Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton Constituency, has publicly supported a petition launched by the Scottish Labour Party that calls on the Scottish Government to formally adopt a Bill to protect tenants in the private rented sector.

The proposed Fair Rents (Scotland) Bill was voted down by an alliance of SNP and Scottish Conservative MSPs who sit on the local government committee. The SNP and Tory MSPs said that there is not enough time to progress the bill further before the end of the parliamentary term next year. Given that there are 9 months before the dissolution of Parliament, Jackie believes this to be nonsense.

The bill was launched by Scottish Labour Housing Spokesperson Pauline McNeill MSP. Scottish Labour is calling on the Scottish Government to adopt the Bill itself, arguing that the Covid-19 pandemic has underlined the importance of protecting those who rent in the private sector.

Jackie Baillie MSP said:

“I am really disappointed that the SNP and Tories joined forces to stop such a vital bill from progressing further.

“I am happy to support the petition to put the proposal back on the table. Scotland already has a serious housing crisis which has expanded hugely as a result of Covid-19.

“This bill would go a long way to support the most vulnerable in our society. I am angry that the SNP and Tories worked hand in glove to deny protection to people in the private rented sector. I hope that the SNP Government tells their MSPs to stop playing games and make sure that this bill is allowed to progress.”