Following today’s Scottish Government housebuilding statistics which showed social sector completions at the lowest level since 2007, the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) has warned the Scottish Government is not on course to reach its affordable housing target.
The official government statistics showed serious struggles in the supply of new social homes, with annual completions falling by 25%, and starts rising by 26%, although this increase stems from a record low the previous year. The figures come at a point of major concern in the Scottish housing system, with homelessness on the rise and a record number of children now living in temporary accommodation.
SFHA Chief Executive Richard Meade said: “Today’s figures show the lowest number of social homes built in nearly two decades, while a record 10,715 children in Scotland are living in temporary accommodation, double the number a decade ago. Scotland is a long way away from delivering the safe, warm and affordable homes the country needs.
“Whilst we have seen an annual increase in the number of social and affordable homes being started and approved, which shows longer-term investment does make a difference, social housebuilding starts remain 48% below their 2020 peak. The Scottish Government is not on course to reach its target of 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, and at current rates will not reach it until 2036.
“Not every lever sits with Ministers, but the key ones do: long-term funding and investment in Scotland’s capacity to build, especially in rural and island communities.
“Ahead of the Scottish Budget this December, social and affordable housing must be recognised as critical economic infrastructure and one of the strongest prevention investments Scotland can make. Scotland needs 15,693 social and affordable homes a year to meet housing need, and we will measure progress against that number until Scotland’s housing emergency is over.”
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Gillian McLees, national director of CIH Scotland, has responded to the statistics, saying:
“These latest statistics continue to show a significant and worrying decline in housebuilding in Scotland. In the year to June 2026, completions across all tenures fell by 11% and starts by 2%. While social sector starts rose by 26% this is still not enough to address the years of undersupply resulting in record numbers of people trapped in the homeless system.
“The 6,600 approvals and 7,100 starts last year remains well below the average of 11,000 homes needed annually to meet the government’s target of 110,000 social and affordable homes.
“With Scotland still in the grip of a housing emergency, progress is not happening quickly enough. We are again calling on the Scottish government to prioritise the delivery of social housing and commit to building 15,693 social and affordable homes each year over the next five years, as evidenced in our joint research with SFHA and Shelter Scotland.
“Only by investing in and building more social homes can we address the housing emergency and ensure that everyone has a safe, warm and affordable place to call home.”
