Category Archives: Finance

Fife home owners getting a bad deal from the Scottish Government

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Statistics released to me in answers to parliamentary questions that I laid down show that Fife is suffering above average cuts to the Home Owners Support Fund. The Scottish Government must do more to support home owners in the Kingdom.

During 20011-12 the Fife Council Area has suffered cuts of 56% in the total amount paid out to those under threat of losing their home compared to a national average cut of only 28%, this is despite a 9% increase in applications in Fife.

Therefore, whilst the number of applications is increasing, there has been a reduction in the amount of people receiving support from 55% in 2010/11 to only 22% of those who applied in 2011/12. Further cuts to the Home Owners Support Fund are due in 2012-2013.

With the ever increasing cost of living and the pressures households are feeling across the Kingdom many people are finding themselves one pay check away from being unable to pay their mortgage.

I meet recently with the Fife Citizen Advice Bureau in parliament and they highlighted that the struggle to make mortgage payments is one of the biggest issues facing households across the Kingdom.

It is vital that during these harsh economic times the people of Fife are giving all the help and support that they need to ensure they are able to stay in their own home.

I am disappointed that these figures highlight the bad deal that Fife seems to be getting from the Scottish Government and I will be raising this issue at the earliest opportunity in Parliament.

The Home Owners Support Fund should be there to help people that are on the verge of losing their homes but these continuing Scottish Government cuts, disproportionately falling on Fife are resulting in a drop in successful applications and could potential force people out into the streets.

The Home Owners Support Fund aims to help those in danger of having their home repossessed to continue to stay in their homes through a mortgage to rent and mortgage to shared equity scheme.

The mortgage to rent scheme will see a successful applicant’s home being bought by the council or housing association, however they will continue to live there as a tenant. With the mortgage to shared equity scheme the Scottish Government takes a financial stake in the applicant’s home, however ownership will still remain with the applicant.

Job Seeker claimants in Kirkcaldy above National Average.

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Figures released by the Office for National Statistics have shown that despite a fall in unemployment across the UK in Scotland it has risen by 4,000 between July and September. Similarly whilst employment in the UK has risen there has been a fall of 27,000 north of the border.

Locally the amount of people claiming job seekers allowance in Mid Scotland and Fife stands at over 15,000. Kirkcaldy has the highest number of claimants in the region with 6.2% of the population on job seekers allowance, this compares with a national average across Scotland of 3.9%. Other areas in the Kingdom with a higher than national average for job seeker claimants includes Mid Fife and Glenrothes with 4.6% and Cowdenbeath with 4.5%.

Youth unemployment has also risen sharply over the last quarter in Scotland, increasing by 10,000 amongst 16 to 24 year old.

Commenting on the new figures, local MSP Claire Baker said:

“What we are seeing across Fife is the consequences of the actions taken by the Scottish Government. The people of Kirkcaldy have the skills and resources to work but the SNP aren’t giving them the opportunities. We need investment in jobs and education instead we see the queues at the job centre and on college waiting lists growing.

“Kirkcaldy now has, on average, almost double the amount of job seeker claimants than across the whole of Scotland. Unemployment is going up, employment is going down and the SNP are currently in a complete shambles over college places and budgets.