Douglas Ross will today (Monday) outline new policies to let all adults across Scotland upskill online and to help tenants get a foot on the housing ladder in his keynote speech to the UK Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham.
The Scottish Conservative leader will tell delegates of his plans to establish a National College of Scotland and deliver a Rent to Own scheme as he outlines plans to deliver a fair deal for all of Scotland.
A central theme of his speech will be how large parts of Scotland- especially rural and island communities- have been forgotten by Nicola Sturgeon’s government.
The National College is designed to break down the barriers that geography and life circumstances can create for adults wishing to access higher education.
Specialising in remote teaching, the National College would be an umbrella body ensuring Scotland’s colleges and universities offer a wide range of online courses so that adults can gain new qualifications while still holding down a full-time job.
Under the Rent to Own plan, tenants wouldpay market rent for a new-build property from a landlord – who would have to sign up to the scheme – for five consecutive years, after which the tenant could apply to buy it.
To help them do so, the government would provide 25% of the rent paid during the tenancy to go towards their deposit.
The party have already announced plans to introduce a Member's Bill at Holyrood to crack down on the vandalism of war memorials.
On calling for a fair deal for because the SNP have left many parts of Scotland behind Scottish Conservative Leader Douglas Ross will say: “Today we continue to show that on education, economic development, housing and so many other areas the Scottish Conservatives that we are Scotland’s Real Alternative to this failing SNP Government.
“That we have the positive ideas and policies to take all of Scotland forward and deliver opportunity and a fair deal to every part of our country.
“In the SNP’s Scotland where you live has a huge impact on the quality of life you will have.
“Wages in Moray are nearly half of what people in East Renfrewshire earn, pupils in East Renfrewshire are around two times more likely to get a top grade in their Highers than those in Angus- and the life expectancy of people in Glasgow is six years lower than people in East Dunbartonshire.
“Just think about that- where you live will define your education, your salary and even how long your life will be. How can that be fair in today’s Scotland?
“Right across Scotland, so many parts of our country are not being given the chance to succeed.
“They are being held back by an SNP Government whose answer to the challenges of delivering services is to centralise into a one-size-fits all approach.”
On his plans for a National College of Scotland, Scottish Conservative Leader Douglas Ross will say:“We must always give people a route to prosperity if they have the determination to put in the work to achieve it.
“The National College of Scotland would be a partnership of Scotland’s college and university sector to deliver virtual, modular courses designed to help people learn around their busy schedules.
“Courses could also be sponsored by employers to give students access to future careers and businesses a workforce with the skills they need.
“Alongside our guarantee of training funding, through our Right to Retrain plan, this would be transformative in ensuring that no matter where you live in Scotland, or what your personal circumstances you can study towards qualifications that will help you to seize new opportunities.”
On the Rent to Own scheme, Scottish Conservative Leader Douglas Ross will say:“The Scottish Conservatives want to help individuals and families to save up the funding they need for a deposit, which – when stuck with rent and other bills – can be too much of a stretch for many.
“And, so, the Scottish Conservatives would introduce a Rent to Own model.
“This would see renters being given back a quarter of their rent by the Government to help them to purchase the property that they live in.
“This would allow buyers to save up for a home through simply paying their rent.
“This could be a step change in helping families who are stuck in rented accommodation and unable to afford the extra that they need to save each month to put down a deposit.”
Notes
The Scottish Conservatives will establish a National College of Scotland which will offer online courses to every Scottish adult wherever they live.This will be a virtual umbrella organisation bringing together Scotland’s colleges and universities to offer online courses to every Scottish adult wherever they live.
The National College will specialise in remote teaching, ensuring that Scottish adults can access higher education wherever they live.It will also focus on bite size learning and learning at a user’s own pace. This will allow for study while holding down full-time jobs and for courses to be taken forward at a pace that suits the user.
Scottish employers will also be able to sponsor courses.Courses offered by the National College will be properly accredited through the SQA. Many of the courses, particularly at an entry level will be linked to our Right to Retrain policy, so will be funded by public money and free to the user. The university and colleges will benefit from this arrangement as they will be able to sponsor gateway courses that will lead into full HNC, HND and degrees at their institutions.
The Scottish Conservatives would introduce a Rent to Own Scheme.Tenants wouldpay market rent for a new build property from a Landlord (who would have to sign up to the scheme) for five consecutive years, after which you can apply to buy the property.
When the tenant is ready to buy the property, the Government will help them pay the deposit.The Government could then gift the tenant with a percentage of the rent the tenant has paid over the course of the tenancy. The tenant couldonly buy the property if bothtenantandlandlordare confident thatthe tenant will be able to afford it.
Renters would receive 25% of the rent paid over the duration of their tenancy to buy their home.They can do this after a minimum of two years and a maximum of five years renting the property. They can also use 50% of the increase in the property value (if any) during that period of time as a deposit towards purchasing the property. (Welsh Government,Rent to Own Wales,6 November 2019,https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2018-02/180228-rent-to-own-wales-buyers-guide.pdf. Click or tap if you trust this link." data-auth="Verified" data-linkindex="0">link).
Rent to Own has been used in Wales.The scheme is now closed but allowed landlords to sign up to a scheme where tenants could purchase the home they were renting, with the government helping them to build up a lump sum towards a mortgage deposit. (Welsh Government,Rent to Own Wales,6 November 2019,https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2018-02/180228-rent-to-own-wales-buyers-guide.pdf. Click or tap if you trust this link." data-auth="Verified" data-linkindex="1">link).