By Lucy Ashton
Scottish Labour has warned the SNP-Green government against ditching its housebuilding target as new documents reveal it is at risk.
The Bute House Agreement between the SNP and the Greens included a pledge to build 110,000 affordable homes by 2032 – however, documents obtained by Scottish Labour reveal the government has secretly conceded it’s under threat.
Briefing notes from the Housing Minister’s meetings in December admit that “our target of delivering 110,000 affordable homes by 2032 is at risk” and confirm a review is being held into the “timeline for delivery”.
This is despite the Scottish Government insisting it “remains committed to delivering 110,000 affordable homes by 2032” mere months earlier in its Programme for Government.
The challenges facing the programme are expected to mount, with the Scottish Government’s draft budget for 2024/25 inflicting a brutal £205 million real terms cut to the affordable housing programme – a reduction of 27 per cent.
This is the second year in a row the budget for this key housebuilding programme has been cut, despite the housing emergency unfolding in Scotland.
Homelessness is at a record high, private rents are rising at record rate and stubbornly high house prices are pricing thousands of Scots out of home ownership – however, the SNP-Green government recently blocked Scottish Labour’s attempt to declare a housing emergency.
Scottish Labour Housing spokesperson Mark Griffin, pictured above, said: “Behind closed doors the SNP-Green government knows its housebuilding plan is in chaos – but instead of getting things back on track it is slashing the programme’s funding.
“With Scotland in the grips of a housing emergency, it is more urgent than ever that that we build the affordable housing our country desperately needs.
“The Greens cannot stand idly by while SNP Ministers tear up the Bute House agreement and break another promise to the Scottish public.
“Instead of ditching this important pledge, the SNP-Green government must set out a real plan to deliver it.”
Excerpts from a Scottish Government FOI response providing “briefings and notes” from the Housing Minister’s meetings in December 2023:
“Our target of delivering 110,000 affordable homes by 2032 is at risk [REDACTED] As such we will bring forward the review of the target from 2026/27 to 2024, with a focus on the timeline for delivery of 110,000 affordable homes.” Source: FOI response from the Scottish Government, available on request.
September 2023 Programme for Government: “We remain committed to delivering 110,000 affordable homes by 2032”
In their recent budget, the Scottish Government set out plans to spend £556 million on the AHSP in 2024-25. This is a cut of £196 million in cash terms (-26%), or a real terms cut of £205 million (or ‑27%) compared to the 2023-24 budget. […] This is the second year in a row the budget has been reduced, and by more than might have been anticipated compared to plans set out in the targeted review of capital funding.
Source: https://spice-spotlight.scot/2024/01/15/affordable-homes-scottish-government-budget-and-progress/
Most recent Homelessness statistics show there were 29,652 open homelessness applications as of 31 March 2023 – a record high. More households and children than ever were in temporary accommodation at this point.
Source: https://www.gov.scot/publications/homelessness-in-scotland-2022-23/pages/main-findings-2022-23/
“Private rental prices in Scotland increased by 6.3% in the 12 months to December 2023 […] This is the highest annual rate since the Scotland data series began in January 2012.”
In November 2023 the SNP and the Greens voted against Scottish Labour’s motion declaring a housing emergency in Scotland https://www.scottishparliament.tv/meeting/scottish-labour-party-debate-scotlands-housing-emergency-november-22-2023