Hansard

The Convener: Lab

The next petition is PE602, from David Cleghorn, on behalf of Dedridge community council. The petition calls on the Parliament to take the necessary steps to...

David Cleghorn (Dedridge Community Council):

Thank you for allowing us to address the committee on our petition. This is the first time that two of us have been to the Parliament, and it has been intere...

Rhoda Grant: Lab

I am very interested in the petition. What are the reasons for people abandoning their properties? I understand that that happens quite often and that privat...

David Cleghorn:

Danny Logue will answer that question. He is the chair of the council's housing appeals special sub-committee.

Councillor Danny Logue (West Lothian Council):

I have received many complaints from members of my community regarding abandoned properties. One such property was repossessed four years ago after it had ca...

Irene McGugan: SNP

That gives me a nice lead-in for my question. What has been your experience of trying to get the Scotland Office to act by using its existing power? Does the...

Councillor Logue:

We had a couple of houses of a similar nature—one in the same street and a couple in other communities in West Lothian. I know from having downloaded informa...

Irene McGugan: SNP

The point that I am trying to make is that you currently have the capacity to refer such matters to the Scottish ministers to make a compulsory order. Have y...

Councillor Logue:

We must follow certain legal guidelines first. We have never been able to reach the starting blocks. We must follow the legislation and consider the owner. W...

Irene McGugan: SNP

So you never reach the point at which you have everything in place to—

Councillor Logue:

We cannot pass go.

The Convener: Lab

The housing legislation that governs the matter and the guidelines that must be followed before a compulsory purchase order can be requested must predate dev...

Douglas Marr:

It is the consolidated housing legislation and the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001; the previous legislation was probably the Housing (Scotland) Act 1966. Our pr...

The Convener: Lab

Before Phil Gallie says something, I would like to clarify a matter. Have Scottish Executive ministers given any indication that they want to retain the powe...

Douglas Marr:

I think that this is our first journey through the process.

Councillor Logue:

The legal opinion that we have received from the Scottish Executive is that the matter that we are discussing still comes under the old legislation, but ther...

Phil Gallie: Con

The problem exists not just in areas where there are council houses; it also exists with business premises and old private properties in particular. Has West...

Douglas Marr:

On the shortage of accommodation, there is a great housing need—

Phil Gallie: Con

I am not thinking about accommodation shortages. You have identified a real problem. Have West Lothian Council or COSLA discussed the matter? Have they made ...

Douglas Marr:

I am not aware of any representations.

Phil Gallie: Con

Would that be a good starting point? I am surprised that representations have not been made before.

Councillor Logue:

When we investigated the legislation, we were surprised by how hard it is to purchase a property compulsorily—in fact, doing so is almost impossible. We came...

Phil Gallie: Con

You mentioned the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001. We parliamentarians had a chance recently to consider housing issues, but the issue that we are discussing see...

Councillor Logue:

It was presumed that the empty homes initiative would address the problem, but it has not.

David Cleghorn:

I would like to make one point on behalf of the community. We elected you people. This issue is causing major problems where we live. The community, which is...

Rosalie Walton (Dedridge Community Council):

I would like to add something on behalf of those who live in the conditions described. I am an environmentalist by profession, and people's environment is no...

Dorothy-Grace Elder: Ind

About eight or nine years ago, a scheme was instituted in London to recover abandoned private property. A helpline was set up so that the public could shop a...

Councillor Logue:

We understand that, but we find that when we locate the owners they do not want to do anything about their houses. They point-blank refuse. They say that the...

Dorothy-Grace Elder: Ind

London put some teeth behind the scheme. I cannot remember exactly how it was done, but the people working on it did not just want to have a list of abandone...

Councillor Logue:

Dedridge community council could tell people that they have six months, for example, to do certain things to a property or we will compulsorily purchase it. ...