Holyrood’s Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee has urged the next committee to conduct a review of the Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR), a move that has been welcomed by Stirling’s local MSP, Evelyn Tweed.
Tweed previously introduced an amendment to the Housing (Scotland) Act 2025 that gave – the right to appeal decisions made by the SHR’s First-tier Tribunals. Back in 2025, she said that the amendment was “about putting fairness and accountability at the heart of housing regulation. For too long, decisions with major consequences for housing providers, staff, and communities have been shielded from independent scrutiny. A simple and inexpensive route to challenge these decisions is long overdue.”
A review of the SHR aims to increase scrutiny of the organisation, which regulates social landlords and the homelessness and housing activities of local councils.
The new report, recommending the review, states: “We believe regular consideration each year thereafter on how the SHR has progressed areas of interest would be beneficial. We believe scrutiny of the SHR is an area where the appointment of an adviser to the Committee or the procurement of specialist research could add value.”
Tweed commented on the SHR, and said: “Since the SHR’s inception, serious concerns have been raised with the Parliament, which is charged with overseeing it, about a culture of fear associated with regulatory interventions and the conduct of those acting on its behalf. This can stifle innovation and undermine community ownership.
“There are serious concerns that regulatory intervention, involving a small pool of consultants charging over £1,000 per day, can place pressure on community-based housing associations to merge with larger organisations. Around 20 have been lost over the past decade.
“When the SHR intervenes, tenants are left footing the bill and, in some cases, communities lose control without clear evidence of better outcomes. Yet Parliamentary scrutiny is not structured to get to the bottom of these issues, meaning they too often fall through the gaps.
“Momentum must not be lost as Parliament moves into a new session. While committees need flexibility, public bodies that are accountable to Parliament must be subject to a more structured and consistent approach to scrutiny.”
Tweed has been Stirling’s local MSP since 2021, prior to this she was an SNP councillor for the Trossarchs and Teith ward. She appeared in the “all women hit-list” of SNP MSPs asked to step down for the 2026 elections to allow previous SNP MPs who lost their seats in 2024 to stand for Holyrood.
Read Brig’s Politics section to find out who you can vote for to replace Tweed, or read more here.
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