Housing shortage in Scotland ‘needs to be addressed’

A shortage of affordable housing in Scotland “needs to be addressed” as a flagship target to abolish homelessness approaches, a report by MSPs today warns.

Councils should also be given new powers to acquire land to build affordable housing on, a report by Holyrood’s infrastructure committee finds.

The Scottish Parliament’s ground-breaking 2003 homelessness legislation created a commitment that entitles all unintentionally homeless people to settled accommodation by the end of this year.

But today’s report highlights concerns from council chiefs over housing supply.

“We know from councils’ housing need and demand assessments throughout the country that there is a shortage of affordable housing in all tenures,” Rebecca Maxwell of the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE) warned in evidence.

“There is a mismatch between demand and house types, which we need to see as part of the bigger issue.”

The committee accepts the “strong relevance” of affordable housing supply to the homelessness issue.

“The Committee will continue to monitor and assess the Scottish Government’s progress towards meeting its affordable housing targets,” the report states.

But the MSPs say there has been “significant advances” made in how homelessness is tackled in Scotland.

“There is no doubt that the homelessness commitment created in 2003 was challenging, but by recognising that homelessness is not simply a housing issue, there has been a positive cultural change in how local authorities tackle this crucial issue,” convenor Maureen Watt said.