 The final item of business is a member's business debate on motion 16487, in the name of Johann Lamont, on new report calls for more housing co-operatives in Scotland. This debate will be concluded without any questions being put. Can I ask those members who wish to speak in debate to press the request to speak buttons down a call on Johann Lamont to open the debate? Ms Lamont, please. Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. I am privileged to open this debate on the role of housing co-operatives and the potential to address some of the many housing challenges that we face in Scotland. I thank all those who have supported this motion. Thanks to the cross-party group and co-operatives for producing this report, co-operatives UK for publishing the report, Shared Space, house Scottish co-ops, Build Communities and to those including West Whittleburn house and co-op who shaped its findings. I welcome representatives from those groups who I know are in the gallery tonight. I should at the outset declare an interest as a co-operative party member and as a co-operative MSP. The Scottish co-operative party fully supports Labour's ambition to double the size of the co-operative economy. The co-operative movement is, of course, a global movement with values shared across continents. It is an international movement but one that delivers change at the most local of levels, making a real and measurable difference to lives of families and communities. It is a movement of high ideals but based absolutely on practical action, empowerment and democratic accountability and control. Its greatest aspirations judged and tested by the real results that it achieved. Historically, Scotland was at the heart of the development of co-opatives. Indeed, some might argue that we were there at the very start of its development. However, this is a movement that is as relevant and central to Scotland's present and future as it was to its past. As this report emphatically reveals, those values are absolutely at the heart of the success of housing co-ops in Scotland. That report recognised the flexibility, the variety of housing co-ops, meeting the needs of students, of people in retirement, of young people in work or of restoring communities which were poorly served, ill-designed and seen as places where people did not want to live. As one small example of that variety, we can see the potential of the Edinburgh students housing co-op in providing housing of better quality and at a more affordable level than the other options that it might have, a model from which many other students across Scotland could well benefit. I am immensely proud of the work of housing co-ops in Scotland and I have seen first hand the transformation that was brought about by tenant-led Rose Hill housing co-op in Pollock constituency and West Whitleburn housing co-op in Cambuslang. Those co-ops have shown how to create change, not just in the kind of housing available but in how it is planned, how it is maintained and how their communities are then sustained. Those co-opters understand that housing is not just about the bricks and mortar, it is about the other actions that are needed to help local communities to thrive, not just the building but the broader environment, providing services as West Whitleburn does, access to affordable energy, digital services, employment and training opportunities, welfare and money advice. The range of things done in wider action by co-ops is as remarkable as it is creative. From time to time in our debates on housing here and elsewhere, we are all drawn to play a numbers game, focusing, for example, on the number of housing council houses built, but that is truth, ignoring the reality and diversity of social housing. It is true that some of our most effective housing co-opters emerged out of local campaigns by residents determined to take control from their local councils of the decisions that affected them so directly and to resolute in their belief that, as local people, they were best placed to determine and act upon the needs and priorities of their community and their track record proves their case. However, the motion does not just celebrate the reality of housing co-op success, it also asks why there is so much unrealised potential, so much unmet needs. Why are there only 11 registered housing co-ops in Scotland compared to 685 across the United Kingdom? This surely is a lost opportunity, while too many people are being forced into a private sector option with less certainty, fewer rights and at higher cost. What is the role of the housing regulator? Is there an approach that regulates in such a way that unconsciously or deliberately inhibits the establishment of housing co-ops? Will the minister reflect on that conundrum? Will the minister agree to meet with representatives of the cross-party group on co-operatives to explore how any perceived barriers might be removed? Will the minister be willing to look with the group at how the recommendations of this report might be progressed? How can we promote and advocate for the housing co-op model more effectively? As a consequence, there is an increase in the number of co-ops across Scotland. I am proud that the Labour-led administration, very early in the life of this Parliament, established co-opative development Scotland to promote co-opative models in the economy and in our communities. At that time, we deliberately chose to exclude housing from its remit because housing was located in community Scotland, an agency focused on community and economic regeneration, but with, at its centre, housing expertise that had done immense work to improve Scottish housing. Community Scotland is long gone, but the need for an advocate for co-op housing remains. I urge the minister to confirm the willingness to have the remit of co-opative development Scotland opened up to include housing, giving it responsibility for willing the means to increase the number of housing co-ops with all the benefit that that would surely bring. The evidence is there as proof. In conclusion, I would again underline my admiration for all those involved with housing co-opatives who have transformed communities with focus, vision and determination. We have our hands a means of enriching our housing provision and our communities, and a means of unleashing that potential further. I look forward to being part of future action to remove the barriers that are placed in front of housing co-ops and allowing them to flourish. I thank you again to those who produced the report and to all those co-op tenants who have inspired in the creation of co-ops and continue to inspire by their work. I trust that the Government will recognise the key role of housing co-opatives, look at the report and act with all those who have an interest in ensuring that housing co-opatives can continue to serve our local communities. I gently say to the public in the gallery that I understand why you want applause, but we do not permit applause from the gallery. I now call Stuart Stevenson to be followed by Graham Simpson. Mr Stevenson, please. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. Let me start by congratulating John Lamont on securing the debate. I often say that I congratulate James Kelly, who I see from the report, is the author of the forward to the report. It is a very excellent report, too. It does Parliament considerable credit that a cross-party group can produce such a substantial contribution to a very important part of our debate. In her remarks, John Lamont referred to the imbalance in the number of housing co-ops in Scotland compared to south of the border. I am never afraid to pick up good ideas from wherever they come, including south of the border. I turned immediately to section 8 in the report to have a look at what it says there. I will not explore my brief contribution in any great detail, but I think that there is a considerable amount of things to say. The co-operative movement in housing is an important part of creating housing for people across Scotland. It can contribute a great deal to fill the gap that Scotland has suffered from, as the rest of the UK has, since the right to buy was introduced in 1980, which resulted in 2.6 million houses across the UK being sold out of public housing stock. The co-operative housing associations can play their substantial part in creating housing for people who otherwise are going to find it difficult outside the private sector, where it is very expensive often and not always of good quality to have the kind of living space that is essential for people who want a good standard of life. Rent prices are going up. People are encouraged to invest in buy-to-let properties, where the primary focus is for the landlord's interest in making a profit. When you have a co-operative, the people who live in the co-operative housing are the people who are the centre of the decision making. That is right, proper and unlocks potential for many people who otherwise, in too much of their lives, have little opportunity for their voice to influence important things in their life. In general, co-operatives and co-operatives in housing can make a particular difference to the quality of life of the people who live in them. Of course, it is a neighbourly and collaborative way of making decisions that can encourage social bonds and collective responsibility. That strengthens society as a whole. When, collectively, people in co-operative housing decide on what their priorities are for their area, the whole area has something that is an example right across communities. I was particularly interested in the example that has been drawn on here, the Whitlaw Burn Co-op, which extends far beyond simply the provision of housing. Johann Lamont referred to the provision of power and frozen power bills that come from that, addressing the fuel poverty issue, which has been before us this week in Parliament. For young people in particular, there is a challenge. The number of people who are living in rented accommodation has risen compared to my generation and others who followed me, so it is important that we get the appropriate balance between privately owned and social housing, and co-operatives can play a very important part in that strategy. I think that it was the community's committee that Johann Lamont and I were both on, she was the convener and I was a humble backbencher. I remember that time occasionally with fondness. Sometimes I remember the robust engagement that Johann Lamont had with the issues before the committee, as she always does. I congratulate her once again in bringing this important topic to Parliament in giving us the opportunity to discuss. I congratulate all the co-operatives and their members, Presiding Officer. I congratulate Johann Lamont for bringing this debate to Parliament. It is an extremely important issue and I am a huge fan of housing co-ops, but I have to say that we just do not have enough of them in Scotland. If we only have 11 of them, that is nowhere near enough. The issue has not just come up at the co-operatives cross-party group, but it is also one of the several cross-party groups that deals with housing and has also discussed it. It is on the agenda across the Parliament. I read the report with interest. It was a very good report, illuminating. I focused on the case study of West Whitlow-Burn in Camberslang, mainly because that is a very good project. It is just down the road from where I live, so I know where it is. If the people in the gallery want to invite me along to see it, I would be happy to come down the road from East Kilbride. They made a comment in the report, which I thought was very telling. I will just read it out. The attitude of local authorities is another barrier. We are in South Lanarkshire, and there is no history of or appetite to transfer council housing stock to community level, no appetite to give up control. Glasgow is supportive of the idea of housing co-ops, but it does not have the stock. South Lanarkshire and others have the stock, but they do not want to continue as a social municipal landlord. West Whitlow-Burn is sandwiched between two local authority estates, which are failing abjectly. They are dreadfully managed and maintained. There is no tenant input or participation, no transparency. I think that sums up the problem that we have here. It is a problem of culture. In some council areas, they name South Lanarkshire. The issue is that they do not want to give up control. They want to keep the power. They have a we know best attitude. The tenants at West Whitlow-Burn have shown that councils like South Lanarkshire need to give up control and accept that they should be more flexible. Housing co-ops have a great deal of benefits that can deliver affordable housing, help to create and build powerful communities, offer tenants far greater control over the things that matter to them. As Johann Lamont said, they seem to be doing far better at this in England and Wales. We have only got 11 housing co-ops at 685 across the UK. You have to ask, why is that? What is holding us back here in Scotland? Part of it is the culture, as I said. Down in England, they have a community housing fund, which is a national programme to develop a range of community-led housing. That will run until 2021-22. In Wales, they have the Welsh co-operative housing development company, which is putting in 50,000 a year for three years to promote support and increase the number of housing co-ops in Wales. If things are progressing better in the rest of the UK, maybe the Scottish Government and the Cabinet Secretary could perhaps say something about this when she speaks. Maybe the Scottish Government should be looking elsewhere and seeing what is happening in the rest of these aisles and maybe taking on board what is happening and doing it here in Scotland. Thank you very much. I call James Kelly to be followed by Jeremy Balfour. Mr Balfour is the last speaker in the open debate. Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer, and I join other speakers in congratulating Johann Lamont in securing this important debate on housing co-ops. I thank the members of the cross-party group in co-ops for the work that they have put into producing the document-shared space. I welcome the members from a number of housing co-ops, including Wes Whittleburn, who are in the gallery this evening. That is indeed an important debate and an important issue. Reflecting on it, I first spoke about housing co-ops shortly after getting elected as an MSP in 2007. I mentioned Wes Whittleburn then, but when you look at the stats in the motion, there are only 11 registered housing co-ops in Scotland. That is a matter of deep regret. When I reflect back on the early speech that I made, I realised that in that 12-year time there have been very few newly registered housing co-ops in Scotland. We have very much become left behind by that model. The question that you have to pose is is that a good or a bad thing? I would certainly submit that it is a very bad thing. In doing so, I give the example, which is quoted in the report of Wes Whittleburn housing co-op, which I have observed very closely, not just because it is an area that I represent, that is close to where I stay. It was set up in the 1980s when it took over the housing stock from Glasgow City Council. The reality was that the housing stock at that time was in very poor condition. There were a lot of anti-social behaviour issues. The reality was that Wes Whittleburn at that time was a very challenging area. If you go to Wes Whittleburn now, you will see that the area has been transformed. Not only is that original housing stock still there, but it has been modernised to such an extent that the demand for places is great on the housing waiting list. However, it was not just a case of renovating the existing stock. There have been new builds, a community centre, communications co-op and an initiative to secure low energy prices. In addition to all that, rents run at a very competitive level compared with other housing providers in the area. It is a fantastic example of how a local area can be transformed by a housing co-op. The secret of it is down to the community involvement, mainly due to the committee, many of whom go back to the early days, particularly Ann Anderson, who is in the gallery tonight, and the strong leadership from working in co-operation with Paul Farrell, the director. The challenge going forward is that, as we have 150,000 people on social housing waiting lists in Scotland, housing co-ops is something that can contribute to tackling the housing issues that we face in Scotland. Of course, it is when you see the difference that is made in Wes Whittleburn. The fact that there are only 11 in Scotland compared to 685 in the rest of the UK shows that real life has been left behind. The direct challenge to the cabinet secretary and the Government is that the debate should not just be a talking shop, but that the cabinet secretary should engage with the cross-party group, engage with the experts in housing co-operatives, because they present an opportunity and a solution to some of the challenges that we face in housing. I hope that the cabinet secretary, when she closes, will respond positively and take some practical steps to place housing co-ops at the centre of solutions to the housing issues in Scotland. The debate is set in the context that Scotland's housing is far from good, and many people are struggling as a result. There are 150,000 people on council housing waiting lists, rents are continually rising and people are finding it increasingly difficult to find not just affordable housing but appropriate housing. Given that context, housing co-operatives are able to play an incredibly valuable role in elevating some of the issues that are facing the thousands of people looking for a home. I have to confess, Presiding Officer, that, before that motion was put down, I knew little about housing co-operatives, and for me it has been a very interesting learning experience. As other speakers have already said, here in Scotland there are only 11 people compared to over 600 across the United Kingdom. The community aspect of a housing co-operative is a huge strength for that type of housing. Community is essentially built into the design of a housing co-operative, given its nature of group of living and decision making. Here, in Brunsfield, just a few miles, there is one consistent of eight people living together of all ages and stages in a large, terraced house. Tenants from its co-operate detailed in the shared spaces report by the co-operatives UK that the genuine community that they have gained from living was hugely beneficial. This can be an alternative living option for older people who, for example, may be retired, living alone or having gone through life-changing circumstances. According to Age Scotland, 100,000 older people in Scotland feel lonely, or most of the time, and community living could be a remedy for some of those individuals. Therefore, pursuing the establishment of more housing co-operatives could not only help to meet the demands of housing shortages but also reduce the levels of loneliness in Scotland. People who have a disability are further disadvantaged when it comes to finding housing and suitable housing at that. Housing co-operatives could be more of an option for those who need specific adjustments to their home but do not have them supplied by the council. For example, Andy Dufflin and his daughter, who is in a wheelchair or Whitlaw co-op, were able to move into a flat area that catered for his daughter's specific needs. Given again the communal ownership structure of a housing co-operative and the way decisions are made, it may be much easier for suitable adjustments to be made rather than to join long queues that councils often face. Finally, there is the economic benefit to housing co-operatives. Given that, collectively, in the UK, housing co-operatives have a turnover of £642 million. It is also housing that is more accessible to those who cannot afford the rising rents and housing prices, providing an alternative to temporary accommodation and the seemingly never-ending waiting list. Ultimately, pursuing the creation of more housing co-operatives should be part of the Scottish Government's way of addressing housing needs. I welcome the further inquiry into how that can happen, and again I congratulate the motion that is being debated this evening. Thank you, Mr Balfour. I close in Eileen Campbell to close to the cabinet secretary, please. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I, like others, welcome this debate and sincerely value the contributions from all the members who have taken part in it. It has been constructive and informative debate, but I thank Johann Lamont for highlighting the publication of the report, acknowledging the valuable contribution that housing co-operatives provide in the delivery of affordable community-controlled housing in Scotland. More generally and broadly, I also highlight the importance of the co-operative movement to public life, a movement that can paraphrase what she said with high ideals but rooted in empowerment and fairness. As the member representing Clyde Steele, which houses in homes New Lanark, which had Robert Owen playing a pivotal part in that, and is considered to be the father of the co-operative movement, I recognise the value that she attaches to co-operatives in many other areas of life, and not just in housing. I would also like to congratulate West Whitleburn, a housing co-operative in Cambuslang, and I think that it celebrates its 30th anniversary for all its achievements in creating safe, warm and more attractive homes for its tenants. Thirty years of really positively impacting on the lives of many generations and who deserve our thanks for their dedication and commitment, and I am really pleased to see many of them here this evening. Coincidentally, this morning, I attended the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations annual conference in Glasgow. As the national membership body for housing associations and co-operatives in Scotland, its ambition is that everyone has a good home in a successful community, with a range of high-quality, affordable and accessible homes that meets people's changing needs and aspirations throughout their lives. That ambition reflects our view that housing is essential to our shared endeavour to build a fairer Scotland, certainly more than just bricks and mortar. Housing supports our ambitions to embed the place principle at the core of how we work, an approach that seeks to ensure that we make better decisions that have people and communities at their heart to deliver positive outcomes. Crucially, it recognises that local decision making and delivery informed by the people who live and work there, the experts in their community, are key to the social, economic and physical success of places. I know that the inclusive and co-operative approach is embedded throughout the social housing sector in Scotland, and Johann Lamont and many others made that point. It is a diverse sector in which housing co-operatives are one of several social land or constitutional models that are delivering good-quality houses and services to the local communities. The housing co-operative model has remained relatively small in Scotland because, unlike other parts of the UK, we have a strong tradition of community-controlled housing associations. Cooperatives, along with those associations, play a really important role in delivering local, democratically accountable, affordable housing and services to local communities. Given the significant tenant involvement in housing associations in Scotland, there has not been the demand by tenants to grow the co-operative housing model here, but I am really happy to further engage with Johann Lamont to understand the barriers that she feels may be there unintentionally that stymies that demand. The Government is committed to delivering affordable housing, and we have committed to delivering at least 50,000 affordable homes over the course of this Parliament, with 35,000 of those for social rent. To achieve that, we are investing more than £3.3 billion in our affordable housing programme, the single biggest investment in affordable housing since devolution. Of course, yes, absolutely. I appreciate very much your willingness to meet with the co-op cross-party group, because there are a range of issues that we would be aware of. The cabinet secretary would outline the funding around the wider action work that is done by housing co-operatives in particular, because the lesson in Glasgow on elsewhere is that it is not enough just to build houses because you end up knocking them back down again later because you have not built in the thing that sustained the communities in which those houses are built. Absolutely, and that is why I mentioned the place approach, because making sure that we do not just build houses but that it is the spaces in between the spaces to enable children to play, that they are warm and safe, that they enable children to comfortably do their homework, that enables people to live independently until their elder life and to make sure that we have those spaces to enable communities to engage with each other as well. Absolutely, as I take on board what Johann Lamont says, this is not just about bricks and mortar, it is much more important than just that. We need to not just build houses but we need to have sustainable communities as well. Those are all aspirations that are rooted in the national performance framework. I want to point out the commitment to the delivery of affordable housing. The official statistics that were published yesterday show that since 2007 that we have delivered more than 86,000 affordable homes, including 59,000 for social rent, a significant achievement to ensure that folk have quality homes that they deserve. Since 2007, the Government has taken a range of actions to improve housing outcomes for the people of Scotland beyond those ambitious targets, and we are certainly proud of that record. We ended the right to buy, introduced the Scottish social housing charter and the independent Scottish housing regulator, strengthened tenants' rights in the private sector, introduced private residential tenancy, fully mitigated the bedroom tax through discretionary housing payments, introduced universal credit Scottish choices and have worked to cut household bills by improving energy efficiency and tackling fuel poverty. We also have a strong tradition of involving tenants in decisions about their homes and communities, and we are the only country in the UK where there is a statutory basis for tenant participation. That is an important point to make in this debate. The Scottish housing regulator's reports on the Scottish social housing charter show that nine out of 10 social housing tenants are satisfied with the homes and services that their landlord provides and with the opportunities that they have to participate. The charter continues to deliver good outcomes for tenants and services users, and I am really pleased that the regulator's report confirms that it is working and delivering better services than standard year on year. However, although that shows that there has been lots and lots of progress that has been made, we are certainly not complacent and we certainly understand that there is still much more to be done. When the First Minister launched our programme for government last September, we made a commitment to plan together with stakeholders for how our homes and communities should look and feel in 2040 and the options and choices to get there. Since then, we have been engaging extensively with a variety of stakeholders, including housing associations, co-operatives and tenants, to help to shape a draft vision and principles for 2040, and we will undertake further consultation with stakeholders on a draft vision, themes and outline options in the autumn. The output from this next round of consultation will help us to inform the vision and route map to 2040, which we will publish. However, let me reiterate our desire for this to be a shared vision, with widespread support from all housing sectors and across the political spectrum. Again, I happily meet Johann Lamont, James Kelly, Graham Simpson and anyone who wants to further make the point that co-operatives need to play a full role in shaping the future housing system in this country. I hope that that offer is received with the spirit that it is intended to make sure that we can collectively work through what all our collective vision is for housing in Scotland and how, in this instance, co-operatives can play its part in doing so, because that is an opportunity and it is a real time to reimagine a housing system and create a vision for housing between now and 2040, and to do that, we need to build on that collective wisdom of our wide and varied housing sector. I would certainly invite the CPG to send in their views into that process. In conclusion, housing co-operatives play an important role, along with housing associations and local authorities in meeting our housing aspirations and ambitions. We welcome the report shared space from co-operatives UK, because it provides a valuable contribution to the debate on creating a vision for housing between now and 2040. Again, I congratulate Johann Lamont for bringing in this debate to Parliament, but I also importantly thank the co-operative members who have attended this evening. I hope that we can also ensure that their views and their expertise are also captured as we shape our new housing system for Scotland's future. I again thank you sincerely to everyone who has taken part. Thank you very much, cabinet secretary. That concludes the debate and I close this meeting of Parliament.