McMillan Welcomes Scottish Government Insulation Boost

Stuart McMillan MSP, (SNP) and member of the Energy Committee in the Scottish Parliament has welcomed the boost for home insulation given by the Scottish Government who are offering loans to cut fuel bills.

The Scottish Government will announce this week a new pilot scheme of loans for householders to improve insulation or other energy saving measures.

Mr. McMillan said;

"I am delighted this measure from the Scottish Government supports the forthcoming consultation on the Energy Efficiency Action Plan for Scotland, a key part of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act.

"These loans will work alongside other Scottish Government initiatives such as the Home Improvement Scheme, which are supporting thousands of people and improving energy efficiency.

"Energy efficiency is a key part of not only economic recovery for Inverclyde but also in achieving our climate change ambitions.

"The wider consultation will ask for views on annual targets for energy efficiency, look at ways of changing attitudes and influencing behaviour and see what opportunities exist to capitalise on innovation and investment in energy efficiency. I would urge anyone in Inverclyde to make their views known on this issue that I know is of great interest to many given the importance of energy efficiency".

Notes:
· A range of Scottish Government programmes already contribute to improving the energy performance of housing. These include:
* Energy Saving Scotland Advice Centres, providing independent advice on energy efficiency in housing, microgeneration, personal transport and fuel poverty.
* The Energy Assistance Package, a co-ordinated programme of support targeted at the fuel poor which includes energy efficiency advice, benefit and tariff checks, and a range of insulation and heating measures.
* The Home Insulation Scheme, an area-based insulation scheme.
* The Energy Saving Scotland Home Renewables scheme, which provides grants for householders to install their own renewable energy equipment.

· For more information visit http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Home

McMillan Welcomes Scottish Government Rent Deposit Plan

Stuart McMillan MSP, (SNP) has welcomed the Scottish Government’s announcement of a national scheme to safeguard rent deposits and to protect tenants.

Mr. McMillan said;

"More often than not it is the most vulnerable tenants who are victims of unscrupulous landlords who withhold deposits, and this move by the Scottish Government will mean people in Inverclyde are treated fairly and promptly when their tenancy comes to an end.

"This sort of scheme should have been introduced decades ago but as usual Labour dragged their heels both north and south of the border.

"So I am delighted that the Scottish Government is taking action to crack down on rogue landlords and give tenants in Inverclyde the protection and peace of mind they deserve.

"Constituents have told me they often feel powerless when landlords unlawfully withhold their deposits, and this scheme will finally put an end to that".

Note to Editor
· The Scottish Government’s statement can be found here: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2009/09/24153008

· The tenancy deposits stakeholder group, established by the Scottish Government, includes representatives from the following organisations:

· Association of Residential Letting Agents
· Chartered Institute of Housing
· Citizens Advice Scotland
· Consumer Focus Scotland
· COSLA
· Crisis
· National Association of Estate Agents
· National Union of Students
· Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors
· Scottish Association of Landlords
· Scottish Council of Single Homeless
· Scottish Rural Property and Business Association
· Shelter Scotland

McMillan Encourages Consultation Submissions to Housing Bill

Stuart McMillan MSP, (SNP West of Scotland) has today encouraged people in Inverclyde to contribute to the Scottish Government’s Housing Bill.

The current consultation seeks views on issues including ending the Right to Buy for new tenants in all social housing property and devolving and extending the pressured-area designation process, which can suspend Right to Buy in certain areas.

Mr. McMillan said;

"The Scottish Government is investing record amounts in affordable housing, more than £1.5 billion over three years, despite the tightest settlement from Westminster since devolution.

"The proposals included in this consultation mean that Councils and housing associations will be able to use the record investment to build a new generation of affordable homes without the fear that they will be lost to tenants exercising their Right to Buy.

"I know many people in Inverclyde feel strongly about the Right to Buy issue so I would encourage them to submit their views during this consultation period by emailing housingbill2009@scotland.gsi.gov.uk or writing to Tenant Priorities Team Area 1-H South Victoria Quay Edinburgh, EH6 6QQ".

McMillan Welcomes Help For First Time Buyers

Stuart McMillan MSP, (SNP West of Scotland) has welcomed the Scottish Government’s announcement that a £60 million scheme offering a route into home ownership for first time buyers starts today. The Open Market Shared Equity Pilot scheme is being expanded from 10 council areas to the whole of Scotland.

Mr McMillan said;

"I am pleased to see the Scottish Government has rolled out the Open Market Shared Equity Pilot to every council in Scotland.

"This is a welcomed boost for first time buyers throughout the country and will help many more people get their foot on the property ladder.

"The positive steps taken by the Scottish Government will help those people in Inverclyde/East Dunbartonshire who are desperate to obtain their own home.

"I note the Government's announcement has been welcomed by the Council of Mortgage Lenders Scotland and Homes for Scotland which is more encouraging to hear."

McMillan Welcomes Support for Struggling Home Owners

Stuart McMillan MSP, (SNP West of Scotland) has welcomed further support being offered by the Scottish Government to help home owners who are struggling with mortgage payments. The £35 million Home Owners Support fund will see a new Mortgage to Shared Equity Scheme and a new, improved Mortgage to Rent scheme put in place by the Scottish Government.

Mr McMillan said;

"The implementation of these two new schemes will see further support being offered by the Scottish Government to home owners throughout Inverclyde.

"I believe the fund is vital to ensuring that constituents have the necessary support and advice when it comes to dealing with mortgage payments.

"Therefore, It's important that anyone who thinks they may be at risk of losing their home should get down to their local Citizens Advice Bureau, money advice centre or call one of the help lines and find out how they can access this vital help."

McMillan Welcomes Housing Cash Boost

Stuart McMillan MSP, (SNP West of Scotland) has today welcomed over £34 cash boost for affordable housing across Inverclyde over the next year.

The Scottish Government funding will enable work to begin on new and improved homes for rent or low-cost ownership in the area. It is the second year of the £1.5 billion programme announced in 2008 to provide 21,500 new or improved affordable homes across Scotland by 2011.

Mr. McMillan said;

"When the SNP Government came into office they made it clear one of their main priorities would be to increase enormously the volume of affordable homes in Scotland. This package of £34.5 million for Inverclyde is a massive boost to the local housing situation and the local economy.

"One of the most common forms of complaint I hear when I have my surgeries relate to housing matters, and the Scottish Government's drive to increase the provision of affordable homes is recognition of that. The problem of a lack of affordable housing is not one specific to Inverclyde but one which is felt across Scotland.

"I am delighted the Scottish Government is therefore addressing the housing problem head on and this announcement is exactly what is required in Inverclyde during the current economic downturn".

McMillan Welcomes Support for Housing Industry

Stuart McMillan MSP (SNP, West of Scotland) has today welcomed the latest steps being taken by the Scottish Government to help ease the challenges facing Scotland's house building industry and its commitment to increasing the supply of affordable housing.

The plans will see East Dunbartonshire benefit from part of the three million pounds being made available to accelerate site starts. It will also get a share of the 3.7 million pounds that will fund land purchase by housing associations for future developments.

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced today that seventeen million pounds will be invested to speed up the delivery of affordable housing.

This latest phase of accelerated funding will allow housing associations to purchase unsold stock from the private sector as well as land on which future affordable housing can be built. It will also help to get planned projects on site earlier than anticipated.

On the announcement, Mr McMillan, said:

"I am delighted that the Scottish Government has again demonstrated it’s commitment to the Scottish house building industry

"Once again the Scottish Government has shown it is ahead of the rest of the UK in providing for the country's businesses and helping households deal with the impact of the economic downturn. It has shown an awareness of the need to provide affordable housing as quickly as possible and is exactly the kind of decisive action needed to assist Scots during these tough economic times.

"This latest phase of funding will help to kick-start construction work in East Dunbartonshire and offer a helping hand to our hard pressed construction workers at a time when they need it most".

McMillan Welcomes More Support for Struggling Homeowners

Stuart McMillan MSP, (SNP West of Scotland) has welcomed today’s (Wednesday’s) news that the Scottish Government is to provide even more funding to support Scottish homeowners that are struggling to meet their mortgage repayments in the current economic climate.

An extra £10 million will be invested in the Home Owners’ Support Fund, taking the total up to £35 million over the next two years. The fund will be used to support an improved mortgage to rent scheme and a new mortgage to shared equity scheme, helping homeowners stave off the threat of repossession and eviction from their homes.

Mr. McMillan said;

"Many homeowners in Inverclyde are facing a hard time keeping on top of their mortgage repayments in the current economic climate. The last thing anybody wants to see is hard working families losing their homes, which is why the action being taken by the Scottish Government is so important.

"Through a mortgage to rent or mortgage to shared equity scheme the Scottish Government is committed to providing much needed support to families in the economic downturn.

"The SNP Government has been consistently ahead of the rest of the UK in providing much needed support of this nature, and I am glad that we have this commitment for additional resources to increase the protection available to homeowners".

McMillan Welcomes Simplified Planning System for Householders

Stuart McMillan MSP, (SNP West of Scotland) has today welcomed the news from the Scottish Government that they are making it easier for householders to make more alterations and developments to their property without planning approval.

The proposals include allowing homes to be extended by half their original footprint without planning consent, as well as allowing decking, porch and chimney alterations without having to submit plans and go through the process of public consultation, permission and approval.

Mr McMillan said;

"I welcome this announcement by the Scottish Government who are making it easier for householders to make alterations to their homes and cut back on the red-tape and bureaucracy.

"This is an important step in allowing householders to make simple changes to their home, as well as some other large ones.

"Alongside this, I believe the removing of the red-tape and bureaucracy will free up necessary time and resources for the Planning Departments in local authorities."

McMillan Welcomes Accelerated Housing Funding in East Dunbartonshire

Stuart McMillan MSP, (SNP West of Scotland) has welcomed the announcement from the Scottish Government that they are to take 'decisive action' in East Dunbartonshire to help the
construction industry tackle current economic challenges.

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon MSP revealed that accelerated investment of £9 million will finance a string of housing developments across Scotland. The funding will allow housing associations to purchase unsold stock from the private sector, increasing the availability of much needed affordable housing.

Mr. McMillan said;

"This is a very welcome announcement from the Scottish Government to help off-set the problems facing many in the housing markets during this turbulent time.

"With this extra support being made available in East Dunbartonshire to fund land purchases by housing associations, the future of the industry is looking more positive.

"I believe this will give the construction industry a much needed boost and will hopefully signal a revival for the housing market.

"This is exactly the kind of decisive action from the SNP Government that is needed to assist Scots during these tough economic times".

Notes:
· The Scottish Government news release can be found here:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2008/11/27093753

McMillan Welcomes Cloch Road Decision

Stuart McMillan MSP, (SNP West of Scotland) has today welcomed the news that the Planning Appeal: Cloch Road, Gourock has been dismissed by the Reporter and that planning permission has been refused.

Mr McMillan was due to give evidence at the proceedings but was unable as it fell on a Parliamentary day and he had to be available to vote in Edinburgh. However, Mr McMillan did submit a statement of case which detailed his objections to the proposals.

Mr McMillan said;

"I am pleased to hear the news that the planning appeal has been dismissed by the Reporter.

"I was able to submit a statement which argued that the appeal should be rejected due to in part the scale of the development. There would have been a negative visual impact and more importantly the increased traffic due to the proposal going forward would have exacerbated the road problems at Cloch Road, particularly at peak times.

"Alongside this, there has been a lack of development in Gourock for many years. I believe other development in Gourock is more urgently required as Gourock has been the forgotten town in Inverclyde for regeneration."

McMillan Welcomes Central Heating Cash Boost

Stuart McMillan MSP, (SNP West of Scotland) has today welcomed the announcement from Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing Nicola Sturgeon that an extra 10 million will be invested in the Central Heating Programme this year.

The Deputy First Minister also announced the Scottish Government's intention of extending it's fuel poverty programmes to include families on income support with children under the age of five or disabled children under 16.

The extra investment from the SNP Government will allow the programme to help even more of Inverclyde's fuel poor.

Commenting Mr McMillan said;

This is fantastic news! The current scheme has helped so many of local residents and this move will help many more.

In 2006, it was estimated that 8,000 people in Inverclyde suffered from fuel poverty and since then fuel prices have sky-rocketed.

Following on the six point programme announced earlier this week, this does not only underline the SNP Government's commitment to tackling fuel poverty but also shows that the SNP are the only party on Inverclyde's side.

Notes:

Around 46 million per annum is allocated for fuel poverty programmes over 2008-2011.

Ms Sturgeon made a statement on Fuel Poverty in Parliament on May 22, 2008, and announced prioritisation within the Central Heating Programme to focus on those householders most likely to be fuel poor. From October 27, this prioritisation will be extended to cover the following pensioner households:

* those who have never had a central heating system
* those who have a system which is broken beyond repair and are in receipt of the Guarantee Element of Pension Credit
* those who have a system which is broken beyond repair and are aged 75 or over
* those who have a partial or inefficient system and are in receipt of the Guarantee Element of Pension Credit
* those who have a partial or inefficient system and are aged 80 or over

The Scottish Fuel Poverty Forum was established to advise on tackling fuel poverty. Chaired by Rev. Graham Blount it published its recommendations on the reform of fuel poverty policy on October 10, 2008.

The Scottish Government's Central Heating Programme delivered a record 14,371 central heating systems in 2007-08. Scottish Gas delivered 14,203 and local authorities delivered a further 168 systems, in total the highest number ever delivered to private homes by the programme.

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2008/10/17132304

McMillan Welcomes Support for Homeowners

Stuart McMillan MSP, (SNP West of Scotland) today welcomed extended support for first-time buyers announced by First Minister Alex Salmond.

The Open Market Shared Equity Pilot, announced in January this year, was a £24 million programme in 2008/09 covering 10 local authorities. The scheme will be extended to the whole of Scotland, and in 2009/10 will have a substantially increased budget of £60 million reflecting another example of the Scottish Government bringing forward its capital spending programmes and helping families during difficult economic times.

Mr. McMillan said;

"I am delighted this scheme will be starting in Inverclyde following a successful pilot.

"The First Minister’s announcement that first time buyers in Inverclyde can now access this important assistance to help them onto the housing ladder, to secure a mortgage and to get the housing market moving again is excellent news for the area.

"The Scottish Government has increased investment in this scheme by 150% – offering a total of £60 million of support to first time buyers at just the right time.

"In these difficult economic times, the Scottish Government is doing everything possible to help families, households and businesses. Providing more access to affordable housing and greater support to first time buyers will also help stimulate our housing market".

MSP Joins Councillors at Housing Association

Stuart McMillan MSP, (SNP West of Scotland) recently visited Hillhead Housing Association alongside East Dunbartonshire Councillors Gillian Renwick and John Jamieson. The group were on a fact finding mission to meet with the Director Stephen Macintyre and learn what investment Hillhead is currently undertaking and also to take a tour of current developments owned by the housing association.

Mr McMillan said;

"I was pleased to take the opportunity to visit Hillhead Housing Association and tour their current housing stock. Having the opportunity to meet the Director Stephen Macintyre was a more than useful exercise and I was able to take away a lot of information about what the association is currently doing in East Dunbartonshire and its plans for the future.

" Alongside this, I was glad some of the East Dunbartonshire Councillors were able to join me at the visit and put their points of view across to the Director.

Councillor Renwick said;

"Housing is singularly the biggest problem facing East Dunbartonshire at the moment. With the credit crunch hitting hard at every income level, I am heartened that Hillhead Housing Association are thriving and delivering for the residents of Hillhead."

Councillor Jamieson said;

"The Association is doing a fine job but recently suffered a great loss in the death of its chairperson Jean Mitchell whose determination ensured that this project would proceed.

There are many obstacles ahead including accelerating building costs arising from inflation and higher building standards. However the determination of the committee and the professionalism of the staff should ensure that new housing and upgrading targets will be met and this area will be transformed over the next few years."

RECORD INVESTMENT PLANNED FOR HOUSING

Stuart McMillan MSP, (SNP West of Scotland) today welcomed the recent announcement by the Communities Minister Stewart Maxwell MSP that a record £1.5 billion is planned for investment in affordable housing over the next 3 years, delivering at least 21,500 new approved affordable homes by 2011 for Scotland.

Mr. McMillan said;

" the announcement by the Communities Minister is an extremely welcomed and positive step in providing affordable housing throughout Scotland.

" with record levels of investment being pledged by the Scottish Government the people of Inverclyde will see the benefits.

" the figure of £19.280 million pounds being invested in Inverclyde over the next three years will help build many more affordable homes and ease many peoples concerns.

" the credit crunch has seen many people becoming more anxious about housing and with this investment being pledged I believe the Scottish Government is tackling the problem head on."


NOTES:

1. The Affordable Housing Investment Programme is allocated
mainly to RSLs (Registered Social Landlords). Approximately 70
per cent of the programme is spent on helping RSLs to meet
demand for new social housing for rent, on average subsidising
just over two-thirds of the construction costs of each new housing unit.

2. Housing Association Grant per unit increased in real terms
by 35 per cent in 4 years between 2002/03 to 2006/07.

3. For additional information on AHIP local authority
allocations please call Joni Smith on 0131 244 2701.

4. The Scottish Government expects that at least 21,500 new
affordable homes will be approved by 2011, the same number as
planned by the previous Executive over the previous three years.

5. Subsidy levels in England, which in 2006-07 averaged #62,000
per house and less, are low compared with Scottish levels,
which averaged #77,000, suggesting substantial scope to make
savings, which will be used to build more houses.

McMillan Urges East Dunbartonshire to Accept the Council House Challenge

Stuart McMillan MSP, (SNP West of Scotland) today urged East Dunbartonshire Council to take advantage of the £25 million investment into council housing announced at the weekend by Nicola Sturgeon.

The Deputy First Minister made the announcement at the SNP Spring conference that the funding programme will be available for all councils in Scotland.

Mr. McMillan said;

"With every council in Scotland eligible for a share of this funding I hope East Dunbartonshire seriously consider it.

"Council housing plays an important role in East Dunbartonshire and I would like to see more available for the people who deserve it.

"This funding from the Scottish Government should be welcomed by all and implemented by the council appropriately."

Note to Editor
· Information on council house building can be found at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/HSfS/NewBuildLA