by Lucy Ashton
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has set out his plans to create new housing for key workers and to say that Scottish Liberal Democrats are on the brink of a series of election wins that will make them the strongest voice for the West Highlands, which includes Argyll and Bute.
In a radical overhaul of housing policy, the Scottish Liberal Democrat manifesto commits to working with business and local authorities to develop a new programme for dedicated key worker housing, at mid-market rents, with each council deciding what workers it will be reserved for based on local needs, from carers and NHS staff to teachers or engineers. The party will launch a programme to deliver 10,000 of these homes in conjunction with the private sector and councils, with eligibility decided locally.
Housebuilding has plummeted under the SNP, with private-sector starts and affordable-housing supply-programme starts both at their lowest levels since 2013.
Alex Cole-Hamilton, left, said: “Scottish Liberal Democrats will tackle the chronic housing shortage by returning housebuilding to a level that gets 25,000 new homes built annually, and create new key worker housing so that finding a home isn’t a barrier to taking up a job when somewhere is crying out for your skills.
“Housebuilders tell me the SNP’s chopping and changing of housing policy must end because it’s forced big institutional investors away. Care home bosses tell me their staff can’t find somewhere to live.
“We need to make it easier for people to move to better job opportunities. This key worker housing policy is a win-win. We’d get Scotland building again and secure a supply of workers in vital industries. It will mean finding a home isn’t a barrier to taking up a job when somewhere is crying out for your skills.
“Lib Dems believe in giving power back to communities. That’s why we believe it should be up to councils to decide who qualifies as a key worker in their area. In some locations that might mean building housing reserved for NHS or care staff. In others, it might be teachers or farm workers.
“Scottish Liberal Democrats are putting forward these policies because we understand the challenges that are holding the Highlands back. That’s why we are on the brink of a series of big wins against the SNP, who have let people down for too long.”
On planning, the party has also committed to:
- Reforming planning to make it simpler to redevelop long-term derelict buildings.
- Forcing the sale of derelict sites that blight communities to deliver more suitable land for housing.
- Developing standardised models of homes that have the support of planners across the country to speed up the planning approval when applications are made.
- Reforming NPF4 to ensure sufficient land is available for developers and to reduce the level of prep approval reports that are required, especially for SME builders.
The statistics showing the number of housing starts were published on 31 March 2026, and can be found here.