Response to release of housing statistics
27 August 2009
Responding to the new housing statistics released today (Thursday) by the Scottish Government [1], the Director of Shelter Scotland, Graeme Brown, said:
'Today's figures show that Scotland built 215 more homes in 2008-9, than any year in the history of the Scottish Parliament. At last house building numbers are on the up but, as ever, the devil is in the detail.
'When you include the 3,700 homes sold through right to buy, this year's record 4,913 affordable homes across all tenures is really only a net increase of 1,213.
'We're only treading water at a time when we need to be seriously increasing the number of new homes we are building in Scotland. There are almost enough people to fill Tynecastle stadium currently living in temporary housing, without a place to call their own. The brought-forward investment by the Scottish Government was welcome to protect jobs in the building industry, but there will be a serious gap in the budget next year. To make up for this, the Scottish Government must make the 2010-11 budget, a 'Budget for Homes'.'
