NICOLA Sturgeon has been warned plans to rush a controversial rent freeze and eviction ban through Holyrood in three days are unacceptable.
The First Minister yesterday admitted the use of emergency legislation was not “ideal”, but insisted ministers had a duty to protect private and social tenants during the cost of living crisis this winter.
Tory MSPs fear the compressed timetable means parliament will be unable to scrutinise the plan properly, and may lay it open to legal challenge.
It is understood landlords opposed to the six-month freeze and eviction ban could argue the law breaches their right to control their own property, especially if the steps are extended.
Ms Sturgeon announced the rent freeze in her annual legislative programme at the start of the month, calling it “perhaps the most significant announcement” in the package.
She said emergency legislation would be used to give tenants in both the private and social rented sectors security this winter through a moratorium on evictions and a rent freeze, with the latter effective from September 6.
However there is now concern at Holyrood about next week’s timings for the Cost of Living (Protection of Tenants) (Scotland) Bill.
MSPs scrutinising the Bill on the local government committee are due to receive it at 8am on Tuesday before taking evidence on it at 9am, from experts who have also just seen it.
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A Stage 1 vote on its principles is due to take place on Tuesday afternoon, the Stage 2 amendment phase is on Wednesday, and the third and final stage vote is on Thursday.
When a rent freeze was proposed by Labour earlier this year , the Scottish Greens warned it would be at “high risk” of a successful legal challenge, but now back the Government’s version.
At FMQs, Tory Liz Smith asked Ms Sturgeon if it was acceptable for the Bill “to be pushed through Parliament in just three days, when MSPs will see the bill for only an hour before” discussing it.
Ms Sturgeon said: “I do not think that emergency legislation is ideal. I would rather that we were not in the position of having to introduce emergency legislation to protect people from the impact of rent increases, but I also wish that we were not in a deteriorating cost of living crisis that has been caused and is being exacerbated by Liz Smith’s party in government at Westminster.
“We are committed to working with the sector, and we are having discussions ahead of any decisions that we are taking.”
Tory MSP Miles Briggs, a member of the committee scrutinising the Bill, added: “This will be published at 8am and I will have to start scrutiny at 9am. This is no way to make law.
“The SNP-Green government is rail-roading this through parliament and there is growing concern about the potential for unintended consequences.”
The Scotish Government said: "These are exceptional measures developed at pace to reflect a rapidly worsening cost of living crisis.
"MSPs and stakeholders will have the opportunity to consider and scrutinise the legislation once it is published next week.”
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