TO BE PUBLISHED October 2020
***Full-scale policy conference taking place online***
This conference will assess The Scottish Government’s strategy for housing and the new framework for regulation - with keynote contributions from the Minister and the Scottish Housing Regulator.
The discussion at a glance:
- Housing to 2040 - examining the Government’s draft vision and principles for housing communities in Scotland
- implementation issues and implications for the future of housing - delivery of high quality housing and well-designed communities, sustainability, and homes that meet peoples’ needs
- COVID - the impact on the housing sector and those working on it in Scotland - and the role played by the sector in response - as well as:
- restarting the housing market - early indications on progress in
- support - what is needed to protect the resilience of the housing sector for the future
- changing consumer and societal priorities - priorities for servicing newly-embedded needs for housing that supports health, the environment and new ways of working
The agenda:
- The Scottish Government’s strategy for housing across Scotland
- Assessing Housing to 2040 and the route map: accessibility, affordability and energy efficiency
- Meeting Scotland’s housing needs: homelessness, supporting an ageing population, and tackling poverty
- Social housing and the private rental sector: balancing the interests of tenants and landlords, improving existing housing stock and controlling rent increases in the private sector
- The regulatory framework - implications for tenants and Registered Social Landlords
The discussion in detail:
- social housing - implementation of the regulatory framework introduced by the Scottish Housing Regulator
- the private rented sector:
- the regulatory framework - potential effectiveness in encouraging the culture of assurance, openness and transparency outlined as an aim by the Regulator
- rent in the private sector - with reports that the Regulator will be engaging with registered social landlords on the affordability of rents
- short term lets - the Scottish Government's response to its consultation, including potential powers for local authorities to introduce control areas following the passage of the Planning Act
- addressing key social challenges:
- Ending Homelessness Together - implementation of its measures, including funding for frontline third sector organisations to support them to innovate and transform services
- older people - priorities for meeting their housing needs, including adaptability for longer independent living - and prospects for reducing pressures on the health and social care system
- poverty - increasing housing affordability and lowering house running costs for families with children
- market dynamics - balancing the interests of tenants and landlords in both the private rented and social housing sectors
- improving standards - priorities across the housing sector, including how to ensure that housing stock run by local authorities and social landlords meets The Scottish Housing Quality Standard
A scan of relevant developments:
- housing supply - the Planning (Scotland) Act aiming to increase the amount of house building in Scotland
- housing and the economy - Towards a Robust, Resilient Wellbeing Economy for Scotland from the Advisory Group on Economic Recovery recommending accelerated investment in housing and The Scottish Government’s response with plans to work with the Scottish National Investment Bank for maximise impact
- planning - Scottish Government consultation on NPF4, the latest National Planning Framework
- energy efficiency - the Improving energy efficiency in owner occupied homes consultation and the pandemic-delayed Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (Scotland) Regulations
- support for landlords - in the face of the pandemic with the Private Rent Sector Landlord COVID-19 Loan Scheme to help with temporary loss of their rental income during the crisis
- support for tenants - the announcement of a new £10m Tenant Hardship Loan Fund to support people struggling to pay rent due to the impact of COVID-19, as well as the increase of the Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) by £3m
- short-term lets - the Government announcing that from April 2021 councils in Scotland will be able to implement local licensing schemes, including a compulsory safety requirement, and as ministers commit to considering how such lets might be taxed in the future
- Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Group: tackling homelessness following coronavirus - the Government reportedly accepting all the report’s recommendations, which included:
- upscaling Housing First Scotland
- protecting tenants and those with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF)
- adding to the National Performance Framework
- reviewing Ending Homelessness Together
Policy officials attending:
Our forums are known for attracting strong interest from policymakers and stakeholders. Places have been reserved by parliamentary pass-holders from The Scottish Parliament, and officials from The Scottish Government.
This is a full-scale conference taking place online***
- full, four-hour programme including comfort breaks - you’ll also get a full recording to refer back to
- information-rich discussion involving key policymakers and stakeholders
- conference materials provided in advance, including speaker biographies
- speakers presenting via webcam, accompanied by slides if they wish, using the Cisco WebEx professional online conference platform (easy for delegates - we’ll provide full details)
- opportunities for live delegate questions and comments with all speakers
- a recording of the addresses, all slides cleared by speakers, and further materials, is made available to all delegates afterwards as a permanent record of the proceedings
- delegates are able to add their own written comments and articles following the conference, to be distributed to all attendees and more widely
- networking too - there will be opportunities for delegates to e-meet and interact - we’ll tell you how!
Full information and guidance on how to take part will be sent to delegates before the conference
Price: £95 PLUS VAT
Format: DOWNLOADABLE PDF
