Scottish Government ‘not up to the job’ on housing, says Labour

The Scottish Government is “not up to the job” on affordable housing, Labour has claimed, as an internal document showed the risk of a key target being missed.

Ministers have pledged to build 110,000 more affordable homes by 2032, 70% of which will be for social rent.

But a document obtained by Scottish Labour under freedom of information shows the the level of risk of the target being missed.

Building more houses is key to dealing with this crisis, but the SNP government has been asleep at the wheel while its flagship affordable housing programme fell into chaos

The risk register – a document designed to identify pitfalls in Government delivery and their likelihood – said: “If social rented approvals and starts are not progressed in time to allow completion by March 2032.

“Then this could lead to delays in the completion of social homes.

“This could result in the 70% social rent element of the 110k target not being achieved.”

The risk score – emblazoned red in the document – is the joint highest on the register at 125, with a likelihood score of five, which is also the joint highest.

Scottish Labour’s housing spokesman Mark Griffin said: “Scotland’s housing emergency is causing misery for millions of Scots – from shameful levels of homelessness to soaring rents to extortionate house prices.

“Building more houses is key to dealing with this crisis, but the SNP government has been asleep at the wheel while its flagship affordable housing programme fell into chaos.

“It would be a shameful betrayal for the SNP to ditch its affordable housing pledge, but (housing minister) Paul McLennan and the SNP are simply not up to the job of delivering it.

“We need a change in direction – a Scottish Labour government will step up where the SNP has failed and build the houses Scotland needs.”

The Scottish Government has been contacted for comment.