The End of the Right to Buy and the Future of Social Housing in Scotland

Abstract

Thirty-years after the introduction of the Right to Buy – the most successful example of housing privatisation policy in the UK – the current Housing (Scotland) Bill proposes to end the scheme for both new social housing tenants and new social housing. This paper considers the implications of these modernising reforms, in the context of housing policy divergence post-devolution. It concludes that these proposals are likely to have a significant, but mixed, impact on the future of the social rented sector in Scotland.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to the Editor and two anonymous referees from Local Economy, and colleagues from the Centre for Housing Research at St. Andrews who provided helpful comments on the paper, as well as to the SCORE team who provided vital contextual information.

Notes

¹ In 2007, following the election of the minority SNP administration, the Scottish Executive was rebranded as the Scottish Government.

² The Scottish Housing Quality Standards is a set of criteria that all social landlords must meet by 2015, with regards to the physical standard of their properties.