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Almost nine in 10 Scottish people think government should guarantee housing for all, survey reveals
The vast majority of Scottish people believe the government should be responsible for ensuring all citizens have access to a decent home, a poll by CIH Scotland has revealed.
Of the 1,023 Scottish adults surveyed on behalf of the organisation, 89% said the government should guarantee decent housing for all, while 84% agreed that everyone should have the legal right to an adequate home.
Meanwhile, 70% of those surveyed said they want more affordable housing in their communities and 58% said they would be happy to see more social housing built near their homes.
Leading housing sector bodies in Scotland have long been calling for housing to be recognised as a human right in national law. A similar campaign is being run by housing bodies in Wales.
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The Scottish government is currently considering how it can incorporate human rights into Scottish law and a government advisory group has previously suggested that the right to adequate housing be included in a new act. Today’s research comes before the Scottish Budget in January, in which the government is expected to announce more information on funding and grant rates for the next Affordable Housing Supply Programme.
The Scottish government announced an additional £200m for an interim affordable housing programme that will run during 2021/22, bringing the total funding for this period to £500m.
Callum Chomczuk, national director at CIH Scotland, said: “Despite a number of other issues, including COVID-19 and Brexit, it is very heartening to see that housing remains a top public policy priority for many Scots.
“Research published earlier this year makes it clear Scotland needs at least 53,000 social and affordable homes over the next five years and in in the 2020 programme for government, the first minister spoke about a new 20-year vision for good-quality, zero-carbon housing with access to community services, transport links and green space and substantial new funding for housing in the next parliament.
“It is clear from this poll that the people of Scotland are looking to the Scottish government to continue to invest in housing to ensure that everyone in Scotland has a home that is warm, affordable and accessible. We look forward to seeing these priorities reflected in the upcoming Scottish Government budget for 2021/22.”
