Scotland’s councils to share £582m affordable housing subsidy

HUNDREDS of millions of pounds are to be spent across Scotland on increasing the supply of affordable housing, it was confirmed today.

All of Scotland’s 32 councils will receive a share of almost £582m in subsidy over the next three-years.

This is part of the Government investment of at least £710m in the Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP).

Housing Minister Keith Brown said: “Housing is and will remain a priority for this Government and we will continue to invest in new affordable homes. Despite the severe cuts to our budgets by the UK Government, this is a substantial funding boost that will support house building across Scotland.

“We have listened to councils and housing associations and put in place a system of funding for housing based on forward planning instead of making councils and housing associations bid for funds.

“This will provide greater certainty and allow councils to make plans for the future.”

The money will be used to encourage councils and housing associations to build greener homes by providing a larger Government subsidy for houses built to meet higher standards in areas like energy efficiency.

Rural areas, which experience higher developments costs, will also be helped with higher Government contributions to ensure that housing developments can be successfully delivered in remote parts of the country.