Repossessions
Wed., December 03, 2008. 15:14.
Joint motion: SNP must act on repossessions
The Scottish Greens today lodged an unprecedented joint motion with the Scottish Labour Party, the Scottish Liberal Democrats and Margo Macdonald MSP, calling for urgent action from the Scottish Government to tackle repossessions. (1)
Patrick Harvie MSP said:
"The economic downturn, combined with job losses and repossessions, will make this a very cold winter indeed for many across Scotland. Repossessions come at a terrible price to the family concerned, and their neighbourhoods and communities bear the cost too. Local authorities then have to step in with temporary accommodation, or friends and family find themselves taking in the newly homeless. Even lenders suffer through their own actions, as foreclosures depress the market still further.
"The fact is that many of these repossessions could be avoided if Government acted. I'm pleased to be working constructively with colleagues across Parliament on this issue, and I believe the three simple steps we've called for are practical and effective. I urge the SNP to take part, to take this issue seriously, and to join us in bringing forward sensible measures to make repossession the last resort, not the first resort. If they act, we will support them. If they do not, we will continue to work with the other parties across Parliament to protect vulnerable homeowners and tenants."
Notes
1. The motion, in the name of Patrick Harvie MSP, Cathy Jamieson MSP, Ross Finnie MSP and Margo MacDonald MSP, reads as follows:
That the Parliament notes the increased vulnerability of home owners to repossession, particularly those with mortgages from sub-prime lenders; notes with deep concern that Scottish households currently have less protection from repossession than people elsewhere in the UK; calls on ministers to act on the recommendations of organisations involved in debt management and the joint statement by spokespeople from the Scottish Labour Party, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Scottish Green Party and Margo Macdonald MSP by facilitating the introduction of a Scottish equivalent to the pre-court protocol introduced in England to place a duty on both lenders and Courts to ensure that repossession is genuinely a last resort, introduce licensing of sale and lease back schemes and provide vulnerable families facing repossession with an automatic right to legal aid.
Contact the Scottish Greens' press team on 07909 933 074.