Ministers accused of moving goalposts after social housing election pledge was revised
SNP ministers have been accused of failing to meet its manifesto pledge to build at least 6,000 social homes each year.
It comes as new figures reveal just 3,458 of new builds for the social rent sector were built in 2015/16.
The figure has hovered around the 4,000 a year mark since the manifesto pledge was made during the 2011 election.
However the SNP revised the target shortly after its 2011 victory to 30,000 “affordable homes” by 2016 of which two thirds would be designated for social renting.
Some 33,490 affordable houses were completed in 2015/16 of which 22,523 were for social rent – meeting the post-election pledge.
These figures demonstrate how far we are from building the number of homes that the country needs to tackle the housing crisis - Gordon Nelson
It has led to critics rounding on housing minister Kevin Stewart for disingenuously claiming the government has over achieved its target.
Stewart said: “Exceeding the ambitious 30,000 target is no mean feat in a challenging financial environment.
“Our investment of more than £1.7 billion, as well as the re-introduction of council-house building, has meant high-quality, energy-efficient, affordable homes have been built the length and breadth of the country.
“We are building at a rate faster than anywhere else in the UK, and in fact since 2007 we have built over 41,000 more homes than would have been built at England’s lower per-capita rate. That’s the equivalent of a new town the size of Paisley.”
However Gordon Nelson, director of the Federation of Master Builders Scotland, said: “Despite the Scottish Government’s favourable spin on housing stats, scratch the surface and there’s little to celebrate.
“According to these latest figures, total housing completions increased by 3% in 2015 compared to 2014. Although this is indeed an increase, when you compare it to the growth in house building south of the border in England, which increased by 21% over the same period, it pales by comparison.
“These figures demonstrate how far we are from building the number of homes that the country needs to tackle the housing crisis. (They) celebrated the figures based solely on exceeding their affordable housing figures, which suggests that they do not grasp the severity of the wider house building challenge.”
The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) said Scotland desperately needs more affordable homes in order to solve its current housing crisis.
Mary Taylor, SFHA chief executive said she welcomed efforts to relieve the housing crisis but the problem was deeper rooted.
“The key issues are planning, infrastructure, availability of affordable land and access to skilled workers,” she said.
“We will continue to work with the Scottish Government, the housing association sector, local authorities and other partners to find solutions to these challenges.”
