Housing emergency is an admission of failure - Phil Doggart
I believe that the declaration of a Housing Emergency in November 2023 should be regarded as a badge of shame for the council.
The current council leader, then housing convenor, was admitting successive Labour and SNP “progressive” administrations had failed the residents of Edinburgh.
Since then we have had an action plan designed to solve the emergency. There are lots of actions within the action plan, but I suspect those meddling actions will tinker around the edges of the biggest crisis we face in the city.
As work continues on the next Local Development Plan (LDP), the recent publication by Homes for Scotland entitled Development Viability should be a wake-up call to the administration.
Housing policy and restrictions placed on developers will only hinder the building of new houses. As current and future councillors consider what that plan should look like, we must remember the LDP is not a game of Sim City - Auld Reekie. Without the input of developers the city will continue to face a shortage of housing.
Of course, the supply of houses is only one side of the argument. As long as the influx of people into the city continues, it is unlikely the emergency will never end.
It is essential we see a reversal of policy in Holyrood that will restore local connection to dealing with one aspect of the housing problem.
Glasgow’s political leadership has recognised the problem also, it is time for the new MSPs to earn their corn by removing problems rather than making them worse.
Of course, while there is a plan to “solve” the emergency, the plight of existing council tenants remains an issue. Repairs to council properties are often late and inadequate.
Residents of the Moredun Multis in my Liberton/Gilmerton ward often face the prospect of climbing many floors because the lifts are not working. We must provide tenants with a better deal.
So when the council leader talks about the emergency, ask her how many homes have been built and for how much longer the emergency will last?