Kevin Stewart MSP
Written 35 posts
Minister for Mental Wellbeing and Social Care (Previously: Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning)
Improving planning
12th September 2018
We can, and must, work together to improve planning in Scotland. Planning is sometimes characterised as a dry, technical pursuit with planners debating complex regulations and policy intentions in their own mysterious language and jargon. Yet nothing could be further from the truth. People and planners really care about their places and every day, for…
Winter actions on rough sleeping – Kevin Stewart, Housing Minister
16th August 2018
I want Scotland to be a place where no-one needs to sleep rough and where everyone has place they can call home. This holds true no matter what time of year. But as we publish a summary report on the 2017-18 Winter Initiative and the improved outcomes this achieved for people at risk, my thoughts…
Learning from others: Kevin Stewart, Housing Minister
20th July 2018
It is unacceptable that anyone in a country like Scotland should find themselves homeless and I believe everyone needs a safe place they can call home. Everybody found to be homeless in Scotland is entitled to settled housing, yet still too many people struggle to access the accommodation and the services they need. That’s why…
Delivering high-quality, efficient homes for all – Kevin Stewart, Housing Minister
15th June 2018
Everyone deserves to live in a home that is high-quality, efficient and affordable, and this is why we are committed to delivering suitable homes for communities across Scotland. Since 2007 we have delivered more than 76,500 affordable homes and are also on track to reach our target of at least 50,000 affordable homes over the…
Transforming the use of Temporary Accommodation: Housing Minister, Kevin Stewart
1st June 2018
Ending rough sleeping and homelessness are national priorities for this Government as part of our drive to create a fairer Scotland. There has been a 40% fall in homelessness applications since 2010 and that is largely due to the innovative and person centred approaches being taken across the country. Where homelessness does occur, Scotland has…
Changes in the Private Rented Sector – May 2018
23rd May 2018
It’s just over six months since the Scottish Government introduced the new Private Residential Tenancy and it’s important that everyone renting privately, or thinking about it, knows about these changes and their new rights. Since 1 December 2017, all new tenancies in the Private Rented Sector have been private residential tenancies (existing short assured tenancies…
Eradicating fuel poverty: Housing Minister, Kevin Stewart
21st May 2018
Eradicating fuel poverty is crucial to making Scotland fairer and that is why we will shortly introduce the Fuel Poverty (Target, Definition and Strategy) (Scotland) Bill. This Bill, which many will know as the Warm Homes Bill, will enshrine in legislation our long term ambition to eliminate fuel poverty. Of course, fuel poverty is about…
Fire and smoke alarm regulations
3rd April 2018
I recently announced that the Scottish Government would be strengthening the current standards we have in place for fire and smoke alarms to ensure all homes have the highest level of protection by the end of 2020. Fire alarms are proven to save lives and are one of the most important investments you can make…
Ending homelessness
29th March 2018
This week I chaired the first meeting of our newly refreshed Homelessness Prevention and Strategy Group (HPSG). The group has been re-convened to oversee the work of the Scottish Government, local government and partners to end homelessness in Scotland for good. I am looking forward to taking action through this forum in partnership with colleagues…
Registered property factors- consultation on a draft revised Code of Conduct
21st December 2017
Property factors play an important role in housing in Scotland. They help many homeowners ensure that the shared spaces connected to their property- roofs, communal stairways, shared gardens and so on are properly maintained. The Property Factors (Scotland) Act 2011 established a framework to better protect homeowners who use factoring services. The 2011 Act created…