There will be howls of outrage – but Scotland needs rent controls On Saturday I launch my campaign to be Scottish Labour leader and Scotland’s next First Minister. Over the next few […]

On Saturday I launch my campaign to be Scottish Labour leader and Scotland’s next First Minister.

Over the next few weeks I’ll be outlining the changes we need to make to transform Scotland’s economy and society, the radical shift we need away from market driven managerialist politics.

I believe dealing with the seriousness of the problem requires wider action The i newsletter cut through the noise Email address is invalid Email address is invalid Thank you for subscribing! Sorry, there was a problem with your subscription.

Housing is a good example of this. I want to see legislation to enact stringent rent controls and measures to encourage landlords to improve properties: a “Mary Barbour” law.

Mary Barbour was a pioneering tenants activist, and later Labour councillor. Mary led a rent strike which brought about a Rent Restriction Act, during the First World War.

This set rents for the duration of the war and beyond at pre-war levels.

It is similarly decisive legislative action that is needed now. Between 2003 and 2014 the proportion of 25 to 34-year-olds in Scotland renting privately almost tripled, from 13 per cent to 35 per cent.

Numbers are increasing in the private rented sector as the socially rented sector waiting lists spiral and mortgages are difficult to obtain.

It’s also been the case that while we’ve had a decade of stagnating wages, rents have increased hugely – over 100 per cent in a decade in some parts of Scotland.

Dutch-style system

Whilst Scottish Labour has a commitment to restraining the numbers and level of rent increases, I believe dealing with the seriousness of the problem requires wider action.

I want to see a system similar to that operating in the Netherlands. There, properties are ranked depending on standard and amenities. This could be combined, as the Living Rent Campaign suggests, with a Rental Affordability Index.

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A regulator would assess the fairness of any proposed rent increases against a range of indicators including pay settlements, inflation, student support and benefit levels.

Above index increases would be contingent on landlords demonstrating some improvement to the property (likewise, tenants could appeal for rent decreases should there be a lack of repair or upkeep).

Local authorities would be tasked with the enforcement of these rules.

There will of course be howls of outrage

Whilst there would obviously be a cost in doing this, it is far outweighed by the price we will pay in blighted lives and thwarted potential unless urgent action is taken.

It will also reduce the £25bn-plus of public money that goes annually into the pockets of landlords.

Ultimately we will need to build our way out of this crisis.

This will also involve putting the socially rented sector back in the mainstream of housing, a viable and available option for people at the heart of socially mixed communities.

That will take time. Proper rent controls can and should be campaigned for now. There will of course be howls of outrage from the rentier interest.

But if we are to be a movement for real change, we must be prepared to face down the complaints of the few in the interests of the many.

We as a party can live up to the example set by “Mrs Barbour’s Army” and show at least the level of determination and ambition of the women of the Glasgow slums a century ago.