Housing spend pledge will not be met, SNP warned

An SNP pledge on “affordable” housing will fail unless there is a radical rethink of spending priorities, housing organisations have said.

Shelter Scotland and the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) believe the commitment to build 6,000 such homes annually will not be met this year.

The joint submission calculates that about £610 million is needed over the next three years.

The organisations argue that the main priority for new investment should include a bare minimum of 4,000 new socially rented homes each year, along with 1,000 houses for subsidised home ownership and 1,000 for rent at below market value.

Despite the concern, the Scottish Government said the position is “crystal clear”, and that 30,000 affordable homes will be built over the next five years.

Graeme Brown, director of Shelter Scotland, said: “Our submission today is cut back to the absolute minimum needed to deliver a credible housing programme.”

Alan Ferguson, director of CIH Scotland, said: “The government has much catching up to do.”