Calls For Increased Powers

Scotland's social landlords call on Smith Commission to devolve welfare system.

Social landlords also want the full fiscal and tax powers needed to fund the system. And they're calling on Westminster to halt the roll-out of Universal Credit in Scotland, while the Smith Commission process takes its course. 

As the Smith Commission meets this week to discuss devolving welfare, the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) has joined with the Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations (GWSF) to make the case for Scottish Parliament full control over welfare, to tackle poverty in Scotland. Speaking for the majority of housing associations across Scotland, they warn against only devolving bits and pieces of the system piecemeal.
 
Mary Taylor Chief Executive of the SFHA said:

"In our submission to the Smith Commission we argue that if they are serious about giving Scotland substantive new powers to tackle poverty and inequality, then they must devolve the welfare system, with the tax and fiscal powers to go with it. In their efforts to reach compromise between the political parties the Commissioners may be tempted to cherry-pick elements of the welfare system, and of its financing. 

"But there are too many complex interactions between the different welfare benefits, policies and tax allowances that pay for them. We do not want to end up with a situation like Northern Ireland where the NI Assembly has responsibility without power. If the Scottish Parliament is going to be able to fully tackle issues of poverty, ranging from long-term unemployment and child poverty to disability and fuel poverty, then the Smith Commission members must be bold and recognise that this can only be done by devolving powers over the welfare system with the financial levers to run it properly."
  
David Bookbinder, Director of GWSF explains:

"With the very strong opposition to the 'Bedroom Tax' in Scotland, there's probably an assumption in some quarters that if there is no devolution of the wider social security system, Scotland would happily take receipt of powers over Housing Benefit alone. But the capacity to create a fairer system would be severely limited if Housing Benefit is all we had control over. Even if we did somehow manage to create a fairer Housing Benefit system, it could be seriously undermined by punitive aspects of the rest of the welfare system, such as the current, cruel approach to sanctions. If Scotland is to have genuine options for reform it needs the flexibility and scope for trade offs which will come with power over the full system of social security benefits".