September 2009 Update

Tough News on Housing

A warm dry home is one of the essentials of life. So I was delighted to attend the opening of Williamsburgh Housing Association’s 30 new flats for rent along the banks of the Cart, minutes from Gilmour Street. I also had a sneak preview of over 150 new homes in Linwood – every one with a back and front door, garden and patio, built by Sanctuary Housing.

These are great schemes but we urgently need many more of them. In April the Scottish Government received £45 million extra from the Treasury – Scotland’s share of new housing spend in the UK budget. Sadly, the Scottish Government did not allocate their share of this cash to housing. Yet Housing needs all that extra cash.

In Renfrewshire the waiting list for new homes is over 9000. In the 5 years to April this year, 1041 brand new affordable rented homes were built by local housing associations. But in the next 5 years the target is only 560 new homes – half the level the previous Scottish Government financed. We need to be building more affordable rented homes, not less.

Local Housing Associations like Williamsburgh, Linstone and Paisley South do a good job – but they have been repeatedly messed around by changes to their funding arrangements – just at the time when it is harder than ever to raise money for housebuilding.

For council tenants Renfrewshire Council has announced it plans to raise rents by a shocking 25% over the next five years. To add insult to injury, the Council’s budget for new kitchens and bathrooms has been cut back from £2.8million last year to £2million this year, even though this was tenants’ top priority in the Council’s own Tenant Survey.

One glimmer of light; the Scottish Government has finally agreed to improve protection for homeowners facing repossession. In future lenders will have to prove they have taken all possible steps to ensure families can remain in their homes. Well done to Renfrewshire Law Centre who has constantly made the case for this new legislation. Hugh Henry and I repeatedly raised their concerns in Parliament and it seems to have finally paid off.

Town Centre Regeneration Fund

A big thank you to all who joined in the summer campaign lobbying Minister John Swinney to ensure Paisley’s bid was successful.

As many will know, recently the first awards of the Town Centre Regeneration Fund were granted by the Scottish Government. Paisley received £1.8m – half of the £3.7m it bid for. Whilst welcoming the £1.8m for Paisley; and the successful grants to the Renfrewshire villages, I was disappointed at Paisley coming ninth in the funding league table, behind the likes of Alloa, Ayr, Kirkcaldy, Dumfries, and Craigmillar. Many good projects could be missed unless we win more in the final round, to be announced in November.

With my eye on this final round of grants I continue to make the case for Paisley. Lets hope we get awarded the rest of the bid money then!

In praise of Community Councils

I was delighted to take part recently in the West of Scotland meeting for all Community Councils held in the beautiful surrounds of Paisley Abbey. Too often our Community Councils get a hard time for being busy bodies, do-gooders or even troublemakers. But this is unfair. If Community Councils did not exist we would have to invent them. Whether it is monitoring crime, local planning and roads issues Community Councils do a job on behalf of us all. And they deserve our thanks. Across Scotland local consultations are underway on the future of Community Councils. Next year will see elections to local community councils if enough people come forward. If you want to get involved in your local community council contact: community_council.cs@renfrewshire.gov.uk

Glasgow Airport Rail Link

This ambitious but vital project to have a rail link from the Airport to Glasgow via Gilmour Street MUST continue. I have been calling on the Scottish Government to get to grips with the endless delays and show the commitment required to keep the project on track – and running ASAP.

200th Anniversary: Robert Tannahill

I think it is a wonderful idea to celebrate the life of Robert Tannahill on his bicentenary. 2010 is the 200th anniversary of Robert Tannahill’s death. Tannahill, affectionately nicknamed ‘Paisley’s son’ made a huge contribution to Scotland’s cultural heritage.

His poetry and music made such a mark on Paisley that in 1883 a series of concerts were held in Gleniffer Braes and the money that was raised paid for a statue of him that now stands proudly on Abbey Close. Hugh Henry MSP and I met with David Mullen, a buddy, musician and fan of Tannahill who is now working hard to organise events for next year in honour of Tannahill’s lifework. David hopes to include a concert in Canada and illustrated live talks which he will present in Renfrewshire.

I was happy to lay a motion in the Scottish Parliament marking this celebration. It has attracted support from all sides. The influence that Tannahill’s poetry and music should be recognised as an all Scotland affair not just a Paisley affair.

Hard times for small companies

Do you know any small business that is struggling to get financing? If so please get in touch. I sit on the Scottish Parliament’s Economy Committee and we are currently studying small businesses and any difficulties they are having in accessing finance. My discussions with local businesses reveal real concerns about the current attitudes of banks. Despite being bailed out by the Government, banks are still too reluctant to lend – leading to extra pressures on jobs. So if you know of a worrying case let me know. You can email me at: wendy.alexander.msp@scottish.parliament.uk