Scotland, with the local impacts exceeding residential use, supporting an additional £32,400 GVA per property.

Guests staying in self-catering accommodation, termed ‘secondary lets’ in Scottish STL legislation, also spend more than the average visitor to Scotland, with knock-on gains for related tourist and hospitality businesses. Alongside this huge economic boost, the researchers also highlight that self-catering accounts for less than 1% of the country’s total housing stock.

This challenges the narrative that STLs are fuelling Scotland’s housing crisis, with self-catering at only 0.8% of the country’s housing stock, too low a proportion to have a meaningful impact on local housing markets. Moreover, according to the report, in every local authority area, economically inactive empty homes account for a larger proportion of total dwellings than from secondary lets.

The key headlines include:

  • STLs are estimated to generate £864m GVA and support 29,324 jobs across Scotland;
  • Edinburgh and Highland together account for 44% of the total economic impact but the sector’s benefits are dispersed throughout Scotland;
  • The annual GVA associated with an average owner-occupier/private rented household in Scotland was £14,451, compared to £50,159 for a two-bedroom STL; and
  • STLs make up a tiny proportion of Scotland’s housing stock, with self-catering accounting for just 0.8%. This is considerably less than the 3.6% that economically inactive empty properties account for.

This study comes as the Scottish Government published an implementation update report on STL licensing which the industry maintains did not adequately address their longstanding concerns. At a local level, councils such as Highland and Edinburgh are also assessing their regulations.

BiGGAR’s new analysis is based on the best available evidence on STLs in Scotland. The findings have been shared with Scottish Government Ministers and officials.

Graeme Blackett, Director of BiGGAR Economics, said: “This report shows that secondary lets make an important contribution to Scottish tourism and economy overall, supporting almost 30,000 Scottish jobs.

“Our research also concluded that it was clear that secondary lets are not a driver of the wider Scottish housing market.

“If short-term let regulations leads to a reduction in the supply of secondary lets, that will have a negative impact on the tourism economy, without delivering any solutions to Scotland’s wider housing challenges.”   

Fiona Campbell, CEO of the Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers, said: “This is yet more compelling evidence that short-term lets aren’t the main contributor of the housing crisis but are instead turbocharging local economies with a near £1bn positive impact while supporting 30,000 jobs.

“The current unbalanced regulatory framework does not reflect this reality and changes are needed before irreversible damage is done.

“Local councils should take heed of the report’s findings when considering their approach to planning policies and control areas to ensure the relatively small number of valuable short-term lets are protected.

“For policymakers, the message couldn’t be clearer: you can’t solve a housing crisis by producing a crisis in Scottish tourism by decimating local businesses that underpin local economies. Attention must shift to the real causes of the housing crisis.”

Economic-Impact-of-Short-term-Lets-in-Scotland-Report-by-BiGGAR-Economics-11Dec24Download

Women’s Charity marks 90th at Conference in Edinburgh

Registered women’s charity, Soroptimist International Great Britain & Ireland (SIGBI), is celebrating its 90th year by relaunching its national railway safety project.

On 1-3 November, the charity – which has consultancy status at the United Nations – held its 90th conference at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh and used this milestone occasion to take a fresh look at a project first carried out 28 years ago.

First launched in 1996, ‘The Future of the Railways’ was an investigation into personal safety on the railways, which the charity’s members – known as Soroptimists – used to lobby the Government into taking action to do more to protect women on public transport.

It was launched in response to a Soroptimist being attacked on a train in the London area.

Soroptimists carried out grassroots research into the views and experiences of women passengers, as well as speaking to station managers and staff and visiting over 500 over-ground stations across Britain.

SIGBI published a report making recommendations to the UK Government on how to improve safety in stations, claiming the Government’s approach to passenger safety in railway stations was ineffective.

To further advance the work being done, the charity is kickstarting the project again – asking the same questions to the UK’s railway stations, to see how much has changed, as well as expanding it to airports and bus stations, to obtain a more detailed bigger picture of women’s safety across the country. The charity is also questioning whether the Government’s approach to passenger safety has moved on since 1996.

Over 500 women attended the three-day conference, with each day having a different theme – educate, empower, and enable.

Ruth Healey, President of SIGBI, said: “We’re so proud of the work our members have carried out over the last 90 years.

“The goal of all our projects is to stand up for women and girls, advocating for equal rights, opportunities, and representation. The relaunch of our railway safety project will be key in advancing this important issue and bringing it to the forefront of policy makers’ agendas.

“It was only in August this year that the British Transport Police reported that violence against women and girls on British railways has risen by more than 50% over two years.

“Clearly, more needs to be done, and urgently. We’re proud to be playing our part in helping to shape a safer environment for women when travelling.”

Soroptimists are carrying out ‘Bystander Awareness’ training in communities up and down the UK, in a bid to help identify and prevent violence against women and girls.

As well as panel discussions, and an address from Baroness Floella Benjamin, the charity also hosted its Best Practice Awards at the conference – a scheme which celebrates clubs’ projects.

At the conference, the charity also collected over 2,300 pants for Edinburgh-based charity, Smalls for All – a charity that collects underwear for people in the UK and Africa who can’t afford or access any.

Maria Macnamara, Founder and CEO of Smalls for All, said: “Giving pants and bras may seem like a small thing, but it can make a life-changing difference. Each month many teenage girls miss school, and women miss work, because of a lack of access to underwear means they’re forced to stay at home during their period. 

“Demand remains huge in Africa, but, in recent years, has also increased significantly in the UK. 

“We’re so grateful to have been part of the SIGBI conference to share our message and express our thanks to the Soroptimists for the wonderful donations they’ve made, both at this conference and over the years.”

Ruth concluded: “It’s been incredible getting so many Soroptimists in one room to reflect on what we’ve achieved, as well as to look ahead to the next phase of some of our key projects.

“It’s only by working together that we can empower women and girls to achieve their full potential and eliminate barriers and discriminations that hinder women’s progress.”

To mark the charity’s nine decades, Soroptimists are also completing a ‘90 for 90 years’ challenge – including everything from supporting foodbanks, to knitting for premature baby units, to donating items to domestic abuse charities, and more.

Aspiration and specialist support are key to young disabled people thriving in the workplace

The House of Lords’ Public Services Committee publishes its report ‘Think Work First: the transition from education to work for young disabled people’

The House of Lords Public Services Committee has published its report, ‘Think Work First: the transition from education to work for young disabled people’.

The report concludes that young disabled people yearn to work and to thrive in their careers but far too many are written off and told that ‘people like them’ can never succeed.

The Committee believe we have to change this; we have to start with the presumption that young disabled people are fully capable of thriving in work, as long as they have the appropriate support, with aspiration and ambition at its heart. At every stage of a young disabled person’s development, from nurseries and schools to job centres and employers, we have to Think Work First.

Speaking on the report, the Chair of the Public Services Committee Baroness Morris of Yardley said “This report provides a blueprint for the new Government to implement its commitment to getting more young disabled people into work.

“It highlights how to put in place appropriate support for young disabled people and employers so that the system is both cohesive and effective.”

To address this, the Committee has recommended the Government focus on early support and intervention, ensuring that young disabled people can access and then remain in work once they leave education. It must also work with employers to ensure they have the tools and support they need to create inclusive workplaces and uphold the rights of disabled people.

young-disabled-peopleDownload

Other significant key recommendations from the report include:

  • Co-production: It is vital that young disabled people – both those that are yet to leave education and those who have already made the transition – are able to be fully involved in helping to design and shape the services that support them.
  • Vocational profiling: This is a particularly effective way of identifying a young disabled person’s aspirations from an early age and can help schools and colleges to put the right careers support in place from the start. The Committee believes the Government should make vocational profiling a standard part of careers information, advice and guidance for young disabled people in schools.
  • Joined up support: The Government should work with local authorities to improve the availability of ‘ready to work’ programmes, such as that provided by ThinkForward, to support young people from school until they are settled in work.
  • Supported internships:. The new Government should honour the commitment of the previous Government to double the number of supported internships and take steps to make as many young disabled people as possible eligible for them: not just those with Education, Health and Care Plans. Internships should be particularly targeted at those with the highest support needs.
  • Education:. The Government must review and improve the support that young disabled people receive while in education, and it must also properly support local authorities to deliver EHCPs, both in terms of application timelines and the robustness of decision-making.
  • Careers advice: Many of the young disabled people who spoke to the Committee highlighted the poor careers advice they had received, and the Committee heard evidence from several witnesses of a lack of a systemic, specialised approach to training careers advisers working with young disabled people. The Government should review the training that careers advisers and leaders are expected to receive, making in-depth special educational needs training mandatory.

In order to ensure that these recommendations are implemented, to help young disabled people access work, Baroness Morris said: “We’ve asked the Government to provide us with regular updates on its progress with implementing our recommendations, and we look forward to receiving its response to this report.

“We want to see positive changes in the form of planned programmes and demonstrable actions not only to get young disabled people into the workplace, but to ensure they can thrive in their jobs, develop successful, sustainable careers, and realise their full potential.

“There are many excellent innovative schemes tackling the barriers that young disabled people face when trying to enter the workplace and helping them to make the transition from education to employment. However, we found that these are the exception rather than the rule and this has to change.”

Council housing: Mixed Tenure Improvement Service report

Councillors have noted a report which sets out the result of the mixed tenure improvement service pilot following the completion of works in Wester Hailes.

In mixed tenure blocks, there is a combination of ownership including owner occupiers and landlords that include the Council and other social landlords.

Mixed tenure neighbourhoods arose from right-to-buy legislation in the 1980s and 1990s which has made it more difficult to progress repairs and maintenance to common areas of blocks or tenements, for all owners. 

Many of these blocks are now in need of significant investment to common areas due to age and lack of formal factoring arrangements and regular maintenance of shared parts of the blocks. Regular maintenance is the responsibility of all owners and is needed to the external fabric and communal areas of mixed tenure blocks to make sure flats are wind and watertight, warm, damp free, safe and secure.

The Mixed Tenure Improvement Service (MTIS) was established in 2020/21 to deliver fabric repairs and maintenance, including energy efficiency works where considered part of the repair or maintenance works, to mixed tenure blocks.

The MTIS pilot, which was carried out in Wester Hailes, included repairs to 1,341 flats in 175 blocks. Work carried out on behalf of all owners across the pilot included repairs and replacement of roofing, guttering, drying room facades, installation of external wall and attic insulation, together with the maintenance and decoration of communal stairwell spaces.

It follows the scheme being shortlisted in the Housing and Regeneration category of the 2023 SURF Awards for Best Practice in Community Regeneration. The awards identify and celebrate best practice, innovation and achievement in interventions that improve homes and communities across Scotland.

Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener Jane Meagher said: “Bringing all our housing stock up to a good condition, making homes energy efficient, warm and affordable to heat is very important, both for tenants and for owners in these blocks.

“By making these older homes more energy efficient, we’re driving down carbon emissions and clamping down on issues like damp and fuel poverty. Not only are owners and tenants using less energy, and therefore saving money on energy bills, but they’ve noticed a huge improvement in the overall area because of the works.

“Council officers have worked hard to support tenants and private owners throughout the MTIS pilot, so I’m delighted that their work was recognised by the prestigious 2023 SURF Awards for Best Practice in Community Regeneration. I look forward to seeing the MTIS continue to develop and improve as we work with owners and tenants to offer support and guidance.”

Enough’s enough: No more Commissioners, says Holyrood Committee

‘ROOT AND BRANCH REVIEW NEEDED’

Holyrood’s Finance and Public Administration Committee has called for a moratorium on the creation of any new commissioner-style bodies in Scotland.

The committee says it heard compelling evidence that the current framework for how such bodies operate “lacks coherence” and “isn’t fit for purpose”.

In its inquiry report, the cross-party MSPs say a “root and branch” review is necessary before any further bodies are created, or the powers of existing ones are expanded.

While the committee’s report specifically focuses on bodies directly responsible to the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB), it hopes the findings can “set the tone” for decisions around the wider public body landscape in Scotland.

Scotland already has seven SPCB-supported bodies in operation, but the number could double before the end of the current five-year parliamentary term if current proposals were to progress.

Finance and Public Administration Committee Convener Kenneth Gibson said: “Our inquiry isn’t about the merits, or otherwise, of existing SPCB-supported bodies. The post-holders we spoke to are a dedicated group of people with a common purpose to serve Scotland in the public interest.

“The evidence shows, however, there is no clear, coherent framework underpinning how all of these bodies operate. Over the years, the landscape has developed in an ad hoc way, with new commissioners being agreed on a case-by-case basis.

“It’s led to a disjointed landscape of individual bodies with varying functions and powers. There is also evidence of duplication and overlap between existing SPCB-supported bodies and other public bodies in Scotland.”

SIX new bodies being considered

Mr Gibson added: “Once the Patient Safety Commissioner becomes operational the number of SPCB-supported bodies will stand at eight. Proposals for a further six new advocacy-type SPCB supported bodies are currently being considered.

“This proliferation appears primarily to have been driven by calls to respond to perceived failures in public service delivery, or to bring prominence to certain issues or policies.

“It is our clear view that this advocacy role is for MSPs to undertake, with Parliament holding Government to account. We also believe that funding for new bodies would be better spent on improving the delivery of local public services, where greater impact can be made.

“Continuing the trend for creating new advocacy-type SPCB-supported bodies is not sustainable, especially at a time of significant pressure on public finances in Scotland.”

Root and branch review

Mr Gibson concluded: “Now is the time to pause and take stock. Before adding any more to the mix, we must first design a coherent structure, with enhanced accountability and scrutiny mechanisms, along with effective delivery and measurement of outcomes.

“The committee therefore calls for a moratorium on creating any new SPCB-supported bodies, or expanding the remit of existing bodies, until a ‘root and branch’ review of the structure is carried out, drawing on the evidence and conclusions set out in this report.

“We also make a series of recommendations that will, in the meantime, improve transparency, accountability, scrutiny and value for money of existing bodies.”

The committee also recommends:

  • the review should be undertaken by a dedicated parliamentary committee, including all political parties, and with meaningful engagement by the Scottish Government – to be completed by June 2025.
  • the Scottish Government should set out how it plans to use this report to “set the tone” for the Scottish Government’s wider review of the public body landscape, as highlighted by the Minister for Public Finance during evidence.

https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/committees/committee-reports