Scottish Government statistics have highlighted that urgent need for repairs to housing in South Lanarkshire and across Scotland.
The Scottish House Condition Survey provided an analyse of the state of housing across Scotland’s local authorities. The report has revealed that 30 per cent of houses across Scotland require urgent repair.
The Tenement Maintenance Working Group's interim report, published last month, warned that the condition of many Scottish tenements is on a "cliff-edge". The Scottish Parliament working group on tenement maintenance has made a number of recommendations on how to address the problem. These include inspections every five years and creating a communal tenement "pension" fund for future repairs. The interim report also calls for the compulsory establishment of owners' associations.
The working group, comprising MSPs and housing and building experts, will publish a further report in the summer. As Convenor of the group, Graham Simpson MSP hosted the "Tenement Maintenance One Year On" Event at the Scottish Parliament along with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
Graham Simpson said “I am deeply concerned with the findings from the Scottish House Condition Survey, which revealed that 70 per cent of dwellings in Scotland are in disrepair. This figure rises to 74 per cent in South Lanarkshire.
“The report has also highlighted that 30 per cent of homes in Scotland are in urgent disrepair – a staggering 41 per cent in South Lanarkshire.
“A report to Glasgow councillors last year highlighted that repair bills to some blocks reached well into six figures - sums that are simply unaffordable to most people.
“We are sitting on a building maintenance cliff edge. The Scottish Government must act to protect Scotland’s’ heritage and housing infrastructure.”
