Agenda item

With reference to article 14 of the minute of the meeting of 30 May 2024, the Committee had before it a report by the Chief Officer – Housing, which sought approval of the Aberdeen City Local Housing Strategy 2025 – 2030

The report advised that all local authorities were required under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001, as amended, to develop and implement a Local Housing Strategy which covered all tenures of housing. The Aberdeen City Local Housing Strategy also included an assessment of homelessness and the approach to preventing and alleviating homelessness. The Local Housing Strategy sets out the strategic priorities which the Council, together with its partners, would work towards over the next five years.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)           approve the Aberdeen City Local Housing Strategy 2025 – 2030, as detailed at Appendix 1;

(b)           note the Consultation Feedback, as detailed in Appendix 2;

(c)           note the Housing Supply Target Methodology which forms part of the Aberdeen City Local Housing Strategy 2025 – 2030, as detailed at Appendix 3;

(d)           instruct the Chief Officer – Housing to submit the Local Housing Strategy to the Scottish Ministers and publish the Local Housing Strategy on the Council’s website;

(e)           instruct the Chief Officer - Housing to report progress, towards each of the strategic priorities to the Communities, Housing and Public Protection Committee on an annual basis;

(f)             approve the refreshed Scheme of Assistance Statement, as detailed at Appendix 4, which aligns with the Local Housing Strategy; and

(g)           instruct the Chief Officer – Housing to publish the Scheme of Assistance Statement on the Council’s website.

The Convener moved, seconded by Councillor Greig:-

          That the Committee approve the recommendations. 

Councillor Graham, seconded by Councillor Watson, moved as an amendment:-

          That the Committee

1.    notes the Aberdeen City Local Housing Strategy 2025 – 2030, as detailed at Appendix 1;

2.    notes the Consultation Feedback, as detailed in Appendix 2;

3.    notes the Housing Supply Target Methodology which forms part of the Aberdeen City Local Housing Strategy 2025 – 2030, as detailed at Appendix 3;

4.    agrees the Local Housing Strategy falls short of what Aberdeen City requires, noting the SNP failure to deliver one new additional council home from the legacy they were left from the previous administration;

5.    agrees that, despite the SNP saying there is a housing emergency, the SNP have rejected Aberdeen Labour’s previous proposals at the Housing Revenue Budget to build more Council homes, in addition to the 2,000 council homes built and procured by the previous administration; 

6.    notes that Aberdeen has a disproportionately large private rented sector, that the average rent in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire has increased by 22.6% since January 2021, and while rents have been rising in Aberdeen, wages have been stagnating. In 2022, it was reported that Aberdeen saw the lowest wage growth in the UK at only 5.2% since 2014;

7.    further notes that current aspirations to support a “well-managed private rented sector” are adequate for landlords who wish to uphold high standards but are inadequate for those who do not.  However, the Housing (Scotland) Bill presents a historic opportunity to address a core issue of Scotland’s housing crisis: the lack of affordability in the private rented sector;

8.    notes the cross-union support for rent controls within the Scottish Government’s Housing (Scotland) Bill including from the STUC, UNISON, Unite, GMB, ASLEF, UCU, PCS, NUS and Living Rent.  Also notes support for rent controls from a variety of third sector organisations including the Poverty Alliance, Women’s Aid, Age Scotland, Engender, Rape Crisis Scotland, Stonewall, Equality Network, Future Economy Scotland and others;

9.    notes that recent polling from August 2024 shows that 82% of people in Scotland support rent controls, including 90% of SNP voters, 88% of Labour voters and 61% of Conservative voters;

10. notes that current council plans do not adequately reach out to and empower tenants to redress the power imbalance with poor landlords, but that rent controls will ensure that we can enjoy a stable rental market for years to come and equip our Council to protect their constituents;

11. requests that the Convener of the Communities, Housing and Public Protection Committee writes to the Scottish Government’s Housing Minister to reaffirm the Council’s support for robust rent controls within the Housing (Scotland) Bill;

12. instructs the Chief Officer - Housing to write to Scottish Ministers requesting more guaranteed funding to kickstart housebuilding and ensure that the Aberdeen City Local Housing Strategy 2025-2030 can be delivered;

13. instructs the Chief Officer – Housing in consultation with the Chief Officer – Aberdeen City Health & Social Care Partnership to provide more details of the plans to transition 6 sheltered housing complexes to amenity to a Communities, Housing and Public Protection Committee meeting within 2 cycles;

14. instructs the Chief Officer - Housing to bring forward to this Committee, as soon as reasonably practicable after the Housing (Scotland) Bill receives royal assent, proposals for appropriate rent controls;

15. instructs the Chief Officer – Housing to amend the Local Housing Strategy to reflect the above instruction concerning rent control proposals and present an updated Local Housing Strategy to the next meeting of this Committee;

16. instructs the Chief Officer - Housing to report progress, towards each of the strategic priorities, to the Communities, Housing and Public Protection Committee on an annual basis;

17. approves the refreshed Scheme of Assistance Statement, as detailed at Appendix 4, which aligns with the Local Housing Strategy; and

18. instructs the Chief Officer – Housing to publish the Scheme of Assistance Statement on the Council’s website.

On a division, there voted – for the motion (5) – the Convener and Councillors Allard, Copland, Greig and McRae – for the amendment (4) – Councillors Cross, Graham, Nicoll and Watson.

The Committee resolved:-

(h)           in terms of the consultation that was undertaken, to request that officers provide details to members outwith the meeting on the number of private renters who participated in the consultation; and

(i)             to adopt the motion.