You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
From the archive - we attend a bedroom tax protest
Inside Housing looks back at what was happening in the sector this week five, 15 and 25 years ago
25 years ago
The first survey on the condition of Scottish homes had been published, after years of opposition by the Scotland Office in Westminster (this was five years before devolution).
Out of the two million homes in Scotland, 94,000 were below the legal “tolerable standard”, for example because they were not structurally sound or had issues with damp, lack of ventilation or heating.
One in five Scottish dwellings suffered from damp, serious condensation or mould, and 16% of social housing suffered from damp, compared to 11% of private sector stock. Problems were most common in homes built before 1919, in flats, and in rural areas rather than cities.
Inside Housing reported that social landlords were hoping the figures from the government’s own agency, Scottish Homes, would bolster the case for investment.
15 years ago
Baroness Dean, chair of the Housing Corporation, announced a target that half of the 200 biggest housing associations should have women in senior posts within 10 years.
She said it was a “sad commentary on the sector” that only 12% of the top 105 chief executives were women. “We’re not talking about quotas, about being politically correct. We need the best people,” Baroness Dean said. “A significant number of women get stuck in the middle to senior management positions and don’t seem to make that last leap to the top.”
Further targets would require associations to reflect their tenant demographics in their top jobs.
Victoria Stark, then chief executive of Look Ahead, said: “I look around and see the same number of white men I saw when I first entered housing 22 years ago.”
Fifteen years later, Inside Housing’s Inclusive Futures campaign is calling for greater diversity in housing’s leadership. The proportion of women in executive and board positions has improved – now at roughly a third – but has still not reached the equal numbers envisaged by Baroness Dean.
Picture: Colin McPherson
Five years ago
Inside Housing attended a protest against the bedroom tax in Liverpool (above). Hundreds gathered outside One Vision Housing’s offices, before marching to Sefton Council. “The protest is spirited but good natured,” the magazine reported. People on mobility scooters and with prams were at the front.
Many of the protesters were in particularly difficult situations. Carole Tartt was disabled and had a spare room used by her partner’s children when they came to stay.
Protesters made clear that they blamed social landlords, as well as the government, for the policy.
Paul Cooper, a full-time carer for a disabled woman, said this was because “they are prepared to impose this tax on us rather than stand up to the government”..”
