Achieving a just transition: SFHA at Green Party Conference

By Tom Ockendon, SFHA External Affairs Co-ordinator

Despite the weather warnings and travel disruption, last Sunday the SFHA team were in Dunfermline to host a fringe event at Scottish Green Party conference. This continued our engagement with all the major parties in Scotland and brought to a close the party conference season.  

Our fringe event focused on how we can achieve a just transition to net zero for social tenants. On the panel we had our Chief Executive Sally Thomas, Nick Clark from Ore Valley Housing Association, Dave Hawkey from IPPR, and Patrick Harvie MSP, the Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants’ Rights.  

Sally opened the session by laying out the issue at hand; how can we decarbonise the homes of 1.2 million social tenants whilst keeping rents affordable? It simply won’t be a just transition if costs are placed on tenants. She noted that the scale of the challenge is huge, with the Scottish Government estimating in 2021 that decarbonising all homes in Scotland would cost £33bn. Talking to members we know that the sums involved can be eyewatering and are often unaffordable, even with current levels of grant funding. However, we also know this is something that not only must be done, but also carries with it real opportunities in tackling poverty and creating decent jobs.  

There was an insightful and energetic discussion amongst the panelists of the role that the social housing sector can play in reaching net zero in a fair and just way. 

Dave from IPPR argued that social housing providers can play a pioneering role in this transition by testing new methods and building the necessary supply chains. The rewards of this would be collectively shared across society, so the risk for housing associations should also be shared collectively. When we think about a just transition, it’s important to think not only about fairness across income but also across time as costs and barriers change. 

Nick from Ore Valley spoke to the fact that housing associations are already innovating in this area and want to do more but need the right support to be able to do so. He highlighted how Ore Valley’s investment in wind and solar power has helped reduce tenants' energy bills and cut carbon emissions, whilst excess energy can be exported back to the grid and the money reinvested. Bringing tenants with us on the journey is a crucial part of the work and cannot be an afterthought in projects like this. 

Patrick then identified two ways he thinks housing associations can play a key role in the transition to net zero. Firstly, the convening role that our members can play as community anchor organisations could be pivotal in bringing different groups together to drive action and create great places. Secondly, the wider services our members provide mean that housing associations can have an advice and educational role when it comes to new heating systems. 

The conversation extended to the audience through questions and this opened up the discussion – from how we can be more inclusive of tenants with disabilities to the skills and training needed for local workpeople to deliver. The conversation carried on long after the end of the session and the best feedback we could have had came in the form of a complaint to the conference organisers that our one-hour session was cut short and could we not extend the discussion time.  

Tackling an issue like climate change requires long-term strategic thinking, a collective and collaborative approach, and action which not only understands the way people live their lives, but which includes them in decision making. This is exactly how housing associations and co-operatives in Scotland work. It also requires a lot of investment though, and the coming challenge will be directing money into financing the projects our members are working so hard to deliver so they can keep rents affordable for Scotland’s 1.2million social tenants. Overall, it was a lively and productive session and just the start of a vitally important conversation.