TRADE body Homes for Scotland (HFS) has said the latest Scottish Government housing statistics reveal ‘how far behind we still are’.Â
The organisation highlighted that housing completions across all tenures in Scotland are still below pre-pandemic levels despite 20,767 new homes being built in 2021/22.
HFS chief executive Jane Wood said, “After the challenges presented by the pandemic, these figures demonstrate the resilience of the home building sector after completion levels dropped below 15,000 in 2020/21. However, they also show how far behind we still are, so it is frustrating that there is such a timelag in reporting, particularly when we continue to face major obstacles to achieving sustained growth, not least of which include planning, material and labour shortages as well as increased costs.
“Up-to-date statistics are essential to supporting effective, evidence-based policy decision-making which is why we have committed to working with the Scottish Government to identify and address the data gaps that exist. Such collaboration between the public and private sectors and government at national and local levels is vital to delivering the homes that Scotland’s people need.”
