New housebuilding hits five year Scottish low in housing emergency
It comes as the number of homes completed under the Affordable Housing Supply Programme has slumped to 8,180 in 2024, again the lowest outside the pandemic year of 2020/21 since 2018.
And the number of housing association new homes, typically aimed at the affordable market has dropped from 5,020 in 2022/23 to 3,378 in 2023/24. In the pre-pandemic year of 2018/19 there were 4086 new homes.
READ MORE:
The Scottish Government officially declared a national housing emergency in May last year, after a number of local authorities had already done so.
Housing minister Paul McLennan said he recognised these are "exceptionally challenging times" but accentuated the positives, saying that affordable housing starts and approvals have "increased" in the year to December 2024.
Approvals went from 6,191 in 2023 to 6,440 in 2024 while starts rose from 6247 to 6501.
But the number of approvals in 2024 is still almost half that agreed in the pre-pandemic years of 2018 when there were 12,478 agreements in place and in 2019 when there were 11,885.
Mr McLennan said that the Scottish Government would "continue to work with partners to increase these levels even further".
It comes after the First Minister John Swinney was asked to intervene as numbers sleeping rough on the streets of Scotland's biggest city while seeking official help has tripled in the space of just over a year while a key night shelter operated by Homeless Project Scotland faced closure.
The number of households officially reporting that they had slept rough in the three months before they sought homeless help in Glasgow shot up from an average of 28 a month in 2022/23, before the city declared a housing emergency to 86-a-month in the first 11 months of 2024 after it. In 2019/20, the year before the Covid pandemic it was at 43-a-month.
The Scottish Tenants' Organisation said that Mr McLennan's role should be given Scottish cabinet status to develop an urgently needed national housing action plan to build tens of thousand of new homes to tackle a "housing disaster".
"Tackling the housing and homeless emergency has to become the number one priority of the Scottish Government, " they said. "Unless the above is implemented the Scottish Government will continue from one disaster to the next."
Affordable housing
The Scottish Government has increased funding for affordable housing with a budget of £768 million in 2025/26.
But critics say that this has not made up for past cuts and the ability to keep up with inflation.As of last year, the Scottish Government's affordable homes budget took a cumulative hit of over £280m over the previous three years without taking inflation into account - based against the 2021/22 allocation of £779.776m - despite a pledge by outgoing First Minister Humza Yousaf of a £80m uplift for affordable housing over the next two years.
Housing campaigners had been staggered by a £196.08m (26%) cut to the budget in the 2024/25 alone, without taking into account inflation, with the spending plans set at £555.862m before an extra £40m was promised by Mr Yousaf.
If the budget had kept up with inflation since 2021/22 in 2024/25, the spending plans would have been at an estimated £985.32m.
When inflation has been taken into account, it was estimated last year that instead of getting £2.631bn over the three years - the affordable homes budget was at £2.058bn - a drop of £573m.
"Mr McLennan said: "Providing everyone in Scotland the right to a warm, safe and affordable home is essential to our key priority of eradicating child poverty.
"We have a strong track record in affordable housing, delivering 136,000 affordable homes including 97,000 for social rent between 2007 and 2024. That's 47% more per head of population than England and 73% more than Wales as of March 2024."
The Scottish Government has fallen way behind in a key target in its 2021 Programme for Government to deliver 110,000 social and affordable homes by 2032 with 70% for social rent.
As of the start of last year there were had been 19,980 affordable homes completed, that received some sort of public money support in the first two years till March 31 - meaning it was at that point already 2,620 short of an 11,300 homes a year target
As of the end of June, with seven-and-a-half years of the target to go 87,527 homes remained to be completed to meet the target, at an average of over 11,670 a year.
Mr McLennan added: "Since we declared a housing emergency last May we have been working at pace a range of stakeholders across the housing system to take urgent action. This has involved working closely with those local authorities who are experiencing the greatest and most sustained homelessness and temporary accommodation pressures. We are also engaging the expertise of the Housing to 2040 Strategic Board and Housing Investment Task Force to support the response.
Paul McLennan (Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire) 'Throughout the development of the Housing (Scotland) Bill we have made sure to strike the appropriate balance between protecting tenants and providing incentives for continued investment in the private rented sector through measures such as rent control areas.'
'Throughout the development of the Housing (Scotland) Bill we have made sure to strike the appropriate balance between protecting tenants and providing incentives for continued investment in the private rented sector through measures such as rent control areas.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business News Wales
8 minutes ago
- Business News Wales
Employment Rights Timeline 'Provides Clarity But Cost Concerns Remain'
UKHospitality has called on the UK Government to work with businesses to provide clear guidance on the Employment Rights Bill. The Department for Business and Trade has published the timeline regarding the implementation of the Employment Rights Bill. The measures, and when they are set to be introduced, include: April 2026: Changes to statutory sick pay, changes to paternity and parental leave, and trade union recognition. October 2026: Tipping laws tightened, strengthened employers' duty to prevent sexual harassment. 2027: Introducing rights to guaranteed hours, strengthen existing rights to request flexible working, changes to an employees' right to claim unfair dismissal. UKHospitality emphasised the need to use these timelines to constructively engage with businesses on the policy detail. Some of the first changes to come into force in April 2026, particularly Statutory Sick Pay, could be a significant cost for businesses, the organisation said. It added that the UK Government must take into consideration the cumulative cost burden facing the sector during consultation periods, particularly on the back of the £3.4 billion additional annual cost that hit the sector in April. Kate Nicholls, Chief Executive of UKHospitality, said: 'Clear and precise timelines on when aspects of this legislation, and the processes to deliver them, will come into force is essential, and it was important that the Government embark on providing clarity. 'There are substantial and expensive changes for businesses in the Employment Rights Bill and it's right that the Government is using the appropriate implementation periods for the most complex issues for hospitality, in order to get the details right for both businesses and workers. 'We have been clear with the Government that the changes regarding guaranteed hours and predictability of shifts will be the most complex for hospitality businesses, and therefore necessitates a significant implementation period. It must now use this time to work with businesses on an appropriate policy framework and clear guidance. 'Businesses are understandably wary about the cost and complexity of the more immediate changes in the Employment Rights Bill, particularly alongside increases to NICs, employment costs and business rates. 'Hospitality businesses have absolutely no more capacity to absorb costs and the Government must not increase the sector's cost burden once again.'
The National
14 minutes ago
- The National
New £4.4m fund to help Scottish museums ‘stand the test of time'
The new Museum Futures programme will offer funding and support to help transform how museums and galleries operate. With Swinney hailing Scotland's museums as being the 'stewards of our cultural heritage' the fund is aimed at encouraging more collaboration across the sector to develop new ways of working. It has been developed by the Scottish Government in partnership with Museums Galleries Scotland and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. READ MORE: The simple polling change that could be significant for independence support Details of the scheme were announced by the First Minister ahead of a visit to the Museum of Childhood in Edinburgh on Wednesday. Museums will be able to apply for cash either via an open fund – which will be focused on helping them improve leadership and deliver organisational change – or a targeted fund that will be more focused on the needs of communities. An organisational health check as part of the scheme, which has been developed by Museums Galleries Scotland, will also help individual museums to pinpoint their strengths and weaknesses, helping them make more informed decisions about their priorities and funding. (Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire) The First Minister said: 'Museums are the stewards of our cultural heritage, preserving the objects and artworks that have shaped Scotland, from its earliest beginnings to the latest trends. 'Local museums in particular are responsible for bringing the stories behind their communities to life, and the Museum Futures programme aims to give them a solid foundation to build on by helping organisations innovate, collaborate and adapt.' He said that some museums were 'already early adopters of new ways of working' adding that the new programme would 'encourage more of that through the sharing of ideas, practical advice and funding'. Swinney stressed: 'This programme and the £4 million funding behind it reflects the Scottish Government's commitment to ensure our museums flourish.' He said he had heard 'loud and clear' from the sector on the 'challenges they are currently facing'. And he added: 'I would strongly encourage anyone who might be eligible to consider how they could secure their part of Scotland's story with this funding and support.' Lucy Casot, chief executive of Museums Galleries Scotland, hailed the fund as a 'momentous opportunity for Scotland's museums'. Casot said the scheme 'takes a progressive new approach to sector investment and development, allowing us to imagine and test what a strong museum sector could look like'. She added: 'It provides capacity to explore how the sector can adapt to meet current and future challenges while removing some of the risks of trying something new. 'It gives museums a chance to plan for long-term sustainability instead of just getting through another year. 'Museum Futures recognises the hard journey that our sector has had and seeks to offer a positive way to address barriers and support change.' Meanwhile Caroline Clark, National Lottery Heritage Fund director for Scotland, said: 'Since the launch of the Heritage Fund some 30 years ago we have worked closely with Scotland's museum sector and thanks to National Lottery players we have supported museums of every size and style in every part of the country. 'As the largest funder for the UK's heritage our knowledge and experience has helped shape the Museum Futures programme. 'We now look forward to supporting it in delivery and continuing to be a key funder, project partner and supporter for a resilient, creative and collaborative museum sector in Scotland.'
The National
14 minutes ago
- The National
Anas Sarwar backs Labour welfare cuts but insists they wouldn't do same Scotland
The Scottish Labour leader claimed it is 'factually wrong' to say people will have their benefits 'cut' under measures proposed by Keir Starmer's government, because the overall welfare budget is still set to rise. Sarwar added that Labour are now in a 'much better place on welfare reform than a week ago', before they scaled back proposals to avoid a defeat in the House of Commons on Tuesday evening. Last week, more than 120 Labour MPs signed a 'reasoned amendment' to the Universal Credit and Personal Independent Payment Bill after it was revealed it would cut around £5 billion per year from disability benefits. READ MORE: Scots back independence as Keir Starmer's popularity at record low, new poll finds Ministers hope a partial U-turn by Starmer on the plans, which will protect existing claimants of personal independence payments (Pip) and the health element of Universal Credit, will be enough to win over Labour rebels. However, not all of the changes will directly impact people in Scotland as Pip is being replaced by the Adult Disability Payment. The Scottish Government has promised not to make similar cuts in Scotland, with the Social Justice Secretary warning that even the Prime Minister's concessions do not go far enough. Shirley-Anne Somerville called on Labour to scrap all of their proposals, pointing to the UK Government's own analysis which shows they could plunge 150,000 people into poverty. Sarwar has argued that the figure did not take into account other Labour measures to help people get back into work, or economic policies. Asked if he would cut benefits for disabled people in Scotland if he wins next year's Holyrood election, he told the PA news agency: 'No, absolutely not'. The Scottish Labour leader insisted his party is 'on the same wavelength' and agrees that reforms to the welfare system are needed. But he said claims that benefits are being cut are not true, as the welfare bill is still set to grow. 'We all accept the principle of reform,' Sarwar said. He added: 'We all accept that we have to prioritise work, and that work is the best route of poverty. 'We all accept that. Those that can work should work. 'We also all accept that those who can't work should get the support they need, and also accept those that need support to get into work should get that support too.' Responding to Sarwar's claims SNP MSP Colette Stevenson said the Scottish Labour leader wouldn't stand up for Scotland and would "rubber stamp anything his Westminster bosses tell him to". She said: "When Keir Starmer proposes cutting support for disabled people, it's Anas Sarwar who stands by him every step of the way. "From the Winter Fuel debacle, to failing the WASPI women, to supporting the two-child cap, to backing cuts to disability payments, Labour's record in one short year says it all. "SNP-run Scotland is the only part of the UK where child poverty is going down rather than up, we're scrapping the two-child cap, and we're protecting disabled people by maintaining the Adult Disability Payment here in Scotland, rather than passing on Labour's proposed cuts in England. "Anas Sarwar has proven he won't stand up to Starmer - he'll rubber stamp anything his Westminster bosses tell him to."
