Scottish Conservatives warn SNP’s national housing agency will fail to fix Scottish housing crisis

The Scottish government has announced a new national housing agency to tackle the housing crisis.

More Homes Scotland agency will operate from 2028-29, subject to the results of the Scottish election, and aims to deliver more affordable homes.

However, the Scottish Conservatives claim the agency is “just another quango” that will fail to fix Scotland’s housing emergency.

More Homes Scotland will meet the needs of this time

John Swinney, Scotland’s First Minister, claimed a new national agency will focus on large-scale, affordable housing projects and rural and island housing.

He said: “A new national agency will mean less duplication, greater expertise, increased efficiencies, and making our substantial investment go further. It will also provide enhanced support to our local authority partners and we will work in partnership with the Scottish National Investment Bank to attract more commercial investment.

“It is a new body that will offer simplicity, scale and speed, boosting delivery, and maximising savings, as part of our commitment to a decade of public sector modernisation and reform.

“More Homes Scotland will meet the needs of this time. It will deliver, for a new generation of Scots, new homes more quickly, more affordably, in more liveable, climate-friendly communities.”

Scotland is in the grip of a housing because of the SNP

However, the Scottish Conservatives have labelled the agency as “warm words rather action” to tackle the housing crisis.

Scottish Conservative shadow housing secretary Meghan Gallacher MSP told Property118: “This cannot be another SNP talking shop that fails to deliver.

“Scotland is in the grip of a housing emergency because of the SNP’s appalling failure to deliver the homes we have needed over the last two decades.

“Yet John Swinney’s latest plan is to set up another quango that won’t even be fully up and running for another two years.

“That will be of little comfort to the tens of thousands of families across Scotland who find themselves homeless or languishing in temporary accommodation right now.

“Instead of more warm words and kicking the can down the road, the SNP government should be taking action now. They should start by backing our common-sense plans to cut red tape and drive the investment needed to build more homes in Scotland.”

Industry reaction

Scottish Association of Landlords chief executive, John Blackwood, told Property118 the government must do more to invest in the private rented sector.

He said: “Scotland’s landlords see this as a step in the right direction towards increasing housebuilding.

“However, the Scottish government must also work to stimulate investment in the private rented sector and support landlords to help us play our vital role in ending Scotland’s housing crisis.”

Scottish Property Federation chair, Jonathan Guthrie, welcomed the plans.

He said: “The commitment to establish More Homes Scotland is a positive and timely step towards addressing Scotland’s housing emergency. A single national agency with a clear focus on delivery has real potential to accelerate decision-making and make better use of public and private investment to get more homes built, more quickly.

“We particularly welcome the emphasis on unlocking stalled sites through strategic land assembly and infrastructure investment. Harnessing the expertise of the Scottish National Investment Bank, private investors and local authorities will be essential if this new body is to deliver at the scale Scotland needs across all tenures.

“The SPF has long worked across the sector to champion more effective and coordinated housing delivery, and we welcome this new intervention and structure as an important step forward. We look forward to continuing to work with Ministers and officials on the detailed design and remit of More Homes Scotland, ensuring it supports a joined-up approach to planning, investment and delivery.”