Further evidence of Scotland’s reducing inequality as second homes plummet by half from Labour era

Professor John Robertson OBA

There are, of course, serious constraints to the extent in which Scotland can move toward the more equal societies in Northern Europe and to enjoy their correlated benefits of longer healthier lives, extremely low crime, drug abuse, mental health diagnoses and so on but the SNP has made some progress with lower rents and council tax, more social and affordable housing, four times as many real living wage employers, more police officers, teachers, doctors and nurses, per capita, a range of universal benefits such as for prescriptions, and unique benefits such as the Child Payment, free bus travel for under 22s, young carer allowances and so on.

One of the most difficult challenges has been the severe lack of affordable homes for young people in rural and especially ‘glamorous’ rural areas.

In an attempt to deal with this problem, the Scottish Government has enabled local authorities to remove the council tax discount on second homes (2017) and now to double the council tax on second homes (2024).

The result of these and no doubt some other factors, has been an almost 50% reduction in the number of second homes (see graph) since the end of the Labour era.

Source: https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-202500479378/

5 thoughts on “Further evidence of Scotland’s reducing inequality as second homes plummet by half from Labour era”

  1. That’s an interesting drop in 2011, when the SNP won a majority in Holyrood which made a referendum inevitable, and 2014 when the referendum was held. I wonder why.

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  3. Ah but, the number of ‘short term lets’ and ‘air b&b’s is now massive certainly in cities like Edinburgh, it’s so high that residents are struggling to find an actual home and it’s getting ‘worse’, much worse. That’s the fault of the Labour, Tory, Libdems council (HQ’d in England) who are allowing the massive amount of licenses to be accepted. Apply? Here you go, granted! I’ve seen the short term lets list, it’s very long indeed.

    What sort of council tax do those who are benefitting from letting out properties only to visitors to the city, pay? They should pay far more, they indirectly profit from infrastructure, public services etc as well.

    The SNP have made massive progress, they must be applauded for that, but with unionists running some Scottish councils (in Edinburgh having joined together as a coaltion when the SNP won the majority of seats in 2022!) I fear we are up against a brick wall and just chipping away at mitigating their wanton dereliction of duty in catering for the residents of Scottish cities, and indeed some rural regions.

    Also past couple of years I have noticed around where we live, many ‘to let’ properties, once they are ‘let’ are in fact standing empty, not lived in. Tax perks? Who knows but that should be stamped out straight away.
    Just imagine what could be done without having unionist councils holding the SNP back.

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  4. There are 30,000 airb&b’s in Scotland. Scotland has million of visitors bringing in £Billions. Hotel charges are more expensive. Especially for families.

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    1. However who benefits? Far as I know Glasgow (SNP council?) have a tourists tax? Edinburgh (Labour/Tory council) REFUSES to introduce a tourist tax, even a small amount given the ‘£Billion’s’ visitors bring in, would be a massive help for the city where the council refuse to even open up social housing access, and are cutting some essential services for Autism etc.

      I met a Scottish couple recently who’d been to Naples, we were all looking at the overflowing recycling bins and rubbish strewn all over the streets near the centre of the city, they were as horrfied as I am (and I have hundreds of photos I have taken since Labour/Tories took control of the council in 2022) and said that even in Naples (previously known for being full of rubbish etc) they have a tourist tax and the streets are now spotless and clean.
      Now Edinburgh is a mess, a tip, and as the capital city, an embarassment and of course people blame the SNP. It’s all utterly deliberate tactics by the English run council to undermine the work of the SNP. Iv’e noticed the LabTory council now charge people to store their bikes in the huge onstreet bike stations, private company making a ton of cash, but the council have introduced another waste of money bike hire scheme that’s expensive as heck, (last time the bikes were stolen or wrecked!).
      I can’t express my ire about the English controlled city council without some expletives so we’ll leave it at that.

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