Response to announcement of £31 million new funding for housing in 2009/10

15 June 2009

Graeme Brown, Director of Shelter Scotland, the housing and homelessness charity, said: 'We welcome the Scottish Government's announcement today (Monday) that £31 million of new money will be allocated to housing in 2009/10.

'Thanks to the efforts of a group of housing experts [2] set up by Shelter at Westminster and backed by Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland received £54 million for housing in Barnett consequentials at the last budget. We look forward to the remaining £23 million being invested in Scotland’s housing in 2010/11.

'It is vital the Scottish Government gets on with building more homes. Before the recession we needed 10,000 new affordable homes to rent each year to house more than 200,000 Scots stuck on waiting lists.

Today's announcement will help boost employment in the construction industry and help ensure we meet our internationally acclaimed homelessness target. In striving towards this target, the Scottish Government needs to not only provide people with the right to a home, but the keys to one as well.'

Notes to editors

  1. Scottish Government press release.
  2. The 2020 Group was chaired by Kate Barker, the Prime Minister’s former housing adviser, and the group consisted of the Local Government Association (LGA), National Housing Federation (NHF), housing charity Shelter, and the TUC.
  3. On April 17, 2009 Nicola Sturgeon called for the UK Government to listen to Shelter and Scotland's building industry for the need to invest in housing as she announced the Scottish Government’s plans to invest a total of £50 million towards building council houses. Read the full speech.
  4. The UK Government allocated £53.8 million in Barnett consequentials for housing with £39.2 million allocated to 2009/10 and £14.6 million to 2010/11 in the budget announced on April 22, 2009. This was confirmed in writing by Alex Neil, Housing Minister, in a letter to Shelter Scotland, Homes for Scotland, Scottish Federation of Housing Associations and Chartered Institute of Housing Scotland on 18 May, 2009.