Communities Scotland facts for kids
Communities Scotland was a special group that worked for the Scottish Government. It was active from 2001 to 2008. Its main job was to help with housing, homelessness, and improving communities across Scotland. It had its main office in Edinburgh and 8 smaller offices.
Communities Scotland stopped working on April 1, 2008. Most of its jobs went to other parts of the Scottish Government. A new group, the Scottish Housing Regulator, took over some of its important tasks, like checking on housing.
History of Communities Scotland
Communities Scotland started in 2001. It was created to help the Scottish Government (then called the Scottish Executive) with housing and community projects.
Its goal was to follow a plan called Partnership for a better Scotland. This plan aimed to make life better for people living in Scotland.
On October 31, 2007, Nicola Sturgeon, who was a government minister at the time, announced a change. She said that Communities Scotland would close down as a separate group. Its main jobs would move directly into the Scottish Government. Its job of checking on housing would be done by a new, independent group.
What Communities Scotland Did
Communities Scotland had five main goals:
- To help build more affordable homes where people needed them most.
- To make sure old houses were good quality and new houses were built well.
- To improve services for housing and for people who were homeless.
- To create better chances for people living in areas that were struggling.
- To support groups that helped communities and created jobs.
In 2006–07, Communities Scotland had a budget of £800 million. It gave money to people, groups, and local councils in Scotland. This money helped with housing and community projects.
It also checked on and regulated (made sure rules were followed) groups that provided social housing. These included registered social landlords and local councils that managed homes like council houses.
