Highland MSP urges Scottish Government to follow Spain’s lead in taking radical measures to tackle the housing crisis
A Highland MSP has suggested Scotland could follow Spain in taking radical measures to tackle the housing crisis.
Spain's Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, announced plans this week to prioritise available homes for residents, by imposing a tax of up to 100 per cent on properties bought by non-residents in countries outside the EU.
SNP Emma Roddick asked the minister for housing, Paul McLennan whether the Scottish Government would consider pursuing similar measures in Scotland.
Commenting, Ms Roddick said: "When there's a housing crisis and unprecedented pressure, you need to take firm action to make sure people who want to live and work locally can still find a place to call home.
"It is reasonable to ask people with the money to purchase multiple houses, sight unseen, with no intention of visiting, let alone living there, to pay back into funds that will allow government to replace that housing stock.
"Scotland has a history of taking strong action on housing and we remain a leader in housing rights in the UK. We need to do more, now, to encourage the use of houses as homes."
It is estimated that the Highlands will need as many as 24,000 new homes over the next ten years to keep up with future demand as well as satisfy current housing needs.
Demand is also expected to be fuelled the the new Cromarty Firth freeport, and major investment on the electrical grid in the coming years as more renewables come on stream.
The Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport alone claims it could create up to 15,000 new jobs and generate around £3bn in inward investment.
While Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) has plans to invest £20bn on the north’s transmission grid as part of efforts to support net zero transmission and long term energy security. This will also create a need for new housing, as the electrical work will require up to 5000 highly skilled workers in the Highlands and further afield by 2030.
SSEN Transmission has pledged to support the delivery of 1,000 new homes across the north of Scotland, as a legacy of its workforce accommodation requirements for its projects.
But, currently, there is not enough housing provision for these expected workers
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government has no plans to introduce such a tax.”
