Nicola Sturgeon announces rent freeze in Scotland
Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced a freeze on rents for public and private housing to help with the cost of living crisis.
The first minister said the current crisis, where many are no longer able to make ends meet, was a 'humanitarian emergency' for which people would need help.
Promising a package of emergency legislation to tackle the problems millions of people are facing with higher bills, Sturgeon also urged new UK prime minister Liz Truss to freeze energy bills.
The first minister called for an emergency summit between the leaders of the UK's four nations to tackle the 'cost crisis'.
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She said that since Scotland didn't have the ability to take measures to freeze people's energy prices it would be down to Truss to do something on that front.
Sturgeon also announced that train fares on ScotRail, which came into public ownership earlier this year, would be frozen until March 2023 at the earliest.
The first minister announced her emergency plans to help Scots get through the cost of living crisis to Holyrood.
She said: "I can announce that we will shortly introduce emergency legislation to Parliament. The purpose of the emergency law will be two-fold.
"Firstly, it will aim to give people security about the roof over their head this winter through a moratorium on evictions. Secondly, the legislation will include measures to deliver a rent freeze.
"The Scottish Government does not have the power to stop your energy bills soaring, but we can and will take action to make sure that your rent does not rise."
Sturgeon also announced that her government would bring in a bill for a second Scottish independence referendum to be held in October 2023, provided there is approval from the UK supreme court.
The court will in October hear whether Sturgeon's devolved Scottish government can hold an independence referendum without the UK government's consent.
Sturgeon said the current financial crisis 'starkly' highlights what she sees as 'the pressing need for independence'.
As for what Liz Truss will do to help people with the upcoming soaring cost of energy bills, some reports are claiming that she will on Thursday (8 September) launch plans to freeze people's bills.
While Sturgeon has called for a reaction on a 'scale similar to the Covid response', what the new prime minister has in the pipeline has yet to be revealed.
During the Tory leadership contest Truss championed tax cuts as her preferred way to deal with the cost of living crisis, though critics have argued that this will do little to help Britain's poorest who pay little to no tax.
Nonetheless, for people renting in Scotland a planned rent freeze from Sturgeon should help at least one bill from jumping up suddenly over the next few months.
Joe Harker