I’m reflecting on another busy week for us all at Homes for Scotland, especially ahead of today’s Planning Performance statistics and the new Chancellor’s first Budget tomorrow. Team members will also be in Aberdeen, Perth and Glasgow across the next few days and I will be attending the next meeting of the Housing to 2040 Board.

In the context of all this, and against the backdrop of a national housing emergency, I am delighted to have been asked by Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes and Barry White (co-chairs) to join the Delivery Board for the Scottish Government’s National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET) and to act as the Board’s Housing Champion.

I believe this is a welcome display of leadership from the Scottish Government which looks to move beyond the evidenced breakdown of our housing ecosystem and is major recognition of the home building sector’s vital contribution to the economy (over £3bn in Gross Value Add per annum).  Together with the wide-ranging social and environmental benefits offered by building the new homes of all tenures that Scotland requires, there has never been a more essential time for this to be front and centre of the policy agenda.

With Fraser of Allander reporting that just 9% of firms believe the Scottish Government understands the business environment, I look forward to sharing the insight of Homes for Scotland members to increase awareness of the blockers that are hampering their ability to deliver much-needed homes.

In particular, I will stress the need to avoid being distracted by government initiatives (like the much-vaunted Planning Hub which will be focusing for the first six months on improving consenting timeframes for hydrogen developments) that, whilst welcome, simply will not deliver change fast enough.  I will also emphasise the cumulative impact of new regulation which has been estimated to add +£30k to the cost of building a new home, with the cost of more which is emerging also still to be evaluated.

In terms of Scotland’s positioning as an attractive place to invest, clarity must be provided in relation to the proposed amendments the Scottish Government will be bringing forward for the Housing Bill.  The importance of this was highlighted just last week when the Welsh Government published a white paper on housing which refers to “emerging evidence from Scotland, all of which indicates there is not a sufficient evidence base to take forward rent control measures”.

The housing emergency demands emergency action.  Whilst there is now some evidence of movement, we need more and we need it faster.  It is incumbent on the Scottish Government to use the powers it has at its disposal, just as it did earlier this month in announcing emergency legislation to manage the prison population and when it introduced the rent freeze in 2022.

Homes for Scotland will continue to press this point because we must find urgent solutions for those excluded from the property market, communities suffering from under-investment and stunted economic growth.

Jane Wood
CEO Homes for Scotland
Board Member Scottish Government National Economic Transformation Strategy (NSET) Delivery Board
Scottish Committee National House Building Council

ENDS

29 October 2024