Roddick Raises Alarm: Young Islanders Housing

Highlands and Islands MSP Emma Roddick has platformed the concerns of young islanders across Scotland in Holyrood, pressing the Scottish Government on the urgent need for more affordable housing available in all communities.

During a parliamentary question to Housing Minister, Paul McLennan, Ms Roddick highlighted a recent report from the Young Islanders Network, which revealed that 72% of young people surveyed believe they will be forced to leave their island due to a lack of available or suitable housing.

The SNP MSP said:

“This report paints a stark picture for the future of our islands.

“Young people are necessary to keep a community viable, and the strong – and understandable – belief of a majority of those in our islands is that finding a place to live in their island community is not an option which is open to them. The Scottish Government must take urgent action to address this.

“2,000 suburban homes might look better on a spreadsheet than two on an outer island, but we know that the latter might be what saves a whole community and culture. I will keep doing everything possible to press the need for small numbers of homes to be built where they will have the greatest impact.”

Ms Roddick has consistently championed the need for more affordable housing in rural and island communities across the Highlands and Islands. She has repeatedly pressed the government to invest in new developments and to ensure that existing housing stock is suitable for the needs of local people.

She concluded:

“I will continue to raise this issue at every opportunity. The future of our islands depends on it.”