ONE of the positives from the last few months has been the emergence of a widespread and growing desire that the recovery from the pandemic must not just be about returning to the way things were before.

This desire for a fairer and more equitable approach to our public services, tackling poverty, job creation and action on climate change, has been articulated across civil society.

Its most formal incarnation is the Build Back Better movement, a coalition urging a Covid-19 recovery plan that prioritises people, invests in the NHS and creates an economy focused on fighting the climate crisis.

Given this growing appetite for a fairer way forward post-Covid, the recent decision by SNP and Conservative members of the Parliament’s Local Government Committee not to proceed with scrutiny of Pauline McNeill MSP’s Fair Rents (Scotland) Members Bill was a real blow.

The committee cited a heavy workload, which in their opinion meant there was not the necessary time available to provide proper scrutiny of the Bill.

The Bill proposed important measures to protect renters and improve housing affordability.

The need for these measures was great before the Covid-19 crisis but lockdown has intensified the need for change in this sector.

More people than ever are renting in the private rented sector, many facing higher rents year on year, without the option of public housing or the deposit to buy their own home.

Fairness in housing should be at the heart of a wider approach to a more equitable future.

That is why Scottish Labour is calling on the Scottish Government to adopt the Bill itself.

If you agree we cannot afford to leave thousands having to pay unaffordable rents, back our call at scottishlabour.org.uk/page/s/save-the-fair-rents-bill