ABSTRACT
Scottish Homes was set up in 1989 as a central government agency, amalgamating the Housing Corporation in Scotland and the Scottish Special Housing Association (SSHA). This chapter begins by examining the historical background to the establishment of Scottish Homes. This is followed by the legal framework within which it operated and an examination of its initial organisational structure. A review of the activities of Scottish Homes then leads to a discussion of the relationships between it and central government. The chapter sets out to objectively review its legacy. One prime motive for creating this new agency was the Conservative Government's desire to rationalise the existing quangos which operated in the field of social housing. Scottish Homes was established by statute, having its guiding principles set down in the Housing (Scotland) Act, 1988. Scottish Homes also launched two new policy initiatives: the Rural Housing Strategy and the Small Urban Renewal Initiatives (SURIs).
