ALMOST 90,000 HOMES DELIVERED SINCE 2007
The Scottish Government is on-track to meet its target of delivering 50,000 new affordable homes by 2021 – backed by £3.3 billion of funding – new figures have confirmed.
Official statistics show that more than half have been completed and almost two-thirds approved, meaning the SNP is on-track to meet the 2021 target.
Since 2007, a total of almost 90,000 affordable homes have been delivered by the SNP in government – including 59,131 homes for social rent, 6,575 homes for affordable rent, and 20,403 homes for affordable home ownership.
This progress is being reflected in East Renfrewshire, with the first tenants in a generation having moved into new East Renfrewshire Council homes in Barrhead earlier this month. The impressive development on Robertson Street/Cross Arthurlie St, which was the first of three council sites to get underway, is made up of four three-bedroom houses and nine one-bedroom flats, including a fully adapted wheelchair property, and are now home to four families and nine tenants in the 60+ age group.
Along with the homes on Fenwick Drive, they are the first of over 200 social houses which will be constructed in the coming years, with work at Blackbyres Court due to complete in late Autumn.
These projects form part of East Renfrewshire Council’s Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) 2018/19 – 2022/23, which makes the commitment to deliver almost 700 affordable homes, including 240 new homes for social rent, across the authority over the next five years.
All local authorities are required to develop SHIPs annually and they are key documents as part of the Scottish Government’s affordable homes target.
Commenting, Tom Arthur MSP said:
“It’s great to see the progress East Renfrewshire Council has made locally with their ambitious investment plan, as well as the positive impact the new houses are having on the local community. It really drives home how important it is that we continue to deliver on social housing promises.
“The SNP has made the delivery of new homes a priority since being elected to office in 2007, having delivered almost 90,000 affordable homes since we entered office.
“These new figures show we’re on track to reach our target of at least 50,000 affordable homes over the course of this parliament – backed by £3.3 billion investment.
“In fact, we’ve delivered more council houses than have been built in all of England – not per person, but in actual homes built.
“Labour and the Lib Dems have embarrassingly little to show for their time in office and, with the Tories presiding over a chronic housing shortage in England, it’s clear that only the SNP is taking decisive action to deliver more houses for people in Scotland.
“With the biggest investment in and delivery of affordable housing since devolution, the SNP in government is – quite literally – building for the future of Scotland.”