OVER 1,300 NEW COUNCIL HOUSES FOR SCOTLAND

SNP GOVERNMENT INVESTS £26 MILLION IN NEW SOCIAL HOUSING

Central Scotland SNP MSP John Wilson – a member of the Scottish Parliament’s Local Government Committee – has welcomed the news that the SNP Government is to invest £26 million to build over 1,300 new council houses across Scotland and hailed it as a great investment to help secure jobs and expand social housing during the present recession.

The new council houses are part of a package which will see 1,343 new council homes built in Scotland this year. The package underpins the largest council house building programme for 30 years and is expected to support 3,000 jobs. The investment contrasts with the record of the previous Labour/LibDem Executive which only built 6 council houses in their last four years in office.

Commenting Mr Wilson said:

“This is great news and shows how the SNP Government is delivering what is needed in these difficult economic times.

“These new council homes will go some way to protect and create jobs in the construction sector as well as provide much needed social housing in what are difficult economic times.

“I am particularly pleased because the Scottish Government is investing £3,475,000 in Lanarkshire to build 139 new council houses. It certainly undermines claims by Labour politicians about investment in Lanarkshire.

“The SNP Government has been a welcome breath of fresh air to address the issue of social housing in Scotland. In these hard economic times the provision of thousands of new council houses shows the SNP is serious about boosting jobs in the construction industry as well as providing new homes.

“What is particularly stark is that in Lanarkshire alone the SNP Government is delivering more houses than the previous Labour/LibDem Executive built in all of Scotland over the last four years they were in power. Their 6 houses over 4 years is dwarfed by the 139 new council homes for Lanarkshire.

“Affordable good quality housing is essential and Scotland has what it takes to is deliver better housing across Scotland.”

DEBT LEVELS REQUIRE LENDING RATE CAP

UK GOVERNMENT MUST LEGISLATE TO CONTROL LEGAL LENDERS

SNP MSP John Wilson has today called for tighter legislation to cover lending practices as a report from Citizens Advice Scotland highlights the increasing levels of consumer debt in Scotland to legal lenders.

CAB Scotland’s report “Drowning in Debt” raises real concerns over the high levels of debts owed to high street banks and on store cards or to catalogues as well as to doorstep lenders.

CAB Scotland’s research shows 88% of those approaching them for debt advice owed money to banks and building societies, with 65% owing money to other forms of consumer credit – from store cards to credit cards and 42% to informal doorstep lenders.

SNP MSP John Wilson, formerly a director of the Scottish Low Pay Unit today called for action to control the behaviour of lenders.

“Lenders have shown they cannot be trusted to behave responsibly. What is clear is consumers need protection from legal lenders as well as loan sharks.

“It is time for the UK Government to act to cap interest rates – not only for doorstep lenders like Provident but for the banks, building societies and store cards who are charging exorbitant rates and using undue pressure to extract repayments.

“With the Bank of England charging only 0.5% interest, rates of 25 or 30% are extortionate never mind rates of 300% or more.

“As recession bites and more families look to lenders for financial support the UK Government can and should legislate to protect our consumers with a cap on interest rates and better regulation of debt recovery.

“The SNP Scottish Government is supporting the work of Citizen’s Advice Scotland as it provides help to those facing mounting debts, and is supporting home owners with investment in alternatives to repossession and new proposals to tighten up the law.

“But what is needed – and needed now, is a cap on the interest rates for doorstep dealers like Provident with their charges of nearly 300% and for banks and building societies charging 30 times the Bank of England rate.

BROWN MELTDOWN REFLECTED IN HEARTLAND BY-ELECTIONS

LABOUR JUST CLING ON IN SAFEST WESTMINSTER SEAT IN SCOTLAND

The SNP have hailed the result of the Coatbridge North and Glenboig by-election in North Lanarkshire which not only saw a swing of over 5% from Labour to the SNP – from the SNP's high point of 2007 – but also saw the party come within only 63 votes of taking the council seat.

The ward lies in what should be Labour's safest Westminster seat of Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill and the by-election was the subject of a disputed recount.

Commenting on the result Central Scotland SNP MSP John Wilson said:

“Coatbridge should be Labour heartland. For Labour to see their vote collapse to a level where they cling on by only 63 votes is remarkable.

“The 2007 election result was already a high watermark for the SNP. For the SNP to achieve a further swing in what is our midterm is a great result.

“That Labour had to dispute a full recount and just scrape home by 63 votes reflects the depths of Labour's meltdown in contrast to the success of the SNP Government.”

Commenting on the combined results of yesterday's by-elections which show a 7.82% swing from Labour to the SNP from the 2007 election SNP MSP and Minister for Parliament Bruce Crawford said:

“These results are a very positive indication for the SNP Government. With the possibility of a General Election increasing as Gordon Brown's government disintegrates these results put the SNP in a strong position.

"The people of Scotland want a Government which puts jobs and communities at the top of its agenda - not one which still has plans to slash Scottish investment in the teeth of a recession.”