Latest updates …

* On Thursday morning, I took part in the second Harris Academy Project Board that will oversee the Harris Academy rebuilding project. * In the afternoon, I attended part of the City Council’s Housing Best Value Review Group, at which I raised questions regarding the performance of the City Council in re-letting empty council houses, [...]

Progress on controlled entry systems

I reported last November that the City Council intended using legislation under the Tenement (Scotland) Act 2004 to ballot owners in blocks of flats where there is a mix of owner occupiers and council tenants to see if a majority will agree to the installation of controlled entry systems. This is to ensure that the previous problem of just one [...]

Long term empty council house in Polepark Road to be finally brought back into use

I have welcomed news that the City Council has, after an options appraisal, finally decided to renovate a badly damaged council house in Polepark Road and bring it back into the tenancy pool. The property has sat empty since it was abandoned in August 2008 and I have been in contact with the Housing Department to [...]

Tenement Law in Scotland

As a councillor with a ward where there is a high proportion of tenements, I must applaud Ann Laird of Friends of Glasgow West for an excellent letter in the Herald yesterday : New MSPs must make an upgrade of our tenement law the priority   Published on 2 Apr 2011    Why do flat [...]

Wednesday …

A very busy day yesterday, including : * A meeting with Dundee Museum of Transport representatives at the building in Roseangle (see right) that they hope to soon open as the temporary premises for the museum.     Although their long term aim is to locate at a larger site in Maryfield, they are keen to get [...]

Polepark Road – empty houses concern

I am very concerned that a council bedsit in Polepark Road has been lying empty for well over two years (since September 2008 to be exact). I raised this with the Director of Housing and was advised : “This property was extensively damaged – provisional estimated cost £20 K.+ – when recovered as an abandonment [...]

Thursday …

After a visit to Ancrum Drive to discuss impending works that the City Council will undertake to ensure the flooding problem from Lochee Park into residents’ gardens is tackled, I attended a very interesting briefing on the private sector house condition survey in Dundee, undertaken by David Adamson and Partners. This contained very interesting information [...]

Empty Homes in Dundee

As reported in yesterday’s Scotland on Sunday, Scottish Liberal Democrats have highlighted nationally concerns that 70 000 houses are lying empty across Scotland and urged that efforts be made to bring them back into use. Further to my update last month on the subject of empty houses in Dundee, in today’s Courier and in the [...]

SNP council rents hike criticised

I spoke earlier today on Radio Tay news criticising the above-inflation council house rents increase in Dundee being proposed by the SNP council administration.   You can hear this by clicking on ‘play’  above.   The SNP Housing Convener says that the 4.5% increase is the lowest of the options on the table but what he conveniently [...]

Scottish Empty Homes Partnership – an update

I recently contacted the City Council’s Director of Housing about the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership – an excellent initiative that includes COSLA on behalf of Scottish local government, Shelter Scotland and Scottish Government and aims to get many of Scotland’s empty homes back into use and thereby further help tackle homelessness. I was keen to [...]

Community Spirit Meeting

Tonight, I attended the November meeting of “Community Spirit” – the community group for the “north” part of West End Ward, covering Tullideph, Ancrum, Pentland and the Cleghorn area. There was a presentation from the Dundee Travel Active group and a useful discussion of numerous local issues, including how parking could be improved in Pentland. [...]

Friday activities

I had a very useful meeting earlier today with the Director of Housing, City Housing Manager and the Homeless Services Manager about the homeless in Dundee and the council’s progress with the issue.   This follows on from recent correspondence I have had with the Housing Department recently.    Later, I attended a briefing for councillors on [...]

Homelessness in the city – clarification

As reported in yesterday’s Courier, the City Council has apologised that figures given to the newspaper and myself about the extent of homelessness in the city contained an error.   I print below the clarification I have been given but, as I said to the Courier, the fact remains that the city faces a continuing significant [...]

Homelessness in Dundee

Earlier this month, the Courier printed an article about the concerns of some of the city’s homeless people about the possible lack of bed spaces in Dundee. Following this, I have been in correspondence with the City Council’s Director of Housing about the matter, and, as reported in today’s Courier, the Director has given me [...]

Progress with the Scottish Housing Quality Standard

Earlier today, I attended a briefing for councillors by the Housing Department on progress towards the city meeting the Scottish Housing Quality Standard by 2015. This is in advance of a report going to committee next Monday. There has been significant progress – for example, in the provision of bathrooms and kitchens – but there [...]

City Council – revised house letting policy

The City Council launches its new house letting policy on 1st March – you can read more at http://tinyurl.com/dccletting.  

City Council tonight – council house rents

At tonight’s City Council meetings, I proposed that – rather than the City Council “consult” on just one proposed Council House rents increase – the staggering 4% SNP increase (staggering because RPI inflation is currently minus 0.8%) – the Council consults on two levels of increase – 3% and 4%, giving tenants a choice of [...]

Kitchen and Bathroom replacements in Logie

The City Council’s Housing Department is proceeding with a kitchen and bathroom replacement programme for the Logie Estate – and it has been brought forward to this financial year. Along with the contractor, the Housing Investment Unit arranged for a display container to be on show in Logie Avenue yesterday and today, to allow tenants [...]

Capital funding for new housing – Dundee misses out

Back in January (see http://www.dundeewestend.com/2009/01/affordable-housing-need-for-action-not.html) I highlighted the lack of momentum behind the SNP government’s funding announcement on capital monies to kick-start council house building across Scotland.   Well, there’s finally been an announcement on the allocation of around two thirds of the £25 million to be allocated and, as I indicate in today’s ‘Courier’, [...]

Affordable Housing – A need for action, not words

In November, following Tavish Scott’s visit to Dundee to see local housing projects, I again highlighted the fact that the SNP government, whilst creating a lot of media spin about assisting the provision of providing more affordable housing in Scotland, had, in reality, been poor at actual delivery of the policy in communities across Scotland. [...]

Affordable Housing

Following his visit to Dundee earlier this week during which he visited a housing association project, Tavish Scott has criticised the Scottish Government’s record on housing, urging Ministers to take real action rather than relying on spin.   Tavish said, “Affordable housing is in short supply in Scotland. But this SNP Government has slashed Housing [...]

The housing debate

There has been much debate of late in the City about housing and, however you view that debate, there is absolutely no doubt that further house building investment from Scottish Government to local authorities will be vital. As the Council Leader said recently (quote from the Evening Telegraph of 15th April), “Mr Keenan said that, [...]

Affordable housing

I was pleased to see the Scottish Liberal Democrat Housing spokesperson, Jim Tolson MSP, this week raising in the Scottish Parliament the affordable housing shortage. Jim said, “The Liberal Democrats see housing as a basic human right and believe that it is incumbent on the Scottish Government to build environmentally sustainable homes, which produce cleaner [...]