The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me [74 in June and tiring] and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland - a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson

By Professor John Robertson OBA

At times like this, I think that maybe I don’t need any help.

In a classic Anglocentric piece reporting by the Guardian’s Donna Ferguson:

Nearly 1 million children in the UK are at risk of falling into poverty or will face financial hardship as a result of rising rents, shortfalls in government housing support and underinvestment in new social housing, according to a new report.

The study by the Institute for Public Policy Research thinktank suggests the government’s failure to commit to raising the local housing allowance (LHA) will push 90,000 more families into financial hardship or poverty over the next year. It estimates 925,000 children are expected to be affected by shortfalls in government housing support by March 2026.

I’m thinking there will be no mention of Scotland in this but then, down the page this drops into my lazy lap:

The report also identified a concerning postcode lottery with LHA rates. Nearly two-thirds (62%) of families renting privately in Wales face a shortfall, compared with only 31% in Scotland. The variation between different local authorities is even more stark, with 74% of claimants facing a shortfall in Neath Port Talbot, compared to just 9% in East Lothian.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/feb/03/children-poverty-housing-costs-report-lha

I’ve got other stuff to work on so I thought I’d just leave it that but then I noticed there’s only a contrast between Scotland and Wales and not between Scotland and England so, a quick look at the original research report The homes that children deserve: Housing policy to support families, published today by the IPPR, reveals more:

Overall LHA shortfalls for families are more prominent in Wales (62 per cent with shortfalls) than the Great Britain average (49 per cent), and less so in Scotland (where 31 per cent have shortfalls) (IPPR analysis of DWP 2024c).

Payments direct to claimants: The introduction of LHA meant that support for housing was paid directly to tenants by default, rather than directly to landlords as was the case before. While this shift may work for most claimants, it has also led in some cases to issues with non-payment and housing arrears. In England and Wales, households can request for housing costs to be paid direct to the landlord but only if certain criteria are met, such as having a history of missing payments – whereas in Scotland this facility is offered from day one, with relatively high take-up (19 per cent), suggesting unmet demand in the rest of Great Britain (IPPR analysis of DWP 2024c).

Claimants in England and Wales at Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) should be proactively offered direct payments to landlords should they prefer them, rather than having to meet ‘gatekeeper’ criteria to request them, such as being in housing arrears. This is already available in Scotland through Scottish Choices and should be extended to the rest of the UK.

Under the planned reforms, private landlords will be able to evict tenants but only for specific reasons set out in legislation,5 and generally with double the notice period currently provided (increasing from two to four months) – unless triggered by breach of contract by the tenant, for example due to getting into arrears. This follows a similar approach to that taken in Scotland since December 2017.

The introduction of a specialised housing tribunal, in line with Scotland, could significantly complement the provisions set out in the renters’ rights bill by improving enforcement and acting as a backstop when grievances are not addressed in other parts of the system. This would further seek to level the playing field between tenants and landlords, and reduce pressure on other parts of the court system – while allowing the development of specific housing expertise within the tribunal system.

https://www.ippr.org/articles/homes-children-deserve

This is fascinating with regard to Scotland. Surely ‘our’ media will cover it?

Finally who is responsible? Surely not ‘that’ SNP?

How Scottish Labour would have dragged Scotland into the UK’s unaffordable housing nightmare