You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
The number of homes built by housing associations in Scotland has dropped by 43%, according to the latest government figures.
There were just 386 homes completed by housing associations between July and September 2017, a sharp drop from 681 completions in the same period in 2016.
This comes despite an overall 9% increase in new build homes across all sectors compared to the same three months in 2016.
Councils, in contrast, increased their housing output by 66%, with 369 completions in the three-month period. However, this was still a lower number delivered compared to housing associations. The number of council homes started dropped off compared with 2016, with a 21% fall to 395.
The number of homes delivered through the government’s Affordable Housing Supply Programme, through which ministers aim to deliver 50,000 affordable homes by 2021, was down by 8% on the previous year.
This programme includes homes for social rent, affordable rent and affordable homeownership. Within these figures, affordable homeownership completions were up by 9%, but social rented homes dropped by 9% to 409 homes.
However, the number of affordable homes started during this time was up by 12%, including a 17% increase in social rent starts.
A recent independent report concluded that the Scottish Government’s 50,000 affordable homes target is “within reach”. The report was commissioned by Shelter Scotland, the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations and the Equality and Human Rights Commission in Scotland.
Angela Constance, communities secretary, said the figures show nearly 72,500 affordable homes have been delivered since 2007. She added: “We are committed to ensuring much greater progress, backing that with record levels of investment, with funding of £3bn – the single biggest investment in, and delivery of, affordable housing since devolution. This includes more than £756m for affordable housing in 2018-19 alone – a 28% increase on the previous year – and all councils have been given long-term planning assumptions, totalling £1.75bn to March 2021. That provides the assurance needed to deliver the homes required, and we know that many more developments and proposals are coming through as a result of that.”