THE Scottish Government has vowed to remove barriers on stalled housing sites to deliver up to 20,000 new homes – but housing bodies have warned that measures announced in the Programme for Government 2025-26 don’t go far enough.
The programme also includes plans to directly support the delivery of 8,000 new affordable homes – including social and mid-market rent and low cost home ownership.
Wider ambitions will see the delivery of 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, which the government said will support between 12,000 to 14,000 jobs each year and will leverage private and social sector investment to create a total package of around £20 billion.
The budget to provide general housing adaptions to disabled tenants will more than double from £8.25 million to almost £21 million to deliver around 8,500 adaptions. Support will also be provided to complete the six Gypsy/Traveller site demonstration projects.
An equivalent of Awaab’s Law in Scotland will also be delivered, which will ensure that landlords promptly address issues that are hazardous to tenants’ health. Subject to the passage of the new Housing (Scotland) Bill, the government will also bring forward secondary legislation to develop timescales for investigation and commencement of repairs that are hazardous to tenants’ enjoyment of their homes, starting with damp and mould.
Homelessness will be tackled by the new Housing (Scotland) Bill which, if passed, will improve outcomes for those at risk of homelessness and strengthen tenants’ rights, including through the introduction of a system for longer term rent controls, and removing the legislative constraint on the level of council tax premium that can be applied to second and long-term empty homes, the government said.
A fund administered by the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations and Homeless Network Scotland will get investment of £1 million, which will bring together registered social landlords, third sector organisations and community partners to prevent homelessness and protect tenants’ rights.
Further to this will be an investment of £4 million in homelessness prevention pilots in 2025-26, helping duty bearers to prepare for the new legislation and to implement the ‘ask and act’ duties effectively.
Housing body Homes for Scotland responded to the announcement by claiming the Programme for Government ‘doesn’t go far enough’ to tackle the housing emergency.
Homes for Scotland chief executive Jane Wood said, “There are some encouraging elements in the 2025/26 Programme for Government, including the commitment to make it easier to invest and do business in Scotland by ensuring future regulation is scrutinised for its impact on business and investment, and the assessment of regulatory controls in housing by the end of 2025. Much more is required, however, given the sheer scale of the challenge that faces our country.
“It has nearly been a year since the Scottish Parliament declared a national housing emergency and in the interim we have seen record numbers of children living in temporary accommodation, all sector starts and completions continue to fall and absolutely no support for our struggling SME home builders (who are so crucial to increasing the supply of high quality energy efficient homes in rural areas and on brownfield sites) despite our extensive work to produce recommendations for the Scottish Government to take forward.
“The recommendations of the housing investment taskforce are still yet to be published and we still do not have any clearly defined operational status regarding the much-vaunted planning hub. Calls for an annual all-tenure target for the delivery of 25,000 homes made by a range of charities and business organisations over the last week or so have also gone unheeded. We needed so much more from today’s announcement.
“Today we needed a bold interventionist approach to increase housing delivery across all tenures in Scotland. Unfortunately, the housing emergency remains without an emergency response, with the Scottish Government missing a clear opportunity to reset the scale of its ambition on housing and ensure both national and local policy is shaped to tackle the housing emergency head on. Home builders are waiting to play their part in delivering Scotland’s all-tenure housing but it feels that we are in a landscape where the government seems unable or unwilling to fully acknowledge just how important housing is to Scotland’s social wellbeing and economic success.”
Scottish Federation of Housing Associations chief executive Sally Thomas said the first minister was right to acknowledge the concern of people unable to find affordable housing.
“With nearly a quarter of a million people across Scotland currently on a waiting list for a social home, and a housing emergency declared almost a year ago, it was vital that today’s Programme for Government set out coherent action to increase the provision of affordable rented homes,” she added. “The measures announced today are welcome, but don’t go far enough to tackle Scotland’s dire situation on housing.
“A decent, stable home is the foundation of the fairer, greener and more prosperous Scotland the first minister wants to build. So we are glad to see continued ambition to build 110,000 affordable homes by 2032. But for this to have any chance of becoming a reality, the Scottish Government must quickly set out multi-year funding commitments, so that our members can plan with confidence to build much-needed homes.
“We are disappointed that there is still no commitment to exempt Mid Market Rent homes from private rented sector rent controls. This type of housing is highly valued by younger people and professionals in particular, but it may become unviable unless the government amends the Housing Bill.
“It is reassuring to see commitment to a Heat in Buildings Bill. But we need certainty on the targets our members will need to meet, as well as a fair and equal approach to the standards required of every housing tenure, including home ownership and private rent. And we had urged government to provide a clear pathway to funding on removing unsafe cladding: we can’t allow this burden to fall on social tenants.
“A warm, secure, affordable home is the foundation of all our lives, and while this Programme for Government recognises that, there is an urgent need for quicker, bolder action if we are to end the national housing emergency.
Dr Caroline Brown, director of RTPI Scotland, said, “When properly resourced, planning provides the foundation for delivering the country’s wider priorities. The Government’s recognition that planning must be at the heart of its economic growth strategy is a welcome and overdue understanding of its value.
“For too long, the planning system has been undervalued and underfunded. Measures outlined in the Programme for Government mark a positive step toward addressing this.
“Closing capacity gaps – particularly in complex areas such as planning for emerging technologies like hydrogen – will require focused investment in skills and expertise. We welcome proposed mechanisms to support this, alongside commitments to increase planning capacity, reduce delivery barriers, and continue investment in bursaries and training.
“We also welcome the government’s acknowledgement that many homes with planning permission are never built. Tackling the real barriers to delivery moves beyond the simplistic view that planning is the problem. However, a consultation alone is a limited response; more decisive action will be needed, built on a robust evidence base.
“We look forward to seeing further detail about the measures set out in the Programme for Government, and working collaboratively with the Government and other key stakeholders in the set-up, design and implementation that follows.”
