At least we all agree about something - housing matters

Some common ground was found on the issue of homelessness – more needs to be done. While progressive legislation and a focus on prevention has resulted in fewer households in Scotland being assessed as homeless, the number remains stubbornly high at around 30,000 each year. As if to provide fuel for the opposition parties, the Scottish Government’s latest figures on homelessness published earlier that day showed a 13% increase in the number of households with children living in temporary accommodation at the end of 2015 compared to the previous year. An unacceptable and unsustainable situation.

Audience members pointed to the noticeable increase in rough sleeping and questioned how local authorities could possibly provide the services needed to support people when funding is being drastically cut. Our panel responded positively to calls for a national homelessness strategy and to reinstate a rough sleeping count but we may need to wait for manifestos for any concrete commitments.

On supply, again there was broad agreement that we need to build more homes. It’s a topic that could easily descend into a numbers game – we built more than you did – but I was pleased to hear a discussion open up around the challenges and practicalities of building more new homes. The cost and supply of land, the balance between expanding development and maintaining community cohesion and making sure we build the right types of home to meet various needs were all discussed.

The funding of new homes proved to be one of the more contentious issues raised during the evening. How much should the Government invest and how much should be left to the open market? The narrative around housing in Scotland and across the UK has become a divider of people and opinions as well as a marker of opportunity. Those who can buy and those who cannot.

Many homeowners have invested a great deal of time and money in their homes and are understandably nervous at the prospect of falling prices. Landlords and private companies rely on the property market for profit and some as an alternative to the uncertainties of the pension sector. At the same time, many people are struggling to afford the rent never mind a mortgage. These issues are bigger than the housing sector alone. Pensions, investment, the economy and people’s attitudes towards housing and homeownership – homes versus assets – cannot possibly be explored in one evening. But we did have a good go at it!

All differences aside, I was impressed with the quality of the debate, the passion with which all of our panellists spoke about the housing sector and the enthusiasm of our audience. There were so many questions raised that we quickly ran out of time.