Patrick Harvie, Kate Forbes, John Swinney and Paul McGarry.
Democrat reporter
Scottish Liberal Democrats today said the SNP’s cut to the housing budget has made the housing crisis worse after new statistics revealed dramatic falls in the number of housebuilding completions and starts.
Official figures show that in the year ending December 2024, during which the Scottish Government cut the housing budget:
- There was a 9% decrease in all sector housebuilding starts;
- In the private sector, housebuilding starts were the lowest in more than a decade;
- In the social sector, housebuilding completions fell 22% in a single year;
- Affordable housing supply approvals were 48% lower than the most recent peak of approvals in 2018, while starts were 41% lower than their peak in 2019 and completions were 20% lower than their peak in 2022.
Scottish Liberal Democrat housing spokesperson Paul McGarry said: “It was a huge mistake by the SNP to axe funding for affordable homes in the middle of a housing crisis. John Swinney, Kate Forbes and Patrick Harvie all voted to cut £200 million from housing.
“We can now see how affordable housebuilding has collapsed even though homelessness is at a record high and waiting lists are endless.
“That is why it was right that Scottish Liberal Democrats got the government to significantly increase funding in this year’s budget, but now it’s down to them to deliver and turn this around.
“The Scottish Government must also listen to our calls to bring thousands of empty homes back into use and re-establish social rent as a viable, long-term option.”
Labour housing spokesperson Mark Griffin and SNP Minister Paul McLennan.
Meanwhile, SNP incompetence is driving Scotland’s housing emergency, Scottish Labour has said as housebuilding plummets.
Latest housebuilding statistics have shown that the total number of new homes being both completed and started are falling.
The number of new affordable houses being approved is a staggering 48 per cent below their peak in 2018, while starts are 41 per cent below their peak in 2019.
The SNP government faced criticism for cutting hundreds of millions of pounds from its affordable housing budget in recent years, and its flagship target of building 110,000 affordable homes by 2032 is in serious doubt.
If the building of affordable homes continues at a similar pace, the SNP will fall badly short of this target.
Scottish Labour has said these figures show the SNP is failing to get to grips with the housing emergency facing Scotland, and renewed calls for Housing Minister Paul McLennan to go.
Scottish Labour Housing spokesperson Mark Griffin said “These damning figures show the SNP’s reckless incompetence is at the root of Scotland’s housing emergency.
“For years now it has been clear that things are at crisis point in our housing system – with homelessness at high levels, rents soaring, and home ownership becoming a distant dream for many.
“At the root of this crisis is a lack of housing, but the SNP has let the number of new homes are being built fall and its affordable homes pledge is nowhere near being met.
“Paul McLennan has failed at his job and needs to go – but the truth is this entire SNP government has failed Scots by letting this crisis escalate.
“A Scottish Labour government will tackle the housing emergency at its root by delivering planning reform, boosting housebuilding, and delivering fair funding for the affordable housing programme and local government.”
-
There were 19,797 homes built (completed) and 15,050 new builds started in the year to end December 2024. Completions (-1,441; -7%) and starts (-1,538; -9%) were lower than the previous year.
-
The private sector built 15,066 homes and started 11,617 new builds in the year to the end of December 2024. Completions (-119; -1%) and starts (-1,605; -12%) were lower than the previous year.
-
The social sector built 4,731 homes and started building 3,433 homes in the year to the end of December 2024. Completions (-1,322; -22%) were lower than the previous year and starts (67; 2%) were higher than the previous year.
-
Looking at years to end December and excluding 2020 (where Covid-19 impacted housebuilding), private sector completions were the lowest since the year to the end of December 2017 and starts the lowest since the year to the end of December 2013. In the social sector, completions were the lowest since the year to the end of December 2017 and starts were higher than the previous year.
-
Affordable housing supply approvals were 48% lower than the most recent peak in approvals of 12,478 in the 12 months to December 2018, starts were 41% lower than the recent peak of 11,027 in 12 months to December 2019 and completions were 20% lower than the recent peak of 10,177 in 12 months to December 2022.