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United action is vital to build the homes we need

14th Nov 2024
David J Alexander

There are many problems in our society at present but one of the fundamental issues for the 21st century is an insufficient number of homes to meet the needs of our population. In Scotland we have not been building enough new homes to match the demands of our people, with the result that there are rising prices for home

The level of the problem is clearly outlined in the latest quarterly housing statistics published by the Scottish Government. This shows that the number of all sector newbuild starts in Scotland has fallen by 4,745 (-22.4 per cent) from 21,190 to 16,445, which is the lowest figure since 2013.

The drop in private sector newbuilds was 3,290 (-20.1 per cent), falling from 16,387 in 2022 to 13,097 the following year, which is the lowest figure since 2020 when Covid severely impacted the sector.

Finally, the data for the social housing sector paints a bleaker picture with a fall of 1,595 (-31.8 per cent), dropping from 5,022 in 2022 to 3,427 in 2023. This is the lowest number of social sector starts in a year since 2012.

These figures tell us that we are simply not building enough homes in any of the sectors to meet current and future demand in the population. Given that we have 13 Scottish local authorities which have declared housing emergencies and when demand from homebuyers and renters has never been greater there is an urgent need for action. There must be greater volumes of housebuilding in both the private and social sectors if we are to address the enormous pressure in all parts of our housing market.

In the private rental market, we have never experienced the present level of demand. We regularly have unprecedented numbers of people applying for properties without adequate supply to meet the needs of tenants. Given that the volume of social housing is already unable to meet the existing requirement for homes, with hundreds of thousands on waiting lists, tens of thousands homeless and in temporary accommodation, there is the very real possibility that these figures highlight just how much worse an already difficult market is going to get. Without a major investment in social housing, support for the private rental sector and greater encouragement for the housebuilding sector it is clear that tens of thousands of people living in Scotland will be unable to find a home to live in over the next few years.

At a time when more homes than ever are needed to meet growing demand in Scotland it is essential everyone involved in the sector – builders, investors, landlords, agents, governments, trade bodies and official housing bodies – unites to develop a quick, effective and functioning solution to this rapidly growing problem.

Scotland needs to build more homes, and it needs to start straight away. There is a Scottish budget next month which will provide the ideal opportunity to provide an important signal that creating more homes for Scots is essential and that work must begin immediately. Anything less will be seen as letting down homeowners, landlords and tenants.

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