TRADE body Homes for Scotland has described the level of cuts seen across the Affordable Housing Supply Programme and the planning system as ‘quite shocking’.
The organisation’s chief executive Jane Wood was responding to the Scottish budget and the news of a 43% funding cut for planning and a 33% drop in the More Homes budget.
Jane Wood said, “We were prepared for a tough budget but, in the context of three local authorities having declared housing emergencies this year, the level of cuts we have seen across both the Affordable Housing Supply Programme and the planning system this afternoon is quite shocking. Coming on the back of last week’s statistics showing that the chronic undersupply of housing is intensifying, this not only threatens Scotland’s social wellbeing by perpetuating housing inequality but also its economic success and the transition to net zero.
“As we continue to highlight, private and affordable housing delivery are interconnected. With 30% of affordable housing generated by the private sector, the more homes for sale that can be built, the more affordable homes will be available. Given the planning system is already on its knees, a cut of the magnitude announced today will serve only to increase delay and cost and do nothing to encourage crucial private sector investment.
“Indeed, we have spent a large part of this year flagging concerns to the Scottish Government that its policies are acting as a deterrent to investment. There is clear evidence now on the impact that the increasingly divergent policies are having on the attractiveness of Scotland as a place to invest in, these budget implications do nothing to mitigate that nor to ensure the housing needs of Scotland’s people are met.”
