Scottish Conservative shadow housing secretary Meghan Gallacher will today (Tuesday) denounce the SNP’s “disastrous” plan to impose permanent rent controls during Stage 3 of the Housing Bill.
She will warn the move will only worsen the hostile environment for developers, reducing the housing supply even further and leading to billions in lost investment for the sector.
Ms Gallacher will add that it’s been over a year since the nationalists declared a housing emergency and that this bill, in its current form, will only make the situation worse. That’s why she and her party will vote against it.
Scottish Conservative shadow housing secretary Meghan Gallacher MSP said: “The SNP’s reckless obsession with rent controls will only deepen the housing emergency they have created in Scotland.
“Making this botched measure permanent will drive away investors, slash the available housing stock for tenants and cost the sector billions.
“It’s been over a year since the nationalists declared a housing emergency, which stemmed from their cuts to the affordable housing budget and introduction of rent controls. It defies belief that their response to the crisis is to do double down on one of its principal causes.
“Amid record homelessness figures, the last thing vulnerable Scots need is a policy that is proven to reduce the number of rental properties on the market.
“The Scottish Conservatives will do the right thing and vote to stop these plans from going through.”