National housing priorities and the policy context for Local Housing Strategies
1.8 LHS need to be set in a clear national and regional context to ensure that a consistent approach to housing planning emerges across Scotland. The Scottish Executive's national housing priorities, which reflect the Executive's overarching vision and objectives for housing across Scotland, are presented here.
1.9 The Programme for Government "A Partnership for a Better Scotland: Partnership Agreement" set out the Scottish Executive's determination to improve the quality of life for all of Scotland. The high level commitments within Social Justice most relevant to housing and wider regeneration are:
Regenerate our communities, with the aim of building safe, strong communities;
Deliver good quality, sustainable and affordable housing for all, with a renewed commitment to have a national housing quality standard;
Work with communities to improve their standard of living;
Support the voluntary sector.
1.10 Social justice is at the heart of the Executive's policies, tackling poverty and disadvantage, rebuilding our communities and increasing opportunity through education and competitiveness. Housing policies and programmes have a key role to play in breaking the cycle of deprivation and poverty experienced in Scotland.
1.11 To help make social justice a reality, the Executive has set out its fundamental housing priorities as:
Delivering the new Scottish Housing Quality Standard;
Tackling homelessness;
Eradicating fuel poverty in Scotland;
Reducing the number of households with poor energy efficiency;
Reducing the number of households below the tolerable standard.
1.12 On 4 February 2004, the Minister for Communities announced a cross-tenure Scottish Housing Quality Standard in line with the Partnership Agreement to introduce a decent homes standard. The Minister set 2015 as the target date for local authorities and RSLs to achieve the Standard and asked landlords to submit Standard Delivery Plans for meeting the Standard to Communities Scotland by 29 April 2005. Further information on the Scottish Housing Quality Standard is available.
1.13 The Scottish Executive is keen to see these key priorities reflected in LHS. To ensure everyone has access to a range of warm, affordable and secure housing in both urban and rural communities requires:
The provision of sufficient housing that is affordable, accessible, in good repair, warm, safe, of the right type and size and in the right places where people want to live;
Effective arrangements, involving housing and other relevant services, to end the need to sleep rough and to prevent other forms of homelessness, and, where homelessness does occur, to provide effective assistance and support;
The provision of housing and good quality housing support services that reflects the requirements of persons in need of community care or with other particular needs, to allow as many households as possible to live independently in the community;
That private owners - both owner-occupiers and landlords - are encouraged to keep their houses in good condition;
High quality housing management throughout the social rented sector with effective strategies for tenant participation;
Housing policies and programmes that help to promote equality of opportunity for disadvantaged groups in our society;
The highest standard of design and specification in new build and modernisation schemes to ensure that in future our homes and housing areas are safe and, where possible, compliant with Secured by Design;
Regeneration, with improved links between housing and regeneration efforts, using the community planning partnerships approach.
